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Germany has been rated the most popular country in the world
Germany has been rated the most popular country in the world. 26,000 people from 25 countries were surveyed internationally to rate 16 countries and the European Union on whether their influence in the world was "mainly positive" or "mainly negative". Germany received 59% of positive votes and is therefore perceived most positively in comparison to the other countries. Germany's popularity might be a result of diligent diplomacy. German development aid is supporting many developing countries and a number of German delegations have left positive impressions abroad. Ghanaians have the most favourable attitude toward Germany, with 84% approving. GlobeScan and PIPA conducted the survey for the British broadcaster BBC.
The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) supports the Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of Ghana with technical equipment worth 23,800 Euros. For this amount a rotary evaporator, a biosafety cabinet and two different incubators have been purchased.
Germany supports research lab at the University of Ghana
As part of his journey to Africa, the Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr. Guido Westerwelle visited Ghana’s capital Accra on April 26 and 27. He was accompanied by a delegation of German business-people and media representatives.
German Foreign Minister Dr. Westerwelle visits Ghana
On 28 March 2013 President John Mahama launched the National Urban Policy and Action Plan in Accra and especially thanked GIZ German Cooperation for its support during the development of the framework. The German Deputy Head of Mission, Mr. Thomas Wimmer, congratulated the Ghanaian Government during the launch ceremony and added “Germany will continue being a partner for sustainable, prosperous, and socially inclusive cities in Ghana."
Germany supports President's National Urban Policy
The German Embassy and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Ghana are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the “Deutsche Akademische Flüchtings-Initiative” or “Albert Einstein German Academic Refugee Initiative Fund”, DAFI.
20 years of DAFI
Ghanaian-German Cooperation Brochure
Development Cooperation is one of the most important areas of German-Ghanaian relations and forms the close ties between Germany and Ghana. In Development Cooperation the main areas are: Private Sector Development, Decentralisation, Agriculture, Renewable Energies, Good Financial Governance and Budget Support. Consolidating Peace and Democracy through various programmes also is a crucial element.
The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany with pleasure presents the Ghanaian-German Cooperation Brochure.
Ghanaian-German Cooperation Brochure [pdf, 1,762.87k]
Germany is strongly involved in the preservation of cultural monuments around the world. Now Germany has again been elected as a new member of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee until 2015.
Fascinating World Heritage
"Aktion Afrika" is the name of a programme with which Germany intends to further develop its partnership with Africa, starting this year. Germany will be investing a total of 20 million euros in cultural exchange projects and programmes in 2008 to ensure even closer cooperation with African countries in the future. With this initiative Germany is consolidating its political commitment to its neighbouring continent and demonstrating that Africa has a special role to play for Germany.
Read more about "Aktion Afrika"
Young Germany - The Arts
The arts today are encompassing new fields - from traditional visual arts to graphic design. But what about their accessibility to the public? Are the arts only a realm for the privileged? Young Germany looks at new projects working for a democratization of the arts that ensure greater online access to artistic collections, street art and murals, as well as artist residencies for young people, open atelier spaces for cultural actors, and artistic cooperations helping international artists stay "on the move." | <urn:uuid:d96ffd7c-1a7c-41df-81eb-9e4c290b1c2a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ghana.diplo.de/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00051-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940068 | 793 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Wikipedia-reading boffins jimmy keyless door to entire universe
Your car, your garage, and your office unlocked
A team of German scientists say they have cracked the encryption of a device widely used in keyless entry systems that electronically secure cars, garages and office buildings.
The finding by the scientists from Ruhr University in Bochum, Germany, means it is now relatively straightforward to clone the remote control devices that act as the electronic keys that unlock these restricted areas.
In a paper published earlier this week, they demonstrated a method they say completely breaks the encryption used in the Keeloq security system, which is used by manufacturers of cars, garage door openers and other devices. The hardware-based block cipher is made by US-based Microchip Technology and is used by Honda, Toyota, Volvo, Volkswagen and other manufacturers to securely transmit access codes that are transmitted using radio frequency identification technology.
The scientists from Ruhr's Electrical Engineering and Information Sciences Department were able to defeat the Keeloq's security because it relies on poor key management, in which every key is derived from a master key that's stored in the reading device, according to Timo Kasper, a PhD candidate who worked on the paper. Moreover, it uses a proprietary algorithm that had already been shown to generate cryptographically weak output.
The algorithm was kept secret for most of the two decades it's been in use. That changed about 18 months ago, when an an entry on Wikipedia published the cipher. The research team almost immediately spotted weaknesses.
"If they had made it public they would have found out 20 years ago that it's insecure," Kasper said in an interview. "Now it's a little bit too late, because it's already built into all the garages and cars."
Microchip officials wouldn't be interviewed for this story. They issued a statement that stated: "The most recently published German paper on theoretical attack requires detailed knowledge of the system implementation and a combination of data, specialized skills, equipment and access to various components of a system, which is seldom feasible. These theoretical attacks are not unique to the Keeloq system and could be applied to virtually any security system."
The paper describes a two-step approach to the crack. The first is what's known as a side-channel attack to deduce the master key that manufacturers build into each car lock, garage door opener or other access device that is equipped with Keeloq. One side-channel technique uses an oscilloscope to map how much power is used at precise time intervals while the Keeloq-based access device derives a new key. A similar method analyzes electromagnetic radiation.
Because most access devices are publicly available, it's not too hard for attackers to get their hands on one to perform the analysis. The hack requires about $3,000 worth of equipment and a fair amount of technical skill, but once the unique master key for a particular model is available, it works universally, Kasper said.
Read on for the second step in the attack.
At least in the states
A $50 pistol will get you most auto's. Unless the owner is stooopid.
Have you ever tried to break a car window with a hammer? - it's harder than you might think, and attracts far more attention than you might want.
I prefer an automatic centre punch...
How far is a meter? All of my meters are significantly different in size. The only one I could use for measuring distance is my metremeter and that is just over a metre long. | <urn:uuid:92a9fb99-c7b7-4bf8-8d6a-22608ce06a2c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04/03/keeloq_master_key_found/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96306 | 731 | 2.984375 | 3 |
(Sen) - The most active volcanic body in the Solar System is not playing ball with scientists, as new mysteries emerge surrounding the internal heating of the moon Io.
A new study on Jupiter’s moon Io has yielded a map of hot spots which show the range of heat being emitted by the highly active volcanic body. The volcanic eruptions on Io are immense, and dwarf the volcanic activity seen on Earth.
The volcanic activity of Io gives it its yellow surface colour which is frozen sulphur.
Io’s extravagant volcanism comes as a result of tidal interactions with the giant planet Jupiter and a complex orbital interplay between Europa, Ganymede and the parent planet. Io’s slightly elliptical orbit around Jupiter means that the direction of the tidal bulge is constantly changing, effectively stirring up the molten material within the moon.
"The fascinating thing about the distribution of the heat flow is that it is not in keeping with the current preferred model of tidal heating of Io at relatively shallow depths," said Ashley Davies from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory "Instead, the main thermal emission occurs about 40 degrees eastward of its expected positions."
Hot spots on Jupiter's moon Io. Larger spots correspond with greater areas of thermal emission. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Bear Fight Institute
The unusual pattern of the heat distribution suggests that there are complex heating processes deep within the Jovian moon. "What we see indicates a mixture of both deep and shallow heating," said JPL’s Dennis Matson.
Another oddity that emerged from the study is that the volcanic activity only accounts for 60 per cent of the heat that emanates from Io. "We are investigating the possibility that there are many smaller volcanoes that are hard, but not impossible, to detect," said Glenn Veeder of the Bear Fight Institute. "We are now puzzling over the observed pattern of heat flow."
Connecting the dots between Io’s internal heating and thermal emission will also help to further understand another Jovian moon, Europa, which could potentially harbour life in the oceans beneath its surface.
The study used data from NASA’s Voyager and Galileo missions, as well as using infrared telescopes on Earth. Galileo was a mission to Jupiter that launched in 1989 was the first to directly measure the gas giant’s atmosphere. The Galileo probe was deliberately destroyed in Jupiter’s crushing atmosphere in 2003 to avoid a collision with the potentially life bearing moon Europa.
An active volcanic eruption on Jupiter's moon Io was captured in this image taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft. Credit: NASA Planetary Photojournal
Io was discovered by Galileo in 1610. Io is the third largest of Jupiter's moons, and the fifth one in distance from the planet.
Io orbits the giant planet at an average distance of 422,000 kilometres (261,000 miles) (similar distance of Earth's moon from Earth) and completes an orbit once every 1.77 days travelling at over 62,000 kilometres per hour. | <urn:uuid:6699082a-26ff-4be6-bf0d-1e640fab74e6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sen.com/news/hot-spots-are-hot-topic-on-io.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00076-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936447 | 622 | 3.5 | 4 |
CAIRO (Reuters) – Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has urged Israel to open talks with the Palestinians on the full range of issues blocking the path to peace.
Stuttering negotiations between the two sides on a step-by-step “road map” toward peace have been suspended completely since Israeli forces launched an assault on Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip last December.
Mubarak said they should move straight to the six “final status” issues: borders, the status of Jerusalem, refugees, Israeli settlements in occupied territory, security and use of water.
“What is required now is political will, particularly by the leaders of Israel,” Mubarak said in an interview with the newspaper al-Quwat al-Musallaha (The Armed Forces).
Mubarak said he was in regular contact with Israeli leaders including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Shimon Peres and Defense Minister Ehud Barak.
He said talks should resume where they left off under the previous Israeli government.
“It is not reasonable or acceptable to start from scratch. I told them that the negotiations should address all six final status issues without exception,” he said.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said last month that, for talks to resume, Israel must honor agreements on borders and Jerusalem that he says its previous government made in talks last year.
No clear agreements were ever published before talks were suspended. Netanyahu, a right-winger who took office in March, has made clear he does not wish to repeat any such offers that Olmert may have made.
After talks with U.S. President Barack Obama and Netanyahu, Abbas also repeated a Palestinian insistence that Israel halt settlement building in the occupied territories, including East Jerusalem.
But Netanyahu has fought off U.S. and Arab pressure to freeze settlements.
Since then, U.S. diplomacy has focused on an immediate and unconditional resumption of negotiations.
Egypt signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, the first Arab state to do so.
Mubarak said that agreement, which saw Israel withdraw troops and settlers from Egypt’s Sinai peninsula, should be seen as a model for future pacts between Israel and the Palestinians and other Arab states.
Mubarak’s comments, cited by the state news agency MENA on Saturday, are the latest in a string of calls for Israel to accept a framework for peace based on U.N. resolutions and a land-for-peace formula contained in the Arab peace initiative.
That initiative, launched by Saudi Arabia in 2002, offers normalization with all Arab states in return for withdrawal from territories occupied in 1967 and a just settlement for refugees.
Mubarak said peace was “difficult but not impossible.”
Egypt has played a central role in negotiations to secure the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in return for freedom for Palestinians held in Israeli jails.
On Friday, Israel freed 20 female prisoners after receiving evidence that Shalit is alive and well.
Egypt is also trying to broker reconciliation between the rival Hamas and Fatah factions running Gaza and the West Bank respectively, and hopes they will sign a pact this month.
(Writing by Alastair Sharp; Editing by Kevin Liffey) | <urn:uuid:51025c50-121a-4624-8a59-ef3edfe8e6d9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://apeaceofconflict.com/collaborative-peace-and-conflict-dictionary/z/media-watch/october-2009/october-3/mubarak-urges-israel-to-start-final-status-talks/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957295 | 666 | 1.765625 | 2 |
On Sale This Week
Tell Me More
Our coats of arms are drawn as computer images to heraldic standards by artists, based on the blazon of the earliest known arms associated with a surname or one its spelling variants. Our surname history scrolls provide a summary history of a given last name, are over 1,800 words, and are printed on an 11x17 inch parchment paper. The source materials used for our coats of arms and histories were chosen for their reliability and authenticity. Note: 1) The specific individual to whom the original arms was granted normally is generally unknown to us, as this is rarely on record in our source books. 2) Coats of arms are sometimes inaccurately called family crests or code of arms. We sometimes use these terms interchangeable to better serve our customers. 3) Our surname history complements a genealogical search - we do not provide a genealogy of a specific family.
Suitable for any occasion, a name-history is a great gift and conversation piece, which can be proudly displayed in any home. Or use a coat of arms image on your stationary or business cards. Our most popular product, the armorial history, combines our time tested surname history scroll with a full color rendition of the earliest coat of arms once associated with the family name. The scroll-work was beautifully illustrated by a noted artist with a particular concern for heraldic detail in the coats of arms. Over 2 million copies of our surname histories have been sold. We are proud of the authenticity and accuracy of our surname history products and we stand behind them 100%. Secure shopping. BBB Approved.
To preview a surname and coat of arms, type a name in the left-top menu search box, or go to our name search page and type in a surname. You will get an excerpt of the last name origins, see a preview of the coat of arms, and see a variety of coat of arms products you can purchase, such as an anniversary scroll, family tree scroll, plaque, and ceramic plate.
To learn more about surname histories and coats of arms, read our FAQ, explore our surname history/coat of arms knowledge base, review our suggested reading list, or see a list of suggested genealogy and heraldry web sites.
Additional information on last name histories and coats of arms: | <urn:uuid:abeb86a1-7800-42f0-bec2-e772905133ea> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.houseofnames.com/?source=sp_hall2011Invite | 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 | 0.937885 | 470 | 2.140625 | 2 |
When the Glendale Road McDonald's closed its doors Saturday for a 90-day construction project, it could have meant dozens of employees were left without work.
Instead, they'll receive their normal pay and four community organizations will benefit.
All of the site's employees were either transferred to other McDonald's or to the Humane Society of the Ohio Valley, the ReStore Marietta office, the Washington County Boys & Girls Club and the Marietta Family YMCA. There, they'll spend the next several months "volunteering" while still earning paychecks.
It's an innovative idea and a win-win.
While this may not be an option for every business, especially small businesses, we think it's something that could and should happen more often-and a temporary closure isn't even necessary.
If there's a regular slow time or day for a business, maybe employees could be sent to lend a hand in the community, without having to miss out on work hours. Or if a company could spare someone once a week for a few hours, a regular volunteer opportunity could be set up.
The Mid-Ohio Valley has many wonderful volunteers who do so expecting nothing in return.
But for many others with a desire to help, finding the time to squeeze it in between a full-time job, family and household chores might be difficult. Employers could step in in this unique way, and provide extra help to nonprofits who need it.
We hope area employers might consider how this idea might work for them. | <urn:uuid:b39b41a9-4405-458a-a690-957001adb8e0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mariettatimes.com/page/content.detail/id/542813/Companies-should-follow-McDonald-s-example.html?nav=5004 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974772 | 312 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
"Living Fossil" Caught Off Japan (WARNING: Contains Video And Pic Of Ghastly Monster Fish!)
Pretty damn ugly, eh?
Japanese scientists were recently able to capture and film a female frilled shark (Chlamydoselachus anguineus). This 1.6 meter animal normally lives about a half mile down and eats squid, fish, and other sharks. The one above may have pursued its food source into shallower, warmer waters, or it might have been sick.
Chlamydoselachus is considered a "living fossil" because it has changed so little over the eons.
CBS has film here.
On one of the sites reporting this story, a reader remarks:
Are there any other rarely-seen possibly extinct creatures we can kill? Anybody? Just give us a heads up and we'll send a team of Japanese scientists over to photograph.
The point is well taken. I considered linking to extraordinary footage of a giant squid that Japanese scientists caught around Xmas, until I realized that the film consisted of the poor thing's death-throes as they hooked it aboard their boat.
In this case, however, the animal was already pretty far gone when it was captured.
And here, as in the case of the giant squid, the video shows that weird Japanese fish-necro thing, where they have someone lay down on a tarp next to the dead shark, allegedly for scale purposes. | <urn:uuid:0adefbaa-20a9-4828-98ff-d0ead9913035> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bigcitylib.blogspot.com/2007/01/living-fossil-caught-off-japan-warning.html | 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 | 0.959967 | 305 | 2.859375 | 3 |
Why do I need to have a Website?
If you have a business and are not on the Internet, you’re already at a severe disadvantage. Even if your website doesn’t have a store, it gives you a 24 X 7 contact point to put your name, your products, and your services out there for potential customers. Every day it gets harder to find an ad or business card without a website address on it. Just as your customers expect you to have a mailing address and telephone number, they also expect you to have a website and email address. The Internet continues to grow, and it isn’t going away.
No other form of advertising offers you such a tremendous level of market access for less than $1.00 per day.
What is the Web Development Process?
- Hire JewlZ as your Design team.
- Decide what you want your site to be called.
- Procure your Domain Name at a reduced rate using the JewlZ affiliate.
- Gather Requirements.
- Sign Agreements
- Make Hosting decision, getting the JewlZ affiliate reduced rate.
- Wait impatiently for the next meeting with your Designer.
- Test your site.
What kind of websites are there?
There are many different kinds of websites, and the type of business you have and what you want to accomplish with YOUR website will determine your choice. Simply put, there are two types of websites:
- Static websites – rather like looking at a catalog. These sites do not change often. They are meant to offer the user/visitor information about the company and little else.
- Dynamic websites – sites that change frequently, based upon the database. At JewlZ, we feel that a well-designed dynamic website is the best website. There are many reasons for this, but topmost in our opinion, is that after launch, editing is much simpler and easier to implement. We will be happy to explain that to you.
- We design and build our websites on the WordPress platform, using highly customizable themes.
What is a domain name?
A domain name is that which identifies a computer or computers on the internet.
This name appears as a component of a Web site’s URL (that’s the address you type in at the top of the browser to get to the site), as in www.google.com. This type of domain name is also called a hostname or registered domain name.
These names are also used for other purposes in the Domain Name System (DNS), for example the special name which follows the @ sign in an email address.
How much does a domain name cost?
To have a Web site, you must lease the domain name. Unlike the name of a person, there can only be one of the name you choose. There is only one google.com.
There is an cost for the name, which is only rented to you in one-year increments. The cost can vary from $1.99 to thousands of dollars. For instance, if you wanted to buy the name brittneyspears.com, you would have to bid for it. If another person or company already owns that real estate, they have to be willing to sell it, and you have to be willing to pay the going market rate.
Most of the time, however, the name you want is not already taken. JewlZ will be happy to procure this name for you at a reasonable rate.
What is a Host?
A Web Host (much like a host in the regular world)gives your Web site a place to stay, waiting to be summoned to a computer screen. It consists of a server or group of servers (special computers). This space is also rented to you a varying rates. At JewlZ we offer reasonably priced hosting through a reputable 24×7 monitored server. Oh, and we will always use a “green” server powered by the wind.
What are Requirements and why are they necessary?
Requirements are the equivalent of the blueprints for your Web Site. By spending time at the beginning planning what you want built, you save time and money in the long run.
A competent Project Manager will find out, not only what color you want the page to be, but every detail of every page you want to have designed and built for you. When the requirement gathering phase is complete and the agreement is printed, the Designer and you sign and agree that the designer will build what is described in the Requirements for a specified amount of money.
It is important to spend as much time as possible getting the blueprint right, because any changes you want to have made will cost extra money. The objective is to get you what you want in the shortest amount of time for the least amount of money.
How is writing for the World Wide Web so different from other writing?
When we surf the Internet, we are impatient. Writing for the Web requires that we be to the point. But that isn’t the most important thing. Google and other search engines find their targets based on “Keywords” within your content. Optimally, you want your page to come up near the top of the search. Unless you want to pay the advertising fee to be top dog, you need help with Keywords.
What is Knowledge Transfer and why is it important?
Yes, it’s just what it appears to be, but not as easily accomplished as one would think.
When your blueprint is being executed for you, the only thing important to you is the way it looks and if it works. However, after the site is built and the Designer is paid and gone, what happens? What do you do when you want to change a word or a picture, or find something not working?
At JewlZ, as we are building your Web Site, we are writing down the steps we take, documenting where all of the pages and pictures are on the server. At the end of the process, we will turn over to you a document explaining what we did and how your technical team can change your site. | <urn:uuid:6acece62-4b27-4500-9bfb-02229f41b483> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jewlz.net/faq/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957345 | 1,264 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Clara A. Abbott Professor Emereitus of Biology at Knox College, died at 9:15 a.m. Friday, February 24, 2012 in the Knox County Nursing Home. He was 76, born July 6, 1935 on the family farm in Coin, Iowa, the son of William E. and Lena G. (Griffin) Geer.
Internationally renowned for his research on the genetics of the fruit fly, Geer taught biology at Knox College from 1963 until his retirement in 2000.
Geer wrote dozens of scientific papers, including a number co-authored with Knox students and colleagues, as well as with collaborators from research facilities around the world. Geer and two of his students, Rebecca Swanson and Anthony Dunn, wrote a history of the sciences at Knox that was published in 1997.
In addition to his teaching and research at Knox, Geer held visiting appointments at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Oregon State University, Utah State University, University of Calgary in Canada, and Monash University in Australia.
From 1979 to 1984 Geer was coordinator of the Knox-Rush Medical Program and Professor of Pharmacology at Rush Medical College in Chicago. Geer emphasized the importance of research in the liberal arts science curriculum — half of the students who worked in his lab as Knox undergraduates went on to medical school, and another one-third completed graduate or professional degrees.
Among Geer’s many honors were an honorary doctorate from Knox College in 2009, a 1995 Shannon Award from the National Institutes of Health, 1995 election as a Fellow of the Illinois Academy of Science, 1991 Alumni Citation for Excellence from the University of California at Davis, 1990 Illinois Professor of the Year Award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, 1986 Burlington Northern Foundation Faculty Achievement Award, and a 1985 Fulbright Senior Research Fellowship for study at Monash University in Australia.
A graduate of Northwest Missouri State University, Geer received his master’s degree from the University of Nebraska and his Ph.D. from the University of California at Davis.
Bill was a member of the First United Methodist Church and the former Cosmopolitan Club. He married Judith A. Matthews on August 10, 1957 in Halls, Mo.
He is survived by his wife Judy; three children, Susan (and D.K. Komlosi) Geer of La Grande, Ore., Kurt (and Carlene Thomas) Geer of Indian Harbor Beach, Fla., and Kelly Geer of Galesburg; his twin sister, Betty Breeden of Elko, Nev.; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and three sisters.
Cremation will be accorded. Memorial service will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 31, 2012 in the First United Methodist Church. Mary Runge will officiate. A time for fellowship will be offered following the service at the church. Private burial will be in Hope Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to First United Methodist Church, the Billy Geer Research Fund at Knox College, or Guardian Angels Humane Society. Hinchliff-Pearson-West Funeral Directors and Cremation Service is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be made at www.h-p-w.com. | <urn:uuid:5a62d2c5-e34d-4f99-8b67-31300812531b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.h-p-w.com/?p=5886 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969231 | 672 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Key Postings by Theme
Links to thoughtful postings that merit on-going consideration:
THE PLO -- explanation and historical development, December 2011.
A BRIEFING BY MINISTER OF SECURITY AFFAIRS MOSHE YA'ALON, December 2011.
POSTINGS REPORTING ON THE 2009 JERUSALEM CONFERENCE
THE JERUSALEM CONFERENCE - January 26, 2009
CONFERENCE UPDATE - January 27, 2009
THOUGHTS, HEAVY AND DEEP - January 28, 2009
DEJA VU AGAIN? - January 29, 2009
POSTINGS CONNECTED TO BEIT HASHALOM, HEVRON
THE VIEW FROM BEIT HASHALOM - December 3, 2008
SHAMEFUL - December 4, 2008
A NECESSARY RESPONSE - December 6, 2008
DESPICABLE - December 7, 2008
See also David Wilder, "Extremism breeds extremism" - December 7, 2008
POSTINGS CONNECTED TO THE MUMBAI MASSACRE AT CHABAD HOUSE
WHEN WORDS FAIL - November 29, 2008
TERROR HERE, TERROR THERE (second half) - November 30, 2008
A PAINFUL WORLD, December 1, 2008
See also Melanie Phillips, "War Against Civilization" , November 30, 2008
TISHA B'AV REFLECTIONS -- August 10, 2008
What it means for us today.
A consideration of Israeli Arab attitudes, in the aftermath of the bulldozer terrorist attack -- posted July 3, 2008, one day after the attack.
Beginning Yom Haatzmaut, Israel's 60th Independence Day, May 7, 2008. A celebration of Israel.
A portion of the incredibly moving words of the IDF Chief of the General Staff, speaking at Auschwitz to "The March of the Living" -- posted May 1, 2008.
Israel's Day of Remembrance of Martyrs and Heroes of the Holocaust, April 30, 2008.
A review of the settlement issue and its distortions by the international community, written March 17, 2008.
POSTINGS CONNECTED TO MASSACRE AT YESHIVAT MERCAZ HARAV
PIGUAH: On March 6, the day it happened.
PAIN: Follow-up on March 7.
HOLD FAST: Post Shabbat mediation and more follow-up.
THE FOUNDATION STONE: Rabbis of the Yeshiva, speaking a week later.
A March 5, 2008 report on fighting Hamas in Gaza during Operation Warm Winter, with regard to respect for life.
On historian Martin Gilbert drawing parallels between situation now and pre-WWII, February 23, 2008.
JERUSALEM CONFERENCE of February 19th and 20th, 2008.
Arlene's review of the Conference.
Words and Weakness (Excellent)
Reviewing the blood libel against Israel, January 14, 2008.
On the misunderstandings, regularly promoted, regarding Jewish rights to the land, posted December 2, 2007.
On the struggle for Jerusalem, posted October 23, 2007.
On the plans presented by MK Benny Elon for a whole new way to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Written September 25, 2007, regarding the situation Israel finds herself in and the causes for hope; includes personal comments on our connection to the land.
Written September 3, 2007 on the issue of so-called "unauthorized" outposts and the improper use of the army to dismantle them.
Written August 30, 2007, on the pride of our nation: our brave and selfish soldiers.
Written July 29, 2007, on the politcally correction notion of "narratives" and the ways in which we have lost our national Zionist narrative.
Written July 27, 2007, on the bravery of dedicated Zionists in 1947, and where we are now.
On the issue of using our soldiers to remove Jews from their homes.
On the Jewish right to be in Hevron. | <urn:uuid:14d8b49e-5856-460b-9a81-4ec72574accd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://arlenefromisrael.squarespace.com/key-postings-by-theme/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.921781 | 847 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Simon Hughes, the deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, has said that the government will give gay couples the right to civil marriage.
He predicted that the change would be made before the next general election.
Mr Hughes said a consultation would take place in the coalition government on taking civil partnership to the next level.
Speaking in a video interview, he said: “It would be appropriate in Britain in 2010, 2011, for there to be the ability for civil marriage for straight people and gay people equally.
“That’s different of course from faith ceremonies which are matters for the faith communities… they have to decide what recognition to give.
“The state ought to give equality. We’re halfway there. I think we ought to be able to get there in this parliament.”
Currently, gay couples in the UK can have a civil partnership, which is not called marriage. They may not have a religious ceremony.
However, the coalition government is coming under increasing pressure to provide full marriage equality as other countries around the world make the step.
Prime minister David Cameron is on record saying that he will consider the change, while the most senior gay Tory, Nick Herbert, told PinkNews.co.uk on Saturday: “Well as you know, what David Cameron and George Osborne said just before the election was that gay marriage is something that we should look at, in time.”
“It’s not something we’ve got immediate plans to change, but we recognise that there are views that say that the name is important.”
To see a video clip of the interview, scroll down.
Enjoyed this article? Add Pink News to your Facebook news feed | <urn:uuid:328bf807-8537-4015-b958-ff7d66642719> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2010/07/19/deputy-lib-dem-leader-simon-hughes-says-government-will-allow-gay-couples-to-marry/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00052-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963122 | 354 | 1.773438 | 2 |
KOLKATA: After weeks of nail-biting apprehension, Medical aspirants can breathe easy. The West Bengal Joint Entrance Board will conduct the medical entry test for 2012.
Earlier, there was suspense over the CBSE-conducted Common Entrance Test (CET) that is being made mandatory nationwide. If Bengal were to follow it this year, thousands of higher secondary students would have a tough time getting to terms with the CBSE syllabus and answering the test in English. The WBJEE questions are set in Bengali as well, but there is no vernacular option in CET.
After a meeting of the JEE board members with officials of the higher education and health departments on Wednesday, the board unanimously decided to conduct the JEE medical and engineering 2012 as usual. "We'll issue the final notification soon and start distributing forms," said board chairman Bhaskar Gupta.
Gupta assured examinees that they needn't worry about strictures from the Medical Council of India (MCI) that it may derecognize degrees of MBBS students who do not take the CET.
"The government must have a plan. We could not have taken a decision bypassing the government. It knows about the problem and will take responsibility for the medical students. They need not worry. Moreover, though MCI had said they may derecognize the degrees of students who do not appear in CET, they have not confirmed the decision," Gupta said, adding: "Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are also conducting separate medical entrance tests and not participating in CET. They have got stay orders from the high courts."
He would not say if the Bengal government was planning to take legal steps and secure a stay order. "This can be best answered by the government itself. However, legal advisors of WBJEE board have given me the go-ahead and informed me that there won't be any legal hassles if we take a separate admission test," Gupta added.
The WBJEE will be held on April 15 next year. "All the questions will be multiple-choice. We shall start making preparations accordingly."
"With only five months to go for CET, medical aspirants in the state were in a dilemma. We could not let the uncertainty continue any further," said a health department official.
Though chief minister Mamata Banerjee had written to Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad to conduct the exam in Bengali, no reply has arrived even after three weeks. "The CM had wanted a reply within a week. The Centre had been acting pricey. CBSE, which will conduct CET in 2012, has said they will prepare question papers only in English and Hindi and not in regional languages. We had no option but to keep the medical entrance exam with us at least for one more year," said the health official.
"There is also a difference between the NCERT and Bengal syllabii. Till today, students were not sure which syllabus they had to follow. How could they start preparing for the exam?" the official said, adding that the government was preparing to take legal steps and file a case in high court soon.
It was education minister Bratya Basu who had pointed out that language and syllabus were the two major obstacles for the state to accepts CET from this year. | <urn:uuid:00b42cc3-03d9-4c5a-9a84-8a5c886e584a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-12-01/kolkata/30462316_1_cet-common-entrance-test-medical-aspirants | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981658 | 680 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Focus on the Family Canada is a charitable organization which has been serving families in Canada since opening its doors in 1983. For 30 years, we have been providing care, advice, support and encouragement to families at every stage of life. We have worked hard to respond to the many real issues families face and to provide sound and practical guidance based on Christian principles.
By providing valuable and relevant seminars and conferences, resources on an array of important issues, personal counselling and prayer support, and much more, we aim to be the place Canadian families turn to for trusted help and encouragement!
To strengthen Canadian families through education and support based on Christian principles.
To see every family transformed by love, vibrant in faith and enduring in hope.
OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES:
The Pre-eminence of Evangelism
We believe that the ultimate purpose of life is to know and glorify God and to attain eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord, beginning within our own families and then reaching out to a suffering humanity that needs to embrace His love and sacrifice.
The Permanence of Marriage
We believe that the institution of marriage is a sacred covenant designed by God to model the love of Christ for His people and to serve both the public and private good as the basic building block of human civilization. Marriage is intended by God to be a thriving, lifelong relationship between a man and a woman, enduring through trials, sickness, financial crises and emotional stresses. Therefore, Christians are called to defend and protect God's marriage design and to minister in Christ's name to those who suffer the consequences of its brokeness.
The Value of Children
We believe that children are a heritage from God and a blessing from His hand. We are therefore accountable to Him for raising, shaping and preparing them for a life of service to His Kingdom and to humanity.
The Sanctity of Human Life
We believe that human life is created by God in His image. It is therefore of inestimable worth and significance in all its dimensions, including the preborn, the aged, those deemed unattractive, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other condition in which humanness is expressed from the single-cell stage of development to natural death. Christians are therefore called to defend, protect and value all human life.
The Importance of Social Responsibility
We believe that God has ordained the social institutions of family, church and government for the benefit of all mankind and as a reflection of His divine nature. Therefore, Christians are called to support these institutions, according to God's design and purpose, and to protect them against destructive social influences. Such involvement is in obedience to Christ's lordship over all creation and is requried by His command to care for the well-being of all people.
The Value of Male and Female
We believe that God created humans in His image, intentionally male and female, each bringing unique and complementary qualities to sexuality and relationships. Sexuality is a glorious gift from God to be offered back to Him either in marriage for procreation, union and mutual delight, or in celibacy for undivided devotion to Christ. Christians are called to proclaim the truth and beauty of God's design and the redemption of sexual brokenness in our lives and culture through Jesus Christ.
Welcome to Focusonthefamily.ca
At Focus on the Family Canada, we’re committed to helping families thrive. You can count on us for uplifting articles, helpful marriage and parenting programs, resources that address a breadth of family concerns, and practical answers to your specific problems.
If you’re looking for tools to raise great kids, ideas to improve your marriage, inspiration for yourself or assistance for someone you know, you’ve come to the right place!
We invite you to browse our website, tune in to our radio programs or contact us directly. We offer a wide range of helps to meet the needs of today’s Canadian families.
It’s our desire to serve and help you at your particular stage of family life. We invite you to contact us by phone, email or mail, and tell us how we can assist you and your family.
Focus on the Family Canada | <urn:uuid:b1a85929-abbd-4535-b8b7-e29b2839d1a5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.focusonthefamily.ca/corporate/about-us/about-us | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00076-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953528 | 853 | 1.726563 | 2 |
ParsQuake: Earthquake Education in the Global Persian Community
The global Persian-speaking community is highly vulnerable to earthquakes. This includes millions of people living in cities, towns, and villages in Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan, as well as members of diaspora communities worldwide. Supported by PARSA Community Foundation, ParsQuake and Teachers Without Borders are addressing this vulnerability by raising the standard of Persian civic engagement and leadership on issues of earthquake awareness, education and mitigation. Click here to watch the summary video.
Chinese-Language Earthquake Animations
Teachers Without Borders has completed Chinese translations of several earthquake education animations created by IRIS for use by teachers in Sichuan Province of China. Original English-language animations can be found here.
Blended Learning Science or Math Studies (BLOSSOMS)
Teachers Without Borders Emergency Education Intern, Zach Adam, has completed a BLOSSOMS learning video on earthquake prediction. The video is designed pedagogically to run in harmony with the regular in-class teacher. The module covers basic properties of earthquakes to explore the following questions: Why do earthquakes occur? Can earthquakes be predicted? It includes construction and operation of a simple fault system model using wooden blocks, sandpaper, a rubber band and a measuring tape. The teaching approach employed in this module is known as the 5E approach which has been developed and evaluated by BSCS.
Classroom Video Exchange Project
Teachers Without Borders is working with science teachers worldwide to produce classroom videos that demonstrate science inquiry teaching methods in the teaching of safety-related topics.TWB members and science teachers, Rob Jensen and Jann Clouse, have implemented a series of classroom science activities that combine inquiry teaching with emergency education. The videos of their classroom implementations is available for public view on dotSUB (see below). Please contact Li Hong Xu if you would like to participate in TWB's Classroom Video Exchange Project.
- FireWorks: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4
- Our Microbiology Experiment: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4
- Cooking Right Lab: Day 1
2010 Science Inquiry Workshop - Chengdu, China
In partnership with the Qing Yang Bureau of Education and the Teacher Training Institute in Chengdu, Teachers Without Borders facilitated an innovative and informative science inquiry workshop for grade 1-12 science teachers from the Qing Yang school district. This five-day workshop, held from July 5-9, 2010, was an opportunity for teachers in Qing Yang to learn about the latest science inquiry teaching methods practiced by their peers in Shanghai and the United States. Read more here.
2009 Earthquake Emergency Education Workshop - Dujiangyan, China
In April 2009, Teachers without Borders, the Dujiangyan Bureau of Education and the Teacher Training Institute in Dujiangyan, China, conducted an 8-day Earthquake Emergency Education Workshop for over 200 teachers and school administrators in Dujiangyan, a city heavily damaged by the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake. A video summary of the workshop is available on dotSUB: | <urn:uuid:ff64da9b-ae44-47d1-b918-741777c8fa85> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.teacherswithoutborders.org/programs/core-programs/emergency-education/publications-products/videos | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927998 | 620 | 2.984375 | 3 |
|HGH » Endocrine System » The Function Of Hormones In The Body|
The Function Of Hormones In The Body
An informative article on: The Function Of Hormones In The Body.
Put simply, hormones are the bodyís chemical messengers that relay a signal from cell to cell. Endocrine glands produce and release these hormones into the bloodstream, where they will travel and bind with a specific receptor, to reproduce or to trigger the production of proteins. This article will further discuss about the different hormones in the endocrine system, their significance, and the function of hormones in the body.
Types of Hormones
To understand the function of hormones in the body, you need to be familiarized with the different types of hormones in the endocrine system. The most important ones are highlighted here. The first one is vasopressin, a hormone created by the hypothalamus. This type of hormone is responsible for the maintenance of blood pressure and electrolyte balance. Growth hormone, which is produced by the pituitary gland, stimulates cell reproduction for bone and muscle mass. Insulin, a hormone created by the pancreas, is responsible for keeping blood glucose level normal. Reproductive hormones such as estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone help control sexual functions and conception.
How Hormones Function
The function of hormones in the body is mainly to serve as chemical messengers. The brain receives a message from the nerves, interprets it, and transmits the message to a specific endocrine gland. In response, the endocrine gland releases one or more hormones to bind with a specific cell. Understand that while there are billions of cells in the body, the hormone locks in only with the target cell in order to produce the desired response. Hormone production decreases as people age, which in turn will affect bodily functions. For example, when a woman reaches the age of 40-50, she will undergo a phase called menopause which decreases the production of estrogen.
The Importance of Hormones
The function of hormones in the body is inarguably very important; even the slightest change in how a hormone works could impact the entire body. In order to perform all the necessary processes normally, such as growth, development, metabolism, movement, and reproduction, hormones are needed. If there is too much or too little of a certain hormone, a personís health and wellbeing could be affected. In an effort to maintain hormonal balance, people with deficiencies or excessiveness take medications, hormonal replacement therapy, natural remedies, and even undergo surgery. Those are good treatment options, but in as much as possible, simply avoid the problem before it happens.
The Effects of Too Much or Too Little Hormones
The function of hormones in the body can best be appreciated by citing the consequences of hormonal imbalance. When there is overproduction of vasopressin, this will lead to lowered sodium levels; while underproduction of this hormone could cause excessive sodium levels, a condition that could cause mental disorientation and coma. Too much growth hormones could cause acromegaly and gigantism, and too little of it could result to stunted growth and abnormal physical development. Too much insulin could cause hypoglycemia, which can be fatal, and too little of it leads to diabetes. Lastly, an imbalance in the reproductive hormones can lead to lack of sexual drive and even infertility. | <urn:uuid:4a6002d5-0dad-4eff-aef5-a14a47d443c8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hgh.org/Endocrine-System/The-Function-of-Hormones-in-the-Body.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.903187 | 695 | 3.59375 | 4 |
The narrator of "The Immigrants", the final story in this collection, surely expresses Prajwal Parajuly's own exasperation when he says of New York: "When I told people I was of Nepalese origin, they instinctively asked me if I had climbed Mount Everest." These eight snapshots of the Nepali-speaking diaspora in India, Bhutan, Nepal and Manhattan should do much to correct such stereotypes. Crisp, inventive and insightful, The Gurkha's Daughter paints an almost irreducibly plural picture, but exodus to the west is a shaping theme.
- Tell us what you think: Star-rate and review this book
Half Nepalese, half Indian, Parajuly was raised in the Nepalese-majority Indian state of Sikkim and educated in English; he worked as a Village Voice ad executive and was doing a masters in creative writing at Oxford when, at 27, he became the youngest Indian ever to secure an international book deal. His own background is an example of the complexity of the Nepalese experience – riven by caste and kicked around like a political football – while giving him an international sensibility.
Despite Himalayan potential for the picturesque, no ink is wasted here on landscape or appearances. The writing is unshowy, at times affectless. The focus is on character as revealed by domestic incident, even when the theme is the potentially epic one of the 106,000 Nepalese exiled from Bhutan. Only the title story deals with a cultural facet familiar to a British audience, namely the mercenary Gurkhas; but Parajuly ignores their fabled ferocity, examining instead what their post-imperial limbo means to their families.
The daughters of two Gurkhas don fake moustaches to play-act their fathers talking about booze and Brits. Seeing the men's jaded experience through the nine-year-olds' eyes is both funny and poignant, and a superb example of Parajuly's urge to toy with modes of presentation. In "Passing Fancy", the protagonist's marital conversations are given in direct speech, but dialogue with a neighbour is presented indirectly, Mrs Dalloway–style: we witness the flirtation only as the woman replays it secretly in the recesses of her mind.
Ignorance extends its tentacles through the stories: often the ignorance of people looking across wide cultural divides. The Gurkha daughters, despite their mimicry, don't truly grasp their fathers' situations. All they know about Britain is that it has no mud. In "No Land Is Her Land", a dysfunctional clan of Bhutan refugees cherishes an American dream as chimeric as the image of the "perfect family" that they somehow convey to their green card interviewer. In "The Cleft", the servant Kaali muses on a fantasy of Bollywood stardom which seems at first tantalisingly tenuous, and then cruelly illusory.
Manifold human weakness is exposed from this opening story onwards. The cleft of the title refers as much to caste division as to Kaali's deformity. Despised but indispensable, only she seems free of the vast range of prejudices her social superiors consider their right and privilege. Meanwhile, post-imperial influence gets short shrift from the Gurkhas: "I haven't been in any danger since the Gulf War, but they might have some useless war for me to fight again. They are the British after all."
Nor does Parajuly spare the system which puts his own Brahmin caste at the apex. In the touching "A Father's Journey", a child's naive questioning exposes the inequalities of the caste system; yet she embraces its strictures when, as an adult, she chooses a Brahmin as her husband in a misdirected effort to please her father. What gives Parajuly's characters warmth is an energy born of division or dispossession: a desire to be loved, to be better off, or to be elsewhere.
Some of the earlier tales resolve their propulsive frictions rather too neatly, and the sheer versatility in topic and treatment may seem scattershot at first. But an underlying purpose coalesces in the second half of the collection. The maps prefacing the first seven stories show the same intersection of Nepal, Bhutan and India. But the eighth map shows New York, the setting for the partly autobiographical "The Immigrants", in which two arriviste Nepalis have to overcome their mutual native prejudices in a strange land. Like a screenplay composed of vignettes, each of the final four stories opens a further perspective on departure for the west.
Parajuly's debut novel The Land Where I Flee, a family saga of the Nepalese diaspora, is due out in a year's time. It should give him the breathing space to exercise his considerable strengths, but it would be a marvellous novel indeed that could match the energetic play of perspectives displayed here.
• John Garth's Tolkien and the Great War is published by HarperCollins. | <urn:uuid:2c8415ad-9b84-46ec-9282-e8de337b01f2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/jan/25/gurkhas-daughter-prajwal-parajuly-review?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Fbooks%2Frss+%28Books%29 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963511 | 1,038 | 1.84375 | 2 |
Does anyone make anything that beats a low-cost index fund? There are at least two short answers to this, which are (1) Don't ask me, and (2) No.
Hi! It's Ask a Banker! I'm a former banker, current Dealbreaker editor and occasional answerer of questions real and imagined here. This week we'll continue a mini-streak of answering actual questions submitted by actual people. Help us keep it up by sending questions to email@example.com with "ask a banker" in the subject line, or ask on Twitter (@planetmoney). This week's question comes from Peter Hurley on Twitter:
Q. Does anyone make anything that beats a low-fee index fund?
There are at least two short answers to this, which are:
1. Don't ask me, and
So this has started auspiciously.
First of all, you are asking for investment advice on the Internet, so I am required to start with the standard disclaimer to the effect of this is just for entertainment, don't try this at home, neither I nor Planet Money will be responsible if you lose all your money, etc. Let me also add the nonstandard disclaimer, which is that, even among people who might give you investment advice on the Internet, I am a really bad person to ask. My investment strategy consists mostly of lighting my money on fire. Also index funds.
But here we are on the Internet so let's try to answer Peter's question anyway. First a little explanation: An index fund is a particular kind of mutual fund. A mutual fund, in turn, is just a way to invest in a lot of stocks (or bonds, or other things) at once. Instead of buying $1,000 worth of Facebook stock, you put your $1,000 into a big pot with a lot of other people's money and a professional manager in charge of investing it. The fund manager buys stock with your money, and you make a profit (or loss) if the stocks that she buys go up (or down). Different managers have different goals and styles — some buy tech stocks, some buy emerging-market stocks, etc. — but they all are basically trying to pick good stocks and avoid bad ones, and they all charge a fee for their services, which comes out of your gains in the mutual fund.
An index fund is a mutual fund that buys all of the stocks in proportional sizes — lots of stock of big companies, less of little companies — so that when you invest $1,000 in an index fund you are just buying $1,000 worth of "the stock market." Because "buy all of the stocks and wait" is a pretty easy investing strategy, index funds usually have very low management expenses and trading costs, so it's pretty cheap to invest in them.*
So the question is: Should you just do that — buy funds that invest cheaply in the entire market — or does anyone make anything that beats that strategy?
First, here is a deceptively complex question: What do you mean by "beats"? This is complex because different people want different things from their investments, and deceptively complex because in a sense they shouldn't. Some people buy Kia Sorrentos, and others buy Porsche 911s, not because they're being defrauded but because different cars make different trade-offs that appeal to different people.
It seems like investments should be different: They just take money as input and give back money as output, so whichever investment gives back the most money is the best. For everyone.
But since figuring out in advance which investment will make the most money is very hard, people talk instead about different investments being right for different people. Often this is about the trade-off between risk and reward. Some people — because they're young and have long careers ahead of them, or because they're gamblers by nature — are willing to take large risks with the hope of achieving large returns; others — retirees, the instinctively conservative — will accept lower returns to get safety and stability.** Some people want Porsches, some want Kias; some people buy penny stocks, others buy investment-grade bonds.
This is mostly a good solution in practice though it sits above a theoretical abyss. It's surprisingly hard to know how risky things are; you have to pretty much go by past performance and expert opinion. Those are also the two things that most people use in predicting whether, say, a stock will go up, and they have a pretty terrible record there. The record of predicting riskiness is better — investment-grade bonds really do move around less than penny stocks — but it's not what you'd call perfect. The story of the financial markets is one long list of people buying things because they were boring and safe and then finding out they were terrifying and scary, whether those things were AAA mortgage-backed securities or Greek government bonds or Spanish bank preferred stocks or whatever.
That list seems to be getting longer these days. A bunch of UBS clients who invest heavily in bonds, because bonds are boring and safe, will apparently be getting letters telling them that UBS now considers their investments "aggressive." Because now bonds are risky. Respectable opinion thinks money market funds — traditionally about the most boring and conservative thing you can invest in — are the new death trap. Who knows!
This has strayed away from Peter's question a bit, but I think it's important background. If everyone knew what an investment was supposed to do — make the most money over some pre-agreed period — then we'd just go find the simple answer and say "well Manager X made 15 percent and the S&P index returned 13 percent so Manager X wins." But instead there are different risk preferences and different ways of measuring risk and different time periods over which to measure returns, so everyone who doesn't want you to index — everyone who wants to get paid to manage your money — can advertise that their fund is really good at something or other, even if the something or other isn't "making you lots of money." This is mostly legitimate — different people really do have different risk preferences, time horizons, etc. — but it also provides fertile soil for rationalization and obfuscation.
But risk preferences and rationalizations aside: Is there something that you can invest in that will predictably and consistently outperform the market?
Well ... why would there be? What makes you so special?
"Beating the market" is an obviously zero-sum proposition: every dollar of above-average returns needs to be balanced by a dollar of below-average returns; that's just what an average means. Except that in practice if you're trying to get the average return, you pretty much just buy All The Stocks — in the form of a low-cost index fund — and wait until you retire, while if you're trying to get an above-average return you're either paying some swami to manage your money or day-trading frantically or both. Swami fees, and trading commissions, subtract from your return. So everyone looking for average results gets average results; everyone looking for above-average results on average gets below-average results.
This is pretty much the most established fact in finance. It's true of mutual funds: "Nearly every study of mutual fund performance has shown that on average actively managed mutual funds after expenses underperform their respective benchmarks." It's true of hedge funds: Warren Buffett has a well-publicized bet that an S&P 500 index fund will outperform a handpicked list of hedge funds, and he's ahead so far.
But that's just on average. Can some people beat the market? Meh, sure, probably. Here are some ways:
1. Be really smart. It's possible? The jury is really, really, really out on this one. I'm a smart guy, if I do say so myself, but I'm garbage at investing. And this turns out to be true of a lot of people: They do deep research, build huge spreadsheets, write well-argued investment theses, talk persuasively about the markets, joke comfortably with CNBC anchors, and still lose lots of money. Other people seem like idiots but make lots of money. Predicting investing performance based on anything other than investing performance is surprisingly difficult.
But it turns out that predicting investing performance based on investing performance is also surprisingly difficult, because it's hard to distinguish "investing smarts" from luck. There are statistical methods for doing so — basically if enough people get lucky enough for long enough, you'd probably want to explain it as something other than luck. Those statistical methods pretty much come down on the side of luck, most of the time,*** though they can't rule out the possibility that some people really are that smart.****
2. Have inside information. There are hedge funds that hire people who seem smart and they sit around researching stocks and then buying and selling them, and some of those hedge funds actually perform really well and consistently beat the market. And now a lot of people at those hedge funds are going to jail!
Is all outperformance due to cheating and insider trading, as some cynics think? Meh, probably not. But there is at least suggestive evidence that a lot of outperformance does come from some sort of insider access, legal or otherwise.
3. Add value. This isn't relevant for you, probably; you're just some guy with a retirement fund. But a lot of good investment decisions are not about zero-sum buying and selling of shares in the hopes that you've bought the best shares, but rather about buying shares and companies whose value you can increase by something you do. This is the theory behind private equity: You buy a whole company, make it more valuable through operational improvements or financial engineering or tax arbitrage, and then sell it back at a healthy profit. And there is some evidence that private equity does outperform "the market." (Maybe.)
Similarly, Buffett is revered as a great investor, but a lot of the way he makes money is by lending his Cherry Coke-flavored halo to troubled companies. "Nothing Warren Buffett invests in can go bankrupt," the market thinks, so it doesn't, and his investments go up. Because that halo is valuable, he also tends to get great deals on his investments — deals that are not open to you. Though you can buy shares in his company.
I don't know what to tell you, Peter. The answer to your question — "does anyone make anything that beats a low-cost index fund" — is "maybe," but I can't exactly tell you what it is. So my advice to you is:
- index, and
- don't take my advice.
You shouldn't take my advice for the reasons I started with — you should never take financial, or really any, advice from the Internet in general, and you should never take financial, or really any, advice from me specifically.
But there's one more curious reason not to take this specific piece of advice, which is: imagine if everyone did. Index funds are a great way to piggyback off the work of the stock market: a bunch of mutual fund and hedge fund managers try, with great effort and great expense, to pick the best stocks, with the result that the stocks they like go up, the stocks they don't like go down, and capital is allocated to its highest and best uses in the economy. Meanwhile you sit around doing nothing and get the average performance of those managers, without paying their fees.
This is nice for you. But if everyone did it, who would be allocating the capital? Who would make good stocks go up and bad stocks go down?***** Someone's got to pay the costs for keeping a financial system going, Peter. I nominate you.
* Again I don't want to tell you where to invest, but just by way of example some index funds in which I happen to personally invest include the Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund and the SSgA S&P 500 Index Fund. You can probably find someone who'll argue passionately that one S&P 500 index fund is way better than another, but you'll have to find that yourself because feh.
Also: Many people choose to get their index funds through exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, like the SPDR S&P 500 ETF, rather than through traditional mutual funds. Again you can find passionate arguments about whether and when ETFs are better than mutual funds, but you can't find them here.
One more issue that's pretty important: If you're just going to invest in "the market," what market are you investing in? Most people use "index funds" to refer to stock index funds: They buy all the stocks, but not all the bonds (and certainly not all the things you can invest in). But all of what stocks? Big index funds invest in (1) the S&P 500 — just an index of the biggest American stocks, (2) all American stocks, (3) all stocks (or all the biggest stocks) in other countries/regions/etc., (4) all stocks in a certain line of business, (5) all stocks in the world, etc. etc. etc. Which one is right for you? I dunno. You could have a thesis — "France looks great; I'm gonna buy French index funds" — or try to go as broad as possible — "I'm a citizen of the world; I want the entire market" — or some mix or other. It turns out to be surprisingly hard to avoid making decisions.
** Other times it's about correlation, but this is a fuzzier thing to describe. Different investments tend to do well in different states of the world, so you might try to understand what states of the world correspond to what investments making money, and you should then, like, do something about that. One thing you could do about it is hedge your personal life by investing in things that will do well if other aspects of your financial life do poorly. This is a common approach among financial industry employees. Investment bankers tend to make a lot of money when markets are up, and get laid off when they're down. A lot of investment bankers therefore tend to stay the hell away from the stock market in their personal investing: Why double down? There are some financial industry employees who gamble wildly with their personal money, and then a lot of people who are 100 percent in TIPS or whatever.
*** One simple measure of this is that, beyond the fact that the average mutual fund is bad, there's the even more disturbing fact that this year's good mutual funds are unlikely to be good next year. Which strongly implies that the above-average funds just got lucky this year. Here's one version:
[O]f the 700+ funds that were in the top 25% of mutual funds as of September 2010, only 10% remained in the top 25% at the end of September 2012. In other words, only 2.5% of all actively managed mutual funds in their sample were in the top quartile in September 2010 and September 2012.
There's much more to say here. Burton Malkiel's A Random Walk Down Wall Street is a classic, and Nassim Taleb's Fooled by Randomness is also fun. Googling "efficient markets hypothesis" will also probably find you plenty to read.
**** There are various appealing subsets of smart that are something other than "point at good stock and wait for it to go up." Bridgewater, one of the most successful hedge funds, is not so much about "buying the best stocks" as it is about building a portfolio around an interestingly specified set of risk preferences. One thing to ponder is whether picking the best stocks is easier or harder to do well consistently than is, like, understanding the direction of the global economy. Neither is particularly easy, for me anyway.
***** This is called the Grossman-Stiglitz paradox, though it's not called that very often. | <urn:uuid:b22c99b0-4fba-48f7-8fcf-6992d85b0bfe> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wgbh.org/News/Articles/2013/2/11/Ask_A_Banker_Stock_Tips.cfm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00047-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970938 | 3,311 | 1.5 | 2 |
- LISWire: La Veta Public Library Goes Live on LibLime Koha 4.14
- LISWire: Griffin Free Public Library Chooses ByWater Solutions’ Koha Support
"White Rabbit Press is taking orders for a luscious set of prints reproducing the Tenniel illustrations from "The Nursery Alice," signed by one of Lewis Carroll's descendants and one of Alice's, too (as well as a noted Alice scholar)."
Visit White Rabbit Press to see more prints.
Illinois Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White is urging families in Illinois to spend time together reading on the evening of Thursday, November 20th to celebrate the Secretary of State's annual Family Reading Night.
"This special event is a night when parents and children are encouraged to turn off the television, computers, video games and other forms of entertainment and spend time reading together," White said. "Studies have shown that reading together makes families stronger, creates a positive learning environment, and helps children develop a love for reading that can last a lifetime." QC Online.
American Indian Heritage Month was celebrated Thursday at the Coshocton (PA) Public Library with a program open to children in grades kindergarten to sixth grade.
"Around Thanksgiving it's a good time to remember the first Thanksgiving," said children's librarian Diane Jones. "It's not only an educational opportunity, but a chance for the children to have a good time and be exposed to a variety of cultures." Children are shown in this article enjoying a Native American game of 'who's got the stone'.
Adhering to the Boy Scout Creed of 'helping other people at all times', Thomaston and Cushing (ME) Cub Scout Pack 215 helped librarians move books to the new childrens area at the Thomaston Public Library (where incidentally, they are looking for a new head librarian).
Children's Librarian Debby Atwell said "This was a Veterans Day miracle". Story and photos from Village Soup.
From the Calgary Herald: Valerie Millar said she's always felt safe at Thornhill library. When her daughter was younger and Millar couldn't be with her after school, the library was the safe place she would send her daughter to wait. Millar's friend still does the same thing with her child.
So reports of a sexual assault and an indecent act in Calgary libraries in recent weeks are totally unexpected, she said. "That's certainly disturbing," she said Monday. "It's just kinda yucky. I thought of this as a safe place."
A field experience internship program in Arizona State University’s College of Teacher Education and Leadership (CTEL) is giving its students exposure to the importance of literacy in a child’s early years while also providing the professional development necessary for the next generation’s teachers.
The Early Childhood Community-Based Field Experience internship, features a unique partnership with the Burton Barr Central Library in downtown Phoenix. One opportunity, First Five Years/Book Bridges, places first-semester junior students in the library, providing one-to-one assistance to parents, families, and center caregivers utilizing the library’s space, materials, activities, and early literacy information. ASU.
Today marked the last day of a well loved comic character and pop culture icon.
Berkeley Breathed published his final Opus cartoon today and everybody's favourite penguin went out in a very literary tradition.
And by "literary tradition," I mean "children's literary tradition."
In cooperation with the Humane Society, Breathed published a final Sunday strip in newspapers with a link to see the last panel online at the Humane Society of the United States.
Check the published strip via the link above, and then read the final panels. Truly heartwarming.
Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale took their two month old son Zuma to the local library to have him photographed for his library card.
Baby is way cute, and his talented parents clearly care about giving him the right start in life. Daily Mail UK.
...and wanted to prove it to him in a surprise for his 50th birthday (well, a little late, but with extra love).
George Matthew arrived at Hanover (PA) Street Elementary School on Wednesday with two Halloween books to read to the children and his red and white striped Dr. Seuss hat, a must-have for storytime.
The school told Matthew, the assistant director of youth services at Hanover public library, that he would be reading to the entire school in preparation for Halloween. But much to his surprise, second-grade teacher Karen Evans told Matthew that he actually wouldn't be reading that day. The man students call Mr. George was in the middle of his own surprise birthday party.
"Happy birthday, Mr. George!" the students yelled and sang "Purple People Eater" during the assembly.
Maybe you've seen those Dove ads that are attempting to teach young girls about real beauty in the current atmosphere of skinny models, skimpy clothes, trashy talk and racy behavior?
Well author Addie Swartz felt that something too was lacking in terms of books for pre-teen girls and so she started her series "The Beacon Street Girls" as an alternative to series like "Clique" and "Gossip Girl".
The stories, which revolve around five middle-school girls in Brookline, MA, are shaped by leading experts in adolescent development, with the goal of helping girls build self-esteem and coping skills. Topics include the problems of an overweight girl and cyber bullying. This month the series will launch its latest book, “Green Algae and Bubblegum Wars,” a novel aimed at encouraging girls in science. The book is the result of a collaboration with Sally Ride, an astronaut who was the first American woman to orbit Earth.
More about the series from the Science section of today's New York Times. | <urn:uuid:25c4a785-a946-4556-be6a-2c1498441516> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lisnews.org/taxonomy/term/76?page=15 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959497 | 1,218 | 1.507813 | 2 |
From time to time we like to take a look at the overclocking potential of a given processor. Since the 500E and 550E have already built a well-deserved reputation for overclocking, (For reference, our 500E runs like a charm at 733MHz) we decided to take a look at the next highest clock speed in the Intel lineup, the 600E.
With all the price cutting from Intel and AMD, 600E's can now be found for less than $240. This makes the 600E extremely affordable and only about $50 more than the 550E. Is the extra money worth it? Does the higher multiplier present on the 600E really make it easier to overclock? Those were just a few of the questions we were asking when we began preparing for this article. Let's explain the basics first before we get into the results though.
What's a 600E?
If you've shopped for a Pentium III processor recently you've been exposed to the new designations used by Intel to identify the various models in the Pentium III family. Uneducated shoppers looking for a Pentium III at 600MHz or below must be especially careful: similar designations are used for two totally different processor cores!
On one hand, you have the traditional "Katmai" Pentium III built on a 0.25-micron process and featuring 512KB L2 cache running at half the speed as the processor core. These are the original Pentium III processors Intel released last year that include Intel's new Streaming SIMD Extensions, also referred to as SSE. Offered in clock speeds ranging from 450MHz to 600MHz, Katmai was the primary Pentium III processor Intel offered throughout last year until their next Pentium III core, codenamed "Coppermine" was released.
Released in October of last year, Coppermine Pentium III processors are built on Intel's more advanced 0.18-micron process technology. With the shift to 0.18-micron, two important things occurred:
First, the amount of voltage the processor consumes is reduced to 1.65V. As a result, the processor becomes ideal for notebooks and allows higher overall clock speeds than 0.25-micron - which was pushing the limit of the core at 600MHz. In addition, with the area between transistors reduced to 0.18 microns new space was made available for Intel to add additional functions on the processor core.
Intel chose to add 256KB of Level 2 cache running at the same clock speed as the processor core. To keep the processor fed with data, the cache bus was increased from the 64-bit Level 2 (L2) cache interface present on Katmai and Celeron, to 256-bits for Coppermine.
Another feature added to the Coppermine Pentium III core are 4 new writeback buffers, 6 fill buffers, and 8 bus queue entries. These larger buffer sizes and bus queue entries speed the flow of information passed from the system bus to the processor.
Although the amount of L2 cache was reduced on Coppermine overall performance increases. As the clock speed of the processor rises, the performance gain of L2 cache running at the same speed as the processor core increases by a wider margin. | <urn:uuid:3a102b7e-d916-47da-879e-fba4f1e81cb4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://firingsquad.com/hardware/600eoverclocking/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94618 | 668 | 2.390625 | 2 |
From the Latin for "gap," a lacuna is a blank spot.
Assemblage is a form of sculpture comprised of "found" objects arranged in such a way that they create a piece.
In art, an armature is an underlying, unseen, supporting component (usually of wood or metal) for something else.
The Ignudo is the phrase coined by Michelangelo to describe the twenty seated male nudes he incorporated into the Sistine Chapel ceiling frescoes.
Texture, another element of art, is used to describe either the way a three-dimensional work actually feels when touched, or the visual "feel" of a two-dimensional work.
"Bosse" simply translates to "bump," which leads us to "with the bump" and "according to the bump." These are (atypically) cute French ways of saying "learning how to draw via carefully executed studies of plaster casts."
A thumbnail is a tiny sketch, so called because it is typically about the size of an actual adult thumb's nail.
A kiln is an oven or furnace capable of holding hot fires and maintaining the heat necessary to drive nearly all moisture out of something heated in its interior.
"Cross-stone (or rock)" in Armenian; they are unique to Armenia, though now found in other spots of the globe in tribute and memorial to Armenians. A khachkar - usually formed from basalt or tuff - may be freestanding or in relief, but either type of stone is carved.
Jugendstil literally means "Youth Style."
"Hue" is what we call any color that can be plucked, in a pure state, out of the light spectrum.
Monochromatic painting done entirely in shades of gray, not unlike a black and white photograph.
A tint is a color to which white has been added to make it lighter.
Tone is a quality of color.
Trompe l'oeil literally translates from French to mean "fools the eye." Hard to paint, the trompe l'oeil piece requires meticulous attention to detail on the part of the artist.
A principle of art, unity occurs when all of the elements of a piece combine to make a balanced, harmonious, complete whole.
An element of art, value refers to the lightness or darkness of a color.
A vanitas painting was a particular type of still life immensely popular in the Netherlands (and Paris, to a lesser extent), beginning in the 17th century.
"Venus pudica" is a term used to describe a classic figural pose in Western art. In this, an unclothed female (either standing or reclining) keeps one hand covering her private parts.
Verdigris is a green or bluish-green pigment.
Golden Ratio is a term (with an astounding number of aliases) used to describe aesthetically pleasing proportioning within a piece.
A term used in ceramics, greenware is clay that is mostly dry ("leather hard"). | <urn:uuid:dfdfa8cb-5d6c-4ddd-8d6f-376709120c33> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://arthistory.about.com/od/g.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.917168 | 635 | 2.984375 | 3 |
Generally, if you’re going to owe more than $1,000 to the IRS on April 15, you’re going to be on the hook for estimated tax (ES) payments. Another way to tell if you owe estimated taxes is if your withholding and refundable credits will be less than the smaller of:
a) 90 percent of the tax to be shown on your 2012 tax return
b) 100 percent of the tax shown on your 2011 tax return, covering 12 months
Who must make 2012 ES payments?
1) Self-employed folks (those who get a 1099) or partnerships with a business profit. Having no cash in the bank at the end of the year doesn’t mean you had no profit. This is a common error. You feel there’s no profit because there’s no money left—but you actually lived on the profits all year, paying rent or mortgage, insurance, and utilities; buying food; going to shows; and so on. (That’s what bookkeeping is for—to generate the numbers throughout the year.) When you have a profit throughout the year, not only do you face income taxes but you also face self-employment taxes, which are 13.3 percent of your business profits.
2) People living on investment income, including dividends, interest, partnership draws, and capital gains proceeds. Mutual funds post capital gains profits at the end of the year. While the income might be high, you may treat that income as having been earned in December. This means that your final estimated tax payment may be the highest amount. (There is a special computation on page 4 of Form 2210 to help you avoid late payment penalties when your income is not earned evenly all year.)
3) People who have been collecting unemployment income. Yes, this is definitely taxable for IRS purposes. Most states tax this income as well. This generally comes as a shock at tax time when the tax return shows a significant balance due that folks were not expecting. Avoid making estimated tax payments by having withholding taken out as you go along. Most people facing the huge income loss from unemployment don’t feel they can even live on those low payments, much less on the unemployment payments reduced by withholding. Sadly, though, taxes will be due.
4) People living on Social Security (SS) who also have other income. True, SS and SS disability income are not taxable if that’s the only income you receive. But when you also receive other income, it’s quite likely that up to 85 percent of your Social Security income will be taxed when you’re paying taxes.
What happens if you don’t make your estimated payments when they are due? No worries—if you don’t mind giving the IRS and your state a few extra bucks. You’ll just pay some penalties.
Eva Rosenberg, EA is the publisher of TaxMama.com , where your tax questions are answered. Eva is the author of several books and ebooks, including the new edition of Small Business Taxes Made Easy. Eva teaches a tax pro course at IRSExams.com and tax courses you might enjoy at http://www.cpelink.com/teamtaxmama.
Equifax maintains this interactive forum for education and information purposes in order to allow individuals to share their relevant knowledge and opinions with other members and visitors. We encourage you to participate in discussions about personal finance issues and other topics of interest to this community, but please read our commenting guidelines first. Equifax reserves the right to monitor postings to the forum and comments will be published at our discretion. Do you have questions or comments about your Equifax credit report or customer-service issues regarding an Equifax product? If so, please contact Equifax directly. All opinions and information expressed or shared in blog comments are solely those of the person submitting the comments, and don't necessarily represent the views of Equifax or its management. | <urn:uuid:445c6338-0a6b-40f1-911e-a8d07fac33af> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.equifax.com/tax/the-final-estimated-tax-payment-for-2012/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955195 | 812 | 2.0625 | 2 |
Walt Simonson with a lady Thor on Flickr.
Walt saw this cosplayer and remarked, “If Thor had looked like that, I’d still be drawing it.”
Tags: NYC NYCC 2012 cosplay Thor Walt Simonson
Thor goes fishing for the Midgard serpent, in the boat of the giant Hymir (18th century).
From the collection of the Royal Library, Copenhagen. Found here.
Another great Midgard serpent (17th century):
Tags: manuscripts illuminations illustrations Norse mythology Thor gods
I can finally post my piece for Ghostbook! I was thinking about ghosts made out of thread,...
16 June 2013
Mushuau-nipi, Nitassinan. August 16, 2012
Photography by Jérôme Spaggiari
Untitled (to you,Heiner, with Admiration and Affection) 1973 - DAN FLAVIN
Lego City: Elevation.
Powered by Tumblr. Minimal Theme designed by Artur Kim. | <urn:uuid:f3e77588-9818-4957-9600-0520866bfc6e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://klg19.tumblr.com/tagged/Thor | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.902684 | 216 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Within the categorical syllogism, ordinary language represents the ordinary flow of inference. Two premises are given; there is a plash of insight, and one step undertaken. The mind hops right along, not quite knowing where it is going but getting there nonetheless. On the right, a checklist does its work. The logician's clamp retains its force of old, but the inferential steps involve no more than the substitution of symbols for symbols, with the anchor of inference embedded in identities. Inference now proceeds from one identity to the next; no plash of insight is involved, only the solid satisfying ratcheting sound of symbols being substituted for symbols.
Source: The Advent of the Algorithm: The 300-Year Journey from an Idea to the Computer, Pages: 10
Contributed by: Chris | <urn:uuid:c8faa8ef-d5d4-449b-bb2b-db09aa78fe89> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.gaiam.com/quotes/topics/inference | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.906837 | 164 | 3.046875 | 3 |
I’ve been thinking about the importance of helping others and how this impacts on ourself and our emotional states. You see, I used to put everyone else’s needs and wishes ahead of my own – those of my children, partner (s), family, friends… etc and myself at the bottom of the pile.
I would rush around ‘being’ what others needed, wanted or expected (or so I thought); morphing into a nurse, a taxi driver, a baby sitter, a personal assistant, a shoulder to cry on etc and not really thinking about what I wanted or needed. For years I felt drained and tired. Life was about what others wanted (which was my make-believe) and I had no time for my own goals or dreams – I felt I needed to fit in or around others goals or dreams.
I guess I was running on empty. My self esteem was very low and I had forgotten who or what I was. Being there to help others is a fantastic thing – provided you are doing it for the right reasons. I think sometimes I allowed myself to get busy with other peoples challenges because it distracted me from my own, it temporarily made me feel needed, useful and worthy. It fed my low self esteem, I was searching for something to make me feel significant – it did not help me to help myself or even to love myself.
Does this pattern sound familiar to you? Do you know people like this?
I realised through some intensive personal development work what I was doing and why I was doing it. The analogy of the air steward when showing passengers the safety instructions or putting the oxygen mask on oneself before a child is just spot on. We must help ourselves and grown emotionally strong before we can unconditionally help others. If we do not take care of ourselves, consider ourselves as numero uno then who will? We must learn to love ourselves, respect ourselves and feel good in our own company. We are on this earth to have a rich and fulfilling experience – not to allow ourselves to become lost in the jungle of a chaotic life or worse to become a doormat. It is our own responsibility to make our life fulfilling, no one else’s. I do not want to leave this earth feeling like I’ve been a passenger on the bus – but the driver of my own journey. Is that true for you too? I choose to take control of my life, make decisions based around what I want and not feel guilt or selfish. Some people are born with the strategies to appreciate themselves – others take time to learn them – but the good news is: it’s never too late.
It is liberating to make decisions based upon what is right for me and then for others. What feels right – in my heart not necessarily in my head. Following my intuition and give myself choice in all situations. By acknowledging change was necessary I allowed new habits to develop – this does not mean I’m always on track, but with continued focus I know I’m making the changes lasting. By truly loving oneself and having self respect life becomes a beautiful thing . Loving friends and family unconditionally is wonderful. Helping others, because I choose to (it’s no longer a need for significance) feels great. I help when they ask for help – or offer if it feels appropriate and believe it or not I can say ‘no’ too. It can be far more empowering to allow someone to face their challenge than take the challenge away from them; we grow far more by achieving what we think we cannot.
Sometimes I think we forget life is supposed to be ‘fun’ and enjoyable. Often if look hard enough we can find choices in our situations. It’s ok to look for the positives too .
How do you honour yourself? How many of the words you say to yourself are positive? When you help others – is it always for their gain or are you looking for significance it gives? What do YOU really want? How would you like your life to be different? Imagine, if there was a magical genie, what 3 wishes would you ask for? What if you could have more than 3 wishes – what else? How can you make these wishes become your reality? What challenges will you face? – Will you fall at the first hurdle or will you get up and keep on track? How will you keep on track? How important are wishes?
I love helping people, making a difference, inspiring, empowering them and I continue to learn about myself and my life strategies. If you would like to know more about my coaching – please go to my website www.daringdamsels.com or email me at email@example.com | <urn:uuid:c9c8f2aa-ab30-4b5f-b26d-b41cb23727f9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://alisoleil.com/tag/wishes/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968014 | 974 | 2.03125 | 2 |
Scroogle's future in doubt
Google shimmies again to avoid privacy proxy
The long-term future of proxy server Scroogle is seriously in doubt, according to operator Daniel Brandt. Scroogle has scraped Google pages since 2002 by piping results through an anonymizing server. By using the service surfers could remain anonymous, but more importantly use Google without the compulsory 40-year cookie.
The site used an obscure Google search page, originally designed for the IE 6 side bar, which had remained unchanged until this year.
Now Brandt says that the format has changed again, and in what sounds like a valedictory thanked his users for their support. He writes that Scroogle is unable to parse the revised "IE" format, and Google's regular SERPs pages are too complex and also change too often to parse reliably. | <urn:uuid:35bf5cbc-95b0-40da-b430-f412b925021d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/07/02/scroogle_no/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951928 | 175 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Syntactic development in Japanese hearing-impaired children.
This study examined syntactic development of auditory comprehension of sentences in Japanese-speaking school-age children with and without hearing impairment.
In total, 592 preschool and school-age children (421 normal-hearing and 171 hearing-impaired) were included in this cross-sectional observation study conducted using the Syntactic Processing Test for Aphasia for Japanese language users. Linear regression analysis was used to determine the estimated age at which each syntactic structure was acquired.
Acquisition of syntactic structures was observed in hearing-impaired and normal-hearing children. Basic word order sentences of agent-object-verb and the goal benefactive construction were acquired at preschool age (earlier group), whereas reverse word order sentences of object-agent-verb, source benefactive construction, passive voice, and relative clauses were acquired at school age (later group). The results showed that many hearing-impaired children may not acquire Japanese grammatical structures until the age of 12 years.
Adequate screening for language development for school-age hearing-impaired children is required for an effective intervention.
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Okayama University Postgraduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Science, Okayama, Japan.
SourceThe Annals of otology, rhinology & laryngology. Supplement 202: 2012 Apr pg 28-34
Early Intervention (Education)
Word Association Tests
Pub Type(s)Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't | <urn:uuid:501abafa-8a88-4ddf-b2ae-33ae54f0fe36> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/citation/22616277/abstract/Syntactic_development_in_Japanese_hearing_impaired_children_ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00061-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.905453 | 332 | 2.96875 | 3 |
In this month’s Social Velocity blog interview, we’re talking with Erine Gray. Erine is the founder of Aunt Bertha, an online Benefit Corporation that matches people in need with federal, state, county, city or nonprofit services to specifically address their situation. Erine studied economics at Indiana University, public policy at the University of Texas and spent the better part of eleven years consulting (six of which were spent helping governments operate more effectively).
You can read past interviews in our Social Innovation Interview Series here.
Nell: Aunt Bertha essentially exists to fix an inefficient system of connecting services to those who need them. It seems to me your model is at the heart of an ongoing debate about whether there are some public goods that simply cannot be turned into marketable items. Obviously you believe there is a market for you, but why? What sorts of public goods can be turned into a market?
Erine: I’ve always been kind of a public policy nerd and understand that government has a vital role in the social safety net. Having graduated from the LBJ School of Public Affairs, I understand that government programs don’t have the luxury of catering to a certain segment. Programs like Food Stamps (now called SNAP) and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) don’t get to choose who they serve because they *are* the safety net.
The private sector is different. A consulting firm can choose to only serve telecommunications companies with 200 – 500 employees. A shoe store can focus on high-end running shoes. These types of organizations can survive if they hustle and convince enough people to become customers.
When you start to look at the amount of money spent by both government social service programs and charities, the figure is spectacular. It just takes a little research and a few clicks in Excel to see the enormous amount of money that is spent every year either telling people about these programs or determining whether or not people qualify.
If we accept, for a moment, that the public social safety net should exist (and I believe it should), we then must ask the question: is the public doing a good job of administering these programs?
I’ve spent the last 10 years working in this industry, with six of those years working on projects with city and state governments. My answer to this question would be: there’s plenty of room for improvement.
We don’t need to start over because government does some things very well. But we should break down the problem and see what should be outsourced to qualified vendors.
Should governments build their own marketing teams to tell people about their programs? Or should governments work with professional marketing firms to get the word out as needed? Should charities build their own fundraising software or would Blackbaud [fundraising software] do the trick?
Nell: The fact that you are a for-profit company is fascinating to me. Can you explain how your business model works and how you make money in a space that has traditionally been dominated by the nonprofit and public sectors? And do you envision those public-run services (like 211) eventually going away?
Erine: Aunt Bertha picks up where Uncle Sam leaves off by making it easy to find and apply for social services online and through mobile devices. Our service is and always will be free for people in need or those working on their behalf. Our users include everybody from the homeless (yes, they definitely have internet access in many cases), working moms, family caretakers, social workers and case managers.
We list every government and charitable program we can find on our site for free as well.
Many charities and government agencies don’t yet offer a way for people to apply online. We offer a software platform that allows them to accept and process applications online. Charities pay us a monthly fee for this service. Our customers are housing programs, churches, government agencies, charter schools or any other organization that provides need-based services to people.
In your question you refer to the 211 service, I would hope that there will always be a place for these call centers. The 211 call centers are staffed with committed volunteers that help people navigate very difficult circumstances, 24-hours a day. However, if Aunt Bertha is successful, more people in need will be able to find social service programs themselves (without needing to call someone). We believe that if more people find help themselves, the cost of running a government funded call center will go down – which is better for everyone involved.
Nell: Any social entrepreneur just starting out struggles with the question of whether to organize as a for-profit or nonprofit. How and why did you make your decision?
Erine: I went back and forth about this one. Our mission is to make human service information accessible to people and programs. To truly be successful at this mission, I believe we need to be a sustainable business.
With our software, governments and charities are saving money over the way they currently work. They are willing to pay us a monthly fee to help them provide a better service to people in need. We think this is a better approach and more importantly, we never wanted to be in a position where we are competing with our customers for donations. That’s why we chose to be a certified Benefit Corporation (a business that meets higher standards of mission and accountability).
Nell: How widespread is Aunt Bertha? How many people are using the service now and what are your goals for the future?
Erine: Aunt Bertha is available in every zip code in the United States. Our service is both on the web and available on most smart phone browsers. Although our service works everywhere, our focus so far has been in Texas – where we have a critical mass of programs in most zip codes.
So far we’ve helped more than 20,000 people find help and we believe we’re just getting started. Right now we’re focused on making our service as intuitive and user-friendly as possible. We think we’re on to something big, but we don’t want to skip the important steps of listening to our early adopters.
Erine: We were fortunate enough to have been accepted as an ATI company this year and it has provided us access to coaching, introductions and inexpensive office space. ATI is a joint initiative between the City of Austin, the State of Texas and the University of Texas and it feels like they’re all behind us. Whenever you can be in an environment where more and more people are rooting for you it’s always a good thing.
The Unreasonable Institute was a very memorable experience for us. I had a chance to live with 21 of the world’s most interesting social entrepreneurs and words can’t describe what I learned during that experience. I highly recommend people check out the site and try and figure out a way to get to know as many people associated with the Unreasonable Institute as possible. They’re making a big dent in the world.
We recently raised capital after bootstrapping the business for the first two years. We’re very excited about our future. Our investors so far have liked the audacity of our mission. We think we can organize the world’s social service information so people and programs can find what they need in seconds. And because we sell software-as-a-service in a huge industry, we’re an attractive investment with a scalable model.
Most importantly, we’re starting to see – in real-time – the supply of and demand for social services. That’s never been done before and we hope that this data will allow some amazing things to happen. It’s hard not to get behind this goal.
Now that I got that off my chest, I want to tell you about all of the great things happening at the Social Capital Markets Conference (SoCap). Day 1 provided a great update on all the work that has happened since we met at Fort Mason a year ago. Unlike so many other conferences that just regurgitate old information and bring the same people together to discuss how great they are, SoCap is very much a working conference. The sense of urgency is palpable. The attendees are the very people who are creating this new social capital market, and they don’t have time to sit around and theorize. So SoCap holds many exciting announcements about new initiatives, new infrastructure, new tools to strengthen and grow this burgeoning marketplace for money to create social impact.
Day 1 began with a passionate, inspiring speech by Jacqueline Novogratz of Acumen Fund. She discussed their and others’ work to create new measurement tools for impact, like Pulse and REDF’s new tool (officially announced later in the day). So much of SoCap is about measurement, which is very exciting. How do we know social change is happening? What does it mean to say we created a job?
She also talked about the need for exit strategies and patient capital. Two critical elements to making impact and scale happen and be sustainable. But most importantly, Jacqueline provided the balance of passion, commitment, and inspiration that is so important to remember as we work to create what often is a dry, data-driven space. She encouraged us to remember that we are “building our own organizations while we are building a sector,” and “each of us can work to change a small sequence of events that together changes the world.”
Next up, Matt Flannery, co-founder of Kiva–the online micro-lending platform, described how Kiva has democratized and distributed risk-tolerant, patient capital, which again is such an enormous need to those working to create complicated, long-term social change. And he argued that online philanthropy is quickly becoming a huge economic force. This idea of democratizing capital through lots of people giving small amounts through new technologies is very exciting.
And finally, to drive home that point, Kushal Chakrabarti from Vittana, a Kiva-like platform for education loans to students in third-world countries, demonstrated that this idea of person-to-person small lending holds tremendous promise for transforming how capital flows to social change efforts.
In the “High Engagement Impact Investing” session I attended later in the day, there were great examples of new ways of engaging impact investors, but the highlight for me was Don Shaffer of RSF Social Finance (a true pioneer in the social capital market space) discussing “RSF Prime,” their community-based pricing for loans. Periodically they bring investors and borrowers together with staff to set the interest rate for borrowers. It’s a radical idea that is really working for them. Deval Sanghavi from Dasra described a similar community-based approach that they and others like Village Capital take where the entrepreneurs within their portfolio decide who gets funding. These community-based approaches to funding are fascinating and as Don said, they are truly “transforming the way the world works with money.”
The last general session of the day was packed with exciting new infrastructure announcements. B Lab’s Jay Coen Gilbert announced several exciting things:
- Their work to create a legal “benefit corporation” status in Maryland and Vermont. The benefit corporation is a legal corporate structure that marries the financial motive of the for-profit corporation with the social benefit of the non-profit corporation. Within one day of being a legal business structure, Maryland already had 11 benefit corporations.
- The work to develop the necessary infrastructure of a new impact investing asset class with things like IRIS, (the FASB of the social capital market space) and the GIIRS rating system that compares social impact results (the S&P or Moody’s of the impact investing world).
The standards and systems that B Lab and others are creating provide the necessary infrastructure to encourage investors to become impact investors.
Finally the Calvert Foundation and Ron Cordes announced the Global Impact 50 Index who’s goal is to drive $2 billion of capital into impact investing over the next 5 years by working with the gatekeepers to impact investing, the financial advisor community. The theory is that if financial advisors understand impact investing and have the products and infrastructure necessary, they will encourage their high-net worth clients to make impact investments, thereby unlocking this capital market.
It is so great to see so much progress, albeit in the impact investing part of the market only, in just one year. You really get the sense, at the edge of the San Francisco Bay, that something is happening, systems are changing, the social capital market is slowly becoming a reality. And it is due to this sharp, passionate, committed group of people who aren’t content to philosophize. They are out there building, brick by brick, this new capital market that will make social change a reality.
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“With God on Our Side”
“With God on Our Side” by Adam Reich - A Review
Cornell University Press – The Culture and Politics of Health Care Work
“With God on Our Side” is a very catchy book title. It also appears at first glance to be quite topical because mention of religion so dominates, and distorts many would add, political discussion in this country.
For that reason, curiosity may initially draw the reader’s eye. But the subtitle “The Struggle for Workers’ Rights in a Catholic Hospital” gives it all away. This is a book about organized labor and workers.
This is usually where most readers take flight. But that would be a mistake because it is so much more.
Books about labor post dreadfully low sales, true enough. Nonetheless, Adam Reich has written a very readable and colorful “story of worker leaders” at the largest and most prestigious hospital in the northern California town of Santa Rosa.
The story, however, carries political lessons far beyond the geography of this small-town power struggle. Reich has written a human-interest story about people and why some act so passionately to improve their lives.
He captures the human character and personality of the painfully long seven-year effort that finally succeeded only a few years ago when several hundred workers at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital (SRMH) voting for representation by the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW).
Reich delves into the very personal aspect of the story, exploring with sensitivity why people under pressure act and react as they do. With significant insight, he also describes how to frame appeals to their consciousness in ways that are specifically and individually crafted.
Worker leaders ignore this advice at their great peril.
For example, Reich points out that the SRMH administration “was able to win the first round of the campaign not only by using standard antiunion strategies but also by appealing to those values of caring and compassion to which the union did not clearly speak.”
These concerns are of particular interest to healthcare workers who often declare their keen social consciousness derives from the very nature of their work providing quality patient care.
Reich cites a SRMH union organizer suggesting that “you have to organize people to a vision of good.”
The Personal is Political
While Reich concedes healthcare workers naturally pay more attention than perhaps other workers to broader social concerns that go beyond simple bread and butter issues, he concludes unions as a whole should also pay attention to compelling moral and social issues and “see themselves less as interest-based organizations and more as values-based organizations.”
Thus, while “God is on Our Side” has a very clear political message, it is also very much about psychology and sociology and the insights these disciplines offer to explain how and why people act to change their lives. Reich helps us understand why some give up while others persevere against what he describes as “countless obstacles.”
Every union organizer can relate to these observations because they appreciate much better than the general public that organizing campaigns are fundamentally and primarily about people, who they are and want they want. We know organizing a union bears absolutely no resemblance to the vulgar and cynical right-wing misrepresentation and caricature of “big union bosses” seeking more dues money.
Workers, always wary of phony promises and selfish motives, would easily see through this duplicity. In fact, elections are won only if workers support collective bargaining and seek to influence working conditions that improve their lives and, in the case of healthcare workers, improve the lives of their patients.
There is no way around it, to be successful, you must involve and win a majority of workers.
The campaign at SRMH reveals just how difficult this can be and describes all the obstacles overcome by the hospital organizing committee.
For example, one of the more dramatic aspects of the story is the surprisingly antagonistic role played by the socially progressive order of nuns that owned SRMH. Reich recounts how the nuns used their esteemed credentials and moral authority to disparage union supporters as “greedy.”
For this review, I asked NUHW organizer Peter Tappeiner about this. “Both management and the sisters painted anyone who supported the union as ‘anti-hospital,’” he told me. “Questioning their commitment to their patients was very hurtful as many workers at this small community hospital were very proud of their work. This was also very effectively used to demoralize workers, especially when combined with management’s more overt threats and coercion.”
But it wasn’t only management that opposed workers getting a union. Reich describes the disgraceful actions of one of the nation’s largest unions, Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
SEIU acted cynically against the interests of workers by their shameful attempts to delay and thwart the election at SRMH, all because of their unrelenting opposition to NUHW, which enjoyed majority support among employees.
Eventually, NUHW activists prevailed over everything thrown at them.
“Through it all, workers gained a very deep understanding of their own power and that of the employer,” Glenn Goldstein emphasized to me. Goldstein was organizing director of NUHW throughout the SRMH campaign.
“Union supporters understood, for example, that they not only had to organize co-workers but that they also had to reach out to the community in order to counter the hospital’s powerful, well-funded anti-union media campaign.”
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landscape, rural, urban, still life, narrative, interior, portrait
original, reproduction, oil paint, direct painting, plein-air, studio, traditional technique, realistic, Impressionism, sketch, tone, modelling, composition, painterly, atmospheric effects
History and culture
nationalism, national identity, centenary of European settlement, Federation, pioneer
Australian Impressionism presents the work of five artists: Tom Roberts, Arthur Streeton, Frederick McCubbin, Jane Sutherland and Charles Conder. The exhibition focuses on the work that these artists made between1883 and 1897. During this time each of these artists played an important role in the development of an Impressionist style of painting and a distinctly national art in Australia. The five artists in the exhibition shared many ideas and interests and sometimes worked together.
Look at a selection of artworks by these artists.
Which artists/artworks are familiar? What do you already know about these artists/artworks, and how?
Which artists/artworks are less familiar? Why might these artists/artworks be less familiar?
What evidence can you see of the shared interests of the artists?
What evidence can you see of artists’ individual styles and interests?
The paintings of the Australian Impressionists provide a vivid picture of many aspects of Australian cultural and social life in the late nineteenth century.
Look at paintings of a range of subjects. What do these paintings reveal about the everyday life of the period, including the urban and rural environment, work, transport, leisure, fashion and people? (Students could look at different paintings in a ‘pair and share’ activity and present their observations to the class for this activity.)
What aspects of the life of the period are not represented in the paintings? Suggest why.
What value do the paintings have as historical documents? How do paintings compare with other historical documents in the information they present?
Compare and contrast one of the paintings by the Australian Impressionists with a photograph taken around the same time of the same scene (for example, a photograph of the view represented by Tom Roberts in Allegro con Brio, Bourke St West c. 1885–86).
What different information does each of these views provide?
Many of the buildings associated with ‘Marvellous Melbourne’ and/or the work of the Australian Impressionists are still standing today (e.g. Grosvenor Chambers, the GPO, the Exhibition Buildings, Princess Theatre, William Wardell’s ANZ Bank building).
Locate the buildings on a map and, if possible, try to visit some when you visit the exhibition.
Research the history and significance of one of the buildings and present a short illustrated talk about the building.
The years between 1883 and 1897, which are the focus of Australian Impressionism, encompass the centenary of European settlement in 1888, and the years leading up to Federation. The strong nationalistic spirit that prevailed at this time inspired an interest in the nation’s pioneering past and focused attention on the issue of national identity.
Although most people lived in the cities, it was the bush and bush life that were seen as uniquely Australian, and which exerted the most powerful influence on Australia’s emerging sense of national identity. This interest in the bush and bush life was reflected in the work of many poets, writers and artists of the period, including the Australian Impressionists.
Identify a range of factors that contributed to the growth of nationalism in the 1880s.
Why do you think the bush and bush life are often viewed as distinctly Australian, when most Australians live in cities?
Identify a range of works by the Australian Impressionists that you believe look distinctly Australian. What aspects of the paintings look distinctly Australian (consider subject matter, characters, colour and light)?
What ideas and values about Australian culture, history and identity do these paintings communicate? How are these ideas and values suggested in the paintings?
Did the ideas and values about Australia and Australian life, evident in these paintings, represent the views and experiences of all Australians when the paintings were made? Whose views and experiences were not represented, and why?
Are the ideas and values about Australia and Australian life evident in the paintings relevant to contemporary audiences? Explain.
Most of the paintings in Australian Impressionism are made with oil paint on canvas or board. Although the artists used a direct painting technique (see below) in many paintings, at times they also used more traditional methods.
Traditional oil painting techniques involve working with layers of thinned oil paint to gradually build up smooth areas of carefully blended tone and colour within clearly defined outlines. Artists can create very realistic effects working in this way. Artists usually work in the studio when they are using this technique.
Traditional painting techniques can be seen in some of the artworks of the Australian Impressionists, for example Old stables c. 1884 by Frederick McCubbin, and in the figures in the large-scale paintings created by McCubbin, such as Down on his luck 1889, and Shearing the rams 1890 by Tom Roberts
Identify paintings by the Australian Impressionists where you can see evidence of traditional painting techniques.
Discuss the visual effects that have been created using this technique.
Suggest why McCubbin and Roberts used traditional painting techniques for their large-scale paintings, such as Down on his luck and Shearing the rams. Consider, for example, how the subject matter, purpose and audience of these paintings may have influenced the artists’ approach.
Like many other artists of the period, theAustralian Impressionists also adopted a more modern, direct style of painting. This involved applying obvious strokes of colour and tone directly onto the surface of a painting to create an ‘impression’ of a subject, rather than a detailed description of it. The artists used a direct painting technique when they worked en plein air.
In the nineteenth century, artists and critics began to use the word ‘impressionism’ to describe the informal, direct painting style that was being used by many artists.
There were groups of artists working in an Impressionist style in many parts of the world, including Europe, England, North America and Australia. The most famous group of Impressionist artists worked together in Paris in the 1870s and 1880s. Several of the artists associated with this group, including Claude Monet, developed a bold new approach to using colour. However, the Australian Impressionists were not directly influenced by the French Impressionists.
This was, in part, because they were interested in making paintings that looked distinctly Australian. They were, however, interested in the work of the French artist, Jules Bastien-Lepage, and his followers. These artists combined aspects of an Impressionist style with a more traditional painting style to make images that celebrated rural life and work.
Identify paintings by the Australian Impressionists that show evidence of a direct painting style.
Discuss the visual effects that have been created using this technique. How do they differ from the effects created by more traditional painting techniques.
Why do you think artists and critics began to use the term ‘impressionism’ to describe paintings made in a direct painting style?
Look at examples of French Impressionism. How does this form of Impressionism differ from Australian Impressionism?
Look at the work of Jules Bastien-Lepage. Consider why his work may have interested the artists associated with Australian Impressionism.
The artists in Australian Impressionism often painted en plein air (out of doors) to observe and record the light, colour and atmosphere of their subjects. This frequently involved painting very quickly, using a direct painting style, to create an impression of changing effects, such as sunlight or weather.
Earlier artists, including artists of the Colonial period, such as John Glover and Eugene Von Guérard in Australia, had made oil sketches of the landscape en plein air, but these sketches were made as preparatory work for paintings that were completed in the studio.
What practical challenges did working en plein air present to artists?
Identify several paintings by the Australian Impressionists made en plein air that reveal different light colour and atmospheric effects. Describe the different light, colour and atmospheric effects in each painting.
Consider how the artist’s technique, style (including use of colour and tone) suggests these effects?
Compare these paintings with a landscape painting by an earlier artist that was completed in the studio. What differences are there between the works?
Australian Impressionism highlights many of the significant sites where the artists associated with Australian Impressionism worked en plein air. These include Box Hill, Heidelberg and Mentone, outside Melbourne, where the artists set up artists’ camps for plein-air painting. There are also a significant number of paintings in the exhibition about Melbourne and Sydney.
Look at maps of Sydney and Melbourne and the surrounding areas to locate the main sites where the artists worked in and around these cities.
Investigate what factors led the artists to each site, who worked there, when they worked there and what paintings were made there. Different students in the class could research different sites and report back to the class.
In 1889 the Australian Impressionists held an exhibition of paintings made in an Impressionist style. They called it the 9 by 5 Impression Exhibition because many of the paintings were painted on boards that measured 9 inches by 5 inches. The exhibition attracted enormous interest. Although many people admired the paintings, some critics were shocked by them and felt that they looked unfinished.
Look at some reproductions of the 9 by 5 paintings.
Why do you think the artists described these paintings as impressions?
Read some of the reviews of the exhibition, especially the comments of James Smith. What concerns are expressed in these reviews?
Who did the paintings appeal to, and why?
Read about the planning, promotion and presentation of the exhibition. Suggest why the artists organised an exhibition of these paintings and why they put so much effort into the planning, promotion and presentation.
The 9 by 5 Impression Exhibition is regarded as one of the most significant exhibitions in Australian art history. Suggest why.
What is your opinion about these paintings?
The paintings in Australian Impressionism are among the most well-known images in Australian art. Many people know the paintings through reproductions in books or on posters, postcards, stamps, jigsaw puzzles and even coffee mugs.
The exhibition features the original paintings, including many of the most well-known paintings of the period. The National Gallery of Victoria owns a significant number of these paintings, but many have been borrowed from other galleries and private owners around Australia and overseas.
Why are the paintings of these artists so popular?
Where have you seen reproductions and in what form?
What role have the reproductions of these paintings played in our understanding of the period, including ideas about national identity?
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"Hi and welcome to the joy of Aquaponics! I used gravel in my IBC beds and I wished I had used something lighter, Hydroton is expensive but there are some lighter alternatives. I am planning to get a yard of expanded shale from a company…" | <urn:uuid:b5fee4e3-d620-4268-83a6-843a198db6f4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://community.theaquaponicsource.com/?commentId=4778851%253AComment%253A272166 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962422 | 459 | 1.523438 | 2 |
More than just a collection of memories, however, Rise, Let Us Be On Our Way is also a call to action. In discussing issues like the strength of mercy, the importance of harmony between faith, reason, and the heart, and the necessity of encouraging children to pray, Pope John Paul II shows us that with little steps, we can change the world.
©2004 Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Citta del Vatticano and Arnoldo Mondadori Editore S.p.A., Milano; (P)2004 Time Warner AudioBooks
"Sure to gratify those hungry for [the Pope's] instruction and inspiring faith, as well as non-Catholics interested in his philosophy." (Publishers Weekly)
Well read and even better written, The Holy Father takes the reader (listener) through a tour of his own life as a Bishop. In doing this John Paul II offers us a reflection on what he believes today's Bishops are called to be. An interesting read filled with the Holy Father's own humanness, I would recommend this to anyone who would like to see the human side of the Holy Father and develop a new view of the hierarchy of the Church.
I really can't. The one thing that struck me about this book was the theology behind the calling to a vocation that God has for us. We don't choose God for our vocations, God chooses us for them. It is up to us to find that vocation through the discernment of our life's past and events. An excellent read, and a must for anyone in discernment or thinking about a religious vocation.
My top three for sure. In is inspirational. The Pope was a very holy man during lifetime. It constitutes a role model to imitate
You need to read the whole book to understand its title. Very compelling
Put more books written by John Paul II, there are many about him but just a handful written by him
with my ignorance in christianity it is a new experience
yes it was
with my background in Islam, I recommend this book to be a source of information not only for Christians,
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During his speech at the Capitol Mall and in his book “Emerging Viruses: AIDS and Ebola”, Harvard graduate, Dr. Len Horowitz exposed how Henry Kissinger, the Rockefellers, and other NWO minions funded and created AIDS, Ebola, and other viruses as bioweapons to suit their depopulation agenda.
“You will learn that Dr. Robert Gallo, the famous NCI molecular biologist, pardoned by President Clinton last year for scientific fraud and misconduct, and credited with the discovery of the AIDS virus, set about to develop immune system ravaging, AIDS-like viruses, along with other Litton Bionetics researchers. You will learn that they took monkey viruses that were humanly benign, recombined them with DNA, RNA, and enzymes from other animal viruses that caused leukemias, lymphomas, and sarcomas, and then to get them to jump species, they cultured these new mutant viruses in human white blood cells in some studies, and human fetal tissue cells in other studies, to produce immune-system-destroying, cancer-causing viruses that could enter humans and produce virtually identical effects to what the AIDS virus is currently doing in people around the world … In the end, the research question I asked, ‘Did these viruses, AIDS and Ebola, evolve naturally, were they accidentally produced, or were they intentionally created and deployed?’ I conclude, unquestionably, they are not natural. I leave you the reader, and concerned citizens of
and the world, to decide whether it was a horrible accident or treacherous covert population control experiment.” -Dr. Len Horowitz in a speech before the Citizens Against Legal Loopholes Rally, The Capitol Mall, 1996 America
“I suddenly realized how easy it was to access information I assumed would be classified. I selected and then output the information to the printer. The hardcopy included Soviet,
Caribbean, and Cuban International Affairs references. ‘Belitskiy on How, Where AIDS Virus Originated,’ read one title. It documented a World Service broadcast in English. Another, ‘Commentary Accuses Moscow U.S. of Developing AIDS Virus,’ was broadcast by the International Service. A third in the Havana Caribbean press was tagged ‘German Claims AIDS Created by Pentagon.’ Moments later, the BPL librarian returned with the Rockefeller Commission report about the CIA. Before he left, I asked how I might locate the documents I had just learned about. He told me they were on microfilm two floors up. Within a couple of hours, I had retrieved and read them all. Apparently, several researchers throughout the world - Dr. John Seale from London, Dr. Manuel Servin in Mexico, and Dr. Jacobo Segal from - had alleged what Strecker had. The Russian report even cited a West German company named OTRAG for having conducted green monkey virus experiments in Berlin that had allegedly led to the development of ‘a mutant virus that would be a human killer.’” -Dr. Len Horowitz, “Emerging Viruses: AIDS and Ebola” (61) Zaire
Strecker filed a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain documents showing that the
US Department of Defense appropriated $10 million in 1969 to studying immune-system-destroying agents to be used for germ warfare. It was just shortly after this that the World Health Organization (WHO) began experimenting with a lymphotrophic virus, produced in cows, to use on humans. They found, as Strecker did, that AIDS thrives in cows and cow carcasses and Bovine Lymphotrophic Virus (BLV) is very similar to HIV.
“Literature provided by The Strecker Groups urged readers to: ‘PLEASE WAKE UP! In 1969 … [the] United States Defense Department requested and got $10 million to make the AIDS virus in labs as a political/ethnic weapon to be used mainly against Blacks. The feasibility program and labs were to have been completed by 1974-1975; the virus between 1974-1979. The World Health Organization started to inject AIDS-laced smallpox vaccine into over 100 million Africans (population reduction) in 1977. And over 2000 young white male homosexuals (Trojan horse) in 1978 with the hepatitis B vaccine through the Centers for Disease Control/
.’ Collin, in his review, added: ‘Strecker remarks that it would be relatively easy to implant such viruses in the cow carcasses used to produce the smallpox vaccine. When the smallpox vaccine sera were recovered from the animal carcasses, animallymphotrophic viruses could be carried or mutated or incorporated in the vaccine … the epidemiology of multiple ‘contaminated’ smallpox vaccines given in the early 1970s would provide exactly the right timetable for such a widespread AIDS epidemic in New York Blood Center Africa today." -Dr. Len Horowitz, “Emerging Viruses: AIDS and Ebola” (17)
The original story propagated by the mass media was that AIDS was introduced to the human population by African green monkeys. Supposedly an African was bitten or had sex with a monkey, then brought it into the
gay population. In an interview with Robert Strecker, Len Horowitz asked, “But what about the green monkey theory - the theory that a green monkey bit an African or someone had sex with an ape?” To which Dr. Strecker replied, “That's just nonsense. . . . Green monkeys are about the size of chickens. So the idea of a human having sex with a female monkey the size of a chicken is, of course, absurd. In addition, the theory that a transmission occurred through biting, of course, is always said to be close to impossible. If you look at the CDC and everybody else, they say that biting is not an easy way to spread these diseases except in the case of the purported green monkey which is suddenly the way it was spread.” (98) US
In 1977 WHO launched a major smallpox vaccine campaign in
Africa which began the rapid spread of AIDS there. Then in 1978 the Center for Disease Control (CDC) targeted 2000 gay men, ones who specifically had multiple sexual partners, and gave them laced hepatitis B vaccines. The shots, manufactured by Merck, were administered in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Houston, and Chicago - the same 6 cities with the highest incidence rates and death rates from AIDS. US
Continuing with Dr. Horowitz and Dr. Strecker’s interview, they shed some light on the motive behind this scam. Strecker posits that the reason for intentionally infecting gays was because little would be done about it: “If you look in the world, what percentage of the world's AIDS cases are heterosexuals? Over 90 percent … It's only in this country that you have this strange, unexplained predominance of homosexuals … Just think about this. Suppose you put this virus in the heterosexuals or kids. What kind of response would have occurred compared to the response that did occur?” (109-10)
Buy The Atlantean Conspiracy Now | <urn:uuid:761ed593-0fa3-4e89-9d49-1fd89a96a352> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.atlanteanconspiracy.com/2008/07/engineered-aids-part-1.html?showComment=1217115900000 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959307 | 1,481 | 1.78125 | 2 |
|Italy – Intelligence in the hands. A meeting of the CNOS-FAP|
|Germany – Creation of a Network of Vocational Training by the Salesians in Europe|
|Italy - The Italian Centro Opere Femminili Salesiane (CIOFS-FP ) looks at Education and Federalism in this 150th anniversary of Italian Unification|
(ANS – Catania) – Between 5 and 7 September the XXIVth “European Seminar,” was held – a meeting for European formation promoted by the Salesian Sisters of CIOFS-FP, Italian Centre for Feminine Works – Professional Formation.
The three days were held in Catania, in the heart of Sicily where the young people find it more and more difficult to enter the world of work. It is here that the effort of CIOFS-FP for professional formation and sending young people to work has greater importance than in the rest of the country.
This year, the theme was ‘Apprenticeship in the System of Instruction and Professional Formation (the FP) and in Occupational Insertion’. Given the drop in apprenticeship contracts in Italy for the 2009-2010 biennial, CIOFS dedicated this seminar to the theme of apprenticeship, a field that must be re-visited and empowered by the organizers of the seminar.
In order to analyze the availability of firms according to the actual norms regarding apprenticeship, CIOFS-FP, in collaboration with Censis, completed an exploratory survey, submitting a questionnaire on the theme of apprenticeship to over 200 Italian businesses that collaborate with professional formation. The data from the study was presented during the European Seminar on Thursday, September 6.
Among those taking part in the Seminar were Elsa Fornero, the Minister for Work, who spoke on the final day by videoconference, Joseph Roma, President of the Centre of Studies for Social Investments (Censis), and the Secretary of the Italian Trades Union Workers’ Federation (Cisl) George Santini, as well as numerous other representatives of political and civil institutions.
During the Seminar, Italy as well as Europe was discussed. Sr. Lauretta Valente, President of CIOFS-FP, stated, “Our initiative was born twenty-four years ago, precisely at the moment when the European competency on the strategy and common vision for instruction was established. We continue to carry on this European approach because it is a precious instrument for studying real needs, for evaluating various systems, and for harmonizing the application of Italian law with those who excel in this sector.” In addition to various Italian Regions, taking part in the European Seminar were representatives from Denmark, Austria and France. | <urn:uuid:c92a6fe8-936d-4d02-b4c1-09e2a130b202> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.infoans.org/1.asp?sez=1&sotsez=13&doc=8293&lingua=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963683 | 560 | 1.765625 | 2 |
The government of North Korea regards economic statistics as state secrets, which makes the country's economy difficult to study. I do careful survey research on the North Korean economy by surveying defectors, Chinese enterprises, and South Korean firms. Still, North Korea is so opaque that when I am asked where I get my data, I normally reply, "I make it up." And I'm only half-joking.
Others seem less than half-serious. Last month, the South Korean news agency Yonhap ran a story about a report from a major South Korean think tank stating that North Korea's GDP grew 4.7 percent in 2011. That think tank, the Hyundai Research Institute, used a combination of United Nations infant mortality data for 198 countries over the 2000-2008 period and North Korean crop data to estimate annual North Korean per capita income. While infant mortality and food availability correlate with income, one cannot meaningfully estimate year-to-year income changes with these two pieces of information alone.
Spurious precision is not unique to the study of North Korea, and this example isn't even the worst -- in the 1990s, two Japanese researchers claimed they had calculated North Korean per capita income down to the dime. But nowhere else is the gap between what we know and what we think we know so wide. I cannot remember the last time the North Koreans published a budget containing levels (i.e., actual numbers) and not percentages (e.g., crop yield grew 5 percent). Nicholas Eberstadt of the American Enterprise Institute once visited the Central Statistics Bureau in Pyongyang; the bureau told him that its statistics were elastic, "like rubber bands."
Whatever your metaphor, North Korean statistics are fragmentary, subject to gross error and even intentional deception. Although one can employ statistical techniques to root out obvious anomalies and impose internal consistency, in the end, analysis of North Korean data is as much about forensic art as science, about acknowledging that some statistics deny precision.
In principle, we should be able to at least get a sense of North Korea's external relations by examining the "mirror statistics" of the country's trading partners -- adding up what other countries say they import from North Korea, for example, to calculate its exports.
But even such an apparently simple exercise is fraught. Every year some country around the world reports an amazing spike in trade or investment with North Korea, consisting mostly of North Korean cell phones and automobiles. Has Apple opened an iPhone factory in Pyongyang? No, someone in the bowels of some national statistical agency has confused North and South Korea. Both Mexico and Austria have done so in the past; Denmark confused the two in its 2009 outward investment data. The disparity in the magnitudes of North and South Korean trade volumes is so vast, with North Korea trading very little and South Korea trading very much, that a single such instance of misidentification can completely distort North Korea's trade statistics. Our best-guess estimate for North Korea's total trade in 2010 is about $7 billion. Mexican trade with South Korea is $15 billion. So if a major trading country confuses the two Koreas, the misreporting can swamp reality.
The most widely cited source on North Korean trade, the South Korean government agency KOTRA, carefully screens the mirror data for such obvious anomalies. But KOTRA excludes the North's trade with South Korea on the constitutional grounds that inter-Korean trade is domestic. Because of budget cuts, or a desire to downplay North Korea's Middle East connections, KOTRA also ignores trade with many Middle Eastern countries like Algeria and Saudi Arabia, both of which report trade with North Korea to the U.N. statistical agencies. As a result, KOTRA greatly exaggerates the prominence of the trade partners that it does record, with important geopolitical implications. The New York Times and the Washington Post, for example, have both reported that China accounts for about 80 percent of North Korea's trade. The actual figure is roughly half as much, which means North Korea is a lot less economically dependent on China than those figures imply.
How about internal data? The most widely cited sources are the South Korean government and the U.N. agencies. The former produces estimates of North Korean national income while the latter produces estimates on things such as agricultural output and food aid requirements. In recent years the U.S. government has downscaled its efforts in these areas and no longer provides much of an alternative to the South Korean and U.N. figures. These analysts face the challenge of analyzing an economy swathed in secrecy, a challenge compounded by the politicization of their efforts. Thus, their estimates come with a wide margin of error.
It is doubtful that anyone, including the people inside the North Korean government, knows the real size of the North Korean economy. Since the centrally planned economy went into decline 20 years ago, a significant share of economic activity has moved into the semi-legal, largely unregulated market economy. North Korea has never been egalitarian, but over the same period, an enormous gulf has opened between lifestyles in the capital, Pyongyang, and conditions in the hinterland. Little hard evidence exists to quantify these developments. The North Korean government restricts aid agencies' access to the population (and even restricts the number of Korean speakers in agencies' resident missions), making conventional assessments impossible. When the U.N. World Food Program began doing household surveys and focus groups, the government quickly shut down the effort, afraid that too much information would leak out.
The South Koreans construct their estimates by making estimates of physical output based on satellite imagery, and possibly spies or informants, and then aggregate the physical output according to a secret input-output table. This estimate is then subject to interagency discussion before the South Korean central bank publicly releases the figures.
This process is not particularly transparent and appears vulnerable to politicization. In 2000, the central bank delayed the announcement of the estimate until one week before the historic summit between South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. The figures implied an extraordinary acceleration of North Korea's growth rate to nearly 7 percent. This had never occurred before and has not been repeated since. Under current South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, a conservative, the central bank's figures imply that the North Korean economy has barely grown at all.
The work of the U.N. agencies appears similarly problematic. Probably the most policy-relevant information released by the United Nations are estimates of North Korea's food aid needs produced by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Program (WFP). On the supply side, the FAO is diplomatically obliged to take seriously the official North Korean production numbers, which appear to exaggerate harvests in good times and understate output when aid is needed. The demand-side calculation of how much food the North Koreans need is open to challenge on a variety of grounds, most notably uncertainty about the centrality of grain in the North Korean diet. The U.N. agencies have become increasingly transparent and open about the possible shortcomings of their calculations; previous reports would include a figure and then merely state that it had not been scientifically observed. Still, the FAO-WFP numbers imply that North Korea has been in continuous famine for a decade, something that no credible observer would claim.
Sadly, we don't even know how many North Koreans there are, how many serve in the armed forces, how many died in the famine, or how many have fled their country. For some purposes this is fine -- we can count their tanks even if we don't know how they pay for them. But for others -- how much aid should we provide, are sanctions likely to work, and ultimately, is time on our side or theirs -- we would be wise to ask the questions "what do we know" and "how do we know it" when formulating policy on North Korea.
Former U.S. Vice President Walter Mondale once counseled me that anyone who claims to be an expert on the North is a liar or a fool. My corollary is: Don't trust any figure on the North Korean economy that comes with a decimal point attached. | <urn:uuid:8a49f1c2-5ca8-4992-9d8a-6ab394bcb17c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/03/07/the_black_hole_of_north_korea?page=full | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947817 | 1,666 | 2.140625 | 2 |
Opportunities for Visiting Scientists
- Laboratory space
- Aquarium facilites with natural sea water
- Molecular core facility
- Imaging facility, including confocal
- Histology faciltiy
- Tissue culture facility
- Close proximity to every coastal ecosystem in Florida except coral reefs
Visiting investigators contribute significantly to the academic life of the Whitney Laboratory. Each year investigators from other institutions come to collaborate with resident faculty. Some work within the existing research programs and provide complementary expertise, but laboratory space and facilities are also available for independent investigators, and fees are competitive. Scientists interested in working with a particular research group should contact that group's principal investigator; scientists interested in independent research at the Lab should contact the director,
In addition to the individual research units, several common-use facilities have been established to serve the Laboratory community.
- The 3,300 sq. ft. Molecular Genetics Laboratory is amply equipped with modern, sophisticated instrumentation to enable Whitney Lab scientists and visitors to incorporate the capabilities and tools of molecular biology into their research. This facility was made possible by funds from the National Science Foundation.
- The histology facility possesses up-to-date equipment for the preparation of histological sections of fresh, frozen, paraffin-embedded or plastic-embedded tissues.
- The adjacent microscope facility is equipped for state-of-the-art optical analyses including confocal, bright- and dark-field, fluorescence, Nomarski, and phase-contrast microscopy.
- The cell culture facility is equipped for establishing and maintaining invertebrate and vertebrate cell cultures at temperatures ranging from 4 to 37 degrees C in a controlled, sterile environment.
- The various aquarium facilities include a group of large outdoor tanks (some covered), an indoor aquarium room, and an experimental aquarium facility with controlled lighting and temperature-regulated running seawater. The seawater system is a flow-though system of pristine, sand-filtered ocean water - without recirculation.
- The 17,000 square foot, two-story Center for Marine Studies houses the rapidly growing educational/outreach programs and enables the Lab to offer courses and workshops for undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate students. The CMS features teaching labs, an aquarium room and a docent lounge to house the elementary school program, Day at the Whitney Lab. On the second floor, a classroom and large teaching lab are dedicated to high school and university level programs and specialized courses for students of all ages. Additional features include the 300-seat, tiered Lohman Auditorium for public lectures, scientific meetings and concerts, the Lastinger Family Foundation Interactive Area, a large reception area, plus locker rooms for participants in field trips. This building is available for rent.
- Facilities and technical staff are also available for photography, videography, artwork, electronics, computer programming, and shopwork. The computer and electronics shop is staffed by a full-time computer analyst. | <urn:uuid:53d6fe92-13eb-4d53-98ff-df4e39600625> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.whitney.ufl.edu/index.php/visiting-scientists | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.920431 | 601 | 2.109375 | 2 |
“Any healthy man can go without food for two days—but not without poetry,” wrote Baudelaire. Now, thanks to MOMA, a poem is just a phone call away. In conjunction with the exhibition “Ecstatic Alphabets/Heaps of Language” (on view through August 27th), the museum has installed John Giorno’s Dial-a-Poem, first conceived in 1969, which lets people access recordings of poets reading their own work—from Allen Ginsberg to Patti Smith—by calling the local New York number 347-POET001. (Dial-a-Poem is free, but your mobile phone fees will apply.) Better yet, visit the show and pick up one of the four black phones installed for that purpose. Out-of-towners averse to long-distance fees can visit the Web site. | <urn:uuid:1e4ec398-8822-4614-89ef-4a2df81c5917> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/goingson/2012/05/moma-dial-a-poem.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9439 | 183 | 1.96875 | 2 |
Letter to Mormons Regarding Ron Paul
An LDS View of War
by Jeremy Ashton
who taught that to inherit eternal life we must "love thy neighbor
as thyself" would be deeply concerned with the destruction of life
so rampant in the world today. Since we live in a time of "wars
and rumors of wars," it is of supreme importance that we gain
gospel insight into the just causes for supporting war.
Much of the
Book of Mormon is devoted to war, which was a continual plague in
ancient America. When were the followers of Christ justified in
taking part in this destruction of life? Alma 43:47 states "And
again, the Lord has said that: Ye shall defend your families even
unto bloodshed. Therefore for this cause were the Nephites (i.e.
the followers of Christ) contending with the Lamanites (i.e. those
who were attacking the Nephites), to defend themselves, and their
families, and their lands, their country, and their rights, and
their religion." In Alma 48:14 we read "Now the Nephites were
taught to defend themselves against their enemies, even to the shedding
of blood if it were necessary; yea, and they were also taught never
to give an offense, yea, and never to raise the sword except it
were against an enemy, except it were to preserve their lives."
Thus, defense of rights was the only moral justification for war
and the aggressive use of force was against the will of God. As
followers of the "Prince of Peace," we are still bound by these
said, should America continue the war in Iraq, attack Iran before
they supposedly develop a nuclear weapon, and continue the ill-defined
war on Terrorism? I submit to you that the answer is emphatically
First of all,
the war against Iraq is not defensive. For those who believe that
the September 11th atrocities were an unprovoked attack by Muslim
extremists, there is no proof that the prior Iraqi regime had anything
to do with these attacks. Furthermore, the Iraqi government never
directly attacked the United States of America. This is a preemptive
war, which is the shedding of blood of those who have not given
an offense, and is not justifiable before the Lord.
if we suppose that the war in Iraq was defensive, the Iraqi government
which "attacked" us no longer rules the country. Since the so-called
offender has been eliminated, it follows that we are no longer defending
ourselves against an enemy who gave the initial offense. The most
benign reason for our continued waging of war in Iraq is to build
a democratic government and bring stability to this region. This
is not a moral basis for our continued bloodshed of the people in
this region. If the French government had kept a military presence
in the American states after the Revolutionary War, the patriots
would have attacked them too.
The Book of
Mormon provides us with the example of Captain Moroni, who was the
great military leader of the Nephites during much of their warfare.
After he had defeated a Lamanite army and the attacking king had
been killed (effectively destroying the Lamanite government and
bringing "instability" to the Lamanite people), Moroni did not lead
an army down to the Lamanite lands to ensure the establishment of
a democratic government which would be friendly to the Nephites.
We are specifically told that immediately afterward he put his efforts
toward preparing the Nephite lands against any future attacks (Alma
62:42). Allowing the defeated aggressors to sort out their own governmental
affairs was clearly his policy. After Captain Moroni had repelled
a prior attack, we read "And the armies of the Nephites, or of Moroni,
returned and came to their houses and their lands" (Alma 44:22).
We have no moral basis for remaining in Iraq to assist in the creation
and stabilization of the new Iraqi government. We need to immediately
cease the American slaughter of Iraqis and all others who have not
attacked our own families, lands, rights, and religion.
The Book of
Mormon also provides us with another clear admonition not to be
the aggressors of war in 3 Nephi chapter 3. Just prior to this time,
the Nephites very own government leaders had conspired together
to violate the God-given rights of the individuals in the land (sounds
familiar). The people eventually rose up and threw the oppressors,
or Gadianton robbers as they were called, out of their land. The
Gadianton robbers then proceeded to attack them from the outside
"and did slay so many people, and did lay waste so many cities,
and did spread so much death and carnage throughout the land" that
the people decided to join together "to take up arms against them"
(3 Nephi 2:11).
Nephites were able to ward off the attacks of the Gadianton robbers.
However, after the Gadiantons had gained more strength, they sent
a letter to the leader of the Nephites demanding surrender or the
robbers would "let fall the sword upon you even until ye shall become
extinct" (3 Nephi 3:8). At this point, the Nephites demanded of
their leader, who we are told had the spirit of revelation, "Pray
unto the Lord, and let us go up upon the mountains and into the
wilderness, that we may fall upon the robbers and destroy them in
their own lands" (3 Nephi 3:20). In today's language, they wanted
"to fight the terrorists over there so they would not come over
here." What was his answer? "The Lord forbid; for if we should
go up against them the Lord would deliver us into their hands; therefore
we will prepare ourselves in the center of our lands, and we will
gather all our armies together, and we will not go against them,
but we will wait till they shall come against us; therefore as the
Lord liveth, if we do this he will deliver them into our hands"
(3 Nephi 3:21).
who were repeatedly attacked by the Gadiantons in the past and were
directly and credibly threatened with aggression once again, were
not justified by the Lord in going into the terrorists' lands to
attack. With this being understood, on what principled basis are
we justified in preemptively attacking Iran or any other country
that has not attacked us in the past nor threatened to make us extinct
if we did not completely submit to them?
We have been
warned, in the Book of Mormon as well as by modern-day church leaders,
that the destruction of our society will be due to the corruption
of our own government from within and not from a foreign enemy.
James Madison gave us this same warning "If tyranny and oppression
come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign
during this election we have a good and honest man who would strictly
follow the Constitution as President. As a congressman, Ron Paul
has used the Constitution as his iron rod for 10 terms. As a presidential
candidate, he has repeatedly stood by the Constitution in its entirety,
even when those in the "great and spacious building" have
continually mocked him for doing so. He is also the only candidate
from both major parties who "renounce(s) war and proclaim(s) peace"
(D&C 98:16). It is my hope that the LDS people will put their
full support behind Ron Paul and valiantly defend their agency.
Ashton [send him mail]
is homeschooling father of two in Richmond, Virginia and a dedicated
© 2008 LewRockwell.com | <urn:uuid:64e3f7ba-7e85-4e30-ac7a-1e706b23178c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig8/ashton2.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972698 | 1,664 | 1.570313 | 2 |
where Z 1 and Z 2 are the respective impedances, and the vertical bars designate absolute magnitude. (188) 2. In an optical fiber, the loss that takes place at any discontinuity of refractive index, especially at an air-glass interface such as a fiber endface, at which a fraction of the optical signal is reflected back toward the source. Note: This reflection phenomenon is also called "Fresnel reflection loss," or simply, "Fresnel loss." At normal incidence, the fraction of reflected power is expressed by the formula,
where n 1 and n 2 are the respective indices of refraction. | <urn:uuid:57268a2c-98d2-42fa-b9df-6cc8b5c31ebe> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.its.bldrdoc.gov/fs-1037/dir-030/_4499.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.918971 | 127 | 3.125 | 3 |
Exotic Animal Industry in the U.S.
The right to own pythons, tigers, chimps and other exotic pets depends on where in the US you live. The legal US wildlife industry doesn’t get much national attention unless someone is hurt, an exotic pet gets loose or an ecosystem is damaged. A new report links Burmese pythons released in the Florida Everglades to the severe declines of in the region's mammals. In Ohio police shot and killed dozens of exotic animals including wolves, lions, and bears reportedly set free by their distraught owner. As some fight for more regulation, breeders, brokers and owners of exotic pets say they are being unfairly targeted. Guest host Susan Page and a panel discuss battles over the legal wildlife trade.
President and C.E.O. of the Humane Society of the United States
president of the United States Association of Reptile Keepers
president and co-founder of Responsible Exotic Animal Ownership (REXANO)
director of Outreach for Animals, and advocate group for proper behavior around wildlife
Last fall, Ohio Police killed 49 exotic animals set free by their distraught owner. A recent report says Burmese pythons released into the Florida Everglades are causing severe declines in the regions mammals. This type of reports has brought scrutiny to the exotic pets industry. Guest host Susan page and our guests take a look at different arguments concerned with balancing personal rights, public safety, and environmental health.
Differences Between Exotic Animals And Other Pets
The Humane Society's Wayne Pacelle noted that the most common domesticated pets, like dogs and cats, belong in our homes, enjoy our companionship, and are capable of being trained. Tigers, large predatory animals, constricting snakes, and other exotic pets don't, he said. "There are no good outcomes for these animals," he said. "They almost always end up injured or dead or relinquished."
Exotic Pet Owners Speak
Zuzana Kukol of Responsible Exotic Animal Ownership has owned exotic cats and thinks ownership of such animals should be regulated no differently than that of domestic pets. Andrew Wyatt, of the U.S. Association of Reptile Keepers, has also owned snakes and pointed out that not all reptiles are "exotic." Wyatt admits that Burmese pythons and other invasive species are a big problem in the Florida Everglades, but he believes the problem is fairly limited.
Effect Of Animals On Environment "Devastating"
Pacelle disagrees with Wyatt and argues that advocates like Kukol and Wyatt "want to protect the right of private citizens to have dangerous predatory animals in their homes, even if they're causing ecological havoc, even if they're causing public safety threats, and even if the animals themselves are enormous victims of this trade," Pacelle said. Kuzol said that the number of people killed in the U.S. by exotic animals - about 3 per year - is much less than that of people killed by dogs, horses, and many other domesticated animals.
Wildlife Advocates Weigh In
A caller named Chet from Georgia, who is the executive director at the Georgia Wildlife Rescue Association, said that he has heard reports of what sounds like either an anaconda or a python in his state. He said that the snakes do seem to be moving further north and he has a sense that the problem might not be as well-contained as Wyatt believes. Chet has owned exotic snakes himself, but he does have reservations about anyone being able to enter a pet shop and purchase a snake that will eventually grow up to be enormous and potentially difficult to feed, handle, and care for.
You can read the full transcript here.
Zuzana Kukol, of Rexano: | <urn:uuid:acc8cf4b-68c8-4d38-bf23-4f302ccb8928> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2012-02-01/exotic-animal-industry-us?page=4 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00057-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959009 | 778 | 2.5625 | 3 |
Large Vocabulary Continuous Speech Recognition
During my PhD research I have developed a large vocabulary continuous speech recognition toolkit that I named SHoUT. SHoUT is a Dutch acronym for: 'Speech Recognition Research at the University of Twente' (I could have called the toolkit 'SRRatUoT', but 'SHoUT' just sounds better). I think (read: 'hope') that the toolkit is now mature enough to be used by other researchers. You can download the latest release from the download page. All comments and suggestions are welcome! For information on how to use the toolkit, have a look at the manual (for users) and at the API reference (for programmers). For background information (architecture, algorithms etc.) please read my thesis. | <urn:uuid:17a58a7b-bc90-47e4-bed3-f39a52222603> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://shout-toolkit.sourceforge.net/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.918752 | 164 | 1.765625 | 2 |
|28 May, 2012 |
| Top economist Jeffrey Sachs to tell what went wrong in the US... and maybe Israel |
| Prof. Jeffrey Sachs |
World-renowned economist Prof. Jeffrey Sachs will speak at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on May 29 on the topic ''Rethinking the Goals of Economic Growth: inequality, happiness, sustainability, and what has gone wrong in the US and perhaps in Israel.” Sachs is a world-renowned professor of economics, leader in sustainable development, senior UN advisor, bestselling author, and syndicated columnist whose monthly newspaper columns appear in more than 80 countries.
The lecture, part of the Max Bogen annual lecture series, will take place at 4:30 p.m. in Room 1701 of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Mount Scopus campus. The lecture is in English.
The New York Times called Prof. Sachs ''probably the most important economist in the world,'' and a recent survey by The Economist Magazine ranked him among the world's three most influential living economists of the past decade. Time Magazine called him ''the world's best known economist'' and has twice named one of the 100 most influential world leaders.
Prof. Sachs serves as Director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University, as well as Quetelet Professor of Sustainable Development and Health Policy and Management. He is Special Advisor to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the Millennium Development Goals, and has authored three New York Times bestsellers in the past seven years: The End of Poverty (2005), Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet (2008), and The Price of Civilization (2011). | <urn:uuid:00892540-b994-439a-b85d-a68a64c31910> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.huji.ac.il/cgi-bin/dovrut/dovrut_search_eng.pl?mesge133829273505872560 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00057-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945226 | 334 | 1.875 | 2 |
Pope Benedict, when he was just plain Joseph Ratzinger, wrote a very interesting book entitled Eschatology. There were many outstanding subjects in this book, so it is difficult to pick one. Nevertheless, I believe that the thing that affected me most was his theology of death. Death is not something one thinks about in any detail, and if one does, it is done with foreboding. Our faith gives us tremendous hope that God will keep His promises, and that we will be in heaven with Him forever, if we cooperate with His grace. But usually people, this author included, see death as an unwanted, tragic thing. We assume that, since we have been living, we will continue to do so, knowing in the mind that God can call us at any moment, but not in the heart. Death is thus seen as something to be avoided as much as possible.
The father of this author, who was a good Catholic, was hit by a hit-and-run driver when he was crossing the street. This accident was such a shock to his immune system that he developed a variety of “diseases of opportunity,” the worst of which was lung cancer. He was dying of it, and he said to me, “Why me?” I was too young and had not penetrated into these mysteries much up to this time (1976), so that I could not give him an answer. But Pope Benedict’s book has changed that for me. The human being is called to give of himself up to the limits of his nature. In this, he mirrors the Holy Trinity, the persons of which are known by their relationship with each other. That relationship is complete self-surrendering love. God is not limited by His nature, so He can be infinitely giving. We have to take care of ourselves, so, unless there are unusual circumstances, we have limits to the giving to others. Death, it seemed before reading this book, was a question of not giving; of going kicking and screaming into eternity. But the Holy Father explained death as a final act of giving oneself completely to God. It is a question of saying “yes” to God, no matter what, allowing Him to have His will with you in the last moment of your life. This quite correctly links the self-giving one is supposed to do to be like Christ during life, to a final act of submission, embracing God in death. Looked at in this way, death is a welcome thing, not because life is hard, as in the mind of the suicide, but because it gives you God. St. Catherine of Genoa, in her reflections on Purgatory, where she was allowed to personally experience those sufferings, tells us that the suffering she underwent there was horrible; nevertheless, the souls in purgatory have the vision of God, which grows even clearer as one’s sins are expiated, and one was willing to suffer anything to hold on to that vision, so wonderful was it.
On the other side, the most perplexing aspect of the book is where Benedict links the connection with others in our own death. Having been raised in the “old days,” with its more individualistic notion of salvation, those of similar background as this author see salvation as “me and God.” Yes, we believe in the mystical body, but that concept has not been thoroughly unwrapped. A friend and fellow professor in New York mentioned this to me over twenty-five years ago. I saw what he meant, but, not being a theologian at the time, I could not take but little steps on my own account to try to see how the Mystical Body relates to the “me and God” scenario. But Pope Benedict introduces this to us in his book. He asks, how can we say that we have reached our fulfillment and destiny after death, when there are still people alive on earth whom we have caused suffering, or who cooperated in the evil deeds we did and still bear the guilt of those sins? Here the Pope refers to the Hindu idea of Karma, which is, in a way, a Catholic concept, yet made more crude by the Hindus. The story is told of Bodhisattva, who refuses to enter heaven while there are still suffering people on earth. He says that Christ is the real Bodhisattva, because a heaven of bliss above an earth that is hell is not heaven at all. This explains the coming of the Second Person as true man, to rescue, not just individuals, but the whole of creation. It also explains Purgatory as the place where one suffers to the end of everything one has left in his wake on earth.
For this author, this is a very difficult concept to embrace, probably because it is new to him, but also because it surpasses so many other teachings which strain our puny brain’s ability to comprehend. Those we made to suffer, we are now suffering for to make up for what we have done. Those whom we got to cooperate in our evil schemes were acting with free will nonetheless, yet we are also suffering for them to rectify the fact that we were the catalyst or instigator of their actions. It was by our suggestion, or failure to resist, that they were drawn into the evil scheme. Take adultery, for example. If a man seduces a woman, it means that he is the one whose suggestion she took. And even if it was ultimately her free will, he was the one to present the alluring temptation to her. The hardest part of this is that, suppose that the man repents of the adultery, but she does not. This makes the evil that was done greater, and she may lose her soul because of him. This needs to be suffered for. This is why our ultimate fulfillment is put off; we have to clean up our mess, so to speak. | <urn:uuid:a40f70dc-3116-4cbd-8faf-10fa9a97854c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.drwilliamluckey.com/index.cfm/2011/4/18/On-RatzingerPope-Benedict-XVIs-Eschatology | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00076-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.988056 | 1,213 | 2.03125 | 2 |
Archive for the ‘Diseases and Conditions’ Category
Back pain when it is accumulated mainly in the cervical area, can often be caused pro emotional problems.
This happens when one lives in an unpleasant environment, suffered constant situations of stress, family problems mostly attack in people who are psychologically weak, which means that many find it hard to relax your muscles, tightening up and even in the hours of rest can not relax.
The situations that are more harmful, they often come from the hand when we adopt correct postures and indulgence in the rotations and deflections in our waistlines, to make very abrupt movements or lack of activity. Read the rest of this entry » | <urn:uuid:aa2994c9-aec0-452c-a91e-7c03c3de0666> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.chesiel.com/category/diseases-and-conditions | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00062-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958974 | 140 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Archaeologists in Egypt say they have discovered a headless granite statue more than 2,000 years old belonging to an unidentified Ptolemaic-era king.
Tuesday's statement by the Supreme Council of Antiquities says an Egyptian-Dominican team made the discovery at the temple of Taposiris Magna, west of the coastal city of Alexandria.
Archaeology chief Zahi Hawass says the well-preserved statue may be among the most beautiful carvings in the ancient Egyptian style. He says the statue could belong to King Ptolemy IV.
The statue's height is 53 inches (135 centimeters) and its width at the shoulders is 22 inches (55 centimeters).
Alexandria was the seat of the Greek-speaking Ptolemaic Dynasty, which ruled Egypt for 300 years, until the suicide of Queen Cleopatra.
© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | <urn:uuid:cb891c11-a39d-4fcf-a8bd-4c78aad2490c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newsmax.com/SciTech/ML-Egypt-Antiquities/2010/05/04/id/357749 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.924029 | 203 | 3.125 | 3 |
Information Suppression about GMO’s…
Information Suppression about GMO’s and Lack of Labeling Currently Harms the Ability of Americans to Make Informed Choices about Food and Farms.
by Lori Grace
Discovering the Health effects of GMO (genetically modified organism) plants: I have always appreciated being able to read labels when buying my food. I was happy to hear about a labeling proposition that was going to be put on the November ballot. I decided at that time to research the health effects of GMOs. I found out that most of the studies have been done in foreign countries because of news and research suppression here in the US. As I began to study the health effects of GMO’s and then of Roundup and Bt insecticide, which is in GMO Bt plants I became even more concerned. Among other issues, I learned that Bt insectide could definitely cause multiple allergies and rashes in both animals and humans and definitely death in animals that ate harvested Bt cotton plants, Roundup ready foods appeared to contribute to infertility, precancerous changes in the intestines and stomach linings of animals and humans and in some cases death in animals who were fed a great deal of Roundup ready food.
The New Life Form on GMO fields: My concern reached a crescendo when I talked to Dr. Don Huber, Plant Pathologist and Professor Emeritus from Purdue University who has been studying a new organism in GMO fields that has never before been found on earth. I learned that is implicated in Sudden Death Syndrome in soybeans, Goss’ wilt in corn, infertility, chronic fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome, high spontaneous miscarriage rates and sudden infant death syndrome in farm animals and humans.
In talking with Dr. Huber, I learned that this new unnamed organism is as small as the smallest virus, able to replicate rapidly like a bacteria, is highly infectious and cannot be killed by ordinary means like a prion. I learned that humans could possibly take this new organism into their intestines by GMO corn or soy, dairy or egg products from cows or chickens fed GMO feed, plants raised with compost from chickens or cows fed GMO feed, and possibly fish fed GMO corn and soybeans.
With respect to this unknown organism, I was particularly alarmed to hear that could not be killed by cooking. For example, a human could scramble an egg from a chicken fed this contaminated GMO feed, eat the egg and introduce this organism into his or her intestines. This organism then have the opportunity to reproduce rapidly in a person’s intestines and possibly create irritable bowel syndrome, chronic botulism in his or her intestines (producing fatigue), infertility, a miscarriage or sudden infant death syndrome to name only a few possibilities..
The Attacks on Scientists and the Suppression of Information on GMOs: I am profoundly concerned that critical information has been consciously withheld from Americans that is preventing them from making informed choices about their food.
I am dismayed that what I have been reading about GMO foods is not showing up in scientific journals or regular newspapers
Then, in a subsequent call with Dr. Huber, I learned about the intense attacks on scientists all over the United States who have been coming up with groundbreaking research on GMOs and the suppression of the results of their research particularly in the US. I learned from Dr. Huber that for the most part he is allowed to do research but has experienced restrictions on publishing his results or talking about them at conferences. In one instance, when he has been asked to discuss the results of his research at a conference, the conference organizers received in at threatening phone calls from a source I cannot name, saying that they would be sued if he came to the conference. Dr. Huber said that this same approach has been applied to other scientists as well when invited to make their research public,
I asked Dr. Huber how could I help. I wanted American citizens to have the information about food to make the best possible decisions if they were interested for their health. I decided to help a certain unnamed scientist whose research here in the US was about to be terminated by the university where he worked, since he was studying this unnamed organism. (unnamed because the DNA has not been determined effectively yet.) The research scientist could not go by his real name because there would be immediate suppression of his research if it were made public, I learned that the results of his research once completed could be published in France, Germany or Japan and be brought back via the Internet. His research would never be published in the prestigious magazines, Science, Scientific American or Nature.
The Extensive Proliferation of Roundup and BT insecticide in American air, water and soil: I next started learning how Roundup is everywhere. I have learned that it is in air, rainwater, groundwater, lakes and streams. I learned from a German study in the January 2012 Ithaka Journal that Roundup in urine has been found in 100% of Germans tested in levels 5 to 20 times EPA allowable levels in drinking water. Since Germany imports only GMO soybeans for its cattle and does not allow any GMO food to be consumed by humans, I have found myself wondering how much Roundup would be found in the urine of Americans who eat many more GMO foods.
I learned that the address of the lab where this was done was kept secret even in Germany because of pressure the lab could experience from agro-chemical companies, which might cause the studies to be discontinued or influenced in some way.
With the help of Dr. Huber, I then was able to find out the shocking news of extreme birth defects in Argentinian workers who are tending GMO Soybean fields. The pictures of their children in some cases with no arms or legs or with no eyes or a huge nose horrified me. I am aware that I have seen none of this information in American news.
With respect to Bt insecticide, I learned that it remains in the body, in contrast to the original claims of Monsanto. A University of Sherbrooke Medical Center study (April 2011)with 69 women found that 93% of the women had Bt insecticide in their blood. About half of the women were pregnant, 80% of the fetuses had Bt insecticide in their fetal blood sample. Margaret Laggis, who represents Monsanto said these women had gotten Bt insecticide by eating only organic foods which all of the women denied at the start of their study.
Roundup is Inescapable: Overall, as someone who eats organically and filters her water, I thought I was better protected until today. Now, we can find Roundup in the lakes, streams, rainwater and the air we breathe. Two studies of air in Mississippi and Iowa revealed significant amounts of Roundup in what people were breathing.
Today, I read a medical study that if a person breathes even 1/450th o f the amount that is allowed to be sprayed as a herbicide over a small area, that in 20 minutes, DNA changes can be noticed in the mucosal linings of the tongue, lips, cheeks and nasal tissues of humans- changes that could become precancerous. This study appeared in the February edition of the Journal of Toxicology.
BREAKING NEWS: The lawsuit put forth by the Center for Food Safety alleging that “Agent Orange Corn” engineered in a partnership by Dow Chemical and Monsanto was thrown out of court on Monday, April 9th. Agent Orange ready corn will be distributed starting next year. Since GMO corn is so subsidized and appears in so many unlikely locations (like US made vitamin C), there is a chance that not only Roundup but also particles of 2,4-D, the main ingredient in Agent Orange Corn may even show up in vitamins and other health products.
Conclusion: With the news each day of the extensive proliferation of Roundup and Bt insecticide and with the creation of new life forms that cause significant harm to animals, plants and humans I would really like to encourage the people of California to support the GMO labeling bill that will appear as a proposition on the California ballot in November of 2012. I do believe that we all need to know more about the GMO foods that have entered our food supply and have more access to knowledge about their effects. | <urn:uuid:e79f7a1e-12e3-43fe-b9f6-3a68f7239de5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sunrise-center.org/resources/information-suppression-about-gmos/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976245 | 1,678 | 2.4375 | 2 |
A Brief History of Presidential Vacations
We're in the throes of summer vacation season, but at least one American is still on the job. While it's rumored that President Obama will follow in the footsteps of President Clinton and vacation on Martha's Vineyard, he hasn't had a chance to break out his Bermuda shorts just yet. When Obama does take off, though, he'll join in the grand tradition of presidential vacations, like these notable ones:
1. Abe Lincoln Doesn't Go Too Far
Far-flung vacations are nice, but President Lincoln preferred to stay a bit closer to home. When Lincoln needed a getaway from the heat and political turmoil of Civil War-era Washington, D.C., he headed to"¦a different part of Washington, D.C. From 1862 to 1864 Lincoln spent June through November living in a cottage atop a hill at the Soldiers' Home a few miles from the White House. Lincoln apparently loved the slight change of scenery, which meant slightly cooler temperatures and a chance to ride his horse each morning. If you're considering a stay-cation this year, consider this Honest Abe's endorsement.
2. FDR Heats Up Georgia
Some presidents choose to head to their hometowns or a beachside resort for their vacations, but Franklin Roosevelt preferred to travel to western Georgia. Warm Springs, Georgia, is the home of (you guessed it!) warm springs that supposedly had therapeutic value for polio sufferers. FDR, who had contracted his own paralytic illness in 1921, started visiting Warm Springs in 1924 in the hope that exercising in the springs' warm waters would cure him.
Although the springs didn't reverse his illness, FDR felt like his time at the resort alleviated his symptoms somewhat. In 1927 he bought the resort he'd been staying at, and in 1932 he ordered a six-room Georgia pine house to be built on the property. This house was FDR's retreat throughout his presidency and became known as the Little White House.
FDR was sitting for a portrait at the Little White House when he died of a stroke in April 1945. Today, the house is part of Georgia's state park system and is open to visitors; it's been preserved to look almost exactly as it did the day FDR died.
3. Movie Cowboy Does Real Ranching
Think George W. Bush was the first president to sneak away from the White House to spend time on his ranch? Not quite. At the end of his second term as Governor of California in 1974, Ronald Reagan paid just over half a million dollars to acquire Rancho del Cielo in California's Santa Ynez Mountains.
The 688-acre ranch, complete with stables and a 1500-square-foot adobe house, was Reagan's go-to vacation destination while he was in office, and he entertained some big names there, including Margaret Thatcher, Queen Elizabeth II, and Mikhail Gorbachev, who gamely wore a cowboy hat during his visit.
4. LBJ Does Some Ranching, Too
Texan Lyndon Johnson was very involved in the everyday operations of his ranch. Johnson, who had gotten into ranching in 1951, grew his LBJ Ranch into a 2700-acre spread populated by 400 head of Hereford cattle.
Johnson was no absentee owner when he was in Washington, either. Johnson frequently headed back on vacations and supposedly drove his foreman crazy by calling every day to talk about the weather on the ranch or how the pastures looked. Today, the National Park Service maintains LBJ's spread as a working ranch, complete with a herd of cattle descended from the Herefords Johnson bred.
5. George W. Bush Initiates a War on Brush
George W. Bush followed in LBJ's footsteps and went to his own Texas ranch when he needed a getaway. Prairie Chapel Ranch, a 1583-acre spread Bush owns near Crawford, Texas, served as the secondary White House throughout Bush's presidency, and he was often shown clearing brush during vacations.
Bush wasn't just doing farm work, though. He exhorted visitors to join the "President's 100-Degrees Club" by running three miles or biking 10 after the mercury hit 100 degrees. Anyone who could pull of the feat got a specialized Under Armour shirt as recognition. We can only hope one of the many foreign dignitaries Bush entertained at the ranch "“ including Vladimir Putin, Tony Blair, Silvio Berlusconi, Ariel Sharon, and Saudi King Abdullah "“ managed to get one of the coveted shirts into their suitcases.
6. Nixon Gets the Right Ice Cubes
When Richard Nixon wanted a break from Washington, he headed to a modest ranch home he owned on Key Biscayne off Miami. Nixon's "Florida White House," which he visited 50-plus times during his tenure in office, eventually swelled to include three houses and a floating helipad, which the Department of Defense installed at a taxpayer expense of $400,000. (There was plenty of room for taxpayer outrage at the $625,000 total the government spent sprucing up the Florida White House; one itemized expense was $621 for a replacement icemaker because "the President does not like ice with holes in it.")
Given that this house was Nixon's retreat, it's no surprise that some shady dealings transpired on the premises. Nixon allegedly discussed plans for the Watergate break-in at the house, and he holed up there when the coverup came to light. The house fell into disrepair after Nixon sold it, and in 2004 it was razed to make room for a new building.
The Florida White House wasn't Nixon's only retreat, though. He bought a mansion overlooking the Pacific Ocean in San Clemente, California shortly after taking office in 1969. Nixon dubbed his new digs "La Casa Pacifica," but the press quickly started referring to the spread as "the Western White House." This house wasn't cheap for taxpayers, either; the government dropped over a million dollars improving this home with temporary office quarters for staffers, helipads, and an upgraded heating system.
7. FDR's Successor Gets His Own Little White House
Harry Truman may have been from Missouri, but he headed south when he needed some R&R. Truman started suffering from exhaustion in late 1946, and his physicians recommended a warm weather vacation to revitalize the President.
Truman took his vacation in a converted duplex in Key West that already held some history. The house, which was originally built in 1890 for the commandant and paymaster of Key West's naval base, had already hosted William Howard Taft while he was in office in 1912. When Thomas Edison developed 41 new weapons to aid in the American efforts in World War I, he spent six months living in the house. Once Truman visited the house, though, it quickly became known as Truman's Little White House. He ended up spending 175 days in Key West over the course of his two terms in office. Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy later used the house while they were in office, and it's now open as a tourist attraction.
8. Teddy Roosevelt Goes Bear Hunting
Lounging on the beach is great, but do you really think Teddy Roosevelt would miss the opportunity to do something manly? Roosevelt's vacation in 1905 took him to the Hotel Colorado in Glenwood Springs, CO, where he stayed for three weeks while bear hunting.
9. Kennedy Retreats to His Compound
Starting in 1926, Joseph P. Kennedy began taking his family to Hyannisport, Massachusetts, on vacation each summer. His son John liked the area so much that in 1956 he bought a cottage of his own near his parents' digs, and the family soon purchased a third cottage in the area, giving rise to the name "the Kennedy Compound." JFK used his cottage as a base of operations for his presidential campaign and later vacationed there each summer he was in office.
10. George H.W. Bush Prefers Not to Ranch
Not to be outdone by the Kennedys, the Bush family has an even older compound of their own in Kennebunkport, Maine. In 1903 George H. Walker, the grandfather of George H.W. Bush, built a great mansion on his oceanfront estate in Kennebunkport, and the property has remained in the family ever since.
George H.W. Bush used the Kennebunkport compound as his vacation home during his presidency, and George W. Bush made a few getaways to the house as well. Between father and son, they've entertained some pretty big names at their summer house, including Yitzhak Rabin, Vladimir Putin, and Nicolas Sarkozy. | <urn:uuid:66b2997f-e0ab-4f58-8fe5-31422baa1e53> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mentalfloss.com/article/22256/brief-history-presidential-vacations | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978337 | 1,788 | 2.875 | 3 |
On a cold clear November night, under the sliver of a crescent moon, about thirty people gathered in the cosy rustic interior of the seat of the Misericordia of Tiglio at the 10th annual meeting to taste and judge 15 new wines produced by 10 local families. To accompany the wines, abundant food was served and the menu, to suit the wines and season, included Cinghiale (wild boar) and Hare, both in savoury sauces with small tuscan olives; locally produced polenta, salads, finnochio (fennel), pecorino and gorgonzola cheeses, and a sumptuous selection of home made cakes.
There were twelve reds which ranged, usually in mixture, in variety from the classic Montepulicano, Sangiovese, and Merlot, to the lesser known varietals Ciliegiolo, Carnaiolo, and Dolcetto.
One red was exclusively Syrah, recently researched, planted and cultivated to suit the local terroir. There were wines of which the variety was unspecified as having been from generations old vines. The three white wines included varieties, in mixture, of Vermentino,Trebbiano and Colombara.
The evening was masterfully organized by Leonello Diversi, the head of the Misericordia of Tiglio and put on with the expertise of several other members who set up, cooked, served and cleaned up afterwards.
The Misericordia (which translates to compassion, mercy or may be a translation of the hebrew word chesed, or loving-kindness) of Tiglio is a 400 member organization whose activities benefit local charities, work and repairs of the church, and the cemetery.
The parish of Tiglio has been commendably led by the venerable and revered Don Giuseppe Cola for over 57 years.
The wines were first tested for degree of alcohol, with an accuracy certified ebulliometer, and ranged from 10% to the highest of 12.5%.
Identically bottled and labelled by number they were divided among the three dining tables where there were lists with criteria including nose, clarity, appeal, and flavour to complete with a rating from 1 to 5.
There were three prize categories which included, Best overall, Highest Alcohol Content, and one for the Best White Wine.
The best overall category was won by the red wine produced by Renato Bernardi of Tiglio Alto who cited an unidentifiable mixture of grape varieties some of which had been planted by his father over 60 years ago. This wine also won the highest alcohol content with the level of 12.5%.
From about 70 vines Renato produced two demijohns (54 Liters each ) or about 144 bottles of wine. Renato also has the distinction of being the only, and perhaps last, ironsmith in the area with a functioning forge.
The winner in the white wine category with a mixture of 50% Vermentino, 40% Trebbiano and 10% Colombara, was Leonello Diversi.
Leonello serves as vintner for several small local vineyards as well as Frantoio (olive oil press) for his own several hundred olive trees and in his spare time collects thousands of saffron flowers to harvest the threads for the spice.
The overall quality of the wines was very pleasing, generally light bodied and refreshing, but one can only imagine at this point how good they will be with more time and depending on how the remainder of the processing is done, in stainless steel vats or wood barrels.
The wines are produced from vineyards which range from about 70 to over 500 vines. The area is in redevelopment after a Tuscan regional initiative of about 25 years ago which gave incentives to individuals to reduce the quantity of vines and production to increase the overall quality of regional wines.
The other distinctive wines were contributed by Tiglio residents, Ivo Pieri, Francesco Marchetti, Giovanni Dinelli, Ademara Marchetti, Paolo Balducci, Sandro Marchetti; and from Fileccho, Nicola Lunatici; The American owner of Palazzo Salvi in Barga, Bill Furman; and from Località Grifoglia, Pietro Messina who produced, for its first year, a unique and promising Syrah, with its distinctive peppery quality.
Two international visitors from Germany staying at the Agriturismo Cerretelli in Tiglio Basso, one from Bavaria and partner from Lisbon, expressed their enjoyment and appreciation at having been invited to join the party.
Two strong and flavourful Grappas produced by Leonello Diversi and Paolo Balducci finished off the delicious and delightful evening, if not just the diners.
(c) RIPRODUZIONE RISERVATA | <urn:uuid:22555be0-abc3-4c95-8baa-24a45dada624> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.giornaledibarganews.com/2012/11/20/tiglio-wine-tasting/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968578 | 1,014 | 1.75 | 2 |
In 1921, the citizens of Post Falls, Idaho marveled as horses pulled two church buildings to the corner of Fourth Avenue and William Street, combining them and kindling the spirit of collaboration that fuels the structure's current resident, The Jacklin Arts & Cultural Center. Here, gothic-revival and vernacular architecture converge, brimming with more than a century of stories and earning a spot in the National Register of Historic Places. Throughout the building's past and into its present, it has persisted as a haven where the community gathers to socialize, learn, and question suspected witches. These days, the facility hosts activities that strengthen the mind and body, such as fitness classes and cooking courses. An upstairs gallery showcases the work of local artists from North Idaho and Eastern Washington as well as works by national artists, and the main-level celebration hall's raised stage and space for up to 200 seats acts as a venue for concerts, weddings, and crowd-surfing practice. | <urn:uuid:bd5660f6-5295-4517-8f5b-089dcf84c8a1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.groupon.com/local/post-falls-id/museums-and-galleries | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958549 | 198 | 1.65625 | 2 |
The Oteiza Museum is a monographic exhibition space housing the personal collection of the renowned all-round sculptor and artist Jorge Oteiza (Orio 1908 – San Sebastian 2003). The collection includes 1,690 sculptures, 2,000 experimental pieces from the artist’s Chalk Laboratory, and an extensive collection of drawings and collages. The building is situated in rural surroundings in Alzuza (Navarra), 9 kilometres from Pamplona. It contains a representative selection of work by Oteiza, one of the twentieth century’s most important sculptors, who made his debut on the international stage when he won the Gran Prix at the Sao Paulo Biennial in 1957 with his “Experimental Purpose”. The Oteiza Museum was designed by architect Francisco Javier Sáenz de Oiza. The large red concrete cube is intended as a metaphor of Oteiza’s recreated space, and incorporates the house in which Jorge Oteiza lived from 1975.
Advance authorisation must be requested for visits by groups of over 20 people. Please call (+34)948332074. From 9 am to 3 pm. | <urn:uuid:8fd0661e-0f51-4d38-a532-032bcdf6c7d3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.museooteiza.org/informacion-general/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932047 | 239 | 1.679688 | 2 |
3D LUT Layer Adjustments
Since Adobe bought Iridas and its high-end Speedgrade color grading app, Adobe has been quick to bring 3D LUT (look-up table) support to other apps. In the film and visual effects world, 3D LUT files are used much like ICC profiles are in the print world but for color treatments and not just calibration (recently-released OpenColorIO is better for this anyway). There's nothing three-dimensional about 3D LUTs—it's just that they have three channels (RGB), where a 1D LUT is something like a single luminance curve like gamma 2.2.
To create a 3D LUT adjustment layer, pick Color Lookup from the new adjustment layer palette. You can select from a bunch of presets in the Properties panel or pick your own .3dl, .cube or .look LUT file. I use Nuke a lot and have made my own .cube 3D LUTs so it's nice to be able to use those within Photoshop. They can be masked just like any other adjustment layer:
Currently there's no way to make your own 3D LUT from within Photoshop but this will be a great way to easily share grading looks once they do. If you don't work in video, this might not be the most useful feature, but once people start sharing looks I expect that to change.
In CS6, Adobe made a big effort to simplify the 3D workflow, which was a bit of a mishmash in earlier versions. You had to jump around a lot to find things, there were tons of different navigation methods and almost nothing was contextual. While I'd be harping on Adobe to change the 3D navigation method to something more in line with Maya or Cinema 4D, they went the exact opposite direction and made it so simple that it's almost surprising it works—and it works really well. Most of the scene navigation and object handling is now done with the Move tool:
Aside from the navigation and UI cleanup, normal maps are now in tangent space, since no one uses world-space normal maps anymore. If you have no idea what this means, just rest assured that if you buy a stock 3D model online, CS6 will now properly render the normal bump map. But the big news is that they've implemented a crucial change to the 3D world that you might be able to spot in the movie above. It's now possible to have multiple 3D meshes imported and merged into the same 3D space while maintaining their individual transforms. Adding a new model into the scene is just a matter of importing a stock model into a 3D layer and hitting “merge" down. Objects in merged 3D layers will then cast shadows onto each other and get realistically bounced global illumination. The scene above was the starting point for this render that I did for the Photoshop 3D Content page:
While it won't replace Maya and V-Ray for me, I've used it a lot for box shots and texturing. I think it's finally progressed to the point where a 3D novice could use it to make great scenes with almost no knowledge of 3D workflows. They'd still need to read up on material properties and some of the lingo, but it's very intuitive otherwise.
Another major update to the 3D workflow is that you can now use the Vanishing Point filter to generate preliminary perspective info. Draw the perspective grid in Vanishing Point and then okay it:
Then, when you import a 3D object into the scene, it will appear on the 3D plane:
If you made an HDR image to match the base image, you could use that for an image-based light and get very good results with little effort. It's a great step towards making still image and 3D-rendered composite very easy. But, as intuitive as it is, someone has already demonstrated even more user-friendly workflow and realistic results. That's really the cat's pajamas of the bee's knees of 3D compositing. Someone make that into a product, stat!
A worthy upgrade
Photoshop CS6 is a well-rounded update. The noticeable speed boost provided by GPU acceleration of key features, combined with the background saves, make this a no-brainer upgrade in my opinion. On top of that, Adobe lowered the bar to entry for simple video editing and 3D compositing/rendering. It also simplified the interface, and the Creative Cloud pricing model is an attractive way to access the gold standard in image editing.
My only criticisms are of the lowest-common-denominator Application Frame on OS X, the so-so results from the auto-corrections, and the still-pervasive lack of multithreading. If Corel can slip a multi-threaded rug under Painter 12, I would hope Adobe could do the same in Photoshop—constantly seeing one thread out of 32 being used on something like the HP Z820 E5 Xeon is just painful to watch. Hopefully now that Photoshop CS6 is so chock full of features, the developers can work on this engineering challenge for the next release. In the meantime, there's no reason to skip this one.
- Tangible speedup where GPU is used for transforms, crop, liquify, and blur gallery
- Background save works as described and it doesn't add noticeable CPU overhead
- Searchable metadata for layers
- Content aware move tool is going to put me out of a job (con?)
- Updated 3D workflow is extremely easy to use and produces better results now that there is a unified 3D space
- Adaptive wide angle correction is easy to use and produces great results
- 3D LUT support has a lot of potential for look sharing
- Erodible pencils produce natural-looking results
- Video features are very basic but will be handy in a pinch
- While the GPU features speed things up where it can, there is still a lack of multithreading for some slow filters and operations
- Auto-correction results are rarely successful in my experience
- Seriously, the Application Frame on OS X is not working
- Auto-recovery is not as helpful as it could be due to long intervals between recovery data saves
- Blur gallery is nice but lacks controls expected of a professional tool
- Once you experience the GPU-acceleration and background saves, it's impossible to go back | <urn:uuid:c509b6f4-9de1-4ea0-9e3c-48123332abf5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://arstechnica.com/business/2012/06/adobe-photoshop-cs6-extended-and-adobe-creative-cloud-review/6/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00048-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948852 | 1,329 | 1.75 | 2 |
Product Review: Loopeez help kids learn to tie their shoes
My 6-year-old son was having trouble learning how to tie his shoes recently. He was highly motivated to learn, but kept getting the laces all tangled up and confused. It was making him quite frustrated, which in turn made me frustrated. So we tried out a little product called Loopeez.
Loopeez are small, flexible plastic pieces (that come in a variety of designs) with two holes in them – one for each lace end. They are placed on the shoe, the laces are poked through the holes, and then the child practices tying the laces. The website (www.loopeez.com) demonstrates the Bunny Ear tying method, but we were able to use the Loopeez to teach the Standard method of tying just fine.
I found that Loopeez were particularly helpful in keeping the laces separated so my son didn't get the laces tangled up together. They helped him to keep the laces where they needed to be in order to tie them.
Also helpful was the special pair of shoelaces we got from Loopeez.com. Half of the lace is white; the other half is black. So when my son tried to tie his shoes, the right end of the lace was white and the left end was black, so he could easily see which part should make a loop and which part needed to cross over. It also helped that the laces are a bit stiffer than normal laces, making them easier to work with since they don't flop over.
A few weeks ago we began practicing with Loopeez. We used them maybe four times over the course of two days, and by then my son had really mastered the actual tying of the laces. He was finished with the plastic Loopeez, but still benefits from the colored laces as he refines his skills, learning to tie his shoes tighter. Actually he may be fine without the special laces, but I just haven't switched them out since they work so nicely.
Sometimes, if my son is in a real hurry, he will ask me to tie his shoes, but mostly he does it all by himself now. I can see that he is proud of his accomplishment. Loopeez changed a frustrating situation into a much easier achievement. If your child is ready to learn to tie their shoes, you might want to give Loopeez a try! | <urn:uuid:b6a43fa9-a2c2-4f60-83d5-2f7800a3980c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://coastalmommies.com/blog/2012/11/product-review-loopeez-help-kids-learn-tie-their-shoes | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.989092 | 498 | 1.890625 | 2 |
News>Feature - Everyone has a story: Can't plan for the unexpected
U.S. Air Force Senior Airmen Andrew Hill, left, and Kyle Harvey, right, Air Combat Command Communication Support Squadron operations support technician, discuss deployment experiences at Langley Air Force Base, Va., Sept. 11, 2012. Harvey recommends talking to other people who have already been deployed as a way to prepare for future taskings. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Racheal Watson/Released)
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Kyle Harvey, Air Combat Command Communication Support Squadron operations support technician, fans out the wires of an ethernet cord at Langley Air Force Base, Va., Sept. 11, 2012. Harvey has been in the Air Force four years, and has been stationed at Langley AFB his entire career. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Racheal Watson/Released)
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Kyle Harvey, Air Combat Command Communication Support Squadron operations support technician, creates an ethernet cord at Langley Air Force Base, Va., Sept. 11, 2012. Harvey experienced a severe reaction to the smallpox vaccine, making him unable to deploy to Afghanistan-a week before his scheduled departure. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Racheal Watson/Released)
by Senior Airman Racheal Watson
633rd Air Base Wing Public Affairs
9/24/2012 - Langley Air Force Base, Va. -- This story is part of the 2012 Joint Base Langley-Eustis fall series, highlighting individuals with interesting stories.
Sitting in the recruiter's office while preparing to sign on the dotted line, Kyle thought back to what got him there. Was it just one profound moment, or was it more?
Kyle was 24-years old, in college and working three jobs. Financial aid was not an option if he wanted to continue his education, unless he wanted to take out student loans. That's when he started considering other options, and walked into the recruiter's office.
It was his decision.
"I was proud, and I was happy," said Senior Airman Kyle Harvey, Air Combat Command Communication Support Squadron operations support technician. "I signed the dotted line because I knew that I had one life and at least for this part of it I wanted to serve my country."
However, his signature came with misgivings.
"At the time, when I signed the papers, I was really nervous about getting deployed," said Harvey. "I didn't want to go to Afghanistan. I didn't want to go to Iraq. I was deathly afraid of going overseas."
After going through basic training and technical school, Harvey's first and only duty station was Langley Air Force Base. It was here where Harvey grew into the Airman he is today, taking in the experiences and learning what he could.
About a year and a half into Harvey's career, he felt ready to deploy. All it took was talking to people who had been there.
"I was slated for a deployment to Afghanistan," said Harvey. "The last week before I was supposed to leave for combat training, I went home on leave and contracted myocarditis [inflammation of the heart muscle] and pericarditis [swelling and irritation of the pericardium, a thin sac-like membrane that surrounds the heart] secondary to the small pox vaccine."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the vaccine is made from a virus called vaccinia, which is a "pox"-type virus related to smallpox and the smallpox vaccine contains the "live" vaccinia virus.
Harvey's unit had to send someone else from his squadron to take his place.
"You never know when a task will drop. If we have to task someone at the last minute, they may not be as mentally prepared to go as someone who has had time," said Master Sgt. Alan Palazo, Air Combat Command Communications Support knowledge enabling flight chief.
The news hit Harvey hard.
"I was really upset," said Harvey. "I really wanted to be a part of that brotherhood of people who have been over there and who have served over there."
It took weeks for Harvey to physically recover from the damage his heart sustained. He was limited in his daily activities, including driving.
"I was upset that I wasn't deploying; however, it was the least of my worries at the time," said Harvey.
The loss of the deployment itself was not on Harvey's emotional radar, as the concern for his medical condition dwarfed any other disappointment.
"I was more worried about recovery and not getting medically discharged," said Harvey.
Through this troubling time in Harvey's life, he had friends who helped him through.
"I can't state enough how wonderful it is to have good friends to take care of you," said Harvey. "I felt a lot of guilt about 'letting people down' and the unfortunate situation of the Airman who had to go in my place on such a short notice. Dealing with that can be hard."
Harvey has not had another opportunity, in the almost four years of serving, to deploy again. He gives the advice to other Airmen who are scared to deploy by first asking them why they are afraid. With no experience of his own, Harvey suggests talking with someone who has deployed.
"At the end of the day the best we can do is talk to them and try to make them feel better," said Harvey.
With the help of friends, family and coworkers, Harvey was able to make a full recovery and remain in the Air Force.
"It was ironic that a vaccine designed to protect my life cornered me up against my mortality," said Harvey. "If something designed to help me can kill me, maybe I shouldn't be so afraid to try something risky. Sometimes you have to have faith and jump in order to fly."
9/30/2012 9:33:29 PM ET Congratulations on your full recovery. Thank You for serving Our Country protecting our freedoms. Love Aunt Peggy | <urn:uuid:2a7ef8e5-0de3-4d1e-b517-ee454ec7c24b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.acc.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123317787 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.986452 | 1,275 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Natural Gas Doors Open Across Country, NY Watches Through Peephole
Public Relations Consultant
On the same day the Independent Democrat Caucus in New York announced another piece of proposed legislation to delay development of the Marcellus Shale in New York, two representatives from a premiere energy conference in New Mexico heralded success on the radio and praise for energy operators.
The San Juan Basin Energy Conference, (www.sanjuanbasinenergy.org) happening in Farmington, NM on March 18 and 19 is already sold out, with operators traveling to northwest New Mexico from all over the country and beyond. According to the website, this conference will bring together parties interested in Mancos Shale development, considered the next significant oil and gas shale play in that region. Developing this play is heralded as a renaissance for this region after nearly a century of petroleum geology and activity.
Interest in this conference has come from as far away as Bulgaria. Last June, Bulgarian Parliament eased its ban on hydraulic fracturing, to take advantage of its natural gas reserves and lessen the country’s dependency on Russian resources.
“It’s a real opportunity to bring everyone together,” Randy Pacheco, dean of the San Juan College School of Energy (http://www.sanjuancollege.edu/energy) said on The Scott Michlin Morning Show, at KSJE.com in Farmington, NM. Hear the entire program here: http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/ksje/.jukebox?action=viewMedia&mediaId=1024511.
Full disclosure: program host Michlin is a native New Yorker who has lived in New Mexico for 22 years. He sees the economic impact a robust energy industry has in a community. He teaches at San Juan College, where the School of Energy is a national leader in educating tomorrow’s energy professionals. He also lived in New York’s struggling Southern Tier for several years and knows the region needs an economic boost.
The focus of this conference will be the game-changing activity of the Mancos Shale play, anticipated to be rich with oil reserves. This area of New Mexico has traditionally been the place for natural gas development. Hydraulic fracturing, however, is opening the door to oil production here, which was previously limited to southeast New Mexico. “It’s going to be important for oil production. It’s a new venture and it’s welcomed here,” said Dean Pacheco.
Dean Pacheco spoke words that would endear New Yorkers in the Southern Tier, if only they were spoken here. “It’s a very interesting time here in the San Juan Basin because we’re starting to see an evolution of energy. Not only have we produced trillions of cubic feet of natural gas and millions of gallons of oil and terawatts of electricity. As you start to see natural gas and how we use natural gas, the San Juan Basin will continue to be a major player in energy production in the US. We need to come together as a community – education, government and business – to insure that we can position this for our local residents.”
During this 37-minute interview, there was concern expressed about regulation, whether it’s at the state, county or municipal level, but the concern was that regs don’t penalize the operators.
Said Dr. Jim Henderson, former president of San Juan College and a former county commissioner, “We don’t apologize for that. It’s served this area pretty well. We all agree that we want good air and clean water, but I think you have to come to some balance.”
In a separate conversation, Pacheco spoke very passionately about the energy industry in New Mexico. As a fourth generation resident from a small community in the northwest corner of the state, he knows first hand how erring on the side of environmental caution can backlash. “My small community was devastated when the logging industry was stopped there, all to protect the spotted owl. The spotted owl was more important than the community that lived there.”
He continued, “We are a very poor state, without a lot of options. We’re not positioned to tell the energy industry no drilling, no fracking. At the School of Energy we try to explain to the people that energy operators are global companies and don’t have to do business here.”
Training tomorrow’s energy workforce is more than giving them knowledge and experience in the natural gas, oil and ‘green’ energies, too. It’s a hard lesson in consumerism. He says, “Kids need to understand if you got rid of energy there are no cell phones, no Facebook, no Twitter. (Without energy) you’ll still buy their product, drive your cars, take hot showers and heat your home.”
It was a different story 2100 miles away. Today in Albany, Senator David Carlucci (representing Rockland and Westchester counties, where Marcellus Shale development is unlikely) introduced legislation that would suspend hydraulic fracturing for another 24 months. This delay would allow three health impact studies (including the Geisinger study, 20-year project in its earliest stages which is still without all of its funding) to be completed.
In a press release, Sen. Carlucci said, “A quick buck is not worth the long-term debt that our children will have to live with if we get this decision wrong.” This echoes other legislation proposed by Assemblymember Robert Sweeney last month. Counter this with Dr. Henderson’s comments in New Mexico, “Sometimes we forget that our kids and our grandkids got to have some kind of future. That’s what we’re doing, we’re building a better community. We need jobs: that’s what anchors things. That’s what makes a good community.”
So while New Mexico dusts off the welcome mat for new development, New York is still looking out the keyhole and wondering what might, would, or could happen here if the door is really opened. | <urn:uuid:c2e99ee5-5968-48b1-8946-4d8de9ef6a3b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://eidmarcellus.org/marcellus-shale/natural-gas-doors-open-across-country-ny-watches-through-peephole/18600/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950961 | 1,288 | 1.570313 | 2 |
By the end of this course you will be able to:
The Gas Turbine Engineering function in any organisation encompasses many disciplines touching upon different aspects of Gas Turbine plant operation and facility management. The advent of new Gas Turbine designs and applications has transformed this function into one that is becoming highly specialized and increasingly sophisticated. In recent times, there is huge demand for highly skilled, knowledgeable and practically oriented Gas Turbine Engineers. The certificate has been designed and structured keeping this fact in mind.
This course provides a comprehensive overview in the area of Gas Turbine Engineering and is designed to develop your overall skills, boost your career options, and benefit your employer. The numerous practical application tips and short cuts to engineering problem solving are imparted during the course make it highly practical and relevant to your applications and its successful completion will provide a gateway to a fulfilling, intensive, yet enjoyable career.
Ease of installation, serviceability and operational and design flexibility are critical factors determining the success of any Gas Turbine installation. In order to identify and select a suitable system for a particular application, it is important that the selection and design related parameters are properly understood. For example, fuel economy is critical in the success of any Gas Turbine operation.
This course places the tried and tested and latest practices and technologies in perspective, while also equipping the participants with the requisite knowledge and skill sets needed to tackle problems related to various systems in a facility. It is presented by an instructor who is a highly experienced engineer from industry, having a mix of both extensive experience and teaching skills. The topics covered are derived from the acclaimed IDC Technologies' courses attended by over 300,000 engineers and technicians during the past 20 years.
NB: The course description of all EIT "Certificate" courses has been changed to "Professional Certificate of Competency". Some course brochures are not yet updated. The actual certificate received by successful students will include the new title.
Frame type heavy-duty gas turbines
Industrial type gas turbines
Aircraft derivative gas turbines
Comparison between aircraft-derivative and industrial heavy-duty turbines
Small and micro gas turbines
Aircraft gas turbines
Gas turbine components
Siemens Gas Turbine Technology
Reversible cycles with ideal gases
Constant pressure or Brayton cycle
Ideal inter-cooled and reheat cycles
Actual gas turbine cycles
List of terms and symbols used
Common problems affecting axial compressor operation and performance
Air compressor performance characteristics
Combustor performance and efficiency
Fuel nozzles and igniters
General metallurgical behavior in gas turbines
Gas turbine blade materials
Blade manufacturing techniques
Through hardened materials
Case hardened materials
Bearing design principles
Tilting-pad journal bearings
Design of thrust bearings
Pumps and oil jets
Lubrication oil filters
Oil system cleaning and conditioning
Oil sampling and testing
Fuel specifications and fuel properties
Other important fuel properties
Economics of fuel selection
Comparative fuel costs
Cleaning of turbine components
Fuel supply and control systems
Dual-fuel operation and operational flexibility
Integrated gasification combined cycle
Noise from gas turbine engines
Aircraft sound suppression methods
Air requirements and environmental considerations
Fuel washing systems
Gear design and performance parameters
Couplings and shaft alignment
Startup and shutdown considerations
Control of the equipment during operation
Condition monitoring systems and their implementation
Temperature, pressure and vibration measurement
Gas turbine performance measurement and calculations
Protection systems and alarms
Philosophy of maintenance
Maintenance of critical gas turbine components
Maintenance planning and scheduling
Spares and inventory management
Gas turbine overhaul and repair
Health monitoring in gas turbines
Troubleshooting in gas turbines
General troubleshooting techniques for compressors, combustors and turbines
Evaluation of the effectiveness of gas turbine maintenance
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What are the fees for my country?
The Engineering Institute of Technology (EIT) provides distance education to students located almost anywhere in the world – it is one of the very few truly global training institutes. Course fees are paid in a currency that is determined by the student’s location. A full list of fees in a currency appropriate for every country would be complex to navigate and, with today’s exchange rate fluctuations, difficult to maintain. Instead we aim to give you a rapid response regarding fees that is customised to your individual circumstances.
We understand that cost is a major consideration before a student commences study. For a rapid reply to your enquiry regarding courses fees and payment options, please enquire via the below button and we will respond within 1 business day.
Please contact us with your location for certificate fees in the relevant currency. Certificate fees include all live webinars with a professional instructor, 4 technical manuals (as searchable eBooks), course materials, software, postage, assignments and ongoing support. All you need to participate is an internet connection, computer and headset. We have group discounts available for our 3 month certificates.
Three payment options are available for the Advanced Diploma courses;
Pay total amount upfront to receive a 5% reduction in fees.
Pay in 6 equal instalments over 18 months. First payment at least two weeks before the course starts, then the remaining five every 3 months. Payment dates will be set ahead of time and provided at the start of the course. You would receive the 30 technical reference eBooks in batches over the duration of the course.
Pay in even installments for 18 months. First payment at least two weeks before the course starts, then one on the same date every month for the remaining period. This option incurs a 2% administration fee. You would receive the 30 technical reference eBooks in batches over the duration of the course.
For a rapid reply to your enquiry regarding courses fees and payment options, please contact us with your name, email address, course title(s), and location using the form below, and we will respond within 1 business day.
Mechanical Engineering encompasses the conceptualisation, design, manufacture, control and maintenance of machines ranging from a conveyer, space shuttle to nanotechnology based objects. In broad terms, mechanical engineering channels the energy and forces in nature to the service of people. The fields in which mechanical engineering professionals operate are wide - ranging from oil and gas, power generation, water utilities, process plants, mining, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing and defence.
A diploma in mechanical engineering is ideal for anyone wanting to get involved in the general engineering (whether design or maintenance) of large plants, especially as a plant engineer. Recently, mechanical engineering has begun to include many new systems in the electronics and control arena such as programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and SCADA as these are critical to the control of mechanical devices.
Students in the Engineering Institute of Technology (EIT) School of Mechanical Engineering can study an Advanced Diploma of Mechanical Engineering with subjects that include: mechanics, structural engineering, drive systems, rotating equipment, hydraulics, pneumatics, lubrication engineering, HVAC, pumps, compressors, machinery safety, energy efficiency and renewable energy sources.
The focus in the Engineering Institute of Technology (EIT) School of Mechanical Engineering is in providing students with both deep and broad skills in mechanical engineering technology, focusing on real systems. Whilst there is probably not a shortage of theoretically orientated practitioners in mechanical engineering, there is a need for highly skilled, practically oriented engineers, technologists and technicians, due to the rapidly increasing use of new technologies which are becoming a key component of all modern plants and equipment. Studying our mechanical engineering diploma online means you don't have to take extended periods away from existing work commitments.
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Help us design the delivery of this new program or indicate your interest. We intend that it will involve 2 years study with the Engineering Institute of Technology (online at your desk)...
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Advanced Diploma in...
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If you have a need for hard-hitting, concise professional development in a specific subject, we would like to encourage you to take action now. | <urn:uuid:dc2a7806-1a2d-45b5-bbff-63b708a94e43> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.eit.edu.au/professional-certificate-competency-gas-turbine-engineering | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00052-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.909419 | 1,709 | 2.296875 | 2 |
In a scene that would conjure up images of frustrated primates in “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” a 24-year-old gorilla named Koga found momentary freedom from his cage at the Buffalo Zoo.
One can’t begrudge the always locked away 400 pound male for making a dash through an open door. West Lowland gorillas are emotionally complex animals who, in the wild, would spend their days roaming anywhere between 3 to 18 miles. No matter how nice the enclosure at the zoo, it can’t quite compare to their natural habitat. Unfortunately, he ran into one of the zoo keepers and bit her hand and calf. The keeper was able to escape from further harm by entering a female’s habitat.
While Koga never got so far as the public areas of the zoo and he had no history of aggression before the incident, a creature his size on the loose was taken seriously by authorities. A SWAT team was sent in while a veterinarian sedated him using a hand held blow pipe.
We certainly are glad the zoo keeper was able to get away without being severely harmed. Zoo president Donna Fernandes said, “I’m sure it was very dramatic for (the zoo keeper) and for all the keepers. It was pins and needles.” We’d like to add that it was most likely also traumatic for Koga.
There will be an investigation looking into how he was able to get loose in the first place. We hope everyone (Koga included) is recovering from what must have been a very stressful ordeal. | <urn:uuid:55f4c6c9-3de4-4dd2-b533-a4ad48e8965f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ecorazzi.com/2012/03/20/400-pound-gorilla-tranquilized-after-escape-from-buffalo-zoo/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983829 | 332 | 2.109375 | 2 |
There are many different types of guitar amps on the market today from the combo amp to the full stack. You also have a choice from a all tube amp to a hybrid design. Below we included the descriptions of each amp type.
Combo Amplifiers - Combo amps are named because they combine the amplifier and speakers into one cabinet. They are convenient to set up because no additional speakers need to be connected before the amp can be used. Also, the speaker cabinet design usually is well matched, since they are designed as a single unit.
Head and Cabinet Amplifiers - In this configuration, the amplifier is separate from the speaker cabinet. The head usually sits on top of the speaker cabinet. Usually, these are fairly high powered systems designed for concert hall use. Separating the components of the amplifier allows selecting and matching the speaker cabinet to the head Also, these speaker cabinets are often very large. Combining the amplifier with the speakers would make for one HUGE amp, which is not convenient for those of us who don't travel with forklifts. A head combined with a cabinet containing 4, twelve inch speakers is often called a "half stack." Two of these cabinets make a "full Stack."
Rack Systems - This configuration allows the player to individually select every component in the amplifier system. A separate component serves each function of a typical combo amplifier. The rack system consists of a preamp, power amp, effects/signal processors and the speakers. The individual components are mounted into a cabinet designed to accommodate the standard sizing of these pieces called a rack which is 19". For many players, the rack system provides flexibility not available with the other configurations.
Mini Amps - Mini amps also known as small practice amps are like small combo amps in design where the speaker and electonics are combined in one unit. Mini Amps are great for the traveling guitarist, since you can use batteries to operate them and their small in size.
Solid State Amplifiers - This is the circuitry most commonly used in modern amp designs. Typically, they are affordably priced and quite reliable. They use transistors to deliver the output to power the speakers instead of tubes. Solid state amplifiers are available in both combo and head configurations.
Tube (valve) Amplifiers - Tube amps use glass vacuum tubes to shape the tone and deliver the output power to the speakers. Tube amps are typically associated with a warmer, more complex tone than solid state amplifiers. The tradeoff is a higher price tag, maintenance issues (like tube replacement) and, since the tubes are made of glass, these amps can not be abused then expected to work properly when you get to the gig. However; most serious players agree that for pure tone and feel, tube amps are the way to go.
Hybrid Amplifiers - These amps are designed to bridge the gap between solid state and tube amplifiers. Their preamp section uses one or more tubes (usually 12AX7) to shape the tone. Transistors take over to deliver the power to the speakers. | <urn:uuid:ad3d541c-07e6-4d32-8bc6-85eaaab6b433> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theguitarfiles.com/guitarfile114.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00051-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94962 | 614 | 2.078125 | 2 |
NAR Research has produced a total of 3,147 Relocation Reports for U.S. counties. The Relocation Report for each county presents information for that county on county‐to‐county migration flows within the United States, the average incomes of households moving between the specific county and other counties, demographic summaries of homeownership rates, and types of home mortgages (e.g., Conventional, FHA, VA, and FSA/RHS). The most recently available data are for 2010.
Dayton is the County Seat of Montgomery County. The area is known for manufacturing, which has been in decline, and research and development in aeronautical engineering, related to nearby Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The Dayton area is noted for defense, aerospace, and healthcare.
Here is the latest 2012 Economic and Housing Outlook from NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. Though today’s downward revision to prior GDP figures were not incorporated, the outlook remains essentially unchanged. The full 15-slide PowerPoint looks at economic indicators such as existing home sales, new home sales, housing starts, GDP, payroll jobs and more. The Summary Forecast Table is also pasted below.
Approximately 31 percent of REALTORS® who responded to the latest REALTORS® Confidence Index survey reported making a sale to first-time home buyers. Normally first-time buyers are in the neighborhood of 40 percent of total residential sales, according to NAR’s Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers. The proportion of first-time home buyers hit a peak of approximately 50 percent in 2009. Most first-time buyers obtain a mortgage: About 8.7 percent of REALTORS® who made a first-time home buyer sale reported a cash sale (compared to 10.8 percent in July).
The decrease in first-time buyers from the typical 40 percent share in part reflects the difficulty of securing mortgage financing, delays with distressed sales, and purchases of lower priced properties by investors. REALTORS® have noted that that investors offering all-cash sales to sellers have crowded out first-time buyers in some cases, particularly in the case of distressed properties. Unsuccessful first-time buyers typically continue their property search, sometimes making a number of bids before securing a property. | <urn:uuid:737a9c3c-1acc-4478-8fe0-2bc48dd53212> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://economistsoutlook.blogs.realtor.org/2012/09/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953308 | 465 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Being one of the first members of your race to appear regularly on national television is pressure enough. Imagine carrying that burden at the age of 17. That's what Leslie Uggams had to bear when she joined the cast of Sing Along With Mitch in 1961.
"Because of that time period, when I was growing up, I represented the whole 'Negro' race -- we were 'Negroes' back then -- so I had to be careful what I did," Leslie Uggams told The Root's editor-in-chief, Henry Louis Gates Jr., in a revealing interview that took place just before the 35th anniversary of the groundbreaking miniseries Roots, in which she starred.
The milestones of her career in the spotlight are numerous: performing as a child at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, the stint in Sing Along With Mitch from 1961 to 1963; starring in her own prime-time variety show, The Leslie Uggams Show, in 1969; winning a Tony Award in 1968 for Hallelujah, Baby; her 1977 role as Kizzy Kinte in Roots; and playing the lead role of Lillian Rogers Parks in the 1979 miniseries Backstairs at the White House.
In a candid discussion with Gates, she discussed it all and even touched on the opposition she faced to her 1965 marriage to Grahame Pratt, a white Australian who remains by her side 47 years later. If you ask her about the way our country confronts race today -- and if a show like Roots would even get made in the current climate -- the answers might surprise you. Check them out in the video below. | <urn:uuid:0dba04ba-0d3a-4260-851b-67215b594adc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theroot.com/print/60028 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9693 | 329 | 1.59375 | 2 |
By Dan Cornell
Wednesday was another day packed full of project presentations and working group sessions. The project presentations I attended included:
- Eduardo Neves - Positive Security Project - Many security programs are focused solely on the negative - what should not be done and so on. This project is intended to create awareness of the "good" activities teams can perform to build security in.
- Martin Knobloch - Education Project - This goal of this project is to organize OWASP materials so that they can be used in programs to educate developers about application security. So far they have put together two full training classes with slide decks.
- Juan Carlos Calderon - Internationalization - This project aims to get OWASP materials translated into a variety of languages to as to better distribute them to the developers that need them.
- Lucilla Mancini - PASSWD - The PASSWD project aims to use modeling to predict the security state of applications.
- Me (Dan Cornell) - Open Review Project (ORPRO) - This is a project I have been working with Mario deBoer and the folks from Fortify with for the past couple of months. The goal is to make security code review services - both automated and manual - available to open source projects. We are currently working with the folks from Moodle and will be looking to expand that involvement to other projects in the future. (We're always looking for volunteers, so if you are interesting in performing security reviews for open source code please let me know!)
The working group I attended was:
- Education Project Working Group - Lots of great discussions in this group including how to best structure the courses of instruction as well as thoughts about using the LiveCD Project as a distribution mechanism for courseware.
dan _at_ denimgroup.com | <urn:uuid:fbfe00ac-fedc-4f19-a684-2699e8fac5b0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.denimgroup.com/denim_group/2008/11/owasp-eu-summit-in-portugal-wednesday.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934518 | 365 | 1.523438 | 2 |
- SCU Home Page
- About SCU
- On Campus
- News & Info
Living On Campus
Living on campus provides freshmen unique opportunities to connect and learn alongside fellow students, staff, and faculty while enjoying the conveniences and accommodations of on-campus living.
Approximately 95 percent of SCU freshmen live on campus, but even those who choose to live off campus are members of a Residential Learning Community (RLC). Each RLC is associated with a residence hall, and each organizes its community around one or two broad themes. Students take some of their classes with other students in their RLC, and regular events—sometimes connected to those classes—bring students together. When people share interests, knowledge, and experiences, it just makes everything that happens in an RLC more enjoyable and more enriching.
Each RLC is coordinated by a leadership team that includes a faculty director, a member of Santa Clara's faculty, and a resident director, a full time student-life professional. Nearly all of the faculty directors and all of the resident directors live in the residence halls. The leadership team also includes live-in resident ministers, some Jesuits-in-residence, and a student staff that includes an assistant resident director and a team of community facilitators. The leadership yeam is hard at work, long before school starts in the fall, creating a year-long schedule of fun and interesting events for their RLC.
Two requirements central to the foundations component of Santa Clara's Core Curriculum are the two-quarter Critical Thinking and Writing, and Cultures and Ideas sequences. Your responses on the Supplemental Pre-enrollment Information Form, or SPIF, help us determine the two sequences that best match your interests. You also have the opportunity on the SPIF to tell us if you're interested in one of the special, small communities we've created within some of the RLCs, or in taking a bilingual Critical Thinking and Writing sequence.
Various departments come together to make the on-campus living experience possible. These include the Housing Office, Office of Residence Life, the Residential Learning Community (RLC) program, and Dining Services.
The Housing Office coordinates all aspects of room and roommate assignments, contracts and billing.
Office of Residence Life manages the programmatic aspects of the on-campus living experience, including hiring and training community facilitators and coordinating the many events and leadership opportunities offered in the residence halls.
The RLC Program collaborates with various faculty members across campus, coordinates the linked courses offered in each RLC, and facilitates other co-curricular initiatives.
Dining Services provides various meal plan options for students. Additional information on meal plan options and campus dining venues can be found through this link.
Steps to prepare you to join our community | <urn:uuid:386aade3-a317-4b1b-98f0-c0fd9cb6e928> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://scu.edu/admitted/livingoncampus/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00046-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943318 | 571 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Garfield, an adorable chubby cat -- touted as the world's fattest -- is being prepared to enter his new foster home, acording to his shelter's Facebook page.
The 40-pound tabby cat was brought into the North Shore Animal League America shelter in May, after his owner passed away. The staff immediately became smitten with the cat, but concerns have been growing about his weight -- a factor that became a major consideration in the adoption process.
"Garfield spent the day in his new playpen enjoying all his new toys under the watchful eye of our staff. He had his photo taken by the press and happily roamed around his pen. Garfield is going straight into his new foster home tomorrow and will also have a brief appearance on a local morning show Good Day New York (Fox 5) at 9:15am. Stayed tuned for updates on his progress," the shelter wrote on its Facebook page.
The shelter was reluctant to give the cat up for adoption before ensuring the owner would keep him on a strict diet.
"People often think that an obese animal is not in physical danger, but nothing could be further from the truth," said Mark Verdino, vice president and chief of veterinary staff at North Shore Animal League America, headquartered in Port Washington, N.Y. "Just like with humans, too much weight can cause serious health problems. It leads to diabetes, heart disease, joint, bone and ligament damage, high blood pressure, intolerance to heat, and more."
North Shore's medical experts have provided Garfield with all the care and attention he needs. Since being in the care of the shelter, Garfield has lost 1 pound, but he is still having difficulty moving around because of his size.
Verdino explained that cats only eat what they are given and therefore it is imperative that the new owners reduce his kibble intake. Decreasing his snack size, and making sure he gets exercise, is key to the weight-loss process, doctors said.
Prior to Garfield, a cat from Santa Fe, N.M., called Meow was recognized as the world's fattest cat at 39 pounds. He died of pulmonary failure at 30 pounds, the Daily Telegraph reported. Sponge Bob, a 33-pound ginger Tom cat is also recognized as one of the world's fattest cats.
To contact the editor, e-mail: | <urn:uuid:118b8d58-0713-48b8-a9c9-b31f67f37cbb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/350296/20120609/garfield-40-pound-world-s-fattest-cat.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985017 | 486 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Signs of the Seasons: A Maine Phenology Project
Plant and Animal Life Cycle Drawings
Authors: Beth Bisson1, Medea Steinman2, and Esperanza Stancioff1,2
1Maine Sea Grant
2University of Maine Cooperative Extension
Grade level: 4-12
Themes: Phenology, animal and plant life cycles and life history
Activity type: Field observation and drawing
Setting: Classroom or outdoors
When do different plant or animal species go through their different life cycle stages in my community?
How do the species overlap in their timing?
If some species are dependent on other species, is the timing suited for their survival?
Instead of the traditional circle-shaped life cycle drawings that you see in many books, this activity shows you a way to have your group/class use their species observations to draw a life cycle for one or more of Signs of the Seasons (SOS) species. For this exercise, the drawing is stretched out in a line and matched to the dates on a calendar year. (If you aren’t able to observe all phenophases, you can estimate, based on guidebook information).
Students use SOS phenology observation protocols and data sheets to monitor plants or animals on their school grounds or in a local park. They use their recorded data to develop a timeline of species’ phenophases. Students learn field observation and data collection skills. They learn to look for patterns and relationships in and among species. They are encouraged to hypothesize and infer meaning from their observations and they have the opportunity to share what they learn by giving presentations at school.
Maine Learning Results (Science and Technology)
A1 Unifying Themes – Systems
3-5. Students explain interactions between parts that make up whole man-made and natural things.
6-8. Students describe and apply principles of systems in man-made things, natural things, and processes.
9-Diploma. Students apply an understanding of systems to explain and analyze man-made and natural phenomena.
A3 Unifying Themes – Constancy and Change
3-5 a. Recognize patterns of change including steady, repetitive, irregular, or apparently unpredictable change.
6-8. Students describe how patterns of change vary in physical, biological, and technological systems.
B1 Skills and Traits of Scientific Inquiry
3-5 a. Pose investigable questions and seek answers from reliable sources of scientific information and from their own investigations.
6-8. Students plan, conduct, analyze data from, and communicate results of investigations, including simple experiments.
C1 The Scientific and Technological Enterprise – Understandings of Inquiry
3-5 a. Describe how scientists answer questions by developing explanations based on observations, evidence, and knowledge of the natural world.
9-diploma. Students describe key aspects of scientific investigations: that they are guided by scientific principles and knowledge, that they are performed to test ideas, and that they are communicated and defended publicly.
E2 The Living Environment – Ecosystems
3-5. Students describe ways organisms depend upon, interact within, and change the living and non-living environment as well as ways the environment affects organisms.
6-8. Students examine how the characteristics of the physical, non-living (abiotic) environment, the types and behaviors of living (biotic) organisms, and the flow of matter and energy affect organisms and the ecosystem of which they are part.
Expectations and Misconceptions: It’s important to mention to students that variability is normal in the natural world. If they do not see changes when they expect to, or among all individuals of the same species, they should be cautioned against leaping to conclusions. Encourage them to think carefully about what they have observed and consider as many explanations as possible.
Note: see Resources section below for links to these items on the Web
And, depending on what species will be monitored:
–Two 30-40-minute class periods for class discussion and planning
–10-20 minutes, on a weekly basis, over an extended period of weeks or months to record data on datasheets in the field
–10-20 minutes to record observations in logbook after each outing
–30-40 minutes to plan and begin creating the timeline calendar
–Two 30-40-minute class periods to finalize the calendar and write up summary of any conclusions or findings
–One 30-40-minute class period for presentation(s) of findings and group discussion
ACTIVITY PROCEDURE (See the Resources section below for links to SOS/NPN websites and materials)
10. Make plans to present the life cycle drawings and the findings to other student groups. Help your students think about how to share their findings and discuss their experiences and observations.
REFLECTION/FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT IDEAS
Reflection: Ask participants to reflect on their field experience, the data collection system, and the preparation of the timeline. Reflect on what worked well and what they could do differently next time. Ask them to talk about any ways their expectations about the life cycle timing were or were not met. Can they speculate about possible reasons or causes?
Formative assessment: Collect the students’ science notebooks or journals to see how well they recorded their observations and understood the process and the data they collected. Do they seem more comfortable with the process of making observations and collecting data in the field? Save examples of student work for reference the next time you try this activity.
Compare your life-cycle calendar to a historical phenology calendar (such as those Thoreau created), to see if you notice any differences. [Note: SOS staff has copies of historical phenology calendars created by Henry David Thoreau and Aldo Leopold that they will be glad to share with you.]
Also, consider what the calendar says about the species’ needs and requirements. By doing this for more than one species, students can see how they overlap in their development. Talk about pairs of species that might be dependent on one another (monarch and milkweed, for example). Speculate on what might happen if the timing of one species’ phenophases shifted to earlier or later. How could that affect the other species? Discuss as a group possible changes in the environment that could cause (or may have already caused) that timing to shift.
Signs of the Seasons (http://umaine.edu/signs-of-the-seasons/)
USA National Phenology Network (http://www.usanpn.org)
Getting set up with Signs of the Seasons:
SOS Field Guide (http://umaine.edu/signs-of-the-seasons/resources-for-observers/)
SOS Indicator Species (http://umaine.edu/signs-of-the-seasons/indicator-species/)
USA-NPN Nature’s Notebook (https://www.usanpn.org/user?destination=MyNPN)
To get started, follow instructions in the Field Guide for selecting a site and choosing species and individual plants to observe. Then register an account with Nature’s Notebook. Once you do that and enter your site(s) and species list, you’ll be able to access the Data Sheets for downloading and printing. These can be used outdoors when recording your observations.
For assistance contact:
Esperanza Stancioff, Climate Change Educator
University of Maine Cooperative Extension/Maine Sea Grant
(207) 832-0343; 1-800-244-2104
Beth Bisson, Assistant Director for Outreach and Education
Maine Sea Grant College Program
Signs of the Seasons Partners
In complying with the letter and spirit of applicable laws and pursuing its own goals of diversity, the University System shall not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, including transgender status or gender expression, national origin, citizenship status, age, disability, or veteran’s status in employment, education, and all other areas of the University System. The University provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. If you are a person with a disability and will need any accommodations to participate in this program, please contact Esperanza Stancioff at 1-800-244-2104 to discuss your needs. Please contact us at least 10 days prior to this event to assure fullest possible attention to your needs. Questions and complaints about discrimination in any area of the University should be directed to the Executive Director of Equal Opportunity, The University of Maine, Room 101, 5754 North Stevens Hall, Orono, ME 04469-5754, telephone (207) 581-1226 (voice and TDD). Published and distributed in furtherance of Acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914, by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, the Land Grant University of the state of Maine and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating. Cooperative Extension and other agencies of USDA provide equal opportunities in programs and employment. 02/11
Image Description: UMaine Extension logo
Image Description: Maine Sea Grant logo
Image Description: Colorful graphic showing fruits, leaves and birds | <urn:uuid:4a46f79b-0006-479f-82e4-7ad07dc0490c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://umaine.edu/signs-of-the-seasons/resources-for-educators/plant-and-animal-life-cycle-drawings/?tpl=textonly | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.900533 | 1,922 | 3.703125 | 4 |
One City One Hire is an innovative economic development strategy that serves as a catalyst to jump-start the Mayor's pledge to put all unemployed District residents--in every Ward of the city--back to work.
District’s Unemployment Rate Holds at 9.8 Percent
District’s Unemployment Rate Holds at 9.8 Percent
The District of Columbia Department of Employment Services reported today that the preliminary March job estimates show an increase of 4,200 jobs, for a total of 735,500 jobs in the District. The private sector gained 3,200 jobs, while the public sector payrolls increased by 1,000 jobs. The numbers are drawn from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) through its monthly survey of the District of Columbia’s employers.
The District’s unemployment rate was 9.8 percent in March and is unchanged from the previous month. The number of unemployed District residents decreased only slightly – from 34,300 in February 2012 to 34,200 in March 2012.
Based on more complete reporting from employers, previously released February estimates were revised downward by 400 jobs to show an over-the-month (January-February) total non-farm employment gain of 5,500 jobs. The February revised unemployment rate decreased 0.1 percent to 9.8 percent from 9.9 percent.
- Trade, Transportation, and Utilities gained 400 jobs, after a 100 job gain in February. With employment at 27,400, the sector is up by 300 jobs or 1.1 percent from a year ago.
- Professional and Business Services gained 900 jobs, after a 200 job gain in February. With employment at 150,300, jobs are up by 1,900 or 1.3 percent from a year ago.
- Leisure and Hospitality gained 1,500 jobs, after a gain of 300 jobs in February. With employment at 63,200, jobs are up by 3,100 or 5.2 percent over the year.
- Financial Activities decreased by 100 jobs, after a 100 job gain in February. With employment at 26,600, there was no change in jobs from one year ago.
- Educational and Health Services decreased by 400 jobs, after a gain of 4,900 jobs the prior month. With employment at 123,100, jobs are up by 9,000 or 7.9 percent from a year ago.
- Other Services increased by 400 jobs, after an increase of 400 jobs the prior month. At 69,000, employment is up by 2,400 or 3.6 percent from a year ago.
- Construction gained 300 jobs, after a gain of 600 jobs in February. At 12,900, employment is up by 1,700 jobs or 15.2 percent from a year ago.
- Information gained 200 jobs, after a gain of 100 jobs in February. At 18,500, employment is down by 100 jobs or -0.5 percent from one year ago.
- Manufacturing continues to have no over-the-month job change, after having no job change the prior month. With employment at 1,000, this sector lost 100 jobs or -9.1 percent from a year ago. Employment in manufacturing has remained constantly stable. Manufacturing is the smallest sector in the District, accounting for less than 0.2 percent of total payroll employment.
Labor Force Overview
- The number of District residents employed increased by 900 over the month to 314,500. The civilian labor force increased by 800 to 348,600.
- One year ago, total employment was 311,000 and the civilian labor force was 345,500. The number of unemployed was 34,500, and the unemployment rate was 10.0 percent.
NOTES: The March final and April 2012 preliminary unemployment rate and survey of jobs data for the District will be released on Friday, May 18, 2012. Historical jobs and labor force estimates for the District of Columbia and detailed labor market information is available on the DOES website under Labor Statistics.
Technical Notes: Estimates of industry employment and unemployment levels are arrived at through the use of two different monthly surveys.
Industry employment data are derived through the Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey, a monthly survey of business establishments conducted by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of the US Department of Labor, which provides estimates of employment, hours, and earnings data broken down by industry for the nation as a whole, all states, and most major metropolitan areas (often referred to as the “establishment” survey).
Resident employment and unemployment data are mainly derived from the District’s portion of the national Current Population Survey (CPS), a household survey conducted each month by the US Census Bureau under contract with BLS, which provides input to the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program (often referred to as the “household” survey).
Both industry and household estimates are revised each month based on additional information from updated survey reports compiled by BLS. In addition, these estimates are benchmarked (revised) annually based on actual counts from the District’s Unemployment Compensation Law administrative records and other data.
Data reflects 2011 annual benchmark revisions.
- Wage and Salary Employment by Industry and Place of Work [PDF]
- Employment Status for the Civilian Population [PDF]
Announcement: Changes to the Procedures for Producing Current Employment Statistics (CES) State Estimates
Production of March Preliminary Current Employment Statistics Data
The production of State and metropolitan area Current Employment Statistics (CES) estimates has transitioned from State Workforce Agencies to the Bureau of Labor Statistics with the production of preliminary estimates for March 2011. Concurrent with this transition, the Bureau of Labor Statistics will implement several methodological changes to standardize the estimation approach across States. While these changes will reduce the potential for statistical bias in state and metropolitan area estimates, they may increase the month-to-month variability of the estimates. More detailed information on the changes to procedures for producing CES estimates is available on the Bureau of Labor Statistics website. | <urn:uuid:ced34ace-62f8-4413-9f7e-d93cf4644691> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://does.dc.gov/release/districts-unemployment-rate-holds-98-percent | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935347 | 1,236 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Let me mention just a few: The street value of a college degree is up for debate; the job options for college graduates are limited; and students are left with huge debts upon graduation. While Burka is correct that, at least in some quarters, there is an “existential debate” about the cost versus the value of a college education, these arguments don’t hold water.
The street value of a college education is high: Estimates of the median lifetime earnings of a college graduate are from $570,000 to $964,000. Gary Burtless of the Brookings Institution reported that the return on investment for college over the last 50 years is 15.2 percent compared to 6.8 percent for the stock market, 2.2 percent for long-term Treasuries and 0.4 percent for housing.
Job prospects for new graduates are not as rosy as they were before the Great Recession, but they are not as rosy for anyone. In a terrible job year, 2010, Burtless reported that 88 percent of recent college graduates 23 to 24 years of age were employed, compared with 64 percent for high school graduates. Over the last 40 years, the fraction of men with a high school diploma who are employed declined 21 percentage points. The decline for college graduates was three percentage points.
Sandy Baum, an independent policy analyst for the College Board, has estimated that nationally two-thirds of students borrow for college. The average debt of those who borrow is between $20,000 and $25,000. A recent study of student debt by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that almost three-quarters of those with debt had less than $25,000 debt.
That is, most students who graduate with debt will spend more on their first new car than they owe in student loans.
The students with debt of more than $100,000 are only 3.1 percent of all students with debt. But these are the students who get all of the newsprint. They do not represent the situation of the typical college student.
Hopefully, we can move on to a discussion of ideas to improve higher education, ideas that will come from within and from without. Questioning the value of higher education is a disservice to our young people.
College does not guarantee a job, but it is way ahead of whatever is in second place.
Photo by VoxLive via Flickr Creative Commons.
The Gatsby display case and a few other materials will be available fo...
What are the hours at the Ransom Center. Will it be open on Monday, 5/27/2013...
Soon we'll have crazy fire ants. These will be ants who do terrible, destructiv...
David N. Currey:
The article implies that the crazy ants aren't in Texas yet ("...it'll be a very...
Oh how I miss access to Web of Science...
To be fair, you can read the abstract... | <urn:uuid:426e4959-43c1-4384-a6d6-3ad05c4bba19> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://alcalde.texasexes.org/2012/10/the-cost-of-college-is-well-worth-it/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958814 | 608 | 2.1875 | 2 |
The Body Mass Index ( BMI) is a formula commonly used by health care professionals to assess weight related risks, such as heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and certain types of cancer. It is only a guideline and may not apply to women during pregnancy and lactation, athletes whose BMI is elevated with their increased muscle mass and seniors who lost muscle mass due to aging.
How to Interpret
Your BMI Score
To understand how the BMI works, it is crucial to remember that the formula only considers weight in relation to height. Two people can have the same BMI but very different amounts of body fat. For instance, a bodybuilder with a large muscle mass and low percentage of fat may have the same BMI as an obese person.
A BMI score between 19 and 25 is considered low risk for any weight related health problems. Of course, weight is only one of the factors responsible for the diseases listed above. This is the formula:
Example: If John weighs 165 pounds and is 5′ 11″ (71 inches) tall, his BMI is 23.0. | <urn:uuid:3194e037-6ff1-4e09-a19e-7ba54ef0ee1c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.timigustafson.com/2009/do-you-know-your-body-mass-index/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957261 | 214 | 3.59375 | 4 |
My friend Christine has kindly agreed to write a series of posts on her experiences with buying a home for the first time which will be posted occasionally.
And so the search begins…..
It goes without saying that home ownership is an enormous financial responsibility, and like many other individuals, I agonized over how my husband and I would be able to afford it. What eased our anxiety was coming up with a manageable monthly amount that we would be able to pay towards a mortgage. We created a realistic budget listing all our expenses to evaluate how much we could afford to spend on our first house without stressing out about the big number. The rough amount that we arrived at is one with which we are comfortable based on our lifestyle. I would suggest that this budget take into account unexpected emergencies or financial difficulties. Lenders advise that the ratio of your debt (including housing payments, car payments, credit cards and utilities) to your income should not exceed 40 per cent of your monthly income.
Online mortgage calculators are a useful tool found on the web pages of CHMC, major banks and lending institutions. What was frustrating though was that they work on the premise that you have a house in mind and know what the mortgage, property taxes and heating will cost. To plug in the numbers, I looked at the feature sheets of recently available homes in my desired neighbourhoods that I was able to obtain from the MLS, on the websites of local real estate agents and of course from open house visits. While the results of your qualifying mortgage will not be precise, at least they will be a reasonable estimate of what you can afford.
My next step in arriving at our financial big picture was to get a pre-approved mortgage (PAM) by talking to a couple of banks and mortgage brokers to determine how large a mortgage we could carry and what lending rate we could obtain. A PAM is a financial lender’s guarantee of a particular lending rate for a specified period of time, usually 90 days, based on your income, down payment and existing debts. A note of caution though with pre-approvals. We learned from a realtor that multiple credit checks can be detrimental to your credit rating. If several banks or brokers will be conducting a credit bureau check, do advise each organization about the multiple reference checks. Some lending institutions can also evaluate your mortgage circumstances based on the information you provide without doing a hard credit check.
The standard mortgage discount seems to be 0.9% below prime to 5.35% on a variable mortgage and a 1.5% discount to 5.74% on a fixed rate mortgage. Do shop around though as your assets and liabilities may impact your ability to negotiate a better deal. Incidentally, ING offers the same rates I found upfront without any haggling; they seem to have a very competitive mortgage product.
Rather than approach banks individually, you may consider using a mortgage broker. These are companies which have the ability to negotiate with a large number of different lenders and are often able to offer a lower rate at a bank than the average person. There is no cost for the services of a mortgage broker as it is the lender whose deal you accept which pays the broker. The Financial Services Commission of Ontario has a list of registered mortgage brokers on their website.
My husband and I have decided not to go the mortgage broker route yet as we have a PAM with a reasonable rate. We will be checking with other banks as we also want to determine what rates we can negotiate as we are also thinking of moving over our line of credit and bank accounts. The other thing that we learned is that you may be obliged to use a mortgage broker that does a full PAM and rate comparison for you even if you do eventually find a better rate elsewhere. Not sure about the veracity of this information; however it is something to verify upfront with a mortgage broker. As it could be months before we find a house, we are taking our time about finding a better rate since our PAM is reasonable and will help us be competitive in the case of a bidding war.
Read the next post in this series “Down Payments and Financing“.
Want to learn more about RESPs? Buy The Book:
The RESP Book: The Simple Guide to Registered Education Savings Plans
Everything you need to know about RESPs. | <urn:uuid:cb8ddaae-0ddd-4923-a74e-6b2f96c064c4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.moneysmartsblog.com/anecdotes-and-advice-from-a-home-buying-newbie-part-1/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972213 | 878 | 1.5625 | 2 |
"Red Dog!" I yelled, "what are you doing?"
Fluttering their wings and screaming in terror, four baby robins cowered helplessly in the grass before Red Dog. Their mother flitted above them screaming and snapping her wings in the air, but she was too afraid of Red Dog to do anything else.
Red Dog's eyes laughed at what he thought was a funny game. His wet, pink tongue dangled from a broad dog-smile. Then, as if to say that he really liked to meet young birds, he planted a generous tongue-lick upon one of the nestlings. The lick sent the baby bird tumbling backwards in the grass.
Aooouuuuuuuuu... !!!" Red Dog howled.
Thinking that Red Dog was trying to eat her baby, the mother robin had overcome her fear, dropped from the sky, and dug her sharp claws into Red Dog's scalp!
Yelping more from surprise than from being hurt, Red Dog escaped around the corner of the house, his tail crooked between his legs.
"Red Dog," I called, laughing, "today you have discovered that certain things are not to be played with!"
And then the brave mother robin dropped toward my own scalp and I, too, yelping more from surprise than from being hurt, escaped yelping around the corner of the house. | <urn:uuid:d337e0fa-6e4e-42ab-b96d-0f4a269e655d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.backyardnature.net/r/reddog09.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975803 | 287 | 1.617188 | 2 |
06-Jul-2008 -- Story continues from 33°N 114°E.
At 1 p.m. we are on a bus north to Xǔchāng City (许昌市). We are the only two passengers! We tell the driver that we want to go to Zhāngpān Town (张潘镇), and just before 4 p.m., he lets us off at a major intersection 14.6 km due west of the confluence, from where we are able to get straight onto a no. 201 commuter bus to Zhāngpān.
We get off the commuter bus at a pedestrian crossing 460 m south of the confluence, which marks the beginning of a small dirt road, nestled between two houses. We follow this road north, crossing an intersection with another dirt road, and continuing straight on until we see the large burial mound described by Ray Yip up ahead on our left.
Ignoring the workers in the fields, who in any case are engrossed in their own task of spraying bug killer, we make our way 80 m across the wheat-cum-cornfields to the confluence, and snap the GPS photo and shots facing north, south, east and west.
The ancient burial mound is a few dozen metres further on to the north, and we do a circumnavigation of it, stopping to chat with one of the poison sprayers, who tells us a bit of the history. He explains that, impressive though it is, this is in fact only the "rear mound" of a grave; the main mound, which was much bigger, was levelled back around the time of Liberation (1949) to make way for more crops.
Following our successful visit, we catch another no. 201 commuter bus into Xǔchāng, where we check into the very good value-for-money Xǔchāng Grand Hotel (许昌大酒店) for the night. From the short amount of time we spend in Xǔchāng, we rate this as one of China's more hospitable cities - a nice place.
Story continues at 34°N 115°E. | <urn:uuid:df9cb1e5-4469-4e87-8077-26cfcf694cad> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.confluence.org/confluence.php?id=6414 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950226 | 465 | 1.78125 | 2 |
I disagree with this guy sometimes, but he's smart and should be taken seriously.http://www.becker-posner-blog.com/2012/10/luck-wealth-and-implications-for-policy-posner.html
Liberals and conservatives tend to disagree about the role of luck in financial success, the former thinking it plays a very big role, the latter thinking it plays a small role: that instead financial success is largely attributable to talent and hard work. Taken to its extreme, the second position is the one that was espoused by the radical libertarian Ayn Rand.
The economic significance of the disagreement has mainly to do with taxation. Taxing success that is attributable to pure luck does not have disincentive effects, and so is a cheap away of financing government. Taxing success that is attributable to hard work may induce a substitution toward leisure, reducing money incomes, and taxing financial success attributable to talent may induce some talented people to substitute activities that generate substantial nonpecuniary income (apart from leisure), which may not be socially as productive as business. Beyond the economic concern, however, is an ethical one that is particularly acute in a society, such as ours has become, in which there is great inequality of income and wealth.
I don’t find any merit to the celebration of the tycoon by Ayn Rand and her followers. I think that ultimately everything is attributable to luck, good or bad. Not just the obvious things, like IQ, genes that predispose to health or sickliness, the historical era and the country in which one is born, the wealth of one’s parents, whom one happens to meet at critical stages of one’s life and career, one’s height and looks and temperament, to the extent genetic, and one’s innate propensity to risk or caution (that is an exceptionally important factor); but also the characteristics that cause a person to make critical decisions that may turn out well or badly, characteristics that really are derivative from some of the previously noted “luck” characteristics. The decision-determining characteristics include intelligence, imagination, attitude toward risk, and personality characteristics such as aggressiveness, maladjustment, indolence, and having a low or high personal discount rate (how future-regarding one is or is not). Talent is luck but so is the propensity for working hard (often the consequence of a compulsive personality) or not working hard.
In short, I do not believe in free will. I think that everything that a person does is caused by something. It is true, and is the basis of belief in free will, that often we are conscious of considering pros and cons in deciding on a course of action; “we” are deciding, rather than having the decision made by something outside “us.” But calculation and decision making are different. Deciding may just mean calculating the balance of utility and disutility; the result of the balance determines the decision. No doubt when a cat pounces on a mouse, it has decided to do so; but the decision was compelled by circumstances—the feline diet, the presence of the mouse, etc. A complete description of the incident would not require positing free will.
If this is right, a brilliant wealthy person like Bill Gates is not “entitled” to his wealth in some moral, Ayn Randian sense. But it would be ridiculous to infer from this that the government should take his wealth away from him and scatter it among the poor, on the theory that the only difference between Gates and a poor person is that one is lucky and the other is not. But the reason that it would be ridiculous is that it would have terrible incentive effects, not that it would violate some deep sense of human freedom.
The effects of heavy taxation of wealth may depend in part on the kind of luck that generated the wealth that is now to be taken away and given to someone else. There may be different effects from taxing wealth that results primarily from personal qualities, such as IQ and ambition, and taxing wealth that is unrelated to such qualities—inherited wealth, for example, or wealth obtained by winning a lottery, or, a subtler and more important example, wealth resulting from financial risk taking unguided by real insight (or, it hardly needs noting, from antisocial activities such as crime). Heavy taxation of earned wealth is likely to induce many able and energetic people to increase their leisure activities relative to productive work—but to induce other such people to increase their work effort relative to leisure in order to preserve or augment their wealth in the face of the heavy taxation. Heavy taxation of unearned wealth is more likely to have the second than the first effect, because, lacking talent, such people will have to work hard (to work, period—maybe they were living off their inherited or otherwise bestowed wealth and not working at all) in order to maintain a decent standard of living, lacking as they do the talent of the wealthy people who earned their wealth rather than having it fall into their laps.
I mentioned financial risk taking. Because of the uncertainty (in the Knight-Keynes sense—that is, a probability that cannot be quantified) of speculation, speculative profits, as by trading stocks and bonds, are mainly the result of dumb luck rather than of skill or hard work. In fact many speculators work hard, but the number who are consistently successful seems little if any greater than one would expect as a result of mere luck. Speculative profits tend to soar in rapidly rising markets and collapse when markets sour. Market turns are hard to spot and fluctuations in the prices of particular stocks are difficult to predict because, as Keynes famously pointed out, when you are speculating on stock prices you are speculating not merely about the fortunes of the company that issued the stock but about how other speculators assess those fortunes and indeed how they assess your assessments. Although speculation tends to generate information about underlying values and to that extent is socially productive, the benefits of that information bear no relation to the profits and losses that speculation generates. Those are gamblers’ profits and losses and taxing the profits heavily would probably have only a small negative effect on the generation of socially valuable information.
So there is in my view nothing “unfair” about heavy taxation of wealth, but there are practical objections. One is that the wealthy have sufficient political influence to pepper any new tax law with loopholes that will enable wealthy persons to minimize their tax liability. Another is that the additional tax money raised will be squandered on unproductive governmental activities, including handouts that reduce recipients’ work incentives. This objection would disappear, however, if the proceeds of additional taxes on the wealthy were earmarked for reducing the federal deficit.
There are complaints that already, though the maximum federal income rate is low (the top marginal rate is 35 percent, and for capital gains, dividends, and interest is only 15 percent), the very wealthy pay a very high proportion of total federal income tax, and almost half the adult population pays no federal income tax at all, though it pays federal payroll taxes and state taxes. I can’t see why anyone should care that the wealthy pay a “disproportionate” share of federal income tax, unless there is evidence (of which I’m unaware) that taxing the wealthy at even lower rates than they are being taxed would elicit greater productive effort. Indeed, I don’t even know what “disproportionate” should mean in this context. Would it be “disproportionate” to require the highest-earning 1 percent of the population to pay 1.5 percent of total federal income tax?
Federal tax law is riddled with deductions and exemptions that are loopholes in the sense that they have no social product. An example is the mortgage-interest deduction, which incentivizes people to own rather than rent their homes—and why encourage home ownership? Another example is the exemption of employer-paid employee health benefits from federal income tax, which encourages excessive expenditures on health care. Some taxes, such as the corporate income tax, cause distortions, as does treating dividends and interest differently by allowing interest but not dividends to be deductible by corporations. Reform of the tax code would be preferable to raising taxes on anyone, but the major loopholes and deductions and exemptions are sacred cows, leaving changes in tax rates and spending levels as the only feasible methods of achieving fiscal discipline | <urn:uuid:ad66aad7-1098-48c8-a330-129d912d6fe1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?topic=448411.msg6439019 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969077 | 1,735 | 1.78125 | 2 |
Released: June 27, 2011
Living Together: The Economics of Cohabitation
Cohabitation is an increasingly prevalent lifestyle in the United States. The share of 30- to 44-year-olds living as unmarried couples has more than doubled since the mid-1990s. Adults with lower levels of education—without college degrees—are twice as likely to cohabit as those with college degrees.
A new Pew Research Center analysis of census data suggests that less-educated adults are less likely to realize the economic benefits associated with cohabitation. The typical college-educated cohabiter is at least as well off as a comparably educated married adult and better off than an adult without an opposite-sex partner. By contrast, a cohabiter without a college degree typically is worse off than a comparably educated married adult and no better off economically than an adult without an opposite-sex partner. (Most adults without opposite-sex partners live with other adults or children.)
Among the 30- to 44-year-old U.S. adults who are the focus of this report, 7% lived with an opposite-sex partner in 2009, according to census data. The share is higher among adults without a college education (8%) than among those with college degrees (4%).
The proportion of adults who ever have cohabited is much larger than the share currently cohabiting, and it has grown to become a majority in recent decades, according to data from the National Survey of Family Growth. Among women ages 19-44, for example, 58% had ever lived with an opposite-sex unmarried partner in 2006-2008, up from 33% among a comparable group in 1987 (National Center for Marriage and Family Research, 2010).
This report finds that greater economic well-being is associated with cohabitation for adults with college degrees, but not for those without college degrees. The measurement used for economic well-being is median household income, which in this analysis has been adjusted for the size of the household and standardized to a household size of three.
Among college-educated adults, the median adjusted household income of cohabiters ($106,400 in 2009) slightly exceeded that of married adults ($101,160) and was significantly higher than that of adults without opposite-sex partners ($90,067). However, among adults without college degrees, the median adjusted household income of cohabiters ($46,540) was well below that of married couples ($56,800) and was barely higher than that of adults without opposite-sex partners ($45,033).
The Pew Research analysis finds that differences in employment rates and household living arrangements of cohabiters with and without college degrees help explain gaps in their comparative economic well-being. These differences include:
- Among the college-educated, two-earner couples were more prevalent among cohabiters (78%) than married adults (67%) in 2009. By working more, cohabiters offset married adults’ higher median earnings.
- Among those without college degrees, two-earner couples were slightly less prevalent among cohabiters (55%) than married adults (59%) in 2009. In addition to being more likely to work, these married adults have the advantage of higher median earnings.
- Among the college-educated, a much higher share of married adults (81%) than cohabiters (33%) lived in a household with children in 2009. In addition, among those with children in the household, married adults tend to have more children. The greater presence of children in married-couple households may help explain the lower share of two-earner couples among married adults.
- Among adults without college degrees, the majority of both married adults (85%) and cohabiters (67%) have children in the household. The relatively large presence and number of children in the households of cohabiters without college degrees may reduce the extent to which both partners in such relationships can earn income.
- Whatever their partnership status, adults in households with children have significantly lower median household incomes than comparably educated adults in households without children. Cohabiting adults without college degrees are much more likely to be in a household with children than are college-educated cohabiters, diminishing their potential economic gains from cohabitation.
- The earnings of college-educated adults who live without opposite-sex partners constitute the bulk of their household income (88%). A college-educated cohabiter’s earnings typically make up 50% of the household income, suggesting that those who move in with a partner obtain a net boost to their household incomes.
- Among adults without college degrees, earnings of those who live without opposite-sex partners constitute 43% of their household income. Earnings of cohabiters make up 42% of household income, suggesting that those who move in with a partner do not obtain a net boost to their household incomes.
- Among adults who live without opposite-sex partners, differing household composition helps to explain why those with college degrees typically gain an economic boost from cohabitation but those without college degrees do not. Most of these adults live with others, such as their own parents, their children or roommates. The college-educated without opposite-sex partners are more likely to live alone (44% to 20%). They are less likely to live with other family members who may supply some of the household income—income that may be lost in a transition to cohabitation.
A voluminous body of social science research shows that marriage is associated with a variety of benefits for adults. In the words of one researcher: “For well over a century, researchers have known that married people are generally better off than their unmarried counterparts” (Nock, 2005). Yet in recent decades marriage rates have declined—particularly among less educated adults—as cohabitation rates have increased.
It also would seem that cohabitation would be associated with greater economic well-being than living without a partner because of the economies of scale achieved by combining two households. Yet adults without college degrees who cohabit are no better off than those who live without opposite-sex partners.
The findings in this report suggest that cohabitation plays a different role in the lives of adults with and without college degrees. For the most educated, living as an unmarried couple typically is an economically productive way to combine two incomes and is a step toward marriage and childbearing. For adults without college degrees, cohabitation is more likely to be a parallel household arrangement to marriage—complete with children—but at a lower economic level than married adults enjoy.
This report uses U.S. Census Bureau data to analyze the economic and household circumstances of opposite-sex cohabiters ages 30-44 as well as those of comparably educated married adults and adults without opposite-sex partners. The age range was chosen because it is a time of life when most adults have completed their education, gone to work and established their own households.
About 400,000 adults ages 30-44 are partners in same-sex unmarried couples, according to the 2009 American Community Survey, compared with 4.2 million who live with a partner of the opposite sex. Same-sex couples have distinctive patterns of income, education and household composition. They have higher median adjusted incomes ($99,204) than opposite-sex cohabiters ($54,179), married couples ($70,711) or adults without partners ($53,399). About half (48%) are college graduates, a notably higher share than for other adults. Less than a third (31%) live with children, a lower share than opposite-sex cohabiters.
The analysis of cohabiting couples in this report is restricted to opposite-sex unmarried partners. The analysis makes the assumption that these couples have the choice to marry or cohabit, which is not the case for most same-sex couples. There also is a dearth of data on marriage trends among same-sex couples, for whom the option to marry only recently became available in a limited number of venues.
In this report, same-sex unmarried partners are included in the category of adults with no partner. Although same-sex couples and adults with no partner differ in income, education and household composition, combining them in the same category does not change the findings about the relative economic conditions for adults in the three partnership status groups.
The first section examines the prevalence and growth of cohabitation, compared with marriage or living without a partner, by educational attainment. The second section analyzes the economic outcomes of adults by partnership status and educational attainment. The third section examines adults’ labor market characteristics to understand the comparative patterns of economic well-being. The fourth section looks at some differences in the types of households in which these adults live—again, by partnership status and educational attainment.
ABOUT THE REPORT
This report was researched and written by Richard Fry and D’Vera Cohn, senior economist and senior writer, respectively, of the Social & Demographic Trends project of the Pew Research Center. The report was edited by Paul Taylor, executive vice president of the Pew Research Center and director of the Social & Demographic Trends project. Research associate Wendy Wang assisted with charts and editing. Research analyst Gabriel Velasco helped with the preparation of charts. The report was number-checked by Daniel Dockterman, Pew Research Center research assistant. The report was copy-edited by Marcia Kramer. The Center appreciates the comments of outside reviewers Wendy Manning of Bowling Green State University and Adam Thomas of the Brookings Institution on an earlier draft.
The main data source for this report is the Census Bureau’s 2009 American Community Survey, which supplied data about partnership status and other individual and household characteristics for adults ages 30-44. The Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey is the source of data about long-term trends in the prevalence of cohabitation. For more detail, see the Appendix.
“College-educated” refers to persons who report that their highest education is at least a bachelor’s degree. Persons whose highest education is an associate’s degree or “some college but no degree” are included with not college-educated adults in this report.
A “two-earner” or “dual-earner” couple refers to a relationship in which both partners were employed at the time of interview.
“Living with children” refers to living with one or more own children (of any age or marital status), that is, living with step-children and adopted children as well as biological children, as well as living with any own children of their partner. Most are under 18.
The category of adults not living with a partner includes same-sex couples. Cohabiting couples consist only of opposite-sex couples. | <urn:uuid:51326c2d-e88c-4929-9b39-4c6276e76a66> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2011/06/27/living-together-the-economics-of-cohabitation/1/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00050-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968722 | 2,222 | 2.875 | 3 |
The world has moved forward and we haven’t been able to keep a track off it, which is why we’re still fed 40 years old bikes and cars as new. The world however keeps on going fast, and like fashion designers, automobiles are also designed by either industrial or automotive designers.
Engineers although have a major input in a vehicle’s design however they are not the ones who pen a design but this time, GrabCAD recently decided to turn the tables by giving engineers the chance to pen a body for a ready-made chassis by 500 Group. The site was flooded with 200 unique designs completed in just 40 days. The top quarter of those went on for final judging in two categories: street and track. 500 Group will then actually produce one or more of the designs through a General Motors Special Projects agreement.
The chassis makes use of a number of GM Performance parts, and is set up to make use of the E-Rod LS3, LS7 or supercharged LS9 V8 engines. One skinless chassis has already been completed for testing.
All the concepts are fully rendered with full description available here. | <urn:uuid:6a249d98-d55f-45ab-928d-d6a36f848528> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pakwheels.com/blog/2012/05/28/how-does-supercars-look-like-when-designed-by-engineers/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00050-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970206 | 233 | 2.03125 | 2 |
Poor Sales, Not High Wages, Worry Small Businesses
Lawmakers at the federal and state level are talking seriously about increasing the minimum wage. Business interests have been vocal in their opposition. In a May 17 press release, for example, the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB), an organization that often acts as a front for larger corporate interests, stated: “[The] NFIB is strongly opposed to raising the minimum wage, especially in the midst of an unemployment crisis. Small business owners warn that . . . there’s no way for them to absorb higher mandatory wages without cutting jobs.” Even a brief analysis of the NFIB’s own survey reveals a very different picture.
While the NFIB warns that minimum wage increases would create serious cost problems for small businesses, few of their members list "labor costs" as their "most important problem." Instead, what we see from the NFIB survey results is that the percentage of small businesses listing labor costs as their most important problem has hovered consistently between 3% and 5% since the beginning of the recession in December 2007. In the most recent data, the percentage fell to 2%, its lowest level since the start of the recession.
As the following figure shows, while exhibiting expected small random fluctuations, the percentage of firms reporting labor costs as their major concern has shown no upward trend, despite minimum wage hikes both in July 2008 and July 2009. While we do see a slight spike to 6% of firms in June 2009, perhaps reflecting increased attention and media hype over the approaching minimum wage hike, the share of firms citing labor costs as their most serious problem abruptly fell back to 3% in July when the policy was actually enacted.
Instead of wages, the NFIB survey results suggest that “poor sales” have been — far and away — the biggest concern of small businesses:
At the onset of the recession in December 2007 about 9% of firms said that poor sales were their most serious problem. By 2009 and 2010, the share citing poor sales was as high as 34%. In the most recent data, about 21% of all firms still list poor sales as their biggest challenge. The real problem facing firms is not that their low-wage workers earn too much, it is apparently that their customers earn too little. | <urn:uuid:b6e67e0e-5659-42cb-af6c-e6ab9cdf2375> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nationofchange.org/poor-sales-not-high-wages-worry-small-businesses-1342017641 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979865 | 472 | 1.898438 | 2 |
Lawyers talk (and write) endlessly about what happens in the courthouses of the nation, but rare is the case where the populace at large takes much interest. In two recent cases, however, scores of Virginians hit the streets, publicly protesting what they saw as injustice in the courts.
In both cases, marchers were outraged at what appeared to be little or no punishment for brutal killings. Earlier this month, protesters in Powhatan County decried convictions of manslaughter, rather than murder, for two cousins responsible for the shooting death of high school football standout Tahliek Taliaferro. Now comes word that citizens took to the streets yesterday in Petersburg to voice disapproval of the failed prosecution of three men accused in the killing of local tire dealer Robert Braswell.
Both cases clearly involved racial issues, although the color roles were reversed. The protestors, however, apparently focused on crime and punishment issues – questions of criminal intent, sleepy jurors, and flaky witnesses.
Lest we forget, the people are watching. In the right case, they will make their way to the courthouse to say what they think.
By Peter Vieth | <urn:uuid:4f7e372d-1329-4629-8ef5-fd2c402601f7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://valawyersweekly.com/vlwblog/2009/06/22/march-to-the-courthouse/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965344 | 233 | 1.5625 | 2 |
One of the widest perceptions in the Western world, especially after the attacks of September 11, is that Islam's holy book, the Quran, promotes conflict, violence and bloodshed.
Muslims argue that many of the verses of the Quran – such as the one asking the Prophet Muhammad and his followers to "slay them [unbelievers] wherever ye find them, and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out" – are taken out of context.
Muslim scholars say that the scriptures have been intentionally misused by Muslims and non-Muslims alike to advance political agendas.
Critics say that the texts promote extremism, and that Islam has left a trail of blood across world history.
Recently, Philip Jenkins, one of the world's leading religion scholars, conducted a study comparing the texts of the Quran and the Bible, and found that "the Bible contains far more verses praising or urging bloodshed than does the Quran."
Riz speaks with Philip Jenkins and Shaker Elsayed, the imam of Dar al-Hijrah Islamic Centre in the US and former secretary general of the Muslim American Society.
This episode of Riz Khan aired from Wednesday, December 29, 2010. | <urn:uuid:75111aa5-572f-4cc2-84b1-62e9208e7396> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/rizkhan/2010/03/201032584118951469.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00061-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950909 | 241 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Industrial Art Project Threatens Arkansas River Fisheries
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is currently being challenged in court over its issuing a Record of Decision approving artist Christo’s application to construct a landscape-scale art project along 42 miles of the Arkansas River in Colorado. Despite the agency’s conclusion that the project will have a significant adverse impact on angler access and fishery health, the BLM authorized the Over the River Corporation to begin construction on the art installation in the summer of 2012. Through KeepAmericaFishing™, hundreds of anglers voiced their concerns on the project to Colorado Governor Hickenlooper and U.S. Interior Secretary Salazar.
Despite federal clearance, Christo's project is not yet in the clear. Opponents of the project, including local anglers, have filed state and federal law suits to prevent final approval. Rags Over Arkansas River (ROAR), a local organization fighting the industrial project, is currently challenging construction of Christo's project with a federal lawsuit, claiming that the BLM did not adequately evaluate the project's environmental impact. In July, 2012, U.S. District Judge John Kane issued a “commence no action” on Christo’s project until the federal appeal comes to conclusion. The artist, Christo, has publically stated that he will have to postpone his current August 2015 exhibition deadline until the three pending legal cases are resolved.
The Over the River industrial art project involves draping 6 miles of cloth over portions of a 42-mile stretch of Colorado's Arkansas River, which is a haven for anglers, boaters and home to a diverse population of fish and wildlife. The artist, Christo, is known for his large-scale temporary art installations that often require several years to put in place. Over the River will be so large that this is the first time that an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) has ever been prepared for an art project. According to the BLM’s final EIS, Over the River will have a significant adverse impact on recreational fishing on the river. The project also poses threats to other activities and to fish and wildlife populations.
The project will disrupt angler access for a minimum of three years, especially during the spring and summer seasons when recreational fishing on the river is at its highest. Among the many negative environmental impacts of the project cited in the BLM's EIS study are:
- The two year installation of the project will require large machinery, producing localized noise and air pollution that will significantly diminish the quality of recreational fishing and all outdoor activities on the river.
- To install the fabric supports and anchors, the 9,100 large holes must be drilled in and alongside the river and the majority of these anchors will be left behind after the project has concluded.
- The large machines that will be drilling these holes require industrial chemicals to operate and maintain, putting fish and other wildlife at greater risk.
- Sedimentation, the removal of plants from the river and its banks and the high vibration and noise levels from construction equipment will impact aquatic wildlife and alter fish behavior and distribution.
This temporary art project is anticipated to be on exhibit for only two weeks in 2014, but it will have enduring negative impacts on anglers, boaters and the fish and wildlife populations in the Arkansas River.
KeepAmericaFishing™ thanks all its supporters who voiced their concerns about this project and wants to let you know that the fight isn't over yet. Rags Over Arkansas River (ROAR), a local organization fighting the industrial project, is "dedicated to preserving and protecting the headwaters of the Arkansas River, the Bighorn Sheep Canyon, its inhabitants and the communities that depend upon them." ROAR is currently challenging construction of Christo's project with a federal lawsuit, claiming that the BLM did not adequately evaluate the project's environmental impact. Be sure to check back with KeepAmericaFishing to see how this process unfolds. | <urn:uuid:fc23ad7c-f4f1-400b-b722-5e47c8729e31> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.keepamericafishing.org/action/article_sw/industrial_art_project_approved_despite_threats_to_fisheries | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94306 | 809 | 2.109375 | 2 |
Evansville Housing Authority
The Housing Authority of the City of Evansville was legally formed in 1942 but long before our official incorporation in the early 1930s discussions were being held in Evansville over housing the low income. As part of Franklin D Roosevelt’s Public Works Administration projects were started, Evansville was one of the 35 cities to receive a public housing project grant with the development of Lincoln Gardens in 1937.
We currently own and operate 904 public housing units and 1,906 housing choice vouchers. In addition to housing approximately 2,800 families, we operate several self sufficiency programs including Youthbuild through a grant from the Department of Labor and the Resident Vocational Training Program, a program developed by EHA to provide residents with training in areas.
We have moved from traditional public housing roots to more diverse housing programs including operating a Public Housing Homeownership Program and Leased Housing Homeownership Program.
For more information on our various properties and programs continue to enjoy our newly updated site
Thank you for your interest in EHA. | <urn:uuid:1a738a84-5fee-4a6e-9152-f4f337c5f204> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.evansvillehousing.org/eha/about_eha | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00046-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969781 | 214 | 1.773438 | 2 |
Character Chowdown is an educational game downloadable on the app store for iPad and iPhone. It helps teach kids (and the young at heart), the basics of the Japanese written language. There are several different kinds of lettering in Japanese, like Katakana, Kanji, etc. Each pack you download in Character Chowdown represents one of those styles of writing. The initial batch just has Katakana, and you download the others separately.
Gameplay is very simple. Drag the cute hungry hero around the screen with your finger. On the bottom the game will tell you what character to eat. For instance, in Katakana, each symbol represents a consonant and a vowel sound, so it’ll tell you on the bottom of the screen which character to eat with English letters. Like “eat the katakana for ‘se’.” Place your guy over that character and hit the ‘eat’ button to gobble it up.
When you come across a new katakana that you haven’t seen before, the character will flash red letting you know what it is. And if you miss one, your hero won’t eat it, just shake his head ‘no’ and the correct character will be red. Sometimes other hungry critters will saunter across the screen. Flick them away with your finger before they eat the letters! And that’s pretty much all there is to it. The game just goes on and on, teaching the characters through repetition. You can also design your own postcards using the characters from the game, and send them via Facebook.
It’s a cute little game, but it could’ve been a lot better. I think it needs more game modes. Like maybe one where you trace the characters with your finger. I think that would help with memory retention of the lessons better. Plus, the game has no audio (at least not in the version I downloaded). Cute sounds and spoken voice would’ve helped make the game more appealing. The way it is, reading skill is a must. And even though the game is easy to figure out, some better instructions on how to play would’ve been nice.
But I could see using this game as a supplement to a bigger Japanese language lesson plan. Teachers could use this game with their students as a fun side activity. Plus, if you have family that lives in Japan, you can use this game with your kids to help them write and read letters to family overseas. Also, older players who might want to import Japanese games can even learn from this title, since most Japanese games just use Katakana and Kanji anyway. Speaking of which, fans of NIS America’s RPGs may be interested in this game, too, because later on you’ll be able to download popular characters from their lineup. So you might want to check this one out as well if you’re a fan of all things Prinny.
As a side note, I think that learning a second language is a good idea, as it helps you understand your own native tongue better. At least it did with me when I took German in high school and college. I don’t think I would be as good of a writer today if I didn’t take German classes then. Plus I had some excellent teachers. In fact, my high school German teacher was probably the best teacher I ever had. Luckily I got to tell her that later when brother Jeff was in high school, so if you have the opportunity to thank any of your teachers, please do so! Teaching is a thankless job, but a very important one all the same! | <urn:uuid:4ac00275-b69c-4a59-b5ec-7da9672fb3a4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gamerdad.com/blog/2012/07/30/character-chowdown-ipad/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969944 | 763 | 2.53125 | 3 |
Source: College of Technology Regional Center for Next Generation Manufacturing (Connecticut Community Colleges)
In this video segment adapted from Connecticut's College of Technology/Regional Center for Next Generation Manufacturing, laser technician supervisor Dave DeGrand describes elements of his typical workday and the education needed to succeed in this cutting-edge field. Industrial laser manufacturing is a constantly changing industry. Teamwork is essential to success. Dave needs to communicate with people at all levels within the company, including engineers and the technicians he supervises. Daily team meetings help him understand the problems that occur. The ability to troubleshoot is also a valuable skill to ensure that operations run smoothly and customer deliveries are met.
Laser technicians work with scientists or engineers, serving a variety of functions. They may design, assemble, calibrate, test, operate, or repair lasers. Laser technicians may work in manufacturing, where their job is to cut, fuse, and engrave metals and nonmetals. Some laser technicians serve as field technicians, installing laser equipment or performing repair work at a customer site.
Precision laser technology is used in a range of industries, including defense, manufacturing, and health care. In the military, lasers are used in guidance systems for missiles and other ballistic projectiles. In manufacturing, laser technology offers a number of advantages over more traditional machining or shaping methods. For example, laser welding requires no filler material and creates welds that penetrate deeply with minimum distortion. Because no molds or other tools are required to make custom parts, laser processing results in accurate and repeatable production runs with quick turnaround times. Laser technology is also used in medicine for vision correction and cosmetic surgery procedures.
Maintaining and servicing lasers involves training in mechanics, electronics, and optics. Many career and technical educational centers, community colleges, and four-year universities offer degrees in laser technology. Programs are typically built around a general study of the applications and uses of laser technology, but also include courses in drafting and computer science. During their training, students spend a lot of time in the laboratory exploring optics, vacuum technology, electronics, instrumentation, and digital and solid-state circuit analysis. High school students interested in this field of study should take courses in electronics, advanced mathematics, and computer science.
Laser technician supervisors like Dave, who is featured in this video, manage multidisciplinary laser operations teams. Among their key responsibilities is facilitating communication between different organizational groups, such as the engineers and technicians, to ensure collaborative projects are completed. They also support the professional development and on-the-job training of staff. In addition to a background in engineering or science, supervisors must have extensive knowledge of health and safety regulations. Because they frequently need to manage under pressure and meet tight operational timelines, excellent time management and interpersonal communication skills are required to inspire teams to complete the work. Aspiring supervisors already working in the field may enroll in management courses through continuing education.
Academic standards correlations on Teachers' Domain use the Achievement Standards Network (ASN) database of state and national standards, provided to NSDL projects courtesy of JES & Co.
We assign reference terms to each statement within a standards document and to each media resource, and correlations are based upon matches of these terms for a given grade band. If a particular standards document of interest to you is not displayed yet, it most likely has not yet been processed by ASN or by Teachers' Domain. We will be adding social studies and arts correlations over the coming year, and also will be increasing the specificity of alignment. | <urn:uuid:065ac21a-995b-4dfe-99ff-af036e016ab9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ate10.sci.engin.systems.lasertech/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944311 | 716 | 3.328125 | 3 |
Facts and information about Cabarete
The official language spoken in Cabarete is Spanish however, English is also widely spoken in the tourist centers.
The currency in Cabarete is the Dominican Republic Peso (DOP).
Best travel time
Cabarete has a Tropical climate leading to the weather being sunny throughout the whole year with a temperature ranging from 28°C to 35°C the whole year. Due to the location of Cabarete there is a strong eastern wind over the city.
Depending on which country you come from you might need a visa, however when coming from most European countries a visa is not required to enter Cabarete. One has to bring a valid passport and will need to obtain a Tourist Card upon arrival.
Other than the standard vaccinations, when travelling to Cabarete there are no special vaccinations needed.
Country and People
Traditions and Culture
Cabarete is a city on the coast within the Dominican Republic and is known to be the city of Kite surfing and windsurfing. There is not a lot of cultural and historical scenery in this city as it is mainly known for its beaches and the watersports.
The dominant religion amongst most inhabitants in Cabarete is Catholicism.
Most areas in Cabarete are all in walking distances, however there are some public transportation services such as the “motoconchos” which are motorcycle taxis, these are cheap and fast, other services are the “Guaguas” which are mini-van buses that simply pick you up on the road and drop you of on the road.
In order to get to Cabarete the nearest airport is “Puerto Plata Airport” which lies about 15 km away from Cabarete city center. Other nearby airports include “Santiago Airport” about 1.5hours away and “Santo Domingo Airport” which lies about 3.5 hours away. All three airports receive international and domestic flights flying in and out on a daily basis. From each you can rent a car which you should order in advance.
Individual taxis can be found at the airport or can be ordered via the central taxi service or from the hotel one is staying at. It is recommended to negotiate a fixed price with the driver.
Discover and Enjoy
Experience and enjoy
Events / Lifestyle In Cabarete most things revolve around water sports especially kite surfing and windsurfing therefore most events and the lifestyle of the locals revolves around this too. Throughout the year some events include: - Lasrer Midwinter Regatta, - Master of the Ocean, - Cabarete Annual Sand Castle Competition, - Cabarete Classic Windsurfing Event - The Butterfly Effect Cabarete - The Dominican Republic Jazz Festival
In Cabarete there are not many sights to see. The main things to do in this city is going to the beach and go Kite surfing and Windsurfing as this is what Cabarete is known for.
Culinary specialties in Cabarete include the drink “Mamajuan” which consist of natural herbs and leaves. The local cuisine consists of seafood dishes freshly caught from the sea and fresh vegetables. A local specialty is a dish which consists of Tandoori chicken, curried goat, vegetable curries and homemade chutneys served on banana leaves. | <urn:uuid:d74716b4-6d70-4036-810c-52cfc4f36f01> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.holidaycheck.com/di/d99600ed-74bf-3ab0-a95b-18f0a852259b | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952868 | 697 | 2 | 2 |
Seeking advice from current RN's - Page 2Register Today!
- Mar 25, '11 by caliotter3Consider pursuing a minor in anything that interests you. Health science (basis for grad work in public health), any foreign language, and psych are popular choices for nurses.
- Mar 25, '11 by steelydanfanPathophys, if you can get it. Spanish for health care providers would be invaluable. Any course on time management, speaking skills and interpersonal skills would be VERY useful.
- Mar 25, '11 by MrWarmHeartedA CNA course and then actually work as a CNA. Actual experience will trump book smarts (you'll eventually pick it up the fundamentals in nursing school). you'll pick up medical terminology along the way so I think that crs is a waste of time/money.
working as a cna will do wonders for you and open up doors down the road . . .
- Mar 25, '11 by źNurseMy advice to you, would be to take a class on conflict resolution and effective assertiveness. The core classes will teach you how to help your patients to survive, the latter will teach you what YOU need to survive.
- Mar 25, '11 by BrookeeLou_RNI would love to take Humor in Nursing or Basket weaving for nurses..something to take your mind off the life and death seriousness of nursing school!
- Mar 25, '11 by General E. Speaking, RNQuote from maa2012This was pretty easy: Strongly agree, strongly agree, strongly agree, etc...I am a student at Purdue University and son of a nurse. I am pursuing a degree in Public Health and am doing a research project on Nurses and stress if anyone who has time to fill out a short survey it would be greatly appreciated and feel free to share with others the link will be below. I actually can not find how to create my own thread I would appreciate any help in spreading my survey and I will attempt to find a way to make a thread.
- Mar 25, '11 by jdchisolm68Thanks for everyones advice...I just challenged and passed my CNA exam in florida a few weeks back and i'm a hospice volunteer. I went through EMT training in 2004 but got sidetracked with a good raise in cubicle world... I'll definitely keep the pysch classes in mind as well as the time management...I can see how both would be useful. I would hope conflict resolution would be an integral part of the program but I'll keep my eyes out for something that would fit that...thanks for the advice...diving in full time may 16th.. | <urn:uuid:bfe2d822-64c9-4c07-86e2-52853bd5dcba> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://allnurses.com/general-nursing-discussion/seeking-advice-current-543035-page2.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955741 | 560 | 1.507813 | 2 |
When Doctors Make Mistakes
...To much of the public-and certainly to lawyers and the media-medical error is a problem of bad physicians….There is, however, a central truth in medicine that complicates this tidy vision of misdeeds and misdoers: All doctors make terrible mistakes....
American surgeon, teacher, and essayist. Born in Brooklyn to Indian immigrant parents, Gawande grew up in Athens, Ohio. He earned his B.A. at Stanford University, studied at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, and after a stint advising President Bill Clinton about health-care policy, graduated from the Harvard Medical School in 1995. In addition to scholarly studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine, his articles about health care and the medical profession have appeared frequently in Slate and the New Yorker. Gawande's first book, Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science (2002), and his second, Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance (2007), were both widely praised for the elegance and clarity with which they illuminated a complex, technical subject for a general readership. His most recent book is The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right (2009). See also gawande.com. | <urn:uuid:9f17ffa4-c818-4de7-b592-9467d6d99938> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://nortonreader.com/scripts/showDetails2.php?id=112&thisDetailList=authorDetailList | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00063-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96172 | 253 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Like standing when a lady enters the room, calling someone ma’am or sir is one of the finer points of etiquette that’s losing its footing with the current generation. And while I’m okay seeing some things die off from that era (like those weird Organ stores in the mall), the common courtesy of a respectful address is a baton worth carrying.
Gentlemen, my encouragement to you is that you default to calling people ma’am or sir or, if you’re hella’ English, madam and squire. Why? Because it’s classy. When the lady at the check-out counter says, “Thanks for shopping at Fatties” and you say, “Yes ma’am, thanks for your help,” people behind you in line are going to say, “Now there’s a real captain of industry type!”. When your Uncle, who likes you because he knows that you know and are cool with “it”, introduces you to his new “friend” and you say, “Pleasure to meet you sir,” everyone around you will have a reverence for your maturity.
Dude, I’m not saying that Old English crap. I’m keeping it real with bro or pal!
Broseph, we’re not in your frat house getting stoked about the huge “Killer BP” party (Beer Pong). You’re an adult, and you live in the real world. Bro, pal, chief, Dr. Wang, etc., are all reserved for the close friends who put up with your idiocy. Put away the toga and bust out the manners.
Here’s a word of caution, you’re going to get some push back on this ma’am/sir thing. When you call a guy sir, he’s probably not going to say anything and just think you’re respectful. When you call a lady ma’am, you may get a surprising, “Don’t call me ma’am, I’m not old enough for that!”
First of all, yes she is. But we always want to respect that our XX sisters are a bit more sensitive to age than the XY’s, so here’s a line I use all the time that works like a charm:
Very old lady: “Ma’am? I’m too young to be called ma’am!”
Grown Man: “I can assure you [looking square into her eyes], it’s about respect, not age.”
Snap! I’m telling you, the “respect not age” line will defuse the bomb 99% of the time and lets them know that, in fact, you are just calling them ma’am because you’re polite, not because you see them as your elder.
Here are a few closing rules for ma’am and sir:
- Use it for everyone, regardless of age. 11-year-old kids know when they’re being respected and will appreciate an adult talking to them that way.
- If someone says, “Oh no, please, call me [insert name] Murdock”, feel free to do it. In fact, it’s better etiquette to call them by their name than to ignore the request.
-Avoid saying ma’am in southern accent, lest you sound like Matthew McConaughey (alright, alright).
Thanks for reading, kind sir.
Remember, tomorrow is Ask A Grown Man Thursday. | <urn:uuid:7c7a7288-34b8-446f-b40b-c72007dfd863> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://youareagrownman.com/2010/06/16/start-calling-people-maam-or-sir/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931395 | 786 | 1.695313 | 2 |
For years, “good government” groups have been kicking and screaming about independent entities running their own television ads during campaign season. (Commonly referred to as “free speech.”) Groups like the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign (a registered lobbying organization) have unironically argued that this gives lobbying organizations too much influence, and have pushed for a change in the law to ban such ads.
A letter WDC Executive Director Mike McCabe sent to the state Government Accountability Board urging them to regulate these ads sums it up best:
Five special interest groups spent close to $8 million in the last two state Supreme Court races on what most of the groups insist on calling “issue advocacy.” To voters across the state, it meant truckloads of money were spent on loads of TV ads smearing the candidates. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel called the campaigning “tawdry” and “despicable.” A State Bar Association judicial campaign integrity committee called the advertising “deliberately misleading.”
Sounds pretty bad.
But here’s the thing – when groups spend all this money on these TV ads, it has the effect of educating the public about the candidates. UW-Madison political scientist Ken Goldstein has conducted studies that show voters are more knowledgeable about the candidates when these ads run, and voter turnout is higher in these races, as more people are aware a campaign is actually going on. So clearly, banning these ads makes voters both less informed, and less likely to vote.
Spending in Supreme Court races has become the main battleground against these kinds of ads, especially since conservative judges have routinely been winning. This, despite the fact that the most misleading and egregious ad in the last Supreme Court campaign was run by one of the candidates himself, eventual winner Mike Gableman. Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the state’s largest business group, had routinely spent millions of dollars to help promote candidates they believed represented their interests – but in the current election for the Supreme Court, they have sat idly by, keeping their advertising to themselves.
There’s a state Supreme Court election in a few weeks, and many people don’t even know it’s happening.
Wisconsin Democracy Campaign’s Mike McCabe says its partly due to a lack of advertising.
“This has been so under the radar that my fear is that people don’t know much about this race, don’t know hardly anything about the challenger.”
McCabe says he’s happy the contest focuses on the issues, but that doesn’t help if no one shows up to vote.
“It’s not a good thing to have a statewide election and have nobody notice.”
So here’s the guy who’s spent his whole career complaining about the toxicity of money in politics complaining about the lack of money in politics. Would he now be happier if WMC was spending boatloads of money educating voters around the state? Apparently, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign knows exactly how much information voters need to make informed choices about their candidates.
As it stands, the Government Accountability Board is moving forward with its plan to shut down these third-party ads. In doing so, as Mike McCabe has apparently figured out, it will be assuring us fewer voters and a less educated electorate. That’s our state government – protecting us from an educated public discussion of our candidates.
Filed under: Bureaucracy — Christian Schneider @ 10:36 am
Okay, so this probably doesn’t need much background, but here it is:
The Wisconsin Department of Tourism pays $50,000 to a company to rip off Bacardi’s “Live Like You Mean It” ad campaign for use as the state’s motto. This after the state’s universally ignored “originality rules” campaign, which came on the heels of the state creating a note for note remake of a Supergrass song to serve as the state’s jingle in 2005. (As rappers would say, the state was “bitin’ their rhymes.”)
A friend of mine in the capitol took a break from playing online poker long enough to send me over to the Wisconsin Tourism Federation website, which contained perhaps the most apt logo imaginable given the recent troubles at the Department of Tourism:
UPDATE: I was always fond of this proposed Milwaukee slogan:
Filed under: Economics — Christian Schneider @ 10:08 am
Let me be clear – I love my Dad. I owe everything I have to him. But if I could hire someone to block him from sending me ten junk e-mails a day, I would. God bless his heart, but if I get one more dopey chain e-mail from my dad, I am going to strangle him.
That being said, I have to give him credit for this one today. It’s an interview between Milton Friedman and Phil Donahue from 1979, in which the Nobel Prize winning economist destroys the dopey lefty talk show host.
As All American Burger manager Brad Hamilton tells Spicoli with regard to the “No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service” sign in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High:”
“Learn it. Know it. Live it.”
UPDATE: This one is even better, although it clocks in at a half hour. It’s shocking to see someone communicate a message of limited government and freedom in such a clear and concise manner. Something no modern conservative politician seems to be able to do.
Last year, I wrote a research report explaining how the minimum markup law on gasoline forced consumers to pay too much at the pump. A month ago, the law was declared unconstitutional by a federal court. Now, we’re seeing gas prices fall, to the benefits of consumers.
These gains may be short lived, however, as Governor Doyle’s new budget imposes a previously-rejected “oil franchise fee” on gasoline. There is no serious person that believes this tax won’t be passed on to consumers at the pump.
Filed under: Budget — Christian Schneider @ 3:21 pm
During the debate over the various budget “stimulus” bills, we’ve been trying to point out the problem with using $4.5 billion in federal money to balance the state’s budget; namely, it creates a giant hole in the following budget that state taxpayers may be asked to fill.
The Rockerfeller Institute has taken a look at state budgets nationwide, and has attempted to calculate the gaps that will be found in future state budgets when the federal stimulus spigot is turned off. In their rosiest growth scenario, state budgets across the U.S. will face cuts of 4%, or $70 billion – but if growth continues to stagger, they estimate the cuts at 6% and $100 billion, respectively.
Keep in mind – in Governor Doyle’s 2009-11 proposed budget, he still expects (perhaps while wearing rose-colored glasses) tax receipts to increase by 2.6% in 2009-10. And that small increase has forced him to declare this recession to be a catastrophe. Imagine what would happen if the budget actually decreased by between 4% and 6%? According to this report, that’s where state budgets are headed nationally when federal funds aren’t there to prop up the unrealistic spending created in these next two years.
The federal stimulus package will provide fiscal relief to state governments exceeding $150 billion over the 2008-09, 2009-10, and 2010-11 state fiscal years.
Although the aid is massive, it is temporary. In the best of worlds, as the stimulus aid wanes, the economic recovery will take hold and state tax revenue will rise sharply, as it has after past recessions.
But even under optimistic assumptions, the revenue recovery will not be sharp enough or soon enough to avoid the need for significant budget cuts or tax increases. If the tax revenue falloff and recovery aremuch like that of the 1990 fiscal crisis, as the stimulus aid goes away in 2011-12, states could face a fiscal gap of 4 percent of general expenditures, roughly comparable to annual gaps of $70 billion.
Under alternative assumptions that lead to pre-stimulus budget gaps of nearly $370 billion over the next 2.5 years-not a worst-case scenario-states could face a 2011-12 fiscal gap of more than 6 percent of state general expenditures, or more than $100 billion. Under any likely scenario, states will face significant budget problems when the new federal aid runs out.
It goes without saying that people in America think their politicians lie. In fact, it’s a concept ingrained in the very fabric of our culture. Books, plays and songs have been written as encomiums to political dishonesty – it’s almost as central a concept to our government as Congress itself.
Yet when politicians fib, it’s usually in broad terms. They say things like, “I’m going to lower your taxes,” or “I think it would be a bad idea to let criminals out of prison,” or “my, what a pretty baby!” But it Wisconsin, we have an odd example of a politician being dishonest with the people that elected him on a very specific issue.
On February 23, 2009, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel exposed the fact that Governor Jim Doyle is swiping the $10 fee Wisconsin has been collecting since 2008 to implement the federal “Real ID” act, in order to “balance” the state budget. So here we have a fee being collected for one purpose, and being used for another – to the tune of $12.5 million.
Bruce Redenz at Badger Blogger decided to do what everyone should do when a story of misuse of public funds occurs – he contacted his state senator, Jon Erpenbach. Erpenbach, apparently thinking he was talking to someone without an internet connection, sent this reply via mail:
When the State of Wisconsin collects money through taxes or fees, all of the money that is collected is put into General Purpose Revenue (GPR.) Money is then used in budgeting and dispersed to different programs from the GPR.
The ten dollar driver’s license renewal fee that you have mentioned is one of those that is put into GPR. Since the money goes to the GPR we are unable to pinpoint a specific program that the money supports, except to say that it supports many programs that we as a society have decided to support.
This is 100% false.
As everyone who has anything to do with state government knows, the Real ID fee attached to driver’s licenses is deposited in the transporation fund, which is a segregated account. Segregated accounts exist specifically because they don’t intermingle funds with the General Fund. The Legislative Fiscal Bureau pointed this out clearly in their 2007-09 budget summary, when the fee was passed (see page 4 of the .pdf document.) The fee is categorized as “SEG-REV,” which indicates it is revenue to the transportation fund, which, of course, never touches GPR. The fee was collected for a certain purpose and was never intended to be used for “many programs that we as a society have decided to support.”
There are really only two explanations here. Either Jon Erpenbach has no clue how state funds are collected and dispersed, or he’s purposely using false information to mislead his constituents. Neither explanation inspires confidence in a state senator who is trying furiously to sell us a $15 billion state government health insurance takeover. Apparently, his standard for facts is whatever he can think of at the time.
On the one hand, stealing funds from the transportation fund is commonplace – it’s part of what has driven the state into a $5.9 billion deficit. People could argue whether state money is in one account or the other is mere semantics. But this is Erpenbach’s whole argument in support of the transfer – and it’s based on a mistruth. Erpenbach wasn’t just asked this question by a reporter on the spot – he had time to research it and think about how he wanted to portray this issue to his constitutents. And he still got it dead wrong.
Imagine the constituent service people get who don’t actually know anything about state government.
Filed under: Legislation — Christian Schneider @ 1:31 pm
A state legislator’s office sent this to me this afternoon. It’s a constitutent letter meant to convince legislators that the state should implement domestic partner benefits for state employees. (I changed the names to protect the innocent:)
Subject: Please Support Domestic Partnership Protections
Representative Prince Fielder
PO Box 6666
Madison, WI 53707
Dear Representative Fielder,
Use this space to share your story with your senator. Look at the the Talking Points and Recommendations above for tips.
333 Happy Meal Blvd
Point Place, WI 55555
Of course, this is a form e-mail that interest groups use to get people to contact their legislators. Unfortunately, you’re supposed to actually fill it out for it to be effective. Genius.
Filed under: Budget — Christian Schneider @ 9:21 am
With the Governor’s new budget proposing billions of dollars in new taxes and creating substantial structural problems in the future, Republicans are powerless to stop its passage. However, there may be a way for Republicans to delay passage of the horrible bill. They just need to take a cue from this city council:
So if anyone sees this man at Famous Dave’s Barbecued Ribs before a floor session day, you can tell the plan is in place:
Senate Minority Leader Scott Fitzgerald
Update: The e-mail box is already filling up with suggestions for how the GOP can turn this into a real winner. Take this slogan, for instance:
You may have noticed that both our home website and this blog have gotten an extreme makeover. In the interest of making the sites easier to navigate and prettier to look at, we’ve undergone a full scale renovation. All the feed information should be the same, so no need to change your newsreaders.
So take the new format for a spin, and feel free to suggest changes that might make it easier to get around. | <urn:uuid:50bd2402-d798-4fb9-bffe-b53a6fa4ddfe> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wpri.org/blog/?m=200903&paged=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95524 | 3,022 | 1.953125 | 2 |
In their latest play for female voters, Senate Democrats have begun laying the groundwork for a legislative fight over equal pay next month.
Senate Democrats intend to set up a procedural vote after next week’s recess on the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would update the Equal Pay Act signed into law June 10, 1963.
“Forty-nine years later, women still make less for doing the same job with the same education as men do,” Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), who introduced the bill, said Wednesday at a briefing. “What we are saying here on the eve of the 49th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act is we’re mad as hell and we’re not going take it anymore.”
Republicans were unmoved and criticized their Democratic counterparts for pushing what they said was more pressing legislation to the side. A senior GOP leadership aide said “it makes it tough to swallow” that Senate Democratic leaders have complained about lack of floor time to deal with what the aide said was “the largest tax hike in history, sequestration, spending bills” and an assortment of other must-do legislation.
Sen. Patty Murray (Wash.), who is head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, called on Republicans to back the bill to show that they support women’s issues, despite what she called a raft of recent GOP legislative proposals that would disadvantage women.
“I ... urge Republicans to join with us to pass this critical legislation,” Murray said at the briefing. “Over the past few months, many of us have stood up here in front of you to fight against partisan attacks on policies that would impact women across America. None of us started these fights, but we are not going to stand by and watch as Republicans roll back the clock.”
Among the examples Democrats have cited is contraception. In March, Senate Republicans offered an amendment to transportation reauthorization legislation that would have allowed companies and insurance providers to opt out of a proposed rule that mandates access to birth control.
The amendment, which was defeated, came in response to a rule proposed by the Obama administration that would require insurance companies to provide and pay for contraception services in accordance with the 2010 health care law.
Democrats said the amendment showed that Republicans were willing to trample on women’s right to contraception, which they said was standard health care.
Republicans said the rule threatens religious freedom.
Since then, however, Republican leaders have focused on jobs messaging and have largely deferred on getting involved in any more sparring in the culture wars.
Rep. Bill Cassidy has his blood drawn by Alesha Barbour during a free hepatitis screening in the Rayburn House Office Building hosted by the Congressional Viral Hepatitis Caucus to recognize "National Viral Hepatitis Testing Day."
Roll Call has launched a new feature, Hill Navigator, to advise congressional staffers and would-be staffers on how to manage workplace issues on Capitol Hill. Please send us your questions anything from office etiquette, to handling awkward moments, to what happens when the work life gets too personal. Submissions will be treated anonymously. | <urn:uuid:f21542a1-dc0b-4fc9-8946-f423679b16e1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rollcall.com/issues/57_141/Senate-Democrats-Make-Play-on-Equal-Pay-214810-1.html?pg=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974256 | 649 | 1.773438 | 2 |
We’re used to batteries powering a lot of devices, but the University of California, Riverside is upping that a notch by charging up a whole floor’s worth. The school’s Winston Chung Global Energy Center is walking the eco-friendly walk and has started using a huge bank of rare earth, lithium-ion batteries from Balqon to produce 1.1 megawatts, enough to keep Winston Chung Hall’s entire first floor humming along while tapping renewable energy sources like solar and wind power. The batteries bank their energy overnight, keeping the throngs of students happy without having to recharge as much or use the regular power grid as a fallback. While it’s considered a testbed, the university’s giant battery is considered a blueprint for cellular towers and the green power sources themselves — the combination of which could keep your smartphone up and running with a lot less of an environmental hit.
- Installing Virtue OLED Board & Laser Eyes in Dye DM9 Paintball Gun
- Bridging Digital and Physical Worlds With SixthSense
- Official Angry Birds 3 Star Walkthrough Theme 3 Levels 1-5
- HTC Schubert
- Sketching Out a Future for the Stylus | <urn:uuid:8d3b53f9-33d3-4732-909a-814d08a07853> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thatsbadass.com/university-of-california-riverside-runs-entire-building-floor-off-of-1-1-megawatt-green-battery/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.907062 | 250 | 2.125 | 2 |
France's unpopular government
Dislike of the government could overshadow the EU vote in May
WHEN Jacques Chirac decided to have a referendum on the European Union constitution, there was a risk that he would be testing his popularity as president instead. This week exposed the danger starkly. Days after he chose May 29th for the vote, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets, in three days of protests and a one-day strike (just as the Olympic committee dropped by to evaluate Paris's bid for the games in 2012). Can Mr Chirac detach disgruntlement with the government from the referendum?
The protesters have a broad swathe of grievances, some specific, others more general. Lycéens (upper-school pupils) want the withdrawal of an “elitist” reform bill. Many school pupils just want more teachers and money for classrooms. Researchers and scientists want more money too. Postmen, railwaymen, teachers and civil servants want better pay, more jobs and to keep the 35-hour week: in short, to “raise pay, not hours”, as one slogan put it. There is widespread frustration over low pay rises, particularly given recent big jumps in profits at such companies as Total and Renault. Ironically, dwindling purchasing power is partly a result of pay freezes imposed by employers in return for the 35-hour week.
Discontent has been fed by disillusion with the governing elite. The resignation of Hervé Gaymard as finance minister, over a vast apartment he had rented at taxpayers' expense, has worsened the disconnect between the political class and the electorate. That Mr Gaymard could not grasp his mistake only confirmed that impression. Confidence in Mr Chirac slid to 36% in March, down from 41% in January, according to a poll by TNS-Sofres. Confidence in his prime minister, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, stands at just 28%.
Given this political atmosphere, the government is keen, ahead of May 29th, to avoid anything that even hints at confrontation. Already, the education minister, François Fillon, has caved in to demands of school pupils, agreeing not to modify the baccalauréat school-leaving exam, as he had originally proposed. Mr Raffarin has firmly rejected the European Commission's services directive, a measure seen in France as evidence of the takeover of Europe by Anglo-Saxon free-marketeers (see article).
Will their despondency affect voters' judgment of the EU constitution? So far, polls suggest that they will say yes, but by an ever-shrinking margin: 58%, says a March poll by Ifop, down from 61% in February. Indeed, this erosion, which mirrors that ahead of the narrow 1992 vote in favour of the Maastricht treaty, explains Mr Chirac's decision to hold the referendum earlier than he had planned.
That the French are still favourable at all hints at a certain readiness to see past an unpopular government. Moreover, of the two-fifths who are undecided, twice as many are inclined towards a yes as towards a no, according to Ifop. That means that a higher turnout is likely to favour a yes. The ruling UMP party, led by Nicolas Sarkozy, voted at the weekend by an overwhelming 90% to support the constitution. And the opposition Socialists, led by François Hollande, have launched their own yes campaign, with billboards that make use of such cheap slogans as “Yes to a strong Europe facing America”.
The Socialists' difficulty in finding the right voice for their campaign encapsulates a broader problem. As Mr Hollande concedes, “the temptation exists to punish Chirac and thereby to punish Europe. That is what we have to avoid.” Hence his posters remind the French to say yes “along with all of Europe's socialists”. In other words, he is trying to show that it is possible to be both against the government and for the constitution.
But confusion remains. For one thing, widespread hostility to Turkey's entry into the EU is muddling voters: should they reject the constitution, even though it says nothing about Turkey? For another, the group of rejectionists on the left is growing, starting with Laurent Fabius, the Socialists' number two, who led a breakaway camp against the constitution last year. Although he lost an internal vote on the matter, he has not kept quiet since. “I‘m not going to conduct a no campaign in terms of stump speeches,” Mr Fabius says, “but I can't hide the fact that I will vote no.” The CGT, the country's biggest union, has also decided to campaign against, as has Attac, an anti-globalisation lobby.
Some on the left mischievously accuse Mr Hollande of being Mr Chirac's campaign director. He got a personal taste last weekend of how hard it is to get the message right. Out on a march in defence of public services, he had hoped once again to show that there was no contradiction in criticising the government and supporting the EU constitution. But anti-constitution campaigners hijacked the event, and pelted him with snowballs. | <urn:uuid:f3303a09-798e-4b9d-8a30-4ff7489ea2f9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.economist.com/node/3749942 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972853 | 1,081 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Environmental Advisory Board
The Environmental Advisory Board (EAB) was created by the Chief of Engineers, Lieutenant General Frederick J. Clarke in 1970, as a means for the Chief to gain outside, expert and independent advice on environmental issues facing the Corps of Engineers. Over the years, this Board has served the Corps of Engineers well. We intend to not only continue this process, but to also use the Board as a vehicle of communication to reach out and build partnerships, understandings and cooperation with the environmental community, and public at large. Environmental concerns have never been more important. We see the Environmental Advisory Board playing a key role in contributing to enhanced mutual understanding and confidence between the Corps and both the general public and the conservation community.
Meetings: Usually one or two meetings per year. Meetings are open to the public in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). All meetings are announced in the Federal Register as required by FACA. Click here for minutes of recent meetings.
Charter Purpose: Advise Chief of Engineers by providing independent advice and recommendations on matters relating to environmental issues facing the Corps of Engineers. Charter is renewed every two years. Current charter is effective until 23 April 2014. Click here for the current Charter.
Membership: 5-10 members. Selected members are eminent authorities in the field of natural (e.g. biological, ecological), social (e.g. anthropologist, community planner), and related sciences. Multidisciplinary, with an equitable distribution of fields of interest as well as geographical location. Click here for current membership and biographies. (updated 10 May 2013)
- Criteria for Ecosystem Restoration Projects
- Environmental Operating Principles
- Floods of 2011
- Gulf of Mexico Recovery
- Sustainable Rivers
- Wetlands Jurisdiction
- Hurricane Response
Environmental Advisory Board Working Papers:
- Environmental Operating Principles, 10 April 2009
- Environmental Benefits and Performance Measures, December 2006
- Integrating Ecosystem Restoration into Programs of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, September 18, 2006
- Restoration Authorities of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, December 1, 2005
- Work Plan, June 13, 2005
- Independent Scientific Review, May 13, 2004 | <urn:uuid:de8b7791-221d-4750-89b9-2b6629fddd09> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/Environmental/EnvironmentalAdvisoryBoard.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946564 | 456 | 3.078125 | 3 |
The United Nations’ (UN) current plan to discuss a treaty proposal granting more rights to “mother earth” than humans is nothing more than an elaborate attempt to re-market the climate change program in a neatly wrapped package called “environmental justice.”
The UN proposal, drafted by Bolivian socialist president Evo Morales (the same guy who claims that eating chicken causes male baldness and homosexuality), is similar to a new Bolivian law which elevates trees, animals, insects and “living things” to the same level as humans. Raised to this new level, mother earth and her “living things” would be assigned an authorized representative to hear complaints brought on their behalf and would have the right to seek financial compensation for damages.
All bug-stomping humans beware: Morales’ proposal does not stop at financial compensation but goes a step further to execute judgment upon the guilty by organizing a “tribunal for climate justice.”
During an interview at the 2009 Climate Change Summit, Morales said his plan to save the planet included ending luxury and consumerism, while destroying capitalism and forcing rich nations to settle their “climate debt” to the poor. Morales said capitalism is “the worst enemy of humanity.
It may be just me, but does it seem that the human race has gone stark raving mad that some would think it is reasonable to ascribe human emotions to grass and bugs? It is tempting to dismiss this plan as yet another logic-defying incident similar to the UN naming Iran to a women’s rights panel last month. One can only hope that someone will also provide delegates with a clean sandbox to play in during recess.
All joking aside, attention should be taken that environmental justice is also in the process within the Obama Administration’s ever-growing green government.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson spoke last week at the Power Shift 2011 conference assuring listeners that the EPA has “restored science to its rightful place as the backbone of everything the Environmental Protection Administration does, and that includes the science of climate change. We are using that science to take action on climate change.”
Layman terms: Cap-and-Trade legislation based on junk science failed, so the Obama Administration used the EPA to go through the back door. No wonder some prefer the EPA to be defunded.
Highlighting her list of accomplishments, Jackson revealed her crème de la crème was expanding “the conversation on environmental justice” – that “unfinished business” – in “low and minority neighborhoods.” Jackson reassured the activists that Obama needed them to stay focused on promoting their beliefs that “there is no difference and choice to be made between a healthy economy and a clean and healthy environment.”
Van Jones, the past Obama White House “Green Czar” who resigned in 2009 after his “green socialism/environmental justice” leanings surfaced, also spoke. During the conference, Jones placed an Atlas-sized burden on the shoulders of these easily influenced kids when he told them that “the entire planet, the children of all species are banking on you.” Jones assured listeners that although he loves “rich people,” he intends to cash in on their money to fund the green movement cause.
In a January 30, 2005 Miami Herald Editorial, former Greenpeace co-founder and president, Dr. Patrick Moore said he left his own organization because “much of the environmental movement, made a sharp turn to the political left and began adopting extreme agendas that abandoned science and logic in favor of emotion and sensationalism.” It’s only gotten worse. The once wholesome goal to protect the planet was hijacked and turned into a pseudo religion – by some who care more about transferring America’s wealth than they do the environment. | <urn:uuid:2df7d798-e630-441b-a7e9-fc19013000e5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.susanstamperbrown.com/2011/04/environmental-justice-coming-to-a-law-near-you/ | 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 | 0.958857 | 804 | 1.992188 | 2 |
James Bond is an iconic figure embedded in the very culture of society itself. The name exemplifies cool and sophisticated. Created in 1953 by Ian Fleming, the character has been around for almost sixty years and is now as popular as ever. Recently celebrating his fiftieth anniversary in film with the twenty-third Bond film Skyfall, James Bond has reached a level of popularity that seems to know no bounds.
Since the first Bond film in 1962, white male British actors have obviously portrayed the suave MI6 spy; most notably Sean Connery, who was the first and somewhat most revered. Recently, Daniel Craig has taken the mantle. Craig, who’s already appeared in three Bond films, is contracted to star in at least two more, though at some point he will give up his license to kill. When Craig was originally cast as Bond, audiences and critics were skeptical of the fact that he was “blonde” and didn’t match Fleming’s original description of the character of a black haired blue eyed white male. However, once viewers saw Casino Royale in 2006, the skepticism dwindled. Craig was outstanding as the secret service spy. However, seeing as how his time as Bond will likely end this decade, Eon Productions, the production company behind every Bond film in history, is already seeking a replacement.
Rumoured actors up for the role have been regularly cited; Tom Hardy, Michael Fassbender, Hugh Jackman, and Benedict Cumberbatch. Newly, a name has come up that has sparked a lot of attention. Idris Elba, a black British actor, has been revealed to have met with Eon Productions about possibly taking over the role. It’s obvious to see why this would garner such attention.
Bond is and always has been a suave, good-looking, and charming white British male. His been portrayed by actors that accurately fit this description. Bond is considered the quintessential attractive and seemingly perfect male. Veering away from what society and fans have been used to would seem troubling; especially when it comes to race. There are two aspects to consider here: the topic of race and the character and the aspect of the cinematic factor, the acting. Let’s first address the cinematic influence.
Idris Elba is one of the most popular, well-rounded, and talented actors present today. His work speaks for itself. Appearing in films such as RocknRolla, Thor, Prometheus, and Takers, Elba is a hot commodity in Hollywood. Additionally, he’s widely known for his work on the crime procedural The Wire as well. However, most remarkably his work on the BBC crime drama Luther has garnered his supreme praise and admiration. Overall he’s an extremely brilliant actor. Elba is British and has expressed interest in portraying James Bond. Elba has formerly specified that he’d be “honored to play the part if it comes my way.” There’s no doubt he could portray Bond. He fits all of the characteristics. He’s brooding, tall, suave, charming, and urbane. He is the prototypical cool Brit. Especially regarding his role on Luther, he could bring a force to the role of Bond that can be seen on the show; a powerful dynamism. With all this talent there’s still that one matter going through everyone’s minds: race.
Idris Elba is a black man clear as day. I too, the author of this article am black. I believe I have no bias towards this topic. I can see the positives and negatives of the situation. Society is used to what it’s been exposed to for a long time. For example, Superman is an all-American Caucasian farm boy form Kansas. Batman is a brooding white playboy billionaire. There are many examples of fictional figures in culture who are solely and can only be a certain race. There was a time when Will Smith was offered the role of Superman and Captain America. He turned it down feeling that if the characters were portrayed by him it would ruin the history and allure of the characters. I can somehow see where he was coming from. However, where we are as a society and the time that we are in, with a black President, I feel that change is welcoming; especially in the realm of cinema.
Elba isn’t one of those black actors who shy away from taking part in black cinema, even though he is successful in what I’d call “White Hollywood”. I’m not being biased but that’s how it is. There is a difference. He’s been in such black films as Tyler Perry’s Daddy’s Little Girls, This Christmas, and Obsessed. He’s not foreign to such movies. Elba isn’t blind to such racial skepticism either. When taking the role of Heimdall in Thor, there was outrage that there would be a “black” god in a film. The gods in Thor are of Norse mythology, which is native to such countries as Scandinavia. It’s understandable why some people would feel some type of way about this. But, the producers and contributors stated that the gods in the film are also of a cosmic variety and “alien”. They’re not necessarily “white” or “Caucasian” but of all races. For example, one of Thor’s friends in the film is an Asian deity. Elba is used to this. His remarks to the Heimdall situation were pretty much in the realm if finding it all ridiculous.
If, Elba portrayed Bond, it could change Hollywood. The fact that the production company meeting with Elba, confirms that they have no problem displaying something a little different. If they have no problem, then why should society? We are at a time where a black man holds the most powerful position in the world. If we can be accustomed to that then why not to a black man playing James Bind? It could change cinema. It would open the door for a host of different interpretations of characters; imagine the story lines a black Bond could have. He may face racism while working for MI6. It would be an intricate factor that could greatly enhance the character. With any new actor comes a new interpretation and depth added to the role. Idris Elba knows all about depth when it comes to his acting.
In conclusion, if this comes to pass, Elba playing Bond, it would have a great affect on the future of Hollywood and how characters are interpreted and portrayed. Hopefully, race would no longer be a factor as society could be introduced to something new. There will always be bias and racism, but maybe it can be demoted in cinema. We’ve seen it happen in other facets of culture already relating to the President. It could be for the best.
We are currently seeking James Bond contributors on WhatCulture. To find out more about the perks of being a James Bond contributor, click here. | <urn:uuid:995dabe5-ecf2-4248-a6e8-2c524da63eba> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://whatculture.com/film/idris-elba-as-james-bond-why-it-could-change-the-culture-of-cinema.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00061-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973536 | 1,465 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Same sex marriage is among the many topics on the agenda at the 24th National Conference on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equality in Baltimore.
NAACP President Ben Jealous delivered Thursday night's keynote address.
LGBT rights advocates from all over the country met in Baltimore for their yearly conference to discuss the best ways to fight for equality in their community.
Organizers said it's a coincidence that the conference was held in Maryland while lawmakers are debating a marriage equality bill that would grant same sex partners the same legal protection as their heterosexual counterparts.
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and Maryland first lady Katie O'Malley shared their support with attendees and also spoke about the likelihood of state lawmakers passing a marriage equality bill.
"I definitely think it's close. That's why there's a big lobbying effort, and hopefully people will see that it's about family. It's about getting over prejudice and making sure we protect families," the mayor said.
"I think it's got a very good chance of passing. I'm just hopeful. I don't know what the actual numbers are because I stay out of all of it, but I hope and pray that the people in this state will come together around the issue and vote for tolerance and equality in marriage," O'Malley said.
Jealous spoke about his transgendered brother and the need to end discrimination everywhere.
"I stand before you today as an individual deeply invested in the struggle but also as the leader of an organization with strong connections to the fight for LGBT rights," he said.
He also talked about ending school bullying and attacks on voting rights, and he drew the biggest applause when he vowed to help Maryland's LGBT community. | <urn:uuid:d8399f5c-f8f2-4a79-85ea-813b5be71050> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wbaltv.com/same-sex-marriage-extended-coverage/NAACP-President-Delivers-LGBT-Conference-Keynote/-/14585800/11034766/-/v9a91z/-/index.html | 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 | 0.979395 | 345 | 1.914063 | 2 |
Failover Clustering and Network Load Balancing Team Blog
Hi Cluster Fans,
This blog will describe the Network Prioritization feature and how to configure it. Network Prioritization is used to designate which type of traffic should be directed through which network in a Failover Cluster running Windows Server 2008 R2. When designing a highly-available infrastructure, it is important to avoid any single points of failure, so there should be redundancy in all the hardware components, including the servers, storage and the networking. For this reason we recommend and assume that there are multiple networks in your cluster. If a network is unavailable Windows Server Failover Clustering will automatically direct traffic through another network to maintain service availability for applications or VMs. However some networks may be preferred for certain types of traffic based on the network’s speed, security or function, so it can be important to designate which network is used for which purpose.
Understanding the different categories of networking traffic can help you plan the best use for your networks.
We define cluster traffic as the information needed for the nodes to communicate with each other to ensure that it functions correctly. This can include communication such as heartbeats for health-checking, updates to the cluster database, join requests from partitioned nodes, and much more. Additionally Cluster Shared Volumes (CSV) traffic will use this network for metadata updates, or when it is in redirected mode, meaning that a node hosting a VM cannot directly assess its disk, so it redirects the traffic via another node to that disk. This can be configured by right-clicking on the network in Failover Cluster Manager, selecting Properties, and selecting the radio button for “Allow cluster network communication on this network”.
If a cluster is taking advantage of the live migration feature to move running Virtual Machines (VMs) between cluster nodes, then live migration traffic is an important consideration. During a live migration, large chunks of memory are copied from one server to another as quickly as possible. This burts the network with heavy traffic, and can block other types of network communication from getting through. For this reason it is recommended to have a dedicated network for live migration traffic so that it does not interfere with other important network traffic. Live migration is commonly used when a physical host needs planned maintenance (such as patching and a reboot), so running VMs are live migrated from that host to avoid any downtime for the VM guests. The faster that this network is, the more traffic can pass through it, thus the host can be evacuated quicker, so it is very common to see the fastest network being dedicated towards live migration. This can be configured by right-clicking on the network in Failover Cluster Manager, selecting Properties, selecting the radio button for “Allow cluster network communication on this network”.
Whether the cluster is providing high-availability for VMs, SQL databases, File Servers or anything else, a “client” needs to access that application, service or VM. A “client” is defined loosely as a user or application which needs to communicate with that workload running on the cluster. For the client to access that data, they need to make requests and have data sent back to them through those networks. These networks are generally less secure as they are more exposed and accessible, and they could be subject to network flooding, which could impact performance or throughput of traffic. For this reason it is recommended that you do not use this network for cluster traffic, live migration or any other use and to explicitly open it up to clients. This can be configured by right-clicking on the network in Failover Cluster Manager, selecting Properties, selecting the radio button for “Allow cluster network communication on this network” and selecting the checkbox “Allow clients to connect through this network”.
If your cluster uses iSCSI or Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) for the cluster’s shared storage, this traffic goes through an Ethernet network which the cluster will identify as a cluster network. To avoid storage I/O performance being affected with iSCSI or FCoE, it is recommended that you provide a dedicated network for storage traffic so that other network traffic does not interfere with this data. For this reason it is recommended that you do not use this network for cluster traffic, live migration or any other use. This can be configured by right-clicking on the network in Failover Cluster Manager, selecting Properties, and selecting the radio button for “Do not allow cluster network communication on this network”.
Since it is a best practice to use multiple networks in your cluster, there is likely the need to specify the function for the various cluster networks. This can be done on Windows Server 2008 R2 through the Network Prioritization (NP) feature. NP will list the order of cluster networks and give the ability for the networks to be “ranked”, where different ranks indicate different network roles. To rank a network, it is given a unique integer from 1 to 268,000,000+, which is called a “metric”.
To view the networks, their metric values, and if they were automatically or manually configured, run the clustering PowerShell cmdlet:PS > Get-ClusterNetwork | ft Name, Metric, AutoMetric
By default, all internal cluster network will have a metric value starting at 1000 and incrementing by 100. The first internal network which the cluster sees when it first comes online has a metric of 1000, the second has a metric of 1100, etc. We assume that a network is ‘internal’ if it does not have access to a default gateway. The initial list of internal networks is determined by the order which the network adapters were seen by the cluster when it was created.
By default all external cluster network will have a metric value starting at 10000 and incrementing by 100. The first external network which the cluster sees when it first comes online has a metric of 10000, the seconds has a metric of 10100, etc. We assume that a network is ‘external’ if it has access to a default gateway. The initial list of external networks is determined by the order which the network adapters were seen by the cluster when it was created.
The cluster will then use the order of the metrics as the order of networks. The lowest network will be used for “Cluster & CSV Traffic”. The second lowest network will be used for “Live Migration Traffic”. Additional networks with a metric below 10000 will be used as backup networks if the “Cluster & CSV Traffic” or “Live Migration Traffic” networks fail. The lowest network with a value of at least 10000 will be used for “Public Traffic”, and any additional networks with a metric above 10000 will be used as backup networks for “Public Traffic”. Give the highest possible values to any networks which you do not want any cluster or public traffic to go through, such as for “Storage Traffic”, so that they are never used, or only used when no other networks at all are available, depending on your settings.
So let’s say you get the following output from running PS > Get-ClusterNetwork | ft Name, Metric, AutoMetric
Name Metric AutoMetric ---- ------ ---------- Cluster Network 1 1000 True Cluster Network 2 1100 True Cluster Network 3 1200 True Cluster Network 4 10000 True Cluster Network 5 10100 True
In this scenario, these networks would carry the following types of traffic:
It is possible to customize NP if the cluster does not automatically assign networks to use the traffic pattern that you want, which will change the ranked order, and hence the function. For example, you may want Cluster Network 3 to be used for “Live Migration Traffic” as it is the fastest, so you would change its Metric to a value between 1000 and 1100, such as 1050, so that it is ranked second on the list. Once Cluster Network 3 has the second-lowest metric it will be used for Live Migration Traffic.
To change the value of a network metric, run:PS > $n = Get-ClusterNetwork “Cluster Network 3”PS > $n.Metric = 1050
This will change the metric of Cluster Network 3 to 1050.
Now you get the following output from running PS > Get-ClusterNetwork | ft Name, Metric, AutoMetric
Name Metric AutoMetric ---- ------ ---------- Cluster Network 1 1000 True Cluster Network 3 1050 False Cluster Network 2 1100 True Cluster Network 4 10000 True Cluster Network 5 10100 True
You may have noticed that is a property associated with each network called AutoMetric. This indicates whether the Metric was set using the default values (True) or if it had been later adjusted by an admin (False). This gives insight into whether NP has been configured on the cluster. Using this flag, it is actually possible to change the value of a network back to its original and automatically assigned value, by running the cmdlet:PS > $n = Get-ClusterNetwork “Cluster Network 3”PS > $n.AutoMetric = $true
There are two ways to override the default behavior of NP. The first is by changing the network’s properties by right-clicking on the network in Failover Cluster Manager, selecting Properties, and changing the radio buttons or checkboxes. For example, if you select “Do not allow cluster network communication on this network”, then it will not be possible to send any “Cluster & CSV Traffic” or “Live Migration Traffic” through this network, even if the network has the lowest metric values. The cluster will honor this override and find the network with the next lowest value to send this type of traffic.
The second override is exclusively for “Live Migration Traffic”. The networks for live migration can be configured more granularly by right-clicking on any Virtual Machine resource, selecting Properties and clicking the Network for live migration tab. Here you have the ability to specify which networks can and cannot be used for “Live Migration Traffic” and in which order they should be used. Even though it appears that this setting may be unique to that specific VM, it is actually a global setting for live migration. This means that it will override the “Live Migration Traffic” network configured through NP and all VMs will perform a live migration through the network(s) specified here. If this setting is change multiple locations, the last change will be honored.
With this information we hope you are better able to understand how to deploy, configure and use your cluster networks to get the optimal performance and function from each.
Thanks,Symon PerrimanTechnical EvangelistPrivate Cloud TechnologiesMicrosoft
This reads very similar to the netapp hyper-v configuration best practices which is good as it shows a clear "best practice standard" starting to emerge. Fun stuff to read!
What do I do wrong?
PS C:\> Get-ClusterNetwork
The term 'Get-ClusterNetwork' is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet, functi
on, script file, or operable program. Check the spelling of the name, or if a p
ath was included, verify that the path is correct and try again.
At line:1 char:19
+ Get-ClusterNetwork <<<<
+ CategoryInfo : ObjectNotFound: (Get-ClusterNetwork:String) ,
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : CommandNotFoundException
As usual I have found it immediately after the previous message has been sent.
i have an iscsi network that does not have any default gateway configured but it is showing a metric of 10100. DO you know why that would happen?
The default AutoMetric numbering scheme seems to be different in Server 2012. Can you please describe this scheme in 2012?
I agree with Nathan, any info on 2012? | <urn:uuid:ea317c9c-1732-4a21-8865-d5c4c7322a2a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.msdn.com/b/clustering/archive/2011/06/17/10176338.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.901574 | 2,478 | 2.1875 | 2 |
Former pilot eases Soldiers' pain through chiropractic care
January 17, 2013
FORT RUCKER, Ala. (January 17, 2013) -- With a few precise adjustments, Dr. Jerry Jones, chief of the Chiropractic Clinic at Lyster Army Health Clinic, can help Soldiers on their way to healing from injuries sustained through everyday work.
Jones, a former Chinook pilot, left the Army in 1994 after a lower back injury grounded him from flight. Determined to find a way to help injured Soldiers get back to work, he obtained his degree in chiropractic and started practicing in 1998.
"I'm a broken pilot, and I came back to fix other broken Soldiers," he said. "A lot of times, after Soldiers' doctors have tried other methods to heal a sprain or neck or back injury, they turn to chiropractic."
All active-duty Soldiers are eligible to receive care at the Chiropractic Clinic at Lyster as long as they obtain a referral from their primary care doctor.
"This is a great service offered to our Soldiers and they don't need to be going off post and paying a lot of money out of pocket," he said, adding the clinic has state-of-the-art equipment that rivals most chiropractic offices in the area.
Jones has never suggested that a Soldier be grounded from flight due to an injury, and the clinic staff is more than willing to accommodate Soldiers' schedules to keep their appointments consistent and not interfere with their work schedule.
"We have plenty of appointments available throughout the day to see Soldiers for adjustments and hydro and laser therapy," said Lori Rackley, a chiropractic technician and certified athletic trainer at the clinic. "We can usually get Soldiers in either the week they call or the very next week."
The clinic currently sees about 240 Soldiers a week. The first appointment a Soldier has will last about a half hour, and follow up appointments will last between five and 10 minutes, depending on the combination of treatments used.
"We have more than just adjustment tables here," Rackley said. "We offer hydrotherapy tables, which use water pressure to soothe sore or inflamed muscles and joints, and we also use electrical stimulation and cold laser therapy."
The biggest advice the clinic offers Soldiers is to ask for a referral as soon as they injure themselves.
"Waiting often irritates the problem more and makes for a longer recovery," Jones said, adding that using ice instead of heat on the injured area will start the healing process sooner.
The clinic is open weekdays from 7:30-11:30 a.m. and 1-4 p.m. For clinic questions, call 255-7709. To inquire about a referral, call 255-7000 and ask to make an appointment with your primary care doctor. | <urn:uuid:7d7253bd-0688-48cf-b8f4-54a8db060e8a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.army.mil/article/94469/Former_pilot_eases_Soldiers__pain_through___/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969469 | 584 | 1.625 | 2 |
This week our Humane Education group had the opportunity to meet 'Carly'. After the group had a chance to spend some time with 'Carly', we read the book "Buddy Unchained" and reviewed the Central Texas SPCA website, looking at photos of dogs and cats available for adoption at the shelter. The students were introduced to Microsoft Excel, and created their own Excel document about dog ownership expenses. We learned just how much it costs each year to own a dog (Close to $1000!). | <urn:uuid:cbcc5a4c-cfb1-466d-b496-4479c3c230ac> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://centraltexasspca.org/4132010-perez-elementary-carly.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974142 | 102 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Could the EU and the US be headed to a showdown thanks to Microsoft’s statement about cloud data?
Oh dear, it looks like Microsoft may have just opened a can of worms when it comes to our data on the cloud.
Last week Microsoft admitted that thanks to the Patriot Act that they would be forced to hand over any cloud data even if it is stored on European servers without notifying anyone .
Needless to say this that the European Union (EU) up in arms as this totally contradicts not only the Safe Habor agreements but also European law, mainly the Data Protection Directive.
As it stands right now the bi-lateral Safe Harbor agreement; which allows companies like Microsoft to transfer data from European facilities, guarantees some level of security and enforcement and with that the EU’s directive requires companies to notify users if/when their data is handed over to third parties.
The problem is, as Microsoft stated, that if the Patriot Act is trotted out it then supersedes any other laws or agreements and companies like Microsoft would be required to hand over the data, regardless of whether that data is on European servers or not, without notifying the user in any fashion.
This understandably has the EU more than a little concerned:
“Does the Commission consider that the U.S. Patriot Act thus effectively overrules the E.U. Directive on Data Protection? What will the Commission do to remedy this situation, and ensure that E.U. data protection rules can be effectively enforced and that third country legislation does not take precedence over E.U. legislation?”
As far as the Safe Harbor agreement, well Theo Bosboom, an IT lawyer with Dirkzager Lawyers, makes this point:
“I’m afraid that Safe Harbor has very little value anymore, since it came out that it might be possible that U.S. companies that offer to keep data in a European cloud are still obliged to allow the U.S. government access to these data on basis of the Patriot Act…”
I don’ think this isn’t the last we have heard of this. | <urn:uuid:3ae67344-5cb0-4e1e-a1e9-749ca78d7f39> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.winextra.com/tech/software/could-the-eu-and-the-us-be-headed-to-a-showdown-thanks-to-microsofts-statement-about-cloud-data/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00056-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943395 | 438 | 1.625 | 2 |
Your baby is now developing periods of movement and activity and periods of rest and quiet. Soon these periods will become definite cycles of activity, providing something of a daily (and nightly) routine to his movement.
In the absence of high levels of testosterone in a female baby, the reproductive glands become ovaries, which contain 6-8 million follicles at this stage, of which about 1-2 million will remain at birth. The ovaries have now descended from the abdomen into the pelvis. The testes also undergo a similar descent, but have not yet reached the scrotum. Under the influence of the hormone estrogen you produce, your baby of either sex may develop breast buds, although these will disappear after birth. Whether your baby is a boy or a girl has very little impact on the pregnancy. Later in pregnancy, there is a slight weight difference, with boys being slightly heavier than girls on average.
Falling during pregnancy is extremely common, as your increasingly protruding abdomen, softening ligaments and joints, and changing center of gravity can cause you to lose your balance. The good news is that your baby is safely cocooned in amniotic fluid, which protects and cushions him when you fall. Your injuries would have to be quite severe to cause any harm to your baby.
The best thing you can do is to monitor your baby's movements after a fall. If he's moving as much as normal all should be fine, but if you want reassurance, pay a visit to your doctor. If you do experience any discomfort, or unusual discharge or bleeding from your vagina, seek medical help. If you pass water, this is likely to be urine caused by stress incontinence (see ... Doctor), not amniotic fluid.
Excerpted from Pregnancy Day by Day.
Copyright © 2009 Dorling Kindersley Limited.
Buy this book now!
© 2000-2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. | <urn:uuid:d8bfe05c-4ae7-403b-87b1-ffb4e3d1dd75> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://pregnancy.familyeducation.com/second-trimester/20-weeks-6-days.html?for_printing=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950823 | 401 | 2.921875 | 3 |
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Scuba Diving in Grenada Caribbean
Site: Bianca C
Location: Off Point Salines, St Georges
Description: Cruise ship
Length: 220 metres
Depth: 30 metres to deck, 52 metres to sea floor
Visibility: 20 metres
The Bianca C sank in 1961 after catching fire following an explosion in the engine room, which killed two people. There was an attempt to tow it to shore that failed and it now lies in 52 metres of water on a sandy seabed next to Whibble Reef. The wreck is now quite broken up, but makes a fantastic dive; the central decking has rotted, exposing rib-like beams, in 1992 severe swells tore apart the rear third of the ship, and there is extensive damage to the smoke stack. The anchor lies on the seabed, the winches are visible and the forward mast is still upright and usually covered with fish. There is even a swimming pool at 43 metres on the way to the bow. The stern is very beautiful, and is often covered in fish life. There is a lot of whip coral, black tree corals and sponges on the wreckage and it lies next to a reef, which can be explored during decompression stops. Look out for eagle rays, jacks, barracuda and trumpet fish. Strong currents are possible and combined with the depth this makes it an advanced dive. At least two dives should be made on this wreck to fully appreciate it.
This is a remarkable wreck that sits upright on the seabed fully entwined with nature providing a home to a whole new ecosystem. To fully appreciate this you have to do a number of dives as the wreck is so large. My favourite part of this dive is the Bow, descend to the bottom where underneath and undisturbed lives a Green Turtle who was at least 1.2m long. From the bottom you are able to appreciate the immense size of the ship and see the growth of Gorgonians, Sponges and Sea whips which encrust the wreck. As you ascend back up to the deck keep looking around because from the blue Eagle Rays may emerge. Watch their fascinating undulating swimming style as they slowly move around the mast. Sure to be here also are shoals of Barracuda and Trevally.
Fish life is very abundant on the Stern as well. Have a swim in the swimming pool as you explore the mid ship. There are a few open sections and rooms to enter and explore. Don't forget to scream 'Riiiicky' at your buddy during the dive!
Carina Hall, PADI Divemaster
Absolutely the best 3 dives I have ever done were on this wreck. Rays, barracuda, sharks and turtles all on one dive. Fanbloodytastic! Wish I could go back, but don't think I could afford La Source again!
I agree with all the other reviews, this is a great dive. The eagle rays are a highlight and the barracudas are huge. We did a negative entry from the dive boat and were told that we should land on the wreck in the swimming pool area, not only did we 'land' in that area but actually in the swimming pool. It is difficult to imagine just how big this ship is until you get there. Worth every effort to have as many dives as you can on her.
Peter Ingham, PADI Rescue Diver (DMT)
I made this dive in 1996 and I loved it. You could see the swimming pool and many parts of the boat were easily identifiable. The jellyfish were in the thousands on the way down. Deep and a drift dive, awesome. A great dive experience for whatever reason. Do it from a local dive vessel, less expensive and a knowledgeable group of people.
Cissy McComb | 2/11/2009
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For anyone who follows personal finance, David Bach needs no introductions. He’s one of the best-selling financial writers of all time and his Finish Rich series includes eight consecutive bestsellers. With over 15 million copies of his books floating around, you’ve probably encountered one of them at some point.
I’ve always been a fan of David Bach’s books, although I haven’t read them all. What I like most is how he presents the material so that anyone can put it use. While a lot of books go into detail regarding specific tools or strategies, Bach focuses on concepts and strategies. While many of the concepts may be a bit rudimentary for more advanced readers, they really drive the point home for readers who are just getting started on their personal finance journey. The Finish Rich Dictionary takes financial education to the next step by providing a comprehensive resource filled with both familiar and unfamiliar financial terms.
The Finish Rich Dictionary
What surprised me right from the start is the content of this book. Unlike his other works, this book is literally a dictionary. So, you probably won’t sit down and read this book from cover to cover, but it does have 1001 financial words that you need to know. The main premise is that when you know the words, you can ask better questions. I think this is a very important tip. When you’re going through the fine print of a loan, or hear someone talk about a financial topic in the news, how much do you really understand if you’re not familiar with some of the words? How can you make an informed decision if you aren’t quite sure what a certain word means? And that’s where this book can help.
Unlike a traditional dictionary, you’re only going to get words that have something to do with finance. If you look up a word in a traditional dictionary, it may have multiple meanings including those outside of finance, so this book will only focus on how it applies to money. Not only that, but a lot of the words or phrases in this book won’t be in a regular dictionary. You’ll also get detailed pronunciations and other helpful information about the word.
For example, take the abbreviation COLA. If you look this up in a dictionary, you’re going to see a definition that refers to a type of soft drink. The Finish Rich Dictionary points out that this stands for Cost of Living Adjustment, and is commonly used to refer to an increase in wages or benefits to keep up with inflation. And in the back of the book, there is even a collection of common finance equations and a great list of additional suggested readings on personal finance.
All-in-all, I think it’s a handy little resource to keep on your desk. While you probably won’t read it cover to cover and memorize all the words, I’m sure you’ll find a lot of words you weren’t familiar with like I did. And even those words that are familiar, you may be able to expand on your understanding a bit. Knowledge is power, and the more you know, the more informed decisions you can make.
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Filed Under: Book Reviews
About the Author: Jeremy Vohwinkle is a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor® and spent a few years working as a financial planner. Today, he helps people make the most of their money by writing about personal finance here and elsewhere on the web. Jeremy is also Coach at Adaptu and a regular contributor for other publications such as Intuit, and American Express. Be sure to follow Jeremy on Twitter or Google+. | <urn:uuid:65566480-2f1f-4f84-ae22-e052e696259a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://genxfinance.com/review-of-david-bachs-finish-rich-dictionary/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951015 | 826 | 1.828125 | 2 |
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 29, 2006
National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, 2006
A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America
Domestic violence has no place in our society, and we have a moral obligation to help prevent it. The terrible tragedies that result from it destroy lives and insult the dignity of women, men, and children. National Domestic Violence Awareness Month is an opportunity to underscore our commitment to bringing an end to violence in the home.
A home should be a place of stability, comfort, and love. Domestic violence shatters this important foundation. My Administration is strongly committed to addressing domestic violence and helping those who have been victimized. In January, I was proud to sign legislation reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act. Since I announced the Family Justice Center Initiative in 2003, we have opened 11 Family Justice Centers across the country. These centers offer services to victims and their families, including legal advice, counseling, and support. In addition, we are continuing to work with faith-based and community organiza tions to provide training, expertise, and funding to help deliver hope and healing to those who need it most.
During National Domestic Violence Awareness Month and throughout the year, we are grateful for the advocates, counselors, and others who provide care to those affected by these acts of cruelty and for the law enforcement personnel and others who work to bring offenders to justice. We extend our compassion to the victims of domestic violence and urge them to seek assistance through local Family Justice Centers, faith-based and community organizations, and the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1 800-799-SAFE. By working together, we can build an America where every home honors the value and dignity of its loved ones.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 2006 as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. I urge all Americans to reach out to victims and help end domestic violence.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty ninth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-first.
GEORGE W. BUSH
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Cornelia Crosby, Moosehead Lake, ca. 1895Item 15315 info
Maine Historical Society
The railroads were at the forefront of promoting tourism.
The Bangor and Aroostook published a yearly booklet with feature articles and photos, a map, and advertisements that were compelling invitations to the Maine woods.
The Central Maine Railroad hired Cornelia "Fly Rod" Crosby to help it promote travel to the Maine woods.
Crosby (1854-1946) had taken up hunting and fishing to improve her health. The Phillips native became the first licensed Maine guide in 1897. | <urn:uuid:06765e89-ee67-4ab5-9aaa-4614be69764b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mainememory.net/sitebuilder/site/228/slideshow/267/display?use_mmn=1&prev_object_id=487&prev_object=page&slide_num=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95136 | 122 | 2.5625 | 3 |
Call me crazy, but I didn't think jeggings would last long enough to warrant space in anyone's closet over the age of 12, let alone have a lasting impact on our culture. But apparently, they've now become so standard that they've just received a spot in the Oxford English Dictionary--AKA the premiere authority on our sacred language.
The twelfth edition of the OED, as its informally known, was just released, and there are 400 new words nestled in its pages. Many of the latest entries are technology-based ("retweet" and "sexting" both made the cut!), but the most interesting ones, for our purposes, are "jeggings" (defined as "tight-fitting stretch trousers for women, styled to resemble a pair of denim jeans") and "mankini" (that would be "a brief one-piece swimsuit for men, with a T-back"). Yeah, seriously. So just how did these two terms find themselves deserving of explanation in the world's foremost English language reference book?
"The new words were selected after being entered into a database of 2 billion words drawn from contemporary websites and texts to prove their ubiquity," according to the Telegraph UK. "Angus Stevenson, the dictionary's editor, said: 'It's how the dictionary has always worked--we get as much evidence as we can so we know it's not just a small number of people using the word and it's not going to disappear.'"
You heard it here first, ladies--jeggings and mankinis are here to stay!
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