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Downtown is being spruced up for the Super Bowl, but in neglected neighborhoods, roads remain unpaved.
The Super Bowl is coming to New Orleans, the first to be held in the Crescent City since it was ripped apart by Hurricane Katrina. Come February 3, 2013, the Superdome—now the Mercedes-Benz Superdome—will be a site of the ultimate football frenzy, instead of the reeking, impromptu shelter the country forgot.
It’s been seven years since Katrina, and New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu (who took the helm after former Mayor Ray Nagin moved to Texas in a cloud of shame) is selling the Super Bowl as the city’s comeback. Landrieu has announced a brand-new streetcar line through the Central Business District to help shuttle Super Bowl-goers. The line connects four Super Bowl hot spots: the game, the parking lot designated for tailgating, the French Quarter and of course, Bourbon Street. The tailgating lot is adjacent to a Greyhound station, meaning that the streetcar line will go some way toward shoring up the city’s decimated infrastructure after the Super Bowl has come and gone. But locals are pretty sure that juxtaposition is just a happy accident.
The hype over the Super Bowl has been huge. “New Orleans is back,” gushed Saints owner Tom Benson in brief remarks at the NFL Super Bowl award announcement.
But try telling that to the people who live in the still-devastated Lower Ninth Ward or on the tattered lakefront of Lake Pontchartrain. Or to the city's displaced population–30 percent fewer people than before the storm still live there–now scattered around the United States since being thrown on buses and planes after Katrina hit.
Basic infrastructure in the Lower Ninth Ward isn’t just lacking—it’s non-existent. The new houses built by Brad Pitt’s Make It Right charity may look pretty when you crest the rise over the Claiborne Bridge, but they are half-vacant. People are reluctant to live in an area where few proper roads exist and basic amenities like groceries aren’t available.
Don, a resident of Pitt’s new green-friendly homes, has had a gaping hole in his road for months. Formerly paved, the road is now dirt.
When I was there in October, I got out of the car to take a closer look. Water was bubbling up through the hole. Heavy construction trucks had broken a water main by driving over dirt roads unable to bear the load. Don tried for months to get the city to come out and fix it. He even asked the two sheriffs living on his block to see what they could do about it. Nothing. He told me he would maybe ask “Brad’s people” to help. But, upon a return trip this week I checked out the hole again, and the water is still flowing.
The nearby Claiborne Avenue, however, is lined with full-grown palms as part of Landrieu’s beautification project. Palms like that can cost upward of $10,000 a piece. Just south of there, Pitt’s organization is testing out a new form of concrete made from recycled materials, in keeping with its green theme. A press release explains in part:
Make It Right poured a section of pervious concrete road in our neighborhood more than a year and a half ago to test the feasibility of using it on roads in our neighborhood…Pervious roads allow water to filtrate through the concrete, reducing stress on the storm water management system and allowing groundwater to recharge as well as filtering pollutants from the water as it flows through the concrete.
Green is good, but creating a safe, revitalized community should be the priority. Without infrastructure a community cannot return. With no school, no supermarket, impassable roads and unreliable public transportation, the pretty new houses sit like decoys on a rough lake. The testing of concrete should have been completed post-haste, and certainly before Pitt’s organization invited anyone back into its Lower Ninth Ward housing project. New Orleans is not a playground to experiment with sustainable materials; it’s a living city that people call home.
I reached out to Make It Right and got no call back, so I stopped by their offices. They are on Magazine Street in the Central Business District. No one in the PR department was able to talk, but the receptionist chatted with me for a moment. She didn’t live through Katrina; she moved down afterward from Chicago. I told her about Don, his non-road and the bubbling water main running through it. I asked her why it took so long for someone to get out there and fix it. Was it a city issue? A Make It Right issue? She just shook her head and said, “These things take time.”
But this isn’t a cautionary tale about Make It Right, per se. It is a cautionary tale—particularly pertinent in the wake of Hurricane Sandy—about disaster capitalism and the way Americans respond to unspeakable devastation.
Like Katrina, Sandy drew support from well-meaning celebs (such as the recent benefit concert with Springsteen, McCartney and Jagger) and an outpouring of national support (including the outrage over Congress stonewalling a bill for aid). But eventually camera crews retreat, donations run dry, the press finds new obsessions and FEMA funds max out. Recovery is a long-term prospect. It is time we treat it that way. Short-term fixes like FEMA trailers or the temporary heaters and electricity in Mastic Beach or Staten Island are patches that can lull a weary population into thinking that help will continue to flow.
But we need to continue to agitate for a participatory, publicly funded rebuilding process for New York’s coast—and, seven years after Katrina, for the Lower Ninth Ward. If we turn our attention away, both communities will be abandoned to starry-eyed public-private development plans that do not take people’s needs into account. Neither the promise of pervious concrete nor a weekend of Super Bowl spending can substitute for paved roads.
This first appeared in inthesetimes.com | <urn:uuid:df9ffc2e-f7e5-4b03-a4b4-e2e21afec757> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.beyondchron.org/articles/New_Orleans_SuperFail_10882.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958831 | 1,300 | 1.859375 | 2 |
CUEmmunication: Beginning Communication with People Who are Deafblind.
WHERE TO BEGIN
Due to the severe shortage of training courses specific to deafblindness, many people working in the field are untrained. Support providers may begin their work with people who are deafblind with feelings of inadequacy and apprehensiveness simply because they do not have even a basic knowledge of how to make contact or communicate with an individual who is deafblind.
Perhaps the question most frequently asked is, "Where do you begin?"
Although the following practical guidelines have been written primarily for use with people who are congenitally, or prelingually, deafblind, steps 1 - 4 in particular can certainly be used with many other individuals who are deafblind.
The initial contact you make with a person who is congenitally deafblind is critically important - it may even open the gateway to communication and language development.
Consider the following:
A person with hearing and vision is given many incidental cues about another person approaching him, before the other person ever says a word or comes within his personal space.
A person with hearing and vision may see another person approaching from quite a distance and may be able to tell by their height or demeanour whether it is a child or an adult. He may be able to tell whether it is a male or a female. He will see the colour and style of the hair and the clothing. As the person comes closer, he may hear the person speaking to someone else in the background and recognise the voice. He can see the facial expressions and body language which may indicate how that person is feeling or perhaps even guess what kind of a mood that person is in. He will certainly know whether the person is familiar to him or a complete stranger.
All of this information, and more, is available to the person with hearing and vision, before the advancing person makes any effort whatsoever to communicate their impending arrival.
The person who is deafblind will not have the advantage of this distance information that people who have hearing and sight take for granted.
How can we provide meaningful information to the person who is deafblind?
A person diagnosed as congenitally, or pre-lingually, deafblind may be difficult to assess as to just how much vision and/or hearing the individual has. Accurate assessment of functional vision and hearing can be even more difficult if the person has additional disabilities.
Until such time that reliable assessments can be made, the person must be given the 'benefit of the doubt'. In other words, we must never assume that a person who is deafblind knows we are approaching, or knows who we are once contact is made.
The person must be approached appropriately.
PRACTICAL STEPS TO COMMUNICATION - or 'CUE'mmunication!
This simple, but structured, technique of approach can be used with very young children, as well as adults.
Before making any contact with the person who is deafblind, it is important to consult with parents and service providers to gain information in regard to types of communication that have been used, any sign names that may have already been introduced and preferred activities.
Remember, ALL people who are deafblind are individuals, and some of the following steps may need to be adapted to suit individual needs and preferences.
To be effective, the following guidelines are recommended to be used consistently, by all people who are involved with the person who is deafblind, and in all settings.
At this close proximity, even if the person is profoundly deaf and/or unable to comprehend speech, he may gain important information from intonation, pitch and/or breath stream. He may also be able to smell shampoo, perfume, after-shave or garlic from last night's dinner! If perfume or after-shave is worn, try to always wear the same kind, as this may give the person a valuable cue as to who you are.
Do not wear strong perfume or after-shave. This can be very offensive to some people, as can the smell of cigarette smoke on hands or breath.
Good hygiene is very important, as you will be in close contact with a person who is deafblind.
3. Now you can introduce yourself.
Gently place the back of your hand against the back of his hand (as you would if offering someone sighted guide). Leave your hand there until he initiates further contact, such as moving his fingers or feeling your hands for rings or a bracelet.
Be patient. Wait for the person to make the next move.
If there is a piece of jewellery that is always worn, or a distinguishing characteristic such as a beard, guide his hand to it each time. If this is done consistently, he will eventually seek the cue himself.
Never grab or force things into the palms of the hands, as these are the 'eyes' of a person who is deafblind.
4. Say "Hello".
If he offers a palm you may make a circular movement onto his palm to say "hello". This gesture can also be made onto the back of his hand, if he does not offer the palm. Some people are labelled 'tactilely defensive' if, at contact, they pull their hands away, retract their hands into fists, or refuse to touch something. 'Tactilely selective' may be a more accurate term. Perhaps many episodes of having things forced into his hands with no warning or introduction has resulted in his choosing to be selective about what, or who, he will touch.
5. Initially use only one letter or sign as a sign name for the person.
Combined letters or signs may only confuse at this early stage. A possible sign name would be to fingerspell the first letter of his name, eg., "hello J." and direct his hand to point to himself, and say "You are J(oe)." Then guide his hand to point to you and to touch your personal distinguishing cue as you say your name, "I'm Sharon."
Then guide his hand back to point to himself and to fingerspell 'J'
into his hand. Repeat the procedure. [At a later stage you can introduce
your sign name in the same way, eg., guide his hand to point to you and
to feel you making your sign name; then guide his hand back to point to
him and make his sign name; then guide his hand back to point to you and
to make your sign
Always give the person enough time to initiate a response. Sometimes we are too eager to 'help' and we shape or prompt the person's hands into a response before they have had enough time to process their next move. Not only is this frustrating for the person, but it also develops learned helplessness.
6. You can now proceed with an activity.
(Consultation with people close to Joe would have already taken place to establish what kinds of activities he likes.) Take Joe's lead. Respond to any communication attempts.
If he indicates preference for a particular activity, respond accordingly. At this stage he may wait for you to initiate an activity.
7. Give him meaningful information about the forthcoming activity.
Never assume that he understands what you expect him to do, or what you plan to do with him.
Consistent use of a meaningful object, or cue, presented before the activity can help the person to develop an association with and to anticipate that activity.
Make sure that the object, or cue, you choose is meaningful to him, and that everyone involved with him uses the same object, or cue, for that particular activity.
Remember to choose objects for characteristics that will appeal to the individual person, being particularly attentive to the texture and/or smell of the object if there is little or no vision.
If it is time for an activity, take a piece of the activity to him. He can then carry the object to the activity to indicate where he is going.
If this is done consistently he will build up associations and will begin to anticipate the related activities when presented with the object.
8. Make a conscious effort to say "hello" and "goodbye". The person who is deafblind will not see you coming or going, nor will he hear you saying "hello" or "goodbye", so you must approach him to give him this information.
Give the person who is deafblind the same respect and courtesy you would expect from anyone who enters or leaves your own home.
9. If you must leave the person for a short period and will be returning to him soon, indicate this by telling him and accompany it by a touch cue (perhaps a gentle squeeze on the shoulder). Whatever cue is used, make sure it is used consistently, and that it differs from what is used to indicate 'goodbye', when you leave for the day or for an extended period of time.
Always let him know who you are when you come back to him, even if you have only been away for a minute.
It only takes a few seconds to follow the steps outlined above to let the person know who it is. Never assume that he knows it is you and don't play games like 'guess who I am?'.
10. Give the individual a reason to trust you and a reason to want to communicate with you.
11. Approach is really nothing more than good common sense. Use it consistently and it will become automatic. Although it is a structured method, it takes only seconds to apply, so the old excuse, "We just don't have the time to do it " just doesn't work here!
What is important in effective communication is not so much the variety of communication methods and number of signs you know, but how you use that knowledge, and respect the communication that is used and understood by the individual who is deafblind - 'the attitude of communication'.
Sharon Barrey Grassick - Perth, Western Australia, 1997.
REFERENCES and RECOMMENDED READING: | <urn:uuid:4f105f45-2605-4fb9-bfaa-dfc4e8b3817b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.deafblind.com/CUEmmun.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966255 | 2,049 | 3.46875 | 3 |
House Speaker John A. Boehner threw down the gauntlet on Friday, telling President Barack Obama that if he wanted to raise the nation’s debt limit, he had to meet Republicans’ fiscal demands.
Mr. Boehner released a strong statement saying “the president and his party may want a debt limit increase without spending cuts that exceed the amount of the debt limit hike” and “includes tax hikes” and “without budget reforms that will restrict Washington’s ability to spend in the future, but such a proposal cannot pass the House.”
Mr. Obama and Mr. Boehner met at the White House on Wednesday evening to discuss the terms of the debt ceiling increase, but clearly the discussion did not get very far.
The speaker emphasized repeatedly in the statement the power of the Republican House to stop any debt limit increase that does not fit into their mandate. “The American people voted for a new majority in the House with clear orders to end the spending binge in Washington,” stated Mr. Boehner. “And since January, I have been clear: the new majority in the House will stand with the people.”
Mr. Boehner’s declaration comes one day after Majority Leader Eric Cantor abruptly and unilaterally decided not to attend any more of the budget negotiations led by Vice President Joseph A. Biden. The Biden group of two congressional Republicans and four Democrats has been meeting since early May and set a July 1 deadline to solidify a package to vote before the August 2 deadline for the debt ceiling.
Mr. Cantor said that the Democrats’ insistence on tax hikes in the package made it impossible for him to continue. The Majority Leader was the sole delegate appointed by the speaker to represent the Republican House in the Biden debt talks. Mr. Cantor’s decision on Thursday led many to believe that he wanted to avoid personal blame for a mediocre deal and to force Mr. Boehner to take over the heat from the conservatives in the party.
The Virginia Republican’s apparent effort to make himself the conservatives’ leader was more clear when he suddenly announced a floor vote for a Balanced Budget Amendment (BBA). Mr. Cantor has avoided reporters questions for months about bringing the BBA to the floor. Late Wednesday, a group of the most conservative House members, led by Republican Study Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, pledged not to vote for a debt limit increase unless the BBA passed both chambers.
Mr. Obama originally asked Congress to increase the $14.3 statutory debt limit in the spring, with a “clean vote”, and no changes to the out-of-control spending in Washington. Republicans pushed back, insisting that the vote would have to include spending cuts, entitlement reform, but no tax increases. As a result, the president was forced to play on the GOP field and set up the Biden group to make a deal on deficit reduction in the near and long-term. The last Biden meeting on Thursday - which was cancelled after Mr. Cantor dropped out - was supposed to deal with spending caps for future spending and trigger mechanisms for enforcement.
Mr. Boehner has said for weeks now that for a deal to be made in the president’s time frame, Mr. Obama would have to get personally engaged in the negotiations. He reiterated the point on Friday, stating that “if the president wants this done, he must lead.”
The debt ceiling is the Republicans best chance this year, and probably through the 2012 election, to use their leverage to force Democrats to make significant changes in the $1.5 trillion annual budget deficit and reform the Medicare program, which is the biggest driver of the debt.
“We have an extraordinary opportunity to do something big for our economy and our country,” Mr. Boehner said. “With presidential leadership, we can seize this moment and deliver something important for the people we serve.” | <urn:uuid:5715b635-7495-4a5b-beff-f7bf6dda7d76> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/watercooler/2011/jun/24/miller-boehner-doubles-downs-debt-ceiling/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963366 | 796 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Let’s say you’re seeing a healthy 21-year-old woman in your office for contraception management. She takes no other medicines, has no personal or family history of blood clots, and has no contraindications to estrogen. She is interested in a long-acting contraceptive that she won’t have to worry about remembering every day. IUD, subdermal progesterone implant, q 3 months injectable progesterone – how do you choose?
Or, how about this: a 45-year-old man presents with frequent migraine headaches. You review the best evidence for migraine prophylaxis in adults and are stuck deciding between propranolol and amitriptyline. Which do you use?
Gray areas like these abound in Family Medicine, even with the ever-growing primary care evidence base. In both of these scenarios, no one option is clearly superior to the other. All of those contraceptive options would be efficacious for the 21-year-old woman, and, likewise, the efficacy of propranolol versus amitriptyline for the migraineur is probably a toss-up.
These types of situations, where multiple reasonable treatment options exist, provide an opportunity to involve the patient in the decision. Shared decision making (SDM) brings the patient’s preferences into the conversation and gives them some ownership over the final choice.
I wish that I could tell you that SDM has a rigorous evidence base behind it, but like many behavioral interventions, few quality studies exist to suggest patient benefit. A study last week in the Annals of Internal Medicine, however, may help to reinforce SDM’s value. Weiner et al engaged patients who surreptitiously recorded their office visits with Internal Medicine residents. The residents who adapted their care plan to meet their specific patient’s preferences had, in return, improved compliance from their patients.
This study was small and needs to be replicated in bigger settings, but its finding makes intuitive sense: patients invited to be involved in treatment decisions tend to have better adherence with those treatments.
You can ease the loss of the extra time it takes to do SDM by billing for the time spent in counseling (10 min = 99212, 15 min = 99213, and 25 min = 99214). Just be sure to document as such in your encounter note.
In 2010, AFP also published a nice SDM review, along with a helpful framework for the office. You can find that Curbside Consultation here: http://www.aafp.org/afp/2010/0301/p645.html.
I welcome your thoughts on the practical use of SDM in the busy family doc’s practice. | <urn:uuid:ea715140-9214-4812-93fc-3400e691dd35> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://singingpendrjen.blogspot.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944083 | 570 | 1.664063 | 2 |
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Matthew 7:13-29For the past few weeks we have been dipping into Matthew to pick up on Jesus' teachings on the Kingdom. Today we are coming to the end of the most fertile words of Jesus on the Kingdom. He ends this section speaking about 2 ways or gates (narrow and wide), 2 guides or prophets (true and false) and two foundations (on the sand and on the rock).
First, the two gates: 13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
NOTE the results of each. The narrow gate leads to life and the wide gate leads to destruction. In a very real sense, we are left with two choices. Do we enter by the narrow gate that is difficult where few will find it? Or, do we enter by the wide gate that is easy and many will find it?
NOTE also Jesus begins with the command urging us to enter in through the narrow gate. Remember, the entire Sermon on the Mount is answering the question, "How does your teaching differ from what we've been taught, Jesus?" His answer here is that to follow Him and His teaching will be difficult, but will lead to life. To choose not to follow Him and His teaching will be the easiest thing to do, because the masses are going in that direction. Don't follow the crowd; follow Jesus.
Jesus next speaks of two guides or prophets: 15 "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
Unfortunately, false prophets don't wear an FP on their sleeves or foreheads. Jesus warns that there will be false prophets who seem harmless, but are out to destroy. He says that you can decipher them by their fruits. But even this may be difficult to judge (conclusively judge) whether or not a prophet is false or genuine, because many false prophets show a certain kind of fruitfulness in what they do. That's what makes them so attractive and authentic.
But NOTE what the test here really is. The term fruit is the operative word here. In order to check out a prophet's fruit (not their show or outward demonstration), you need to observe the person and ministry over a prolonged period of time. It takes time to produce fruit. There is no instant fruit. So watch for the fruit over a long period of time and you'll know.
Now NOTE what these false prophets actually do. 21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?' 23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
Jesus says that there will be people who come before Him in the last days, calling Him Lord, but will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Just using the right language will not get a person into the kingdom of heaven. HOWEVER, the one who does the will of the Father will enter-the person who not only talks a good game, but walks it and proves it out by his actions.
These people, Jesus says, will do 3 things that will make it all the more difficult to discern whether or not a person is a false prophet. · They speak in the name of Jesus. · They cast out demons in the name of Jesus. · They perform many miracles in the name of Jesus.
WOW! These are some powerful things that the false prophets do. So how can you tell the difference between the false and the genuine? The only answer Jesus gives here is that you will know them by their fruits, so watch what they do.
2 GATES (narrow and wide) and 2 GUIDES (true and false). Now, Jesus finishes up these pairings with 2 FOUNDATIONS. 24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
The 2 Foundations are representative of people as they build their lives. Compare the two foundations. Each person hears the words of Jesus and each person faces the same rain, floods, and blowing winds slamming against them.
NOTE also the differences between the two. Each person responds differently to the words he has heard-one by acting upon the words of Jesus & the other by not acting upon them. Then, each person experiences a different result-one does not fall down and the other falls flat!
I am now convinced that most of us, most of the time, have lived our lives founded upon the sand. It's what I call the "sandcastle lifestyle". What Jesus is saying is so simple and so profound. Jesus wants only two things from us.
FIRST-He wants each of us to listen to His words. Instead of talking all of the time when you pray, try sitting still and waiting for Jesus to speak to you. You'll know what He wants from you. You'll know what His will is for you. I regret to say that I have spent most of my life talking and not listening. Therefore, I have missed out on what Jesus is attempting to say to me. It's as simple and as tragic as that.
SECOND-He wants each of us to act upon what He says to do. Listen to Jesus and do what He says to do-no more and no less.
NOW, NOTE THE RESULTS: If you hear His words and are careful to do them, no matter what comes in against you, your house will not collapse! If you hear His words and don't do them, the very same rain, floods, and winds will come upon you, then your house will fall flat-dramatically!
The response to Jesus' words is truly amazing: 28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.
Jesus didn't quote other authorities to make His point. He spoke from His own authority. Jesus spoke so powerfully that it amazed all those who heard Him. This Jesus is for real! Jesus is so attractive! Jesus is the most irresistible One Who ever lived! | <urn:uuid:8611c405-dbf9-4c3f-9241-e35a4e0a9945> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://embersfellowship.blogspot.com/2007_06_04_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975238 | 1,537 | 1.921875 | 2 |
Roasting Theory & Sample Roasting - Students will learn about the basic dynamics of heat transmission inside a drum roaster, and will study the effects of roasting on samples of coffee at various degrees of roast. Students will understand the controls and integral parts of a Probat BRZ-2 sample roaster, and will successfully roast samples (solo) for evaluation.
Basic QA Procedures for Green & Roasted Coffee - Students will be given a general overview of proper lab equipment, procedures and test protocols for maintaining consistent product profiles, and gain insight into how to manage their green coffee components to optimize roasting consistency.
Basic Coffee Cupping - Students will taste the results of the sample roasts, and discuss the effect of different roasting techniques on the coffees.
Roasting, Hands on - Students will learn about the mechanics of a Probat L12 drum roaster, and then will learn how to roast coffee in a consistent fashion. Topics such as organization of raw materials, importance of proper lighting, safety (including fire control), maintenance and sight roasting vs. profile roasting will be covered.
NOTE: Students should wear jeans or other work clothes, and comfortable, closed-toe shoes to both days. Winter students should dress in layers, as some segments of the class take place in a lightly-heated warehouse environment. We recommend refraining from smoking or consuming large amounts of coffee prior to the class.
Class size is limited to four (4) students to ensure ample hands-on roasting time for each participant. | <urn:uuid:91174f78-2a30-4552-815a-5e12908fb553> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.coffeesolutions.net/workshops-probat.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.906421 | 313 | 2.296875 | 2 |
In the past few months I’ve been thinking about how quickly the story and aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan disappeared from the front pages of the mainstream news. I’ve been wondering about the recovery efforts and what in hell happened with those nuclear power plants. The Atlantic’s photo blog, In Focus, with Alan Taylor (creator of The Boston Globe’s popular Big Picture feature) at the helm, somewhat answers my question with a collection of before and after photos of Japan. The earthquake and tsunami hit Japan earlier this year on March 11th, and the devastation of the immediate aftermath seemed overwhelming. Clearly, a lot of work remains, but these photos (such as the one above) taken six months later reflect how remarkable the clean-up and recovery efforts have been.
Before and after
French photographer Sacha Goldberger assembled an indoor studio at the Bois de Bologne in Paris, a park two-and-a-half times the size of Central Park, where he stopped joggers mid-workout and asked them do a sprint and then pose for a portrait immediately afterwards. The result? We look wretched when we work out, a fact anyone whose eyes have ever wandered in the gym can attest to. But that wasn’t the only point Goldberger wanted to make. After immortalizing his subjects’ blotchy, red-faced, sweat-soaked visages on film, he asked them to come to his studio the following week, where, using the same lighting, the same pose and similarly-colored clothing he took another portrait. | <urn:uuid:99db97f8-c6f1-420b-bf22-0d1447a5694d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sundancechannel.com/blog/tag/before-and-after | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955443 | 323 | 1.992188 | 2 |
LaserNet successfully repaired the green laser beam that rotates over the city of Monterrey, Mexico, restoring a long held tradition. The 240’ tall tower, known as the “Light House of Commerce” had been idle for two years due to various attempts to repair the system by others. The beam over the city was restored just in time for the September 15th Mexican Independence Day Celebration.
In addition to restoration, LaserNet also upgraded the installation with the addition of LaserPro beam table designed to target specific monuments like the City Hall building, the Museum of Mexican Culture, the Technological University, the Mexican flag at the Obispado Hill, and the city cathedral. The beams bouncing throughout the city made their first appearance on September 20th, the 410th Anniversary of the founding of Monterrey.
Working closely with city officials, LaserNet’s technical expert, Horacio Pugliese, repaired the extensively damaged YAG laser at LaserNet’s office and then installed the complete system in the tower. Due to the intense local media coverage, Pugliese has become a Monterrey celebrity, recognized on the street for his hard work in returning the beam over the city.
Monterrey Mayor Edgar Olays comments, “After many failed attempts, it was a pleasure to work with someone that told me exactly what the problems were and then delivered exactly what he promised. We are very proud to have the laser beam, once again, rotating over the city. Mr. Pugliese did an excellent job.”
Pugliese says, “I am especially proud of the beam collimation combined with the targeting of the city monuments. The beam at 5,000 meters by 3 meters wide, which means an incredibly tight beam traveling over the city for the precise targeting.”
The nightly laser display can be seen for miles as this unique feature once again fills the sky with laser beams.
LaserNet is a founding member of ILDA (the International Laser Display Association) and took the necessary steps to train the current operators of the safety aspects of the laser display. | <urn:uuid:5e391f91-d3f8-4ae0-8877-99a5223f1f19> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://livedesignonline.com/architainment/lasernet-returns-beam-monterrey-mexico | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964209 | 434 | 1.9375 | 2 |
After a meeting with UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Asia and the Pacific Dr.Nafis Sadik, Public Health Minister Witthaya Buranasiri said Dr Sadik praised Thailand for its effective AIDS prevention strategy in the past 28 years.
She said Thailand is among the top countries in the world to have successful HIV/AIDS campaigns, adding Thailand’s plans coincide with the the UNAIDS target, which includes no more new patient, no more death, and no discrimination.
Mr Witthaya stated that the nation has earmarked a 44-billion baht budget for the HIV/AIDS prevention plans from 2012-2016, and set the target of no more than 4,900 new AIDS patients by 2016.
According to the minister, around 10,000 new patients have been found and that over 480,000 AIDS patients still alive in Thailand in 2011. 30-40% of AIDS patients are drug addicts who share needles. | <urn:uuid:7df82f29-d1b7-4c48-9f95-e295fa79c87c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pattayamail.com/news/unaids-praises-thailand-for-effective-hiv-aids-prevention-strategy-12671 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938361 | 201 | 1.882813 | 2 |
Previous posts: Chapter 1A: "The Questions"; Chapter 1B: "What Kind of Project Is This?"; Chapter 2A: "The One with Whom We Have to Do"; Chapter 2B: "The Kinds of Project This Isn't"; Chapter 3A: "The One Who Has To Do With Us"; Chapter 6: "To Be and To Have a Living Body"; Chapter 7: "Personal Bodies: Meditation on Job 10"
In reading through Parts 1 and 2 of Kelsey's work -- on, respectively, the triune God relating to humankind creatively and to draw it to eschatological consummation -- a theme has emerged that warrants pointing out, meditating on, and working through. Particularly in Chapter 6, "To Be and To Have a Living Body," and in Chapter 15A, "Who and What We Are as Eschatologically Consummated Creatures," Kelsey is insistent on maintaining what I will call an exceptionless, unimpairable anthropology.
Which is to say: according to Kelsey, no set of acceptable anthropological definitions may contain exceptions (e.g., those who are mentally handicapped or born lacking certain widespread capacities) or impairments (e.g., those who have lost the ability to see or to speak).
Note what Kelsey says in Chapter 6:
There is plenty to dispute in each proposed marker of the class "human," but they all share one major drawback. Each relies on a property that undoubtedly characterizes most living human bodies, but only in varying degrees. Some of them, such as "rationality," "self-consciousness," and "language-using," appear to be missing in newborn human beings and only appear through a developmental process. Some disappear in the dementia of some of the aged, even though normal maturation may earlier have developed them to a high degree. Some are destroyed by accident or disease. Some never develop, through some malfunction of normal developmental processes. Were these characteristics employed strictly as the criteria of human beings' humanness, one would have to conclude that infants and profoundly damaged human beings were not human. But in that case, one would have to say that Christian theological anthropological claims do not apply to such living bodies, which is theologically unacceptable. To avoid that conclusion, it has regularly been necessary in theology to introduce mediating categories such as "potential 'human' living bodies" (e.g., infants) and "former" or "lapsed 'human' living bodies" (e.g., those who are profoundly damaged). These categories, mediating between the "genuinely human" and the "quasi-human," too easily appear to be euphemisms for "not really human." The advantage of a criterion based on Homo sapiens DNA is that it identifies in a more clear-cut way the subset of living bodies of which theological anthropological claims are made. (258; emphasis added)Connect these remarks to what he later says in Chapter 15A:
There is no warrant for supposing that eschatologically transfigured or glorified nonphysical bodies are perfect bodies in which the imperfections and disabilities that were among the factors constituting their concrete particularity as pre-mortem physical bodies have been removed, healed, or corrected. Such a claim cannot be said to follow any trajectory of thought rooted in the narrative logic of accounts in canonical Christian Holy Scripture of God drawing humankind to eschatological consummation. . . . [Earlier in the book, I] set aside the traditional claim that God creates absolutely perfect living human bodies on the grounds that the concept of absolutely perfect human bodies is incapable of coherent explanation and exposition.I assume it is clear what I mean by "exceptionless" and "unimpairable." The former specifies the rule that one cannot make claims about what it means to be a human being that contain a single exception, the latter the rule that human persons cannot be damaged "in" their humanity (i.e., whatever it means to be human cannot itself be impaired).
What is theologically at stake here, of course, is the status of imperfections (e.g., wounds) and "disabilities" as properties constitutive of the concrete particularity of eschatologically glorified human bodies. Is the concept of an eschatologically glorified human body inconsistent with the ascription to it of bodily imperfections and disabilities that could serve as some of the properties by which it is recognized in its concrete particularity as continuous with a pre-mortem human living body one had known? I urge that it is not. I suggest that there are no theological grounds for rejecting the proposal that eschatologically glorified bodies, spiritual bodies in Paul's sense, continue in their concrete particularity to have the imperfections and disabilities that were properties constitutive of their concrete particularities before death. (540-41; emphasis added)
From what I can tell, these sorts of parameters (E.U.A. for short) are becoming more common -- even a trend -- in anthropological work, whether theological, philosophical, or otherwise. In general, and certainly as evidenced by Kelsey's arguments in its favor above, the reasons behind the trend are sound and worthwhile, and so this broad turn in thinking may indeed by the right one. However, I want at the very least to raise some questions for it that are worth answering as we continue this line of thought.
(N.B.: I am a newbie to this discipline, and more or less clueless in the realm of disabilities studies, so for those with more knowledge and experience in those areas, please proceed with charity. I am sincerely looking to learn, not poke holes.)
1. Kelsey claims there is "no warrant" theologically nor a single "trajectory of thought rooted in the narrative logic of accounts in canonical Christian Holy Scripture" that would lead one to suppose that "imperfections and disabilities" will be "removed, healed, or corrected" in the eschaton. He combines this claim with another he opposes, namely, that eschatological bodies will be "perfect bodies." But need we make these two claims the same? Can we not say that, in some sense, there might be some imperfections or disabilities that might be "removed, healed, or corrected," without going so far as to say that "glorified body" equates to "perfected body"?
2. Is there any way to differentiate between various "imperfections and disabilities"? A martyr's wounds (like the paradigmatic stigmata of Christ) seem to be fundamentally different -- that is, on both a conceptual and a practical level -- than a person's being born with eyes that do not function correctly, and so cannot see. Is it inherently inappropriate to say that, at the resurrection, the former will remain as a constitutive component of that person's particularity, while the latter will somehow be healed? What if a person born blind has that hope herself? What are generous but critical ways in which to talk about such things without being either insensitive or prejudice-assuming?
3. Shouldn't the flow of time come into play as a theological factor in these discussions? What of a person physically unable to walk for years, but who (through medical and therapeutic means) comes to walk later in life? What of a person whose mental impairment comes through an accident late in life? What of those persons who lived prior to modern medicine whose disabilities or physical/mental challenges are addressable ("fixable") today?
4. How are we to understand both sickness and disease and the vulnerability of damageable bodies in connection to sin, death, and something like a "fall"? Kelsey argues (and I think him correct) that the vulnerability of embodiment and finitude appropriately belongs to a world created by God and deemed "good." But what of disease? Do Alzheimer's, HIV/AIDS, Cholera belong to a "good" cosmos? How are the ravaging consequences of such things taken into account as "removed, healed, or corrected" in eschatological consummation?
5. A related question involves profound mental and physical impairments, particularly for persons born with them. Do these belong to a world without sin, to an "unfallen" world? Do they, or their consequences, therefore belong or remain in a righted-world, a healed and restored cosmos purged of sin and the power of death?
6. Another similar question, related also to temporality, is the matter of complications that lead to the death of infants and children. In what ways can we speak coherently about the "imperfections and disabilities" that were involved in such tragic deaths without also speaking of their being (again, somehow) righted or undone or healed by God in glory?
7. As regards the biblical narrative, the single glaring instance of something like "imperfections and disabilities" being responded to eschatologically by God is of course the enormous repetition of stories of Jesus' healing in the Gospels. Kelsey does not deal with this in his argument, and I have seen at least some Christian theological arguments that claim we should seek to qualify (if not outright disallow) the import of these texts for normatively shaping the way in which Christians think about such things. If the latter approach is correct, why, and on what grounds? If the healing stories are germane to the question of resurrected life and eschatological transformation -- relevant as a picture of what happens when the reign of God comes near to the lives of people experiencing some kind of limitation on their personal flourishing in community -- how are they so? What do they say about both the "now" of persons living with some kind of "imperfection" or "disability" and their "not yet"? How, in other words, should they form our hope for life in God's kingdom?
8. Is it helpful at all to identify generic features of human life, not as markers of some human essence but as descriptors of what it is like, generally, to be in the midst of living human community? If one excludes such descriptive features on the grounds that they do not apply to everyone -- infants, in Kelsey's example, or elderly persons with dementia -- what are we left with to talk about regarding what actual human life is like "on the whole"? In other words, if aliens were to set down in the midst of nearly any human community on the planet, they would be bound to discover language-using, art-making, sex-coupling, food-eating, divinity-worshiping, child-rearing, violence-erupting, land-tilling, animal-relating, technology-creating, family-networking, story-telling, group-indwelling creatures we call "human." Of course, not every individual or community can claim every single one of these features. But do these features not tell us something about what human existence is like? Is there not a way to think about and discuss them without slipping into needlessly essentialist (and so prejudicial) talk?
9. Finally, is identification of human being by Homo sapiens DNA really a solution to the historically disputed anthropological alternatives? Was there really no sure way of telling what was human before the last 150 years? Can we not imagine some global catastrophe that would set human civilization back technologically (and thus scientifically) that would render this answer untenable? What of areas of the world where DNA is not a viable cultural idiom? Are their cultural ideas of how to identify human being translatable with this claim?
I'll leave my reflections/questions at that. I look forward to hearing others' thoughts, both those who have read the book and those who have not. | <urn:uuid:eca86687-08a1-42ce-8fc3-1bf6d56f26a5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://resident-theology.blogspot.com/2011/06/reading-eccentric-existence-reflections.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00065-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956817 | 2,417 | 2.40625 | 2 |
Former pediatric nurse, Bernese mountain dog team teaches children about helping, healing
Janet Myers and Bentley will visit Riley in April
Last Updated: 61 days ago
ZIONSVILLE, Ind. - A pediatric nurse and her huge, fluffy pet brought a special message to one Zionsville school Thursday.
Former pediatric nurse Janet Myers and her 113-pound Bernese mountain dog named Bentley traveled to Stone Gate Elementary to teach the kids about pet therapy.The students didn’t know why they were gathered in the gym, but when Bentley arrived, his presence got an immediate response.
Myers and Bentley have been volunteering as a pet therapy team for years.
At programs like the one at Stone Gate -- and through Myers' book "Booboos Band-Aids and Bentley" -- Myers and Bentley teach kids not only how therapy dogs can help lead the blind and help those with disabilities, but also how pet therapy works to help ill and injured patients.
"It lowers children's anxiety. It's also been proven to lower their level of pain and improve their mood," Myers said. "It's really fun to see people encounter him because they go from a serious demeanor to ear-to-ear smiles no matter how old they are."
Bentley wowed the crowd at Stone Gate with tricks, dancing and costumes, and a lesson about helping others.
"I thought it was fun and encouraging. And I think Bentley actually helped a lot of people," said Will Schwab, 7.
"I think he's pretty cool," 7-year-old Avery Keller said. "I think he plays with them and makes them feel better, makes them smile."
Bentley will be making the rounds at Riley Hospital for Children on April 1. It will be the first time in decades a therapy dog has been allowed in that hospital.
To visit Bentley's website, click here .
Copyright 2013 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. | <urn:uuid:9351fcc4-ce18-4029-81ae-bad930645d56> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theindychannel.com/news/good-news/former-pediatric-nurse-bernese-mountain-dog-team-teaches-children-about-helping-healing | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967578 | 416 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Can someone with a working Zend/PHPUnit installation tell me how PHPUnit.bat should read?
I have installed PEAR and PHPUnit, but PHPUnit.bat appears to have an error in its code.
Having worked through a few issues, I no longer get 'PHPUnit is not a recognised command' error. But if I now call "PHPUnit" in the command line nothing at all happens except the command prompt reappears. Indicating some code may have run.
I did some reading and PEAR should be calling a .bat file in 'c:\zend\zendServer\bin'. I opened this and there is a very short block of code.
if "%PHPBIN%" == "" set PHPBIN=c:\zend\zendserver\bin\php.exe if not exist "%PHPBIN%" if "%PHP_PEAR_PHP_BIN%" neq "" goto USE_PEAR_PATH GOTO RUN :USE_PEAR_PATH set PHPBIN=%PHP_PEAR_PHP_BIN% :RUN "%PHPBIN%" "C:\Zend\zendServer\bin\\phpunit" %*
The final line looks incorrect, notably the double slash. I have tried various derivations such as 'bin\pear\phpunit etc', but are not sure where this should be pointing.
Can anyone with a working ZendServer/PHPUnit installation tell me how this line should read.
Also, I should also ask, is calling 'PHPunit' in the cmd line the best way to test if the package has installed correctly. Ideas appreciated. The PEAR install call suggested the install should be working fine.
UPDATE I just created a new project through the zend framework CLI tool and got a note that PHPUnit was not found in my include_path. I have both PEAR and PHP on my include path do I need something else?
UPDATE I found this post on a potential test Getting PHPUnit Working - Include Path not set correctly?, which provides a way to test phpUnit. I saved the suggested PHP script in my htdocs folder and tried to call it with PHPUnit. Once again no response, which seems to suggest that there is a n error in my PHPUnit.bat file. | <urn:uuid:394be985-7935-4bbf-bcf2-3ac17d201a4a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://stackoverflow.com/questions/13436197/phpunit-not-responding-is-this-a-phpunit-bat-error | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00054-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.922313 | 489 | 1.757813 | 2 |
Taping Out Diamonds
I will be posting about actual jobs soon, but today I'm helping out a friend, who recently asked me about taping out diamonds. I've described the process to him a couple of times, but he still seems a bit fuzzy on it, and asked me to draw a picture and mail it to him. Even better, I've decided to make a sample and take pictures of the process.
First I'd like to say that I can't take credit for this method; it was taught to me years ago by Carol Kemory at The Finishing School. There are other ways to make diamonds which may seem like less work, but don't be fooled because your eye will not be; this is the only way I know of to keep your lines continuous.
Layout is crucial. Whenever you tape out diamonds, or even stripes, consider the focal point and measurements of your space carefully. It might be important to center the design in a certain spot, or to have whole diamonds along one edge. On this sample I will be placing the tips of my diamonds along the top edge. I am centering the design to leave relatively even partial diamonds along the sides.
I like to measure using a sewing tape, as it is lightweight enough to tape to your surface while marking your measurements. If you do this, be sure to tape the metal gromets on either end so they will not leave metal-marks. I've found it easiest to mark with chalk, since dots of it disappear quite effortlessly in comparison to pencil. Some people snap chalk-lines, I understand, but I would not unless you are working outside on concrete or something. (In which case I recommend you hose it all off after snapping; the mark will remain but the chalk can't get in your paint this way.) Back in the day when I worked for my aunt, we snapped lines on a floor and I swear I must have washed it six or seven times and never felt like I completely got all the blue off before topcoating... so now I won't touch the stuff.
I've marked the tips of the top diamonds (6" width) and now I'm marking the tip points (9" length) in each column. On a wall I would hang a plumb-line but on floors and samples we have to measure the width. If you are working on a floor with irregularities, however, I recommend you pull a string across the whole floor for each row so you can ensure that it appears as straight as it actually is.
Once you have marked where all the tips meet, you can begin to lay the tape, connecting the dots on the angle of your desired diamonds. Once you've placed tape along one side of the dots, carefully parallel another piece of tape right next to it. Before you do that, though, be sure to mark all the dots on the first piece of tape - you will need to see them later, and the second piece will cover them up! Lay out all the lines in one direction before laying them in the other direction.
At the edges of your space, you will find yourself with only one dot to draw a line from, and sometimes not even that! Here I am measuring nine inches from the center line of the next set of tape to give myself another dot. The important thing, when you do this, is make sure you are measuring a plumb-vertical line (or horizontal when you are using the width to find the dot). You don't need to mark this dot on the tape.
Tape in the other direction by connecting the dots again, and of course laying a parallel piece. When you finish the taping, your space should resemble lattice.
At this point I'd like to note that for teaching purposes on this sample, I'm creating diamonds that would be too small (in practicality) to do on an actual wall or floorspace. I'm trying to get many diamonds on a standard sheet of posterboard so you have an idea of what your actual project space would look like. Also, because of the small size, I'm using 1" tape rather than the 1.5" or 2" tape I would use on the job. Finally, It's very important that you use a tape for delicate surfaces and that you ensure the middle edges are stuck firmly to your surface for no leakage.
Using a straightedge, cut the middle of each line to create an X wherever the tape crosses.
Remove the tape pieces along the inside of the diamonds you wish to paint. Use the extra pieces of tape to mask the inside of the diamonds you are leaving the base color.
Voila! This is what your surface should look like when you are finally ready to paint. Or is it? Look carefully. See anything wrong? One piece of tape still needs to be removed in the lower left corner. Before your paint, always stand back and take a careful look; after all that work, you want it to be perfect, right?
Even though it's a very simple process, it's not easy to describe. Feel free to ask about anything you don't understand in the comment thread.
Update: I trowelled a thin layer of gold palette deco (Faux Effect proprietary product; see aforementioned school) into the diamonds and removed the tape. Afterwards I colorwashed the sample with a creamy taupe glaze.
I did this sample just to explain the process, and didn't expect to get much use out of it. Turns out I rather like it. Below you see it taped to a wall at the entrance of my home, where I am considering re-creating it (with slightly larger diamonds, of course) as an accent wall. Right now it's sitting in the master bedroom of a client so she can consider this coloring for her walls (we would probably pick out an allover damask stencil rather than use the harlequin pattern). | <urn:uuid:b6e05c37-0434-48b3-9eaf-011f76441fe2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://fauxshui.blogspot.com/2006/06/taping-out-diamonds.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963768 | 1,212 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Math Chair Named D.C.’s Top Professor
November 20, 2008 –The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) have named Georgetown’s James Sandefur the 2008 District of Columbia Professor of the Year.
Sandefur, professor and chair of the mathematics department at Georgetown, received the title after being selected from a pool of faculty nominated by colleges and universities throughout Washington, D.C.
“It is very exciting to have received this honor,” says Sandefur. “I was honored just to be nominated by Georgetown, considering all of the wonderful faculty we have here.”
The professor says he owes this recognition to his collaborations with the Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship (CNDLS) [link to: http://cndls.georgetown.edu/]. Through CNDLS, he has gotten involved in the Engelhard Project, a program that helps Sandefur infuse health issues into his general education math course. Students in his course solve problems of alcohol metabolism specific to their gender. They address alcoholism, drug interactions, obesity, the environment and other questions relevant to their new college life and decision-making process away from home.
Sandefur also has been investigating ways to improve students’ abilities to reason about complex mathematical problems. Since 2001, he has videotaped students as they work individually and in groups as part of the project. By asking them to verbalize what they are thinking as they work through a given task, he gets a unique view of their thought processes. His method, known as “think-aloud,” combats a chronic roadblock in creative thinking by asking students to talk through their problem-solving process.
“We are pleased to congratulate Dr. Sandefur on this important and well-deserved recognition of his work,” says Chester Gillis, interim Georgetown College dean and professor of theology. “Throughout his time at Georgetown University, Dr. Sandefur has investigated how students learn best and has tailored his teaching to respond to the preferences and impediments of his students.”
Sandefur’s research interests include mathematics education at secondary and college levels, differential equations, and discrete dynamical systems. He has written nearly 40 mathematics papers and is author of “Discrete Dynamical Systems: Theory and Applications,” “Discrete Dynamical Modeling” and “Elementary Mathematical Modeling: A Dynamic Approach.” | <urn:uuid:bfd56f5b-9eba-41f5-bf1d-d255f561710f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.georgetown.edu/story/1242663803231.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97429 | 527 | 1.617188 | 2 |
CSEE History and Philosophy
Jeff and Kris Booth are the founders of the Center for Sexual Expression and Education. They began writing about sexuality, and had the opportunity to meet and talk with many experts on sexuality. They decided that they wanted to create a venue where others would have the opportunity to learn from these experts. They arranged for space in a downtown studio, and began offering classes in 2002.
Wanting to reach a wider audience, they began development on the Erotic University software in 2004. It became a much larger project and took much longer than they initially anticipated. What they finally came up with is the most technologically sophisticated approach to adult sex education ever attempted.
Philosophy and Guiding Principles
We believe that a fulfilling sex life leads to a richer life and better relationships. Our fundamental goal is to promote positive sexuality and educate to help listeners have a better sex life.
Exposure to adult products and entertainment can help demystify sex, as well as provide arousal and new sexual experiences.
All information on sexuality should be presented with the best scientific information available.
We respect the diversity of sexual expression between consenting adults.
We support the right of consenting adults to view, read, see, and participate in the sexual activities of their choosing without government interference or censorship.
The above right is meaningless when the government puts burdensome restrictions on the sales of adult materials and the places where sex related activities between consenting adults can take place.
While we oppose the sexual exploitation of minors, protecting minors is often an excuse to limit the rights of consenting adults. We support appropriate laws to protect minors, with an eye on minimizing the impact on the rights of consenting adults. Examples of overreach include COPA and the 2257 record keeping restrictions that go far beyond their stated purpose of protecting minors.
We support a woman’s right to choose and the right to control her own body.
Sex and sexual issues should be presented within a positive framework whenever possible.
Return to Main Page | <urn:uuid:df92d829-df82-4a4f-847c-0d19640d840c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://centersee.org/history.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951714 | 411 | 1.898438 | 2 |
A MISSED OPPORTUNITY
by Chris Wright
The National Post, December 6 2008
By literal definition, the office of prime minister is meant to be held by the one who is the chief servant in Canada, who cares for the nation and the greater good of its citizens. Surely the rhetoric of the past days from the opposition leaders can be clearly seen for what it is: not concern for the economic state of the nation, but rather a selfish grab for power, previously withheld from them by the people of Canada themselves.
Calling another election will be expensive, but to acquiesce to the ghastly arrogant and self-serving agenda of the three opposition leaders would prove even more costly. | <urn:uuid:30edb8a0-ec2c-48be-bc8e-5c76504de35d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.4mycanada.ca/Mag/Articles/Dec08NationalPostChris.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966214 | 142 | 1.929688 | 2 |
tessuraea wrote:I tend to think it's better to make laws pragmatically, but guided by principles. Look at the situation and possible effects.
This I can pretty much agree on.
tessuraea wrote:Example: marijuana use. Not overly harmful stuff, pretty much nonaddictive and easily less dangerous than alcohol or tobacco. Used widely even in areas where it's illegal with minimal ill effect. Some medicinal use. Pragmatically, it would make sense to (in the U.S.) at least reduce it from a Schedule I drug to something doctors are allowed to give patients for medical use. On principle, either marijauna should be entirely legal or alcohol and tobacco should be outlawed; pragmatically that might be a bit much of a change all at once either way. Outlawing alcohol leads to all kinds of not-fun.
I've yet to see a truly unbiased study on marijuana, as it's the kind of thing that gets funded by someone with an agenda. As far as it being "less dangerous than cigarettes and alcohol," I think that's debatable, but not in this thread.
tessuraea wrote:It's not *just* because everyone does it--it's because everyone does it and there aren't any particularly awful negative effects. (And "everyone" is the wrong word: I don't!) Lots of people speed, but that leads to a higher accident rate and higher fatality rate.
This is true (the speeding part). It's also been shown that the vast majority of people who are pack-a-day smokers started before they were 18 (and that if you can make it to 18 without starting smoking, you probably won't ever start).
As for the harmful effects of underage drinking, if it's done at 18, 19, 20, that's one thing, but drinking heavily at the age of, say, 14, when one's body is still developing quite rapidly, should probably be avoided.
Lester:P wrote:22/7- An age limit is a test to discern what rights someone has, it's just a test with a single question, i.e. how many times have you gone around the sun?
Now there's a semantic argument. | <urn:uuid:5a29c6f1-d73b-4ec4-9cc3-b72c65a9518f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?p=216985 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97129 | 461 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Klobuchar says gray wolves should be removed from protected listby Tom Scheck, Minnesota Public Radio
St. Paul, Minn. — Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., says gray wolves should be removed from the Endangered Species list.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said last week that the population of gray wolves in Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin has recovered enough to be removed from federal protection. Klobuchar said the state should take the lead role in managing the wolf population.
"The key is that we do this in a smart way, but we also are aware of the fact that this is time to get them off the list," Klobuchar said. "This is how the endangered species act was set up and we just had a lot of delays here and it's time to move forward."
Klobuchar said that hopefully the state would work in concert with the environmental groups and everyone else.
Nearly 3,000 wolves have partial protections under federal law. They can be killed when they've harmed livestock.
Minnesota DNR would be able to put forth its own management plan if the wolf is removed from the endangered species act. | <urn:uuid:7ce662a1-0224-4cca-bd9a-a6fff9a9488b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/04/20/wolves-delist | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00061-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963587 | 248 | 2.640625 | 3 |
READ THE ERV BLOG! "ERV" is the Explorer Research Voyage.
Our Cause: Preserving and Sustaining Rural Culture
Our mission is to preserve, sustain, and grow rural culture by educating Kansans about Kansas and by networking and supporting rural communities.
The cause is to keep every town viable that shows the will and spirit to help itself.
Please support us as you can.
To educate Kansans about Kansas
The Kansas Sampler Festival annually provides communities an opportunity to provide the public a sample of what there is to see, do, hear, taste, buy, and learn in Kansas.
The Kansas Explorers Club inspires, educates and encourages the exploration and appreciation of Kansas...and to have fun doing it.
- The "Get Kansas!" blog provides lessons in understanding rural Kansas.
To network and support rural communities
- "Rural Kansas: Come and Get It" is a new project to collective promote rural communities by telling what we have and helping the world "get" us.
The We Kan! network and newsletter connects rural community leaders and supporters statewide in efforts to strengthen towns at the grassroots level.
The We Kan! Conference helps rural communities be the best they can be at being themselves.
We Kan! awards are presented to ten recipients each year.
Explorer Tourism helps communities of any size attract explorer-types.
The Kansas Sampler Foundation acts as a clearinghouse of information for rural communities and often as a liaison with the media. | <urn:uuid:68f9ff47-17d3-47ce-923f-e23978fcd709> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kansassampler.org/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.924253 | 309 | 1.75 | 2 |
||Last Updated: Jul 2nd, 2008 - 21:15:22
(NAPSI)-Gardeners have long enjoyed the beauty of hydrangeas, but until recently these show-stopping flowers were not usually potted for display on a patio or deck.|
Fortunately, many varieties of these gorgeous garden dwellers can now be planted in large containers and thrive all summer long.
Here’s how you can enjoy these blooming beauties potted right on your patio:
Select A Well-Suited Variety
There are several new varieties of hydrangeas that have been introduced in the past few years that perform wonderfully in containers. The Forever & Ever Series and Endless Summer Hydrangeas are quite successful as potted plants, with compact growth and long-lasting blooms.
Forever & Ever Peppermint features gorgeous mop-headed blooms and one-of-a-kind bicolor petals. Depending on your soil, the petals will display a brushstroke of either pink or blue in the center. Growing to approximately 24 inches tall and 36 inches wide, its compact stature makes it ideal for patio containers.
Forever & Ever Together is yet another attractive variety sure to bring attention to your patio. Its blooms span 8 inches across and are made up of unique double florets that actually change color throughout the season.
Starting the summer off by opening with a light-green color, the blooms change to pink or blue by mid-summer (depending on your soil pH), and end the season with a rich violet or red color as temperatures begin to cool.
Choose The Correct Container
As a general rule, the patio container you select should be a good 2 to 4 inches wider and deeper than the nursery pot in which your hydrangea came. This will give the roots adequate room to grow. Choose light-colored containers to reflect heat away. Most importantly, the container should have adequate drainage holes.
Start With A Specific Soil
When planting hydrangeas in containers, always use a commercial potting mix that is sterilized and disease-free. Remember, your plants will thrive in a humus-rich soil. Some mixes even contain polymers to retain water, as well as slow-release fertilizers, both of which are excellent for containers.
Plant A Particular Way
When planting hydrangeas, place several inches of soil in the bottom of your container first. Remove your hydrangea from its previous pot and center it on top of this base soil.
Fill in the sides with soil so there are no air pockets, then press gently with your hands, adding more soil if needed. If your soil mix did not contain fertilizer, apply a blend made for flowering shrubs according to package directions.
Top it off with a thin layer of bark to help keep the plant from drying out. Water thoroughly right after planting, making sure the soil is very moist.
Look After It Lovingly
Hydrangeas prefer full sun to partial shade, but potted hydrangeas should not be placed in full sun for the entire day. Find a place on your patio with morning sun and afternoon shade for your hydrangea to be happiest and perform its best.
It’s also a good idea for the location to be protected from the wind.
Hydrangeas tend to be thirsty plants, even more so in containers. Daily watering will keep your plants looking their best, but be careful not to overwater either-just keep the soil nice and moist.
Using a water-soluble fertilizer every few weeks will help with new growth for continuous beauty.
Keep a watchful eye out for signs of pests or diseases. Pests such as red spider mites and aphids, as well as diseases like powdery mildew, can be common.
If you suspect problems, contact a garden center to help keep your blooming beauties healthy and strong.
Cold winter temperatures are hard on container plants since their roots are above ground. Bring your hydrangea inside an unheated garage or storage building over the winter, watering regularly. Then in the spring, bring your plant back out onto the patio.
Hydrangeas might require a little extra TLC, but the summer—long blooms are worth every minute of it.
© Copyright by Eveningsnews.com
Top of Page | <urn:uuid:e32bb128-6fe2-462d-92e2-2c17b3bc694f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.eveningsnews.com/flowers-on-patios-and-decks-adg161.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00051-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.922206 | 905 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Infections and Immunizations
Why Do People With Lupus Get Infections So Easily?
An individual with lupus is more susceptible to infection than most people for two reasons:
- Lupus directly affects a person's immune system and reduces his or her ability to prevent and fight infection.
- Many of the drugs used to treat lupus suppress the function of the immune system and leave the body more prone to infection.
Effects Of Medications Used In The Treatment Of Lupus
Cortisone-like drugs (prednisone) and cytotoxic drugs such as azathioprine (Imuran) and cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan) increase a person's susceptibility to infections because they suppress both normal and abnormal immune system function.
However, controlling lupus is usually more important than the danger posed by a possible infection due to the use of immunosuppressive medications.
The risk of infection parallels the dose and the duration of treatment with steroids:
- a daily dose of 20 mg. of prednisone is enough to impose a significant risk of infection
- taking steroids every other day ("alternate day" treatment) decreases the risk and incidence of infections
Direct Effects of Lupus On The Immune System
People with lupus have abnormalities in their immune systems, so they are more likely to develop infections. They are more susceptible to infection even if they do not take corticosteroids. Lupus experts such as Dr. Marian Ropes sparingly used steroids in treating her patients in the 1940s and 1950s. Yet, the data she published showed that the majority of her patients developed serious infections, even on low-dose steroids.
Types Of Infection In SLE
Infections in people with lupus fall into two categories.
- The first category includes infections with organisms that can affect persons with lupus and the general population:
- streptococcus (which causes strep throat)
- staphylococcus (which causes staph infections).
- The second category consists of "opportunistic" infections, which are caused by organisms that bring about disease only when the immune system is weakened. Most opportunistic infections are one of three kinds: | <urn:uuid:ff12830d-ee54-420d-a1c2-bb20a4680385> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lupus.org/webmodules/webarticlesnet/templates/new_aboutliving.aspx?articleid=93&zoneid=16 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.929391 | 461 | 3.578125 | 4 |
In-Cell Touch Panels Could Make New iPhone 15% Thinner
Following up on a recent report that said Apple would use In-Cell Touch Panels for the next iPhone, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities reports that the new device will likely be at least 1.4 mm slimmer.
Since Apple's smartphone competitors have generally slimmed down their high-end offerings to 7-8mm, Apple needs to make a leap forward from 4S' 9.3mm thickness. We believe Apple will aim at 8mm or below (at least 1.4mm slimmer) for iPhone 5, in a bid to ensure brisk sales through 2014, while peers will also continue to introduce increasingly slim models next year.
As such, all iPhone 4S components that account for thickness must be slimmer, specifically, touch panel, battery and casing. Moreover, a marginal amount of space is required between the three parts for the sakes of assembly tolerance and thermal expansion of components.
Kuo says that the in-cell touch panels will reduce thickness by about 0.5mm. A metal back case will reduce thickness 0.5mm further. Finally, a thinner battery will result in a total of 1.4mm shaved from the current 9.3mm thick device. | <urn:uuid:c039dc2e-c4b4-4498-b088-f2a6bf2c0d9a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.iclarified.com/entry/index.php?enid=21511 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.913727 | 264 | 1.90625 | 2 |
Portrait of Benedicte Wrensted. Credit: Smithsonian Institution, Handbook of North American Indians Project: Sherwood Collection.
This project has added to our knowledge of the role of photography in the West, by showing how Indians and non-Indians in one locality used photographs. It has added insight into why pictures were taken and has demonstrated the value of historical images in anthropological research. Finally, the Wrensted project has given back to the Fort Hall people and to the Pocatellans a priceless visual legacy from their past.
Minnie Camas Willie, A Weiser-Shoshone from the Boise Valley. Credit: * National Archives and Records Administration, Still Picture Branch: 75-SEI-8 | <urn:uuid:021a6761-7760-4d6d-aa3c-4d63351cdd7a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://anthropology.si.edu/wrensted/concl.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.916976 | 147 | 3.234375 | 3 |
Florence Bernard's vision is to see all kids enjoy going to school and succeed. "Building Leadership & Success in Children First" is the key to a thriving world.
Founder of www.betteratschool.com, Florence Bernard, has 20 years of teaching experience in 5 different countries and on 3 continents.
Her focus is on character education, and tackling issues that kids face in this changing world.
She taught all ages, ranging from 4-year-olds to adults. She found everywhere that kids encounter the same issues with school work: underachievement, lack of organization and motivation, poor study skills, time management problems and lack of responsibility and maturity.
While teaching, she developed and implemented ways to tackle these issues working closely with parents to help their kids back on track and ensure success at school and beyond. Her method is based on self-development for kids, starting with an awareness of their responsibility for their actions and towards their future. It also involves a great deal of parental participation and leads to better family relationships and higher self-esteem.
Results show at school but also beyond, turning kids and teenagers into responsible, self aware and self expressed young adults, who have learned to LOVE what they do, no matter what, and who create the life they REALLY want.
She authored a Better At School, the Essential Guide to Help Kids Improve at School and offers downloadable resources and coaching services on her website. She is also available for seminars and training sessions. For a short time, you can get your own copy of the e-book for $1. Visit http://www/betteratschool.com.
For more information, contact Florence Bernard on 954 903 0655 or via email: firstname.lastname@example.org.
Visit her website: http://www.betteratschool.com.
"Riches received will be in exact proportion to:
Wallace D. Wattles in The Science of Getting Rich
Do you think that your kids can do better at school? Do you despair at their lack of interest and motivation towards school? Do you think your teenagers could be a little more mature? Do you struggle organizing your household?
If your answer is yes to any of these questions, give me a call or visit Better At School now and GET YOUR $1 E-BOOK!. Discover quick and simple tips to help your kids GROW and improve at school. Find parental advice on school and education and much more. Sign up for your Free Consultation to discuss your problems and choose amongst our Coaching Package or build your own. You can also start your Better at School e-course instantly.
It's never too late to start with self-development, but it is better to start early! Give your kids this chance! Allow them to grow into fulfilled adults for the rest of their lives. Their minds can be trained to do that NOW. | <urn:uuid:7087ea29-e991-4e2c-a865-57f61f330f3a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.selfgrowth.com/experts/florence_bernard.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959733 | 592 | 1.953125 | 2 |
Some Republicans want to divide people into an industrious group they call “the makers” and an indolent remainder they call “the takers.” According to this view, financially successful Americans create wealth and jobs while others are a drag.
Given that we live in an era when big wealth takes (“the takers”?) a bigger share of the wealth and income than any time since the 1920s, and that it now pays lower tax rates, this seems a strange assertion.
We have seen the big banks speculative furies drive us into a deep recession and watched astonished as their investors continue to collect multimillion-dollar yearly incomes while paying the low capital gains rate on their income taxes (15 percent).
We have watched them be rescued from insolvency by hundreds of billions of dollars in public funding, but still collect such rewards for their incompetence.
AIG, the big insurance company that needed
$180 billion in government funds, is now running TV ads to tell us how beneficent AIG is because it repaid the government loan. We are supposed to forget that it failed to properly back its insurance policies and that our government paid off its fraudulent coverages at 100 percent when they were worth much less.
These are some of “the makers.”
Meanwhile “the takers” are enduring high unemployment, reduced wages and benefits, higher educational costs and losses of homes.
Corporate profits are up, in part because corporations have reduced employment and pay. High unemployment creates “a more competitive environment for job-seekers,” as a Tribune-Democrat article noted on Jan. 13: “New hires are particularly apt to settle for lower paying jobs than they expected, and college grads are often accepting positions outside their field of study.”
We recovered from the Great Depression of the 1930s because government spending – and government debt – took up the slack in the economy.
The New Deal programs, high World War II spending, and post-war housing, education and transportation programs drove the economy.
Afterward, the debt was easily absorbed. Herbert Hoover’s prescription of austerity was wrong, the same way this philosophy has proved wrong now in some European countries, further decreasing their economies and sending unemployment to very high levels.
Public spending in the U.S. in the 1930s and 1940s created jobs and stimulated industry, besides setting up the needed infrastructures for future production.
President Obama’s weak stimulus program has helped, as have increased unemployment compensation, food stamps, and supports. But states have undercut much of this by laying off hundreds of thousands of public workers in their forced austerity measures. Austerity programs don’t make nations recover from economic collapses, they don’t produce jobs, and they decrease public revenue.
Those who foster the “makers/takers” propaganda want to blame the people who have been most hurt by this recession for the problems. They picture the 24 million unemployed or underemployed as slackers. They want to seize this opportunity to reduce government support programs by using the national debt as the crucial issue while, contradictorily, cutting taxes for the well-off (which raises the debt). President George W. Bush did this. He criticized the debt while pushing through big tax cuts and expensive wars that increased the debt.
In a recession, because many are fearful, they may join in scapegoating the less fortunate. Anti-government critics who depend on Social Security come to mind.
Minorities are portrayed as lazy and irresponsible, even though they have lost jobs and homes at a higher rate and have seen their family holdings decrease more radically than whites.
In the past, ethnic minorities were similarly misrepresented. In the mid-19th century, Irish-Americans were commonly pictured as slackers and unreliable. So were Eastern and Southern European white ethnics.
Quite often, those who are comfortable don’t want to sympathize with the less well-off. They want to believe that they are doing OK because of their own efforts. But, as columnist Nicholas Kristof sadly points out, toddlers in upper-middle-class neighborhoods are likely to go to college, have nice homes and careers, while 2-year-olds in low-income neighborhoods are more likely to drop out of school, have dead-end jobs, and trouble with the law.
It’s only too easy to just blame the latter group. Not willing to recognize this, we are easily divided. Thus, comfortable people with health insurance may not want to include everyone in health care coverage, for example, rationalizing that others don’t deserve it and are a financial drain on the better-off.
Jim Scofield of Richland Township is a professor emeritus of English at Pitt-Johnstown.
Click here to subscribe to The Tribune-Democrat print edition.
Click here to subscribe to The Tribune-Democrat e-edition. | <urn:uuid:640a9dc4-001f-44cb-b96e-e78b78c65847> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://tribune-democrat.com/editorials/x2056600963/Jim-Scofield-There-are-makers-and-takers/print | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970139 | 1,022 | 2.5 | 2 |
The Spring Framework became the de-facto standard for developing enterprise Java applications, and its radical simplicity was fundamental to its success. Why the “radical” simplicity? Because at the time, it was hard to imagine how creating such applications could be made simple.
By tackling issues such as portability, understanding the importance of cross-cutting concerns, and making it trivial to develop automated tests, Spring allowed developers to focus on what matters: what makes their application unique.
As I was pulling together my presentation for SpringOne2GX 2012, I reflected on the parallels between Spring’s success and the direction we were going with EM4J. Why did Spring succeed? Why did simplification win? Where are we replicating these patterns within VMware, vFabric, and Java?
In short, complexity is expensive, and simplification has many economic benefits. By giving people better, simpler, and easier to use tools to help build, run, and manage applications, we create economic advantages.
In a nutshell, there are some core reasons why Spring succeeded, “Spring values” if you will: Reducing complexity, increasing productivity, provisioning flexibility, tooling and monitoring, extensibility, automation, flexible integration and ease of testing. Continue reading | <urn:uuid:81cb9a3f-214a-4b16-b1b6-d17271806205> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.vmware.com/vfabric/applicationdirector | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953013 | 260 | 1.65625 | 2 |
A collaborative design effort between Adrian Frutiger and Akira Kobayashi, Neue Frutiger has the power and grace of a Waikiki wave. The suite of typefaces takes Adrian Frutiger’s original design, refines it, expands it and makes it a classic for the 21st century.
Neue Frutiger History
The Frutiger typestyle is a classic. The design dates back to 1968, when Adrian Frutiger was commissioned to develop a typeface for the signage of the then-new Charles de Gaulle International Airport at Roissy, France. Frutiger's goal was to create a sans serif typeface with the rationality and clean lines of his Univers, softened with organic, almost calligraphic, nuances. The result was a seminal design that changed forever how we looked at sans serif type. The Frutiger typestyle is logical though not rigid, distinctive without being mannered, and warm with no loss of sophistication.
The typeface design was completed in 1975, installed at Charles de Gaulle Airport the same year, and released as film fonts the following year. Since then, Frutiger has been translated into digital fonts, all the while becoming one of the most popular typefaces for branding, advertising and corporate communication.
The Frutiger family was modified in 1997 for signage at the Alte Pinakothek art museum in Munich. The new version, named Frutiger Next, incorporated a number of subtle detail changes, and a few not so subtle – like the creation of a cursive italic that replaced the oblique roman of Frutiger’s original. While this new design met the needs of the Alte Pinakothek, Adrian Frutiger preferred the earlier version.
Ten years later, in collaboration with Akira Kobayashi, the master type designer accepted the challenge of revitalizing and improving the family’s range. In doing so, Frutiger went back to his original work for the design foundation. He took the cursive italic back to its simple, sloped roman roots and made countless careful adjustments to character shapes and proportions. He and Kobayashi also added five new weights to the family, vastly widening its range of use and improving the gradation between designs in the series. In addition, Frutiger and Kobayashi took Frutiger Serif into account when creating the new sans, so that now the two designs complement each other with verve and grace.
The end result, Neue Frutiger, maintains all that is good about the 1975 design and adds to this the refinements and enhancements to make it a classic for the 21st century. | <urn:uuid:6ba6fa1a-d322-4787-a9b6-b7a98756db7e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fonts.com/font/linotype/neue-frutiger?page=3 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931323 | 551 | 1.625 | 2 |
Instructions for Renting
If you are interesting in renting the items below, please make sure to contact us first before proceeding. In principal, rental of our exhibition items are free of charge; however, you are responsible for covering shipping charges both ways including insurance. Please also complete the Exhibition Rental Agreement Form below and fax or mail that to JFLA. If you have any questions, feel free to contact our Arts & Culture department.
Photo Panels of the World Heritage in Japan
Photographer Kazuyoshi Miyoshi
The World Heritage Convention is a document adopted in 1972 by a general session of UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) in Paris. Today, there are 878 world heritage sites in the world and 14 of them are located in Japan (As of November 2008). This Photo Exhibition presents 14 of the World Heritage in Japan with 63 photos panels divided into eight different categories based on their theme.
- Box1 Art （８ panels）
- Box2 Scenery of Northern and Eastern Japan （８ panels）
- Box3 Scenery of Kyoto （８ panels）
- Box4 Scenery Kyoto （８ panels）
- Box5 Scenery Nara （８ panels）
- Box6 Scenery Yakushima, Okinawa, and Wakayama （８ panels）
- Box7 Architecture （８ panels）
- Box8 Architecture （４ panels）
- Box9 History （３ panels)
Note: It costs about $475 to deliver 8 panels to Hawaii for one way. (Includes insurance)
Japan in a Suitecase (Box)
These items are useful in teaching elementary school classes up to 24 students about Japanese language and culture for a one hour lesson. Japan in a suitcase can be used by teacher with or without knowledge iof Japanese culture and language.
We traditional Japanese toys, which are divided into four different categories based on their theme. They are great for teaching classes about Japanese history, language, and culture as well as for display during events at museums and community centers. There are four sets as follows:
- Set 1 Traditional Toys (17 items)
- Set 2 Wooden Toys (18 items)
- Set 3 Edo and Bamboo Toys (19 items)
- Set 4 New Year Toys (14 items) | <urn:uuid:9fe96bdb-533b-4f89-9af5-2cb7f32eed8a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jflalc.org/ac-rental.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00047-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.908826 | 519 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Illness & Conditions - Health Conditions
Is this topic for you?
This topic provides information about hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism means your thyroid is not making enough thyroid hormone. If you are looking for information about when the thyroid makes too much thyroid hormone, see the topic Hyperthyroidism.
What is hypothyroidism?
Hypothyroidism means your thyroid is not making enough thyroid hormone . The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in the front of your neck. It makes hormones that control the way your body uses energy.
Having a low level of thyroid hormone affects your whole body. It can make you feel tired and weak. If hypothyroidism is not treated, it can raise your cholesterol levels. During pregnancy, untreated hypothyroidism can harm your baby. But hypothyroidism can be treated with medicine that can help you feel like yourself again.
People of any age can get hypothyroidism, but older adults are more likely to get it. Women age 60 and older have the highest risk. You are more likely to get the disease if it runs in your family.
What causes hypothyroidism?
Other things that can lead to low levels of thyroid hormone include surgery to remove the thyroid gland and radiation therapy for cancer. Less common causes include viral infections and some drugs, such as amiodarone and lithium.
What are the symptoms?
Hypothyroidism can cause many different symptoms, such as:
Symptoms occur slowly over time. At first you might not notice them, or you might mistake them for normal aging. See your doctor if you have symptoms like these that get worse or won't go away.
How is hypothyroidism diagnosed?
Your doctor will ask questions about your symptoms. You will also have a physical exam. If your doctor thinks you have hypothyroidism, a simple blood test can show if your thyroid hormone level is too low.
How is it treated?
Doctors usually prescribe pills to treat hypothyroidism. Most people start to feel better in a week or two. Your symptoms will probably go away within a few months. But you will likely need to keep taking the pills from now on.
It's important to take your medicine just the way your doctor tells you to. You will also need to see your doctor for follow-up visits to make sure you have the right dose. Getting too much or too little thyroid hormone can cause problems.
If you have mild hypothyroidism, you may not need treatment now. But you'll want to watch closely for signs that it is getting worse.
If you are diagnosed with severe hypothyroidism, you will need to be treated right away in the hospital. Severe hypothyroidism can lead to a rare but dangerous disease called myxedema coma .
Should you get tested for hypothyroidism?
It's important to watch for signs of the disease so it can be treated promptly. These signs may be easy to miss, so testing is a good idea for:
Frequently Asked Questions
In the United States, the most common cause of hypothyroidism is Hashimoto's thyroiditis . This is a condition that causes the body's natural defenses—the immune system—to produce antibodies that over time destroy thyroid tissue. As a result, the thyroid gland cannot make enough thyroid hormone.
Worldwide, iodine deficiency is the number one cause of hypothyroidism. But iodine added to salt, food, and water has nearly eliminated this problem in the U.S. and other Western countries.
Other common causes of hypothyroidism include:
Less common causes include:
Symptoms of hypothyroidism usually appear slowly over months or years. Symptoms and signs may include:
Some less common symptoms may include:
In general, how bad your symptoms are depends on your age, how long you have had hypothyroidism, and the seriousness of the condition. The symptoms may be so mild and happen so slowly that they go unnoticed for years.
Mild (subclinical) hypothyroidism often causes no symptoms or vague symptoms that may be attributed to aging, such as memory problems, dry skin, and fatigue.
Symptoms of hypothyroidism during and after pregnancy include fatigue, weight loss, dizziness, depression, and memory and concentration problems.
Because of the range of symptoms, hypothyroidism can be mistaken for depression, especially during and after pregnancy. In older people, it may be confused with Alzheimer's disease, dementia, and other conditions that cause memory problems.
Symptoms of hypothyroidism in infants, children, and teens
Although rare, hypothyroidism can occur in infants, children, and teens. In infants, symptoms of a goiter include a poor appetite and choking on food. Symptoms of hypothyroidism may include dry, scaly skin. In children and teens, symptoms include behavior problems and changes in school performance. Children and teens may gain weight and yet have a slowed growth rate. Teens may have delayed puberty and look much younger than their age.
Untreated hypothyroidism may get better or worse over time, depending on its cause and your age.
Hypothyroidism in infants and children
Although rare, hypothyroidism can occur in infants and children. If hypothyroidism is treated within the first month of life, a child will grow and develop normally. Untreated hypothyroidism in infants can cause brain damage, leading to intellectual disability and developmental delays . In the United States, all children are tested for hypothyroidism at birth.
Intellectual disability usually does not occur if hypothyroidism develops after age 3. But untreated childhood hypothyroidism typically delays physical growth and sexual development, including the onset of puberty . Children may gain weight yet have a slowed growth rate.
Hypothyroidism in adults
Hypothyroidism caused by Hashimoto's thyroiditis sometimes will disappear on its own. More often, the disorder causes a gradual loss of thyroid function. Your symptoms may develop slowly and be so mild that you do not notice them for years. But symptoms usually grow worse. And health problems may develop as the disease continues.
If untreated, hypothyroidism may lead to:
People with mild (subclinical) hypothyroidism have only slightly abnormal thyroid blood test results and often do not have obvious symptoms or health problems. Some people who have mild hypothyroidism regain normal thyroid function. But about 1 out of 10 people who have mild hypothyroidism will go on to have hypothyroidism within 3 years. 1
If your thyroid gland has been removed during surgery, hypothyroidism will occur within a few weeks. If you have been treated with radioactive iodine therapy, hypothyroidism may develop within a year. In these cases, thyroid function typically does not return, and you will need to take thyroid hormone medicine from now on.
Hypothyroidism during and after pregnancy
Women who have hypothyroidism or mild hypothyroidism before they become pregnant may have more severe hypothyroidism during their pregnancy. If not treated, pregnant women who have hypothyroidism can develop preeclampsia and have a premature delivery. Children born to women who have untreated hypothyroidism during pregnancy are at risk for having hypothyroidism at birth and low birth weight and may score lower on intelligence tests than children of healthy mothers. 2
After delivery, women may have a thyroid disorder called postpartum thyroiditis. This condition occurs in about 5% of women who do not have a history of thyroid disease. 2 It is often mistaken for depression.
Women who have postpartum thyroiditis often develop hypothyroidism 3 to 6 months after delivery. The hypothyroidism may last up to several months. It sometimes occurs after an initial episode of postpartum thyroiditis that causes symptoms from too much thyroid hormone. Hypothyroidism may become permanent in women with postpartum thyroiditis. Even if thyroid gland function returns to normal, postpartum thyroiditis usually comes back during later pregnancies.
What Increases Your Risk
Many things may increase your risk for hypothyroidism. These include:
When To Call a Doctor
Call 911 or other emergency services immediately if you or a person you know has hypothyroidism and has signs of myxedema coma , such as:
See your doctor if you have any symptoms that don't go away, including:
If you have one or two of the above symptoms that have not changed or have changed very little over a long period of time, it is less likely that the symptoms are caused by hypothyroidism. Consult your doctor.
Talk to a doctor if you are pregnant and have some of the above symptoms. Also talk to a doctor if you have hypothyroidism and are pregnant or are trying to become pregnant. Your dose of thyroid hormone medicine may need to be changed.
Watchful waiting—a period of time during which you and your doctor observe your symptoms or condition without using medical treatment—is not appropriate for hypothyroidism that is causing symptoms. Treatment should begin as soon as the condition is diagnosed.
Watchful waiting may be appropriate for certain adults with mild (subclinical) hypothyroidism whose blood tests show only modest changes. Talk to your doctor about treatment, its cost and possible risks and benefits. Watch for any signs that you may be getting hypothyroidism. Doctors often want people to have yearly thyroid function blood tests to check to see if thyroid hormone production is normal.
Who to see
Hypothyroidism can be diagnosed by a:
Complicated or unusual cases of hypothyroidism may require consultation with an endocrinologist .
To prepare for your appointment, see the topic Making the Most of Your Appointment.
Exams and Tests
A thorough medical history and physical exam are the first steps in diagnosing hypothyroidism or mild (subclinical) hypothyroidism. If the results lead your doctor to suspect you have hypothyroidism or subclinical hypothyroidism, you will have tests to confirm the diagnosis.
Blood tests are always used to confirm a diagnosis of hypothyroidism or mild hypothyroidism. The tests used most often are:
If the above tests are not normal, antithyroid antibody tests may determine whether you have the autoimmune disease Hashimoto's thyroiditis , in which the body's defense system attacks the thyroid gland.
In rare cases, a thyroid ultrasound may be used to evaluate a thyroid gland that during a physical exam seems to be abnormal.
Because of the possibility of intellectual disability in infants with hypothyroidism, every state in the United States tests newborns for hypothyroidism. If your baby was not born in a hospital, or if you believe your baby may not have been tested, talk to your doctor. Screening tests for hypothyroidism are not always accurate. Even if test results show no problem, watch your child for symptoms of hypothyroidism, such as poor appetite, not gaining weight, and dry skin.
Some doctors now recommend routine testing for people at risk for hypothyroidism, including:
Not all experts agree on whether to recommend widespread screening for hypothyroidism. Some groups say there is not enough evidence of benefit to recommend screening for everyone. But people who are at high risk—women older than 60 and anyone with a family history of thyroid disease or who has other autoimmune diseases —may want to be screened. 4
Hypothyroidism can be easily treated using thyroid hormone medicine. The most effective and reliable thyroid replacement hormone is man-made (synthetic). After starting treatment, you will have regular visits with your doctor to make sure you have the right dose of medicine.
In most cases, symptoms of hypothyroidism start to improve within the first week after you start treatment. All symptoms usually disappear within a few months. Infants and children with hypothyroidism should always be treated. Older adults and people who are in poor health may take longer to respond to the medicine.
Your doctor will treat your hypothyroidism with the thyroid medicine levothyroxine (for example, Levothroid, Levoxyl, or Synthroid). Take your medicine as directed. You will have another blood test 6 to 8 weeks later to make sure the dose is right for you.
If you take too little medicine, you may have symptoms of hypothyroidism, such as constipation, feeling cold or sluggish, and gaining weight. Too much medicine can cause nervousness, problems sleeping, and shaking (tremors). If you have heart disease, too much medicine can cause irregular heartbeats and chest pain. People who also have heart disease often start on a low dose of levothyroxine, which is increased gradually.
If you have severe hypothyroidism by the time you are diagnosed, you will need immediate treatment. Severe, untreated hypothyroidism can cause myxedema coma , a rare, life-threatening condition.
Treatment during pregnancy is especially important, because hypothyroidism can harm the developing fetus.
You are likely to need treatment for hypothyroidism from now on. As a result, you need to take your medicine as directed. For some people, hypothyroidism gets worse as they age and the dosage of thyroid medicine may have to be increased gradually as the thyroid continues to slow down.
Most people treated with thyroid hormone develop symptoms again if their medicine is stopped. If this occurs, medicine needs to be restarted.
If a serious illness or infection triggers your hypothyroidism, your thyroid function most likely will return to normal when you recover. To check whether thyroid function has returned to normal, thyroid hormone medicine may be stopped for a short time. In most people, a brief period of hypothyroidism occurs after thyroid medicine is stopped. There is often a delay in the body's signals that tell the thyroid to start working again. If the thyroid can produce enough hormone on its own, treatment is no longer needed. But if hormone levels remain too low, you need to restart thyroid medicine.
While taking thyroid hormone medicine, you need to see your doctor once a year for checkups. You will have a blood test (thyroid-stimulating hormone [TSH] test) to make sure you have a normal hormone level.
Treatment if the condition gets worse
Sometimes symptoms of hypothyroidism continue, such as sluggishness, constipation, confusion, and feeling cold. This may occur if you are not taking enough thyroid hormone or if your medicine is not absorbed from your gastrointestinal tract. Having a bowel disease or taking certain other medicines may block thyroid hormone. If needed, your doctor will increase your dose.
Your doctor may suggest you try the combination therapy of T3/T4 medicine if T4 medicine is not controlling your symptoms.
If your dose of thyroid hormone is too high, you may develop complications such as irregular heartbeats and, over time, osteoporosis . If you have heart disease, too much medicine can cause pain (angina) and irregular heartbeats. Your doctor will watch your thyroid levels using a thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) test. If needed, your doctor will lower your dose.
Most cases of hypothyroidism in the United States are caused by Hashimoto's thyroiditis, which cannot be prevented.
Although you can't prevent hypothyroidism, you can watch for signs of the disease so it can be treated promptly. Some people who are at high risk for having hypothyroidism but do not have symptoms can be tested to see whether they have mild, or subclinical, hypothyroidism.
Expert groups differ in their recommendations for screening. For example:
If you have hypothyroidism, see your doctor once a year so your condition can be closely checked and your treatment adjusted, if needed.
Be sure to take thyroid hormone medicine correctly. Talk with your doctor if you don't understand the reason for taking medicine regularly or if you think you have any side effects from the medicine. You usually need to have regular blood tests to find out whether you are receiving the correct amount of thyroid hormone.
Children who have hypothyroidism also need to see a doctor regularly, because the amount of thyroid hormone medicine they need changes as they grow. Untreated hypothyroidism in infants and very young children can have severe consequences. As soon as you think your child is able to understand (usually around age 9 or 10), teach him or her about hypothyroidism, the importance of taking medicine correctly, and why regular health checkups are important.
Some health food stores in the United States sell "natural" forms of thyroid hormone. The quality and effectiveness of these natural agents are unregulated. Some may not work at all. Others may have an active ingredient that does work but that may be dangerous to certain people.
Thyroid hormone medicine is the only effective way to treat hypothyroidism. In most cases, thyroid hormone medicine:
Thyroid hormone medicine does not cause side effects if you take the correct dose.
What to think about
People who have hypothyroidism need treatment with thyroid hormone medicine. Depending on the cause of their hypothyroidism, they may need treatment for the rest of their lives.
Taking certain supplements, such as calcium or iron (or both), at the same time as thyroid hormone medicine may reduce the amount of thyroid hormone medicine absorbed by the body. Take calcium supplements at least 4 hours before or after taking thyroid hormone medicine. Also avoid taking iron supplements at the same time as thyroid medicine.
Talk to your doctor about whether you need to change your dose of thyroid medicine if you also take birth control pills or other hormones. You may need to take more thyroid hormone medicine than you would if you were not taking these hormones.
Follow-up visits with your doctor are important to make sure that you are taking the correct dose of medicine. Most people have blood tests 6 to 8 weeks after starting treatment. After thyroid hormone levels return to normal, thyroid function tests are typically rechecked once a year.
Other Places To Get Help
Last Revised: August 7, 2012
Hueston WJ (2011). Hypothyroidism. In ET Bope et al., eds., Conn's Current Therapy 2011, pp. 678–680. Philadelphia: Saunders.
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (2002, reaffirmed 2010). Thyroid disease in pregnancy. ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 37. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 100(2): 387–396.
Ladenson PW, et al. (2000). American Thyroid Association guidelines for detection of thyroid dysfunction. Archives of Internal Medicine, 160: 1573–1575.
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (2004). Screening for thyroid disease: Recommendation statement. Annals of Internal Medicine, 140: 125–141.
Brent GA, Davies TF. (2011). Hypothyroidism and thyroiditis. In S Melmed et al., eds., Williams Textbook of Endocrinology, 12th ed., pp. 406–439. Philadelphia: Saunders.
Surks MI, et al. (2004). Subclinical thyroid disease: Scientific review and guidelines for diagnosis and management. JAMA, 291(2): 228–238.
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Dear CProgramming members and moderators,
Hello. A pleasant day to everyone, I hope everyone is doing okay upon reading this thread of mine. I'm currently (well, just reading a lillte) about polymorphism on C++, but I honestly find it difficult to understand sample programs especially on the Internet, I wondering (and requesting) if someone could give me at least four to five C++ example programs about polymorphism, with simple explanation on the workaround of the program. Well I just hope this is not too much to ask, just a very simple example and explanation will do.
Thank you for everyone who could share little C++ programs. Thank you very much. | <urn:uuid:186dfa04-4252-4626-8011-c4b5cc48d698> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://cboard.cprogramming.com/cplusplus-programming/99238-cplusplus-program-examples-showing-polymorphism-please-help.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949364 | 139 | 1.914063 | 2 |
Guess what just came about...
They say, "Common sense tell us there is nothing." but I say the opposite. Common sense would say there is water. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080709/sc_nm/moon_water_dc
New scans show evidence of water on the moon
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor
Wed Jul 9, 2:02 PM ET
Tiny green and orange glass balls brought back from the moon nearly 40 years ago by astronauts show evidence that water existed there from the very beginning, scientists reported on Wednesday.
They used a new method of analyzing elements in the lunar sand samples to show strong evidence of water, dating back 3 billion years.
Their study, published in the journal Nature, could support evidence that water persists in shadowed craters on the moon's surface -- and that the water could be native to the moon and not carried there by comets.
Most scientists believe the moon was formed when a Mars-size body collided with Earth 4.5 billion years ago.
The giant impact would have melted both proto-planets and sent molten debris into orbit around the Earth.
Some of this would have eventually coalesced into the moon, but the heat of the impact would have vaporized light elements such as the hydrogen and oxygen needed to make water -- theoretically, anyway.
Erik Hauri of the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington had developed a technique called secondary ion mass spectrometry or SIMS, which could detect minute amounts of elements in samples. His team was using it to find evidence of water in the Earth's molten mantle.
"Then one day I said, 'Look, why don't we go and try it on the moon glass?"' Alberto Saal of Brown University, who helped lead the study, said in a telephone interview.
"It took us three years to convince NASA to fund us."
The space agency was also loath to part with any of the precious samples brought back by astronauts during the Apollo missions in the 1970s.
Saal, Hauri and colleagues were able to get about 40 of the little glass beads and break them apart for analysis.
What they found overturned the conventional wisdom that the moon is dry.
"For 40 years people have tried (to find evidence of water) and were not successful," Saal said.
"Common sense tell us there is nothing."
Saal's team did not find water directly, but they did measure hydrogen, and it resembled the measurements they have done to detect hydrogen, and eventually water, in samples from Earth's mantle.
The evidence shows that the hydrogen in the sample vaporized during volcanic activity that would be similar to lava spurts seen on Earth today.
"We looked at many factors over a wide range of cooling rates that would affect all the volatiles simultaneously and came up with the right mix," said James Van Orman, a former Carnegie researcher now at Case Western Reserve University.
"It suggests the intriguing possibility that the moon's interior might have had as much water as the Earth's upper mantle," Hauri said in a statement.
"But even more intriguing -- if the moon's volcanoes released 95 percent of their water, where did all that water go?"
Some might still remain at the poles, frozen in the shadows of craters, he speculated. Several lunar missions have found just such evidence.
"If parts of the lunar mantle contain as much water as Earth's, does this imply that the water has a common origin?" Marc Chaussidon of the Centre de Recherches Petrographiques et Geochimiques in Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy, France, asked in a commentary in Nature.
More analysis might answer that question.
"We will pressure NASA for more samples," Saal said.
(Editing by Jackie Frank) | <urn:uuid:2201516c-659c-4c49-afa3-5efed1c4d373> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php?topic=16182.msg124510 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966409 | 797 | 3.4375 | 3 |
As mentioned previously in this website, the bacteria that create the volatile sulfur compounds of bad breath and taste disorders, react to various changes in their environment.
Of course, everyone knows that onions and garlic will create bad breath, but do you know why? It’s because the odorous molecules in onions and garlic are actually sulfur compounds themselves, called mercaptans. (Sulfur is nature’s way of creating odors.) You’re all familiar with the skunk. Its odor is created as a defense and/or attack mechanism. Skunk odor is made up of sulfur compounds (skatoles, etc.) which are natural sulfur compounds.
If food sits out too long, it will spoil. That action is due to anaerobic bacteria breaking down proteins in that particular food. In milk, the odor of sour milk is caused by relatives of the bugs that create bad breath, when they break down proteins in milk (and all dairy foods). A reaction takes place where the “bad breath bugs’ extract sulfur compounds from the amino acids in these proteins. Specifically, the amino acid cysteine is converted to hydrogen sulfide (the rotten egg smell) and methionine becomes methyl mercaptan (which smells like a cross between old socks and garlic.) The same analogy applies to meat if it sits out too long. There are 4 categories of foods that will result in an increase of sulfur production because these categories have a stimulating affect on the bacteria:
1. Drying Agents
2. Dense Protein Foods
The most common drying agent in food is acohol. Alcohol is the basis of all adult beverages such as beer, wine, and hard liquor. It is also used, unfortunately in mouthwash, where it only makes the problem worse.
Alcohol is a drying agent, known chemically as a desiccant. It is used quite often in laboratories to dry out hard-to-reach areas in test tubes and beakers. The same end result takes place in the oral cavity.
Although cigarettes are not really food, smoking is probably the quickest way to dry out your mouth, with alcohol being the second. If you smoke, you are bound to have bad breath!
Dense Protein Foods:
Dairy foods are notorious for creating bad breath. An article in the Los Angeles Times once noted that over 50% of the population in southern California was lactose intolerant**. With regards to bad breath, we have found these people (numbering in the tens of millions) end up with more dense proteins available as bad breath fuel for the bacteria than those who have no problem with dairy foods (milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, etc.) The end result is a buildup of amino acids, which are easily converted into volatile sulfur compounds by the anaerobic bacteria found within the surface of your tongue and throat.
To a lesser extent, we have seen patients who have the same problem with other dense protein foods such as: beef, chicken, fish.
Another problem, thankfully rare, has to do with people who have an inability to break down certain proteins found in beans. This condition is called TMA (Trimethylaminuria) and is sometimes known as the “fish odor syndrome,” because the odor produced is similar to decaying fish. The odor consists of sulfur compounds, plus nitrogen compounds (amines). People with this condition must abstain from beans and other dense protein foods.
Wouldn’t it be great if we could get rid of bad breath by chewing on M&Ms? Or what if the cure for bad breath were Hershey Kisses?
That’s what the makers of ALTOIDS would have you believe. Altoids, and other products of the same ilk, are trying to fool the public into believing that a strong good taste in your mouth is equivalent to having good breath. It is so anti-science if you think about it, and it doesn’t even make sense.
By using concentrated mint flavorings, your taste buds pick up mint as a a taste. However, ALTOIDS, contains 2 types of sugar, which are fuel for the bacteria to reproduce and create more sulfur compounds. In addition, frighteningly enough, other bacteria can take the sugars and produce glycan strands, which in turn end up causing thick layers of plaque on your enamel and around your gums. This leads to tooth decay and gum disease – and of course worse breath than when you started.
Since you can’t smell your own breath, you just go merrily along with that great strong mint taste in your mouth, while others close to you are backing away – backing away from your increase bad breath, decayed teeth, and gross swollen, bleeding gums!
Stay away from candies, mints, and chewing gum if they contain sugar. Oxygenating chewing gum releases oxygen molecules directly in your mouth and also contains the antibacterial agent, zinc gluconate, found in many cold medications. In addition, as a sweetening agent we chose Xylitol, which is a natural anti-decay compound (not sugar!)
Acidic foods are a problem as you’ll read below. Some foods you should watch out for are:
Coffee – both decaf and regular have acids (Tea is OK)
pH is a term used to describe the acidity of the environment. (see table) The oral cavity has a normal pH of 6.5 (7 is neutral) which is in the acidic range.
We know that acids make the bacteria reproduce much faster. In order to decrease the production of odorous sulfur compounds, we need to neutralize the acid environment.
**According to the NIH (National Institutes of Health), lactose intolerance is the inability to digest significant amounts of lactose, the predominant sugar of milk. This inability results from a shortage of the enzyme lactase, which breaks down milk sugar into simpler forms that can then be absorbed into the bloodstream. When there is not enough lactase to digest the amount of lactose consumed, the results, although not usually dangerous, may be very distressing. While not all persons deficient in lactase have symptoms, those who do are considered to be lactose intolerant. For most people, though, lactase deficiency is a condition that develops naturally over time. After about the age of 2 years, the body begins to produce less lactase. However, many people may not experience symptoms until they are much older. Between 30 and 50 million Americans are lactose intolerant. Certain ethnic and racial populations are more widely affected than others. As many as 75% of all African Americans and American Indians and 90% of Asian Americans are lactose intolerant. The condition is least common among persons of northern European descent. | <urn:uuid:db94c166-c8ae-4808-b432-b002a4fa152c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.therabreath.com/tag/garlic-breath/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948485 | 1,395 | 3.4375 | 3 |
When and How to Stop Antidepressant Medication
Each year millions of Americans are prescribed antidepressants. There are many types of antidepressants. Medications include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as Prozac, Lexapro, Zoloft, Celexa and Paxil, serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) like Cymbalta and Effexor, tricyclic antidepressants including Elavil, Norpramin, Tofranil and others including Remeron, Wellbutrin, and Emsam. Many of these medications are used to treat depression, panic disorder, and compulsive behavior.
These medications work by affecting substances in the brain called neurotransmitters. These neurotransmitters include serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine.
If you take an antidepressant, it's important to continue to do so for at least four to nine months after you begin to feel better, to prevent a recurrence of the depression. Discuss with your doctor if discontinuing your medication is a good idea. If it is, the doctor will usually give you instructions to gradually reduce your dose. You should have no trouble with withdrawal symptoms if you follow your provider's instructions. But some people experience withdrawal side effects when discontinuing medication; these side effects can include balance problems, flu-like symptoms, blurred vision, irritability, tingling sensations, vivid dreams, nervousness and nausea. If you do, these should be reported to your doctor promptly.
Deciding when and how to stop taking antidepressants is an important step, and one you should always discuss with your doctor.
To stop an antidepressant safely:
Don't stop the drug abruptly. If you've been on an antidepressant for four weeks or more, you shouldn't stop taking it unless your provider tells you to.
Be aware of the risks. For many people, the withdrawal symptoms, which are known as discontinuation syndrome, are mild and short-lived. For others, symptoms can be unpleasant and severe, and can make it difficult to stop the medications. Withdrawal symptoms differ with each antidepressant; the withdrawal symptoms associated with Paxil and Effexor are more severe than those of other antidepressants, several studies have found.
Unless your doctor has shifted you to another antidepressant, taper the medication. The best way to avoid withdrawal side effects is to wean yourself off the medication gradually, carefully following your provider's instructions. If you reduce the dosage in small increments, the brain can slowly adapt to the absence of the drug. This weaning process generally will take 2-4 weeks, but your brain's adaptation to the absence of the medication can take from several months to a year, depending on the person, the medication and the original dosage. If you suffer a recurrence of depression or severe discontinuation symptoms, your provider may recommend you go back to a higher dose and withdraw more slowly.
Time it right. It's best to go off these medications when the factors that caused your condition are somewhat resolved or at least better controlled. It's also helpful to go off antidepressants when you're not under a lot of stress or going through a major life change.
Exercise regularly. Many studies have found exercise can help lift mood, boost energy and manage stress, anxiety and insomnia, so it's likely to make the transition from using to not using an antidepressant medication less traumatic.
People do not experience psychological craving or addiction for SSRIs. However, since stopping abruptly has the potential to cause unpleasant or severe symptoms, it's not something you should ever do on your own. | <urn:uuid:69870da7-ec1a-4058-b42b-e8dae6425749> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://healthcare.utah.edu/healthlibrary/related/doc.php?type=1&id=2666 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930648 | 736 | 2.484375 | 2 |
"It is becoming increasingly important that the data which underpins key findings should be made more available to allow for the further analysis and interpretation of those results," said Mike Davis, Vice President and Managing Director, Life Sciences Wiley. "The ability of researchers to create and collect often huge new data sets has been growing rapidly in parallel with options for their storage and retrieval in a wide range of data repositories. We are launching the Geoscience Data Journal in response to these important developments."
The editorial team, which includes representatives from the Natural Environment Research Council and the British Atmospheric Data Centre, is led by Dr Rob Allan from the UK Met Office, and will work alongside a global network of data centres. The journal will play a crucial role in the curation and archiving of digitally stored datasets, ensuring geosciences data is easily accessible, readable and understandable for years to come.
Geoscience Data Journal is online-only and will publish short data papers (articles describing a dataset, giving details including collection, processing, software and file formats) covering topics ranging from weather and climate, to oceanography, atmospheric chemistry and geology. All published data papers will be linked to datasets, which provide details of the collection, processing and file formatting of data.
"Issues around provenance, curation, recognition and discovery of data have always been important, but never as much as over recent years," said Professor Paul Hardaker, Chief Executive of the Royal Meteorological Society. "Being able to publish data in a peer-reviewed journal not only helps to address many of these challenges, but for the first time will help to recognise the contribution that data and those scientists that work with data make to the wider community."
"The establishment of journals which allow for the formal peer-review, publication and citation of data sets provides a real opportunity to promote open data, improve the openness and transparency of the research process and promote the re-use of data held by NERC and other research organisations," said Mark Thorley, Head of Science Information at the Natural Environment Research Council. "NERC has been an active supporter of the data science activities that have led to the establishment of this journal, and we will be encouraging and supporting our research community to use it to publish data sets that they hold."
Provided by Wiley
This Phys.org Science News Wire page contains a press release issued by an organization mentioned above and is provided to you “as is” with little or no review from Phys.Org staff. | <urn:uuid:84fa3c5b-4917-42a9-9ad3-a4351d8e80ee> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://phys.org/wire-news/103891709/open-access-geoscience-data-journal-launched-by-wiley.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941492 | 508 | 2.46875 | 2 |
You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘Incarnation’ tag.
You would have suffered eternal death, had he not been born in time. Never would you have been freed from sinful flesh, had he not taken on himself the likeness of sinful flesh. You would have suffered everlasting unhappiness, had it not been for this mercy. You would never have returned to life, had he not shared your death. You would have been lost if he had not hastened ‘to your aid. You would have perished, had he not come.
Let us then joyfully celebrate the coming of our salvation and redemption. Let us celebrate the festive day on which he who is the great and eternal day came from the great and endless day of eternity into our own short day of time.
He has become our justice, our sanctification, our redemption, so that, as it is written: Let him who glories glory in the Lord.
Truth, then, has arisen from the earth: Christ who said, I am the Truth, was born of the Virgin. And justice looked down from heaven: because believing in this new-born child, man is justified not by himself but by God.
Truth has arisen from the earth: because the Word was made flesh. And justice looked down from heaven: because every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.
Truth has arisen from the earth: flesh from Mary. And justice looked down from heaven: for man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.
Justified by faith, let us be at peace with God: for justice and peace have embraced one another. Through our Lord Jesus Christ: for Truth has arisen from the earth. Through whom we have access to that grace in which we stand, and our boast is in our hope of God’s glory. He does not say: “of our glory”, but of God’s glory: for justice has not come out of us but has looked down from heaven.Therefore he who glories, let him glory, not in himself, but in the Lord.
For this reason, when our Lord was born of the Virgin, the message of the angelic voices was: Glory to God in the highest, and peace to men of good will.
For how could there be peace on earth unless Truth has arisen from the earth, that is, unless Christ were born of our flesh? And he is our peace who made the two into one: that we might be men of good will, sweetly linked by the bond of unity.
Let us then rejoice in this grace, so that our glorying may bear witness to our good conscience by which we glory, not in ourselves, but in the Lord. That is why Scripture says: He is my glory, the one who lifts up my head. For what greater grace could God have made to dawn on us than to make his only Son become the son of man, so that a son of man might in his turn become son of God?
Ask if this were merited; ask for its reason, for its justification, and see whether you will find any other answer but sheer grace.
–Augustine of Hippo
It’s hard to believe it’s only a week until Christmas. Will had his Christmas program at school last night. He played, “Ding Dong Merrily on High” on the piano. My nephew Jesse is playing his trumpet tomorrow night with the band at his school’s Christmas program, and I will be his proud aunt in the audience. Will is accompanying a children’s Christmas program this Sunday morning.
We had an early Christmas with Aunt Kris who always brings a lot of joy with her, as does Uncle Mike when he is able to come. Christmas Eve, I am accompanying Tom to a midnight service where he is playing. Emily will be tucked up in bed sound asleep and watched over by her guardian brothers. Once again, I will sit alone in a dark church, without distraction, listening to the beautiful words and music of the Christmas Eve vigil. It’s a deeply meaningful way of remembering the mystery of the Incarnation.
We are not having a big meal on Christmas Day. I made a turkey on Thanksgiving and wore myself out. The consensus is that everybody wants to take it easy this year. So I am going to make some hot ham and buy some rolls, and we will have a very easy Christmas dinner without all the clean-up time. The big meals are nice, but I think everybody would prefer to just spend our time together without a lot of fuss.
Tom’s long running music job comes to an end this weekend, and we will get him back again! This year, the show did not run all the way until Christmas so we are very pleased to have him back early. After weeks of being so busy, he is looking forward to a quiet Christmas Day.
What we need in all our lives is to see the power of that Savior who was born in Bethlehem. The Nativity becomes nothing more than a romantic story if it is stripped of its larger meaning. Bethlehem led to Calvary. It was on Calvary that the power of sin, death and hell were broken. We desperately need to see the power of our resurrected Jesus in our lives. Otherwise, it is just a fairy tale. We need more than a Christmas card Jesus. We need to see the power of the living Jesus to heal lives, restore relationships and reconcile us to each other in love and forgiveness. May God show His power this Christmas and every day of our lives.
O Come let us adore Him, Christ the LORD. | <urn:uuid:f0e7825a-04a5-4817-81d5-81aa90e4f27e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ingridschlueter.wordpress.com/tag/incarnation/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979882 | 1,165 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Submitted to: Cereal Chemistry
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: January 29, 2001
Publication Date: N/A
Interpretive Summary: A fraction of starch known as amylose is the primary determinant of rice texture. As a result, amylose content is used by rice breeders to predict the textural attributes of newly developed cultivars and market class is in-part based on it. The wet chemistry laboratory values currently used are influenced by where the samples were grown. This environmental effect sometimes results in amylose values that are on the border between two ric market classes. Such instances result in breeders having to grow a new rice line in multiple locations to ensure they know its market class. A DNA based tool known as the waxy microsatellite corresponds to the various market class amounts of amylose content. A relatively inexpensive, rapid method has been developed to analyze the waxy microsatellite in brown and milled rice and plant tissue. This method has been adopted by the USDA Rice Quality Evaluation Program for use in screening rice lines from the various spublic breeding programs.
Rice breeders must evaluate progeny across multiple years and locations in part due to environmental effects on amylose content, the primary constituent that influences rice end-use quality. A microsatellite correlated with the various classes of apparent amylose content in rice has been used to decrease the development time for the U.S. cultivars Cadet and Jacinto by several years. The objective of this project was to develop a relatively inexpensive method for assaying this microsatellite suited for screening large numbers of progeny and to evaluate this method by analyzing a diverse set of breeding lines and cultivars. Rapid multiple-kernel (brown and milled), single kernel and leaf tissue alkali DNA extraction procedures were developed. Enhanced resolution of allele classes and separation speed was achieved by electrophoresing PCR amplification products encompassing the waxy microsatellite in a polyacrylamide/SPREADEX gel matrix using a triple-wide mini electrophoresis unit. For germ plasm characterization, allele scoring accuracy and speed were improved by loading standards, consisting of three microsatellite classes in a single lane, several times across the gel. The microsatellite explained 88 percent of the variation in the apparent amylose content of 198 nonwaxy U.S. cultivars and breeding lines of diverse parentage, grown in four locations. The utility of this method was demonstrated by one technician analyzing a breeding population of 142 progeny in 1.5 days using relatively inexpensive laboratory equipment. | <urn:uuid:5ffb44ff-9e2d-4c5d-a6df-0d6931d363ad> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publications.htm?SEQ_NO_115=119464 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00054-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943022 | 536 | 2.796875 | 3 |
WASHINGTON — Knowing the law plus training managers and other personnel to recognize potential problems before a situation deteriorates are keys to avoiding investigations by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, says Brian Hudson, a Washington, D.C.-based labor attorney.
Speaking during a TRSA webinar titled EEOC Challenges, Hudson detailed a few of the laws the EEOC enforces, as well as what an employer might expect if a charge is filed.
The EEOC enforces the laws intended to protect people from discrimination, harassment and retaliation in the workplace. The agency has offices in every state, and any business with 15 or more employees comes under its jurisdiction.
Hudson has represented both employees and employers in hearings with the EEOC as well as in the courtroom and before the National Labor Relations Board, the U.S. Department of Labor and various federal, state and local agencies. He offered various “rules of thumb.”
Almost 100,000 charges of discrimination were investigated by the EEOC in fiscal 2011. The exact number, 99,947, was a record, Hudson says, as was the $364.6 million employers paid as part of the administration enforcement process. Most of the cases are focused on retaliation complaints.
Hudson believes the agency is focusing on “systemic enforcement,” or cases that involved a large number of people.
The EEOC process begins when an employee or a former employee or job applicant files a charge with one of the commission’s 50-plus offices, Hudson says, or with a state office. Charges of discrimination or harassment must be filed federally within 180 days of the alleged act. Many states expand that window to 300 days, if the charges are to be filed under state laws.
The EEOC will notify an employer if a charge has been filed within 10 days. Some charges are dismissed immediately, Hudson says, and EEOC will immediately offer mediation. “(The charge) can be settled right away,” he says, “as long as you’re willing to pay or do whatever they’re asking for. It’s not always a bad choice. Particularly if the employee or applicant isn’t asking for much, or if the person has a legitimate reason … for which there is no real defense.”
Mediation also can be a cost-saving measure for employers, as the financial burden of hiring a specialized attorney, like Hudson, and following the case through the EEOC process and even into court can be enormous.
“So don’t dismiss mediation out of hand, you don’t want to just roll over,” he says. “Many employers rightly fear that bad employees sometimes see this as easy, free money by filing a charge.”
If the case isn’t settled right away, the EEOC will continue to investigate. “They review the allegations, they take evidence from both parties, possibly including a position statement (from the company), request documents and records, interview employees, applicants, former employees,” Hudson says.
If the agency finds cause, it will first try to settle through conciliation, Hudson says, which means the agency gives the company an option as to what to do to settle the claim, most likely what the complainant is asking for, such as reinstatement, back pay or a settlement.
Depending on the facts of the case, the company can make a counter offer. If this fails, the EEOC may file suit in federal court.
The agency also will issue a right-to-sue notice to the complainant if it dismisses the charge, Hudson says. This gives the employee/applicant 90 days to file suit. Under EEOC guidelines, an employee must first file through the agency. When all options have been exhausted, the employee can consider a lawsuit once the EEOC has issued its notice of right to sue. The exception is when a charge is filed under the Equal Pay Act – in this instance, a case can be taken directly to court.
Hudson cautioned participants that charges may often be the prelude to a lawsuit, and a company must proceed as if this were the case.
HOW TO RESPOND
Knowing the law and educating all members of your management team is the best way to minimize exposure. “If you know the law,” Hudson says, “that’s your best defense.”
His top five points:
1. Make sure the right people know about the charge as soon as possible. And the reverse is also true: make sure the people who don’t need to know, don’t. Time limits apply to EEOC charges. If there is no company response, the agency will make a finding and probably find fault.
2. Consult an attorney. Hudson suggests bringing legal counsel on from the beginning, as a way to help a company review the facts and to look over shoulders to ensure everything is done above board.
3. Be sure the company has all the facts and that all evidence is preserved. “Ideally, you have already known this was coming,” he says. “You might have already done an investigation. Start one, if not, and be sure there is no spoliation, or deliberate destruction of evidence.”
4. A company needs to appoint a point of contact, someone to speak on its behalf. Explain the company’s position in a clear, consistent manner, Hudson says. This is normally done through a position statement; lay out all the facts, show the EEOC why there is no case, include documents that back up the company’s position, and don’t change the position.
5. Evaluate all requests for information, interviews and on-site visits. Hudson says the rule of thumb is to respond fully but on the company’s terms. Be sure there are no glaring holes in the information presented. Hold off any on-site visits for as long as possible.
It’s best that a company admits that defending a charge will be an uphill battle. Consider answers in light of potential lawsuits, and be sure all the right parties are aware of the facts and sign off before a settlement or agreement goes out the door.
The attorney recommends that a company train its managers to recognize problems before they can become full-blown claims. Solve the problems before someone decides they need to go to the EEOC, Hudson says.
Many plaintiffs don’t want to sue their employers, he says. Most often, the case comes down to a misunderstanding, and the employer is left with the feeling that he or she has no other choice.
“So by training your managers and front-line supervisors on these laws, …. by giving them the training and investing the time, you can hopefully save yourself a lot of grief,” he says. Training for other employees is a good move as well, he says.
The EEOC enforces several federal laws. The main one, Title VII, applies to businesses that employ 15 or more people, and it covers a lot of ground, Hudson says, when it comes to conditions of employment, including hiring, firing, promotions, disciplinary terminations, and more. This law also covers unwelcome conduct, including sexual harassment and harassment based on religion or national origin. Title VII also covers retaliation.
The Pregnancy Discrimination Act is an amendment that prohibits any discrimination based on pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions.
The Equal Pay Act predates Title VII, and is an amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act. This concerns equal pay for equal work.
The Age Discrimination in Employment Act follows Title VII but is focused solely on age. It prohibits discrimination against an employee who is age 40 or older, while many state discrimination laws allow for claims by employees younger than 40. This law applies to companies with 20 or more employees.
The Americans With Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination and/or harassment based on a qualified individual’s disabilities. An amendment expanded the definition of “disability,” and the EEOC covers those as well as any claims that reasonable accommodations have not been permitted.
The latest law interpreted by the EEOC is the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, which prohibits discrimination based on genetic information, tests of an individual or the immediate family, or on family medical history. For instance, Hudson says, an employer cannot discriminate against an individual if the company learns that the person’s family has a predisposition toward cancer. A company cannot request medical testing, and is subject to strict confidentiality restrictions if any such information comes to the attention of company personnel.
Hudson recommends a company follow written guidelines when hiring. Advertise only when a position is open, and accept applications only during an active hiring phase. Avoid language that may indicate bias when advertising a position, and ask only what is necessary on applications and during interviews. Require the same information from all applicants, such as a written application, a background check or more than one interview.
For employment relationships, Hudson says a company is best served by having written policies and employee handbooks. Train and work with personnel to prevent any types of harassment, and provide reasonable accommodations for those with disabilities.
When firing, Hudson says a company needs to establish and follow set procedures. Document all performance issues, and include progressive discipline measures, such as a warning or warnings, suspension, and then termination. Provide a notice of termination, and consider offering a severance package, as well as a separation-and-release agreement.
All in all, Hudson believes companies can avoid EEOC charges by training personnel, adhering to written policies that are directed to everyone, and by knowing the law. He suggests visiting the EEOC website, eeoc.gov, to learn more. | <urn:uuid:a30a41bb-e9a5-439d-a85f-c3e825d28620> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.americanlaundrynews.com/topics/Age%20Discrimination%20in%20Employment%20Act | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957823 | 2,025 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Playground to be closed, ideas to be integrated or killed
Google has announced that the company is to “wind down” Google Labs, which the site’s FAQ describes as “a playground where our more adventurous users can play around with prototypes of some of our wild and crazy ideas and offer feedback directly to the engineers who developed them.”
Bill Coughran, SVP for research and systems Infrastructure revealed the move on the Official Google Blog, stating that it follows last week’s explanation from CEO Larry Page that the company was to prioritise its product efforts.
“Greater focus has also been another big feature for me this quarter: more wood behind fewer arrows,” he said. “Focus and prioritisation are crucial given our amazing opportunities,” he added.
Coughran argued that while the company has learned a great deal by launching very early prototypes in Google Labs, it believes that “greater focus is crucial if we’re to make the most of the extraordinary opportunities ahead”. In many cases, he confirmed that this will result in the closure of Labs experiments, while in other cases Labs products and technologies will be incorporated into other product areas.
He also said that many Labs products that are Android apps will continue to be available on Android Market. Coughran was also keen to clarify that this decision doesn’t mean the end of experimentation at Google, stating: “We don't have any plans to change in-product experimentation channels like Gmail Labs or Maps Labs. We'll continue to experiment with new features in each of our products.” | <urn:uuid:90b70e4a-1704-486d-91dd-8e59caad7b20> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.netmagazine.com/news/google-wind-down-labs | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960351 | 334 | 1.757813 | 2 |
With April's "Flower of the Month"--Giant Vetch--we are presenting the first of a series of feature articles that look a little closer at Garber Park and its many wildland treasures. We will select a native flower that is prominent in a particular month, that you might easily see from the Loop Trail, and that has ecologic significance both for Garber Park and for wildland on the East Bay ridge in general.
In creating this feature we acknowledge and build upon Kay Loughman's pioneering website, Wildlife in the North Hills, http://www.nhwildlife.net/, where a beautiful catalog of carefully identified wildland species may be found. Kay's work is both inspiration and archive for our new feature, in which we hope to present the individual or community, the species, the context, the range where we know it, and the overall health of the plant.
In considering these several aspects, we wish to explore what we often discover in Garber Park--Garber is vitally related to the larger biologic unity of the remaining wildland in the East Bay. Our task as Stewards is to promote the preservation of the entire expanse by understanding and protecting our local communities.
The Garber Park Stewards | <urn:uuid:52a378cb-c8b6-46bf-b617-d3387e27b1b3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://garberparkstewards.blogspot.com/2011/05/new-feature-flower-of-month.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939977 | 256 | 2.234375 | 2 |
In 2007 Airship Ventures was founded with the goal of bringing back the Zeppelin — but now that dream is dead. The company has announced that it is ceasing operations, citing a combination of the economic recession and a global helium shortage that bumped up operating costs. Making matters worse, the company also struggled to find a long-term sponsor. Operating largely in California, Airship's Zeppelin Eureka shuttled more than 20,000 sightseers during its brief existence, and the company worked with partners as diverse as ESPN and NASA, to do everything from searching for meteorites to providing aerial coverage for football games.
According to the company, it was the first large-scale airship operation in America since the 1930s, and the Eureka was largest passenger airship in the world. Meanwhile, the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Eureka — which was leased from the Zeppelin company — will likely be sent back to Germany and disassembled. Whether or not another company is able to successfully fill the void remains to be seen, though airships are still being developed for military operations. "Operating this unique aircraft has been an inspiring experience," CEO Brian Hall said in a goodbye letter, "and it is with a very heavy heart that we've come to this point requiring us to cease operations and ground Eureka." | <urn:uuid:014c5a26-97e6-425f-ae23-5e0cff7106db> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theverge.com/2012/11/16/3654280/airship-ventures-ceases-operations | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976421 | 273 | 2.078125 | 2 |
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is an antioxidant found in fruits and vegetables. Scientific evidence suggests vitamin C lowers the risk of developing cataracts, and when taken in combination with other essential nutrients, can slow the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and visual acuity loss.
AMD and cataract incidence are growing. Worldwide, more than 25 million people are affected by age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and the formation of cataracts. AMD is the leading cause of blindness in people over age 55 in the Western world and the incidence is expected to triple by 2025. Smoking, diabetes and the use of steroids are all risk factors for cataract formation as they all deplete the eye's lens of vitamin C.
Vitamin C helps to promote healthy capillaries, gums, teeth, cartilage and the absorption of iron. Virtually all cells of the body depend on it, including those of the eye where it is actively concentrated in all tissues. Vitamin C also supports the health of ocular blood vessels. Our bodies do not synthesize the vitamin C needed, which is the reason citrus fruits and juices are essential to good nutrition. Daily intake of vitamin C through diet, nutritional supplements, or fortified foods and beverages is important for the maintenance of good eye health.
Numerous studies have linked vitamin C intake and ocular health. A study demonstrated that women using vitamin C for 10 years or more experienced a 64 percent reduction in the risk of developing nuclear cataracts. Researchers estimate that half of cataract-related surgeries could be averted by delaying the onset of cataracts for 10 years.
Other research showed that women taking a daily supplementation dosage of 364 mg experienced a 57 percent reduction in their risk of certain types of cataracts. The research concluded that periods shorter than 10 years are insufficient to measure the influence of vitamin C upon cataract formation. Therefore, a 300 mg/day intake of vitamin C appears to be the minimum point at which cataract prevention occurs.
The Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS), sponsored by the National Eye Institute, was a landmark study that established AMD as a ‘nutrition-responsive disorder.’ The study showed that a 500 mg/day intake of vitamin C, taken with antioxidants beta-carotene, vitamin E and zinc supplementation, slows the progression of advanced age-related macular degeneration by about 25 percent and visual acuity loss by 19 percent in individuals at high-risk for the disease. Emerging science, consisting of the AREDS results and seven smaller studies, have confirmed these results.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has established a dietary reference intake (DRI) for vitamin C of 90 mg/day for males and 75 mg/day for females. It has long been recognized that people under stress require more vitamin C than the recommended daily allowance. These groups include smokers, alcoholics, diabetics, pregnant or breast feeding women, older adults, athletes and people with chronic diseases who experience environmental stress from heat, cold, or radiation. There is little scientifically documented risk in taking higher doses of vitamin C, except for incurring diarrhea.
Vitamin C is found almost exclusively in fruits and vegetables, including citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons, grapefruit and limes. The table above lists foods known to be high in vitamin C antioxidants. If you are not getting enough vitamin C through diet alone, consider adding one of the widely available vitamin C supplements to your daily routine. However, always consult with a health care professional before beginning a supplementation regiment.References
*At this time, the AOA is unaware of any studies that have examined interactions between medications and vitamin C. The AOA also is not aware of any adverse health reports from interactions between medications and vitamin C. However, the AOA recommends consulting with a health care professional before beginning any supplementation regiment. | <urn:uuid:44fa2ad8-2e2c-4192-82ce-c88117cd6bda> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.aoa.org/x11814.xml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93376 | 807 | 3.375 | 3 |
The Great Debate UK
Sarah Brown is Global Patron of the White Ribbon Alliance and author of Behind the Black Door published by Ebury Publishing on March 3, 2011. Follow her on Twitter @SarahBrownUK The opinions expressed are her own. Thomson Reuters will host an International Women’s Day follow-the-sun live blog on March 8, 2011.
To mark the 100th International Women’s Day it is as good a place as any to start with U.N. Women’s objective to seek a pathway to decent work for women.
Back in 1911, the very first International Women’s Day was held to protest unfair wages and poor conditions of work for women. Today, much of the focus lies similarly in seeking equal treatment, repairing injustices and opening up the opportunity for women to improve their lives in the poorest parts of the world.
As U.N. Women’s Executive Director Michele Bachelet said just last week, “Women’s strength, women’s industry, women’s wisdom are humankind’s greatest untapped resource”.
- Sarah Brown is the wife of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, a charity campaigner and Twitter enthusiast. Follow her on Twitter @SarahBrown10. The opinions expressed are her own. -
On the 8th of March, the web lit up with blogs and tweets and facebook messages to mark International Women’s Day. I joined thousands of women on London’s Millennium Bridge as part of a global effort to unite women to serve the causes of peace and development and was very pleased to discuss our shared aspirations for women with U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama in a web exclusive for Number 10. | <urn:uuid:cde7af5a-3288-44f8-a0ba-fadadb75e328> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate-uk/tag/sarah-brown/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943252 | 352 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Who controls the world economy?
Short answer: A shockingly small number of individuals and companies.
In the fascinating TED Talk below, James Glattfelder uses complexity theory to study how control flows through the interconnected globa
It has now been a little over a month since Google's brand new social networking website - Google+ was launched in a limited field trial. During this time, over 25 million+ people have already joined Google+ making it the fastest growing social
I have always been fascinated by computer languages and programming. I have also enjoyed learning and programming in a wide spectrum of languages. One of my first jobs fresh out of graduate school in Computer Science was developing system le
Google's exponential growth and emergence as a technology juggernaut has been driven by one simple but incredibly successful business model : paid search or pay per click (PPC) advertising. Google appears invincible today because it dominates on
There is a post on TechCrunch today about the Top 10 Reasons The Apple iPad Will Put Amazon’s Kindle Out of Business
Certainly the iPad will give some competition to the Kindle - especially the $489 model - but put it out of business ? High
It is now widely acknowledged that America's public school education system is broken and needs fixing. Numerous studies rank US school children well below other countries in science and math tests:
"The average science score of U.S. students
College too expensive? Try YouTube http://bit.ly/uFFbo
This is a glimpse of the future of college education and education in general. The convergence of digital multimedia and broadband together with global connectivity is paving the way for a n | <urn:uuid:039ec89f-62c3-421b-b815-5fe430ca5919> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://arunshroff.com/category/general/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942184 | 331 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Predicting the Costs of Long Term Care
Imminent health care reform may include a long term care plan that consumers can buy into. The benefits offered are likely to be helpful but inadequate. How inadequate? You can find out by using an online long term care cost estimator.
60 percent of Americans over age 65 will require at least some type of long term care services during their lifetime.
Once you reach age 65, you have a 40 percent chance of entering a nursing home.
Approximately 10 percent of folks who enter nursing homes will be there for five years or more.
68% of Americans have a family member or friend who has received long term care in the past three years.
If that doesn’t scare you into considering the purchase of long term care insurance, Northwestern Mutual has introduced a long term cost calculator that may do the trick.
The data used by this calculator was compiled by the Northwestern Long Term Care Cost of Care Survey in November 2008, through the Long Term Care Group, Inc.
Further assumptions used by the calculator:
- Annual cost of home health aide based on average hourly rate, 8 hours a day, and 365 days a year.
- Annual cost of assisted living based on average monthly rate for 12 months. Annual cost of nursing facility based on average nursing home private daily room rate for 365 days.
- Five (5%) annual inflation rate for long term care costs.
I ran the calculator for myself. If I were to have a long term care event beginning at age 70 and lasting for two years, the estimated care cost in my state of Tennessee is $256,000. My current long term care insurance policy will cover only about 75% of that amount. Thus, I need to have sufficient funds available to cover the difference.
If the government LTC plan is available to us and will coordinate properly with our own coverage, we may buy into that plan as well. Why? Because insuring against financial risks is more predictable right now than most investing options.
Have you considered the costs of long term care? How are you planning to handle a worst case scenario?
FREE UPDATES: If you enjoy what you read here, please consider subscribing to receive free updates automatically by RSS feed or by email. (I promise that your email address will not be shared or used for any other purpose.) | <urn:uuid:70da94a5-1f6d-45cd-919e-1638a9701c16> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://gotoretirement.com/2009/12/predicting-costs-long-term-care/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962083 | 480 | 1.578125 | 2 |
of the H. pylori bacteria
In 1982, two Australian scientists,
Dr Barry Marshall and Dr Robin Warren discovered that stomach
ulcers were actually caused by H. pylori.
The New York Times published an article in 1984 by its medical correspondent Dr. Lawrence K. Altman on the link between H. pylori and Peptic Ulcer disease. He stated in 2002, "I’ve never seen the medical community more defensive or more critical of a story", and he had been with the paper since 1969.
It took a total of 23 years for Dr Barry Marshall and Dr Robin Warren to convince the medical profession
to acknowledge and embrace their breakthrough discovery, and they were eventually awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2005 for their work on H. pylori.
Let's go back in time...
The story of Dr Barry Marshall and Dr Robin
Warren started nearly 23 years before they won the Nobel Prize.
After years of intensive research, their discovery
which established the link between an infection of Helicobacter
Pylori bacterium and stomach ulcers, was finally made way
back in 1982.
Supporting evidence of the link between the
H. pylori bacterium and stomach ulcers quickly strengthened
over the next 10 years. Many studies from around the world
also confirmed without any doubt that there was a presence
of the Helicobacter Pylori bacterium in most people suffering
from peptic ulcers.
The concept of stress and diet being the cause
of peptic ulcers was so firmly entrenched in the medical professions
mindset at the time, that they could not bring themselves
to believe that a bacterium could possibly be the cause.
This newly discovered fact completely rocked
common medical beliefs in those days. Nobody believed that
Helicobacter Pylori could survive in the acidic environment
of the stomach, because the stomach was supposed to be kept
sterile by the natural presence of aggressive gastric juices
A leap of faith and
To disprove the belief that Helicobacter Pylori could not
survive in the acidic environment of the stomach, Dr Barry
Marshall performed an experiment on himself in July 1984 that
for ethical reasons he could not ask any healthy person to
He was first checked for bacterial infection
and tested negative. He then swallowed a 3 day culture of
Helicobacter Pylori. As he expected, seven days later he started
feeling sick with headaches, nausea, episodes of vomiting
and really bad breath.
Although he didn't develop an ulcer, he did
suffer from gastritis (stomach inflammation). After ten days,
tests showed that the H. pylori bacterium had established itself
in Dr Marshall's stomach. After 2 weeks, Dr Marshall began
taking an antibiotic and he was back to normal within twenty-four
His bold experiment was a success as he had
proved that a healthy person could easily be infected by H. pylori.
10 years later, some
acknowledgement is made.
By the 1990's discussions had shifted from
the question of whether Helicobacter Pylori causes peptic
ulcers, to questions on how it causes ulcers and how it can
Thus, the theory of the unbelievers had been
broken - they argued that people with ulcers had weak immune
systems, and that H. pylori was only effectively infecting
people with ulcers because of their weakened immune systems.
Haven't heard much from them since then...
Today there is absolutely no doubt that H. pylori
is the cause of 80% - 90% of all stomach ulcers. There is
still a lot of discussion on whether it can be the sole cause
or if it needs a sidekick, like stress or spicy foods.
The bottom line regarding the correlation between
of Helicobacter Pylori and ulcers is most clearly shown in
the recurrence rates after treatment. The ulcer recurrence
rate at 1 year is about 10% if H. pylori is eradicated. And
50% - 60% if it is not eradicated. Say no more....
What other diseases is H. pylori
bacterium linked to?
Recent studies show that apart from peptic
ulcers, other diseases such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative
colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and even 50 % of new gastric
cancer cases are linked to the presence of
H. pylori bacterium.
to get a FREE copy of 'The H. Pylori and Stomach Ulcer Report' now.
Another new discovery is that 65 - 70% of people infected with
H. pylori also suffer from Candida
How can H. pylori bacterium be eradicated?
You have to look at natural
remedies if you want to avoid negative effects. Natural products are toxin free and are known to be very gentle on your body.
Want to clear H.
If you have already been trying to get rid
of H. pylori or your stomach ulcer, then chances are you are visiting our site now because a treatment has failed, and you are seeking an alternative treatment that actually works.
If this describes where
you are at right now, then you will be happy to read that it is now possible to remove all traces of H. pylori from your digestive system with a single course of a clinically proven 100% natural herbal solution - and that this can be done without any negative effects.
Sources and references
All our information
is sourced from various digestive health experts,
a world renowned immunologist, and from these trusted | <urn:uuid:5440cbf9-d0bd-489a-8f73-37b278615e64> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ulcer-cure.com/H_Pylori/h-pylori-bacterium.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94906 | 1,198 | 2.875 | 3 |
This story was updated March 6 to reflect additional details about Windows 8 for enterprise organizations.
Chief information officers from government, education and health sectors got the latest look at the converging world of mobile and workplace computing platforms – and the new beta release of Windows 8 –at a public sector CIO summit sponsored by Microsoft Corp. Feb. 29 in Redmond, Wash.
The release of the consumer preview, or beta version, of Windows 8 in Barcelona, Spain earlier in the day provided Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer the perfect prop for describing how the IT marketplace is continuing to evolve and what public sector CIOs can expect from Microsoft.
“Protecting and securing data on a device you don’t control is an opportunity for innovation,” Ballmer said at a kick off presentation that was closed to the press, but was captured on Twitter at #USPSCIO.
Windows 8, which has been available to developers since last September, reflects a dramatically different direction for Microsoft’s approach to operating systems.
Its new Metro style design, featuring interactive tiles that update continuously, evolved from a new operating system Microsoft designed for mobile phones. Microsoft incorporated that design into a new approach for its desktop and tablet operating systems, along with its latest efforts to integrate touch and gestures with the keyboard and the mouse.
“Everything that runs Windows 7 will run Windows 8,” Ballmer said. And because Windows 8 is now designed to work on a variety of devices, it promises to drive down the cost of device support, he said, according to Tweets from his remarks.
The new operating system also presents opportunities for evolving authoring tools in a multi-platform, connected world, he said.
But Ballmer also focused on the concerns of government and other public sector CIOs.
“Getting Microsoft Cloud to meet requirements of the government market is Job 1,” Ballmer said, according to Richard Holgate, CIO of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms.
Indeed, much of the day focused on how agencies, educators and health officials are generating significant savings by using Microsoft’s array of office and enterprise solutions that now operate on cloud computing platforms.
Christopher Smith, CIO for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, who took the stage after Balmer, highlighted how USDA consolidated 27 email systems and moved the email accounts of 120,000 employees to the cloud.
The move from legacy systems to a single platform, which was completed last September, and the ability to extend the department’s software licenses to the cloud, is expected to save USDA $6 million annually, Smith told Breaking Gov in an interview following his remarks.
Adam Silverman, Chief Administration Officer of the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s Inspector General Office, similarly described how his agency developed a new investigative management system, built using Microsoft’s Office 365 platform and hosted on a cloud-based infrastructure hosted by NASA.
Office 365 combines the Microsoft Office Professional Plus client suite with cloud versions of Microsoft Exchange Online, Microsoft SharePoint Online, and Microsoft Lync Online. The Office Professional Plus offering provides the complete Office client suite as a monthly subscription service.
Silverman estimates the new system costs 1/20th of what it would have cost him to build it himself. And it was completed in far less time.
“We architected the infrastructure in two days and completed piloting in three weeks,” Silverman said. “Locally, I have almost nothing” except some printers, he said. “What we don’t have is a massive infrastructure I have to maintain.
In addition to the availability of the Windows 8 Consumer Preview, Microsoft announced the beta opening of the Windows Store, which features a variety of Metro style apps from Microsoft and third-party developers. The featured apps will Windows 8 users to take their apps and settings with them across multiple PCS, and promises to offer a bonanza of opportunities for Microsoft’s network of develops.
Few details about Windows 8 were actually revealed at the CIO summit. However, Kevin Turner, chief operating Officer at Microsoft provided additional detail about Windows 8 and its benefits for enterprise users during a speech March 6. Among the benefits he said enterprise organizations can expect:
- Greater user experience. Windows 8 bridges the gap between a personalized experience for users and the security and management features that IT professionals trust. Features include the new Windows 8 Start screen and fully immersive Metro style apps. People can be more productive with both multitouch and traditional keyboard and mouse interfaces. Critical line-of-business apps also can benefit from an immersive full screen, allowing people to easily interact with the app.
- New possibilities for mobile productivity. For people who are increasingly mobile, Windows 8 helps them stay connected and productive in a more secure way. Windows 8 includes Windows To Go – the ability to provide users with a full corporate copy of Windows 8 (along with users’ business apps, data and settings) on a USB storage device. Windows 8 also includes improvements to DirectAccess and built-in mobile broadband features that natively support 3G and 4G telecommunication. And Windows 8 can stay always connected with Metro-style apps.
- End-to-end security. Features such as Trusted Boot and improved BitLocker drive encryption, AppLocker, and claim-based access control help protect corporate data across the client device, the network and back-end infrastructure.
- Advancements in virtualization. With Windows 8, users can get a virtualized experience with high-definition graphics, support for touch and support for USB devices on a local PC. It will be easier for IT departments to implement virtual desktop infrastructures in a more cost-effective way. In addition, Windows 8 includes Microsoft Hyper-V, a high-performing client virtualization technology that enables enterprise developers to develop, debug and test multiple configurations of apps and operating systems on a single PC instead of each configuration requiring its own PC. | <urn:uuid:3b9f179f-0d19-4267-b412-30f89f314b93> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://breakinggov.com/2012/03/01/windows-8-mobile-platforms-unveiled-at-public-sector-cio-summit/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934483 | 1,228 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Parekh, S. (2011) Dental age assessment – developing standards for UK subjects. Doctoral thesis, UCL (University College London).
|PDF - Requires a PDF viewer such as GSview, Xpdf or Adobe Acrobat Reader|
Dental Age Assessment (DAA) is used to estimate age when date of birth is uncertain. This thesis utilised radiographs archived at the Eastman Dental Hospital and King‟s College Dental Hospital. All teeth developing on the left side were assessed using an eight stage system (Demirjian 1973) and a twelve stage system (Haavikko 1970). The ages of attainment for each Tooth Development Stage (TDS) provided the Reference Data Set (RDS). Dental Age (DA) was calculated using weighted averages. DA estimates using the eight and twelve stage systems were compared, as were the effects of gender and ethnicity. The relative distal root canal widths (RCW) of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd permanent molars were assessed using a five category system designed by the investigator. In addition ossification of the sternoclavicular joint (SCJ) was also assessed using a five stage system (Schmeling 2004). The stages and the categories were related to age. The improvement obtained by combining DA, RCW and SCJ data was explored. A total of 2,622 subjects comprised the RDS with 45% male and 55% female, and an age range of 3 - 35 years. The main ethnic group was White (70%) followed by Black (13%), Mixed (5%) Asian (3%) and „not recorded‟ for 9% of subjects. The mean difference between DA & CA was -0.15 years (SD 1.3) for males and -0.14 years (SD 1.4) for females respectively using 12 stages, and -0.14 years for both genders using 8 stages. The greater ease of use of the 8 stage system makes it preferable for DAA. The combination of DA, SCJ & RCW showed that DA was the best predictor of an individual with teeth still developing. For subjects with no teeth still developing, SCJ can be used to estimate the age of an individual.
|Title:||Dental age assessment – developing standards for UK subjects|
|Open access status:||An open access version is available from UCL Discovery|
|Additional information:||Copyright restricted material has been removed from the digital copy of this thesis|
|UCL classification:||UCL > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences > Eastman Dental Institute > Craniofacial and Development Sciences|
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Who is it for?
All staff who work in a supervisory capacity on site where they influence the asbestos removal operations. In HSG 247, the HSE state that, “… it is a requirement that all such staff should have attended and passed this course”. Employers should ensure that staff training is fully compliant with the requirements of Regulation 10 of CAR 2006 of HSG 247.
Ensure that employers have meet their obligations under Regulation 10 of HSG 247 and the employees have received the appropriate training and knowledge required to achieve the requirements of Regulation 10 of CAR 2006, HSG 247.
Delegates should note that a multiple choice examination, a plan of work test and practical fault finding exercise are all included in the course. Delegates not achieving the required pass mark of 80% in the exam or assessment will not pass the course and are expected to retake the whole course.
All supervisory staff attending this course will have a clear understanding of the following, delivered to them via theory and practical training:
Legislation – CAR 2006;
Guidance – The Licensed Contractors’ Guide (HSG 247) & The Analyst’s Guide
Assessment and plans of work;
Site set up & management;
Waste management and disposal
(hazardous waste 2005);
Asbestos in buildings.
It is essential delegates bring their own RPE for this course. This course requires candidates to undertake full decontamination; delegates will not pass the course. | <urn:uuid:4f7eec17-baeb-4c93-9a99-68e503a73bae> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.atac.org.uk/asbestos-training-courses/asbestos-supervisory-licence-holder-courses.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.928133 | 305 | 1.75 | 2 |
A Taste for Risk
Do you enjoy "positive surprises"? If so, should you invest in aggressive growth funds? A questionnaire formulated by Batterymarch Financial back in 1989 categorized respondents as risk-takers, as opposed to risk-averse or risk-neutral investors, if they expressed an interest in "positive surprises" or "outwitting the crowd."
Questionnaires have grown in importance since then, says Laura Rigsby, vice president at Fiduciary Trust in Boston, as more middle-income households invest in mutual funds and advisors spend less time with clients. The questionnaires typically help determine, first, how much risk an investor may need to take on to reach specific goals; and, second, how much risk an investor is willing to take on. The latter task is especially difficult, for it relies on introspection by the investor.
In the past few years, the questionnaires have shifted from trying to assess general client attitudes to inquiring specifically about investment behavior. Fidelity Investments, for example, currently asks investors whether or not they previously invested in bond or stock funds and how they felt about it. It asks new investors for reactions to hypothetical investment losses.
This shift away from abstract questions that outline general behavioral patterns, points to a change in conception. How we deal with money, it seems, is different from the way we behave in other risk-taking activities. Someone who enjoys sky-diving could be a conservative investor, says Richard Geist, president of the Institute of Psychology and Investing. "How people treat money depends on their background, how their family treated it. How they treat their bodies can be very different."
- Susan Bannon
Electronic payments mechanisms are increasingly touted as cheaper, faster, and easier than traditional paper checks. Sending a check through the mail costs roughly $2.90 in paper, postage, and back-office processing, estimates Kirstin Wells, of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors staff; the electronic automated clearinghouse (ACH), most commonly used for paycheck deposits and other recurring payments, transfers funds for about $1.30.
But ACH adoption has been slow. ACH use, as a share of all non-cash payments, has only grown from 1 to 3 percent between 1983 to 1994. Public Service of New Hampshire, an electric utility based in Manchester, for example, offers automated bill payment that saves consumers postage, banking fees, and hassle. Fewer than 10 percent signed up.
The mortgage market would seem particularly ripe for ACH since mortgage payments, unlike utility charges, are fixed and carry penalties for delinquency. But here again, experience suggests resistance to cyber-payments. BayBank in Boston reports only one-third of its mortgage customers use automatic payment, an option offered since the early '80s, even when incentives sweetened the pot. BayBank offered borrowers a $100 discount on their loan if they paid by ACH. But the bank cancelled the promotion when its savings failed to justify the expense.
Consumers and businesses thus need larger inducements before they give up their checks. As electronic and paper payment systems both exhibit large economies of scale, such gains might materialize only if more users switch.
- John Piazza
The World Is Round
After Asia's economic explosion shifted the locus of the world economy to the Pacific Rim, West Coast ports became major ports-of-entry for U.S. imports. But as the nations of northeast Asia developed and their labor costs rose, industrial activity in Asia shifted south and west, mainly to China. It has now moved far enough that some goods shipped to the U.S. Eastern Seaboard come directly, through the Suez Canal, saving time and expense over the trans-Pacific, transcontinental route.
New York and Halifax, Nova Scotia, are the main destinations. Feeder vessels then carry goods to Boston, three times a week, to serve the New England market. Only 10 percent of the goods leave the region.
Most of these imports are low-cost consumer products, mainly footwear and textiles. The industries that produce these goods are highly sensitive to labor costs, and their plants can be transferred more easily than those making TVs, autos, or computers. But as Asian production of higher-value goods shifts south and west, these products, at some point, might also come to Boston via the Suez Canal.
Most of Boston's waterborne Asian imports are currently brought in by very large distributors. The wholesaler J. Baker supplies footwear to stores near the Massachusetts Turnpike and along Boston's South Shore. Wal-Mart, the giant retailer, distributes clothing and other textiles throughout New England from its regional disbursement center. Smaller retailers and distributors in the region might purchase goods in New York and have their goods shipped in by truck.
The gains from this new trading channel are divided between the importers and consumers. If competition among importers grows, and more goods find it advantageous to arrive via Suez, consumers could reap the bulk of the gains through lower prices.
- Anna Onishi | <urn:uuid:0d09034a-b3b3-4e12-9b98-19066daf8211> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bos.frb.org/economic/nerr/rr1996/summer/obsr96_3.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953981 | 1,038 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Blurb By May. 28, 2004 2:06 pm
It's official. 64-bit Windows has finally come of age. The first 64-bit virus to exploit the Windows 64-bit Intel architecture has been written and identified. The virus, discovered by Symantec Canada, is considered a Level 1 low threat and is a proof of concept virus that is not circulating in the wild. It has been dubbed W64.Rugrat.3344, and attacks 64-bit Windows executables–it is not capable of running in a 32-bit environment. It was only a matter of time before 64-bit viruses began to appear, something software developers should take note of. If 64-bit application development doesn't pick up we may have more viruses available for 64-bit Windows than actual applications. Thanks to K. Adams for the heads-up on this one.
USER COMMENTS 6 comment(s)
|A? (8:23am EST Tue Jun 01 2004)
were all the comments go? - by ???
|Re: A? (12:22am EST Wed Jun 02 2004)
no one wants to comment on this issue… - by black hole
|it shows one thing (2:00am EST Wed Jun 02 2004)
MS said before that win32 ( when they going to release win95), they said it's impossbile to write a virus for win32, but before they put win95 on the market there was BizTach or Boza/W32 virus from VLAD
now this show that MS liar again, so don't trust them HaHaHaHaHaHa.. - by dont_trust_MS
|Big Boys (7:57am EST Wed Jun 02 2004)
Kiddies, leave 64 bit computing to real computers like UNIX and Alphas. PCs are for games, surfing and email. - by /etc/passwd
|Virusses—Blah (1:03am EST Tue Oct 26 2004)
Ive fought many battles with viruses.Got pretty sick of it–Till i found Knoppix Live CD—no HD needed for this one folks,just pop in the Knoppix cd 3.6 and surf–it auto configures everything–i even use a little 1 GIG Sandisk 2.0 usb on a hub along with scanner–etc–can save my work and my preferences too using the Sandisk thumb drive,every time i reboot its a CLEAN reboot from CD-Just like having a brand new OS without installing to a HD-no poop to deal with–and no HD to worry about storing viruses or spyware—not to mention my privacy too….This setup would not be for the gaming minded since its a boot CD and flashram….but for me it works. - by NoPlatters
|question for you geeks at geeks.com (12:39am EST Sun Oct 23 2005)
so is it or not impossible to get rid of i don't know - by ljk | <urn:uuid:4dd73cb8-fb73-4510-acb0-db5a42a74fa7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.geek.com/blurb/64-bit-windows-gets-first-virus-555925/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933422 | 632 | 1.789063 | 2 |
The third book in Arthur Ransome's wonderful series for children, Peter Duck takes intrepid explorers John, Susan, Titty, and Roger Walker and fearsome Amazon pirates Nancy and Peggy Blackett onto the high seas. Under the command of the infamous Captain Flint (Nancy and Peggy's Uncle Jim), the children brave a real-life pirate and his cutthroat crew, fog, sharks, and the ravenous crabs of Crab Island in the search of buried treasure.My thoughts:
We are slowly making our way through through Swallows & Amazons Series by Arthur Ransome and have made it to the third book Peter Duck. After finishing Swallowdale I had received a few comments to skip it and go ahead with the fourth book. I wasn't sure what to do since we already had the book and the kids were excited to read it. So I decided to we would read it and if it was a bust it wouldn't be the end of the world.
In Peter Duck we meet up again with the Swallows and Amazons who are heading out on an voyage with Captain Flint. After signing up an old seaman, Peter Duck, to go along on their voyage they have a few run in with a dark, pirate-like man named Black Jake. They soon learn that Peter Duck had seen treasure buried on an island in the Caribbees when he was a young lad, and Black Jake is dying to get his hand upon it even going to the extent of attempting to kidnap Black Jake. Thus begins their great adventure of sailing to the Caribbees and looking for the lost treasure
I am happy to say that Peter Duck ended up being a fun and exciting read. A book that includes a real pirate, an old mysterious seaman, a treasure hunt, and a host of natural disasters kept us sitting on the edge of our seats. Yes, I will admit that to an adult reader it may be a little too fantastical, but Arthur Ransome did a great job of making it seem like it could happen and in the end makes it a very appealing adventure. Another great family friendly read aloud which ranked high with my kids.
Others we have read in the Swallows and Amazons series:Hope is the Word | <urn:uuid:9c655c5b-e825-4aad-90d1-d1536b50963e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://starrweavings.blogspot.com/2013/02/read-aloud-thursday-peter-duck-by.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97244 | 456 | 1.96875 | 2 |
Photograph courtesy of Raquette River Outfitters
The uniquely American notion of wilderness protection took root in these black-water streams and humpbacked mountains in the 19th century, when New York State set aside large swaths of the Adirondacks as "forever wild." It turns out, "forever" is a mighty long time—and the wilderness is in constant need of tending. But thanks to recent efforts by conservation groups and the state, Adirondack Park is experiencing boom times.
Nearly one million acres have changed hands from private to public in the past ten years, including vital acquisitions that unlocked a grand flat-water paddling circuit nestled between the park’s marquee High Peaks and Five Ponds wildernesses. So new is this route that it has no official name and several of the portages, or "carries," are merely flagged with tape. With polished navigational skills and determination, paddlers enter a remote sanctuary where moose are staging a remarkable comeback, ferret-like fishers lope along lakeshores, and oversize coyotes, possibly crossbred with wolves, howl in the night.
Put in at the north end of island-studded Little Tupper Lake and proceed south to paddle the circuit clockwise. This gets the stiffest carries out of the way early. The route will take at least four days. Using marshy outflows, numerous ponds, and meandering brooks, you’ll string together Rock Pond, Lake Lila, languid Bog River, and Round Lake to return to Little Tupper. All of it, forever wild.
Need to Know: The Adirondack Paddler’s Guide and Map, by Dave Cilley (Paddle Sport Press, $45), is essential reading.
Originally published in the March/April 2009 edition of National Geographic Adventure magazine. | <urn:uuid:5924ceb7-727f-4b63-a44d-8cebeb7e699e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/trips/americas-best-adventures/canoe-adirondacks-new-york/ | 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 | 0.924752 | 388 | 1.765625 | 2 |
On Sunday, November 4, Catherine and I decided to go hiking near the now abandoned National Forest Campground, at Lower Dam, southeast of Kenton in Houghton County. This is an area where I’d camped when I was younger and visited periodically throughout my life.
I was mildly anticipating the arrival, telling Catherine we could climb the rock bluffs, where the view is grand and simply spectacular in autumn with the colorful foliage. The leaves had long since fallen, but the view would still be worth the climb.
Approaching the area, I commented on the changes, and suddenly we noticed a yellow cable stretched across the surface of the gravel road and a truck with an Ontario license plate parked on the shoulder. The cable was similar to the ones we’d seen near Kennecott’s project on the Yellow Dog Plains. Exploration!! My heart sank.
Arriving at the campgrounds, we immediately parked at the dam. The water of the East Branch of the Ontonagon River was backed up, which was customary. Periodically the water is released and the river is left to flow unencumbered for a number of years and then restricted again. The roar of the water over the headwall was very loud.
The sight brought back good memories. Admiring the structure with the iced-up walkway, I explained where the natural channel lay and remembered how the beaver used to swim close to our canoe and slap their tails while my dad and I were fishing at night. It almost seemed like a game to the beaver.
We returned to my truck and I drove into the campground to point out my favorite places to camp, and found equipment connected to two yellow cables. A generator was supplying energy to the cables. Data was being collected and stored.
Trying to make the best of the excursion, we left the campground and headed for the bluff. As we approached the base of the bluff we noticed the cable extending up the face. We climbed, following the cable. Reaching the top, it continued on up the grade and we walked to another area to see the view. My mind was not on the beauty of the landscape but on exploration. Backtracking, we picked up the path of the cable again. It encircled the entire bluff.
We ventured to another outcropping. To my displeasure there were other signs of human activity. A 4-wheeler trail had made its way to the top of the bluff. A very well used trail. Trees were chain-sawed down. It appeared a rather weathered bench had been removed from a different historical site and placed on the top of the bluff. I can only assume the trees were hacked down to enhance the view. I was totally disgusted because the beauty of the place I had visited 20 years ago was so drastically changed. I think it would have been a good idea if this overlook had been constructed by the National Forest Service so people that did not have the ability to climb would have access, but I do not believe this was the case. There was no care or consideration for the trees that were cut.
Catherine noticed an Eagle feather on the ground. Tobacco was laid and I asked if she wanted to keep the feather. I passed it to Catherine, who asked that it be put back in place to protect the area. I am glad for her request. In my state of anger and frustration I was not thinking clearly.
I didn’t speak much except for occasional swearing and spouting off my disgust. During the descent, I thought of how the Native Americans might have felt about the land they called home being confiscated by the government and exploited. I also realized that my feelings could not possibly compare to what the Native Americans endured. Murder of men, women and children, starvation, restriction, their culture and way of life being suppressed. I was ashamed, and actually there is a part of me that hesitates to write this because I could never truly understand.
But I have experienced the way the government doesn’t listen, because of the greed fueling the new mining frenzy across the upper Great Lakes Basin. Politicians are drooling and stumbling over themselves, promoting jobs regardless of irreparable destruction. Regulations are being bypassed and laws are being broken because of this greed. This so-called government for the people is taking away the inherent right of the people to have clean water. The inherent right to have clean water is being stripped from all life.
Is this the future? It does not have to be.
Iron River, MI
The location is South 67 degrees East – 5 3/4 miles of Kenton, T47N R36W, Section 23, Longitude 88 degrees 46 minutes 57 seconds, Latitude 46 degrees 27 minutes 12 seconds.
The Ranger from the Kenton District returned my phone call several days after I inquired about the exploration at Lower Dam.
The Forest Service does not own the mineral rights; consequently, according to the Ranger, they are treated like any other citizen when it comes to mineral rights owners exercising their rights to explore for minerals. Trans Superior is exploring for the mineral rights owner. I was not told who the actual owners are.
It was explained to me if the time ever came a mine was being considered the Michigan DEQ would be overseeing the process. I assured the Ranger that that was not in the best interest for the environment. The Ranger did say though the Forest Service has worked closely with the DEQ in the past and it seems the DEQ does consider the Forest Service’s comments relevant in reference to wetlands, endangered species etc.
The FS has known for some time about the 4 wheeler trail, cut trees and bench at the outcropping at Lower Dam. Now that there has been public concern voiced the FS is in the process of deciding what to do. | <urn:uuid:775d2232-3fb5-4497-aa92-89a634b793b8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://standfortheland.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980125 | 1,197 | 1.804688 | 2 |
NEW YORK, NY.- Number 35
presents new sculptures by Düsseldorf-based artist Martin Schwenk. This is his second exhibition with the gallery.
In "The Language of Flowers" of 1929, Georges Bataille assesses that the language of flowers is contradictory: the above ground part of the plant distinguishes itself through purity and beauty, the opposite expresses itself in the root, its ugly dirtiness and proliferation. Bataille points out that because only the plant's upper part would be included in civilization, its materiality becomes deceiving. If one wanted know the entire plant, one had to also understand its underground ugliness.
Enter here the vegetative sculptures of Martin Schwenk. The plants formed out of silicone, plaster or Acrylic glass raise the ambivalence of the flower to the principle that they show the attractive and the depraved part of the plant alongside each other. While the artificial structure of Schwenk's work address textbook artwork, the real sculpture settles in half way between nature and the museum. Its deviations from both create the specific eccentricity of Schwenk's sculptures.
Martin Schwenk was born 1960 in Bonn, Germany. He studied at the Staatlichen Kunstakademie in Düsseldorf where he currently lives and works. He has exhibited throughout Germany and has an upcoming project at Museum Haus Lange und Haus Esters in Krefeld. | <urn:uuid:b70ef280-d801-4737-8ab0-5a59acf23f4f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=11&int_new=37671&int_modo=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952653 | 297 | 2.09375 | 2 |
Dirty Little Secrets: The Trouble With Social Search
- 6:28 PM
When Google launched Search plus Your World on Tuesday, we expected the Google+-aided personalized search engine to draw serious criticism on many fronts: privacy, security, antitrust concerns, the fate of Facebook and Google+, whether G+ results would steal traffic from news sites, and even whether it would strengthen the “filter bubble” or (by giving users the choice to opt out of personalized search) open the possibility of popping it.
We didn’t guess Search Plus would be swiftly, categorically and publicly denounced by a former Google partner now turned social media and social news competitor: Twitter.
Twitter’s statement on Search Plus, e-mailed to news outlets Tuesday afternoon, is a bit longer than a tweet but just as direct:
For years, people have relied on Google to deliver the most relevant results anytime they wanted to find something on the Internet.
Often, they want to know more about world events and breaking news. Twitter has emerged as a vital source of this real-time information, with more than 100 million users sending 250 million tweets every day on virtually every topic. As we’ve seen time and time again, news breaks first on Twitter; as a result, Twitter accounts and tweets are often the most relevant results.
We’re concerned that as a result of Google’s changes, finding this information will be much harder for everyone. We think that’s bad for people, publishers, news organizations and Twitter users.
On his personal Twitter account, Twitter general counsel Alex Macgillivray (speaking for himself, not the company) called the launch of Search Plus “a bad day for the internet.” Macgillivray, himself an ex-Google deputy general counsel, added: “Having been there, I can imagine the dissension @Google to search being warped this way.”
Google, in turn, posted this short comment on the company Google+ profile:
We are a bit surprised by Twitter’s comments about Search plus Your World, because they chose not to renew their agreement with us last summer (http://goo.gl/chKwi), and since then we have observed their rel=nofollow instructions.
By “agreement,” this note refers to Google’s now-expired agreement with Twitter to provide special real-time search results from Twitter’s firehose on Google’s search results pages. The “rel=nofollow” tag refers to Google indexing (or in this case, not indexing) outbound links from Twitter as part of its PageRank system. Google can (and does) still crawl all public Twitter messages, making the “rel=nofollow” line a bit of a red herring.
Twitter’s Real Complaint About Google+
When reached by phone, a Twitter spokesperson declined to elaborate on or comment beyond the company’s public statement. But what changes to how Google displays search results would lead Twitter and its lawyer to not just call them bad for Twitter, but bad for the Internet and “bad for people”?
Fundamentally, it’s how Search Plus appears to privilege Google+ results — not links suggested by your Google+ contacts, but Google+ pages themselves, regardless of your social graph — in three categories:
- Ranking of pages to determine their relevance, in the main body of search results;
- The placement of those results on the screen, and the amount of screen real estate alloted to each result;
- The right hand “recommendations” sidebar, where Google advertisements — not just the old text ads, but big graphics that follow you as you scroll down the page — have been joined, and in many cases replaced, by links and photos of “People and Pages on Google+.”
Effectively, Google has bought itself a huge amount of prime advertising space on its most popular platform for the product it most desperately needs to succeed.
It’s a little like all shows on NBC devoting every fourth commercial to plugging its show “Whitney.” (Now imagine if almost all of you watched NBC almost all the time, and Whitney Cummings were making jokes about people you know.)
Note also that it’s only been a week since Google had a minor scandal after a company it hired to promote its Chrome web browser created sponsored posts designed to boost Chrome’s visibility in Google — a practice that violated Google’s own policy on paid links.
In the case of the Chrome campaign, Google said that it hadn’t intended the company it hired to do that. If you were cynical (and I dabble in cynicism), you could say that Google got around its own policy in promoting Google+ by cutting out the middleman.
A Play For Screen Real Estate
What particularly hurts Twitter is that Search Plus reroutes or ignores the company’s well-established “@username” convention. MacGillivray posted a screenshot highlighting these changes on a search for “@WWE”:
ampersand ampersat or @-symbol has been used long before Twitter; on the internet, it’s even more closely associated with e-mail addresses. But you can’t deny that many or even most people in 2012 looking for social news results using “@wwe” would probably expect that the company’s Twitter page would at least be somewhere near the top of those results.
Meanwhile, a “+username” search is immediately recognized by Google as a search for a Google+ account — even though “+” has a similarly well-established history as an operator in keyword searches. (In Google+ itself, typing “@username” immediately converts to “+username.”)
Search Engine Land’s Danny Sullivan offers more examples of Search Plus’s screen estate grab in a detailed blog post titled “Real-Life Examples Of How Google’s “Search Plus” Pushes Google+ Over Relevancy.”
The real concern for users, as Sullivan notes, isn’t only that Google is pushing its own social product at the expense of its competitors like Twitter and Facebook. (That’s a concern for the Federal Trade Commission, who’ve already launched a probe of Google on anti-competitive and antitrust grounds.) It’s that Google’s favoritism toward results and links from Google+ will actually make Google searches less relevant and less useful.
The company that conquered web search with a fast, objective algorithm that provided users with more relevant search results than anyone else is increasingly upending that approach to push its own products.
Now you could argue (and up to a point, I would argue) that Google’s perfectly free to integrate its own services, and nobody’s being tricked here. If I go to google.com or the address bar in Chrome and type in a mailing address, I know perfectly well that Google will give priority to a result from its own Maps service, and it’s overwhelmingly likely that this is exactly both relevant to what I’m looking for and probably exactly what I wanted to see in the first place. Image and video search are likewise equally increasingly relevant to the information we’re seeking out.
Once you get into other fields, though, things get murkier — and Google+ pages are the murkiest yet. Every proper name can be immediately associated with a Google+ profile. Likewise, in Search Plus every brand name of any and all companies, including news and media companies, will direct users to a Google+ page at both the top center and top right of the screen. That’s almost everything we search for.
Because of Google’s dominant position in search, it won’t matter if you or the company you work for enjoy Google+ or prefer its services to its competitors. It won’t matter if you never log in to a Google account to browse the web, use a different search engine, or always flip the switch on your own Google search results to “universal.” There will be a tremendous incentive to manage your Google profile, to keep it up to date, and to ensure that the material it displays presents us in a favorable light. That in turn means more users, more time spent on site, and a more competitive position for Google+ relative to Twitter and Facebook.
Google chairman Eric Schmidt has touted Google+ not as a “social network” but an “identity service.” With Search Plus, not only will our identity be reduced to a name and photo, as 4chan founder Chris “Moot” Poole brilliantly argued in October, but through Google+, we will effectively be applying SEO (search engine optimization) principles to ourselves. It’s happening already.
Scripting News’ Dave Winer, among others, thinks this is more or less just deserts for Twitter. Twitter has little room to complain about Google, Winer argues, after trying a similar kind of vertical integration by moving into and largely taking over the Twitter client business. And Facebook is even less likely to draw sympathy from advocates for the open web.
Still, this potentially marks a real transformation to the way we have looked for information on the web, one with real winners and losers. It also signals a real danger to the balance of power between users and megacompanies. We are increasingly moving from a bottom-up web, where users vote with their links, keyboards and their clicks to show what’s relevant to them, to a top-down web where that’s doubly or triply mediated by browsers, search engines and social networks.
This could be how the web dies: not with a sudden migration to bespoke client apps, but by drifting into a silo so big that most of us don’t even notice that anything has changed at all.
Google+ and Facebook: The History and the Endgame
On Wednesday, Search Engine Land’s Sullivan interviewed Google chairman Eric Schmidt after his on-stage interview at CES to address Twitter’s complaints about Search Plus. Schmidt told Sullivan that Google was willing to “have a conversation” about these issues with Twitter. Schmidt said he did not think Google was favoring its own results too much, and argued that Google didn’t have the necessary permissions to display content from Twitter or Facebook in the same way it could results from Google+.
“I do hope when you speak to Facebook, you ask them analogous questions about opening up their index and all that content that’s behind there,” Schmidt said with a smile. And it’s true: This issue of proper permissions is more true of Facebook — where most data is only shared privately within the network, and who has an exclusive social search relationship with Bing — than it is of Twitter or other partners.
But Facebook and Google have good reason to be mutually wary of one another. A source from the Facebook side familiar with the two companies’ 2009 negotiations over integrating their data told Federated Media’s John Battelle that Google refused two terms that Facebook insisted on including:
- Facebook wanted Google to keep all data within circles of friends in the context of a Google search. “Senior executives at Google insisted that for technical reasons all information would need to be public and available to all,” says Battelle’s source. Google’s Search Plus now does exactly what in 2009 was supposedly impossible.
- Facebook also wanted Google to agree to a clause stating that Google could not use Facebook’s data to build its own social network. According to Battelle’s source, Google refused. Microsoft, already a major investor in Facebook, agreed to both terms. That’s why Facebook’s data is integrated into Bing and not Google.
Update: Google disputes this account of its 2009 negotiations with Facebook. In an e-mail, Rachel Whetstone, SVP of Communications at Google writes:
We want to set the record straight. In 2009, we were negotiating with Facebook over access to its data, as has been reported. To claim that we couldn’t reach an agreement because Google wanted to make private data publicly available is simply untrue.
What does Google want?
That’s the one question I’ve asked everyone I’ve spoken to about Search Plus this week. Is it trying to bring Facebook and Twitter back to the bargaining table, dangling the carrot of search traffic and money while brandishing Google+ as a stick? Or is it, as I argued in July, “Google’s play for the whole stack,” bridging devices, browsers, identity and commerce services, and cloud storage?
Besides the Global Google Domination scenario, there are at least three other ways this could play out. Luckily, they correspond with three terrific articles well worth reading.
- In “Compete to Death, Or Cooperate to Compete?“, Battelle argues that Google, Facebook and Twitter could all benefit by sharing their data resources, competing with one another based on the services they offer based on those services. A kind of social media Yalta Conference, where money would change hands (most likely flowing from Google’s ad revenue to Facebook and Twitter) but creating a “public commons” of social data — for some value where “public” — “Google, Facebook and Twitter.” There are real benefits to this scenario, but I’m skeptical. It seems to assume a world where Microsoft, Apple and Amazon (among others) don’t have a stake in its outcome. And Yalta’s agreement between Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin didn’t end so well.
- In “Is Facebook Really Doomed to Die?” io9′s Charlie Jane Anders asks whether Facebook could escape the fate of Friendster and MySpace in the social media graveyard — especially meaningful since one goal of Google+ could be to put Facebook in the grave. There are two ways Facebook’s permanent existence could play out: Facebook could remain the dominant force in social networking, or it could peacefully coexist with many other networks, possibly including Google+.
- This last scenario is what The Atlantic‘s Alexis Madrigal envisions in “There Is No Next Facebook: How Multiple Social Networks Will Peacefully Coexist.” Instead of every service trying to be all things to all people, or becoming open collaborators, each will fall into an almost evolutionary equilibrium:
Like a forest getting older, our social network usage will continue to diversify. And that’s a good thing. The many overlapping networks will come to occupy personalized niches in the social biome. Some will flourish; many will just survive; others will die. But to the extent that they find their own niches instead of duplicating what others are doing, the individual network and the biome will flourish.
The history of our existence on the web has been one of punctuated equilibrium. There’s no way to tell whether the latest upheaval is an extinction event or just the next new thing until long after it’s all over.
Tim is a technology and media writer for Wired. He loves e-readers, Westerns, media theory, modernist poetry, sports and technology journalism, print culture, higher education, cartoons, European philosophy, pop music and TV remotes. He lives and works in New York. (And on Twitter.)
Follow @tcarmody on Twitter. | <urn:uuid:ad907b32-8ae2-4d3f-80da-9e907170c9b7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wired.com/business/2012/01/dirty-secrets-social-search/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932655 | 3,269 | 1.6875 | 2 |
A patient has just checked out of a major metropolitan hospital. His operation was a complete success: The nose his doctor attached to his forearm is doing quite well.
The new proboscis, fashioned from flesh and cartilage harvested from other parts of his body, will stay attached to the arm for a month or two, until it is cosmetically acceptable enough to go on full public view. Then the patient will return to the hospital, where the new nose will be transplanted to his face, replacing the original, which was damaged beyond repair in an automobile accident.
This patient of 2001 is the beneficiary of a medical technique that already exists in 1988, albeit in a much less sophisticated form. It allows tissue to be removed from one area of the body, refashioned and transferred elsewhere.
The technique, called free-flap surgery, already has produced some cut-and- paste miracles. Sections of intestine are routinely used to patch portions of an esophagus or bladder lost to cancer. Skin and muscle grafts taken from abdomen, buttocks and thighs are used to provide mastectomy patients with rebuilt breasts. Toes are detached from the foot and reattached to the hand to replace a lost finger or thumb. And there is no problem with rejection, which is always a danger with even the most compatible donor tissue.
Only a few years ago, the microsurgical methods needed for such precise reattachment were little more than a medical pipe dream. But in the past decade, the science of healing ailing body parts has been challenged by the new science of replacing them.
Using living tissue and, when necessary, an array of rejection-resistant plastics, ceramics and metal alloys, doctors are increasingly able to discard diseased or damaged parts and start over from scratch. Although we`re still a long way from the snap-in, snap-out, modular human body, we could well be close by the turn of the millennium.
``In the past,`` New York plastic surgeon William Shaw says, ``you could move tissue around, but you couldn`t restore feeling or function. Microsurgery now allows us to reattach tiny veins, arteries and nerves, and that changes everything.``
Shaw believes that the next decade will see continued refinement in such detailed splicing and stitching. Skin will be harvested from one spot, ligaments and muscle from another, bone or cartilage from a third; in the lab, surgeons will build these raw materials into anything from a simple muscle graft to a functioning finger joint and then attach the new part to the patient. In some cases, the assembly and cosmetic polishing of the fabricated component could take months.
If the new part is destined for the face -- a spot where most patients do not easily tolerate the physical and aesthetic trauma of repeated surgery -- the building may be done on a remote part of the body, such as the forearm, and the nose or ear transferred into place only when the job is completed.
Even complex internal organs, which can`t be rebuilt, could benefit from the microsurgical technique developed for free-flap surgery. Rather than keeping a patient on an operating table while a tumor is excised from, say, a kidney, doctors might simply remove the diseased organ, take it to a laboratory workbench, and do all the repair work needed. When the job was done, the patient would be taken off a kidney-dialysis machine and the disease-free organ would be reinstalled. ``These are really nothing more than mechanical breakthroughs,`` Shaw says. ``But they could make an enormous difference in our whole approach to surgery.``
There are, of course, limits to what free-flap surgery can or will be able to do. For one thing, there is a finite amount of tissue that can be moved around the body. Moreover, no amount of grafting or patching can supply the specialized tissues needed to replace a functioning heart or pancreas. And the complexity and size of whole arms and legs puts them beyond the scope of any kind of reconstructive surgery. For these jobs, doctors have no choice but to turn to synthetics.
While the robot arm or leg is still a rarity, enough researchers are devoting enough attention to the study of bionics that what is a laboratory prototype today easily could become commonplace tomorrow. At the beginning of this decade, University of Utah mechanical engineer Stephen Jacobsen developed a microprocessor-driven plastic arm that could be attached to a patient`s shoulder and connected by electrodes to whatever muscles remained at the site of an amputation. Responding to the tiny electric charges given off when those muscles contracted, the arm could bend its elbow, open its hand, and perform such tasks as turning the page of a book or lifting a 20-pound weight.
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Pulitzer Prize Winner Alice Walker Declines to Publish The Color Purple in Israel, Awaits a 'Just Future'
Author, poet and human rights activist Alice Walker has declined an offer to publish her Pulitzer Prize–winning novel The Color Purple in Israel because the country is “an Apartheid state,” she said.
In a June 9 letter to Yediot Books, Walker thanked the publisher for wanting to issue her novel but said she would wait for “a just future.” Walker said that last fall the Russell Tribunal on Palestine in South Africa, on which she served as a jurist, “met and determined that Israel is guilty of apartheid and persecution of the Palestinian people, both inside Israel and also in the Occupied Territories. The testimony we heard, both from Israelis and Palestinians … was devastating. I grew up under American apartheid, and this was far worse. Indeed, many South Africans who attended, including Desmond Tutu, felt the Israeli version of these crimes is worse even than what they suffered under the white supremacist regimes that dominated South Africa for so long.”
The Israeli website Haaretz reported on June 19 that Walker “refused to authorize a Hebrew translation of her prize-winning work,” although her letter to Yediot makes no mention of Hebrew or a translation. “It was not clear when Yediot Books, an imprint of the daily Yediot Achronot newspaper, made the request, or whether Walker could in fact stop translation of the book,” Haaretz said. The website reported that “at least” one Hebrew version of the book had appeared in the 1980s.
Walker, who was a passenger on the U.S. Board to Gaza last summer, has long fought racism wherever she has found it. She has worked with the Native American struggle in the U.S. for a long time and counts Dennis Banks and John Trudell among her friends in Indian country. She also counts American Indian roots in her heritage.
“My own ancestry is part Cherokee, and it’s very natural to feel close to the Indigenous Peoples of the United States, as they were the ones who cared about the land in ways that the dominating culture never did and probably never will,” Walker told Indian Country Today Media Network.
Walker also appeared on Democracy Now on March 30 speaking about racism and the death of Treyvon Martin.
"We are a very sick country, and our racism is a manifestation of our illness and the ways we don't delve into our own wrecks,” Walker said. “As a country we have never looked to see where we went off the trail…. I feel so much for this young man because he was beautiful and he was ours. And I don't just mean black people, but all of ours. These children are our future, and they have to be protected."
In her letter to Yediot Books, which was posted on the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic & Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), Walker said she hopes the nonviolent Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, “of which I am part, will have enough of an impact on Israeli civilian society to change the situation.”
She offered the film version of The Color Purple as an example of “engagement in the worldwide effort to rid humanity of its self-destructive habit of dehumanizing whole populations.”
When the film came out in 1985, director Steven Spielberg was faced with the decision of whether it should be offered to the South African public.
“I lobbied against this idea because, as with Israel today, there was a civil society movement of BDS aimed at changing South Africa’s apartheid policies and, in fact, transforming the government,” Walker wrote, adding that they decided not to distribute the film in South Africa until the apartheid regime was dismantled and Nelson Mandela became the first “president of color” in that country. “Only then did we send our beautiful movie! And to this day, when I am in South Africa, I can hold my head high, and nothing obstructs the love that flows between me and the people of that country.”
Walker said in her letter that she would like her books to be read by Israelis—“especially by the young, and by the brave Israeli activists [Jewish and Palestinian] for justice and peace I have had the joy of working beside”—and hopes that one day soon this will happen.
“But now is not the time. We must continue to work on the issue, and to wait,” she wrote, signing off that she has “faith that a just future can be fashioned from small acts.” | <urn:uuid:7d52808f-ccd0-465f-944f-e11578a7102b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/article/pulitzer-prize-winner-alice-walker-declines-to-publish-the-color-purple-in-israel-awaits-a-just-future-119293 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978454 | 982 | 1.960938 | 2 |
Type of Document Dissertation Author Hitchner, Erin Marie URN etd-11132007-144000 Title Investigations of the integrated pest management of Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say): Host plant preference, development of semiochemical-based strategies, and evaluation of a novel insecticide Degree PhD Department Entomology Advisory Committee
Advisor Name Title Kuhar, Thomas P. Committee Chair Youngman, Roger R. Committee Co-Chair Dickens, Joseph C. Committee Member Pfeiffer, Douglas G. Committee Member Schultz, Peter B. Committee Member Keywords
Date of Defense 2007-11-02 Availability unrestricted AbstractExploiting the chemical ecology of an insect can unveil novel strategies for its pest management. Though much has been learned about the chemical ecology of Colorado potato beetle (CPB), Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), a major pest of solanaceous crops in the U.S., there has been little use of this knowledge in pest management. To better understand host plant selection by CPB, field and laboratory-choice experiments were conducted in Virginia. In laboratory studies, CPB preferred potato over both tomato and eggplant foliage and eggplant over tomato foliage. However, field studies using counts of live beetles on untreated paired plants and counts of dead beetles on insecticide-treated plants revealed no significant preference for potato over eggplant. Additional studies showed that the presence of adult male CPB on foliage greatly impacted host plant selection, with significantly more adults being attracted to eggplant with male beetles than any other treatment combination.
Adult CPB have been shown to be attracted to (S)-3,7-dimethyl-2-oxo-oct-6-ene-1,3-diol [(S)-CPB I], a male-produced aggregation pheromone. Field studies were conducted to determine if the opposite enantiomer of the pheromone, (R)-CPB I had an effect on CPB in the field. Results revealed no differences in counts of all CPB life stages between untreated potato plots with and without rows inundated with (R)-CPB I lures. In addition, the relative attraction of CPB adults to various racemic forms of the (S)- and (R)-enantiomers was also investigated and showed that racemic blends that were less than 97%(S) were not attractive to CPB adults.
Combinations of the (S)-CPB I pheromone with synthetic plant volatiles consisting of (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate, (+)-linalool, and methyl salicylate were investigated in a trap crop strategy in potatoes, but failed to reduce CPB numbers in untreated middle rows of potatoes. Combinations of the (S)-CPB I pheromone with synthetic plant volatiles were also used in a novel CPB trap designed to catch colonizing adults in the field. Although the traps caught CPB adults, no differences were observed in traps baited with and without the attractant.
Metaflumizone, a novel semicarbazone insecticide, was recently shown to be highly efficacious on CPB. Laboratory studies found the combination of metaflumizone and a low concentration (0.39 ppm) of the pyrethroid esfenvalerate was slightly synergistic on CPB adults and early (1st-2nd) instar larvae. Field trials combining a low rate of esfenvalerate and metaflumizone at one tenth the field rate controlled beetles as well as the full rate of metaflumizone.
Filename Size Approximate Download Time (Hours:Minutes:Seconds)
28.8 Modem 56K Modem ISDN (64 Kb) ISDN (128 Kb) Higher-speed Access Hitchner.pdf 527.22 Kb 00:02:26 00:01:15 00:01:05 00:00:32 00:00:02
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Smart Growth policies are concerned with both the pieces and the whole. The elements are far from new, yet they do not suggest we turn our back to modern living. This planning philosophy has analyzed the compositional elements of major urban centers and applied them to a suburban context. Smart Growth envisions a framework whose character and scale does not threaten but rather embraces the community. This approach has received public/private financial funding within three broad categories:
OPEN SPACE GRANTS
SMALL BUSINESS GRANT S
OPEN SPACE GRANTS
To further the advance of urban forestry in Connecticut. The funds have gone to such diverse projects as tree planting, street tree inventories, tree maintenance programs and the design of tree guidebooks.
Provides funds to purchase the development rights to farmland, preserving productive farmland for agricultural use.
Helps landowners restore and protect grassland, pastureland, and shrub land. Can provide assistance for rehabilitating grasslands.
Greenways Small Grants Program (Greenways License Plate Program)
Planning, design, and implementation (including education) of greenway projects around the state. Property acquisition and construction are not eligible for funding. Funds for grants are generated by sales of Greenways License Plates.
Long Island Sound Habitat Restoration (Coves & Embayment Enhancement)
Planning, design, and implementation of projects aimed at the restoration of degraded coastal coves and embayments, and tidal wetlands.
National Recreational Trails Program (also known as RTP or Symms Act)
Construction of new trails, maintenance and restoration of existing trails, purchase or lease of equipment, acquisition of trail easements, and developing trail access for people with disabilities.Eligible to be classified as Class I or Class II watershed land (Water Companies only).
Grants may be for the purchase of land that is:
- Valuable for recreation, forestry, fishing, conservation of wildlife or natural resources;
- A prime natural feature of the state's landscape;
- Habitat for native plant or animal species listed as threatened, endangered or of special concern;
- A relatively undisturbed outstanding example of a native ecological community which is uncommon;
- Important for enhancing and conserving water quality;
- Valuable for preserving local agricultural heritage; or
- Eligible to be classified as Class I or Class II watershed land (Water Companies only).
Offers an opportunity for landowners to voluntarily protect, restore, and enhance wetlands on their property.
A voluntary program that provides technical and financial assistance to landowners who want to improve fish and wildlife
To advance coastal protection through five campaigns: strengthening strategic direction and planning of coastal management; reforming coastal land use governance; creating sanctuaries; restoring habitats; and protecting and promoting public access.
For administering and funding a Smart Growth Assistance small grants program. The program provides up to $25,000 to qualifing municipalities in the Highlands, Pinelands, Delaware Bayshore and Skylands regions for projects based on sound planning principles, including protection of open space and natural resources.
To advance anti-sprawl and smart growth practices in New Jersey as well as to expand the "preventing harm" initiative and Safe School/Safe Home program in urban areas to reduce exposure to toxins, pesticides and contaminants in drinking water.
The Green Acres Program in the Department of Environmental Protection has directly purchased or assisted in the preservation of 410,176 acres of open space in New Jersey. Green Acres has made grants and loans to municipal and county governments for open space acquisition and recreational development for the past thirty-eight years. Since 1989, Green Acres also has provided matching grants to nonprofit conservation organizations for open space acquisition.
The Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative's (GLCI) mission is to provide high quality technical assistance on privately owned grazing lands on a voluntary basis and to increase the awareness of the importance of grazing land resources.
To support MWA's efforts to bring together organizations and individuals that work to develop a vision of a sustainable New Jersey-New York waterfront, and to energize public officials to become positive agents in this reclamation.
The Conservancy's Partners for Greener Communities program works with municipalities to develop and implement open space plans designed to preserve critical watershed lands.
For the NLT's South Jersey work, including land protection projects in Salem and Cumberland Counties, management of a preserve system, and programs and actions that deepen connections between human and natural communities.
To facilitate the design and construction of an urban wilderness park adjacent to the Secaucus Transfer Station, a new commercial railroad and commuter train station being built on the edge of the Hackensack Meadowlands.
For conservation and stewardship initiatives to prevent sprawl through land acquisition, planning, efforts to protect critical habitat for state endangered species (in the Highlands and Pinelands) and a campaign to reverse decline of shorebirds and horseshoe crabs on Delaware Bay.
To support the administration of the New Jersey Conservation Loan Fund established by the Dodge Foundation and OSI to provide bridge loans to conservation groups working to protect open space in NJ's Pine Barrens, Highlands, and Delaware Bay Shore area.
For continued advocacy on a variety of environmental concerns, particularly the preservation and restoration of the Passaic River, and the protection of open space and clean water throughout the Passic River Watershed.
For the Heritage Partnership project, which promotes planning for and management of historic sites on publicly preserved land, and the use of historic preservation as a tool for protecting open space and farmland.
For the Planning Tools for New Regionalism Project, which will develop and apply methods for creating local plans that are consistent with regional goals and the State Plan. The process includes setting growth limits, choosing transit corridors and protecting watersheds. The project will likely be applied in Mercer County.
To combat sprawl and protect environmental resources by providing comprehensive up-to-date support for municipal officials. This effort combines a formal assessment process to compare local zoning and ordinances to the master plan and a community vision with an interactive website that will allow the public to visualize the future of their communities.
Administered by the NYS Dept of Environmental Conservation, is an innovative state-federal partnership that will provide educational, technical and financial assistance to promote active stewardship of private forest resources.
The projects grants program has provided funding for trail planning, construction and amenities, historic landscape preservation, regional and local partnerships as well as many other resource enhancement and economic development projects.
The Grow NY Enterprise Program is a joint Governor's initiative of the Governor's Office for Small Cities (GOSC), Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) and the Department of Agriculture and Markets (NYSDAM), which dedicates $3 million annually to increasing the demand for and expanding the use of New York's agriculture and forest products. The primary objective of the program is to provide funds to local governments who in turn use the dollars to assist qualifying businesses who undertake activities resulting in the creation of job opportunities for low- and moderate-income persons.
A matching grant program for the acquisition, development and/or rehabilitation of outdoor park and recreation facilities. Funds are available to municipal public agencies and Indian tribal governments. Funded projects must reflect the priorities established in SCORP and be available to the general public. Source of funds: The National Park Service.
Provides up to $10,000 for projects that enable land trusts to protect and steward environmentally significant lands in New York.
Provides between $10,000 and $50,000 to enable land trusts with fewer than 4 Full-Time Equivalent employees to hire staff or to expand an existing part-time position to full-time. The purpose of the Staffing Grants is to transform all-volunteer land trusts into sustainable, professionally staffed organizations and to provide under-staffed land trusts with expanded capacity, enabling them to become more effective in achieving their land conservation mission.
Since 1995, the EPF has provided to help protect New York's natural resources and public health, improve environmental infrastructure and expand opportunities to enjoy the state's natural, cultural and historic assets.
A matching grant program for the acquisition and/or development of parks and recreational facilities and for the protection of open space. Funds may be awarded to indoor or outdoor projects and must reflect the priorities established in the NY Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP).
A matching grant program for the acquisition, development, rehabilitation and maintenance of trails and trail-related projects. Funds are available to non-profit organizations, municipal, state and federal agencies, Indian tribal governments and other public agencies and authorities. Funded projects must be identified in, or further a specific goal of, the SCORP and must be available to the general public. Source of funds: Federal Highway Administration.
The Wetland Program Development Grants awarded by EPA Region 2 provide states, tribes, local governments, interstate associations, intertribal consortia, and universities that are chartered as part of State government an opportunity, through funding awards, to carry out projects to develop and refine, but not operate, comprehensive wetland programs.
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The Community Builders is a nonprofit affordable housing developer with an extensive region-wide track record. The mission of The Community Builders is to build and sustain strong communities where people of all incomes can achieve their full potential. | <urn:uuid:86acad9e-b813-4f7f-9c90-db947446c19f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.law.pace.edu/development-tools | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.914308 | 1,915 | 1.992188 | 2 |
Nobody wants contact with a bully, in grade school or at any age. From a compassionate communication standpoint (www.communicationcoaching.net) even a bully has a reason for his/her actions. As hard as that may be to understand OR accept, if we know his story, we might find it easier to connect. That doesn’t mean to accept it, but rather to see what need he wants fulfilled.
Pushing and hitting on the playground, the bully may want attention, or to feel strong or to ensure that he feels safe. If a teacher, instead of saying, “Go back to the classroom right now!!” said “It looks like you are having a hard time getting to play with the other kids” or “I wonder if we can talk about what is happening right now with you,” that minute of being connected with could be the start of turning the child’s behavior around.
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It makes sense to me what Marshall Rosenberg (www.cnvc.org) has taught in his Nonviolent Communication work the past 50 years. He says “Everyone always does the best they know how to try and meet their needs. (And I repeat a version of this several times in my two-hour workshops on “Dealing with Difficult Conversations.”) When I know my housemate is not out to frustrate me, but is just doing what she is doing to meet her need, I don’t have to take anything she does personally. As simple as it may sound, connecting with what others are feeling and needing has been the most useful communication skill I have ever learned. If Jane has left dishes in the sink for two days, a bully might say “Those dishes better be gone in one hour, or you will be sorry!”
If you are choosing harmony over anger, you might say, “I guess you have been busy with other things, and—not “but” (Marshall says to never put your “but” in another person’s face), I’m having a hard time seeing stuff left in the sink. I really prefer order and neatness. Would you be willing to take care of the dishes this evening?” She may or may not do that, and yet you’re both more likely to feel peaceful for speaking in a matter of fact tone of voice without blame.
At http://blogs.mcafee.com/technology-fuels-cyberbullying-and-cheating-in-teens/attachment/cyberbullying , 2/3 of all teens say cruel behavior takes place online—92% reported that on facebook. Sadly, only 10% of parents are aware their teens are targets of cyberbullying. Check out how to prevent that at
http://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/prevention/index.html http://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/prevention/index.html. There are potentially harmful actions, such as in Bradshaw’s video, about zero tolerance, conflict resolution, peer mediation, etc. A comprehensive plan is necessary. Knowing the research and not making assumptions are a great starting point. | <urn:uuid:e3054960-a644-42f4-8500-7cd138d5b8fb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.yourtango.com/experts/ms-moreah-vestan/how-communicate-bullies-their-victims | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958472 | 717 | 2.265625 | 2 |
Factory Fabricated Timber Frame Homes
Factory fabrication is undertaken in ideal conditions where the factory temperature, relative humidity and storage are all controlled, combined with the latest computer aided machinery and laser guidance, the results are efficient and high quality.
Our manufacturing processes in Sweden are some of the most advanced found anywhere in the world, and where possible, external finishing and internal finishing boards are factory applied leaving little finishing to be completed on site.
All of our timber frame systems are ‘low energy’ and all are fabricated to the same exacting standards, however, we do provide a range of performance levels which equate to differing thickness of walling panel and insulation configurations.
We also provide ‘Hybrid Systems’ which utilise the best of the Timber Frame panelling system with SIP’s (Structurally Insulated Panels) for roofs and other building elements that benefit from this method of construction. – We ‘mix and match’ elements to help you achieve your ideal home, if you think you want something very specific, then click here for more details.
The following ‘Timber Frame Wall Panel Details’ show examples of the build up of the walling and the relative U Values for each – remember that the efficiency of the finished building is not just the combination of each component’s U Value, airtightness is a key requirement to being energy efficient and this is a factor of good design, high quality manufacturing and a skilled team erecting the building.
Broad Categories of our Factory Fabricated Wall Panels
- Low Energy & Passive Panel Systems
- Micro Energy Generation Systems (Energy Plus)
- Hybrid Systems (Future Materials) providing ‘Climate Smart Living’
BEE-Spoke Site Fabricated Timber Frame Homes
Whilst factory fabrication provides an ideal environment for the manufacture and assembly of our advanced panelling systems, not all sites can accommodate the delivery, unloading and crane erection that it requires.
As there are many building plots which have tight access, poor unloading and storage areas or a design which simply does not fit with the standard offerings, we provide a BEE – Spoke site fabricated solution which will provide exactly the same energy performance and air tightness, but can be designed and built to suit the exact requirements for the plot and the building conditions that you have.
Often there is concern about the timescale for the delivery and construction of the site fabricated option, as the speed of manufacture obtained by the factory is lost – however, as we undertake all of the design, engineering, drawing and site fabrication drawings ‘in-house’ we can usually start and complete the design, supply and erection is the same or less time than from order to erection from our factory.
If you have concerns about the UK weather and think your building fabric will be compromised by it during its build, let us assure you that your building will be made weathertight with all windows, doors and temporary roof coverings applied and the moisture content inside will be monitored until the fitting of the insulation and other internal finishes can be fitted.
BEE-Spoke Advanced Panelling Systems
Not all projects which utilise our BEE-Spoke service are the result of sites with restricted access, many want to be able to have something built to exacting standards, whether it’s a given U Value or a specific thickness or a desire to use ‘State of the Art’ materials which are not being used in full scale production, we work with you to optimise your home. | <urn:uuid:96d5dd63-6908-4325-ada7-9a0f1393ce68> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.buildingenvelope.co.uk/self-build/system-choice | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934059 | 721 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Training School Speech-Language Pathologists to Assess and Manage Communication Skills in Children with Autism
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are lifelong neurodevelopmental disorders that significantly affect verbal and nonverbal communication and social and emotional interactions, as well as educational performance. Current data support that 1 out of 88 children have an Autism Spectrum Disorder. As fiscal constraints increase, more school systems assume the responsibility of providing services to children with multiple disabilities and complex communicative disabilities, such as ASD. These responsibilities have been falling onto inadequately prepared school staff, including school speech-language pathologists (SLPs). There is a vital need to build capacity of school-based SLPs who are knowledgeable, skilled, and experienced as effective collaborators in the public schools to improve achievement and outcomes of students with ASD.
The DOE project entitled, Training School Speech-Language Pathologists to Assess and Manage Communication Skills in Children with Autism, offered a total of 10 fellowships during the 2011-2012 academic year to fund a cohort of full-time SLP graduate students accepted into the Speech Language Pathology graduate program. The project made it financially possible for a cohort of masters fellows to complete the masters program in SLP with specialty training in the area of Autism Spectrum Disorders. To date, a co-hort of 25 master’s students have been funded at the commencement of this grant in 2008. All graduate students funded under this grant engaged in additional coursework to gain expertise in ASD. In addition to their typical master’s graduate-level course-work, grant funded students completed two electives, the ASD course and one course in Special Education or Education, and a one 1 credit monthly seminar over the two year period of the masters’ degree program. Students gained clinical experiences working with children with ASD in the Department’s on campus clinic, the Center for Speech Language and Hearing, as well as at off-campus settings during their typical practicum assignments. Masters level fellows funded under this grant graduated in the two-year period along with their other peers earning a master's degree (MA) in Speech-Language Pathology, with additional training in ASD. | <urn:uuid:8e957540-86d3-4ba5-9fdb-3cd31cc4d707> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.umass.edu/doegrants/masters/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959636 | 436 | 2.65625 | 3 |
Growing pains of staple food
Maize and Grace
Will maize become the "engine of African economic growth" or "an unsustainable folly"? James McCann treads cautiously in his answer to his own question, but still he ingenuously suggests that "maize in many ways defines Africa visually, nutritionally and economically".
In 1998, maize was being promoted as a severe outbreak of malaria hit northwestern Ethiopia. Ethiopians supposed these to be connected — possibly rightly, but the connection may be complex. An Ethiopian at Harvard University decided that maize pollen provided food for mosquito larvae in rain puddles. In 1960, Uganda mosquitoes bred in leaf sheaths of unprotected maize. DDT controlled stalk borers and presumably killed mosquito larvae as well. DDT is now banned.
Those acquainted with maize in East Africa during the 1960s will regret McCann’s omission of the substantial programme at the East African Agricultural and Forestry Research Organisation (EAFFRO), where H. H. Storey unravelled races of maize rusts, laying the foundation for successful breeding of sustainable resistance against rust. McCann touches on the breeding of so-called synthetics developed for East African small-scale farming by determining the combining of ability between partially inbred lines, using these to create populations from which farmers could save seed, maintaining a useful level of biodiversity and not becoming dependent on corporate seed producers.
McCann errs over climate, supposing that a bimodal rainfall pattern "characterises the continent as a whole" and comprises a single wet and a single dry season. Bimodal rainfall distribution means two wet and two dry seasons a year and characterises many inter-tropical areas. The relatively short and somewhat unreliable growing seasons and equally unreliable dry seasons near the equator make for constraints not only on yield but also on quality. It is especially hard to avoid toxin-producing fungal infections on threshed grain. Although "aflatoxin" is the most commonly used term, maize grain is generally considered more commonly attacked by Fusarium spp, which produce fumonisin. In Central America, traditional processing of maize grain to produce a pap-like food involved "nixtamalisation" with alkali, which is widely supposed to have overcome the toxicity problems of fungus-contaminated grain as well as improving nutrient availability. But sadly, the alkali technology was never introduced into Africa for rural processing of mealies and making of posho. We do not know how much ill-heath in Africa, including a contribution to immune deficiency, is the result of that failure. McCann wisely supposes that fungal toxicosis may be greater than widely appreciated. Pre-independence Africa developed significant use of maize in urban food economy. This was particularly evident where cities and mining had expanded and large labour forces were provided with food rations by white settler populations. In many rural areas, Africans used home-grown maize by roasting it on the cob. Early introduced maize types had mostly hard flinty grains, and the EAFFRO scientists designated these as of Caribbean Flint type. Some, such as "Ulo Yellow" were remarkably high in the amino acid lysine. Floury or semi-dent maize was brought north from Natal through mission activity.
In Agriculture in Uganda (1970), D. G. Thomas provides a good account of that country’s encounters and problems with maize, but McCann does not cite the work. He also makes no reference to the recent, but nevertheless pre-2000, introduction of the devastating greater grain weevil through food aid corn. The omission of sources relevant to a geographical region one is familiar with leads one to question the degree of scholarship pertaining to others.
In North America, maize is a major industrial crop with a huge supporting infrastructure. So there is a wide gap to be bridged if maize is to take deep root in much of Africa. Are the "Monsantonistas" and their close agribusiness relatives to be allowed to control a major world food crop only for commercial profit? Africans and friends of Africa, you have been warned!
Colin Leakey is an applied biologist who worked in Uganda from 1961-73.
Maize and Grace: Africa’s Encounter with a New World Crop, 1500-2000
Author - James C. McCann
Publisher - Harvard University Press
Pages - 289
Price - £18.95
ISBN - 0 674 01718 8 | <urn:uuid:a1c0c00c-e1f6-4657-b62a-c4aebb17411f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/202526.article | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954245 | 910 | 2.71875 | 3 |
The Government has signalled it wants to encourage new, larger scale housing developments which could involve expansions of a few hundred dwellings, urban extensions or new ‘market towns’ with up to 10,000 new homes.
Ministers plan to publish a prospectus shortly inviting councils and communities to identify opportunities for “locally planned large scale development, which will take advantage of streamlined planning processes, giving communities a stronger say and developers greater certainty”.
This initiative was highlighted in the Government’s housing strategy, just published. This promised that viable schemes that were sustainable and had strong local support would be given financial assistance to get the work going, and would be prioritised for future infrastructure spending. The administration has announced there will be a competition to encourage new thinking in this area.
“We are keen to see innovative approaches and a wide range of models and partnerships come forward, responding to local challenges. We will publish a prospectus setting out more detail of our proposed approach – what the Government is looking for from developers and local communities, and what we can offer in return – in 2012,” stated the document
The strategy also made it clear that the administration is keen to promote the use of tools such as Local Development Orders to help to streamline planning and reduce the risks and delay in securing planning approval for new residential development.
The Government has reiterated that it wants to encourage action on stalled development by allowing developers to require local authorities to reconsider those S106 agreements agreed in more prosperous market conditions prior to April 2010.
The Government said it would consult on this proposal shortly. “We will ensure that any resulting appeals are dealt with promptly by the Planning Inspectorate, to give certainty to both developers and local communities. The Government will also encourage a flexible approach to planning obligations, to safeguard against substantial and unexpected change in market conditions.”
Housing Minister Grant Shapps said the Government’s strategy was designed to see the provision of 200,000 new homes a year.
24 November 2011 | <urn:uuid:51cfd755-5f7c-451a-825e-8f2d18e980e8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/general/news/stories/2011/nov11/241111/241111_1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958413 | 410 | 1.632813 | 2 |
RF Boot Camp Added to 2013 NAB Show
Broadcast Engineering Conference will include ‘Understanding Radio & Television Transmission’
WASHINGTON—The NAB Show will hold a new Radio Frequency Boot Camp on Wednesday, April 10 as part of the Broadcast Engineering Conference in Las Vegas. The day-long training program presented by NAB Labs will help attendees expand their understanding of radio and TV transmission.
RF transmission is critical for the delivery of audio and video content, and this session geared toward broadcast managers explains the basics.
“Indeed, the broadcast industry has a good source of engineers and technicians who are experts in studio operations and IT; however, their expertise often does not extend to RF transmission operations,” said Kevin Gage, NAB executive vice president and chief technology officer. “The RF Boot Camp provides an opportunity for station staff in various roles, from engineering, IT and management to gain practical knowledge not available elsewhere.”
Radio technology experts John Bisset of Elenos and Mary Ann Seidler of Tieline Technology and television technology consultants Gary Cavell and Cindy Cavell of Cavell, Mertz & Associates will discuss the operations of broadcast radio and television RF plants. The instructors will address the distribution of program and data content from the studio to the RF transmission points, cover the types of hardware and software typically used and explain remote monitoring and telemetry scenarios.
An interactive discussion on towers, transmission lines and antennas will be tailored to those who are unfamiliar with maintenance requirements and safety concerns. The session will also address FCC and OSHA rules related to RF transmission and common compliance methods.
To attend the RF Boot Camp, register for the NAB Show SMART Pass, Conference Flex Pass or Day Pass. | <urn:uuid:d8d62bf6-f493-4153-8023-9a5efd291789> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tvtechnology.com/exhibitions-&-events/0109/rf-boot-camp-added-to--nab-show/217892 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.925283 | 352 | 1.710938 | 2 |
On July 31, 1990, Nolan Ryan wins the 300th game of his career, throwing 7 2/3 strong innings with eight strikeouts to lead his Texas Rangers to an 11-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.
Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr. was born January 31, 1947, in Refugio, Texas and raised in Alvin, southeast of Houston. As a high school sophomore, he was scouted by Red Murff of the New York Mets. Ryan’s coach told Murff of the young pitcher’s intimidating fastballs, so powerful they had broken catchers’ bones. Murff was impressed: His report to the Mets said Ryan had the "best arm I’ve ever seen in my life."
Ryan’s work ethic was the secret to his success. A believer in the theory that pitching power, as well as consistency and endurance, comes from the legs, not the arms, Ryan ran every day. In 1983, he broke the legendary Walter Johnson’s career strikeout record. His historic 300th victory came in his 24th season in the majors, his second with the Texas Rangers.
Ryan had failed in his first bid for a 300th win the week before, pitching at his home stadium in Arlington, Texas. His second attempt came against the Brewers in front of a friendly crowd in Milwaukee. Ryan improved as the game went on, and by the fifth inning, the Rangers had taken a 5-1 lead. Ryan rung up two strikeouts in the fifth, one in the sixth and two more in the seventh inning. With two outs in the eighth, a defensive error put two runners on base, but with a crowd of 55,000 rooting him on, Ryan once again summoned the fastball that had won him 299 previous games. The talented young Gary Sheffield popped-out on a 96 mile-per-hour fastball to end the inning. After the Rangers tacked on insurance runs and the bullpen closed it out for an 11-3 win, Ryan became the fourth-oldest 300-game winner in baseball history after Phil Neikro, Gaylord Perry and Early Wynn.
Nolan Ryan pitched for 27 years in the big leagues, with the Mets, Angels, Astros and Rangers. He struck out 5,714 batters in his career, breaking his own record 2,206 times. Nolan went 324-292 for his career, with a 3.19 career ERA. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999. | <urn:uuid:c8a7bf4d-094f-4305-a449-b5055f08ad61> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/nolan-ryan-wins-300th-game?catId=10 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.987326 | 507 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Did you know that a baby boy bled to death in London this year as a result of a medically unnecessary circumcision? Or that a woman in Salford will be tried for manslaughter later this year because a baby boy she circumcised for religious reasons also bled to death?
This shocking news has so far been kept from the national media and when baby boys are bleeding to death in the UK and not afforded the same legal protection as girls against medically unnecessary genital cutting, then doing nothing is no longer an option
To help us prevent further cases of death and injury from this medically unnecessary practice that affects more than half a million boys in the UK, The Men’s Network is seeking to work with a broad range of partners to tackle this issue - and we’d like supporters and readers to consider what action you and your organization can take to help us address this problem
To help you take the first step towards making a decision today we have five actions for you to take and we’d like you to consider choosing one and taking action now. We believe that big problems can be resolved when enough people take small actions together, so please take one action now:
1. You can CLICK HERE to book a ticket to join us at the end of July for a mini-conference called How To Prevent Unnecessary Male Circumcision
2. You can sign an online petition to End Unnecessary Male Circumcision in the UK today - CLICK HERE TO SIGN THE PETITION NOW
3. You can get in touch with us today to find out how your organization can join an alliance of concerned professionals working to end this practice
4. You can visit the End Male Circumcision blog to find out more about this issue - CLICK TO VISIT THE BLOG
5. You can help us get people thinking about how we can prevent more boys bleeding to death in future by passing this email on to others and discussing this important issue with colleagues and friends
Thanks for making time to consider taking action and please feel free to forward this post to everyone you know who will want to know about this important issue and take action too
Like you, we are committed to improving the lives of men and boys in the UK and together we can make a difference on this issue. When baby boys are bleeding to death in our towns and cities, doing nothing is no longer an option.
Thanks for taking action today! | <urn:uuid:7c536d66-09cb-437d-b976-a3dade0aaa1b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://brightonmanplan.wordpress.com/2012/07/09/five-actions-you-can-take-to-end-male-circumcision/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940051 | 486 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Designed for the lowest-ability Key Stage 3 students, this English series contains fiction, non-fiction, media, drama and poetry pieces arranged in relevant thematic units. It provides structured coverage of grammar, punctuation, spelling and vocabulary development. For each of Years 7, 8 and 9 there is a student book (of which this one is for Year 9), a pack of eight skills books and a teacher's resource file. The units in the student books are divided into stand-alone double-page spreads with a skills section which develops punctuation and spelling. The skills books provide extra practice at the most basic level in reading, writing, grammar, punctuation, spelling and vocabulary development, together with activities which can be used for independent classwork or homework. The teacher material includes curriculum and course-coverage charts, photocopiable resource sheets, and help with assessment.
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The prices displayed are for website purchases only, and may differ to the prices in Waterstones shops. | <urn:uuid:4aa3a4cf-2d5a-43b5-b125-aafd3b193757> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/clare+constant/susan+duberley/english+matters+11-14+student+book+3/5438831/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.924514 | 215 | 3.4375 | 3 |
A group of global resin suppliers and Chinese automobile companies have formed a technology alliance to increase the amount of plastic used in the country's cars, close the sizable gap with global auto companies and boost fuel efficiency of domestic vehicles. The International Auto Lightweight Technology Alliance, announced Nov. 28 at a conference in Hebei province, includes global plastics raw material makers Rhodia SA, DSM NV and Arkema SA, along with large domestic Chinese car makers Chang’an Automobile Group Co. Ltd., Geely Holding Group Co. Ltd. and Beiqi Foton Motor Co. Ltd. The alliance’s detailed agenda is still being worked out, but with Chinese economy cars using only about 50 kilograms of plastic parts on average, compared with 130 to 180 kilograms per vehicle in the United States, Western Europe and Japan, the participants see a lot of opportunities. Chinese car makers use a higher percentage of metal components in their cars, alliance members said, and those heavier parts in turn make the cars less fuel efficient and potentially more polluting. Members of the group acknowledge they have some challenges ahead of them, however, including recruiting more Tier 1 automotive components makers, who are not present in large numbers among the more than 20 founding companies and organizations. The alliance is being organized by the Shanghai-based Sino-European Union Chemical Manufacturers Association, and its Auto Plastic and Innovative Materials Committee, which will provide administrative support. | <urn:uuid:4802b572-4e60-4de1-8d9a-bce6ba530ed4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.plasticsnews.com/article/20121205/MULTIMEDIA01/312059998/china-resin-firms-form-lightweight-venture | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935463 | 288 | 2.125 | 2 |
This grad season, the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) wants teenagers to reject indoor tanning and organize a Tan-Free Grad campaign in their high schools.
To that end, the organization is offering a $300-grant to students. Deadline to apply is Friday, Feb. 15.
Early this year, Region of Peel, passed a bylaw banning tanning for those under 18, however, many teens travel to neighbouring cities to get access to a bed.
“As teens start to plan for their grads, many will use tanning beds to get what they think is a ‘healthy glow’,” said Julie Datta, senior coordinator, prevention, Canadian Cancer Society, Ontario division. “What they may not realize, is that tanning beds cause skin cancer - one of the most common, yet preventable types of cancer. Organizing a Tan-Free Grad is one way teens can flip the myth that ‘a tan equals beauty’ on its head.”
Results from a 2012 Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) survey has found 16 per cent of Ontario students in Grades 11 and 12 are using tanning beds. This number is up from 7 per cent in 2006. In 2009, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, classified ultraviolet radiation devices, including tanning beds as known carcinogens.
The CCS has taken up the issue of youth tanning because tanning bed use before the age of 35 significantly increases a person’s risk of developing melanoma skin cancer. Melanoma skin cancer is also one of the most common and deadliest forms of cancer among people ages 15 to 29 and is also one of the most preventable, said Datta.
Last year, 21 high schools in Ontario participated in the Tan-Free Grad campaign and some 1,100 students pledged to be tan-free.
Kate Neale, a 22-year-old melanoma cancer survivor, wants teens to empower and inspire teenagers with her story.
As a teenager, Neale wanted to be tanned. So, against the wishes of her parents and regardless of the fact that she had fair and sunburn-prone skin, Neale started indoor tanning at age 16. In the beginning, she tanned two or three times a week, but soon ended up going for 12 to 16 minutes in the highest UVB pressured bed (double strength) sessions up to 16 times per month.
In May 2011, while visiting her parents, Neale’s mother noticed that a freckle on her daughter’s stomach had changed. A visit to a dermatologist and a biopsy later confirmed that the freckle was actually melanoma.
“I’ll never forget going to the surgeon’s office with my mom”, Neale, a CCS volunteer said. “He thought she was the patient. When he realized that I was the patient, he told me I was the youngest person he’d ever treated for melanoma. I was only 21. Fortunately, my cancer was found at an early stage when it was non-invasive. Today, I have a six-inch scar on my stomach and live with so much fear....”
For information about the grant, visit www.cancer.ca/tanfreegrad. | <urn:uuid:190fe29a-e56f-4623-bf1a-f08a1f2cdfd8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mississauga.com/article/1568924--tan-does-not-equal-beauty-ccs | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958531 | 683 | 2.875 | 3 |
“The business world has changed so radically that even the U.S. Army’s Procurement agency is forming partnerships in China,” said Barry Gander, EVP of CATA, in launching the Supply Chain Roundtable.
Global competition is well documented. Product and service companies
alike, all face enormous pressures. It is not just on price, although
Far East labour costs less than half those in Canada are challenge enough. Competition
covers the entire value chain, from strategy … to design … to
distribution … to post-sales service. Information travels
rapidly around the world, making innovation widespread and competitive
Alan Kay, Roundtable moderator, notes the 40% Canadian dollar increase in 40 months and the Canada/U.S. labour cost gap (see CIBC World Markets chart, August 2006) that have made supply chain management even more demanding. Add a looming skills shortage, and we need answers urgently.
This is the topic that brought together over 70 supply chain practitioners for a morning of Roundtable discussion.
“Supply chains directly affect your customer service levels, costs and profits,” says David Long, Program Director at the Centre of Excellence in Supply Chain & Logistics Management at Schulich Executive Education Centre, and President of Supply Chain and Logistics Association Canada.
How can supply chains help us increase market share and create strategic advantage? The purpose of this Report is to summarize Roundtable views expressed, and offer pointers to more agile supply chain strategy, structure and performance.
Looking for Value
“What is supply chain management?” Several Roundtable participants have asked this question in the context of understanding where best to place our efforts.
A supply chain or logistics network is a coordinated system of organizations, people, activities, information, processes and resources involved in moving products or services physically or virtually from supplier to customer. Supply chain activities transform raw materials and components into a finished product or service delivered to end customers.
Supply chains link value chains, a term popularized by Michael Porter to denote a framework for organizations to analyze value added activities, to create value and competitive advantage.
Supply chain or value chain – they touch most areas of your business. Supply chains also cover both manufacturing and services. Robert Crawhall, President and CEO of National Capital Institute of Telecommunications and Roundtable keynote speaker, points out that services, representing 75% of the economy and jobs, get relatively little IT investment. Small wonder that Canada lags U.S. service sector growth by 1.7% to 2.5%. Canada is now increasing investment faster than the U.S. on people and service sector technology and is in better supply chain shape than many other countries, but the outlook for Canada is still for a 20 year economic battle.
Basic SCM – “Expediting” to make it happen
Supply chain management competencies can be viewed as three cumulative and progressively more innovative stages. The basic stage is “expediting,” simply keeping the supply chain running, with goods and services flowing through the system, problems tracked and blockages removed, and commitments met.
No matter how systematized your supply chain, un-programmed occurrences must be dealt with, such as examples – container bug infestations, containers stuck in traffic accidents, random customs duty assessments – cited by Roundtable participants. Small companies see themselves at a disadvantage in such day-to-day problems. Certainly, large companies have a resource advantage. Crawhall points out that a Small/Medium Enterprise has difficulty finding a good VP Marketing let alone a supply chain manager.
However, the comparison should not be taken too far. Darryl McCoy, Director of Global Supply Chain Management at MDS Pharma Services, reminds us that the opportunity is usually quite similar and small companies tend to react more quickly. John Newell, Director Information Technology M&M Meat Shops agrees that a supply chain architect would be a pipe dream in a small company, but there are offsetting opportunities e.g. for sourcing private label products. In his job, he must be aware of technology even though he cannot adopt all of it. For him, “nimble” is a prerequisite for small business to survive; but “nimble” is easier for a small company to do.
Incremental SCM – “Improving” to make it happen better
The second stage of supply chain management is “improving.” Supply chain managers still work at keeping the system running, but they also seek out ways to improve the supply chain process continuously. Ongoing attention to cost levels and productivity are prerequisites for staying in business in an era of low-cost overseas competition.
Supply chain improvement has broad application. People scheduling in the Supreme Court is a supply chain issue for the court clerk, who with thousands of cases in progress has to make sure all those juryman are in the right place at the right time. Paul Bloom, VP Procurement and Supply Chain Management at private equity group CFM, links ideas in his group’s different supply chains, even in other industries. For Bloom, the key is leadership, curiosity and passion. He likes to enlist the engineering side where he finds greater readiness to sponsor supply chain change.
NCIT’s Crawhall recounts how Nortel’s advanced technology people worked with sales and marketing to get $10K investments in small research programs. After long time resistance, it was realized that there was attractive brand equity for small companies from being in the program, so participants made the needed trade offs. An individual in a small company is often better placed to work opportunities to extract value.
Claude Germaine, EVP and COO of Schenker of Canada Limited, notes that customs duty total added cost is highly unpredictable since 85% of rated entries to Canada are manually processed by entry level people, making duties subjective. For example, challenging coconut milk rated as a dairy product reduced the assessment from 6% to 0% and saved $100K/year, while a transformer split into two components with only a slight increase in the shipping costs came in duty free. A mid-cap oil field supply firm changed purchasing terms so that instead of supply chain costs being buried in the cost of goods sold, the contract was changed to ex-works to give visibility of the shipping cost from India and China; the company then teamed up with a large global player to reduce supply chain costs and improve on time supplies delivery.
Challenges vary from sector to sector. However, electronic commerce being adopted by every sector is creating a commonality of issues and speeding up the rate of adoption. Crawhall observes more enthusiasm for supply chain management in the health care sector. This perhaps reflects that supply chain awareness is only now showing up in this sector. It is not just about your own organization, rather making different organizations in the chain work seamlessly, e.g. hospitals want blood when it is needed, while Canadian Blood Services wants economical blood distribution.
Strategic SCM – “Leading” to make it happen differently
The third stage of supply chain management builds on day-to-day expediting and incremental improvements with visionary supply chain management. The goal is strategic “leadership” – to create and fulfill new customer needs, differentiate our organization, and disrupt the competition. Shaping supply chain strategy is neither easy nor an every day occurrence. However, it is an imperative, to stay a step ahead of low cost suppliers around the world who are increasingly thinking strategically themselves. This was the main theme of Crawhall’s keynote address. We have a long way to go in establishing supply chain strategies and teamwork led from the top of the organization.
When Crawhall was at Nortel in the late 1980s, the digital phone system was considered cool technology. But it was the supply chain strategy not technology that brought success. Nortel’s 48-hour inventory replenishment enabled its customer, BT, to eliminate its own warehousing; a supply chain quality program resulted in minimal defects.
The Canadian military emphasizes strategic outsourcing by opening up the entire supply chain and determining the full cost of business. It favours keeping technology and processes in house, maintaining management teams, and integrating the supply chain. Coca-Cola’s current product strategy challenge is how to handle niche markets within a large scale distribution system.
Supply chain management must be directly represented at the executive table. IT, finance, marketing and other areas must be more seamlessly integrated with supply chain management. The culture must support innovation right across the enterprise, not just siloed productivity improvement. Tracking performance must be aimed at producing measurable results and corrective actions – topics explored in the next section.
Making Your Supply Chain Strategic
Strategic supply chain change is quite different from tactical and incremental changes to raise productivity and lower unit costs in which Roundtable participants are engaged day-to-day.
Cultural aspects of change must be tackled and the benefits of change made more tangible. This is easy to say, and indeed some participants are clearly impatient with high level discussion that never seems to produce much action let alone measurable results. How are we to break out of the incremental supply chain straightjacket and achieve market leadership breakthroughs?
In this section we review several areas requiring urgent attention – technology, collaboration, organization, and culture.
Technology for Competitive Advantage
Crawhall of NCIT sees a potent brew of supply chain technology emerging: broadband wireless with location capability, Voice over IP with alerting capability that automatically notifies you if something happens, XML-based standards for open information exchange, and sensor networks including RFID technology. Major advances are coming in data bases, data fusion, information search and query, knowledge management, business intelligence, and visualization.
This will mean shifting from a “product design” approach to designing the product with the complete customer fulfillment system included – not just design-for-test, design-for-manufacturer, and design-for-shipping. Organizational barriers and resistance to untried technology must be overcome before product design is sufficiently supply chain friendly. Product design must incorporate supply chain factors such as supply and demand variability into the product specifications. For example, identifying price sensitivities if demand spikes or supply chokes. Optimization is the goal, not just cost reduction.
As Bloom says, platform standardization to keep down costs runs the risk of rewarding people for the wrong answer. For example, McCoy is facing consequences of technology just being dropped in without process design and is now having to redesign the technology. Up front preparation is vital and impatience can be counterproductive.
Collaboration and Value
Global supply chain integration cannot simply be overlaid on traditional
organizations. Sam Palmisaro, CEO of IBM, has said that it “involves
significant changes in organizational culture, new forms of partnership
among multiple enterprises and segments of society, and many new standards
for managing a much more complex marketplace (The Globally Integrated Enterprise, Foreign Affairs, May/June 2006)”.
Outsourcing starts with knowing when not to outsource. A breakout session suggests the presence of: intellectual property, core strengths, strategic implications, and management intense processes. The advice is to keep the supply chain in-house when the cost of outsourcing failure would be high, or there are out of control or undocumented processes, or outsourcing might compromise quality. In contrast, you should outsource when: the costs are well understood, outsourcing allows you to grow, you lack investment funds in the geography, there is a service that you do not have, or there is an opportunity to do it better.
Governance of an outsourced supply chain operation is critical, and with it a new management competency of managing service providers and sourcing. Bob White, President of RJ White & Associates says the role of logistics companies is changing from that of “Travel Agent” to “Tour Operator” managing the entire experience.
Getting what Taimour Zaman (President, the Access Group and Roundtable convener) calls the supply chain model right for your business has become a strategic necessity. Several participants noted supply chains’ lack of recognition in the organization and their absence from the executive suite. Supply chain managers must take the initiative as an advocate with the CEO. The business case must be made to make supply chain design an integral part of product design. Skills must be promoted, so a supply chain architect is seen as a contributor along with product management. Supply chains managers must drive integration with other functions. A supply chain strategic plan must be developed that looks at least two generations ahead, and deals with complexity, margins, customer expectations, shorter product cycles, and greener business trends.
Colonel Marie LeLoup reports that Canadian Forces devolved supply chain responsibility to a decentralized management but lost a crucial element of oversight, so now the pendulum is moving back to centralized metrics.
Changing the Culture
Without getting the culture right, solving other issues will not be sufficient for sustained results. Crawhall sees culture coming under increasing scrutiny. He often observes cultural differences between young designers and older supply chain managers, and recommends hiring designers into the supply chain team as Merck did in its blood research group, even overriding existing compensation and organization structure.
Organizational style can be viewed as a Continuum. The firm progressively moves itself to higher levels of achievement, lifting performance at each of three levels (see “Putting an Innovation Culture into Practice”, Ivey Business Journal, January-February 2006).
Moving from a hierarchical and risk-focused culture with emphasis on transactions and keeping costs in check, an “advanced” culture integrates organizational silos for individual departments to work with each other for productivity improvements and greater flexibility of response. More operating decisions are pushed down to the front line. Selected supply chain metrics are measured, but the ability to use the data to fine tune business decisions may lag the ability to generate the data. Advanced companies outsource non-core activities when it improves performance and streamline supply chains with quality and lean processes. They collaborate with their customers and suppliers in product development.
Early adopters find this will only take them so far. Aspiring to supply chain innovation “breakthroughs,” they change the culture – extending strategy alignment to goal alignment with an adaptive, knowledge and learning culture in which performance improvement is not just cascaded down but also self-directed. Innovation becomes the driving force.
Supply chain leadership capabilities; front line supervisory skills that produce employee retention; cooperative and creative business practices including integration of the supply chain into senior management; organization-wide self-actualization – these all lead to a shared knowledge and learning supply chain organization. The payoff is strategic competitive advantage, self-sustaining even as the market continues to change.
Interestingly, a consensus is building in supply chain circles for national initiatives that will foster Canadian competitive advantage. Several Roundtable participants reinforced the growing desire to be organized at sector and national levels.
Three thrusts stand out as having strong support.
- Environmental: concerns are growing around sustainability, traceability in the food chain, energy use, pollution reduction, etc. – and the expectation is that Environmental certification is coming and with it a potential branding competitive advantage, calling for Government programs to provide a framework, remove anti-competitive regulatory hurdles, encourage technology investment, and promote education on business benefits, e.g. Return on Invested Capital
- People talents: Canada can capitalize on diversity and cultural ties to global markets through immigrants, and has a particular advantage in historical links with the Commonwealth to build a more critical mass in SME supply chain innovation, for example in working with India to help address some of the repercussions of their rapid growth and a still changing environment
- Transportation: a national strategy would build a Canadian competitive supply chain advantage on existing shipping and logistics infrastructure and expertise
Several industry groups were represented at the Roundtable, and it is to be hoped that they will carry these ideas forward.
The Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance says that “looking at a pure cost, Canada can’t compete at the level of India or China; (but) when you move up in the engineering class or the highly innovative manufacturing talent, Canada ranks right up there.” Collaboration must be built into global supply chain management to make this happen.
Conclusion – We are not there yet!
The Roundtable gave us anecdotal evidence of many advances in supply chain management, e.g. Bell Canada self-funding continuous improvement, Celestica aligning metrics for right behaviors, Health Connections’ talent awareness, MDS focusing metrics across the enterprise rather than internally, and Alberto Culver articulating a strategy linked to success measures.
This is only a beginning. The Roundtable has made a solid contribution to continuing on the road to breakthrough supply chain management, but much work remains.
Appreciation is expressed to all concerned – participants, panelists, facilitators and sponsors – for making the three hours of discussion a good step in the right direction.
November 27, 2006
Robert Crawhall, President and CEO, National Capital Institute of Telecommunications
Claude Germaine, EVP and COO, Schenker of Canada Limited
Darryl McCoy, Director of Global Supply Chain Management, MDS Pharma Services
John Newell, Director Information Technology, M&M Meat Shops
Paul Bloom, VP Procurement and Supply Chain Management, CFM
Sponsors & Partners
The Access Group
Supply Chain Alliance
Alan Kay, The Glasgow Group
David Long, President, Supply Chain and Logistics Association Canada
Bob White, President, RJ White & Associates
Rick Wolfe, PostStone Corporation
Taimour Zaman, The Access Group
Robert Angel, President, The Gilford Group Limited
© The Access Group, January 2006,
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction without this copyright notice
is prohibited. Opinions expressed herein reflect judgment at the time
of writing and are subject to change. Registered trademarks are
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Salemtown Neighbors needs to raise $500 to protect Fehr School
Salemtown's Fehr School, built in 1924, was one of the first schools desegregated and was a center of civil rights strife in 1957. Because of its place in Nashville history, Historic Nashville, Inc. has declared it one of the 2011 Nashville Nine most endangered local buildings.
Salemtown Neighbors has a petition and is working with Council Member Erica Gilmore and the Metro Historical Commission to pass historic overlay for Fehr School and to preserve the exterior from demolition or drastic alteration that would destroy its historic qualities.
Planning Commission consideration of an overlay requires the neighborhood association to raise funds to notify residents who live around the building of the request for rezoning. Those funds will pay for postage, signage, and notice in the Tennessean, costs totaling over $500 according to the Planning Department.
Please help raise these funds to preserve this landmark by donating what you can to Salemtown Neighbors, designated "re: Fehr School preservation".
If you would like to help immediately email me (by clicking on the "Contact Me" button in the right-hand column of this blog) for contact info or stop by the Salemtown Neighbors booth at the Germantown Street Festival next Saturday and drop off your donation there.
Thanks for your help! I'll provide updates here on the blog as donations come in.
Full disclosure: I am a member of the executive committee of Salemtown Neighbors; however opinions expressed on this blog are entirely mine and are not intended to reflect the views of SNNA members or officers, unless quoted. SNNA has not authorized Enclave to help them fund raise, but considering it worthy, I am lending what help I can to this good cause. | <urn:uuid:09618a0f-0faa-458e-b00f-5ad87c3c0890> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://enclave-nashville.blogspot.com/2011/10/how-you-can-help-raise-money-to.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950562 | 364 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Since the acquisition of Backbeat Books by the Hal Leonard Corporation, a few changes have been made and most of the first two chapters from Power Tools for Reason 3.0 are now available online for preview. Essential Shortcuts covers some of the main time saving features you can employ like learning Key Commands and File Management. Control Voltages is probably the most important chapter in the book since it covers the basics of understanding CV and Gate routing in Reason. I always suggest that people read through and do the projects in the Control Voltage Chapter and the Audio Routing Chapter first before attempting to jump ahead.
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[L]ess than two weeks earlier, on May 24, 2007, the United States Senate had in fact voted 80-14 to waive the Stafford Act requirement for New Orleans, as it had waived that requirement for New York and Florida. More federal money was spent rebuilding New Orleans than was spent in New York after 9/11 and in Florida after hurricane Andrew, combined.
Truth is not a job requirement for a community organizer. Nor can Barack Obama claim that he wasn't present the day of that Senate vote, as he claimed he wasn't there when Jeremiah Wright unleashed his obscene attacks on America from the pulpit of the church that Obama attended for 20 years.
Unlike Jeremiah Wright's church, the U.S. Senate keeps a record of who was there on a given day. The Congressional Record for May 24, 2007 shows Senator Barack Obama present that day and voting on the bill that waived the Stafford Act requirement. Moreover, he was one of just 14 Senators who voted against -- repeat, AGAINST -- the legislation which included the waiver.
October 9, 2012
"Barack Obama in his old community organizer role," doing "what community organizers do... rub people's emotions raw to hype their resentments."
Thomas Sowell writes the pithiest thing that I've seen about the speech Obama gave on June 5, 2007. Remember, Obama told the predominantly black audience that the federal government — motivated by racial prejudice — would not waive the Stafford Act requirement that a city chip in 10% of the amount it would receive in federal disaster aid. | <urn:uuid:a3f07e95-f680-4645-a866-e7107221bfeb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://althouse.blogspot.com/2012/10/barack-obama-in-his-old-community.html?showComment=1349816024133 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985285 | 314 | 1.921875 | 2 |
images via EZCT Architecture & Design Research
Philippe Morel is an architect and theorist, who cofounded EZCT Architecture & Design Research. Recently, I interviewed him over email about computation, internet data centers, and natural terrain:
Alessandro Bava: You outlined an urban theory that accounts for the internet as a powerful territorial/urban agent, could you expand on the idea of oceanic/porous urbanism?
Philippe Morel: I started to be interested in such an evolution of the world while working on my Master’s thesis from 2000 to 2002. The title, “Living in the Ice Age”, was coming from the fact that I considered the contemporary changes associated with the advent of computation not just as “another media-based revolution” but as a “geological” shift; a kind of a global earthquake produced by “computational drifts”, drifts that are opening a new age in human (post)history. I was speaking about a more extreme coldness than the one theorized by Andrea Branzi in the “Cold Metropolis”. The coldness of the liquid azote used for supercomputers cooling or sperm cryopreservation as well as the coldness of extreme abstractions produced by computational processes and formal languages. In fact the freezing of any kind of social life, and a freezing that is by the way asking as much energy to us as it does in air conditioning systems! In the introduction of my thesis then, I wrote that “what our civilization gave birth to after unreasonable efforts is a new kind of compound, something like the summation of the dynamite or nuclear energy power, of the intrinsic capacities of the human brain for conceptual abstraction, of the raw power of the computers for calculation and of the sensory performances of the human body.” I added that “my work would only be about trying to unveil the genesis of such a compound”. Actually it is still about that: establishing the “history” and theory of this new man made Ice Age.
I am calling this theory “Computationalism”. It has nothing to do with any other “-ism” that we experienced in the XX century, including the most recent ones. It is not about art, style, vanguards, etc. It is about the replacement of Rationalism and the next five hundred years. In Computationalism, the raw power of computers and the “constructive” power of the algorithms come on top of everything. Quantity and quality are always associated, as it is the case with algorithmic. The computer is the new petroleum, that was both a source of energy - raw power - and a resource for chemical engineering – a complex raw material with a strong “constructive” potential, and as petroleum it produces its own geopolitics. At the moment, for example, companies like Facebook or Google are building datacenters as close as possible to the north-pole for a better and cheaper cooling. Google is also patenting floating platforms drifting on the oceans, producing their own electricity and relocating according to the constantly changing topology of the global network… Computer scientists are using methods and mathematical tools coming from natural sciences in order to catch the complex and non-deterministic nature of massive computational phenomena, and material scientists build up new materials out of atoms. Therefore, Computationalism is a new Neolithic-like anthropological bifurcation. It is a new state of the Matter, a new State of the Machine, a new State of Knowledge, all asking for a specific theory that I outlined, within the context of Integral Capitalism, as “Biocapitalism”, “Technocapitalism” and “Infocapitalism”. Computationalism is not a paradigm shift within western rationalism but a drift out of Rationalism. Rationalism, that destroyed itself thanks to its own knowledge and tools, is now replaced by Computationalism. That one is the social context that corresponds to the realization of a century old prediction by Nietzsche who stated that “the scientific man is the ulterior development of the artistic man”. All the political models like western Politics which is by essence based on the Ratio, are failing. They are failing because no human mind can deal with the complexity of our technological societies. As it was demonstrated by Hayek and a couple of other theoreticians, the limits of politics are epistemological, they are defined in any western society by the state of its knowledge. Search engine algorithms replaced librarians; it would be more than logical and necessary to see them replace traditional politics as well.
In any case it is very difficult to have a clear understanding of something as radical as the end of Rationalism. It is as difficult for us to understand a world full of abstract computation as it is for a locally behaving ant to be aware of the curvature of the surface of the earth.
AB: With the popularization of free software like SketchUp, Grasshopper and Processing, architecture is increasingly being produced by a huge number of non-professional prosumers who rewrite the discipline's rules based on online community opinions and attention parameters. Does architecture (like journalism, perhaps) have a problem of authorship or authority today?
PM: I slightly disagree on that since most of the people who are really producing architecture in today’s world are architects. They graduated as architects or consider themselves architects. And the ones who are not architects, being either developers or regular people building their own shelters and homes, are not more influenced by new software as they are by standard materials produced by the building industry. Therefore, if we consider that third parties actors are architecture producers, we should simply say that architecture has always been “produced” by such actors. Nevertheless, you might be right on another level when comparing the crisis of architecture and the one of journalism. Like personal secretaries rendered obsolete by Word and Excel, journalism is made unnecessary by a state of transparent information. That is why the people who are now considered as good journalist are not classical ones but hackers like Julian Assange. They are simply making the information transparent. They don’t go into interpretation and romance. This is the first half of my answer on authorship.
The second half has to deal with a deeper root for the crisis of journalism, architecture or art. It was envisioned by L’Isle-Adam one hundred and thirty years ago when he stated that the machine is the replacement of multiple intelligences by one great Intelligence. In art, unlike science (and architecture as well as journalism are closer to art than to any kind of science) the lack of such an Intelligence is not compensated by multiples intelligences. Thousands of Koolhaas followers are not equivalent to one Rem (should I say that it is worse than no follower). Art is not about quantity, neither is architecture as soon as you address the issue of authorship. Historically, this problem was solved by the very nature of vernacular architecture, which is about sharing common rules and cultural values. Today these rules and values defining a common visual or non-visual language have to be found within iPad and Facebook applications. Twenty or thirty years ago, a “Build your own Le Corbusier House” application wouldn’t have been as a good architect as a Le Corbusier pupil, but today such an application would probably provide a better architecture. Against all evidence provided by the state of architecture in European suburbs, people still believe that architecture produced by isolated architects according to “cultural values” are better than something a computer would do… It is deeply wrong. It is something that Russian constructivists and people like Branzi well understood. To a certain extend it is also understood by the “FabLab-based” approaches, but most of them will fail because of their political romanticism. Ultimately, the crisis of authorship is related to our lack of understanding of the nature of technology, and this is why architectural intelligence is about producing new technology-based rules and not about isolated buildings that identify themselves with the latest formal tendencies. Architecture is about producing new concepts of construction (like the Domino house) as computer science is about producing new concepts of computation (quantum computing, reversible computing, etc.). We must not confuse what happens inside a computer chip with the design of laptop computers.
AB: You defined computation as a social discourse. Could you please explain what do you mean by that?
PM: I mentioned this idea of computation as a social discourse already, but let me go a bit further. In the past, when the French government was introducing the metric system of measurement and the “Mètre étalon” those evolution were heavily associated to a certain idea of “distributing justice throughout the country”. Thanks to these universal measurement apparatus even analphabet people could make reasonably fair transactions. Today, thanks to Wikipedia, even people having a poor access to education can discover and learn amazing things. I am not idealizing such a platform but you cannot underestimate what it represents. Because technology always has non-technological consequences any discourse dealing with technology is intrinsically a social discourse. This is what I mean by saying that computation is a social discourse.
On one side on which non-scientists have no influence, computation is about very abstract scientific knowledge, and on the other side it is about everyday life. This seems so obvious to all of us that we usually don’t spend any time on that…But we should. Indeed, such a distinction is necessary because it is associated with another one between technology as knowledge and technology as machines. As knowledge, technology is changing multiple things but does not concern everybody. Take the example of the effects of PCs on education. Not all of the people spend their time in studying. Students do, as well as scientist and scholars. But as general purpose machines, computers are associated with productivity gains and ultimately with the concept of labor.
Labor concerns more or less everybody. On one side technology is perceived as a certain kind of progress, allowing for example more and more scientific discoveries, while on the other side it is perceived as harmful, being the ultimate job killing feature produced by capitalism. Both are true, but while more and more people think that there is no way to make these two parallel co-evolutions work together, I believe that we should keep thinking that it is possible. Therefore we should produce the right theory for that, based on the study of the strongest arguments coming from the proponents of anti-technological movements. One of them, Ted Kaczynski, believes that there is no way to think of better uses of our technological knowledge since ultimately the industrial society is destroying everything including the nature itself. On many points he is right and the only argument that we can oppose is the one of a technological society that would have absolutely nothing to do with the actual concept of work and nothing to do as well with our still machine-oriented postindustrial society. Nevertheless, if we cannot produce more convincing arguments in favor of such a society than the existing ones, either rational anti-technological thinkers or obscurantist movements will keep having more and more followers. The problem we have to face is related to the fact that technology became a religion to which less and less people adhere. Either because they are tired of smart mobs like gadgets, or because they cannot deal with the pace of evolution of knowledge, or because they are not interested in the kind of logic-mathematical knowledge that is intrinsically related to the contemporary technologies, or because they think that having good computers is not enough to compensate the lack of fresh air and water. At the moment, the way our society is dealing with the issue of technology is very much similar to the way we were dealing with the new possibilities offered by technics in Versailles or Saint-Petersburg. We all know that some people came up soon with very different applications in mind…Kinds of applications that today are neither proposed by right-wing affiliated thinkers, who want to put people back on assembly lines for producing stupid “ecological” cars, nor by left-wing affiliated philosophers who want them scripting web marketing applications… In fact, instead of developing moralistic critiques of the most advanced phenomena associated with the power of computation, like algorithmic trading, in favor of social practices of which the only difference is that they are as associated with an older version of capitalism, we should learn from them. We should ask ourselves if trading is not a realization of Nietzsche’s prediction asserting that “one day we will practice the buying and selling as a luxury of our sensibility”. We should question ourselves about the potential of new concepts of labor much closer to the conceptual idea of labor of Marcel Duchamp and Andy Warhol than to the productive labor of computer literate Multitudes. This leads me to answer as a temporary conclusion the following important question you first asked me in a separate list, about the relationship between technology, work and leisure.
AB: In the 60s, Italian Operaist theorists were preoccupied with the advent of computers in manufacture and production at large. Many were in favour, as they saw computers as liberating the worker from production alienation therefore implementing freetime and allowing a sort of computer enabled "refusal to work," but we see that nowadays computers and internet have eliminated the very idea of free-time. What do you think of that?
PM: This is something I addressed in The Integral Capitalism by quoting O. Spengler but most of all by bringing back the attention on the fact that Adorno himself, a known opponent to Spengler’s philosophy, understood the relation between technology, work and knowledge as a fundamental problem. In his book Man and Technics, Spengler wrote that "It is not true that human technics saves labor. For it is an essential characteristic of the personal and modifiable technics of man, in contrast to genustechnics, that every discovery contains the possibility and NECESSITY of new discoveries, every fulfilled wish awakens a thousand more, every triumph over Nature incites to yet others. The spirit of this beast of prey is incessantly greedy, its will is never appeased: such is the curse that is attached to this kind of life, but herein is also the greatness inherent in its destiny” As I mentioned before with the example of trading, if you want to address the relationship between society and technology in a creative way you cannot keep thinking within old categories. You need to conceptualize an inversion of many things. Instead of treating the computer as a traditional machine saving labor you need to treat him as an ever expending block of both abstract knowledge and concrete physical (nanoscale) constructions, calling for more and more discoveries; much like mathematics, physics, chemistry or medicine. By doing so, you avoid short view understandings of the nature of technology and you realize that there is no reasonably attractive technological future in which technology would be something else than a sole knowledge, this knowledge being constantly its own end.
The major problem we are facing today, that explains also why capitalism is so integral, is that except for a couple of fields in pure mathematics, new discoveries in ANY branch of knowledge are determined by technology and then by money. This alliance is so radical, the complexity of the technologies is so great and the necessary investments are so immense that these parameters alone are almost completely defining the contemporary geopolitics. More than ever, the natural economic context for technology and therefore for knowledge, is capitalism. Technologies are becoming natural, capitalism as well. This means that the only real (non-cosmetic) critique of capitalism today are the ones that contest its technologies and its knowledge (and the other way around). It is the case for example with the radical religious movements I evoked or with T. Kaczynski who understood that technology is the most important contemporary Gordian Knot. This is by the way the reason why he stated that the next revolution would not be political. I agree with that. Whatever might happen, revolution or radical evolutions, politics will be a minor parameter. As for free time that in fact always brings us back to its opposite defined by capitalist people – labor –, politics always brings us back to the “revolution bourgeoise” that was a long time ago associated with the Enlightenment and that is now in most cases a harmful association of money and technology. As for the critique of free time that in fact is as necessary to the critique of capitalism as the critique of labor, a real critique of knowledge is as necessary to the critique of technology as a critique of machines. As far as I know no such critique do really exist in contemporary architectural theory. | <urn:uuid:969a2a82-3729-4ce9-8034-df445eb764c4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://rhizome.org/editorial/2012/sep/12/interview-philippe-morel/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00063-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962646 | 3,436 | 2.171875 | 2 |
The final minute of a college basketball game can be the most exciting or excruciating hour in all of sports.
Everyone knows that time gets all timey-wimey at the end of a basketball game, when fouls, timeouts and official reviews slow the passage of time to a crawl. The situation appears to have gotten worse in recent years, when college coaches decided that fans come to watch them and not the players, and the advent of official reviews allow referees to perform frame-by-frame Zapruder analysis of shots and plays, only to get the call wrong anyway as often as not.
But just how long is the final minute of a college basketball game? It is metaphorically referred to as an hour or a lifetime, and when your favorite team is clinging to a one-point lead you may age a few years, but the exact duration of that minute is rarely measured. With Championship Week and the NCAA tournament looming, this is crucial information: If there is a minute left a tie game, what do you have time to do before the final buzzer? Use the bathroom? Drive home from the sports bar? Build a birdhouse? Copulate?
As a public service, Sports on Earth timed the exact lengths of the final minute of several recent close games to determine their exact duration. The results: That final minute takes anywhere from 8 to more than 12 minutes, plenty of time to do many of the activities listed above -- you can decide which ones.
Here are the games used in the study, with a detailed breakdown of what forces shredded the very fabric of time in those games:
Duke 79, Miami 76 (March 2)
Final Minute: 7:22
Final minute as percent of total game length: 5.8 percent
Official Reviews: 1
Discussion: While the final minute of this gem was not particularly long, Miami went into quantum strategy mode earl. The "foul immediately" tactics began around the 90-second mark, bringing the length of the final minute-and-a-half to a whopping 12:50. By front-loading more than five minutes of tedium into the 30 seconds before the final minute, Duke and Miami set the stage for a relatively tight, entertaining seven-minute final minute. (If you understood that last sentence, you are either a physicist, Doctor Who, or watch far too much college basketball.)
Much of the holdup in the final minute came because of a paradox known as Cameron Time: The clock never started during one brief Miami possession, so the obliging clock keeper just let it run for about four seconds after the whistle, figuring that no one would miss a second or two, particularly the home team, which happened to be leading.
Once Cameron Time was straightened out, Duke kept the final minute short by beating the Miami press and putting the ball in the hands of its best foul shooters, players the Hurricanes did not want at the line. Miami coach Jim Larranaga, to his eternal credit, did not use his last timeout on the Hurricanes' final possession, opting to let his players play basketball instead. Shane Larkin got a great look for a three-pointer but missed. Durand Scott grabbed the rebound, dribbled out and found Rion Brown in the left corner. Brown fired off an open three of his own, but missed. A great ending to a great game.
Had Miami fouled Duke more quickly, and/or had Larranaga called a timeout, the final minute would easily have surpassed 10 minutes, and we would have witnessed some (probably doomed) Miami set play instead of 15 seconds of frenetic, heads-up basketball. Unfortunately, the Hurricanes lost, so no coach will ever leave a timeout in his pocket when down by three again.
* * *
North Carolina A&T 59, Savannah State 57 (March 4)
Final minute: 11:58
Final minute as a percentage of game length: 8.9 percent
Official Reviews: 1
Discussion: Big programs and tournament-bound teams are not the only ones who can melt the clock; in fact, fast-foul strategies (the leading cause of slow-minute temporal distortions) are more appealing at lower competition levels, where free throws are less automatic.
The lasting image from the one-fifth of an hour spent deciding this MEAC upset was of North Carolina A&T forward Lamont Middleton standing at the free-throw line. Middleton finished the game 8-of-12 from the line, with six of those attempts in the final minute. The officials used a lengthy review to determine whether an elbow to the face of Savannah State guard Khiry White merited a flagrant foul. It didn't, and White was called for tripping instead.
Trailing for most of the final minute, Savannah State kept opting for two-pointers to cut the deficit and fouling, instead of attempting three-pointers to tie the game and, you know, keep things moving. Tactics like that won't get Savannah State past Norfolk State in the MEAC tournament, but they could turn the MEAC tournament into a month-long event.
* * *
Kansas State 64, Baylor 61 (March 2)
Final minute: 12: 24
Final minute as a percentage of game length: 9.4 percent
Official Reviews: 2
Discussion: This game was a true roller coaster: It had a wild finish, but you had to wait in line forever to get there. At one point, the officials dickered for several minutes, after a timeout, about whether the game clock should read 7.7 or 7.0 seconds. A few minutes later, a one-second differential between game clock and shot clock caused end-of-game confusion, and the officials had to put one tick back on the clock. Both instances of second-splitting turned out to have real game ramifications, but with the game tied 61-61 and nothing to look at but Baylor's intensely ugly yellow-green neon uniforms, it was tempting to channel-surf away and return for overtime.
That would have been a mistake. Jacob Neubert's long inbounds pass looked like it was fired out of a T-shirt cannon. It crossed the court and sailed out-of-bounds, so the Wildcats used one last timeout to set a play for Rodney McGruder, who executed a gorgeous three-pointer at the buzzer. Was it worth the wait? If the wait were less than 10 minutes, absolutely.
* * *
Boston College 53, Virginia 52 (March 3)
Final minute: 8:48
Final minute as a percentage of game length: 7.3 percent
Official reviews: 0
Discussion: The ACC's stingiest defense faced its orneriest spoilers away from the national spotlight on Sunday, but even when a bubble team like Virginia battles an also-ran like Boston College, the final minute can extend to non-Newtonian durations. The back-and-forth timeout-and-foul tournament was punctuated by moments of brilliance, mainly freshman Joe Rahon's three-pointer-plus-a-foul with 8.2 seconds left. Rahon missed his free throw, but Virginia's Jontel Evans turned the ball over after taking the rebound the length of the court by stepping on the end line with 0.4 seconds left.
Then, Boston College coach Steve Donahue called timeout. Hey, a lot can go wrong when you have the ball, a one-point lead, and four-tenths of a second left. For example, Akil Mitchell could steal the long inbounds pass for the Cavs, hoist a half-court prayer and watch it swish through! In fact, that is precisely what happened, but Mitchell could not get the shot off before the buzzer, because there is almost nothing that can actually go wrong in four-tenths of a second, and whatever can go wrong cannot be prevented by teaching the players things they should have learned in practice, high school, biddy basketball, etc.
Had there been 0.6 left on the clock, on the other hand, Mitchell's shot would have made this an ending for the ages. Maybe the officials should have spent five minutes reviewing the timekeeping to make sure it was accurate. On second thought, no thanks.
* * *
Control Game: Kansas 79, Texas Tech 42 (March 4)
Final minute: 1:42
Final minute as a percentage of game length: 1.4 percent
Official reviews: 0
Discussion: This bludgeoning of the Red Raiders at the hands of Kansas represents the control group of this sample: a not-close-at-all game that proves that a college basketball minute can resemble an actual minute under some circumstances. In this case, the circumstances involve a beating so brutal that the Kansas coaches let their walk-on sons (and Danny Manning's walk-on son) play the final two minutes. The only foul was the inevitable result of backups playing sloppy basketball, and the only drama was watching to see if Bill Self had a coronary when Tyler Self took a jumper.
It is interesting to note that even when the game is completely decided and referees are disinclined to call anything more flagrant than an on-court grenade launch, the final minute of a college basketball game is still 70 percent longer than an actual minute. Still, two boring minutes cannot match the interest value of 12 dramatic minutes. But it would be great to have a third option somewhere in between.
* * *
When a close college basketball game reaches the one-minute mark, you have at least eight minutes, and possibly as many as 12 minutes, before the game's actual conclusion. Furthermore, anecdotal evidence suggests that the most exciting moments -- inbounds pass misadventures, buzzer-beaters that don't beat the buzzer -- will come at the very end of that 8-12 minute window. Slip off to the potty or surf to another game during the first stoppage after the one-minute mark, and you will probably only miss some free throws, a little coach preening or the officials arguing about imperceptible units of time, even if you are indisposed for as long as five minutes. Ten minutes are not really an eternity, but they can feel that way when you have to go to the bathroom, or are watching a pair of MEAC also-rans. | <urn:uuid:282ccc10-15ea-43cd-b7bf-8514577bba19> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/42297284 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958579 | 2,140 | 1.835938 | 2 |
1. Difficulty in urination such as:
· Slowed start of urinary stream and problem in stopping the urine flow
· Leakage of urine even after urinating
· Pain or burning sensation during urination
· Difficulty in emptying out all the urine
2. Blood in urine or semen
3. Evidences of low back ache and pain in pelvic bones
The ideal candidates for prostate cancer surgery are men younger than 75 years who are expected to live at least 10 more years of life. When cancer is limited only to prostate among individuals less than 75 years and are in otherwise good health are ideal candidates for prostatectomy.
The surgery to treat prostate cancer by removing the entire prostate gland is known as Radical Prostatectomy. The surgery is done to remove prostate gland along with seminal vesicles and nearby lymph nodes that may contain cancer cells. Radical prostatectomy may be done as an open procedure or as a laparoscopic procedure.
There are a few techniques of doing prostate surgery, viz:
Nerve – sparing surgery – The surgery preserves the nerves which exist along the side of prostate for erection. It is the surgery of choice when there are little chances to leave cancer cells behind.
Laparoscopic surgery – The minimally invasive technique entails making a small incision in the abdomen. The surgeon inserts a camera and surgical tools through laparoscope to view the procedure on a video screen while doing radical prostatectomy.
Robotic Surgery (http://indicure.com.ng/
Prostate cancer surgery is highly effective in removing cancer cells but the cost of the surgery is much higher in western countries as compared to the developing countries. Owing to the low cost of surgery, many people from USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other European countries as well as African countries like Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Ghana, Sudan, South Africa come to India for prostatectomy. The excellent health care facilities at some of the best hospitals in India have lead to an increase in the demand of prostatectomy surgery in India.
To know more about Prostate cancer surgery in India, visit - http://indicure.com.ng/
Or call at +919818462127 or +919320036777 | <urn:uuid:3dd9d295-c62c-43a2-8cfc-7cf9657ab0c8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.prlog.org/12088223-prostate-cancer-surgery-in-india-indications-procedure-and-cost.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927671 | 465 | 1.859375 | 2 |
Environmental hazards remain after Joplin tornado
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) — As residents confront a gigantic cleanup following the tornado that savaged Joplin, experts say environmental dangers could lurk amid the mountains of debris in the southwestern Missouri city and even in the water and air.
Damage from tornadoes, like floods and hurricanes, often goes beyond what is readily visible. Liquid fuels and chemicals can leak from ruptured containers and contaminate groundwater. Ruined buildings may contain asbestos. Fires can generate smoke containing soot, dioxins and other pollutants. Household, industrial and medical wastes are strewn about.
In the initial hours after the May 22 twister, the odor of gasoline was evident around several flattened service stations. A large fire burned for hours near the devastated St. John's Regional Medical Center. Heavy rains caused flash flooding, possibly fouling local waterways.
Yet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency teams sent to inspect the damage turned up no serious pollution issues in the first week, although the search was continuing, spokesman Chris Whitley said.
"Until the systematic assessment of the tornado's impact area is complete, it is not possible to fairly evaluate levels of risk or priorities for environmental response," he said in an email.
The nation's deadliest single tornado in more than six decades packed winds of more than 200 mph and measured a half-mile across. It killed at least 132 people and injured more than 900 while severely damaging or leveling many buildings in the city's industrial corridor, which includes chemical suppliers, natural gas companies and paint manufacturers. An estimated 8,000 structures were destroyed.
A brief anhydrous ammonia leak from a valve at the Jasper Products trucking company was sealed by the company's hazardous materials crew. Otherwise, an EPA emergency response team combing the area last week found no significant toxic releases after checking 40 sites, coordinator Eric Nold said.
"If there was a screaming release that needed to be found, it would have been by now," he said. His two-person team looked at underground storage tanks, wastewater treatment plants and other potential pollution sources.
"Given this size tornado, there could have been a lot worse from a chemical release standpoint," Nold said over the sound of crunching metal as bulldozers worked nearby.
Many companies sent their own environmental response teams to the disaster area.
Among other places being examined were the destroyed hospital and a Superfund site in western Jasper County tainted by years of lead and zinc mining. The tornado missed piles of waste material from the mines, but touched down in nearby neighborhoods where clean layers of topsoil were placed atop polluted soils between 1995 and 2002, Whitley said.
Property owners and emergency workers were advised to use caution when removing debris from the area, he said. Lead exposure happens primarily by ingesting contaminated soil on dirty hands — a particular danger for children — and breathing contaminated dust.
Another likely hazard is oil spilled from downed electrical transformers, some of which contain highly toxic polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs. It wasn't immediately clear how many were blown down during the storm.
But a spokesman for Alabama Power, that state's largest electric utility, said more than 4,000 transformers had been recovered there following a series of tornadoes last month. Some of the older ones contained trace amounts of PCBs, spokesman Michael Sznajderman said. All were bagged and sent to a licensed recycler, while oil and dirt around fallen transformers were hauled to a hazardous waste landfill.
Some of the greatest long-term environmental risks from tornadoes come during the cleanups, experts said.
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources last week announced a temporary waiver of some solid waste and air pollution regulations for Jasper and Newton counties, where the tornado struck. The move allows landfills to accept brush, yard waste, appliances and other materials that normally wouldn't be allowed, although recycling of appliances is encouraged. It permits burning of tree and brush waste under certain conditions.
Also waived was a requirement that state-certified supervisors be involved in removal of material containing asbestos, a fiber that can cause lung diseases including cancer. Federal asbestos regulations remain in place.
Relaxing the rules during an emergency is understandable, but improper handling or disposal of waste material could make a bad situation worse, said David Carpenter, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University at Albany-SUNY.
If plastics, asbestos material or treated wood find their way into brush fires, they could produce emissions particularly dangerous for people with asthma or respiratory diseases, he said.
"I know there's a huge amount of debris, but finding a landfill in a valley someplace where you can put it and cover it over is a lot wiser than burning it," Carpenter said. "There are health hazards associated with burning debris of any sort."
Some storms produce such overwhelming volumes of waste that limited burning must be allowed, said John Mitchell, environment division director with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Fires were permitted after the 2007 tornado that wiped out Greensburg, Kan., he said, although the state prefers other disposal methods.
It's important to segregate different types of waste so they can be disposed of properly, as some landfills aren't suitable for materials such as household chemicals, paints and treated woods, Mitchell said. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is urging people to recycle appliances and compost vegetation.
Environmentalists weren't objecting to bending the rules for a while.
"The last thing you want to do when a community's dealing with a situation like this is require a lot of permits and paperwork," said Kathleen Logan Smith, executive director of the Missouri Coalition for the Environment.
People in the Joplin area aren't the only ones who should be on the lookout for contaminated materials, said John Snow, a University of Oklahoma meteorology expert. Research has shown that tornadoes can suck up debris and deposit it up to 200 miles away, he said.
"This is kind of an unappreciated hazard that merits a lot more careful attention than it's been given," Snow said. | <urn:uuid:1f8b0ab2-5314-41dd-957d-359546c2f42a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.columbian.com/news/2011/may/31/environmental-hazards-remain-after-joplin-tornado/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962031 | 1,258 | 2.78125 | 3 |
Who is St George?
Feast Day 23 April
A soldier and martyr
Most sources agree that George was born in Cappadocia, Turkey.
The Golden Legend gives the story set in Silena, Libya, where a dragon was terrorizing a village and which ate 2 sheep a day. When the sheep were running low, maidens were offered. George heard that a princess was to be sacrificed, he rode to save her, killing the dragon with one blow of his lance. George ascribed his victory to God and made many converts. The king rewarded him generously, which he gave to the poor and then rode away.
He was martyred under the Emperor Diocletian in the c280AD and buried at Lydda in Palestine. He is revered by Moslems as well as Christians.
His cult grew in Europe from the 10th century.
Edward III 1312 -1377 had a great interest in chivalry and military affairs and created the Order of the Garter in 1348. St George fighting the dragon is depicted on the insignia.
St George became patron of England after Henry V’s victory against the French at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. | <urn:uuid:bb1a2330-7f1f-4e61-9b0a-b99d581172e3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.stgeorgefestival.org.uk/who-is-st-george/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.988447 | 251 | 3.203125 | 3 |
Born: September 29, 1961 Primary Instrument: Piano
At a time when jazz has been to the far reaches of the musical universe and back, some would say that its all been played before and we're currently at a point in the cyclical nature of this art form when those with lesser talents are merely rewriting the past.
Possibly this is why innovation and individualism are so rare these days and why David Kikoski stands apart from the scores of pianists who currently make their home within the mainstream tradition.
Born in 1961, Dave was part of a musical family and given his first piano lessons at the age of six by his father. In his early teens he began working with jazz and rock groups and won The New Jersey Allstate Jazz Competition . After high school, Kikoski would head to the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston where he earned a bachelor's degree in piano. While at school he had a steady trio gig and met Pat Metheny who sat in with the band. A few years later they would record a CD together with Roy Haynes.
In 1984, the pianist decided to try his hand in New York where it didn't take long for him to establish himself. Drummer Roy Haynes would be the first to give Kikoski a break, leading to a productive association that lasts to this day.
During his first few years on the New York scene, the pianist took advantage of the Haynes gig to network with other musicians leading to a wealth of recording opportunities and touring with Randy Brecker, Joe Henderson, Ron Carter, Al Foster, Buster Williams and Bob Berg among others.
By 1989, Dave was ready to cut his first record as a leader. Presage featured a high-octane trio with bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Al Foster. His second outing Persistant Dreams was produced by Walter Becker of Steely Dan fame featured a larger ensemble including Randy Brecker and Billy Hart.
During the early 90s, Kikoski not only kept busy playing frequent gigs with Roy Haynes, Randy Brecker and others but was also featured as a regular in the group of saxophonist Bob Berg and produced and arranged his CD Another Standard for Chick Corea's Stretch label. He freelanced and led his own groups at home and abroad.
In 1994, a contract with the short-lived Sony Epicure label produced the self-titled Dave Kikoski, a trio set that found the pianist in the company of bassist Essiet Essiet and drummer Al Foster. Over the next few years, Kikoski would perform and record as a sideman with an enviable cast of jazz luminaries including John Scofield, Brian Lynch, Peter Erskine, Red Rodney, Ravi Coltrane, Chris Potter, Christian McBride, Joe Henderson, Joey Baron, Dave Holland, Mike Stern, Chick Corea, Toots Thielemans, Pat Metheny, Victor Lewis, Tom Harrell, Gary Thomas, Marcus Miller, the Mingus Big Band and Michael Brecker.
Since 1997, Kikoski has had a chance to further document his artistic growth in a series of releases for the Dutch Criss Cross label. Inner Trust from 1997, spotlighted the work of fellow Roy Haynes bandmate bassist Ed Howard (also on Persistant Dreams) and drummer Leon Parker. The Maze reunited Dave with drummer Jeff Tain Watts as well as Mingus Big Band partner saxophonist Shamus Blake and Scott Colley on Bass.
His next release Almost Twilight offered the musical benefits that come with a working band, as Kikoski joined forces with bassist John Patitucci and drummer Jeff Tain Watts for a week at Sweet Basils before cutting the CD.
In 2001 Roy Haynes invited Dave to join his new all-star lineup including Dave Hollland, Roy Hardgrove and Kenny Garrett to record and tour. The CD received a Grammy nomination. They are still performing and the live shows often feature Nicholas Payton and Christian McBride as well..
Another project of Dave's with percussionist Brian Melvin entitled BeatleJazz topping the Gavin radio charts with both volumes. Among tours to Japan and Russia with his own trios, during the summer of 2001, Dave spent time touring with the Brecker Brothers' Acoustic Band.
The fall of 2001 Kikoski celebrated the release of his fourth set as a leader for Criss Cross. Surf's Up gives him space to romp through a diverse set of tunes covering everything from Brazilian sambas to pop classics by Frank Zappa and Brian Wilson.
In 2002 Dave toured Japan and recorded two CDs for the DIW label and another for Criss Cross entitled Combinations. The summer festivals of 2003 were spent with the Randy Brecker, Bill Evans Soul Bop Band with special guest Ronny Cuber.
In August Kikoski played the Mt.Fuji Jazz Festival with the Brecker Brothers Band.
He continues to perform with a variety of different bands as well as his own projects.
The latest BeatleJazz (2004) With a little help from our friends includes guests Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker and John Scofield with electric keyboards and tablas. David's 2004 release Details features Bill Stewart on drums and Larry Grenadier on bass.
David Kikoski continues to foster his individualistic voice while exploring a wide variety of opportunities both as a leader and sideman. He especially wants to emphasize his compositions, further develop opportunities to perform with his own groups, and write for films. An affecting modernist, Kikoski distills the best in jazz and popular music and infuses every song with attention-getting brilliance. | <urn:uuid:930c8fba-0557-43d3-8ec4-372ee87c6fb5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/musician.php?id=8351 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966456 | 1,157 | 1.5 | 2 |
Last month, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi led a delegation to Damascus in defiance of the express wishes of President Bush. In response, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s spokesman praised her “courageous position” and expressed the hope that it would inaugurate a dialogue between “the people of the United States” and the Syrian regime, despite President Bush’s efforts to isolate it. Pelosi explained her unusual action by saying that she was trying to “build some confidence” between Americans and the Assad government.
Apparently she has succeeded, after a fashion. Assad, at least, seems to have gained confidence that he can behave as brutally as he wishes without incurring too much international opprobrium. In the month since Pelosi’s visit, he has ratcheted up repression, all but snuffing out the lingering embers of the “Damascus spring” that followed his accession to power seven years ago. Six prominent dissidents were packed off to prison for sentences ranging from three to twelve years, the longest term being given to Kamal Labwani for “communicating with a foreign country,” i.e., the United States. “It’s back to the 1980′s, to the worst days of his father’s rule,” commented the exiled dissident Ammar Abdulhamid.
Pelosi reportedly raised Labwani’s case, specifically, with Syrian authorities during her visit. His crime, after all, consisted solely of talking to Americans, and here she was to promote dialogue. The specially long sentence now slapped on him amounts to a direct rebuff of her appeal, an expression of disdain. So how has she reacted?
Not at all. There is nothing about Labwani’s sentencing, or about any of the other dissidents, on her website. So I put in a call to her press spokesman, Brendan Daly, asking if the Speaker had commented on these events. I received a call back from a deputy of his who assured me that Assad’s actions were in “the opposite direction” from the course she had urged on him when she was there. In view of that, I asked, what was her reaction? She had not addressed it yet, he said, but he promised to get me a statement from her by the end of the next business day. That was ten days ago, and I am still waiting. Meanwhile, she has left the country yet again, this time leading a congressional delegation to Greenland, Germany, and Belgium to discuss global warming. Presumably this will build Assad’s confidence even further. | <urn:uuid:2a546358-09fd-4240-b395-c2aaec19487e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2007/05/30/assuring-assad/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98449 | 543 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Patient data revealed in medical device hackResearchers have exploited critical vulnerabilities in two popular medical management platforms used in a host of services, including assisting surgeries and generating patient reports.
The dangerous, unpatched flaws within the Philips Xper systems allowed researchers, within two hours, to develop an exploit capable of gaining remote root access.
From there, attackers gain administrative access to patient data stored in connected databases.
The affected machine can operate any medical device which uses the ubiquitous HL7 standard.
"We have a remote unauthenticated exploit for Xper, so if you same see an Xper machine on a network, then you can own it," Billy Rios, a researcher at security start-up Cylance, told SC Magazine Australia.
The holes were so severe that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stepped in to pressure Philips to fix the system.
"We've dropped exploits before on medical systems like Honeywell and Artridum, but we've never seen the FDA move like that," he said. "It was quicker than anything else I've seen before."
After initial bids to contact Philips failed, Rios and colleague Terry McCorkle sought assistance from DHS, the FDA and the U.S. Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICS-CERT).
Two days later, Marty Edwards, director of the control systems security program at DHS, told the researchers the agency would from then on handle all information security vulnerabilities found in medical devices and software.
The announcement comes five months after the U.S Government Accountability Office said in a report (PDF) that action was required to address medical device flaws, adding that the FDA did not consider such security risks "a realistic possibility until recently".
How they did it
Once an extensive 200Gb forensic imaging process of the Windows-based platform had completed and the system was booted into a virtual machine, it took the researchers "two minutes" to find the first vulnerability.
"We noticed there was a port open, and we started basic fuzzing and found a heap overflow and wrote up a quick exploit for it," Rios said. "The exploit runs as a privileged service, so we owned the entire box - we owned everything that it could do."
The researchers suspect the authentication logins for the system, one with a username Philips and password Service01, are hardcoded and unchangeable by users, but when they warned Philips, the company refuted the claim.
The Xper Physio monitoring 5 platform was formerly used by a Utah hospital and purchased from an unnamed reseller, which sold the Dell Blade-like machine for a cut-rate of $200, delivered to Rios' home address.
That move broke the resellers' contractual obligations with Philips, which requires the return of unwanted devices ostensibly to safeguard against such security gaffes.
"That you need to jump through some hoops to get the hardware is not some sort of defense," Rios said. "That's security through obscurity."
The dealer was reported to the DHS, and the equipment was returned to Philips.
This story originally appeared on SCMagazine.com.au.
[An earlier version of this story incorrectly listed the hospital as being in Ohio, but it is actually Utah]. | <urn:uuid:01ef39c6-c208-44ce-a07a-24b4d1e7efb7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.scmagazine.com/patient-data-revealed-in-medical-device-hack/printarticle/276568/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00056-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96034 | 678 | 2.125 | 2 |
Hotlips Soda All Natural Fruit Soda Tells a StoryHotlips, a Portland, Ore.-based pizza company, launches Hotlips Soda, all natural soda containing no concentrates, artificial flavors, colorings, preservatives, corn syrup, beet sugar or sweeteners. It is made from locally-sourced fruit, in fact, consumers are sometimes surprised to discover actual fruit pulp in the bottle thinking that there is something wrong with the soda because there is "stuff floating around in it."
Varieties include blackberry, pear, black raspberry, raspberry, boysenberry and apple, and the list of ingredients is short and (naturally) sweet: juice of the featured fruit plus cane sugar, organic lemon juice and water, and each bottle contains 28 percent fruit by volume. Depending on the ripeness and variety of the fruit, the heat and rain of the season, the day and time the fruit is picked, each batch tells a story of fruit, place, climate, dedicated growers, and a traditional crafting process.
"We live in a region of major abundance so we just had to figure out how to make our own soda and use the magnificent berries, pears and apples that grow here," says said David Yudkin, co-owner of Hotlips and the soda line's creator.
Hotlips Soda was introduced on tap in limited quantities in 2005. In 2008, the company invested in a bottling facility and re-learned the classic method of bottling soda pop to produce a greater volume of its fruit sodas. Six packs started appearing on shelves throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond including Ann Arbor, Michigan and Wichita, Kansas. Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Restaurant and Café in Berkeley started selling the sodas in May 2009, and now they are carried in more than 300 retail and restaurant locations in eight states.
The sodas are manufactured at Dundee Fruit Co. in McMinnville, Ore., and the glass bottles– composed mainly of recycled materials– are made in Vancouver, Wash. To make small, handcrafted batches that showcase the essence of the fruit, Hotlips had to revive an obsolete bottling technique and painstakingly refurbish a 1960's-era bottling line. "We are using the same fundamentally homemade process that was used in the late 1800's when Coca-Cola first began to make soda pop," says Greene Lawson, production manager. "We can manufacture about 60 bottles a minute. It's really at a human scale – you can see that it is indeed handcrafted."
Yudkin sums up his dream. "We are trying to bring back the idea that food is alive, and that comes back to seasonality. Hotlips Soda isn't cookie-cutter because fruit varies from tree to tree and from season to season. It's like wine: you should buy a case of this vintage and of the next vintage."
Suggested retail price is $2.25 per bottle or $10 for a mixed six-pack.
- Kraft Introduces Oscar Mayer Gluten-Free Chicken Breast Hot Dog
- Ian's Natural Foods Offers New Gluten-Free Foods
- Veev Introduces VitaFrute Ready-Made Cocktails
- Smart Balance Blended Butter Sticks Taste Like Real Butter With Less Saturated Fat
- Yoplait Introduces Cocktail-Flavored Yogurts
- Funky Monkey And Marvel Present Superhero Fruit Snacks
- Resers Introduces Two New Baja Cafe Salsa Varieties
- Caribou Coffee Company Introduces Two New Whole Bean Coffees
- Mondelez Introduces Whole-Grain Brown Rice Triscuits
- Beech-Nut Launches Line Of Baby Food In Traditional Latin Flavors
- All products »
Access Food Processing and Wellness Foods magazines on-line and receive an e-mail each month when your new issue is ready. Subscribe Now »
Biweekly updates delivering feature articles, top industry news, company news, product announcements, technical issues and more. Subscribe Now » | <urn:uuid:4fdff3a6-3cd3-4240-a289-b66ce8d7a87f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.foodprocessing.com/vendors/products/2010/039.html?sp_c=155&sp_q_3=New+Food+Products&sp_q_4=Beverages | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.925538 | 825 | 2.015625 | 2 |
10 North Main street, is one of the largest in the Western states. It
was established in 1832, by DavisfcSjamford, , with &:eapital of about
$500,000. Subsequently, s.south G.Davis, became sole proprietor , and then
the present firm came into existence. Twenty *ne men are required to
carry on the'r business. It is such house^as thia;which give cbaracter
to the business of our city.
A. B. Meeker & C0. are large dealers in anthracite and bitu-
minous coal, coke and pig iron. The firm was started in May, 1866,
and is composed of two members, Arthur B.Meeker, , of Chicago , and
Joseph P.Card, , of St. Louis. Their location is at No. 1140 Main street,
corner of Biddle. This firm has a reputation for fair and honest dealing,
and the quality of the articles sold is not ^surpassed in the St. Louis, or
any other market.
Mr. Haarstick, is the successor of A. e.east Fifton, , distiller of
Bourbon and rye whisky, and general dealer in liquors of all kinds.
His office is at No. 103 South Second street, and the distillery corner of
Barton and DeKalb streets.
This firm are extensive importers of foreign wines and liquors, and
wholesale dealers in domestic liquors and cigars, No. 11 Market street.
This company, of which CharlesBelcher, , Esq., is president , and Ed- Y.Ware, , Esq., secretary , has an office for the general transaction
of its business at the corner of O'Fallon and Lewis streets. Sugars,
Syrups- and molasses of all qualities are subject to the orders of pureha-
s fs.. Fair dealing and promptness are the prominent characteristics of
The firm of Moller & Ehlert , wholesale and retail dealers in
native wines and liquors, is composed of C.Moller, and A.Ehlert, , doing
business at Nos. 114 and 116 North Third street, at the sign of the mon-
kies. This house is the depot of the celebrated Aromjitie Catarrh
The Western Brewery of Wm. J.Lf,Mp, is on Cherokee, south-
west corner Second Carondelet avenue. The office is at Np. 112 South
Second street. The ale manufactured at this brewery is not excelled in
any part of the country. | <urn:uuid:1b295887-6c6f-450d-aaad-8ec3667c760e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://digital.wustl.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=cty;cc=cty;rgn=div2;view=text;idno=cty1868.0003.028;node=cty1868.0003.028%3A3.24 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939448 | 566 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Department of Psychology
Psychology is concerned with all aspects of the study of behavioral, developmental and cognitive processes, and employs a broad spectrum of approaches, from the social to the biological, to understand them. The Hunter College psychology program reflects the diversity of psychology as a science and as a profession. Its course offerings span this spectrum, from clinical, social and developmental psychology to experimental psychology, ethology, biopsychology and behavioral neuroscience.
Helpful Links for Students
Advising hours may change from week to week, so please refer to the following for the coming week's schedule.
If you have a question that you think has a straightforward answer, please email us at email@example.com. Otherwise, please visit us during advising hours.
Psychology Major Handbook
Written by current Psychology Majors at Hunter College.
Psychology Major Advice
About the Department
Students have personal contact with faculty through an extensive advisement system, involvement in departmental activities and committees, supervised field placement, and participation in research laboratories under the guidance of faculty mentors as part of our independent study, honors and COR (Career Opportunities in Research and Education) programs.
A broad range of applied research opportunities are available within the department in developmental psychology, social psychology, human adjustment, animal behavior, physiological psychology and abnormal psychology. Departmental affiliations with mental health and community organizations make it possible for students to integrate their academic studies of personality, abnormal and child psychology with supervised practical experience by means of field placements and opportunities for applied research.
Hunter College offers two Master’s programs: a MA in Psychology and a MA in Animal Behavior and Conservation (ABC). The Master’s program in Psychology allows students to tailor their studies and thesis work toward the areas of Applied, Developmental Social and/or Biological Psychology. The Master’s in ABC is designed for students interested in the fields of Animal Behavior, Conservation, and Animal Welfare. Hunter College also offers a Certificate program in ABC (registered with the New York State Education Department) open to post-baccalaureate students who by virtue of prior education or experience are qualified for additional training. The CUNY doctoral program in Biopsychology and Behavioral Neuroscience is housed at Hunter College. Qualified undergraduate students in their senior year may be admitted to graduate courses with the approval of the instructor and the department's graduate advisor. The presence of graduate programs at Hunter increases opportunities for undergraduates to interact and work with graduate students in research laboratories.
Dept. Office: Room 611 North Building
Phone: (212) 772-5550
Fax: (212) 772-5620
Lab Technician: Naitram Baboolall | <urn:uuid:9bdfdfa3-ecc6-496b-b7fa-c1627da039f1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/psychology/welcome-page?None&month:int=11&year:int=2012&orig_query=None | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.925832 | 554 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Even though you may have good intentions when you offer a depressed person advice, you may do more harm than good if you do not truly understand the nature of the illness. Depression is a medical condition that requires proper treatment with medication and therapy. And what the depressed person needs is not sage advice, but your love and emotional support as they recover. Repeating platitudes like the following can leave him feeling like you are minimizing his suffering and really don't understand that he is already doing the best that he can.
1. Snap Out of It
Depression is a medical illness similar to diabetes or hypothyroidism, where the body does not produce enough of a needed substance to function properly. And just like these conditions, we can not simply will our bodies to make more. It takes the correct medical intervention, such as medication, to correct the underlying chemical imbalances of depression
2. Cheer UpIn a similar vein are well-meaning exhortations to "cheer up" or "smile," as if all a depressed person needs to do to cure their depression is to decide to be happy. Just like he can't choose to "snap out it," he can't choose to "cheer up."
3. It Can't Be That BadHow bad things are in your life really has nothing to do with depression. Events that might not really bother one person may seem like insurmountable obstacles to someone with depression because they do not have the internal resources needed to cope with stressful experiences.
4. It's All in Your Head
Depression is caused by a deficiency in the brain of mood-regulating substances called neurotransmitters
. While technically this deficiency is occurring "in your head," depression is a very real illness.
5. Who Cares?Depression can make a person feel as if they have no worth as a human being. The worst thing you can do is to confirm these feelings for him by saying that nobody cares.
6. Stop Feeling Sorry for YourselfA person with depression is not choosing to feel sorry for himself. How he feels is not a choice at all. It is the result of a chemical imbalance in the brain.
7. It's Your Own Fault
While we do not entirely understand the causes of depression, we do know for certain that no one chooses to have this painful condition. Instead, it is believed by scientists to be at least in part an inherited condition
passed along to us by our ancestors. Certain environmental factors may also play a role, perhaps by triggering any underlying inherited vulnerability to depression.
8. I Understand (When You Really Don't)It's very easy to say that you understand what another person is going through, but if you've never truly experienced clinical depression, then it may feel to him like you are minimizing what he is experiencing. There is simply no comparison between a mild case of the blues and clinical depression. While your mild depression quickly passed, he sees no end in sight for his suffering. Rather than saying that you understand, it would better to say that you don't understand, but you care about him and would like to try.
9. It Could Be WorseIt may well be true that a person's life could be worse, but depression isn't about how bad things are; it's about how bad they feel to the person at that moment.
10. You Never Think of Anybody But YourselfWhile it may seem like a depressed person is very wrapped up in his own life, it doesn't mean he is selfish or unconcerned about others. When a person feels the intense pain and sadness associated with depression, it becomes very difficult to focus on anything but that pain. | <urn:uuid:de867060-9e85-472b-8619-99df72b46863> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://depression.about.com/od/factsheets/tp/What-Not-To-Say-To-Someone-Who-Is-Depressed.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975818 | 749 | 2.578125 | 3 |
"I will never hurt anyone.
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"Not with a gun.
"Not with my actions,
"Not for fun.
"I believe in Ahimsa,
"I will never hurt anyone."
By contrast, young children of the Judeo/Christian tradition are taught this verse from Genesis 9:2-3: "The fear and dread of you shall rest on every animal of the earth, and on every bird of the air, on everything that creeps on the ground, and on all the fish in the sea; into your hand they are delivered. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; and just as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything."
What was the shooter in Newtown, CT, taught that turned him into a mass murderer? When religion teaches that it's appropriate to kill defenseless, harmless chickens, cows, pigs and other animals, the list can easily be extended by troubled, alienated young adults to include children. It's impossible to plead for mercy when we don't have it for others. The result is sorrow.
Why are there no vigils for the 59 billion animals killed every year to satiate the appetites of those who claim the right to kill in the name of religion? -- R., via email@example.com
A: Thank you for your defense of absolute non-violence. However, while I deeply admire your respect for life, I deeply disagree with your profound moral and spiritual stance in our violent and broken world.
The first time I learned that Jains often cover their faces to avoid accidentally inhaling an innocent insect, or sweep the path ahead of them as they walk to avoid stepping on one, I realized that Jains were profoundly serious about ahimsa/non-violence. Jains also teach a profound humility called anekantaveda, which I'm sorry to say may not be totally present in your question, particularly in your jarring connection between eating meat and slaughtering little children.
Do you really believe that the sick shooter set out on his rampage because he ate hamburgers? This reminds me of signs I've seen at vegetarian rallies trumpeting the slogan, "Meat is Murder!" I am truly open to the moral claims of vegetarianism, but such moral overreaching stretches a profound moral critique to the breaking point.
Hitler was supposedly a vegetarian. A moral diet is no guarantee of a moral life. Furthermore, the Jain teaching of anekantaveda also requires you in humility to respectfully consider opposing beliefs and remember that any philosophy or religion, including Jainism, which dogmatically asserts its beliefs is committing a grave spiritual error, which requires all of us to consider our views of morality and human existence to be limited and flawed.
So let me try to help you become a better Jain, as you have helped me become a better Jew. There is reason to believe that living beings occupy different levels of moral significance. Eating a chicken may be morally wrong but it's clearly not the same moral transgression as eating a person!
The passage you cited from Genesis actually conveys the profound moral sophistication you say you're seeking. At first, God only allowed Adam to eat vegetables and fruit in the Garden of Eden. God only gave people permission to eat meat after the flood as a clear concession to human weakness, not as a clear moral good.
The killing of disease-bearing pests or infestations of crop-killing insects is not a mere moral concession; it's a moral requirement for feeding the world--even if you only want to feed the world vegetables. The killing of invaders who want to enslave people or commit genocide is a moral requirement for freedom and for life, even if it causes the death of enemy combatants. The Jain tradition, as I learned it, in fact agrees with this exception to ahimsa and defends killing in national defense during wartime.
The largest point I would make to you is that life here on earth requires many compromises with pure morality. Ethics is, after all, the resolution of conflicts between two different and often opposing moral goods.
To imagine that we can live our lives with our faces covered is beautiful on one level and deeply naive on another level. I might, in fact, come closer to agreement with you...were it not for the mice in my cupboard. Peace.
(Send QUESTIONS ONLY to The God Squad via email at firstname.lastname@example.org.) | <urn:uuid:56771f40-6811-44e9-9d28-9e6caf09b348> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mcall.com/topic/sns-201212311830--tms--godsqudctngs-a20130103-20130103,0,3908716.story | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95997 | 937 | 1.53125 | 2 |
MCLOUTH, Kan. (WIBW) - If there is a kid who can see the fun in being a little different, it's Seth Van Nostrand.
Seth and his family started Crazy Dress Day at McLouth Elementary School six years ago.
They hope it helps students see life through the eyes of a kid with MPS.
The genetic disorder, also known as severe Hunter syndrome, is caused by the body's inability to produce enzymes. The disease is terminal and literally eats away at Seth's bones and damages his vital organs.
"I want [students] to know that being an MPS is hard," Seth said. "You get sick easily and quickly and you get a lot of surgeries."
Seth has gone through 55 surgeries since he was diagnosed MPS Type II at the age of four. He suffers pain all over his body, a speech impediment and is legally deaf, but can read lips. He tries to get out of his wheelchair as much as he can.
On Crazy Dress Day this Tuesday, he was all smiles, greeting old friends and teachers.
Donning a wild headdress or outrageous footwear, students went all out in support of their friend.
"It's a great opportunity to show support for Seth. He's an inspiration and he's just a great kid overall," Mark Dodge, McLouth elementary's principal, said. "I think it's a great way for the community to rally around him."
Misty and Corey Van Nostrand, Seth's parents, say they want to raise awareness of MPS not just for Seth's sake, but to promote acceptance of all children with disabilities.
During the all day event, and throughout the years, they have visited classrooms and talked to students about what it's like to have a disability.
And although his time is limited, Seth's parents encourage others to take all the time they need to approach children like him.
"Every time you see something different, you're going to automatically look at the difference. That's just how humans are," Seth's father said. "But take as much time as you can, to just get over that little hurdle, that little bump, and then just look at the person as who they are."
Seth's doctors estimate his life expectancy to be his mid to late teens.
His parents say they are taking life minute by minute. Their philosophy, they say, is that it's about quality not quantity.
Designed by Gray Digital Media | <urn:uuid:265f1df2-c0f1-4cce-908b-a711cccba4df> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wibw.com/home/localnews/headlines/McLouth_Goes_Crazy_For_MPS_Awareness_Day_151630475.html?site=mobile | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.986707 | 512 | 2 | 2 |
The Vedanta Sutras, commentary by Sankaracharya (SBE34), tr. by George Thibaut at sacred-texts.com
12. (The Self) consisting of bliss (is the highest Self) on account of the repetition (of the word 'bliss,' as denoting the highest Self).
The Taittirîya-upanishad (II, 1-5), after having enumerated the Self consisting of food, the Self consisting of the vital airs, the Self consisting of mind, and the Self consisting of understanding, says, 'Different from this which consists of understanding is the other inner Self which consists of bliss.' Here the doubt arises whether the phrase, 'that which consists of bliss,' denotes the highest Brahman of which it had been said previously, that 'It is true Being, Knowledge, without end,' or something different from Brahman, just as the
[paragraph continues] Self consisting of food, &c., is different from it.--The pûrvapakshin maintains that the Self consisting of bliss is a secondary (not the principal) Self, and something different from Brahman; as it forms a link in a series of Selfs, beginning with the Self consisting of food, which all are not the principal Self. To the objection that even thus the Self consisting of bliss may be considered as the primary Self, since it is stated to be the innermost of all, he replies that this cannot be admitted, because the Self of bliss is declared to have joy and so on for its limbs, and because it is said to be embodied. If it were identical with the primary Self, joy and the like would not touch it; but the text expressly says 'Joy is its head;' and about its being embodied we read, 'Of that former one this one is the embodied Self' (Taitt. Up. II, 6), i.e. of that former Self of Understanding this Self of bliss is the embodied Self. And of what is embodied, the contact with joy and pain cannot be prevented. Therefore the Self which consists of bliss is nothing but the transmigrating Soul.
To this reasoning we make the following reply:--By the Self consisting of bliss we have to understand the highest Self, 'on account of repetition.' For the word 'bliss' is repeatedly applied to the highest Self. So Taitt. Up. II, 7, where, after the clause 'That is flavour'--which refers back to the Self consisting of bliss, and declares it to be of the nature of flavour--we read, 'For only after having perceived flavour can any one perceive delight. Who could breathe, who could breathe forth if that Bliss existed not in the ether (of the heart)? For he alone causes blessedness;' and again, II, 8, 'Now this is an examination of Bliss;' 'He reaches that Self consisting of Bliss;' and again, II, 9, 'He who knows the Bliss of Brahman fears nothing;' and in addition, 'He understood that Bliss is Brahman' (III, 6). And in another scriptural passage also (Bri. Up. III, 9, 28), 'Knowledge and bliss is Brahman,' we see the word 'bliss' applied just to Brahman. As, therefore, the word 'bliss' is repeatedly used with reference to Brahman, we conclude that the Self consisting of bliss is Brahman also. The objection that the Self consisting of bliss can only denote
the secondary Self (the Samsârin), because it forms a link in a series of secondary Selfs, beginning with the one consisting of food, is of no force, for the reason that the Self consisting of bliss is the innermost of all. The Sâstra, wishing to convey information about the primary Self, adapts itself to common notions, in so far as it at first refers to the body consisting of food, which, although not the Self, is by very obtuse people identified with it; it then proceeds from the body to another Self, which has the same shape with the preceding one, just as the statue possesses the form of the mould into which the molten brass had been poured; then, again, to another one, always at first representing the Non-Self as the Self, for the purpose of easier comprehension; and it finally teaches that the innermost Self 1, which consists of bliss, is the real Self. Just as when a man, desirous of pointing out the star Arundhatî to another man, at first points to several stars which are not Arundhatî as being Arundhatî, while only the star pointed out in the end is the real Arundhatî; so here also the Self consisting of bliss is the real Self on account of its being the innermost (i.e. the last). Nor can any weight be allowed to the objection that the attribution of joy and so on, as head, &c., cannot possibly refer to the real Self; for this attribution is due to the immediately preceding limiting condition (viz. the Self consisting of understanding, the so-called vigñânakosa), and does not really belong to the real Self. The possession of a bodily nature also is ascribed to the Self of bliss, only because it is represented as a link in the chain of bodies which begins with the Self consisting of food, and is not ascribed to it in the same direct sense in which it is predicated of the transmigrating Self. Hence the Self consisting of bliss is the highest Brahman.
66:1 After which no other Self is mentioned. | <urn:uuid:70a73645-37fc-4739-bc7a-a7c8e8ac7b39> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sacred-texts.com/hin/sbe34/sbe34018.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966019 | 1,171 | 2.6875 | 3 |
Most bodybuilders are aware that beta-alanine has performance-enhancing effects in the gym. An early study reported that knee-extension force was significantly increased during five sets of 30 maximal contractions by beta-alanine supplementation, whereas, in the placebo group, only the first two bouts were improved. This shows that in trained athletes performing repeated exhaustive contractions, muscle fatigue can be reduced in the later (bouts 4 and 5) stages of exercise with beta-alanine. Beta-alanine enhances the concentrations of carnosine in the muscle. Elevated levels of muscle carnosine content leads to an improvement in muscle force during repeated bouts of intense dynamic contractions.
Now, new studies from the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition show that beta-alanine could also improve isometric contractions. When subjects were administered 6.4 grams of beta-alanine for four weeks, their maximal voluntary isometric-contraction strength improved. So taking beta- alanine will likely help with local muscle endurance and improved time under tension when in the gym, which can lead to greater muscle growth.
REFERENCE: Sale C, et al., J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 14;9(1):June 26, 2012. | <urn:uuid:d138f2a5-eeab-43b3-a9a9-c55a0031a5c3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.flexonline.com/nutrition/supplementation/get-more-bang-repetition | 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 | 0.937984 | 256 | 1.875 | 2 |
—The fight against radiation and contamination has entered a second year and new issues are emerging. First I would like to ask about plans to widely disperse contaminated rubble, which are troubling the nation.
As far as radioactivity is concerned, the fundamental rule is to make it compact and seal it off, not dilute and spread it. Scattering rubble all over the country violates the rule. National policy at present consists of two pillars. One is for local governments throughout the country to burn contaminated rubble in incinerators. The other is for each local government to dispose of the ashes as it wishes. Both are wrong.
Continue reading at Japan’s Nightmare Fight Against Radiation in the Wake of the 3.11 Meltdown | <urn:uuid:c9679c37-1ffd-4fb2-b620-ed8822422594> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lucian.uchicago.edu/blogs/atomicage/2012/04/03/japans-nightmare-fight-against-radiation-in-the-wake-of-the-3-11-meltdown-via-japan-focus/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960043 | 145 | 2.203125 | 2 |
It’s a simple question, and one I’ve been getting asked a lot lately as I’ve been interviewed about my new book, Dosed: The Medication Generation Grows Up, about coming of age on psychiatric drugs.
And I’ve been embarrassed to hem and haw and not to have a single, easy answer.
Because here’s the thing: There are a lot of piecemeal stats from a lot of different sources, but they vary wildly, and there’s no single, unassailable source.
Interestingly, even in the absence of this data, plenty of people seem content to rail against the presence of “overmedicated kids,” utterly convinced that there are, indeed, too many of them. If you don’t even know for sure how many kids are medicated, how can you say there are too many of them?
I was excited, then, when a big new report on mental health came out last week from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA. The report, which comes out every two years, is meant to be portrait of the country’s mental health, which means it contains data from a rich array of sources, including data on kids and medication.
Or so I had hoped.
In fact, the data was paltry, somewhat confusingly sourced, and seemed to undercount the total number of medicated children rather significantly. Nevertheless, I’ll give you what I was able to dredge up.
The biggest piece of news was that the number of prescriptions filled nearly doubled between 1996 and 2008 – and the increase was driven mostly by stimulant medications like Ritalin and Adderall. Those outnumbered antidepressants 3-to-1.
The number of prescriptions filled is not the same as the number of children taking meds, though. That number increased, the report says, from about 2.5 million children in 1998 to 3.5 million in 2008. This seems low, both based on estimates I’ve seem elsewhere and based on figures located elsewhere in this report.
Those other figures contain data from a different source, a nationally representative study of children with ADHD that estimates about 2.7 million kids between the ages of 2 and 17 took stimulants for ADHD. It estimates that another 1.4 million children with that diagnosis did not take medication for it.
If you go by the report’s total count of 3.5 million children taking psychiatric meds (as well as the other estimate of 2.7 million taking stimulants for ADHD), that would leave just 800,000 children taking all the other psychiatric drugs combined. I’d think the number would be higher.
Other data sources come up with completely different numbers altogether.
Medco, one of the nation’s biggest pharmacy systems (now merged with Express Scripts), put out its own report on national psychiatric medication use last year that estimated about 5 percent of girls and 7 percent of boys under 18 took psychiatric meds.
Based on U.S. Census data, that would put the number of kids on medication, very roughly, at about 4.7 million.
Meanwhile, for reasons I don’t understand, the federal Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, which measures health payments from a diverse array of sources, finds that only 1.8 percent of children ages 5 to 17 take prescription medication for mental health conditions, which, if you go by U.S. Census figures, would work out very roughly to just over 1 million children.
So we continue to fight about medicating kids for psychiatric disorders and we really have no idea how many even take the drugs in question. What a crazy state of affairs. If you have other, reliable sources of statistics, please share!
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Get ready for Parcifal, the SteamPig — part floating ship, part flying machine. A 14-foot megaphone. Giant metal elephants. A 15-foot wide, two-ton owl’s nest. Forty mechanical birds that soar to the rafters when you walk past. An art vending machine — drop in two quarters and get your own piece of art. Can we go? Can we go? Can we goooooooooooooooooooo?!
ArtPrize is a treasure trove for kids.
But the feast of works by 1,713 artists at 192 venues can be overwhelming. In the quest to see as much as you can, toting your kids along, you might end up racing past these fantastical pieces with a mere, “Oh, that’s cool.”
Art studies show the average time a person looks at a piece of art is 3 seconds.
That’s no way to treat Parcifal, people.
So we enlisted the help of some of the best minds around when it comes to helping kids get the most from art. Tote their tips along to boost your kids’ ArtPrize action. First: Don’t miss it.
“It’s like no place else on Earth,” says Linda Thompson, director of education at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, which hosts 26 ArtPrize pieces this year.
“There’s so much to see, it can be pretty overwhelming,” Thompson says. “But in a short period of time you can see an incredible range of art. It’s a chance to get the whole family excited about looking at art.”
Kids are usually excited about making art, she points out. They do it all the time.
“This is a chance to see that looking at it is fun,” Thompson says. “Art is about more than creating art. It’s about looking at it, understanding it. You’re the consumer, whether you’re 2 or 25 or 100.”
ArtPrize is a chance for kids to see styles of art they’ve never seen before, says Gina Bivins, public programs manager at the Grand Rapids Public Museum. Bivins is a longtime art educator who won Festival’s “Spirit of Festival Award” in 2009 for her spunky and tireless support of the arts. It’s fitting that one of Grand Rapids’ art queens is going to help kids make colorful paper carousel crowns at the museum during ArtPrize.
“You don’t have to have any training to know what you like,” Bivins says. “And there doesn’t have to be any right or wrong. Kids grow up with so many rules. So much in their life is like that. This is a chance to not think that way.”
• “Start with a conversation at breakfast before you go, or at dinner the night before,” suggests Elizabeth Goddard, director of education and expressive arts at the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, home to 28 works at its current home on Sheldon Boulevard, four more in its future home on Fulton Street. “Ask your kids, ‘What kind of art do you like? Do you love to see art outside? Are you really into videos right now?’ Then go to the ArtPrize website and use the search filter to find things they’ll like.”
• “Set limits,” Thompson says. “If you have young children, don’t try to traipse all over town. All they’ll remember is how tired and hungry they were. Decide to go to one place. Or decide you’re going for an hour.” (Eat first, she notes. Dress for the weather. Wear comfortable shoes.)
• If you can, go ahead of time without your kids to scope out spots you know they’ll enjoy, Thompson suggests. Snap photos you can use later in a scavenger hunt.
“Make it a treasure hunt,” she says. “Show them the photo, and they have to find it. For older kids, take a photo of just a detail of the piece, to make it harder. When you’re within 20 feet, let them find it. Kids love doing that.”
“Slow down,” Thompson urges. Talk about the art you see. She offers some conversation starters:
• “Compare two pieces side by side,” she says. “What’s alike about them? What’s different?”
• “Cover up the title and give pieces your own titles.”
• “Who would you gift this as a gift to? Why? Get your family to use their imaginations.”
• How hard do you think it was to make that piece? What questions would you ask the artist if he or she were here? You can do that for real at ArtPrize Artists Talk, a Sept. 25 event at Meijer Gardens. At 11 a.m. and again at 2 p.m., ArtPrize artists will tell about their work and answer questions.
• Bring sketch pads so your kids — and you — can sketch favorite pieces. “That’s a way to get them to really look carefully at a piece,” Thompson says. “They’ll see details they wouldn’t see otherwise.”
• Raid your Monopoly game for play money to take along. “Buy art,” Thompson says. “How much would you pay? Have a family auction and the art goes to the highest bidder.”
Then, she says, “Once you got it home, where would you put it? Your bedroom? The backyard?”
Create your own art
Does your kid really love a certain piece? Make note of the artist’s name, then visit his or her website to see other stuff they’ve done.
Bring your art enthusiasm home. “Have a found object sculpture fest,” Thompson suggests. “Everybody gets two minutes to raid the house for junk. Pile it all in the middle of the living room, and you have 15 minutes to make something out of it. Or, each person gives their pile to another person and they have to create something. That might be fun.”
Lots of artist talks are on tap. Don’t count your kids out because it’s a lecture, the public museum’s Bivins says.
“It’s a chance to hear artists talk about their work,” she says. “They might love that.”
Sometimes, the artist does a demo. Watch ArtPrize artist Sunti Pichetchaiyakul sculpt a clay bust in just 30 minutes using a live model. The free presentation happens at 6 p.m. Friday at the Grand Rapids Public Museum.
Artist Stephen Duren will be creating his painting at the museum on-site. Watch his work unfold.
Capture the moment. “Everybody has a camera, or at least one on their phone,” Bivins says. “If your kids see something they really like, take a picture of it. then go home and let that inspire them. Use it as a jumping off point. If it’s a paper collage, go home and make a paper collage.”
Last year’s river-dwelling sea serpent, Nessie, for instance, might inspire you to carve a sea serpent from a bar of Ivory soap and float it, she says. (Popsicle sticks, the craft queen says, work fine to carve soap.)
Marilyn Martin has led hundreds of youngsters through the Grand Rapids Art Museum in her 19 years as a docent there. Smart and engaging, she has a knack for captivating kids with art. “It’s such an opportunity for visual enchantment,” she says of ArtPrize.
No child is too young
“Bring even the youngest child,” Martin says. “Nobody is too young.” She tells of the time she brought her 3-month-old granddaughter to the art museum when she had a meeting there. “Her eyes widened and she looked and looked and looked,” she says. “You don’t need a baby-sitter — bring the baby in the stroller. Point, and their eyes will follow.”
Look from a different angle, Martin suggests. Lay down on the ground. Boost your toddler up on your shoulders. See how different a piece looks.
Her conversation starters: “If this piece were in your front yard, what would the neighborhood dogs think?” “How would you change it?” “What does this piece make you want to do? Run? Cry? Sing?”
Split up the family for two minutes. “Then everybody come back with one piece you found that you want to bring the rest of the family back to,” Martin says. “Everybody gets to participate.”
If you’re looking at paintings, “put yourself in the art,” Martin says. “Where are you in the picture? What are you doing? Why are you there?”
“Make a family notebook to commemorate the event,” Martin suggests. Fill it with family sketches and observations.
Let your kids weigh in for your family’s vote. “What a fun way to end your day — let your kids pick their favorite, then vote,” the UICA’s Goddard says.
Enjoy your kids’ cool perspectives. “Kids have such fresh opinions,” Thompson says. “They think of things adults just don’t think of.”
Don’t let your enthusiasm expire when ArtPrize is over. You can do any of these activities with art all over town, Thompson says, from the Chihuly sculptures at Meijer Gardens to the Grand Rapids Art Museum.
ArtPrize is the perfect example of how art is all around us, Thompson says — a cool lesson for kids.
“Art is in museums, but it’s also in parks and on streets,” she says. “Art is everywhere in the world, in our lives every day.”
E-mail Terri Hamilton: email@example.com | <urn:uuid:f9ba9fdb-4e09-49a6-91d0-c8802f157953> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mlive.com/artprize/index.ssf/2010/09/how_to_help_kids_make_the_most_of_artprize.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960416 | 2,241 | 1.921875 | 2 |
Oct. 11, 2012 University of Luxembourg's Laboratory for Photovoltaics has established a method to observe and prevent solar cell degradation before solar cell production is finished, which has implications for the solar cell manufacturing industry since chemical damage to solar cells can occur quickly.
Solar panels are capable of converting light energy from the sun into electrical energy because they contain solar cells -- the "power generators" responsible for the energy in solar panels. Thin film solar cells have a coating that is responsible for absorbing the sun's energy, but this film can be degraded during the production process.
"A thin film solar cell is a stack of several layers. The main one is the layer that absorbs the light and transforms it into electricity. If these absorbers are not processed immediately they lose part of their ability to convert light energy," says researcher David Regesch of the Laboratory for Photovoltaics, Physics Research Unit at the University of Luxembourg.
Researchers measured the light that is released by a solar cell when a laser is shone on it, and found that the degradation happens within the first few minutes. They also found that the degradation is reversible and prevented by quickly placing another layer on the solar cell. This makes the solar cell stable.
In the photovoltaics industry, solar cells are processed as fast as possible for economic reasons, and now scientists have shown a physical reason why this process should be completed quickly. This study was recently published in Applied Physical Letters and chosen as a research highlight.
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- David Regesch, Levent Gütay, Jes K. Larsen, Valérie Deprédurand, Daisuke Tanaka, Yasuhiro Aida, Susanne Siebentritt. Degradation and passivation of CuInSe2. Applied Physics Letters, 2012; 101 (11): 112108 DOI: 10.1063/1.4752165
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead. | <urn:uuid:4eae97a3-b38e-4261-b77f-9c1052f4274f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121011085334.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fmatter_energy%2Fsolar_energy+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Matter+%26+Energy+News+--+Solar+Energy%29 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.929993 | 408 | 3.78125 | 4 |
IMF plan on property tax too high - Noonan
The Minister for Finance Michael Noonan has said the €1 billion property tax recommended by the International Monetary Fund was too high and would place an onerous burden on the 1.6 million Irish households.
Mr Noonan said that the residential property tax introduced by the Government would be lower but refused to divulge by how much.
Based on his calculation of the yield, the average tax per household under the IMF proposal would be €625 each year.
It has been suggested that Government was working on the basis that the new property tax will yield between €200 to €400 per household.
Mr Noonan said the exact amount of the tax would be released only on the day of the Budget on December 5th.
He also disclosed that the new property tax, to be administered by the Revenue Commissioners, would not come into operation until July 1st 2013.
He confirmed that there will be no household or property charge of any kind for the first six months of next year, once the household charge system expires at the end of this year.
Mr Noonan was speaking to reporters during Fine Gael’s two-day parliamentary party meeting in Westport, Co Mayo.
The ‘think-in’ has primarily focused on two issue: the forthcoming Budget where over €3 billion in adjustments will have to be made; as well as the Children’s referendum which will be held later in the autumn.
The IMF Section IV review of Ireland (an annual review conducted in most countries in the world) recommended that property tax in Ireland should be set at 0.5 per cent of value, a higher rate than has been flagged by Government sources.
The report was not part of the arrangement with the Troika, Mr Noonan pointed out, and the Government was not obliged to accept any of its advice, even though he accepted it was well-founded.
“On the question of the property tax, it’s a condition of our programme that we introduce a broadly-based property tax on residential property.
“On the IMF advice that it should be 0.5 per cent of the value, which would bring in about 1 billion, I would not propose to the Government at that level. I think it’s too high.”
Mr Noonan refused to be drawn on a figure. “I don’t want to give a figure now and I don’t want to mislead you. My colleagues will think that I am pre-empting the decision,” he said.
“If you divide €1 billion by 1.6m homes, I think it’s too much at present for ordinary families to bear. The only reason I’m saying that is in case that it gets legs. It’s a piece of advice from the IMF and we are not taking the advice.”
On the delayed introduction date, he said that in the course of long discussion with the Revenue Commissioners he was told that a certain amount of time would be needed.
On the negotiations to reduce Ireland’s bank recapitalisation debt burden, Mr Noonan accepted that it was unlikely the October deadline will be met but indicated that meeting the deadline was not the Government’s priority.
He said the agreement secured by the Taoiseach at the Summit of EU leaders in June still stood but the methodology of implementing it still needed to be worked out.
He said the deadline was one that had been suggested by EU Commissioner Olli Rehn but that the Government was still working on it.
He suggested meeting the deadline was not an end in itself and the Government would have to wait to see what kind of deal is achieved by Spain. Progress on agreeing on how to deal with Spanish bank recapitalisation has been slower than was anticipated.
“The way it was originally positioned was that whatever Spain got we got retrospectively. If the detail is not worked out for Spain it will be very hard for us.
“It mightn’t be prudent to push for the deadline. If we do and it subsequently transpires that Spain got more than we anticipated or got a better arrangement, to have settled too early could be seen as a mistake,” he said. | <urn:uuid:bc62d0da-e12c-4b2e-92ce-45d466bf89e1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.irishtimes.com/news/imf-plan-on-property-tax-too-high-noonan-1.735769 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983199 | 882 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Waves and Hemispheres
In numerous studies, researchers have compared the physical "body signs" of hypnotic subjects with those of unhypnotized people. In most of these studies, the researchers found no significant physical change associated with the trance state of hypnosis. The subject's heart rate and respiration may slow down, but this is due to the relaxation involved in the hypnotism process, not the hypnotic state itself.
Do it Yourself!
You don't necessarily need a highly-trained hypnotist to induce hypnosis. With the proper relaxation and focusing techniques, almost everyone can enter a hypnotic state themselves and make their own suggestions to the unconscious mind (check out SelfHypnosis.com to find out how).
Some hypnotism experts hold that all hypnosis is self-hypnosis. Whether a trance state is brought on by a long, boring drive down the highway or by a skilled psychiatrist, the subject is always the one who initiates the trance. In this view, the hypnotist is only a guide who facilitates the process.
There does seem to be changed activity in the brain, however. The most notable data comes from electroencephalographs (EEGs), measurements of the electrical activity of the brain. Extensive EEG research has demonstrated that brains produce different brain waves, rhythms of electrical voltage, depending on their mental state. Deep sleep has a different rhythm than dreaming, for example, and full alertness has a different rhythm than relaxation.
In some studies, EEGs from subjects under hypnosis showed a boost in the lower frequency waves associated with dreaming and sleep, and a drop in the higher frequency waves associated with full wakefulness. Brain-wave information is not a definitive indicator of how the mind is operating, but this pattern does fit the hypothesis that the conscious mind backs off during hypnosis and the subconscious mind takes a more active role.
Researchers have also studied patterns in the brain's cerebral cortex that occur during hypnosis. In these studies, hypnotic subjects showed reduced activity in the left hemisphere of the cerebral cortex, while activity in the right hemisphere often increased. Neurologists believe that the left hemisphere of the cortex is the logical control center of the brain; it operates on deduction, reasoning and convention. The right hemisphere, in contrast, controls imagination and creativity. A decrease in left-hemisphere activity fits with the hypothesis that hypnosis subdues the conscious mind's inhibitory influence. Conversely, an increase in right-brain activity supports the idea that the creative, impulsive subconscious mind takes the reigns. This is by no means conclusive evidence, but it does lend credence to the idea that hypnotism opens up the subconscious mind.
Whether or not hypnosis is actually a physiological phenomenon, millions of people do practice hypnotism regularly, and millions of subjects report that it has worked on them. In the next section, we'll look at the most common methods of inducing a hypnotic trance. | <urn:uuid:74055363-7342-4bd5-90d1-4ac4d545d904> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/extrasensory-perceptions/hypnosis4.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935792 | 596 | 2.59375 | 3 |
David de Rothschild
Photograph by The Plastiki Team
Photograph courtesy Broomberg & Chanarin
David de Rothschild is an adventurer, environmentalist, and the founder of MYOO. It is MYOO's goal to inspire dreams, fuel conversation, share innovations, and activate change in order to give nature a voice.
His adventurous spirit, passion, and commitment to action have sent him to some of the world's most remote and fragile regions in order to bring widespread media attention and, moreover, solutions to urgent global environmental issues. He has a unique ability to take his no-nonsense call to action across all demographics, be it from children to world leaders, NGOs to NASA, industries to nonprofits.
In the summer of 2010, de Rothschild embarked on his most challenging and high-profile adventure yet, the Plastiki. The Plastiki set sail on an ocean adventure over 8,000 nautical miles across the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco to Sydney.
The Plastiki was no ordinary vessel. The 60-foot catamaran was built from approximately 12,500 reclaimed plastic bottles and a unique recyclable technology called Seretex. Seretex, innovated and engineered by the MYOO team, takes PET beyond clothing, drink bottles, and blister packs and uses it in a much smarter way. The idea is to avoid adding more plastic into the environment and instead harness a wasted resource and find smarter uses for it. This distinctive, one-of-a-kind construction demonstrated that the list of solutions available is far greater than the list of problems. The Plastiki created a platform to fuel conversation and shift public thinking and perception from plastic as the enemy to plastic becoming part of the solution. The mission: to beat waste. The adventure set the stage for a historic expedition and delivered a spectacular global "message in a bottle."
In November 2011 de Rothschild and a core crew traveled into the heart of Brazil's Amazon rain forest to discover the effects of the controversial Belo Monte dam project as part of MYOO's ARTiculate series.
The bigger the challenges, the more de Rothschild rises to face them, and it is this inspirational manner that's driven UNEP, Clean Up the World, and The World Economic Forum to recognize de Rothschild as a Climate Hero, Global Clean Up Ambassador, and a Young Global Leader, respectively. With numerous adventures, three books, a hit television series, and most recently a National Geographic documentary under his belt, de Rothschild isn't slowing down. He keeps dreaming bigger and pushing harder, and until real action and solutions are applied to the problems, he won't be content.
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The Gatekeepers: Exposing Israel's Dark Side
The Gatekeepers: Exposing Israel's Dark Side
by Stephen Lendman
Dror Moreh is one of Israel's leading cinematographers. Last October, his documentary featuring candid dialogues with former Shin Bet heads debuted in New York.
In early 2013, other Western venues will show it. Over the weekend, it premiered at Tel Aviv's Cinematheque.
Segmented titles include Forget Morality, Collateral Damage, and One Man's Enemy is Another Man's Freedom Fighter.
Interviews with six former Shin Bet heads were shown. They attended the Israeli premier. Joseph Cedar's drama Footnote was included. More on film content below.
On December 18, Haaretz headlined "Israeli film makes critics' best of 2012 list, moves closer to Oscar."
It's won other international awards. It stops well short of telling all. It's still must viewing. It reveals what Israeli supporters need to know. Palestinians, of course, can explain best.
New York Times and Los Angeles Times film critics call it one of the best 2012 documentaries. It made the Academy Awards' short list.
On November 25, New York Times film critic AO Scott headlined "Six Israeli Spymasters on a Shadowy Past and a Dark Future," saying:
They're retired. They reflected "about past triumphs and frustrations." Avraham Shalom, Yaakov Peri, Carmi Gillon, Ami Avalon, Avi Dichter, and Yuval Diskin were interviewed.
They approved the film. Their views reflected former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's warning that Israel faced national suicide if decades of occupation didn't end.
Extremist settlers reflect much about Israel's dark side. Messianic interlopers have no place in civil society.
Perhaps fears of Israel's demise motivated them to speak. Doing so may help save the country, they likely feel. Gillon said "We are making the lives of millions miserable."
Outspoken Israeli intellectual Yeshayahu Leibowitz (1903 - 1994) warned that governing occupied "foreigners" would transform Israel into "a Shin Bet state."
Zionists can't admit that indigenous Palestinians lived in today's Israel for centuries. Calling them "foreigners" demeans their longstanding ties to land rightfully theirs.
Israel stole it. Who in a current or past position of power dares say so?
Shin Bet heads are assassins. The six men interviewed have decades of blood on their hands. Reflection perhaps seeks redemption.
It's much too late to matter. Atonement isn't in Israel's vocabulary. It's hard imagining they're comments will influence current policy. It's worse now than ever.
Moreh's film is "amazing (and) upsetting," said Scott. It covers ground rarely seen on film or discussed publicly. It challenges "conventional wisdom on all sides of the conflict."
Candid interviews revealed "devastating assessments of the failings of successive (Israeli) governments."
Yaakov Peri ran Shin Bet from 1988 - 1994. He was there during the first Intifada and Oslo. "I think after retiring from this job you become a bit of a leftist," he said.
He and others interviewed aren't doves. While critical of occupation harshness, they're largely mindless about Palestinian suffering. Only Israel's future matters. It prompted them to speak out.
Avraham Shalom headed Shin Bet from 1981 - 1986. He resigned after being accused of ordering two Palestinian prisoners killed and orchestrating a subsequent cover-up.
On the one hand, he defended Shin Bet tactics. On the other, he called Israel's future "very dark." He lamented about occupation harshness. It's a legacy perhaps he'd like to forget.
He's not alone. Others interviewed expressed similar views.
Scott called them "rare, (and) welcome (with) almost unbearable clarity." He exaggerated to make a point.
Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan called Moreh's documentary "more than simply eye-opening." It's "potent enough to alter how you see the world," he said.
Perhaps a little, but not enough.
Moreh did what seemed impossible. He convinced six former spymasters to discuss what's kept secret. They ran Shin Bet from 1981 - 2011. They spoke publicly for the first time.
They revealed snippets of Israel's dark history. They stopped well short of telling all. What's most important was omitted. Why they said anything they'll have to explain.
They "demonstrate(d) how soul-destroying it can be (to) mandate behavior that may seem amoral or even immoral."
They stopped well short of agonizing over what they did. Late in life conscience pangs ring hollow. Other priorities got them to say anything.
At the same time, they support Palestinian self-determination. They expressed disdain for Israeli opposition.
They said Palestinian resistance is justified. Israeli leaders don't address it. Confronting it violently reflects state terrorism. Israel should talk to Hamas.
Shalom shocked viewers. He called Israeli occupation no different from Nazi occupied Europe. If current Israeli, American, or other Western politicians suggested this, they'd be run out of town next election.
On December 30 Haaretz contributor Gideon Levy discussed the film. Shin Bet leaders do dirty work, he said. It affords them "an aura of prestige and esteem."
"Oh, how we applaud our spooks." Two former Shin Bet heads became cabinet ministers. Another was successful in business. Murder, Inc. rewards its bosses. Doves have no place in Israeli society.
"This jolting film is a must-see," said Levy. "A feeling of nausea and of deep disgust wells up at its end." Occupation truths are told. Some but way short of all.
Responsible assassins explained. Mea culpas were omitted. They stopped well short of admitting responsibility for unspeakable crimes.
They have lots more explaining to do. They admitted "being blinkered." They didn't examine the consequences of their actions.
Coming together on film "resembl(es) a mafia movie." They speak like dons. Each did it his own way. They fell far short of entirely frank.
They were "subcontractors" in Israel's "war on terror." They knew their job was lawless, immoral and inhumane. Shalom claimed "There is no morality." Might alone makes right.
When it's too late to matter, they spoke. They're hardly profiles in courage. Where were they when policies they mandated could have made a difference?
They prioritized assassinations, torture, and other forms of abuse. They helped institutionalize lawlessness. They made Israel a police state.
"Now they remember to say that the Palestinian problem cannot be solved with force." It's high time they stressed an Israeli problem.
"Rolling their eyes, they pass responsibility onto the political leadership." They were part of its disreputable past. They could have acted responsibly.
They could have refused to commit crimes. They could have supported right over wrong. They chose other priorities. Unspeakable cruelty reflects them. They'll carry them to their graves.
Palestinian rage followed "monstrous methods" they used. Then and now, they include beatings, torture, humiliation, other forms of abuse, and cold-blooded murder.
They admit crimes this grave. They remain unaccountable. They fall well short of remorse. They expressed no regrets. Why should they? They're heroes. Israel "cheer(s) them on."
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen [at] sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening. | <urn:uuid:c37aeb48-6fe4-4640-bcdd-3b8e7ac4b6d2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/12/31/18729134.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964036 | 1,698 | 1.5 | 2 |
The children have just walked in, some with a spring in their step, and some still looking a bit tired from those last-minute camping trips. You need to take care of first-day procedures such as taking the roll and the lunch count. But before you get caught up in the hustle and bustle of this first day of school, you need to set the tone for the school year. Whether they admit it or not, kids like and need structure. They want to know that they are going to be safe while in your care.
I remember that when I was student teaching I really wanted the kids to like me. My master teacher told me it was more important to be respected; the liking would come soon enough. She used the analogy of riding a horse. She said it was harder to pull in the reins and slow down the horse if you started with loose reins and let the horse feel in control. I've really found that statement to be true. I don't adhere to the "don't smile until December" theory, but setting a tone of order in your classroom is important.
Start the first day on the right foot
After the first-day procedures are finished, I start off the next step by asking the students what kind of classroom makes them feel comfortable. I write down their thoughts using the overhead projector or on the whiteboard. I ask the students the following questions to start the discussion.
- What kind of rules did they have in their classrooms in the past?
- Did they think the rules were good? Why or why not?
- Did they think the rules were reasonable?
I often get a wide variety of responses such as:
- Keep your hands and feet to yourself
- Don't talk when others are talking
- Stay on task (they pick up the teacher lingo)
- Wash your hands
- Don't eat with your mouth open
Teachers have to be many things, and sometimes one of those things is an actor. I often tell my wife that when I get home I have an adrenaline drain because I've been on stage all day. My point is that after I have spent time with the students compiling their list, I tell them that I'm noticing something about all the rules they have listed. They all have something in common, and that thing is respect.
Keep it simple
Respect covers it all — straightforward, right? Be respectful of people by not touching them or their things. Be respectful by not speaking when someone else is speaking, whether it is the teacher or student. Be respectful of people's work by not being overly critical.
I tell the students that when they were little they had rules, but now that they are older and in this grade, I don't have rules — I have expectations. My expectations are that the students will be respectful of each other, of me, and of every other student and adult in our school. I respectfully ask the students if that seems unclear or unfair to anyone. I ask whether there is anyone who doesn't want to show respect or who doesn't want to be respected. To date, I have never received a negative response. If I ever do receive such a response, I think it might be a great discussion opportunity.
Make it official
Finally, after coming to a consensus on the premise of the expectation of overall respect, I suggest we print up a class expectation agreement on a poster that we can all sign and post in our room. This step finalizes the discussion and brings closure to the topic. The students get a sense of ownership in that they developed these ideas. They feel that they are being treated like the "big kids," with no more class rules but instead with expectations that they will show respect.
The poster looks something like this:
All Students Will…
- Show respect at all times to their classmates and teacher.
- Show respect to each others' property.
- Show respect when someone else is speaking.
Respect means polite consideration of the feelings of others and their property.
I close the poster with the statement, "We agree to abide by these expectations so that we can make our class a great place to be." Students sign in pen below this statement to make it official. Having the document posted in the room serves as a good reference point that I can walk over to with a student. I can point out their signature should the student fail to meet the expectations at any time throughout the school year.
Reward student efforts
It is a good idea to list rewards and consequences on this same document. I like the rewards that don't cost anything. Some examples of great rewards are:
- First choice of classroom supplies
- Getting to move to the front of the line
- First choice of recess equipment
- The use of the electric pencil sharpener while everyone else uses the manual sharpener.
Make sure to include parents in these rewards for showing proper respect. Positive notes and phone calls home are always a good feeling for the student, the parent, and you.
Start your year on the right foot by developing your own expectations with your class. Your students want to know their boundaries; they want to understand both the rewards and consequences of their behavior. Most importantly, they want to feel secure in their relationships with you and with their classmates. | <urn:uuid:1975a66d-4f65-45d6-ad94-93b16e441bfd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/publisher-help/developing-classroom-policies-HA001144329.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00051-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979052 | 1,081 | 2.875 | 3 |
Bill aims to restore freedomOne of our country’s most sacred freedoms is religious liberty, and it has been so since our founding.
By: Sen. John Hoeven , Washington, D.C.
One of our country’s most sacred freedoms is religious liberty, and it has been so since our founding. In the Constitution, our forefathers stated that Congress could not enact a law that would prohibit the free exercise of religion. Recently, the Department of Health and Human Services failed to uphold this value when it refused to exempt most Catholic and faith-based institutions from providing insurance coverage for contraception, abortifacients and sterilization – drugs and procedures that violate many Americans’ deeply held moral convictions.
In response, I am co-sponsoring legislation introduced Jan. 31 that would exempt faith-based institutions from being forced to provide insurance that would cover these drugs and procedures. The Religious Freedom Restoration Act (S 2043) directly targets the administration’s recent decision and would ensure that church-affiliated organizations would not have to violate their religious tenets to follow the law.
Before 2010, faith-based institutions had the freedom to provide insurance coverage that did not violate their founding principles and long-held beliefs. However, that was changed with the passing of the sweeping health care reform legislation, which included a provision that would force all insurance providers to include insurance coverage for contraception, sterilization and, arguably, some abortifacients. U.S. religious leaders pushed back against the measure, asking for an expansion of the so-called “conscience clause,” an extremely narrow exemption that does not include many religious organizations, including hospitals, universities and charities.
On Jan. 20, the administration announced that it would not broaden the exemption but rather interpreted the law to require faith-based institutions to provide insurance coverage for drugs and procedures that violate their belief systems. The decision deeply disappointed millions of Americans who had hoped the administration’s review would recognize the provision’s affront on religious liberties. The public outcry in response has been resounding and justified, and not only people of faith but even those who do not hold these moral positions have expressed grave concern over the administration’s disregard for religious liberty and issues of conscience.
On Sunday, Jan. 29, Catholics throughout North Dakota heard their bishops’ response to the administration’s refusal to extend conscience rights. Bishops Samuel Aquila of Fargo and David Kagan of Bismarck described the ruling as a “heavy blow” to Catholics, who comprise almost a quarter of the American population, and to the millions that they serve.
Acting in concert with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Aquila and Kagan outlined their concern that, under the current law, Catholic institutions, such as universities, will either have to violate their governing principles and deeply held beliefs by including the compromising insurance coverage for employees, or drop employee health care altogether, which would carry its own legal ramifications.
I believe that Congress should protect the right for any person or institution to negotiate a health plan or render medical care without violating their deeply held values and religious beliefs, which is an accommodation that has continuously been preserved until now.
I will continue to work to see that government does not infringe on the religious freedom we have long enjoyed as Americans and work to pass legislation that protects it.
Hoeven, R-N.D., is in his first term in the U.S. Senate. | <urn:uuid:dab1100a-4ac0-43b4-9247-346106fc4412> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/350457/publisher_ID/1/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970657 | 717 | 1.78125 | 2 |