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20 Things You Didn’t Know About WATER ..
I found precious information about water in Discover magazine and I wanted to share it with you ..
1- Water is everywhere—there are 332,500,000 cubic miles of it on the earth’s surface. But less than 1 percent of it is fresh and accessible, even when you include bottled water.
2- And “fresh” can be a relative term. Before 2009, federal regulators did not require water bottlers to remove E. coli.
3- Actually, E. coli doesn’t sound so bad. In 1999 the Natural Resources Defense Council found that one brand of spring water came from a well in an industrial parking lot near a hazardous waste dump.
4- Cheers! The new Water Recovery System on the International Space Station recycles 93 percent of astronauts’ perspiration and urine, turning it back into drinking water.
5- Kurdish villages in northern Iraq are using a portable version of the NASA system to purify water from streams and rivers, courtesy of the relief group Concern for Kids.
6- Ice is a lattice of tetrahedrally bonded molecules that contain a lot of empty space. That’s why it floats.
7- Even after ice melts, some of those tetrahedrons almost always remain, like tiny ice cubes 100 molecules wide. So every glass of water, no matter what its temperature, comes on the rocks.
8- You can make your own water by mixing hydrogen and oxygen in a container and adding a spark. Unfortunately, that is the formula that helped destroy the Hindenburg.
9- Scientists have a less explosive recipe for extracting energy from hydrogen and oxygen. Strip away electrons from some hydrogen molecules, add oxygen molecules with too many electrons, and bingo! You get an electric current. That’s what happens in a fuel cell.
10- Good gardeners know not to water plants during the day. Droplets clinging to the leaves can act as little magnifying glasses, focusing sunlight and causing the plants to burn.
11- Hair on your skin can hold water droplets too. A hairy leg may get sunburned more quickly than a shaved one.
12- Vicious cycle: Water in the stratosphere contributes to the current warming of the earth’s atmosphere. That in turn may increase the severity of tropical cyclones, which throw more water into the stratosphere. That’s the theory, anyway.
13- The slower rate of warming in the past decade might be due to a 10 percent drop in stratospheric water. Cause: unknown.
14- Although many doctors tell patients to drink eight glasses of water a day, there is no scientific evidence to support this advice.
15- The misinformation might have come from a 1945 report recommending that Americans consume about “1 milliliter of water for each calorie of food,” which amounts to 8 or 10 cups a day. But the report added that much of that water comes from food—a nuance many people apparently missed.
16- Call waterholics anonymous: Drinking significantly more water than is needed can cause “water intoxication” and lead to fatal cerebral and pulmonary edema. Amateur marathon runners have died this way.
17- Scientists at Oregon State University have identified vast reservoirs of water beneath the ocean floor. In fact, there may be more water under the oceans than in them.
18- Without water, ocean crust would not sink back into the earth’s mantle. There would be no plate tectonics, and our planet would probably be a lot like Venus: hellish and inert.
19- At the other end of the wetness scale, planet GJ 1214b, which orbits a red dwarf star, may be almost entirely water.
20- Recent evidence suggests that when the solar system formed 4.5 billion years ago, comets had liquid cores. If so, life may have started in a comet.
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Conversion and Modernity
In partnership with the Faculty of Religious Studies sponsored by the Centre for Research on Religion (CREOR), the SCS unit Faculty Partnerships and Summer Studies will offer a series of eight lectures on Conversion and Modernity starting October 2012. Lectures of 50 minutes to one hour in length followed by a half-hour open discussion will be delivered on the McGill Campus, in the Birks Building at 3520 University Street on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at 5:30pm. After the lectures there will be a reception in the Foyer of the building.
For a list of lectures and dates, please see:
Conversion and Modernity [.pdf]
If you have any questions, please contact us via phone at
514-398-5212 or by email at facultypartnerships [dot] conted [at] mcgill [dot] ca
Description of the Lecture Series
The notion of “conversion” is commonly taken to denote a specifically religious phenomenon. In its broad definition, however, conversion refers to a “turning” with respect to position, direction, or destination which results in a recasting of basic orientation. “Conversion” can signify a fundamental alteration of character, a change of nature, form, or function, that is to say, a process of turning or being turned towards or even into something else, as in metamorphosis. Conversion can enable an elemental transformation of perspective in both real and metaphorical space. The origins of secular modernity can be traced back to an occurrence of shared cultural conversion, a turning or radical shift in orientation with respect to the widely assumed “horizon” of knowledge and meaning—in Greek metanoia or, as some have recently termed it, a conversion of “cognitive ecology”. The cognitive and cultural shift which gives rise to modernity is customarily associated with intellectual, religious, and aesthetic movements designated by historians as “Renaissance”, “Reformation”, and “the Baroque”. With an emerging modernity manifold forms of conversion have translated the horizon lines of knowledge and redrawn the world-pictures of individuals and whole communities. In short, our theme takes as its premise that modernity itself can be viewed as the manifestation of a broadly based “conversion” of world-view. In tracing the birth of modernity the phenomenon of religious conversion provides an effectual point of departure for a wider discussion of diverse “forms of conversion”—geographical, socio-cultural, material, linguistic, literary and artistic, human-animal, sexual, cognitive and affective, as well as religious. By treating these forms of conversion across disciplinary boundaries as a nexus of movements, translations, and transformations, we hope that these lectures will contribute to developing an understanding of religious, cultural, and cognitive change that will in turn provide insight into the emergence of the modern world.
The CREOR Lecturers
Paul Yachnin is Tomlinson Professor of Shakespeare Studies in the Department of English and Director if the Institute for the Public Life of Arts and Ideas (iPLAI) at McGill University. He was elected President of the Shakespeare Association of America in 2009. Paul was the Principal Investigator in a Major Collaborative Research Initiative (MCRI) funded by SSHRC: ‘Making Publics: Media, Markets, and Association in Early Modern Europe, 1500-1700’ (2005-2010). Paul is the author and editor of numerous books including:Making Publics in Early Modern Europe: People, Things, Forms of Knowledge. Ed. Bronwen Wilson and Paul Yachnin. London and New York, 2011; Shakespeare and Character: Theory, History, Performance, and Theatrical Persons. Ed. Paul Yachnin and Jessica Slights. London, 2009; Shakespeare and the Cultures of Performance. Ed. Paul Yachnin and Patricia Badir. London, 2008.
Mark Vessey is Professor of English and Principal of Green College at the University of British Columbia. His research focusses on Jerome, Augustine and Latin late antiquity; Erasmus and the literary Renaissance; classical and Christian traditions in European literature. Mark is the author of Christian Latin Writers in Late Antiquity and their Texts. Collected Studies Series. Aldershot and Burlington, NY: Ashgate, 2005; co-editor with Karla Pollmann of Augustine and the Disciplines: From Cassiciacum to “Confessions”. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005; with James W. Halporn of Cassiodorus: “Institutions of Divine and Secular Learning” and “On the Soul”. Translated Texts for Historians. Liverpool, 2004; and Holy Scripture Speaks: The Production and Reception of Erasmus’ “Paraphrases on the New Testament”. Toronto, 2002.
Iain Fenlon is Professor of Historical Musicology in the Faculty of Music and a Fellow of King’s College, Cambridge University. His principal area of research is music from 1450 to 1650, particularly in Italy. With James Haar he has written a study of the emergence of the Italian madrigal, which establishes the importance of its Florentine origins, and his 1994 Panizzi lectures on early Italian music print culture are published by The British Library. Giaches de Wert: Letters and Documents (Paris, 1999) provides editions with commentary of the composer’s letters, including an important cache of autographs discovered in the late 1990s. Most of his writings, some of which are gathered together in Music and Culture in Late Renaissance Italy (Oxford, 2000), explore how the history of music is related to the history of society. His most recent book is The Ceremonial City: History, Memory and Myth in Renaissance Venice. Yale, 2007.
Click here for details on Iain Fenlon’s lecture
Douglas Hedley is Reader in Hermeneutics and Metaphysics in the Faculty of Divinity and a Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge University. He is co-chair of the Platonism and Neoplatonism section of the American Academy of Religion and a past Secretary of the British Society for the Philosophy of Religion and past President of the European Society for the Philosophy of Religion. His books include Sacrifice Imagined: Violence, Atonement, and the Sacred. New York, 2011; Living Forms of the Imagination. London, 2008;Coleridge, Philosophy, and Religion: Aids to Reflection and the Mirror of the Spirit. Cambridge, UK, 2000 and he is editor with Sarah Hutton of Platonism at the Origins of Modernity: Studies on Platonism and Early Modern Philosophy. Dordrecht, the Netherlands, 2008; and with W.J. Hankey of Deconstructing Radical Orthodoxy: Postmodern Theology, Rhetoric, and Truth. Aldershot, Hants, 2005.
Click here for details on Douglas Hedley’s lecture
Bronwen Wilson was recently appointed Professor of Art History at the University of East Anglia. Until 2007 she was a member of the department of Art and Communication Studies at McGill and taught in the interim at the University of British Columbia. Bronwen is co-editor with Paul Yachnin of Making Publics in early modern Europe: people, things and forms of knowledge (Routledge, 2010). She received the Roland H. Bainton prize for Art History (2006) for her book, The World in Venice: print, the city, and early modern identity, Toronto, 2005), explores the ways in which new forms and uses of print - maps, costume, events, and portraits - contributed to changes in how identities accrued to individuals. Bronwen has recently begun a new project, Journeys to Constantinople: inscription, the horizon and duration in early modern travel imagery, that considers the complex ways in which visual representations, particularly landscape, mediated the experience of travel to the Ottoman Empire both in practice and vicariously.
Click here for details on Bronwen Wilson’s lecture
Sarah Beckwith is Professor of English and Chair of Theatre Studies at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. She received her PhD in English from King’s College, London. Dr Beckwith works on late-medieval religious writing, medieval and early modern drama, and ordinary language philosophy. Her book, Christ’s Body: Identity, Religion and Society in Medieval English Writing was published in 1993; Signifying God: Social Relation and Symbolic Act in York’s Play of Corpus Christi, Chicago, 2001; Shakespeare and the Grammar of Forgiveness, was published by Cornell University Press in 2011. She is currently working on a book about Shakespearean tragedy and about philosophy’s love affair with the genre of tragedy.
Click here for details on Sarah Beckwith’s lecture
Emidio Campi is Professor of Church History Emeritus and former Director of the Institute for Swiss Reformation History at the University of Zurich. Until 2009 Prof Dr Dr Campi was Ordinarius in Church History in the Faculty of Theology at Zurich. He was a Visiting Fellow of the Centre for Research on Religion (CREOR) in 2010. Emidio Campi is the author of numerous books including, most recently, Consensus Tigurinus (1549). Die Einigung zwischen Heinrich Bullinger und Johannes Calvin über das Abendmahl. Werden–Wertung–Bedeutung, Zurich, 2009; Scholarly Knowledge. Textbooks in early modern Europe (ed.), Geneva, 2008; Peter Martyr Vermigli’s Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, Kirksville, 2006; Heinrich Bullinger und seine Zeit. Eine Vorlesungsreihe, Zurich, 2004; and he edited Peter Martyr Vermigli. Humanism, Republicanism, Reformation, Geneva, 2002; with Bruce Gordon, Architect of the Reformation. An Introduction to Heinrich Bullinger (1504-1575), Grand Rapids, 2004.
Click here for details on Emidio Campi’s lecture
Allan Greer is Professor of History and Canada Research Chair in Colonial North America, McGill University. His teaching and research interests centre on the history of early Canada in the context of colonial North America and the Early Modern Atlantic World. Among his publications are La Nouvelle-France et le Monde, Montreal 2009; Mohawk Saint: Catherine Tekakwitha and the Jesuits, Oxford, 2005; The People of New France, Toronto, 1997; The Patriots and the People, Toronto, 1993; and Peasant, Lord and Merchant, Toronto, 1985; books that have won a number of national and international prizes. He is currently at work on two projects: an overview of the history of New France and a comparative study of the clash of indigenous and European forms of land tenure in New Spain, New France and New England.
Click here for details on Allan Greer’s lecture | <urn:uuid:dfa692d2-869f-4557-a969-fa7899b272fa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mcgill.ca/continuingstudies/programs-and-courses/religious-studies/religious-studies-lecture-series | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.902341 | 2,301 | 2.1875 | 2 |
© 1974, 1988
The reaction to Darwin's Origin of Species varied in many countries according to the roles played by national scientific institutions and traditions and the attitudes of religious and political groups. The contributors to this volume, including M. J. S. Hodge, David Hull, and Roberto Moreno, gathered in 1972 at an international conference on the comparative reception of Darwinism. Their essays look at early pro- and anti-Darwinism arguments, and three additional comparative essays and appendices add a larger perspective. For this paperback edition, Thomas F. Glick has added a new preface commenting on recent research. | <urn:uuid:5cd1a1e5-d3ba-463e-b99f-fb48cf194e72> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/C/bo3615924.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.915715 | 124 | 2.875 | 3 |
Background to the case
On Monday, October 15th 2007, more than 300 police carried out dawn raids on dozens of houses all over Aotearoa / New Zealand. Police claim the raids were in response to “concrete terrorist threats” from indigenous activists. What initially started with 20 defendants is now down to four: Taame, Emily, Rangi and Urs. Their trial will start on 13th February 2012 in Auckland.
The raids were the first ever carried out under the Terrorism Suppression Act (TSA). On the day of the raids, the police arrested 17 people. One person was immediately discharged, and 16 went to prison held on Arms Act charges for up to a month while the police sought to bring additional charges for “participation in a terrorist group” against 12 of the 16. In NZ, the consent of the Solicitor-General is required before charges can be brought under the TSA.
On 8 November 2007, the Solicitor-General refused to give police permission to bring these charges due to lack of evidence. All of the accused were released on bail still facing Arms Act charges.
The following week, the Wellington newspaper The Dominion Post published a front-page article entitled “The Terror Files” in which highly sensational extracts of conversations intercepted by the police were published. These extracts were said to be from the accused, but they were no longer legally admissible against them because the terrorism charge on which the warrant for the interception was granted had failed.
For this article, the newspaper was charged with contempt of court and a trial was held in the Wellington High Court in September 2008. The editor of the newspaper freely admitted breaching court suppression orders against publication. The Solicitor-General said the publication was the “most serious breach of an accused fair trial rights” that he had ever seen. The effect of the article was to deny the defendants any chance of advancing a defence of “lawful, proper and sufficient purpose.” He also said that the police affidavit where the published bits came from was itself full of conversations that were taken out of context to make the threat seem “imminent” and give veracity to the police’s narrative.
In February and April 2008, four more arrests were made. All were charged under the Arms Act along with the other 16, bringing the total number to 20 people in the case.
In September 2008, there was a month-long depositions hearing in the Auckland District Court. Two of the 20 were discharged from the case, 18 people were sent forward to be tried on Arms Act charges.
One month after the depositions hearing and a year after the original arrests, the crown brought an additional charge – “participation in a criminal group” – against five of the accused.
The trial was moved from the District Court to the High Court. The crown and defendants filed numerous “pre-trial” applications. The most significant of these concerned the admissibility of material obtained by police. During this hearing, the High Court ruled that the police’s investigation had been illegal: it involved breaches of human rights and criminal acts, but the material from it was still admissible for a trial. The defence team appealed the admissibility of this material to the Supreme Court.
Ultimately, there was a split outcome with the Supreme Court ruling all of the material illegal, but admissible only against the five people facing a charge of “participation in a criminal group.” This was due to the way the Evidence Act was written which allows the court to conduct a “balancing act” weighing up the alleged offending of the defendants against the actual offending by police. In this case, the balance of the court decided that Arms Act charges were of a less serious nature than the offending of the police in gathering the material, therefore the evidence should not be used against those 13 people who were only facing Arms Act charges. Shortly thereafter, the charges were dropped against the 13.
The “criminal group” charge, however, was deemed more serious thus the illegally obtained material could be used against the five people still accused despite the lack of any additional evidence.
In the meantime, one of the five remaining defendants, Tuhoe Lambert, died from stress-related illness.
One of the other pre-trial applications by the crown sought to deny a jury trial to the defendants, instead petitioning for a trial by judge-alone. The High Court granted their wish and ordered a trial by judge-alone, buying into the argument that the matter was too “long and complex” for a jury to understand. The defendants fought this all the way to the Supreme Court, but when the other 13 defendants were discharged from the case, the crown could not maintain their argument any longer and dropped their application. There will be a jury trial.
There are now four defendants in the Urewera trial. After four and a half-years, the matter has been set down for up to three months in the Auckland High Court.More Background Reading | <urn:uuid:a23baeca-7a40-4e84-b072-ba3881f8a3bd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.october15thsolidarity.info/background | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981458 | 1,038 | 1.648438 | 2 |
GMU investigating climate change skeptic cited by Cuccinelli
They still seem to think it's only a local story.
Apparently the motto at the new, fashionably slim WaPo is, "Pulitzers, Pulitzers, we don't need no mo' stinkin' Pulitzers." Here's a little exercise in Googleology: Search "wegman washington post" and you get "Eighty-pound parmigiana cheese wheels from Italy . . . and 500 varieties of produce". Replace WaPo with "USA Today" and you get "University investigating prominent climate science critic".
Yes, Virginia, while your 17th-century AG was hunting witches in the UVa email archives from 2003, his alma mater George Mason University was sitting on a case of plagiarism and academic misconduct involving the author of the so-called "Wegman Report", upon which much of his witch hunt was based. From the USA Today online posting:
GMU spokesman Daniel Walsch confirms that the university, located in Fairfax, Va., is now investigating allegations that the Wegman report was partly plagiarized and contains fabrications. Last month, a 250-page report on the Deep Climate website written by computer scientist John Mashey of Portola Valley, Calif., raised some of these concerns. Mashey says his analysis shows that 35 of the 91 pages in the 2006 Wegman report are plagiarized (with some of the text taken from a book, Paleoclimatology: Reconstructing Climates of the Quaternary, by Raymond Bradley of the University of Massachusetts) and contain erroneous citations of data, as well.According to a letter to Prof. Raymond Bradley of the University of Massachusetts dated July 28, the GMU committee to investigate the charges was evidently formed in April, and the work was expected to be completed by the end of last month.
Where is the fraud investigation, Mr. Cuccinelli, and where is the WaPo in reporting this? | <urn:uuid:86d73d10-c295-41ed-8eb6-7d230e942c71> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://capitalclimate.blogspot.com/2010/10/wapo-wapo-wherefore-art-thou-press.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9633 | 409 | 1.539063 | 2 |
“It’s becoming more and more clear that the Conservatives did not intend this to be a Canadian citizenship guide, but instead a Conservative citizenship guide,” says gay Liberal MP Scott Brison. ”Canada’s Charter of Rights has helped make Canada one of the most progressive societies in the world and a magnet for those seeking equality. The Charter is not a buffet. You can’t take from it the rights you like and ignore the rest.”
For the record, the portion of the citizenship guide that covers the Charter reads as follows.
The Constitution of Canada was amended in 1982 to entrench the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which begins with the words, “Whereas Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law.” This phrase underlines the importance of religious traditions to Canadian society and the dignity and worth of the human person.
The Charter attempts to summarize fundamental freedoms while also setting out additional rights. The most important of these include:
• Mobility Rights – Canadians can live and work anywhere they choose in Canada, enter and leave the country freely, and apply for a passport.
• Aboriginal Peoples’ Rights – The rights guaranteed in the Charter will not adversely affect any treaty or other rights or freedoms of Aboriginal peoples.
• Official Language Rights and Minority Language Educational Rights – French and English have equal status in Parliament and throughout the government.
• Multiculturalism – A fundamental characteristic of the Canadian heritage and identity. Canadians celebrate the gift of one another’s presence and work hard to respect pluralism and live in harmony.
This is followed by a subsection on “the equality of women and men” that reads as so.
In Canada, men and women are equal under the law. Canada’s openness and generosity do not extend to barbaric cultural practices that tolerate spousal abuse, “honour killings,” female genital mutilation or other gender-based violence. Those guilty of these crimes are severely punished under Canada’s criminal laws. | <urn:uuid:971f6299-798e-42b2-a3a2-1677b837ed4d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www2.macleans.ca/2010/03/03/the-tewksbury-clause/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.921886 | 423 | 2.90625 | 3 |
Editorial : Thanks every day
Thanksgiving began in the fall of 1621, as a celebration of survival. There was a harvest, and there had been blessings. The newcomers to the New World had clung to their dearly bought foothold.
Plymouth governor William Bradford invited neighboring Indians, who faced survival issues themselves, to join the Pilgrims for a three-day festival. They played and feasted, and lobbied and politicked, delighted and grateful for the bounty their small community enjoyed, perched at the edge of a vast, unknown continent, an insular outpost thousands of ocean miles from home.
In England, the Puritans were not the big deal they are to us. Associated with Cromwell, they had a moment, but that was all. "In England," the late Jacques Barzun explains, "[the Puritan] wore pointed hats, spoke through his nose, sported names like Praisegod Barebones, and after killing the king ruled a country deprived of gaiety ... [in the United States] the Puritan settlers, condemned for their ethos, are nevertheless admired as the Pilgrim Fathers — and credited with much that they did not do."
By the end of the 19th century, Thanksgiving Day had become an institution throughout New England. President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed it a national holiday in 1863.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, writing after Lincoln established the holiday, called it "our honest Puritan festival." How can he have missed the way those last two words clashed? He said Thanksgiving was "spreading, not as formerly, as a kind of opposition Christmas, but as a welcome prelude and adjunct, a brief interval of good cheer and social rejoicing, heralding the longer season of feasting and rest from labor in the month that follows." I suppose he means it's like the pre-Christmas sale days that are part of modern mall life.
But on that autumn day in 1621, the Pilgrims found their pewter tankards half full of blessings from their dangerous but promising first year in the new place. Their guests, uneasy but curious, watched for clues concerning what all this might mean for their future. For all who sat together at the Thanksgiving table, there was uncertainty, but there was good news also.
And, what about us? Like those early celebrants, our small band has been sadly diminished, as it is each year. We have counted untimely losses of the dearest family, friends, and neighbors, and damaged lives, and gravely wounded families. The news has not been always so good.
With our Western, democratic culture under assault and our sons and daughters under arms half a world away, we contend viciously with one another too often at home, and wound ourselves as we do. Perhaps it's a struggle saying thanks this year.
But, it is enough this time to say that our Island home is beautiful. That we are fiercely protective of it. That our community is mostly neighborly. And often generous. That we are granted do-overs. That few decisions are final. That we acknowledge our great obligation of deference and respect for those who fight for us, and for their leaders. And, bewildering as the year has been, there is nevertheless always a clear reason and a priceless reward for giving thanks. | <urn:uuid:d64ced90-0a81-46ab-83a4-8efb0dad8cc7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mvtimes.com/2012/11/20/editorial-thanks-every-day-13427/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978133 | 675 | 2.75 | 3 |
When industry lying is the norm, concern about nuclear energy is not hysteria. It's a fight for our lives.
Like British Petroleum, the Tokyo Electric Power Company has a history of playing fast and loose with the truth and endangering lives. So let's drop the "What, Me Worry?" routine about nuclear energy. When cover-ups and preparing falsified records are part of the corporate culture, we're not just getting hysterical, as some blindly pro-nuclear power folks would have it.
We're getting real.
The horrible disaster we saw in the Gulf showed us plenty about what happens when industry and regulatory entities get too cozy and companies like BP are left to self-report on safety and are then actually trusted -- by people as high up as the president of the United States -- when they do. People die. Our natural world is polluted.
Admittedly there are no means of producing energy that are entirely without risk. Birds do get caught in windmills. But when something goes wrong at a nuclear facility, ENTIRE CITIES CAN BE WIPED OUT. So while nuclear hawks blithely tell us that smart companies and their engineers will take care of making nuclear energy safe and sound, let's remind them of the actual record.
For example, here's a little line-up of TEPCO lies:
- In 2002, Michael Zilenzieger reported that top officals TEPCO were forced to resign "after admitting that the company had covered up safety violations and falsified records at three of its largest nuclear power plants".
- In 2006, the government demanded that TEPCO "check past data after it reported that it had found falsification of coolant water temperatures at its Fukushima Daiichi plant in 1985 and 1988, and that the tweaked data was used in mandatory inspections at the plant, which were completed in October 2005."
- And in 2007, TEPCO reported that it "had found more past data falsifications, though this time it did not have to close any of its plants."
Then there were some minor matters of building on fault lines that they claim not to have known about and releasing radiation into the atmosphere. And so on.
Am I saying that we need to abandon nuclear energy? No, I am not. I am sympathetic to the powerful need for clean energy in the face of alarming climate change. But there are very compelling reasons to proceed with a hefty dose of caution and skepticism. The nuclear power industry is designed to produce private profit, which gives corporate executives irresistible incentives to lie and distort. They have a big temptation to pay off politicians and capture regulatory agencies. As I wrote last year in the wake of the Gulf disaster,
[We face] the detachment, rapaciousness, and short-term vision associated with the modern global Corporation, whose latest poster child is BP (more of a bank, incidentally, than a traditional oil company). No matter what the spokespeople say (very little of which makes any sense), the Corporation is not interested in self-reflection, morality, or the health of our shining seas. It wants profits, period. And it will take us as close to the brink of disaster as it possibly can to get them. Inevitably, it will push us over the edge."
Even in a world where human greed and error do not compromise the safety of nuclear plants (and you'll let me know when that world exists), Mother Nature can throw a catastrophic curveball, or a whole series of them, that makes all the bells and whistles of new technology suddenly -- and woefully -- inadequate. There's also the terrifying problem that nuclear energy tends to beget the production of nuclear weapons in the countries that pursue it. And once that genie's out of the bottle, there's no putting it back in.
America's nuclear program will now be subject to renewed scrutiny. Too bad it took a disaster like this to bring us to common sense.
Lynn Parramore is the editor of New Deal 2.0, Media Fellow at the Roosevelt Institute fellow, and the author of Reading the Sphinx. | <urn:uuid:399a94f3-04ba-45c6-93ea-7f68d8c7c7f6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nextnewdeal.net/top-lies-tepco-sound-bp?author=6 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958617 | 838 | 2.109375 | 2 |
Have you 'tweeted' today?
By Jennifer M. Latzke
Editor's note: The following Common Ground column originally appeared Sept. 7, 2009.
They are the coffee shops of the new generation. And they will have just as much influence on the future of agriculture as hybrid seeds and chemical fertilizers once did.
Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter and a host of others have taken over our everyday language. They are influencing how we communicate with our friends, our family members and, most importantly, our customers. And we in agriculture need to catch up.
Change is difficult to accept, I know. But we've grasped every other technological advancement for our businesses. Cellular phones have replaced radios. We use variable rate technology to apply chemicals, rely on satellites to plant our crops, and monitor our yields in real time from combine cabs.
So what is so scary about social networking?
It's free to sign up. The sites are created for technically un-savvy users to navigate. You don't have to know programming code to post to your page. You don't have to have special equipment. Literally, the world is at your fingertips with a computer or a phone with web access.
With the click of a mouse button you can be connected to as many people as you wish. Post an update on your page about what you are doing on your farm or ranch. Re-post an interesting article about farming you've found online and share it with your friend list. Share photos and videos of your operation to educate your nonfarm friends and family members. There is no limit on how you can use these communications tools to educate potential consumers about your farming and ranching practices.
The key to this new communication is that it can be viral.
One post to your page gets shared with everyone on your friend list. They can choose to share it with their friends, and those friends can share it with theirs, and on and on. It's quicker and easier than sharing news with the community gossip over a cup of coffee.
Of course, like any good tool, in the wrong hands, it can be dangerous. We practice safety with our chemical applications. We are careful around large equipment, grain bins and livestock. The Internet is no different.
So, if you're going to go forth into the social networking realm, use common sense. All accounts usually have a set of privacy controls that you can set and change at your whim. Use them to control who sees your posts, who views your pictures, and who has access to your profile.
Don't post anything to your Facebook or Twitter account that you wouldn't want read by your spouse, your boss, or your pastor. That includes photos of questionable farming practices or the latest rant on your deadbeat neighbor's loud parties.
Don't post personal data that can be mined by criminals. If people want to contact you, there are messaging functions that they can use without using your postal address, your email account, or your phone number.
Know your "friends." You'll get friend requests from old classmates, your child's teachers, your insurance agent, and so many more. When you consider accepting these requests, remember, if you don't know the person offline, don't feel bad about ignoring them online. And monitor your friends. If they post something that you don't agree with, and they do it multiple times, feel free to ban them from your account.
Follow these tips, practice common sense, and go explore the benefits of social networking online. It's truly a place where you can decide the content, where your pro-agriculture voice can be heard by the masses.
You can even have a cup of coffee while you do it.
Jennifer M. Latzke can be reached by phone at 620-227-1807, or email email@example.com. | <urn:uuid:ca2540c7-13f5-4459-8746-021f0737c72e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hpj.com/archives/2012/sep12/sep3/0828CommonGroundsr.cfm?recomend=yes | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00065-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95647 | 796 | 2.328125 | 2 |
Forbidden fruit is always sweeter. Since the beginning of time, this is a known fact. There’s something about telling people they can’t have something that makes them want it even more. For New York City citizens, they may become all too familiar with this scenario sooner than they think. Last month, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that in order to promote healthier lifestyles in the city, there should be a ban on the sale of large-sized sodas (over 16 ounces) in restaurants, coffee shops, sporting venues, etc (besides grocery stores). He believes the city is obese, and this will help them make more health conscious beverage selections. Ironically, New York City was participating in National Donut Day the very next day after this very press conference. Entenmann’s even unveiled a 1 foot in diameter donut in Madison Square Park. That happened at the same time Michael Bloomberg’s proclamation letter was set to be unveiled by the public. WTH?! So it’s ok to eat donuts, as long as you don’t drink 32 oz sodas????
Meanwhile, Deputy Mayor Linda Gibbs, tried to defend the conflict between the red light on sodas and the green light on donuts by stating, “The celebratory events, the naming days in honor of individuals or items, or frivolities that are fun and [bring] exceptional joy are quite distinct from a public health agenda.” Yeah….Right Mayor Gibbs. If that helps you sleep at night…. As if to give the city some kind of treat to avoid cold turkey soda binges, Diet soft drinks and 0 calorie options would be excluded from the soda ban. But if you thought New Yorkers were taking this lightly, then think again. Although they will not be able to vote to stop the proposed ban (only approval from the NYC Department of Health is needed), members of the New Yorkers for Beverage Choices hand delivered over 6,100 comments from New Yorkers who oppose the ban. They also brought forth a very good point on the scheduling of yesterday’s public hearing: ”By scheduling this hearing in the middle of a business day during many restaurants’ and delis’ busy lunch periods, the Department of Health is sending a clear message that they are not interested in hearing what real New Yorkers have to say about this proposal.” New Yorkers are not standing by to watch how this situation fizzles out. They’re taking matters into their own hands to make a difference.
When I first heard about this, I was honestly very angered by it. With all of the poverty, senseless acts of violence, and equal rights issues floating around to be dealt with, why is soda such a big deal? True, we all know sodas aren’t good for us, but is Mayor Bloomberg really crazy enough to think that this will stop obesity??? If he was really concerned, do something like buying people healthy groceries with their gym memberships. How about that Bloomberg? (he doesn’t even get the handle of Mayor right now). I’ve never even been to New York, but I feel their pain. And to top all of it with a National Donut Day?! WTH? Let’s a take a minute to break these calories down. There are 310 calories in a 32 oz soda. A medium-sized donut is 255 calories. That’s a 55 calorie difference from not picking up the 32 oz soda. But the reality is, you’ll probably just drink one 32 oz soda in a day. But will you just eat one medium-sized donut? Highly unlikely! That’s 510 calories in less than 5 minutes (if you eat fast like me). Should have reached for that soda instead huh?
What are your thoughts on this foolishness? For more info on this insane proposed ban, check out www.nycbeveragechoices.com | <urn:uuid:d16cad7b-1096-42cf-a58b-516087742d90> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://peauxeticexpressions.com/2012/07/25/freedom-fighters-or-calorie-counters/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951156 | 808 | 1.75 | 2 |
Office of Morals, Doctrine and Spirituality
Tallinn, Estonia, (November 18, 2012)
+Metropolitan Scholarios-Gennadius III, OSB; Protohierarch, and the Holy Synod of the Œcumenical Canonical Orthodox Church Worldwide (ŒCOCW) enthusiastically congratulate the +Most Rev. Rajmond P. Márton, Thrd, O.S.F., PhD, ThD, Bishop of Central Hungary, Old Catholic Mission, Hungary on his recent receipt of Hungarian Citizenship.
Nearly a century ago to date the Márton family like many Eastern European families was traumatically separated by the turmoil and violence of war. However, events on Friday, November 16, 2012 ended that tragedy and soothed these wounds when the Márton family was again united with their ancestral home and history.
Through the age-old hospitable gesture of a shake of hands, Hungarian Ambassador Erik Haupt welcomed +Bishop Márton to Hungary as a new officially recognized Hungarian citizen. +Bishop Márton at 65 years of age is one of the first Old Catholic bishops to represent the Old Catholic faith expression publicly in Hungary since the practice of religious suppression was instituted in the early 20th century. This historic action is illustrative of the resiliency and conquest of the human spirit over tremendous adversity.
The ŒCOCW hopes that this new development signals a new era of religious and government cooperation that will bear much fruit for the benefit of all Hungarians through humanitarian, economic, and social advancement.
The Œcumenical Canonical Orthodox Church Worldwide shares close apostolic, diplomatic, missionary, and ecclesiastical relationships with +Bishop Márton and the Holy Synod of the ŒCOCW along with +Metropolitan Scholarios-Gennadius III, OSB celebrate this new milestone +His Grace and the Old Catholic Mission has established in Hungary and Eastern Europe.
The Holy Synod,
+Metropolitan Scholarios-Gennadius III, OSB
Œcumenical Canonical Orthodox Church Worldwide©
Old Catholic Orthodox Church© | <urn:uuid:6af7b3d9-397d-432a-9fa3-f946abf184d9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bpscholarios.newsvine.com/_news/2012/11/19/15284982-cocw-congratulates-old-catholic-bishop-on-hungarian-citizenship | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.921362 | 451 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Edward Bach (September 24, 1886 - November 27, 1936) Biography
Bach grew up in Birmingham, studied medicine at the University College Hospital, London and obtained a Diploma of Public Health (DPH) at Cambridge.
Before turning to alternative therapies, he was a House Surgeon and a casualty medical officer at University College Hospital; he was in charge of 400 beds during World War I; he worked at the National Temperance Hospital and had a successful practice at Harley Street.Bach nosodes
Later he worked at the London Homeopathic Hospital and he developed seven bacterial nosodes known as the seven Bach nosodes, which have received only limited recognition and their use has been mostly confined to British homeopathy practitioners.
These Bowel Nosodes were introduced by Bach and the British homeopaths, John Paterson (1890-1954) and Charles Edwin Wheeler (1868-1946) in the 1920s. Their use is based on the variable bowel bacterial flora associated with persons of different homeopathic constitutional types. Bach flowers
In 1930, at the age of forty three, he decided to search for a new healing technique. He spent the spring and summer discovering and preparing new flower remedies - which include no part of the plant but simply what Bach claimed to be the pattern of energy of the flower. In the winter he treated patients free of charge.
Bach did not use the Scientific Method to determine the claimed healing properties of his concoctions. Instead, Bach claimed to have psychically or intuitively discovered the healing effects of 38 wildflowers. His "discoveries" were arrived at by "inspirations." For example, while on a walk he had an inspiration that dew drops on a plant heated by the sun would absorb healing properties from the plant. He claimed that all he needed to do was hold a flower or taste a petal and he could intuitively grasp its healing powers. From these intuitions he went on to prepare "essences" using pure water and plants. Bach claimed that these wildflowers have a soul or energy with an affinity to the human soul. The flower's spiritual energy is transferable to water. Devotees drink a homeopathic concoction of flower essence, mineral water and brandy in order to get the flower soul to harmonize their own soul's energy.
Rather than recognizing the role of germ theory of disease, defective organs and/or tissue, and other known and demonstrable sources of disease, Bach thought that of illness as the result of "a contradiction between the purposes of the soul and the personality's point of view." This internal war, according to Bach, leads to negative moods and energy blocking, which causes a lack of "harmony," thus leading to physical diseases.
Bach advertised his remedies in two daily newspapers, but since his practices did not follow any scientific protocol, and his results were dubious, the General Medical Council disapproved of his advertising. For example, in his treatise Heal Thyself he wrote:
"Disease will never be cured or eradicated by present materialistic methods, for the simple reason that disease in its origin is not material . . . Disease is in essence the result of conflict between the Soul and Mind and will never be eradicated except by spiritual and mental effort."
In 1934, he moved to Mount Vernon in Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, Oxfordshire.
Information about Bowel Nosodes | <urn:uuid:fbcf8ec2-768d-44a0-905b-5b54439d0d7b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.remedia.at/omeopatia/Ulmus-Bach/bach.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971256 | 701 | 3.09375 | 3 |
Diabetic retinopathy is a disease of the retina, the thin tissue that lines the back of the eye. The condition is a complication of diabetes; it is related to high blood sugar levels, which interfere with oxygen delivery to the cells in the retina.
Nerve cells in the retina detect light entering the eye and send signals to the brain, which interprets what the eye sees. Damage to the retina from a lack of oxygen to its nerve cells may not be noticed right away. If the disease gets worse, though, it can cause gradual vision loss. Both eyes are usually affected by the disease.
The early form of the disease, called nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy, develops when diabetes weakens the tiny blood vessels that supply the retina, causing swelling or bleeding in the retina. Changes caused by nonproliferative retinopathy may not affect vision unless fluid and protein from the damaged blood vessels cause swelling in the center of the retina (macula). This condition, called macular edema, can cause severely blurred or distorted central vision.
Proliferative diabetic retinopathy is the advanced form of diabetic retinopathy. The main feature of proliferative retinopathy is the growth of fragile new blood vessels on the surface of the retina. These blood vessels may break easily, bleeding into the middle of the eye and clouding vision. They also form scar tissue that can pull on the retina, causing the retina to detach from the wall of the eye (retinal detachment).
People who have diabetes need regular eye exams so that the early stages of diabetic retinopathy can be detected and, in some cases, treated. Blood sugar levels and blood pressure should also be monitored and controlled as much as possible to prevent blood vessel damage.
eMedicineHealth Medical Reference from Healthwise
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Find out what women really need.
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Pill Identifier on RxList
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- including 24 hour, pharmacies | <urn:uuid:4a29acec-29a3-437f-9e51-ed07c3a97ca3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.emedicinehealth.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=133512&ref=129426 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.904428 | 453 | 3.546875 | 4 |
Temper tantrums are a normal part of childhood development. Children between 1 and 3 years old have difficulty expressing their emotions effectively, so they express them by crying, screaming, and sometimes even stomping their feet. Once children develop their vocabulary, they will begin to use words to communicate instead of temper tantrums.
How to Stop Tantrums Before They Start
With a little planning, there are some things you can do to stop a tantrum before it happens, such as:
- Knowing your child and his limits
- Offering your child choices to provide him with a sense of control of his environment
- Praising your child for positive behavior
- Keeping objects that spark temper tantrums out of sight, such as a complex puzzle he or she finds frustrating
- Picking your battles and accommodate your child when the request is reasonable
- Offering age-appropriate toys
Temper Tantrum Tips
It's difficult knowing how to respond to a child who may be on the floor kicking, screaming, and crying. While you can't reason with a child in the midst of a tantrum, there are some things you can do.
- Keep Your Cool—Shouting or getting angry will prolong your child's tantrum. If your child is in a safe environment, you can leave the room and return after you have regained your calmness.
- Investigate—Spend time understanding why your child is getting upset to determine if he or she needs comfort, for example.
- Use Distractions—Redirect your child by asking him or her to play a game, read a book, or play with a toy. Changing locations, such as going outside, may also help distract your child.
- When to Ignore—Minor displays of anger, such as crying, screaming, or kicking can be ignored. However, if this happens in a public place, you should take your child home or to another location, such as your car.
- When to Respond—While some behaviors can be ignored, others must be responded to immediately, such as hitting or kicking someone or throwing items. Stay firm and communicate that these are not acceptable behaviors.
- Encourage Breaks—When your child can't be reasoned with, it's best to have him take a short break. After the break, talk over what happened.
What To Avoid
Because temper tantrums are a normal part of childhood development, you should never punish your child for having a temper tantrum. Children need to be able to express their emotions. Punishing a child for having a temper tantrum sends the message that anger or frustration should be kept inside, which is unhealthy.
You shouldn't punish your child, but you also should not reward him. Don't give in to a temper tantrum. Providing your child with the toy he is screaming for only teaches the child that his communication methods worked.
While temper tantrums are difficult to quell, they are also a stage that your child must go through. Most children outgrow them once they are able to communicate effectively using a vocabulary that you help them build over time.
If you are concerned about the frequency, intensity, or duration of your child's temper tantrums, it is best to discuss them with your child's doctor.
- Reviewer: Brian P. Randall, MD
- Review Date: 08/2012 -
- Update Date: 08/11/2012 - | <urn:uuid:9c3b5a99-b93b-4c82-b5ed-1a69c370a1a5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://medtropolis.com/your-health/?/14355/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957747 | 696 | 3.59375 | 4 |
The Ed Show
| December 31, 2012
Ed Show’s Middle Class Hero: The Voter
Voters came out in force for President Obama on Nov. 6, despite Republican attempts to suppress the vote. Across the country, voters dealt with long lines, and attempts to take their vote away before they even got to the polls through voter ID laws and voter purges. Ohio State Senator Nina Turner joins Ed Schultz to discuss the resilience of the American voter, and what can be done to keep Republicans from blocking the vote in the years to come. | <urn:uuid:4f6afb3f-29cd-4f5c-a82f-dcf5c57e7792> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://video.msnbc.msn.com/the-ed-show/50315662/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939594 | 112 | 1.546875 | 2 |
7/27/09: "During a face-to-face meeting on Wednesday, July 21, between Equality Florida and AAA South, top management at the 4th largest AAA affiliate in the country committed to recognizing all spouses, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. The policy allows gay married couples to receive spousal discounts under AAA's Associate Membership program" (Planet Transgender).
Send AAA South a thank you letter with Equality Florida's E-form for their commitment to equality
6/29/09: The American Automobile Association (AAA) is a 50 million member North-American lobbying, insurance and service organization. The organization isn't a single entity but comprised of several smaller regional clubs.
Equality Florida is reporting that "AAA South is made up of Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Puerto Rico and that they have taken an increasingly hard line in rejecting the recognition of gay and lesbian couples"
The problem is that there are some reports that "AAA refused to provide a family or associate membership to the callers partner to even those who were legally married elsewhere or have civil union or domestic partnership status." In fairness to the company there are also many statements by couples who claim they had no problems and faced no discrimination.
Other AAA's around the country are fully inclusive and recognize LGBT families.
Contact AAA South membership services and urge them to promote fairness and adopt a uniform standard for dealing with LGBT individuals and couples. | <urn:uuid:cdfe7c5c-9931-4491-8b3e-bbdb4fe6131a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.queersunited.blogspot.com/2009/06/is-southern-aaa-anti-gay.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96756 | 287 | 1.523438 | 2 |
ChinatownChinatown is a neighborhood that is located in Manhattan and features a Chinese influence. The location sits alongside Little Italy, both of which are located on Manhattan Island in New York City. The location is one of the oldest Chinese communities that is not located in Asia.
The neighborhood got its start when the first Chinese individual immigrated and settled in the area. His name was Ah Ken, and he had grown up in China as a successful Cantonese businessman. After arriving in America, he was looking to start a business, and eventually founded a cigar store that was located on Park Row inside of Chinatown. It was common for Chinese immigrants to open their own shops, or find work in other cigar shops. This fact has been documented in a number of books that were written about the early days of Chinatown in New York City. This is likely because the profession was also one that was popular and widely known in China at the time.
The area was dominated by a series of loose associations of families, or clans, in the early days of the neighborhood. Most had come to America in search of employment during troubled times in China. A number of different restaurants quickly opened up in the neighborhood, serving traditional Chinese food to the residents that lived there.
The growth of the neighborhood was furthered by the passing of the Chinese Exclusion Act, which was ramified in 1882. At the time, the population of the area was sitting at around 2,000 full time residents. In less than 20 years, the population of Chinatown more than tripled to 7,000 Chinese immigrants. Strangely, less than 200 of these residents were women. In the early years, warfare would break out between rival clans. Although they had banded together to form the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, it was clear that some of the deep seeded misunderstandings would not be forgotten, even in a new country. Most of the violence took place on Doyers Street, which eventually became the home of some of the most prolific Chinese gangs during the late 20th century.
In 1965, when the Immigration and Nationality Act was passed, the population of Chinatown skyrocketed. The passing of the act allowed many more Asian immigrants into the country.
The area was also negatively affected by the events that took place on September 11th, 2001. Because Chinatown was so close in proximity to the location of Ground Zero and the former location of the Twin Towers, tourism and business disappeared and has been very slow to make a return to the area. Despite the fact that officials in the area have done everything in their power to make Chinatown more attractive to sightseers and tourists, they have been unable to achieve the success that they had found prior to September 11th, 2001. The location has become a New York City staple, showing the significance of immigration in America and New York City throughout the last 200 years. | <urn:uuid:d3ac1367-5537-4dd0-9672-1d4a6bafc549> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newyorktotal.com/chinatown | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.99062 | 582 | 2.78125 | 3 |
Achieving Excellent Color Balance with Studio Flash
In order to achieve good color balance with studio flash, the user must understand the factors that affect color.
Cameras with built-in flash need only establish color balance parameters from a single, unchanging flash source and are normally set to “flash” setting for proper color.
But color balance with studio flash is affected by a number of variables including the color balance of the flash units themselves, changes of color introduced by the shooting environment, changes caused by light modifiers and the artistic perception of how colors should look in a shot.
>> Click Here for more info on Flash Duration
The first rule of seasoned professionals is that there is no reliable camera setting that considers all of these factors. The assumption that all lights rated at a certain color temperature (such as “5600°K”) produce the same color balance is incorrect. In particular, the “flash” setting of most cameras is not accurately matched to most studio flash systems. There is simply no automatic method of setting accurate color balance in the camera. Fortunately, there are two methods of easily achieving good color balance.
Custom White Balance
The proper method to do this in the camera is to follow the camera manual’s instructions for setting a Custom White Balance
. When you do this, a test picture is taken with the lights set up and adjusted for the pictures you are about to take. The camera then calculates the appropriate adjustments needed to render neutral colors (greys and whites) taken in this lighting environment free of colorcasts and errors. Once this is done, the entire color spectrum will be reproduced as accurately as the particular camera allows for. Using custom white balance is the preferred method of color balancing if you are shooting jpg pictures or when you wish to avoid post processing of your shots.
With the evolution of software programs such as Adobe Photoshop, most professionals prefer to shoot their important sessions with the camera set to “RAW” mode rather than jpg. This method saves the information directly from the camera sensor to the memory card, bypassing any processing in the camera. Thus, you can shoot spontaneously and avoid all color balance, contrast and sharpness settings in the camera with the assurance you can more accurately set these parameters after the fact, in post processing.
A word of warning: Shooting in RAW cannot undo burned out whites, out-of-focus shots or improper ISO and shutter speeds settings from the camera and thus requires you to set these parameters properly in the camera.
>> Click Here for more info on Exposure, Histograms and Flashmeters
The proper method for shooting RAW is to make sure that you have a known-neutral object in the scene. If you are shooting a series of pictures under the same illumination, you can place a white or grey white-balance test card in the first shot of a series, then remove it for subsequent shots. Many shooters prefer to leave a white balance card at the top or bottom of every shot where it can be cropped out later, as this gives them the freedom to make significant changes in the lighting with the assurance each shot can be critically color-balanced in post processing. If you are shooting against a neutral grey or white background, you can often omit the white balance card and use the background as a neutral object. But beware that all grey or white backgrounds are not truly neutral and that filters, gels, etc. must not tint the light falling on the background.
The procedure for post processing RAW shots is really quite simple. In Adobe Bridge (part of Photoshop CS2 and CS3), you can open your entire folder of pictures. Select a picture that contains a white balance card and simply place the eyedropper tool on the white or neutral grey portion of the card. The software will instantly calculate perfect color balance for the entire image.
From there you can adjust contrast, exposure, cropping, sharpness and other attributes of the shot. If you have shot a series of pictures under the same illumination, you can then copy and paste any or all of these parameters to all the other shots in the series.
In RAW processing, the original image data is normally saved to the hard drive and a copy of the image containing your adjustments is output to a new file as jpg, tiff, Photoshop or other file type. If you are later unhappy with your post processing it’s an easy matter to reopen the image in RAW, apply new settings, and output new final files. Smart shooters always archive their original RAW shots. | <urn:uuid:fde07962-0ceb-4065-80b7-c2183bc0f363> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.paulcbuff.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=60 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.91033 | 924 | 2.140625 | 2 |
The Well-Fed Mind
Soft morning light enters the picture window over the kitchen sink while I make breakfast. By noon the sun shines directly through the little attic windows of my office/sewing room where I am writing to you now. It filters through the leafless trees and brightens the parlor in late afternoon. As it begins to set lazily, it lends its light to the blown glass at the front door.
Coming down the stairs this light always catches my notice with its strange distorted rays in the front hall. For one fleeting half-hour it illuminates the picture hanging there (which changes at a whim).
This month it is a print by Tasha Tudor. A mother is feeding her children. She wears a smile. We see the quiet joy she has in satisfying the appetites of those she loves.
In chapter two of her Philosophy of Education Miss Charlotte Mason recognizes that mothers have an understanding of the baby.
“They know that his chief business is to grow and they feed him . . . They give free play to all the wrigglings and stretchings which give power to his feeble muscles. His parents know what he will come to, and feel that here is a new chance for the world. In the meantime, he needs food, sleep and shelter and a great deal of love.”
In her writings Charlotte Mason shows what parents and teachers owe to a child in his later years - “those years in which he is engaged in self-education, taking his lessons from everything he sees and hears, and strengthening his powers by everything he does.” She repeats herself when she says that, “mind must come into contact with mind through the medium of ideas.”
“Education, like faith, is the evidence of things not seen,” is a curious saying of hers.
Education involves intangibles. Therefore Miss Mason offers an analogy. As the body is meant to grow upon food, which is composed of individual living cells - in like manner the only fit sustenance for the mind is ideas. Like the cells of the body an idea goes through stages of development. We receive an idea with an appetite and some stir of interest. Then, by association, another facet of an idea is added and like my grandson’s snowball, it grows and grows, layer by layer.* The more a child learns the more associations he automatically makes. Teachers who trust in the well-fed mind need not depend on elaborate lesson plans where all subjects are made to correlate in as many ways as possible.
Mind Set in Motion
Ideas snowball in the mind of a child. They are not stationary, not stagnant. They come to children through various means; through observing nature, appreciating art, and melody; through the rhythmic movement of games, handicrafts, good conversation (not text-messaging), a Sunday sermon, etc. Most importantly they are found in living books. Through books of literary-quality a child gains knowledge mind-to-mind. Miss Mason recommends quality, variety and quantity.
A good remedy for boredom and inattention is a revitalizing presentation of ideas.
Intellectual vitality (something necessary for gaining knowledge “for keeps” – for making knowledge personal) is set in motion when ideas are present.
The Living Book Test
It is safe to say that a living book is authored by someone who takes an enthusiastic interest in his subject. If the book is for children the facts might be related in story form. But they are always clothed in literary language. The test of identifying a living book is like the test of good literature in general. It must be three things. It must bring truth, nobility, and beauty.
It is not dumbed-down but is somewhat intellectual and brings truth.
It is ethical so that we are well-nourished with noble ideas.
It is also artistic and makes its appeal through the emotions.
The Human Touch
Charlotte Mason reminds us that, “children are born persons.” As human beings the style of writing that appeals to them is that which includes the human touch. So we look for books with that touch of originality – books that warm up the imagination. This kind of writing will satisfy a child’s curiosity and foster a love of learning. For all its vivifying features a living book has the right to be called a schoolbook.
Lassie Come Home
One advantage of home teaching (and it is a big advantage) is that the parents are the ones who choose off the world’s menu of ideas. They pick the schoolbooks.
Eric Knight’s, Lassie Come Home is one example of a book that passes the living book test. If you’d like your child to have an understanding of devotion, courage, hope, brotherly kindness and perseverance this story is a touching example of it. Published in 1940, this is the original story that made Lassie a legend. We made it a read-aloud in our family.
In a certain Yorkshire village there is no finer dog than Lassie. She is a well-trained, well-loved purebred collie – a dog admired by the whole village for her beauty and obedience. When a coalmine closes Joe’s father is out-of-work. Down cast he sells Lassie to put food on the table. Young Joe takes it hard. What makes it harder is that after she is sold to a wealthy duke, Lassie escapes from her kennel three times. Joe and his father must return her.
The duke has Lassie moved to his other estate way up in the north of Scotland so she will never escape again. But Lassie’s instinct is strong – especially her time-sense. It was her habit to meet Joe at exactly four o’clock at the schoolhouse every day. Therefore, near four o’clock when Lassie is restless, she slips through the gate and heads south to Yorkshire - to Joe and his family - with unwavering purpose.
It is a long, long way to Yorkshire. Lassie climbs hills and crosses streams. It is only when she collapses in utter exhaustion and is fed by gentle, caring persons that she stays awhile. With strength regained and a steady determination she sets off again. Parts of the story are somewhat grueling which might make it unsuitable at bedtime for your youngest listeners. It has a happy ending (even if imperfectly so.)
The classic 1943 MGM film starring young Elizabeth Taylor and Roddy McDowell closely follows the book and is the one I recommend. It will introduce you to the characters. This beautiful motion picture is one that brought a tear to my eye.
*My son-in-law continued to push the snowball until it became enormous - to his son’s amazement. We were standing in the driveway when the clip-clop of a neighbor’s horse and buggy stole our attention. William was mesmerized. I snapped a photograph in the nick of time.
May you leave your visit here today with a little seed of an idea slipped into your pocket. | <urn:uuid:6bf9c336-5b29-4b12-8973-b5a8bfbc5c74> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://momentswithmotherculture.blogspot.com/2012/02/well-fed-mind.html?showComment=1329598973086 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965502 | 1,482 | 2.109375 | 2 |
Washington: Government forces in Syria are targeting women for rape and assault as the conflict between President Bashar al Assad and anti-government forces continues to escalate, according to a report released by a human rights group on Wednesday.
Women Under Siege said it had documented 81 instances of sexual assault in Syria since anti-government demonstrations began in March 2011, with most occurring in the rebel stronghold of Homs, a frequent target of attack by government forces.
Lauren Wolfe, director of the group, said it was clear from the reports gathered through human rights groups on the ground, witness statements and the media that Syrian woman are gang-raped or assaulted as a tactic of war.
Women Under Siege said it had documented 81 instances of sexual assault in Syria since anti-government demonstrations began in March 2011.
"The easy conclusion to draw is that things have really deteriorated to a state of almost animalism," Wolfe told Reuters in an interview. "They are really taking women down to a level where they aren't really human. It is just another battleground on which the war is being fought."
Syria's uprising erupted almost 19 months ago in the western city of Homs and has morphed into a nationwide crisis that has killed more than 17,000 people, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Assad's government says it is fighting foreign-backed insurgents and that more than 2,600 members of the security forces have also died in the violence.
Wolfe said that while there was no evidence of the government ordering its militiamen to attack or rape, almost 67 per cent of the reported assaults were allegedly carried out by government and shabiha - plainclothes militia - forces.
There is also evidence from the reports that the victims targeted are related to the Free Syrian Army, the country's main armed opposition group, and are likely targeted to punish the rebels, she said.
"We've heard reports of soldiers coming into a house or shabiha forces coming into a house and looking for ... a male member who is supposedly part of the rebellion forces and then they rape the woman," Wolfe said.
Wolfe said the group found no reports of members of the Free Syrian Army attacking women, but she could not say with certainty that rebels have not also engaged in sexual assaults because many attacks go unreported.
The authors of the report were unable to independently verify most of the cases or create a total victim count, as many of the reports cited villages being attacked without providing context on the number of victims.
Despite being unable to pin down exact national numbers, Wolfe said the team's findings are still accurate at least anecdotally because of the bulk of third-party reports funneling out of Syria.
Rape and sexual violence carry a significant stigma in the Middle East where an attack can shame an entire family. Even when raped, women are at times punished for sexual indiscretions and have been forced to marry their rapist.
At least 20 per cent of the women included in the report were killed after the assault; a tactic often used in crises zones to show complete control over an enemy.
"It is the ultimate brutality to use a women's body and then disregard it," she said.
Some rape reports were discredited by the team during a verification process because the woman's accent did not match the area she purported to be from. In one instance, a woman claimed she was reporting the attack from inside a Syrian jail - a feat Wolfe said was highly unlikely.
Women Under Siege, a project of the Women's Media Center, was founded in 2012 by Wolfe and Gloria Steinem to shed light on the use of rape as a tool of war and push governments to intervene during gender-based conflicts. Steinem is a US journalist and women's rights activist. | <urn:uuid:fd0dea2b-e101-40ae-9642-4937450ffc45> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ibnlive.in.com/news/rape-assault-are-weapons-of-war-in-syria/270740-2.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980627 | 763 | 1.570313 | 2 |
"If I listened earlier, I wouldn't be here. But that's just the trouble with me. I give myself very good advice, but I very seldom follow it."
When I was little, Alice in Wonderland was my favorite Disney cartoon. I was never much for princesses, but Alice. I loved Alice in her pretty blue dress and her blonde hair and her confused, yet tenacious attitude in Wonderland as she chases the elusive white rabbit. As I grew older, it surprised me to find that everyone didn't love Alice as much as I did. That some people found it scary. Others found it weird. Even more wondered if the Disney producers were on acid (okay, we've all wondered that) at the time of production.
I still love Alice in Wonderland and as I grow ever older, it seems so much like the life we live is in wonderland. The number of times I've felt so very small or the number of times I've cried enough tears that it seems that surely there must be enough of them to fill an ocean. The days the beautiful flowers I once admired turned ugly and mean and made me feel like a weed and people's faces shifted into unrecognizable masks and they disappeared from my life. The growing pains between childhood and adulthood (and wondering why I'm 29 and still feel those growing pains somedays).
So maybe I love it because I identify with Alice and sometimes I spend days wondering if this is a dream or if this is real life. If I'm asleep on a river bank somewhere and just dreaming the hard days, if I'll awake in a start and walk off to afternoon tea shaking my head at the silliness of it all or if I really did fall down a rabbit hole and if I did, how do I get out?
Tonight I'm not Alice. I set out my clothes for work tomorrow. I won't be wearing a blue dress with a perfectly fashioned white apron; instead, a long grey skirt with a purple top and a black shirt to layer beneath because it's always so cold at work. I peeled a sucker off the carpet and no one was around to hear me wonder how it got there. I made the coffee for tomorrow morning. I took a long bath and fell into a good book instead of a rabbit hole and this isn't Wonderland, there is no caterpillar smoking a hookah to offer me sage advice, but tonight before bedtime, we galloped around and around and through the kitchen and living room each of us with a laughing, shrieking boy on our backs having our very own caucus race and it was more magical than any river bank dream could ever be.
linking with Heather of the EO's Just Write | <urn:uuid:86ae1c20-831b-4609-8eb3-0e2119c48659> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://charpenette.blogspot.com/2011/11/in-wonderland.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00061-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977928 | 552 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Anti-social behaviour and neighbour nuisance can cause considerable distress to residents and Saffron is committed to tackling this behaviour fairly and effectively to help ensure that tenants can enjoy peace, quiet and security in their homes.
We will take firm, prompt and appropriate action in dealing with disruptive tenants and other persons causing Anti Social Behaviour (ASB), nuisance or harassment on estates or in individual dwellings. We will not tolerate anti-social behaviour and will make this clear to tenants and to any person who is seeking a tenancy.
What is Anti-Social behaviour?
This can take a number of forms ranging from serious acts of violence and
harassment to overgrown gardens, some examples are shown below:
Your tenancy agreement – the legal contract between landlord and tenant – makes it clear that you are responsible for the conduct of all people (including children) living in or visiting your home. | <urn:uuid:e27fe84c-40bc-4e5a-b90b-3aa3e09b48b3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.saffronhousing.co.uk/residents/help-and-advice/anti-social-behaviour/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00067-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937341 | 178 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Mercedes domination overshadowed by Le Mans tragedy
Mercedes, Fangio and Moss dominated the season, but the appalling tragedy at Le Mans, which cost over 80 lives, overshadowed absolutely everything. Mercedes later announced that it was withdrawing from grand prix racing. June 11, 1955, is perhaps the blackest day in motor racing history. More than 80 people were killed when Pierre Levegh's Mercedes crashed into the crowd during the early laps at Le Mans. Grand prix stars Fangio and Hawthorn were both peripherally involved in the incident, which had major repercussions for the sport. The grands prix in France, Germany, Switzerland and Spain were all cancelled. In fact, motor racing would never return to Switzerland.
Less than a fortnight earlier Alberto Ascari, who had won the drivers' title in 1952 and 1953, was killed while testing, and in the same week Bill Vukovich, who had won the Indianapolis 500 in 1953 and 1954 crashed died while leading the race. Rarely has there been a worse period in any sport.
The German team went into the season with morale high. Neubauer had signed up Moss to partner Fangio, and now had two top-level drivers in his Silver Arrows. Maserati signed up Jean Behra to replace Moss, while Mike Hawthorn left Ferrari to drive the patriotic Vanwall. The season opener in Argentina was run in sweltering conditions which saw Fangio score a comfortable victory. He was one of only two drivers able to go the full distance solo, as each of the three pursuing cars were shared by three drivers apiece as the energy-sapping heat took its toll.
At Monaco Ascari was in the headlines, after flipping his car into the harbour. He escaped with minor injuries. At the time he was leading, for Fangio and Moss had both retired their Mercedes. Trintignant proved a popular and surprise winner, ahead of the Lancia of Eugenio Castellotti. Four days later Ascari was killed in a bizarre accident at Monza, while testing a Ferrari sports car. Lancia announced its withdrawal from the sport, regrettably before the D50 had been able to fulfil its initial promise.
Mercedes bounced back at Spa, where Fangio and Moss ran one-two with ease. Castellotti was allowed a final fling in a Lancia - as a privateer - and ran third before retiring from racing.
The following weekend came the Le Mans tragedy and, despite the outcry, the grand prix circus reconvened at Zandvoort just a week later. Fangio and Moss scored another Mercedes one-two, chased by Musso's Maserati. By now Hawthorn had given up on the Vanwall project, and his return to Ferrari was rewarded with seventh place.
The British Grand Prix moved to Aintree for the first time, and Mercedes scored a crushing one-two-three-four. This time Moss headed home Fangio, with Kling and Taruffi following on. It was Stirling's first win, but for years people wondered if Fangio had allowed him to take the glory at home. At the back of the grid in a little Cooper was a rookie called Jack Brabham…
With all the cancellations, only the Monza race remained to be run, this time on the banked circuit. After Moss retired, Fangio headed Taruffi in another Mercedes one-two finish, with Castellotti third in a Ferrari. Fangio's third title was already secure, with Moss a distant second. But both men would be hit hard when Mercedes announced its withdrawal.
A hugely significant result came in a non-championship race held at the end of the season, when Tony Brooks took his Connaught to victory at Syracuse on Sicily. This famous victory was the first major British win of the World Championship era. | <urn:uuid:71a70962-4b25-4202-83cb-082617a3e204> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/season/1333.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983082 | 790 | 1.84375 | 2 |
The Blog Kept A-Rollin’—Part 4: “The Train Kept A-Rollin’” by The Yardbirds
Early in 1966, I joined The Columbia Record Club. Hey, to a naïve 16-year old it seemed like a great deal—I got a dozen “free” albums just for signing up! Although my opinion of that deal would eventually change—as, month after month, I was obligated to buy their records at full retail price (then a whopping $4.98)—when the package with those 12 albums arrived, I was really psyched.
After listening to all of them, the album that definitely psyched me the most was Having A Rave Up With The Yardbirds.
It almost defies belief that, in the mere five years The Yardbirds were together, their lead guitarists were—feel free to recite them along with me—first Eric Clapton, then Jeff Beck, and finally Jimmy Page.
In 1963, The Yardbirds started out as a blues-oriented band; they even backed up Sonny Boy Williamson when he toured Great Britain. In March 1965, Clapton left the band over “creative differences”—specifically, the single “For Your Love,” which he thought was rubbish. The band wanted to hire Jimmy Page to replace him, but Page was too busy with studio work at the time and suggested his friend Jeff Beck (among other things, they’d both played on sessions with a fellow named Screaming Lord Sutch), who was in a club band called The Tridents. The “Beck Era” (3/65 to 10/66) was The Yardbirds’ creative and commercial peak and side one of Having A Rave Up With The Yardbirds included their second and third U.S. singles ”Heart Full of Soul” and “I’m A Man.” More relevant to this blog post, that side concluded with their incredible version of “The Train Kept A-Rollin’.”
“Taking a tip from the Stones, they started squeezing in recording sessions whenever and wherever they could. Stops along the [U.S.] tour produced recordings from the Chess Studios in Chicago (“I’m a Man” and “Shapes of Things”)… and Sam Phillips’ Studio in Memphis ( …successor to his legendary Sun Studios, where they recorded the basic tracks for “You’re a Better Man Than I” and “The Train Kept A-Rollin’”) with Sam Phillips engineering the session himself.”1
Those basic tracks were recorded on September 12, 1965. On September 21 and 22, at Columbia Recording Studios in New York, with another legendary engineer, Roy Halee (better known for producing Simon and Garfunkel), they did some overdubs and mixed the track. Having A Rave Up With The Yardbirds was released in the U.S. on November 15, 1965.
About three months later, I placed a copy of it on the turntable of my little portable stereo.
After I heard “The Train Kept A-Rollin’” for the first time, my heart was pounding. I felt so exhilarated that I cranked the volume, picked up the needle, and put it back at the start of the track—in retrospect, probably causing permanent damage to the record (yes children, we actually used to listen to music by putting needles made from diamonds onto revolving discs of black vinyl).
Here ’tis… my favorite version of “The Train Kept A-Rollin’.”
It starts with Beck’s guitar simulating two whistle blasts—a warning to clear the tracks for what’s coming. Then, instantly, the band is at full throttle—the song relentlessly driven by that propulsive riff.
Let’s talk about that riff. It wasn’t on the Tiny Bradshaw original and there’s only a vague suggestion of it on The Rock and Roll Trio’s version of the song. So… where did the riff come from? The answer, my friend, can be found on the B-side of that Johnny Burnette and the Rock’n’Roll Trio single—their version of Big Joe Turner’s song “Honey Hush.” Just listen…
Not only the riff but parts of the guitar solo are there in all their primitive, distorted glory. By grafting elements from “Honey Hush” into their arrangement of “The Train Kept A-Rollin’,” The Yardbirds forever transformed the song.
Beck’s solos built on the templates provided by Grady Martin/Paul Burlison—for example, alternating between runs of high notes and low notes—and then, cranking up the fuzz tone and other effects, veered off into terra incognita… bending strings, bending minds.
Another exciting element was added by Keith Relf. The harmonica has long been associated with train songs and used to imitate various train sounds—Relf was, however, the first person I found who used the instrument on this song. Then there’s the double tracking of his vocal. Sometimes it’s used to provide the “call and response” element found in earlier versions. Other times, it gives a weird intensity that adds to the manic energy of the performance. Some writers have suggested that he overdubbed the vocal in New York to cover incorrect lyrics he’d recorded in Memphis—alas, Mr. Relf is no longer with us, so we’re unlikely to get a definitive answer about that.
Four installments into this series, I suppose I should mention something that I hope was obvious from the very beginning… this song is NOT really about the train! Tiny Bradshaw and the other performers were NOT rhapsodizing about the capabilities of American locomotives. “On a train, I met a dame”—I don’t think that the two of them passed the time playing canasta! This song is about s-e-x! And, this version (the first that I’d heard) definitely got my adolescent hormones pumping. My hormones haven’t been adolescent for a long, long time (though my sense of humor still is), but listening to The Yardbirds playing “The Train Kept A-Rollin’” still gets my pulse racing—hey, why do you think I’m writing this series of posts?
Next—The Yardbirds (yes, The Yardbirds again) sidetrack this train at the behest of an Italian film director.
- From Cub Koda’s liner notes for the Rhino two-disc set The Yardbirds Ultimate! © 2001 Rhino Entertainment Company. | <urn:uuid:74721ea1-2852-47c1-a221-62be22ede5df> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://djmjd.wordpress.com/2011/08/12/the-blog-kept-a-rollin%E2%80%99%E2%80%94part-4-%E2%80%9Cthe-train-kept-a-rollin%E2%80%99%E2%80%9D-by-the-yardbirds/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951652 | 1,451 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Sorry about the goofy thread title, it should read "Linear Functionals and Direct Sums".
Let be a finite-dimensional vector space over the field of scalars , and a linear map from to . Show that
Well, I reasoned that if T is not the zero map, then the range of T is (simple to show), in which case the range of T is spanned by one vector. From dim(V)=dim(kerT)+dim(ranT) we must have that the dimension of the kernel is one less than that of V. So let be a basis for kerT. Extending it to a basis to V we only need add , which is not in the kernel, because if it was it would contradict the linear independence of the base for the kernel.
So a basis for V is . Obviously .
The fact that is a basis for shows that . Thus, .
If is the zero map then the set of vectors not in the kerel is the empty set, and so , and everything is all good.
Is this right? | <urn:uuid:074ce3b8-c968-4236-83d1-e7f5fdd9de86> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mathhelpforum.com/advanced-algebra/131152-writting-linear-functional-direct-sum.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951596 | 221 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Balance-Unbalance is an International Conference designed to use art as a catalyst to explore intersections between nature, science, technology and society as we move into an era of both unprecedented ecological threats and transdisciplinary possibilities. The conference will host artists, scientists, economists, philosophers, politicians, sociologists, engineers and policy experts from across the world to engage in dialogue and action towards a sustainable future. Balance-Unbalance 2013 will also host a diversity of virtual components allowing global accessibility and significantly reducing the carbon footprint of a major international conference.
The 2013 conference theme, Future Nature, Future Culture[s] is aimed to provoke discourse around what our elusive future might hold and how transdisciplinary thought and action could be used as tools for positive change.
Submissions are now being accepted for the International Balance-Unbalance 2013 conference to be held at Central Queensland University in Noosa, Australia from May 31 – June 2, 2013. Balance-Unbalance 2013 is being held in the town of Noosa, in parallel with the Floating Land 2013 Green Art festival and just prior to the ISEA 2013 in Sydney, so participants can maximise their time in Australia by attending all three events.
Call for Submissions closes 20 November 2012 | <urn:uuid:e9a5d3ed-d46d-4bc3-914a-825fca0db6d1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.anat.org.au/2012/10/balanceunbalance-international-conference-2013-art-scientists-x-technology-environmentresponsibility/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931086 | 246 | 1.609375 | 2 |
SSC Bulletin 6: April 2012
- London Institute of Education
- Merle Mahon email@example.com or
- Rachel Rees firstname.lastname@example.org
- Website: http://www.deafconnections.co.uk
- website: http://news.vanderbilt.edu/2012/03/haptic-tablet/
- To subscribe to this bulletin by email, please email email@example.com
Sharing information with everyone who is involved in the education of deaf children, deafblind children and visually impaired children and young people, the young people themselves and their families.
Coming up …
SSC Course 6: DAY 2: Friday, 15th June, 2012
Emotional Well-being for Young Deaf People
The overall aim of the Healthy Minds training is to provide participants with the skills and knowledge to deliver Healthy Minds to deaf children and young people, and provide sufficient information to their parents and professionals.
Day 2 is devised for the participants to deliver one of the 6 sessions of the Healthy Minds resource to the facilitator and other learners. This day also provides a supporting opportunity for participants to try out techniques and materials.
The course is accredited with Open College Network and in order to gain Healthy Minds trainers status, it is compulsory that participants attend Day 2 and successfully achieve the accreditation. Also participants will be expected to deliver Healthy Minds to deaf children and young people over the next 3-6 months and produce an evidence-based portfolio. Those who successfully complete their accredited course will become official Healthy Minds trainers!
Target Audience & Restrictions: 10 places available to those who have already undertaken Day 1 previously.
NB: Closing date is 25th May 2012
Presenter: Martin Brown, Emotional Health & Wellbeing Officer, The National Deaf Children's Society, Leeds.
LAST CALL FOR PLACES
Online Distance Learning Mode
Level 3 Award in Modifying Written English Texts for Deaf People (Signature Accredited Course)
Unit K318 Accessible English for Deaf and Deafblind People
The aim of Unit K318 is to enable teachers of deaf children or support workers to modify and/or present written English texts in a form which is accessible to deaf learners. The course covers: the implications of deafness for accessing spoken language; the limitations of speech-reading; the use of writing to provide access to spoken language; and the implications of using signed English, cued speech or other visual clues.
Course level: This course is Level 3 on the Signature framework which uses the UK Further Education levels. This Unit forms part of a number of Signature qualifications for training communication professionals working in schools, colleges and in community settings with deaf and deafblind people, see:
Target audience: Teachers and tutors of deaf children, communication support workers, support staff working with deaf pupils and students.
Unit T303: Modifying Written Texts
The aim of this unit is to enable teachers of deaf children or support workers to modify and/or present written English texts in a form which is accessible to learners with weak reading skills. The qualification explores why some deaf pupils need written English to be modified or presented in more appropriate ways. The course includes:
• features of written English which weak readers find particularly difficult
• how to maintain the same factual information and features of cohesion in a modified text
• application of skills in modifying written text in the context of education in schools or colleges;
• theory and practice in modifying written texts.
Course level: This is at Level 6 on the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework. It is Level 3 on the Signature framework which uses the UK Further Education levels.
Target audience: Teachers and tutors of deaf children, communication support workers, etc. This Unit forms part of a number of Signature qualifications for communication professionals (see www.signature.org.uk).
Preview List of Courses for Session 2012-13: Term 1
10/9/12: Update on Cochlear Implants Cochlear Implant Team
12/9/12: Sensory Play and Learning for VI children Judy Denziloe
26/9/12: Education Communication Worker in Deaf Education
22/10/12: Secondary Focus Day in Deaf Education Various (transition process primary to secondary and inclusive practice)
31/10/12: Assessing vision in children with additional support needs: why and how? Dr Maggie Woodhouse
9/11/12: Early Years Focus in Deaf Education Various
14/12/12: CVI and common ocular conditions Dr Andrew Blaikie & others
Graduate Diploma/ Certificate: Habilitation and Disabilities of Sight (Children and Young People).
The Edinburgh programme is delivered in week long blocks (two per module with an additional 2 day practical skills assessment period) and the first of these blocks will be from 10-14 September 2012. Fees for this course will be approximately £3240 per year. Further details are available at
The National UK Habilitation Programmes Leader is Dr Karl Wall 020 7612 6282 firstname.lastname@example.org and the Programmes Administrator is Kim Reynolds 020 7612 6280 email@example.com Please contact them if you would like any more information.
We can offer a range of training from generic awareness-raising on hearing impairment or visual impairment to specific specialist topics for qualified staff, eg, Functional Vision Assessment. It may be possible to adapt our regular courses for delivery to mainstream groups as bespoke courses, for an INSET day for instance - please let the SSC know and the CPD Organiser will contact you.
"In Other News ..."
Teachers of the Deaf Vacancies
The City of Edinburgh Visiting Teaching and Support Service (VTSS) is seeking to employ 2 Teachers of the Deaf. Vacancies are advertised through myjobscotland website with a closing date of 11 May 2012. Vacancy reference is EDN003465.
Half Day May Conference, Saturday 12 May 2012
Last call for people who are interested in the BATOD half day conference if you intend to come could you please let Eleanor (firstname.lastname@example.org) know. That way your Certificate of Attendance will be available for collection on the day. You may pay the £10 fee on the day if you wish.
November Conference, Saturday 10 November
This will be held in The Grand Central Hotel, Glasgow and the main speaker will be Patricia MacDonald from the SQA about the new examination structure. (Please note that it is the second Saturday in November this year.)
Carol Thomson, Chairperson, BATOD Scotland. Tel: 01506 841 900, Email: email@example.com
Communication Intervention with Pre-school Deaf Children
UCL and City University invite professionals involved in working with families of pre-school deaf children to promote interaction strategies to improve children’s communication development to complete an online questionnaire (approximately 60 mins duration). If you are interested please contact:
Sign on Screen
This is an online interpreting facility which aims to make access to a qualified BSL interpreter available to anyone, anywhere, at any time. All that is needed to access the service is a broadband connection and a webcam. Subscription required. For more information contact the SOS Contact Centre: firstname.lastname@example.org;
Additional Support for Learning (MEd/PgCert/PgDip)
Moray House School of Education in The University of Edinburgh offers taught programmes for teachers involved in teaching children with additional support needs. These qualifications are not organised by the Scottish Sensory Centre and you should contact Susan Scott at the Graduate School for more information: email@example.com 0131 651 6573.
We have just received a new publication called "Phonics guidance: for the teaching of phonics to deaf children" which was produced by NDCS in collaboration with BATOD, the Ear Foundation and the Ewing Foundation. It offers practical advice and strategies for using phonics with deaf children along with background information and case studies.
The latest NB magazine (April 2012) mentioned a new Android App being used with visually impaired students in the US for accessing mathematics graphs and equations using tactile and audio cues. More details can be found on the Vanderbilt University
SSC is a national centre funded by the Scottish Government (Learning Directorate, Support and Wellbeing) and the University of Edinburgh. | <urn:uuid:d6fa4f84-15e1-4ccb-b674-9088dae61c6c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ssc.education.ed.ac.uk/aboutSSC/bulletin0412.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00051-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.904389 | 1,783 | 2.5 | 2 |
Tragedies often bring out anger, outburst, and, sometimes, hate. Not so much in Norway. Amid the devastating massacre of dozens, Norway is making sure its soul of tolerance is not stained with blood. Below are top five inspiring quotes by Norwegian officials.
1. Mayor of Oslo: “We shall punish the terrorist, and this will be his punishment: more democracy, more tolerance, more generosity.”
2. Norwegian Prime Minister: “…the answer to violence is even more democracy.”
3. Diplomat Steinar Gil: “Norway will not change. Evil will not prevail.”
4. Norwegian Prime Minister: “With the strongest of all weapons — the free word and democracy — we stake our course for Norway.”
5. Crown Prince of Norway: “Tonight the streets are filled with love. We have chosen to meet hatred with unity. We have chosen to show what we stand for.”
Norway’s message is clear: counter terror with more democracy. As Ernest Hemingway has said, courage is grace under pressure. May the Norwegian victims rest in peace. And may Norway’s democracy prevail. | <urn:uuid:007ee571-8e2f-478b-9240-e0f3e2799575> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.amnestyusa.org/europe/norway-democratic-defiance-amid-devastation/ | 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 | 0.941382 | 248 | 2.203125 | 2 |
PLA chief confirms first China aircraft carrier
HONG KONG: A top Chinese military official has confirmed that Beijing is building an aircraft carrier, marking the first acknowledgement of the ship’s existence from China’s secretive armed forces.
In an exclusive interview published Tuesday, the Hong Kong Commercial Daily quoted Chen Bingde, chief of the General Staff of the People’s Liberation Army, as saying the 300 metre refurbished Soviet carrier “is being built, but it has not been completed.”
He declined to elaborate although there has been wide speculation that the vessel was nearly finished after the ship, then called the Varyag, was reportedly purchased in 1998.
It is currently based in the northeast port city of Dalian.
The ship, which an expert on China’s military has said would be used for training and as a model for a future indigenously-built ship, was originally built for the Soviet navy. Construction was interrupted by the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
The Hong Kong paper quoted anonymous sources as saying the carrier will be launched by the end of June at the earliest.
Qi Jianguo, assistant to the chief of the PLA’s general staff, told the newspaper that the carrier would not enter other nations’ territories, in accordance with Beijing’s defensive military strategy.
“All of the great nations in the world own aircraft carriers – they are symbols of a great nation,” he was quoted as saying.
But China is involved in a number of simmering marine territorial disputes.
China has claimed mineral rights around the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, and argued that foreign navies cannot sail through the area without Beijing’s permission.
In September, Japan and China clashed over the disputed Senkaku Islands, known as the Diaoyu Islands in China, located in the East China Sea.
In April, Admiral Robert Willard, head of US Pacific Command, said China’s navy had adopted a less aggressive stance in the Pacific after protests from Washington and other nations in the region.
The PLA – the largest army in the world – is hugely secretive about its defence programmes, which benefit from a big military budget boosted by the nation’s runaway economic growth. | <urn:uuid:195e5f3d-701c-42ef-830d-7264d3e60d6f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://dawn.com/2011/06/08/pla-chief-confirms-first-china-aircraft-carrier/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972538 | 471 | 1.53125 | 2 |
At Mayo Clinic, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is delivered in a 6,000-square-foot, rectangular chamber with up to three times the normal air pressure. While in the chamber, you receive 100 percent oxygen through a lightweight hood. You are assisted by a nurse. The chamber is equipped with natural lighting and an entertainment system to make your treatment relaxing.
Hyperbaric oxygen treatments usually last about 90 minutes. The number of treatments you receive depends on your condition. Some people may require as few as two or three sessions for conditions like carbon monoxide poisoning or up to 40 sessions for nonhealing wounds.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is used for three main circumstances:
Hyperbaric medicine is part of Mayo's Aerospace Medicine program, which has a long history of research on low oxygen conditions in flight.
Read more about what to expect with hyperbaric oxygen therapy. | <urn:uuid:f084bf5e-d46b-4c91-8242-c0f642b587ef> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mayoclinic.org/hyperbaric-oxygen-therapy/about.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00046-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930087 | 179 | 2.078125 | 2 |
The third week in March is designated as National Poison Prevention Week to highlight the dangers of poisonings and how to prevent them. Every day, people can (and do) prevent poisonings. More than 2 million poisonings are reported each year to the 57 poison control centers across the country. More than 90% of those reported occur in the home. The majority of non-fatal poisonings occur in children younger than six years old. In addition, poisonings are one of the leading causes of death among adults. | <urn:uuid:588c781e-38fd-4fcf-8f54-ea4469498481> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wnku.org/term/poison-prevention-week | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966977 | 104 | 3.203125 | 3 |
Woodhull Math Olympiad Teams in Suffolk Tournament
A group of 20 Woodhull Intermediate School fifth and sixth graders recently participated in the Suffolk County Math Tournament, compiling an impressive set of results.
The Huntington contingent represents the top scoring Math Olympiad students on the two respective grade levels. The challenging event was held on the Stony Brook University campus. About two dozen school districts sent teams to the day-long competition.
The Huntington group was led by SEARCH program chairperson-teacher Maryann Daly. SEARCH teacher Christina Gottlieb, special education teacher Heather Barfuss and fifth grade teacher Keith Meyers accompanied Huntington's two teams, assisting Mrs. Daly to maximize student performance.
In the weeks leading up to the tournament, the Huntington youngsters were relentless in their preparation, often using lunch and recess periods to sharpen their skills.
The morning session featured an individual round of competition. "Each student had to answer ten tricky questions Math Olympiad style during a 30 minute period of time," Mrs. Daly said. "After their answers were collected by supervisors, the entire group gathered in a nearby auditorium to review the questions and offer solutions. Students shared the strategies they had used to arrive at valid solutions."
After a break, each squad of five participated in a team event that required them to solve ten problems in 20 minutes. "It was important that the team captain keep each member focused and organized," Mrs. Daly said. "The problems were more difficult than in past years and the Huntington teams tried their best."
Justin Knowles, a member of last year's Woodhull fifth grade team that finished third in the tournament, participated in the event for the second consecutive year and reached the tie-breaker round where he vied against nine other top young mathematicians from the field of more than 220.
The math competition was so important to Mr. Knowles that he bypassed going with his class on the district's annual sixth grade trip to the Greenkill outdoor education center, instead making the trek with a different class so he could attend tournament at Stony Brook. "The reason being that he didn't want to miss this opportunity to compete in this math tournament, trying, of course, to best his older sister Caitlin, who was a top scoring student two years ago," Mrs. Daly said.
Woodhull's two fifth grade teams consisted of captain Aidan Forbes, Dylan Bluemer, Peter Ciccone, Levi Leach and Amelia Reilly and captain Luke Eidle, Anthony Puglisi, Will Vollmack, Frank Spatafora and Hunter Willis.
The Woodhull sixth grade teams included captain Jacob Strieb, Anthony Emmanuele, Justin Knowles, Nicholas Lanzisero and Miranda Nykolyn and captain Rachel Roday, Michelle D'Alessandro, Kevin Gulizio, Michael Maceluch and Logan Rice.
"I was so proud of all the students who tried their very best and was truly impressed with Justin in his determination and drive to achieve his personal best," Mrs. Daly said. "Congratulations to these young people for going that extra mile!" | <urn:uuid:88346027-b337-4a31-b284-8546a2287187> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hufsd.edu/news/stories/2011/may/20d.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00055-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971198 | 642 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Federal judge rules DOMA unconstitutional
posted at 6:54 pm on July 8, 2010 by Ed Morrissey
Actually, according to the Associated Press, Judge Joseph Tauro based his ruling on two separate but linked cases on the Tenth and Fourteenth Amendments. In overturning the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), Tauro ruled that the law interfered with state rights — a specific 10th Amendment issue — to define marriage:
A U.S. judge in Boston has ruled that a federal gay marriage ban is unconstitutional because it interferes with the right of a state to define marriage.
U.S. District Judge Joseph Tauro on Thursday ruled in favor of gay couples’ rights in two separate challenges to the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, known as DOMA.
The state had argued the law denied benefits such as Medicaid to gay married couples in Massachusetts, where same-sex unions have been legal since 2004.
Tauro agreed, and said the act forces Massachusetts to discriminate against its own citizens.
“The federal government, by enacting and enforcing DOMA, plainly encroaches upon the firmly entrenched province of the state, and in doing so, offends the Tenth Amendment. For that reason, the statute is invalid,” Tauro wrote in a ruling in a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Martha Coakley.
The ruling in the paired case rests on the equal-protection clause. Tauro apparently wants to cover all his bases for the inevitable appeal.
The 10th Amendment application seems a little odd to me, especially in the case of Medicaid coverage. That program uses federal funds in part to cover medical bills. The federal government would therefore seem to have jurisdiction on how its own funds get spent, although the state should have the same latitude with its own funds. After all, DOMA doesn’t tell states that it can’t recognize same-sex marriages, but just exempts marriage recognition from the full faith and credit clause of the Constitution so that other states don’t have to follow suit. It also retains federal jurisdiction on marriage definition for the purpose of spending federal money on partner benefits, which also has nothing to do with the 10th Amendment.
If the Supreme Court endorses this stand, though, it sets up an interesting question for conservatives who express support for better enforcement of the 10th Amendment. Can they get behind this interpretation? And will this sudden interest in applying the 10th Amendment by the judiciary start spreading to other issues, especially in rethinking a century’s worth of decisions on the commerce clause?
Breaking on Hot Air | <urn:uuid:adb628ba-275e-4b8f-89ed-cc3171c5152d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://hotair.com/archives/2010/07/08/federal-judge-rules-doma-unconstitutional/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962077 | 530 | 1.882813 | 2 |
Art Galleries and Collections
The Frank Museum of Art
The Frank Museum of Art houses the university's collection of art from Africa, Japan, and New Guinea. The museum is located at 39 S. Vine St. in Westerville, in the former "church house" of Lillian Frank who taught at Otterbein for 29 years in the areas of art, theology, and philosophy.
With the help of her husband Paul, Lillian converted the former Salem Evangelical Church, built in 1877, to their residence in 1956. Site of many faculty and student gatherings over the years, the structure was given to the college upon Lillian's death in 1999, for the express purpose of creating a museum for the college's collection. It opened in Winter 2004.
More than 100 alumni and friends of Otterbein contributed the funds necessary to realize Lillian Frank's vision. Additional funding to provide for the museum's ongoing development, collection acquisition and operating costs will come from the Friends of The Frank Museum of Art Fund.
The Frank Museum of Art is a superb setting for the exhibition of our unique collection of non-Western art, long inaccessible to the public due to lack of exhibit space. At 1,800 square feet, "The Frank may be small by museum standards, but for those interested in exploring non-Western cultures, it is a real treasure.
Particular strengths of the collection include pottery from Africa and New Guinea, 19th century Japanese woodcut prints, and African textiles and sculpture. According to Hill, small private colleges in Ohio agreed to focus their art collections in particular areas many years ago in order to maximize their resources. "The result for Otterbein is a wonderful and unique collection of works from cultures not often seen in central Ohio," says Hill.
The Frank is used for a variety of programming including rotating exhibits, lectures, recitals, and special educational programs for area schools, arts organizations, and civic groups.
Wednesday-Friday 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. during the University's academic year. For more information, call 614.818.9716.
View the exhibit schedule
Miller and Fisher Galleries
The Art Department coordinates an annual program of public exhibitions in both the Miller Gallery (Art and Communication building, 33 Collegeview Road) and Fisher Gallery (Roush Hall, 27 S. Grove St.). These exhibitions explore a broad range of approaches to art, introducing the University community to the diversity of the art world. Many exhibiting artists offer lectures or workshops in conjunction with their exhibitions. Graduating art majors also exhibit their work in Miller Gallery during spring quarter. Hours:
- Miller Gallery: Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.;
Saturday & Sunday 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.; closed holidays
- Fisher Gallery: 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. daily
View the exhibit schedule
Otterbein has an extensive collection of African and Asian artwork, with three dimensional pieces dominating the collection. Most of the works have been donated, starting shortly after the University's founding with gifts from missionaries and African natives who came to Otterbein to go to school. A grant from the Kress Foundation allowed Otterbein to significantly increase its collection in 1969 and 1970. In 1997, Dr. David Rilling of Philadelphia donated around 200 pottery items. Today, the collection includes over 1,000 pieces, most representative of Sub-Saharan African art from the 20th Century, which are used in classroom teaching and are on display in The Frank Museum of Art. | <urn:uuid:9210099a-f378-4019-bebf-344ff6b031a0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mailto:jblackburnsmith@otterbein.edu/public/Academics/Departments/Art/GalleriesCollections.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947456 | 749 | 1.8125 | 2 |
By Siavash | CWZ
Pittsburgh-based PNC Bank is sending an email to customers Friday stating that its website is seeing a high volume of traffic that appears to be an attack from hackers.
This is the second major attack from foreign hackers, the first hitting a half dozen US banks in late fall. That one was traced to computers in Russia. PNC says other banks are affected, though it has not named any at this time.
The attackers have not been able to gain access to any accounts, according to PNC. However, their constant barrage of the bank’s website is slowing access for customers trying to do legitimate business.
PNC suggests customers who are locked out should try logging on again a few minutes later, or visit their local branch.
Full comment from PNC:
A number of banks in the U.S., including PNC, are seeing an unusually high volume of traffic at their Internet connections. This volume of traffic is consistent with threatened cyber attacks on the U.S. banking system and is designed to cause access delays for legitimate internet customers.
For several weeks, PNC has taken steps to block this traffic and maintain online and mobile banking access for the vast majority of its customers. In some cases, those measures also may have blocked access to a small percentage of legitimate PNC customers for an extended period. We sincerely apologize to those affected.
For those having access issues, disruptions may be intermittent, so please try logging on again. You might also consider utilizing alternative banking methods, such as visiting your local branch, using a PNC ATM or calling 1-888-PNC-BANK (762-2265). Please know that even during an access disruption, any transfers or online bill payments already scheduled will continue to be processed.
If you still cannot access the site, you may contact us for assistance on Twitter @PNCBank_Help (no account information please), or by calling 1-888-PNC-BANK (762-2265). Please be aware that given the current situation, you may experience longer than usual wait times.
In the meantime, please be assured that PNC’s website is protected by sophisticated encryption strategies that shield customer information and accounts. While this situation is an access issue and not an issue of account security, it is always important to remember to protect yourself by not sharing personal or financial information on any non-secure sites.
Thank you for your patience as we continue to address these disruptions. | <urn:uuid:e85b90c3-75e5-4ccd-9a7b-e93539c7fe9f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.setyoufreenews.com/2013/01/05/tri-state-bank-hit-by-cyber-attack/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952955 | 511 | 1.59375 | 2 |
What is the total greenhouse gas footprint of Citigroup, Bank of America, or UBS? Right now, we don’t know, and that’s a major problem for both banks and the climate.
Banks emit greenhouse gases to power their offices and branches, but they also finance the emissions of other companies through their loans, investments, and other financial services. Our best estimates indicate that these “financed emissions” dwarf a bank’s emissions from other sources, yet banks currently lack the tools to measure this critical but overlooked component of a bank’s greenhouse gas footprint.
Time is Running out to Reduce Bank Carbon Footprints
In a report released by Rainforest Action Network’s Energy and Finance Program today, “Bankrolling Climate Disruption: The Impacts of the Banking Sector’s Financed Emissions” (PDF), we analyze the consequences of financed emissions for the climate and the risks they pose for banks.
Rising concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have begun to disrupt the global climate, triggering extreme weather events around the globe in recent years. To address this growing climate crisis, the global economy must rapidly transition to low-carbon energy sources. This transition poses major challenges for the banking sector, which will need to shift its financing from fossil fuel-based power sources to low-carbon energy infrastructure.
To date, major global banks have been moving in the wrong direction on climate. A report by the BankTrack network of NGOs (PDF) found that the world’s 93 largest banks’ financial commitments to coal mining and coal-fired power generation nearly doubled between 2005 and 2010. Unfortunately, time is running out for banks to decarbonize their financing portfolios. By the end of the decade, locked-in emissions from new infrastructure will make it impossible to limit atmospheric CO2 concentrations below the critical threshold of 450 parts per million, making catastrophic climate change inevitable.
In addition to putting the global climate at risk, a bank’s financed emissions also expose it to reputational risks from an increasingly climate-aware public. Over the long term, banks that fail to measure and reduce their financed emissions will face financial risks from their financing relationships with coal-fired utilities, oil and gas producers, and other companies that face an uncertain future in a carbon-constrained economy.
New Tools for Measuring Financed Emissions
Fortunately, the Greenhouse Gas Protocol has developed new guidelines for calculating financed emissions that provide key tools for banks to measure their financed emissions footprints. And public sector institutions such as the U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation have already led the way for their private sector counterparts by setting targets to reduce emissions from their financing portfolios.
Major U.S. banks have taken some positive steps on climate change, such as committing over $100 billion in loans and investments to environmentally beneficial projects over the next decade. However, banks have not actually measured the net greenhouse gas impacts achieved by these commitments. To differentiate themselves from their peers and demonstrate that these green financing is having an impact, banks must measure the bottom-line climate outcomes of both their environmental lending initiatives and their broader financing portfolio.
Next Steps for Banks
RAN’s report recommends that banks participate in an upcoming multi-stakeholder initiative coordinated by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol to finalize tools for banks to measure the climate impacts of their financing activities. In addition to participating, banks should also set aggressive reduction targets for their financed emissions to align with the 450 ppm greenhouse gas stabilization target.
Could banks put these recommendations into practice quickly enough to make a difference for the climate? Let’s hope so. The report’s recommended financed emissions reduction trajectory for banks represents the minimum reductions necessary to align banks with an emissions trajectory that will stay within the world’s dwindling budget of carbon that can safely be emitted through mid-century.
As Bill McKibben, the Carbon Tracker Initiative, and others have noted, this global carbon budget leaves precious little room for error if the world is to avert catastrophic climate change, making it incumbent on banks to address their financed emissions as soon as possible. | <urn:uuid:6df46876-bf82-485a-b2a4-4a4cbf8f0b5a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thecontributor.com/financed-emissions-big-problem-banks-and-bigger-problem-climate | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00052-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934442 | 845 | 3 | 3 |
Books, DVDs and learning tools
Like with guitars, there are dozens of resources to help you learn and improve your ukulele playing: books, DVDs, YouTube videos, song books and online tabs, teaching books, chord finders and more. Here are a few I've picked up, with some review notes. You can often simply take a guitar song book and play the chords on a ukulele, appreciating the increase in pitch and reduced number of strings. But often ukulele arrangements take into account the instrument's differences.
There are several different styles of music presentation. Some songs are just lyrics and chords. Others include the musical notation (requiring you to read music). Some include tablature (tab) - the string and fret being identified in an easy-to-read format. I personally prefer chords and tabs because I read music slowly.
The Complete Ukulele Course, by Ralph Shaw (DVD, 2003). You have to like Ralph: he's so bubbly and has so much fun playing and teaching, it's contagious. This is one of those basic packages that start from scratch - what is a ukulele? - and lead the viewer through tuning, simple chords, strumming and the most rudimentary level of playing. By the end, you should be able to play one or two songs.
Calling it complete is a bit misleading, but back when it was first released it was pretty much the only uke training DVD around and covered much more than anyone else did. I donated my copy to the Collingwood library where it is constantly on loan to people who are also taking out one of the library's three ukes.
The DVD has nine chapters all aimed at non-musicians. If you have no background in musical theory, and have never played a guitar, and you're new to the uke, then this DVD is a great place to start. It's a pretty plain presentation, all business with no distractions. If you have experience with a guitar or mandolin, you might find this a little too elementary, but it's still useful.
Ralph, an inexhaustible performer, has other DVDs that may interest you including Essential Strums (see links). He offers some PDF songs and a ukulele newsletter from his Web site.
Ukulele: The World's Friendliest Instrument, by Daniel Dixon (Gibbs Smith, 2011). A nice production with full-colour printing on gloss stock, this is about ukulele history, culture and performers. There's even a chapter on manufacturing. Lots of pictures accompany the light and entertaining text, but you may find the short shrift given to James Hill and the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain unfulfilling. It's main weakness is the paucity of resources listed at the back - three clubs, four Web sites, four manufacturers, and the inexplicable lack of an index. Despite these flaws, it's a book every uke player will want.
"Jumpin'" Jim Beloff has a lot of books out, mostly song books. You can pretty much pick one that suits your tastes in music. Some of these are good, but others are questionable. I picked up Jumpin' Jim's 60s Uke-in: 25 Really Groovy Songs Arranged for the Ukulele (Hal Leonard, 1999) because the 60s was my time. But this collection disappointed me. It's not just the collection, which I think is a weak selection from a great era, but a lot of the chord arrangements just don't work for me. The songs are presented with uke chords, lyrics and musical notation. I would have preferred tablature or plus tablature. The whole thing feels like it was tossed together without a lot of thought about the time it is supposed to represent.
The book comes with a basic chord list and some notes on tuning, transposing and uke sizes, all of which are useful. Jim's books are generally good additions to your collection, but you may find other arrangements to these and other Sixties songs online that suit you better.
Jim is also the man behind the Fluke (Flea Market Music), and publishes some great collections of arrangements by performers who are all considerably better than I will ever be. Don't judge his efforts by this book alone. He's got a lot to offer. A better collection (to my mind) is his collection of classics: Jumpin Jim's Ukulele Favorites, which has songs like Bye Bye Blackbird, Over the Rainbow, I'm in the Mood for Love and Tip Toe Through the Tulips.
Ukulele Fretboard Maps, by Fred Sokolow and Jim Beloff (Hal Leonard, 2006). This is a step beyond the beginner level, and includes a CD with 59 tracks from simple tuning through strumming styles to play-along songs. It's a bit of a mixed bag of styles and songs, techniques, strumming style and music theory. It mixes musical notation with tabs, so you can use either according to your level. While the song collection is a bit meandering - folk, Hawaiian, blues, rock - overall, the book is a great learning package for people who have graduated beyond the beginner level and want to learn more.
Fingerstyle Solos for Ukulele, by Mark Kailana Nelson (Mel Bay, 2006). An intermediate level book mixing musical notation and tablature. Comes with 27 tracks on CD. It's a bit difficult to follow Mark's written notes on technique and style without listening to the CD at the same time. He comments on numerous measures in the notation, but assumes the reader can pick them out - I would have marked the annotated measures more clearly for novices. However, this a good package for moving up to the next step in technique. It assumes you have the basics down, but it's not advanced enough to scare away determined novices.
Treasury of Ukulele Chords, by Roy Sakuma (Roy Sakuma Productions, 1998). You should have a chord dictionary with your uke. This one is a fairly basic guide, aimed at the novice to intermediate player. It doesn't give as many alternate chord fingerings as a more advanced player might like. You can a download one and two-page chord charts online that give all the basics, but Sakuma's book will take you a step further until you're ready for something more comprehensive. One of the things that sets this chord dictionary apart is Roy's categorization of chords by emotional terms. Not necessarily accurate, but entertaining.
The Ukulele Chord Bible: 2,160 chords. By Tobe Richards, Fretted Friends series (Cabot Books, 2007). Another good chord directory, but also valuable for the additional information on music theory, and on the ukulele family. Also available in a baritone edition (if you can find one). So far the most comprehensive chord dictionaries I've seen.
The Gig Bag Picture Chords for Ukulele offers photographs for 28 different chord formations in each key, plus two alternatives for each, for 1,008 chord layouts. It also has as traditional chord diagrams. It lacks any single-page collations showing, say, all the chords in a particular key or all the majors, minors, sevenths, and so on, however. It's good for novices who aren't sure how their fingers should be placed, and it's Cerlox-bound to lay flat. Very handy.
For another comprehensive reference guide, look to the Hal Leonard Ukulele Chord Finder (Hal Leonard, 2005) or similar Mel Bay books. Hal Leonard's little book shows more than 1,000 chords arranged by key, with three positions for each chord. It also includes a few introductory pages on musical theory and chord construction. It is also inexpensive, small and fits into a uke case with room to spare.
I personally keep a small, laminated, double-sided chord chart in my cases, just in case I forget how to make chords like Ebdim or C9+5 (which I do a lot... or I confuse guitar chords with uke chords). Search online and you can find this sort of chart in a printable PDF file. or download my small chord book.
L.A. White's self-published Ukulele Players Guide (sic) is a 209-page work that left me ambivalent. It has rather a lot about the author's personal taste in music and I found it rather pedantic at best. Pages 38 to 89 are all about the type of music he likes to play and listen to - mostly music written and performed before the 1950s.
While he obviously has a passion for that music, and for his ukuleles, neither translate through into his words. Then after a hiatus, he returns to more about his musical preferences, plus buying and recording old vinyl, from page 144 to 186, and again from 196 to 206 - half the book in total is only marginally uke related. In between these sections are chapters on buying, refinishing, repairing and playing the ukulele, music theory and some odds and ends. There are several low-res greyscale photographs, and many crude, hand-drawn chord diagrams. It's a meandering, unfocused work that could have greatly benefitted from the hand of a good editor and a graphic or layout designer. The missing apostrophe in the book's title is indicative of the editorial laxity. For updates, see his website: ukuleleguide.com
Lance also released Ukulele Guide Open Mic Songbook, a spiral-bound collection of arrangements of vintage songs. What sets this 27-song collection apart is that Lance eschews the popular pieces of the era and instead focuses on some relatively unknown songs (unknown today, that is). That makes it valuable because many of these songs are difficult to find in a uke version. Don't know the tune? No worry: Lance provides a CD with him performing them all. It's a good collection for vintage music buffs. Personally I prefer his collection to those in Ian Whitcomb's books.
How to Play Blues Ukulele. This is one of several titles by Al Wood who runs the How to Play the Ukulele and Uke Hunt web sites. His other titles include instruction books on chord progressions, playing national anthems, Christmas music, ragtime and a basic instruction guide called Ukulele 101. The obviously talented Mr. Wood has turned out some essential works for your ukulele library, all available as PDF downloads, with MP3 samples and songs included in the package. Blues Uke costs a modest $15, although the price rose after October 08.
Since most people don't think of the uke as a blues instrument, this book may strike some as an oddity, but anything you can play on guitar can be played on a ukulele, even blues. Wood walks you through it, from basic 12-bar progressions to bluesy riffs, turnarounds, scales and chord patterns. It's a practical manual that takes you forward in easy steps, all well laid out with diagrams, tablature and text descriptions. It's easy to follow and understand, with many short practice examples backed up by MP3 clips, so anyone, even novices, can benefit from this book. This is an excellent work that will help you move your ukulele playing forward in a new direction.
I had a chance to browse Woods' Ragtime book a friend purchased, and would suggest it's aimed at a far more advanced player than I am. Something to aim for! It's another well-produced tutorial.
Ukulele Heaven is one of the many songbooks by prolific musician and writer, Ian Whitcomb. The subtitle is Songs from the Golden Age of the Ukulele. Included in this title are 17 vintage songs, plus 8 of Whitcomb's own uke tunes, all scored for the uke.
Whitcomb has become the archivist of ukulele music from the 1920s and 30s, both in performing and restoring them. His other works (also published by Mel Bay) include Treasures from Tin Pan Alley, The Best of Vintage Dance, The Titanic Songbook, Songs of the Ragtime Era and Songs of the Jazz Age, however most of these are scored for guitar and piano, not ukulele. Each book comes with a CD of the songs, most of them played by Whitcomb and his orchestra or with his friends. George Formby and Cliff Edwards each have one tune on the Ukulele Heaven CD. Update: I recently added Ian Whitcomb's Ukulele Sing-Along and Uke Ballads: A Treasury of Twenty-Five Love Songs Old and New to my collection.
Most of these songs will be unknown to today's audience, except perhaps for Any Time (revived for an ad jingle), although you may also have heard Mexicali Rose and A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody, Shine on Harvest Moon, Smile and a few others. While the music is great to listen to, solo uke players may have some difficulty trying to learn the ukulele parts alone, which are often lost in the orchestration on the CDs. No lead parts are presented in tablature, and no tips or tricks for learning provided.
Whitcomb also scores his music for his voice (and orchestra), which means several songs in Bb, Ab, Eb and Db. For novices, this leads to some complex and difficult chord fingerings. Perhaps these are even the authentic, original keys, but I would have preferred he transposed the tunes into keys that were more familiar and easier to learn, like C and G. Whitcomb writes an intro - really a mini autobiography - for each book, which can vary from some short notes to a lengthy "memoir" from a ukulele player of the 1920s, but there are no song notes, no performance notes and no explanations as to why he chose any of these songs.
Another thing you'll notice is that many of his books have reproductions of old songsheet covers - but not all the songs themselves are included. In Uke Ballads, for example, there are 26 covers but only 15 of them in arrangements. If you scanned through the book without looking at the contents, you would expect those others to be included. It can be very disappointing. Besides, with all due respect for Whitcomb's songwriting abilities, I'd rather have books of vintage music, without his modern works always included.
Another book for advanced players is Lyle Ritz Solos, a collection of 15 great songs laid out for playing chord solos. It's very challenging!
There's a CD included with the songs all performed by Lyle, and that really helps when you are practicing. I found a lot of the chord changes difficult and awkward to make at any reasonable speed - not because of the way Lyle has presented them but my inexperience and clumsiness. However, I also found that his versions could be used for a simpler way to play the songs, by ignoring some of the chords and sticking to the main ones.
Three new uke books were added to my collection recently: Lyle Lite (an unfortunate misspelling of "light" created by advertising and marketing illiterates) chord solos, Blues Ukulele, and Ukulele Chord Solos. The first two are Jumpin' Jim (Flea Market Music) books, the third is Mel Bay. All come with a music CD. I also got a fourth book which, while not specifically a ukulele book, has several easily-converted guitar chord songs: Jazz Standards. More on these in the future.
The George Formby Songbook (Wise Publications) has 22 uke arrangements of Formby's songs, including When I'm Cleaning Windows, Chinese Laundry Blues, Leaning on a Lamp Post and Little Ukulele. Some hits and some more obscure pieces, but a must for Formby fans. You can probably find a video on YouTube, if you don't know a song.
Curt Scheller sells several very good e-books on his website, ranging in topic from beginner to advanced. I had the opportunity to examine several of them a local uke player had purchased and printed, and they are very well done. His books are also sold in printed version.
Other uke books are available through online booksellers, ukulele sellers like Flea Market Music, and often through eBay sellers who specialize in ukuleles, like musicguymic.
Music Theory For Dummies, by Michael Pilhofer and Holly Day (Wiley Publishing, 2007). While not uke-specific, this is a nice introduction for any would-be strummer and picker. As someone who has always played by ear, I had ignored music theory for the longest time. Now I'm trying to expand my knowledge and understanding of it, and this is a good place to star. Written with humour and lightness, it is nonetheless a competent textbook. Comes with a CD of audio examples from the book.
YouTube and Web sites are great sources for tutorials, song tabs, arrangements, chord diagrams, MP3s, and techniques. There are lessons in video format on YouTube, the Ukulele Underground and other forums. I will cover some of these in more detail shortly. Explore them at your leisure. All are valuable resources.
In the meantime: SEARCH. Use Google and YouTube to find what you want. Check the forums and the links below (Curt Sheller has a page of video links). There are a lot of free resources online you should explore, too. Check my vintage music books and sheet music pages, if you're looking for some original music (or visit my new site: www.vintageukemusic.com for more information and purchasing options.)
Update: In 2010, I picked up several Hal Leonard "Easy Fake Books" for "Early Songs" (pre-1920), 1920s and 1930s (the 1940s book is on order). While not uke-specific, these offer simplified arrangements (all in the key of C) for many popular songs of the era. They're not always the most accurate chords and sometimes I find playing the guitar chord pattern rather than the written key makes the song sound better on the uke (i.e. where it says C I play the tenor uke F - 2010 instead of 0003). But they're a good place to start working on my own arrangements and a source of lyrics. You need a chord book handy with these because there are no diagrams, just the letters. | <urn:uuid:8a065bcb-a81d-454e-acba-0e0bee48c7da> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ianchadwick.com/ukuleles/books.htm | 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 | 0.966299 | 3,873 | 2.71875 | 3 |
|Ziren Wang Photography|
Water buffaloes are often seen plowing through pieces of farmland all over China. It's a cheap and (to an extent) efficient, so maybe that explains why this animal is so extensively exploited in farming. I'm not sure, but does the buffalo know what it's doing and where it's going? If he does, why is there a need for a farmer to guide it along from behind?
I am Ziren Wang, a student from Raffles Institution, Singapore. I picked up a camera in January 2009 and I've never looked back. I seek to contribute to the very community that introduced me to photography as well - my school. I frequently and delightfully cover events for my school and my community as a member of the photographic society.
Your comments are greatly appreciated, and your critiques are adored. However, please do not reproduce these photos in any way without my permission. Please contact me if you have any enquiries. Visit my About page for my contact details.
Canon EOS 500D | <urn:uuid:1b2f8e0b-5305-437c-954b-ac42cf2dabb7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://zirenphoto.aminus3.com/image/2010-06-18.html | 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 | 0.974343 | 215 | 1.703125 | 2 |
10 de Mayo de 2012 Eventos en tu universidad
Green Chemistry Education Webinar
10/ Mayo/ 2012 2:30 am - 3:30 pm
Free EPA Webinar The Webinar is aimed at school teachers and other school - related managers and personnel with an interest to learn about and apply better chemical management in school laboratories and the basic principles of a green chemistry - oriented science education in the classroom. College and University educators that teach chemistry, or other sciences, including representatives at Teachers' Colleges and other Education Departments will also find the information useful. Individuals with school health and safety responsibilities may also find the practical experience of the NYS DEC and Beyond Benign of use. In addition, representatives from select state agencies and private organizations with an interest in supporting the overall advancement of green chemistry and collaborating with educators will find this Webinar of interest. | <urn:uuid:5421c9ba-87fa-40a4-ae66-df02a93824aa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.uprm.edu/eventos/index.php?lng=1&type=html&view=event&event=60604&date=1336622400 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.913653 | 172 | 2.40625 | 2 |
"NASA sponsors research into many areas of cutting-edge scientific inquiry, including the relationship between carbon dioxide and climate. As an agency, NASA does not draw conclusions and issue 'claims' about research findings. We support open scientific inquiry and discussion.
"Our Earth science programs provide many unique space-based observations and research capabilities to the scientific community to inform investigations into climate change, and many NASA scientists are actively involved in these investigations, bringing their expertise to bear on the interpretation of this information. We encourage our scientists to subject these results and interpretations to scrutiny by the scientific community through the peer-review process. After these studies have met the appropriate standards of scientific peer-review, we strongly encourage scientists to communicate these results to the public.
"If the authors of this letter disagree with specific scientific conclusions made public by NASA scientists, we encourage them to join the debate in the scientific literature or public forums rather than restrict any discourse." | <urn:uuid:2f032078-b86b-410e-8a3f-ef60b1a4495c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=36679 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.921676 | 188 | 2.484375 | 2 |
March 12, 2010- Arnall Patz, director emeritus of the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins; a pivotal figure in the history of ophthalmology; and the recipient of both a Presidential Medal of Freedom and an Albert Lasker Award, often called the “American Nobel,” for his groundbreaking research into the causes and prevention of blindness, died on March 11.
Patz died in his sleep at his home in Pikesville, Md. He was 89.
A member of the Johns Hopkins medical faculty since 1955, he was widely honored for his lifetime contributions to ophthalmology, including discovery of the cause of retrolental fibroplasia, now called retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), an affliction of premature infants that once was the most common reason for childhood blindness. He also was known for his development of one of the first argon lasers used to treat diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Patz led the Wilmer Eye Institute from 1979 to 1989 and had been an active professor emeritus until his death. He was known for encouraging the work of young physicians who went on to become internationally acclaimed eye specialists.
“Dr. Patz’s influence in ophthalmology as a clinician, researcher and mentor will be powerful and long-lasting,” said Edward D. Miller, M.D., dean of the faculty of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine. “He graced the school and hospital for more than half a century, and we are enormously proud to have his extraordinary contributions as part of our history.”
“Dr. Patz will always be considered by his peers and those throughout our profession as a man who contributed so critically to preserving sight,” said Peter J. McDonnell, M.D., current director of Wilmer and once a resident at Johns Hopkins who was mentored by Patz. “His inspiration and leadership of fellow professionals, along with his guidance and encouragement to all of our medical students, made us fortunate to know him.”
1956, Helen Keller presents the
prestigious Albert Lasker Medical
Research Award to Drs. Arnall
Patz (right) and Everett Kinsey
Born on June 14, 1920, in rural Elberton, Ga., Patz received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Emory University in Atlanta, graduating from its medical school in 1945. After service during World War II, he joined the eye clinic at the Walter Reed Army Hospital, then began his residency in ophthalmology at the District of Columbia General Hospital.
While there, he observed more than 20 premature infants who had severe ROP, noting that many of them had received high levels of oxygen. He found that they had an abnormal overgrowth of blood vessels in the eye that caused irreparable damage to the retina and frequently led to blindness. With Leroy Hoeck, pediatric chief of the nursery, he conducted what many considered one of the first controlled clinical trials in American ophthalmology to test his belief that the excessive exposure to oxygen caused the condition in preemies. Initially denied research funding for his pilot experiments with premature infants, he funded his first tests with money borrowed from his brother, Louis. Subsequent studies in collaboration with Everett Kinsey, M.D., a famed biochemist, confirmed Patz’s theory.
Patz’s findings proving the link between high levels of oxygen and ROP led to a change in pediatric practices that subsequently saved the sight of countless infants.
Following his work on ROP, Patz studied ways to stop the leaking and overgrowth of blood vessels in the retina, a condition associated with many diseases. Recognizing the potential of lasers to seal the leaking and stop the overgrowth of these blood vessels, Patz developed the argon laser with the help of colleagues at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. Their work paved the way for sight-saving treatment of many degenerative eye conditions, including diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration and retinal tearing.
Patz maintained an extensive private ophthalmology practice while serving as a part-time faculty member at Hopkins for 15 years before the Seeing Eye Foundation awarded him a research professorship at Wilmer in 1970, when he joined the faculty full time as founder of Johns Hopkins’ Retinal Vascular Center. During his decade as the fourth director of Wilmer, he oversaw enlargement of its clinical and research facilities and programs, ensuring its continued advances as one of the world’s renowned eye care and research centers.
Morton F. Goldberg, M.D., another of Patz’s protégés and his immediate successor as director of Wilmer, called him “an exceptional colleague and friend, whom I consider to be one of the greatest ophthalmologists and greatest human beings in modern medicine. It was his passion, as well as his brilliance, that made him a great researcher and clinician, and most importantly, a mentor to all of us who learned and worked with him.”
When he was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004, Patz was acclaimed by President George W. Bush as “the man who has given to uncounted men, women and children the gift of sight.”
“For more than a half-century, his name has been the gold standard in the field of researching the causes and treatment of eye disease,” his citation read.
A modest man despite his remarkable achievements and the acclaim he received, Patz demurred when praised. Asked his reaction to his Medal of Freedom award, he said, “I was astonished, totally overwhelmed and honored. And I could name 50 other medical scientists who probably deserve it more than I do.” He later said that getting a chance to meet golfing legend Arnold Palmer at the White House ceremony where they both received the Medal of Freedom was as astounding as receiving the medal itself.
In addition to the Lasker and Medal of Freedom awards, Patz received the Friedenwald Research Award in 1980, the inaugural Isaac C. Michaelson Medal in 1986, the first Helen Keller Prize for Vision Research in 1994, and the 2001 Pisart International Vision Award from The Lighthouse International.
Always intellectually curious, he also earned a master of liberal arts degree from the Johns Hopkins Krieger School of Arts and Sciences when he was 78. He spent summers in Maine at a log cabin he built with his family. He was an avid fly fisherman and a ham radio operator serving the Maryland Eye Bank.
Patz is survived by his wife, Ellen, five children and eight grandchildren. | <urn:uuid:fbb3fb34-cea4-4a88-a308-ce3173da3912> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/Press_releases/2010/03_12a_10.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98094 | 1,384 | 2.671875 | 3 |
In my nearly 20 years experience as a Russian living in the West, I have found that almost all my fellows can be reduced to five basic types: 1) The White Russian; 2) The Sovok Jew; 3) The Egghead Emigre; 4) Natasha Gold-Digger; 5) Putin’s Expat.
My background and qualifications to write on this topic? My dad is an academic who moved to the UK with his family in 1994, i.e. an Egghead Emigre. Later on, I moved to California. Much of the Russian community in the Bay Area (though not Sacramento!) are in fact Russian Jews, who are culturally distinct from Russians, albeit the boundaries are blurred and there’s lots of intermingling though Russian cultural events. Topping off the cake, I have some White Russian ancestors, and am familiar with many of them as well as more recent expats via my hobby of Russia punditry.
I hope this guide will entertain American and Russian (and Jewish) readers interested in what happens when their cultures interact and fuse, as well as those very Russian Americans who will doubtless see traces of themselves in at least one of the five main archetypes.
Arrived in: 1917-1920′s, 1945
Social origins: Clerks, Tsarist officials, aristocrats, White Army officers, philosophers.
Culturally related to: Earlier Orthodox Slavic migrants from the Russian Empire who came from 1880-1914, though White Russians proper are more sophisticated than them as they tended to be high class whereas former were peasants.
Political sympathies (US): Moderate conservatism
Political sympathies (Russia): Putin, Prokhorov
No, I’m not talking about Jeff Lebowski’s favorite cocktail. The White Russians (or “White emigres”) are the officers, officials, and intellectuals who fled their country after the Russian Revolution. Prominent examples included Zworykin (TV), Sikorsky (helicopters), and Nabokov (writer). They did not necessarily come to the US straight away: Many came via the great European cities, like Berlin, or Paris, where in the 1920′s, old White Army officers sat around dinghy bars, drowning their sorrows in drink and spending what remained of their money on cockroach racing. Some took more roundabout ways. One girl I know originated from Russian exiles in Harbin, Manchuria (mother’s side) and Brazil (father’s side) who met up and stayed in the US. | <urn:uuid:1c6e54e3-0293-42b9-93ba-27fd5d588ef6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://darussophile.com/tag/westernization/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949618 | 535 | 1.953125 | 2 |
Encrypting a file to multiple recipients
ACM125 at motorola.com
Thu Dec 30 17:26:38 CET 2004
I'm trying to encrypt a file using a list of recipients.
For instance, I have a file called test.txt and I want to encrypt this file to send to multiple recipients (recipient_01 and recipient_02).
I'm using the following command line (I have tested and it works):
gpg --yes -r "recipient_01" -r "recipient_02" -e test.txt -o test_encrypted.txt.gpg.
This command works fine.
However, I'd like to know if I really have to repeat the "-r" before each recipient or if there is a way of executing this command typing something like
gpg --yes -r--list-recipients "recipient_01" "recipient_02" -e test.txt
More information about the Gnupg-users | <urn:uuid:5e947067-358d-4b71-8a87-2432bd2e7d61> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lists.gnupg.org/pipermail/gnupg-users/2004-December/024220.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.901737 | 209 | 1.835938 | 2 |
1. You will be yelled at if you don't whisper. These days, some of the noisiest people in the library are the members of the staff. While library staff members may still look askance at loud, extended cell phone use, libraries today are a lot less quiet than they used to be.
2. It takes a long time for libraries to get newly released books, movies and CDs processed and on their shelves. Any library worth its salt will have books, music and DVDs processed and ready for the shelves in time for the items' release dates.
3. Libraries love it when people donate the old books they have stored away in boxes in their basement or garage; the library's patrons are anxiously awaiting the acquisition of your forty year old set of the World Book Encyclopedia and poli sci textbooks from 1977. Nobody likes to throw out books, especially ones that cost a lot of money when new, but most textbooks become dated very quickly and almost no one coming into a public library is looking to check them out. When old sets of encyclopedias are left abandoned at the library's door (yes, this happens more than you realize), all it does is create additional work for the library's maintenance staff. Please resist the temptation to drop off boxes of old books at the library under cover of darkest night. Please.
4. Everyone who works in a library is a librarian. The standard in the United States is for a professional librarian to have a master's degree in library or information science in addition to holding a bachelor's degree in just about anything. Librarians are the people staffing the reference desk, selecting items for the collection, arranging and running programs, designing web pages and other online content, or working in an administrative/executive capacity. The people who work at the circulation desk are frequently referred to by the public as librarians but they are not. This is often a very sticky subject, especially since it is the case more often than not that library employees, professional or otherwise, are underpaid relative to their counterparts in other branches of municipal or county government. Unfortunately, when the term "librarian" is used to designate anyone who works in a library regardless of their level of education and training, it makes it easier for uninformed politicians to justify keeping all library salaries low; it also plays into the hands of those who think that libraries can be staffed entirely by volunteers. The accuracy of job titles is important, but so is the notion of respect and equity for all library employees regardless of their job titles. If compensation for library workers were better, the tensions surrounding the distinctions between professional and non-professional employees would be greatly diminished.
5. All female librarians are sexually repressed, cranky spinsters who take out their unhappiness on the people who come to use the library. Those who are still young enough can be transformed into the male fantasy "sexy librarian," but only if they can be convinced to take off their glasses and let down their hair; think Marian the librarian from The Music Man. I would be lying if I did not acknowledge my own youthful encounters with female library staff members who were unfriendly and punitive, but those days are long over. The vast majority of people I know who currently work as librarians are very friendly and customer service oriented. They are also certainly no more or less attractive than people working in just about any other profession, save super model. That old stereotype really needs to go.
6. All male librarians chose this particular field because they have personality issues and can not make it in any other profession. There are many negative depictions of male library workers in literature - Goodbye, Columbus and Sophie's Choice are two that come readily to mind. To the contrary, men going into the field today see librarianship as a way to combine their interest in technology and literature. The male librarians I know are extremely cool and interesting people.
7. Reference librarians are no longer necessary since everyone knows how to find what they need with google. I first received training to search the web back in 1995 and I've lost track of the number of times I've located information for a patron in a matter of seconds, after having had that person tell me that they had been searching unsuccessfully for that information for hours, if not days. Additionally, librarians are good at finding information on the "hidden web," proprietory databases for which the library has paid subscription fees and which the average person is not aware of.
8. No one would notice the difference if you fired all the library staff and ran it with volunteers. With municipal and county budgets taking huge hits in many parts of the country, it is inevitable that some politicians will try to use this tired old argument. Volunteers have good intentions, but good intentions alone do not bring with them the specialized expertise that librarians and paraprofessional staff bring to their job through education, training and work experience. Most volunteers are looking to contribute a relatively small number of hours per week; today's library circulation systems are sufficiently complex that even the most intelligent volunteer would be hard pressed to develop proficiency working only a few hours a week at the circulation desk. The years of acquired knowledge stored away by a seasoned reference librarian cannot automatically be duplicated by someone with no formal training or experience.
9. The librarian determines what items should be added to the library's collection by reading each book and viewing each DVD before making a final decision. Ironically, even if I quit my job, I wouldn't be able to accomplish this task.
10. The library does not provide materials in digitized format for people with e-readers and other devices. Not true, as libraries have already begun to provide e-books as well as downloadable audio and video. If this is what you want and it is not already happening at your library, you need to speak up. | <urn:uuid:1109a3aa-52c0-4180-9786-43d485fe7dfb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://heydeadguy.typepad.com/heydeadguy/2011/02/misperceptions-some-people-have-about-public-libraries.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970575 | 1,203 | 2.015625 | 2 |
Study Gives Snorers an Urgent Wake-Up Call
New research finds that people who snore face a much higher risk of heart disease. Take action now to sleep better and breathe easy.
If you or your partner snore, it could be much more than a minor annoyance. A study released last week by researchers at Detroit's Henry Ford Hospital found that snoring is a greater risk factor for developing heart disease than obesity, high cholesterol or even smoking.
"Snoring isn't just a bothersome yet benign condition," says Dr. Robert Deeb, an otolaryngologist and chief staff surgeon at Henry Ford who was the study's lead author, "but rather a true health problem that can lead to thicker or abnormal carotid arteries," the two large blood vessels that supply the brain with oxygenated blood.
(MORE: Erectile Dysfunction Is Found to Be a Strong Indicator of Heart Disease)
In Deeb's study, "snorers were more likely to have an increased thickening in the lining of their carotid artery," he says. The vibrations generated by snoring appear to cause trauma in the arteries, leading to inflammation and thickening. "This is a precursor to atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, which can lead to serious problems, including heart attack and stroke."
Several previous studies have found that people who suffer from sleep apnea — a disorder caused by constricted airways and characterized by loud snoring and abnormal pauses in breathing — have a higher prevalence of cardiovascular problems. But the Henry Ford study focused on subjects who snored, but did not have sleep apnea. The center plans to launch further studies to determine more fully the connection between snoring and incidence of cardiovascular conditions.
What to Do Now if You Snore
In addition to apnea, snoring can be caused by obesity, obstructed nasal airways, a long soft palate or poor muscle tone in the throat and tongue. If you or a loved one snores on a regular basis, Deeb suggests asking your doctor about the possibility of participating in a sleep study.
"By discovering the cause of your snoring, your doctor can formulate a treatment plan and also evaluate any other potential cardiac risk factors," Deeb says. "A procedure such as a palatal implant or a device such as a dental mouthpiece are often very effective in eliminating snoring." (Learn more about these and other treatment options for adults who snore from the American College of Otolaryngology.)
(MORE: Could a Single Pill Reduce Heart Disease?)
Unfortunately, many health insurers consider snoring a cosmetic concern. As a result, most patients are required to pay out of pocket for devices and procedures to treat the problem. Deeb hopes studies like his will begin to change that thinking. He also hopes that reports of his findings will empower people to talk about snoring with their partners and doctors. Detecting early signs of hardened arteries could lead to earlier treatments and better outcomes.
"Rather than just asking your significant other to sleep on the couch when they're snoring," Deeb says, "encourage them to make a doctor's appointment."
Along with the arterial concerns, another reason snorers may have an elevated risk of heart disease is that the condition often causes sleep deprivation, says cardiologist Nieca Goldberg, director of the Women's Heart Program at New York University's Langone Medical Center and a spokesperson for the American Heart Association.
"Poor sleep and sleep deprivation can lead to high blood pressure, glucose intolerance and belly fat — all risk factors for heart disease," she says. "The Henry Ford study is a good wake-up call to talk to your doctor about snoring and sleeplessness, the possible underlying causes and how they can be corrected."
(MORE: 6 Health Risks of Poor Sleep, and 6 Ways to Avoid Them)
Nearly 40 percent of American adults snore, according to National Sleep Foundation research, but few seek medical help for the condition. Snoring also tends to become worse with age because, as we get older, the muscles in our throats become more lax.
Gaining weight can lead to a loss of muscle tone in the throat, which also exacerbates the problem. Losing weight, Goldberg says, can be an important first step toward eliminating snoring and reducing your overall cardiac disease risk. Following a regimen like Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) or the Mediterranean diet can help you lose weight while also promoting heart-healthy dishes rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat or nonfat dairy, beans and nuts, Goldberg says.
"Knowing your cardiac risk factors, including snoring, and addressing them with your doctor," she says, "can help prevent heart disease or minimize any damage that may have occurred."
RELATED VIDEO: "Women's Heart Disease: Challenges in Diagnoses" on Second Opinion
© Twin Cities Public Television — 2013. All rights reserved. | <urn:uuid:70199199-6b7b-4abe-a1b6-f2432e20488d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nextavenue.org/article/2013-02/study-gives-snorers-urgent-wake-call | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954169 | 1,018 | 2.90625 | 3 |
In his State of the Union Address earlier this year, President Bush joined budget reformers in urging the adoption of the line-item veto as a way of limiting the inexorable growth of federal spending. Anyone familiar with the history of budget reform knows this well-intentioned effort is doomed to failure. If Congress is serious about cutting spending, it should represent taxpayers in budget decisions.
For over 30 years, reformers have been trying to hold the line on spending. In 1974, the solution was thought to be the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act. In 1985, salvation was supposed to come in the form of the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act. Over the years, lawmakers have proposed practically every conceivable legal device to cut, cap, limit, or freeze spending. Yet from major entitlements to petty boondoggles, programs continue to expand.
Why do these efforts to restrain spending fail? The answer is simple: most congressmen believe that spending programs are beneficial and necessary. This may come as a surprise to outsiders, who imagine that congressmen can recognize the flaws in government agencies, but are somehow corrupted to vote for wasteful programs against their better judgment. But lawmakers live in a cocoon of pro-spending propaganda, which lulls them into believing worthless programs are worthy.
THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM is that it is very costly to communicate with Congress. Civics books say that everyone has the right to be heard in a democracy, but the truth is that it takes time and effort to reach a congressman to advance a point of view. Suppose you hear of a spending program that seems questionable. Take, for example, the State Nutrition Action Plans programs of the Food and Nutrition Service of the Department of Agriculture. You, the taxpayer, discover that it shells out $500 million to state bureaucracies to support vaguely defined programs and conferences in “nutrition education.” You think it’s a boondoggle, and you wish government would stop spending your money on it, but can you afford to take the trouble to persuade lawmakers to stop funding it?
Writing a letter isn’t good enough. It would be only one of thousands of missives that aides file away and forget (after sending you the computer-generated response that says how sincerely the congressman appreciates your point of view). To get your point across, you are going to have to take a trip to Washington to meet with lawmakers personally. Well, that’s going to take days and days, and thousands of dollars. And what are you going to tell the lawmakers when you see them? You have to have facts and figures to back up your point. That means you have to research the program, which will require more time and effort on your part.
Before you undertake this lobbying project, you ask yourself what you stand to gain from it. Let’s say you pay $10,000 a year in federal taxes. That means that this $500 million program costs you $1.67. There’s no self-interest here.
Let’s suppose you are an idealist, and want to end wasteful spending in order to protect the economic health of the country. Again, the problem of scale defeats you. Even if this program were eliminated, it would reduce federal spending by only 0.017% — and therefore have no noticeable effect on the nation’s economy. You reach the conclusion, then, that there is no motive, selfish or idealistic, for you to lobby against a run-of-the-mill spending program. You fall back on your couch in frustration.
Now consider what the supporters of spending programs are doing. These include administrators whose incomes, status, and careers depend on their programs. Eliminating their programs would cost them not a mere $1.67 but their jobs! Hence, they have an enormous personal financial interest in lobbying for the continuation of their programs. Furthermore, administrators don’t have to fund their lobbying activities out of their own pockets. Everything they do to promote their programs — meeting with congressmen, preparing flattering reports and press releases, organizing supporters — is funded by taxpayers.
The second contingent of program supporters is the lobbyists hired by those who get tax-funded payments, subsidies, and contracts. They too have vested financial and professional interests in maintaining and expanding spending. And, just like the administrators, the lobbyists make no personal sacrifices in lobbying for higher spending. Public relations and propaganda are what they get paid for.
What would happen, then, if someone proposed eliminating a program like the State Nutrition Action Plans? Congressmen would hear from scores of authoritative, well-connected administrators and lobbyists who have weeks of taxpayer-funded time available to defend it. And because there is little money to be made in protecting the public interest, no capable, sophisticated lobbyist would advance the taxpayer’s position that the program was unnecessary.
TO CORRECT THIS IMBALANCE, Congress itself should create an Office of Taxpayer Advocacy charged with the specific mission of representing the taxpayer interest in opposing unwise or unnecessary spending. This agency could employ thousands of researchers to investigate ineffective and unnecessary programs and highlight the damage done by the spending of tax dollars. It could establish a hotline for taxpayers to call about instances of waste and abuse. It could employ writers and public relations specialists to publicize the costs of spending proposals, to ensure that Congress, the media, and the public heard anti-spending arguments.
If administrators and lobbyists believe their programs are as valuable as they say, they should welcome scrutiny and feel confident that they will be able to refute their critics. The media should be happy to have voices on both sides of spending questions. Congress itself should embrace the idea. Most lawmakers know they are being bombarded by the self-interested sales pitches of spending advocates. They know they need to hear anti-spending arguments in order to make responsible decisions.
How much might such an office cost? With a staff of about 5,000, it would cost about $500,000,000 — 0.017% of the federal budget. Congress could pay for it by abolishing any one of dozens of questionable programs of equal size.
The creation of an Office of Taxpayer Advocacy would represent a revolutionary change. Congress would create, for the first time, a general interest lobby to counterbalance all the special interest lobbies it has created with its spending largesse. By representing the interests of American taxpayers in reality rather than rhetoric, Congress could commit itself to making wiser decisions, and put a brake on the reckless spending that threatens the economy.
James L. Payne has taught political science at Yale, Wesleyan, Johns Hopkins, and Texas A&M University. He is the author of The Culture of Spending: Why Congress Spends beyond Our Means (ICS Press 1991). This article is drawn from his report, Budgeting in Neverland: Irrational Policymaking in the U.S. Congress, just released by the Cato Institute.
A man of faith in a godless age is hitting Americans where it hurts.
Mr. and Mrs. American Spectator Reader, let P.J. O’Rourke talk sense to your kids.
In Britain, defending your property can get you life.
The debacle of this president’s administration is both a cause and a symptom of the decline of American values. Unless Congress impeaches him, that decline will go on unchecked. An eminent jurist surveys the damage and assesses the chances for the recovery of our culture.
It won’t take long for conservatives to scratch this presidential wannabe off their 2008 scorecard.
The American Christmas, like the songs that celebrate it, makes room for everybody under the rainbow. Is that why so many people seem to be hostile to it?
Was the President done in by the economy, or by the politics of the economy? | <urn:uuid:691dbc21-1ac6-4a27-8894-df43589b1490> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://spectator.org/archives/2006/07/26/want-to-control-spending | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00048-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960387 | 1,613 | 1.9375 | 2 |
UNITED KINGDOM’S (DRAFT) THIRD REPORT TO THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE UNDER THE FRAMEWORK CONVENTION FOR THE PROTECTION OF NATIONAL MINORITIES
About the Cornish Ethnicity Data Tracking Group
The Cornish Ethnicity Data Tracking Group (Cedtag) is a Cornish human rights and civil liberties research group established in 2006 as a result of concerns about the failure on the part of statutory bodies to collect even rudimentary statistical data on the Cornish. This missing information is the biggest statistical unknown in Cornwall, and one of national and international significance. The negative impact of this has been reinforced by the named exclusion of only the Cornish from protection under the UK Government’s second FCNM State Report.
With a focus on promoting educational, economic and cultural equality, fairness and justice towards the Cornish, Cedtag has the aim, in association with other organisations, of securing full recognition and a viable future for the Cornish.
The Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities in the UK
The Cornish Ethnicity Data Tracking Group has identified a number of key issues in regard to the United Kingdom Government’s (Draft) 3rd Report under the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, and to the application of the Framework Convention in the United Kingdom and its efficacy in protecting minorities within the UK.
1. Reasons for signing the Framework Convention.
A fundamental flaw in this legislation as administered in the UK is that the reasons for the UK Government signing the Convention are not for the purposes for which the Convention was intended. The UK Government has admitted to signing the Convention not to protect minorities but to “underline its commitment to tackle racial discrimination”. Tackling racial discrimination and the protection of minorities are not the same, and they require different measures and have differing results. The prevention of discrimination requires the elimination of imposed adverse distinctions, whereas the protection of minorities requires the establishment of safeguards to preserve distinctions voluntarily maintained. In the UK, combating racial discrimination is the function of Race Relations legislation while the protection of minorities is the role and purpose of the FCNM. By misapplying the Convention, its potential to protect minorities in the UK is effectively neutered.
2. Identification of included and excluded minority groups.
The Draft 3rd Report does not name the groups which are included within the Framework Convention, and neither does it identify the groups which are excluded. This makes it impossible for the Council of Europe, the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the Government itself or any other body to monitor the effectiveness of the FCNM in the UK on those who are included. It also means that UK legislators, policy makers and service providers are not provided with the information needed regarding which groups to award Convention rights and benefits to and it is not possible for public authorities, employees and service industries to know if they are carrying out their functions and if they have complied with or are breaking the law. To this effect, it would be particularly helpful for those involved in minority rights in the UK to have provision of a list of all the names of the minority groups which are included for protection within the FCNM in the UK, and a list of all the names of the groups which are excluded from protection.
3. Absence of definition of ‘National Minority’
The UK Government states that “‘National Minority’ is not a legally defined term within the UK”, despite, of course, the term being used in the Human Rights Act 1998. In the UK determination of the groups who may be protected by the Framework Convention is currently a matter of interpretation by the Courts, a system which has the capacity to be arbitrary and is viewed as too narrow. These factors are not helpful in facilitating the potential of the Framework Convention in the United Kingdom.
4. Political Motives for the Content of the UK Draft 3rd Report.
The Framework Convention has always been used for political purposes in the United Kingdom but the Draft 3rd Report would seem to observers to be purely a vehicle for use in
furthering a narrow Government agenda regarding race relations.
The Cornish language is mentioned, but there is no reference to the corresponding Cornish ethno-linguistic minority, its distinct heritage and culture, and the protection of the identity of those who are Cornish.
The Ulster Scots who were given real prominence in the UK 2nd Report have no mention made at all in the Draft 3rd Report. The Welsh Language is included in the Draft 3rd Report, but there is no reference to protecting or promoting Welsh identity, culture or heritage. Indeed, other than in the section on languages, just these 20 words are devoted to Scottish identity and culture: ‘to raise awareness among school staff and pupils about Scotland’s indigenous ethnic minority communities, and their place in Scottish society’. Europeans who form significant minority groups within the UK but who are neither Gypsy / Travellers nor ‘visible minorities’ are not mentioned in the Draft Report.
Further to this, although the Draft Report explains that while those protected have to be both a ‘racial group’, and a minority in the UK, as each constituent country is addressed individually then only minorities within these countries are highlighted, thus avoiding detailing provision for those who, like the Welsh and the Scots are minorities within the UK overall.
It would seem therefore that the Draft 3rd Report has the key political functions of assimilating the Black / Minority Ethnic (BME) groups, and providing for the Gypsy / Traveller groups who have no connection to a specific territory and thus prove no threat to the expansionary majority population, while eliminating for all practicable purposes any reference to protection of the indigenous / territorial / traditional minorities which include the Cornish and the Welsh.
5. Inclusion Dependent on Race Relations Case Law
The Advisory Committee has said that “on its own the ‘racial group’ criterion may result in exclusions from the Framework Convention’s scope of application of groups that have legitimate claims to be covered. The Government should consider supplementing its current criterion based on recognition as a ‘racial group’ in case law with other criteria to ensure that an equitable approach to the Framework Convention’s scope of application is pursued”.
Further to this, some of the weaknesses as ‘racial group’ case law referencing as the sole determiner for protection are highlighted within the Draft 3rd Report itself: ‘the inconsistencies in anti-discrimination legislation’ …. ‘existing legislation is often seen as a patchwork of coverage as a result of case law based on race’.
The history of case law recognition as the basis for inclusion within the FCNM in the UK shows many inconsistencies – for example, the June 1999 1st UK Compliance Report stated that Irish Travellers were a Convention group – but this group did not become case law recognised until August 2000.
Although the Ulster-Scots are not case law recognised, the 1999 and 2007 UK Compliance Reports treated them as a Convention group. The 2007 UK Compliance Report actually states that Scottish Gypsies are not case law recognised, but that the UK authorities have decided to treat them as if they were and include them within the Convention. The Draft 3rd Report details support given to Circus and Showtravellers.
Additionally, the Draft 3rd Report refers to the ethnic groups used in the Census being standard, and yet not all of these groups have RRA case law references which, to take the Cornish as an example, under the standard Census classification individuals are rightly recognised as being Cornish, but according to the rigid UK Framework Convention criteria the same individuals are incorrectly seen as belonging to the majority English group.
Taking into account the evidence, also from Government, that the Framework Convention was not signed for the right reasons in the UK, the absence of lists of those who are included and those who are excluded from protection, the lack of a definition for a ‘national minority’, the political motives for the content of the Draft 3rd Report, and the muchcriticised rigidity and potential subjectivity of Race Relations Act case law ’racial group’ criterion for inclusion, it is evident that the key guidelines of the FCNM - “implementation of the Framework Convention should not be a source of arbitrary or unjustified distinctions” and “the main aim of the Framework Convention: to ensure the effective protection of national minorities and of the rights of persons belonging to those minorities” -are not, and cannot be fairly and justly effected in the United Kingdom under the current interpretation of the Treaty. | <urn:uuid:bf384df7-ac98-442c-861d-ff16a8dd799b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://breselyerkeltic.com/cornish-ethnicity-data-tracking-group/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944783 | 1,772 | 2.28125 | 2 |
Computer Science 340: Introduction to Software Engineering
Document Title: Course Syllabus
Author: Bob Matthews
This document gives a general outline for the course, discusses
prerequisites, and gives a draft schedule for readings and assignments.
- 9/29/03: Initial submission.
- 10/4/03: Created a link to the assignments page (to clean up the
course home page a bit)
Table of Contents:
- 11:00 - 11:50 MWF
- 11:30 - 12:20 Tuesday
Class meets in Thompson 322
- The final exam for this class (meets 11:00 MTWF) is scheduled for 12:00
Tuesday, Dec. 16. Instead of an exam, we will use this time for
final project presentations. All project material will be due at that time.
The academic calendar for this year can be found here.
- Bob Matthews (email email@example.com)
- Thompson 501 (in the Thompson Hall Tower)
- Extension 3561
- Office hours (tentative)
- 2:00 - 2:50 MTWF
- Or by appointment.
- Email messages
are welcome, and can
be used to ask a question or to set up an appointment. My schedule is posted here.
Hours marked 'open' on my schedule may be available for appointments
(to be made in advance). If none of these times work out for you, please send me
Text: Ian Sommerville:
Software Engineering (sixth edition)
I plan to cover chapters 1 - 15, 19 - 20, 22 - 24 (and as much of
26-29 and 16-18, 21 as time permits, in that order).
Prerequisites: At least one 300 level computer
science course. It would be helpful to have written at least one
program of more than 500 lines (more for COBOL, less for Forth).
Brief course description:
Software Engineering is concerned with long-term programming
projects, and can be thought of as the development, care, and feeding of large
software systems. This course will be project-oriented and will
involve a group
project and a
term paper (these links are currently under development).
Lectures and the group project will cover topics in software
engineering, management, problem specification and analysis, system
and program design techniques, testing, and user interface
Because of the number of topics we must cover, not all topics in
all chapters will be discussed in class. I will assign specific
sections for you to read. Homework assignments may cover topics not
discussed in class.
- Home page for our
textbook. Although we will not be using them in lecture, there is an
extensive collection of powerpoint slides on this site that are useful for
- Rational Rose web site. We will
be using the UML (Unified Modeling Language) as implemented in
Rational Rose. At one time the site had a powerpoint presentation
on Rational Rose that could be downloaded, and it still has (here)
documentation and a tutorial that you can download and work through.
Rational Rose has now been acquired by IBM, so the web site is in a state
- Institute for Software Research International
- Risks Digest Links:
- 3 one hour exams: 30% - 40%
- One of these exams will be in the last full week of the
- Assignments: 20% - 30%
- Homework will be divided into three chunks:
- Textbook assignments (to be done individually). These will be
assigned each Friday from material covered that week, and will be due on
the following Friday.
- Group assignments (with randomly assigned and changing
groups), generally larger assignments such as:
Group exercises will start as in-class exercises
and will include short presentations by each group. Students not
in class when group exercises are done will be given a separate
assignment for partial credit. Group assignments will be announced
in the "this week / next week" links above.
- Requirements analysis and definition exercises
either taken from the
textbook or from some other source.
- Design exercises: ER, DFD, OOD, Functional,
- Other exercises in the UML and Rational
Rose and using Viseo2002
Programming exercises will be graded on style and documentation as
well as correctness. Programs must include header documentation as
well as adequate internal documentation unless otherwise specified.
Written exercises should be produced on word processing software
except (perhaps) for diagrams, which should be neatly drawn. Late
assignments will be accepted (with an increasing penalty) until the
graded exercise is returned to the class, but no extension of
deadline for the term paper or for the group project can be given.
All assignments turned in must represent individual effort: except
where a group effort is a clearly stated part of the assignment (as
in the group project). All students in Computer Science classes at
the University of Puget Sound are responsible for the material
contained in the document on academic honesty published by the
Department of Mathematics and Computer Science and included in the
Academic Handbook (Logger).
I will make every effort to return homework, exams, and project documents a
week (or less) after they have been submitted / taken.
A syllabus for the course can be found here.
The schedule of exams and readings for the course can be found here.
Return to my home | <urn:uuid:d928dd1c-f862-448d-bd41-ee67cbe9f4e7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.math.ups.edu/~matthews/CS340_F2003/CS340home.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.903053 | 1,156 | 1.757813 | 2 |
Rochester, N.Y. - Rochester's mayor is one of four standing against creating a statewide control board which, in theory, would be created to steer cities away from bankruptcy.
Mayor Tom Richards joined with mayors of Syracuse, Albany Yonkers to say local leaders need to be part of any solution to a city's fiscal problems.
The mayors say even a recovery from the recession won't change the basic problems they're confronting: diminishing tax revenues and rising costs.
Mayor Richards was reacting to a story in Monday's New York Post.
Control boards have been used since the 70s in cities including New York City and Buffalo. | <urn:uuid:2617e28a-d52e-42b0-9a5a-674a74b2b689> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.13wham.com/news/local/story/Creating-A-Board-Won-t-Fix-The-Real-Problem/FlZGGZBpAEyvMwIsLFuvmQ.cspx?rss=509 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968407 | 130 | 1.828125 | 2 |
Posted on Sep 9, 2011 | by Erich Bridges
EDITOR'S NOTE: For videos, stories and other resources exploring the legacy of 9/11 and how to reach Muslims, visit lovingmuslims.com.
RICHMOND, Va. (BP)--When the jets slammed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field a decade ago, the life of Joseph Rose* began to change.
A Christian college student, he knew little about Islam. He didn't know a single Muslim personally. His mother called and warned him to shave off his full beard, fearing "hate attacks" by angry people mistaking him for a Muslim.
"I left the beard. No one attacked me," Rose recalled.
As the initial shock of 9/11 wore off, something inside him spurred Rose to understand the forces shaking the world. "I began to read about Islam," he said. "I knew not all Muslims were terrorists, but I was casually driven to understand 'my enemy.'"
Later, he got a job as a newspaper photographer in Ohio and moved into an apartment there. His next door neighbor was a young Muslim from the Middle East.
"He invited me over to his apartment for Arabic coffee and chat. We would talk for hours and watch music videos from his home country. I asked him questions about his country and his religion. He smoked. He bowled. He worked at a hospital and helped his brother open a coffee shop. He was not a terrorist. He didn't even seem religious. Just an average guy."
Over the next few years, Rose met more young Muslims who were "just like thousands of other young people in America" -- just as spiritually hungry, just as in need of the love and mercy of Jesus Christ.
Today Rose works in communications for the International Mission Board. He covers stories about what God is doing among the nations and continues to nurture friendships with Muslims.
"Through these experiences and encounters, God has called me to dedicate my life to working with and around Muslims, sharing life and Truth with them," Rose said. "If it weren't for 9/11, I might not be where I am today. I might not have seven guys named Mohammed listed in my phone. I might not have traveled to nine Muslim countries before the age of 30. God used this tragic event to call me out of the darkness of apathy and ignorance toward Muslims into the light of service and presence among this vast people."
That's one "9/11 story." There are countless others. Every person responded differently to the bloodiest attack on American ground since Pearl Harbor.
The historical forces that led to the Sept. 11 attacks are fairly clear: longstanding hatred of America and the West among radicalized Muslims, the rise of terrorism as a political weapon, the spread of al-Qaida and other jihadist groups, ongoing fallout from the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, reaction to U.S. involvement in the first Gulf War, American support for Israel. The list goes on.
The long-term spiritual impact of the event on international missions, however, is more difficult to discern. Christian workers have faced hostility since the beginning of the evangelical missions movement. They've often found themselves caught in the crossfire of wars and violent change. But 9/11 added a new layer of challenge.
Or, perhaps, a new awareness of global reality.
"People said the world changed after 9/11," an IMB missions mobilizer noted. "I don't believe that's true. We as Americans were just forced to deal directly with what the rest of the world has dealt with for years. For the first time in a very long time the battle was on our turf, our doorstep, affecting our people in a way we couldn't ignore by insulating ourselves from world events."
AGE OF TERRORISM OR OPPORTUNITY?
The world may not have changed, but the way we respond to it surely has.
"It's interesting that we have summed up this whole event in the expression '9/11,'" said Randy Rains, a former missionary in the Muslim world, now IMB associate vice president for spiritual life and formation. "It has become a part of our vocabulary and worldview, a milestone around which we look at life -- pre-9/11 and post-9/11.
"9/11 was the event that brought us officially into the 'age of terrorism' in American culture. It has brought out both the best and the worst in us, which is usually the case with these cataclysmic events in history."
The missions world has become much more attuned to the threat of terrorism, Rains added. Attacks against missionaries are nothing new. But many mission agencies now train personnel to handle the possibility of terrorist attacks and hostage situations.
There's no "one size fits all" approach to security. What works depends on ministry, location and potential threats. Mission workers and churches on mission have become more cautious in their scheduling, travel and contacts. They exercise care in how (and with whom) they share names, ministry information and the peoples they serve. They use even greater care in communicating via email and the Internet, the great global megaphone.
The trade-off: Open, unfiltered communication with supporting churches and mission partners is more difficult. That makes effective mission mobilization a greater challenge.
Despite such realities, Rains believes the so-called "age of terrorism" has become a "vibrant opportunity" to engage the Muslim world with the Gospel -- if Christians respond faithfully.
9/11 has made American evangelicals "more aware of Islam and more committed to try to reach Muslims," said Clyde Meador, IMB executive vice president, who served for many years in areas heavily populated with Muslims. "It has opened doors for IMB work in places where we otherwise might not be, including parts of the world where reaching Muslims previously was an afterthought at best."
Jim Haney, IMB director of global research, goes even further. "I do not believe that we are in an age of terrorism," he said. "We are in an age of opportunity. Every Christian needs to decide how they will respond to Muslims. How would Jesus respond? Today the greatest response to the Gospel is among Muslims."
A veteran worker among Muslim peoples agrees:
"In 19 years, I have not observed the openness we are seeing today," he reported. "We've never had a problem talking to Muslims about Jesus, but we have definitely seen Muslims ask questions that were not asked pre-9/11.... Without a doubt, Muslims today are more open to other ideas, in particular the Gospel. Did 9/11 cause this? No. [But] in the greater wheel of world history, 9/11 was a cog that forced Muslims to consider the foundations of what they believe. The Internet also has been a major cog. Governments and the religious establishment can't as easily control the flow of information.
"Today, the 'Arab Spring' [reform movement] is being fueled by a younger generation of Arabs that craves a change. More deeply, they crave hope. It is in this gap that the Gospel fits."
To respond effectively to the emerging opportunity among more than 1 billion Muslims globally, we need to deal with a barrier within ourselves: fear.
The 9/11 attacks traumatized Americans, and churches were not immune. Many congregations initially pulled back from international involvement. Some called for missionaries to come home. Even today, there's more pressure from families to pull missionaries out "if things get tough," according to one Middle East worker.
The emotions unleashed by 9/11 have "fueled suspicion, fear and judgment in the hearts of many evangelicals," said Mike Lopez, IMB director of student mobilization. "For others, it has created an urgency in the task of reaching followers of Islam. College students have not wavered in their response to the nations. If anything, they're more passionate than ever before about reaching Muslims. There is also an increase in the number of those who have committed their lives to serve in the Muslim world."
In the early days after the attacks, student volunteers remained eager to serve, but many of their parents and pastors refused to let them go overseas. The generational difference turned up repeatedly.
"The week after 9/11 we had [three new missionaries] scheduled to arrive on the field," recalled an IMB worker then serving in the Middle East. One was a 20-something journeyman, the other two a middle-aged married couple.
"The journeyman came as scheduled and the couple cancelled. We were working with a lot of journeymen and the fear factor seemed to be big with their parents but not such a big deal with them."
Another former missionary recalls the night she and her husband spoke at a U.S. church about their ministry to Muslims. "This informal time rapidly turned into angry voices demanding of us, 'How can you love them? How can you trust them? How dare you?'" she said. "Thankfully, that was the exception, but I think it reflected the heart of the pastor and other ministry leaders. It was very sad to me."
But she has heroes, too: the many mission workers who could have gone home after 9/11 or moved to "safer" locations.
"None wanted to," she said. "They recognized 9/11 for its spiritual significance and stayed for the opportunities they would have to talk more openly with Muslim friends and neighbors. Their families in the U.S. are also my heroes, like my parents. Even when they didn't understand why I didn't want to come home, they trusted me and trusted the Lord."
Among Southern Baptists, at least, missionary numbers didn't go down because of 9/11. Many candidates came forward declaring God had called them to follow Him into a dangerous world. The only thing preventing some of them from going: the downturn in missions giving amid tough economic times.
Plenty of churches have stepped up, too.
Former missionary Phil Nelson, now an IMB church mobilizer, remembers joining the ministry staff of a church in Tennessee a year or so before 9/11.
"Our pastor had cast vision for the Great Commission and we were beginning to experience a missions revival," Nelson recounted. "Then 9/11 occurred. In the midst of all our uncertainty as a country, [our pastor] said this was not the time for retreat. We went from having no Muslim-focused work prior to 9/11 to partnering with IMB to engage multiple Muslim peoples. By 2006, half of our 39 scheduled international trips were to Muslim areas."
In West Africa, a major push to mobilize Southern Baptist churches to get the Gospel to unreached peoples continues to produce results. "Where Islam is more prevalent, churches have continued to come, embracing language, culture, physical hardships and potential dangers," said an IMB missions leader. "There are so many great churches, of all sizes, who are fearlessly engaging Muslim people groups since 9/11 ... from Mali to Nigeria."
I'll never forget Darrell O'Berry, a volunteer from my own church. A house painter, he signed up to go on a mission trip to a Muslim country scheduled for barely a month after 9/11. After the attacks, I asked him if he wanted to cancel. He looked at me, grinned and replied, "I'm good to go."
That's the spirit the church needs in the post-9/11 era. Security precautions are wise, but no one -- least of all the Savior we follow -- promises complete safety in His service.
"Following God's will may not appear to many to be the safest thing to do. It is most certainly the right thing to do," said one international worker. "And that is where I want to be."
Eight Southern Baptist workers have died in terror-related attacks since 9/11. They all knew the risks of their work, yet chose to serve anyway. God's call is unconditional; they answered it unconditionally.
One of them, Karen Watson, was killed by gunmen in Iraq in 2004. Before she left the United States, she wrote a now-famous letter to her pastors. She put it in a sealed envelope marked "Open in case of death." It read in part:
"When God calls there are no regrets. I tried to share my heart with you as much as possible, my heart for the nations. I wasn't called to a place; I was called to Him. To obey was my objective, to suffer was expected, His glory my reward...."
*Name changed. Erich Bridges is an International Mission Board global correspondent. | <urn:uuid:c79b2f83-bd7c-4889-b409-b9febc9c99cb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=36086 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978941 | 2,610 | 1.90625 | 2 |
Guest Historian Chris Oakley says, what if the events portrayed in Land Of The Giants really happened If you're interested in viewing samples of my other work why not visit the Changing the Times web site.
In 1983, on this day energy mogul and self-made millionaire Mark Wilson held a press conference at his Houston corporate headquarters to reveal the existence of a series of home movies he'd filmed of the time-space rift described by Alexander B. Fitzhugh in his account of the so-called "land of giants" at first the media were reluctant to lend much credence to these films, fearful they might be as phony as the bogus "Hitler diaries" that had duped the world a few months earlier, but after extensive photographic analysis it was determined that the films were genuine and the press started taking the rift idea more seriously.
Giant Surprise Part 3Three weeks after Wilson's press conference the Reagan Administration's top science officials met at the White House to determine what should be done next in regard to the phenomenon; the end result of this meeting was Project Spindrift, a combined NASA/Defense Department program that marked the first serious effort in human history to explore parallel universes.
In 1983, thirteen-year-old Barry Lockridge, an orphan who'd been on his way to London to move in with relatives at the time of the "land of giants" incident, received an interview request from BBC News.
Giant Surprise Part 4That evening, in a one-hour taped meeting held at BBC's main studios, he described seeing an anomaly very much like the one shown in Mark Wilson's home movies and encountering one of the giant humanoids Alexander Fitzhugh had mentioned in his admissions interview at Bethesda Naval Hospital. Barry's account of the "land of giants" incident quickly caught the attention of scientists at Oxford University, who in turn later sent a transcript of the BBC interview to Project Spindrift's staff in Washington. Within two months, Barry would be the most famous British male under 18 next to Princess Diana's son Prince William.
A week after the Lockridge interview was broadcast on the BBC it was shown in the United States as part of a Nightline segment; while the U.S. government had no official comment on the content of the interview, journalists noted with interest that Lt. Cmdr. Fitzhugh was released from Bethesda within hours after the video aired on ABC.
In 1983, on this day United Airlines pilot Steve Burton (pictured), captain of the crew for the flight on which Lt. Cmdr. Alexander B. Fitzhugh had been a passenger just before his commitment to Bethesda Naval Hospital's psychiatric wing, was approached by NASA officials and asked to join the Project Spindrift team as a special consultant.
Giant Surprise Part 5Burton's plane frequently traveled the route on which Fitzhugh had seen the time-space rift mentioned in his account of the "land of giants" incident; for the veteran airline pilot, who had once aspired to join NASA's space shuttle program but had to withdraw his application due to family troubles, the Spindrift invitation represented a second chance he'd been waiting for nearly a decade.
Burton's chief mentor in his training for Project Spindrift was U.S. Air Force colonel and Vietnam veteran Doug Ross, a longtime shuttle pilot who during his second mission aboard Columbia had collected evidence suggesting Earth had a twin, or "doppelganger", on the far side of the Sun. After reading Fitzhugh's "land of giants" story, Ross became convinced Fitzhugh had discovered a shortcut to the "doppelganger" planet.
In 1983, Betty Hamilton, onetime chief stewardess on Steve Burton's old flight crew, testified before a Congressional science sub-committee concerning her experiences with the time-space rift described by Alexander B. Fitzhugh in his account of the so-called "land of giants" incident.
Giant Surprise Part 6Ms. Hamilton's testimony gave further insight into the nature of the rift and was used as a guide for writing the mission profile for the first manned flight of Project Spindrift.
A transcript of the hearing was subsequently forwarded to European Space Agency director Jason Webb, who flew to Cape Canaveral a week later for further debriefing. Webb would eventually come to be more closely associated with Project Spindrift than anyone other than Burton or Fitzhugh.
In 1983, on this day European Space Agency director Jason Webb (pictured) visited Cape Canaveral for a debriefing on the "land of giants" incident and Betty Hamilton's testimony before Congress.
Giant Surprise Part 7Webb, an ex-Oxford professor who had also been a science consultant to British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, would eventually become one of the key forces behind Project Spindrift; it was partly on his recommendation that fellow Oxford alumnus John Kane was included with Steve Burton and Col. Doug Ross on the primary flight crew for Spindrift's first mission. Webb would continue to play a major role in Project Spindrift until 1995, when chronic heart problems forced him into early retirement.
Yet for all his cardiac troubles Webb was considerably more fortunate than Dr. Kane, who was killed in a car crash shortly after the first Spindrift mission returned to Earth, or Colonel Ross, who died in the Challenger explosion in 1986.
In 1983, the nuclear-powered submarine USS Seaview, then under the command of Admiral Harriman Nelson, was dispatched to the North Atlantic to oversee experiments related to Project Spindrift
Giant Surprise Part 8For the men and women of Seaview, at the time the world's largest nuclear sub, this marked the second time in a decade they'd been involved in a scientific project of global importance; the first came in 1973, when they spent six weeks in the Arctic Circle monitoring the Van Allen belt.
In 1983, on this day U.S. Navy Lt. Commander Alexander B. Fitzhugh was committed to Bethesda Naval Hospital's psychiatric ward after an incident in which he accosed the pilot of a London-bound United Airlines jet and urged the jet's flight crew to turn around "before it's too late".
Part 1When later questioned by hospital psychiatrists what that remark meant, Lt. Cmdr.
Fitzhugh claimed that on a previous flight to London his plane had been drawn into a time-space rift and crash-landed in what he described as "a land of giants" populated by people ten times the size of a normal human being. Initially his doctors regarded his story as a delusion resulting from the post-traumatic stress disorder Fitzhugh had suffered since serving a grueling tour of duty in Vietnam 25 years earlier; however, when three of the commander's fellow passengers came forward with similar accounts of the rift Fitzhugh had described, the staff of Bethesda began to think maybe their patient wasn't so delusional after all.
In 1983, on this day socialite and former Studio 54 disco regular Valerie Scott met with 60 Minutes correspondent Morley Safer in Los Angeles to recount her experiences with the time-space rift described by Lt. Cmdr. Alexander Fitzhugh to his doctors at Bethesda shortly after his admission to the hospital's psychiatric ward.
Part 2Scott's interview was the first account by someone other than Fitzhugh about the so-called "land of giants" the commander had alluded to in his initial therapeutic session; her story, like his, was at first viewed with skepticism as she had been known as a serious drinker in her Studio 54 heyday. In fact, at the time the 60 Minutes interview was broadcast Scott was preparing to file a libel suit against the National Enquirer for printing a story which alleged she had relapsed into alcoholism.
Scott's comments about the rift might have been dismissed as a hallucination but for two small yet important events. First, on the day after CBS aired the Scott interview a routine pass by a U.S. weather satellite over England picked up unusual electrical surges in the vicinity of where Fitzhugh said the phenomenon had originated; second, in early July energy tycoon and amateur film buff Mark Wilson released to the press a series of home movies clearly showing the rift's outline as well as brief glimpses of the so-called "land of giants".
Related posts from the same era that you may also like
© Today in Alternate History, 2013-. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. | <urn:uuid:a3cb652a-f217-41b4-ad99-0aade582edc5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.todayinah.co.uk/index.php?thread=Giant_Surprise&userid=facebook@todayinah.co.uk | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97266 | 1,749 | 2.234375 | 2 |
Why Some Investment Property Means Riskier Borrowing
There's plenty of difference between buying a home you're going to live in and an apartment building you plan to rent out, even if you do plan to live in one of the units. Likewise, lenders tend to look at you differently if you're borrowing to buy a commercial building that might house a storefront or vacation property you plan to rent out exclusively.
When you borrow for these purposes, you're taking on a far different form of risk than you would be living alone or with your family inside that property — and that risk extends to your lender. You're taking on particular expenses and financial responsibilities beyond those you would as a homeowner, and you have the added unpredictability of complete strangers functioning within that property.
It is critical you get tax and financial assistance if you're thinking of going into investment property of any kind. Everyone's financial situation is different, and tax and investment issues may work differently for you than they would another person.
You may be the safest, most conscientious person on the planet and you'd treat your property like gold. But how about the tenant in 1-E with the nonexistent housekeeping skills and the cute dog that prefers to relieve himself indoors? How about the storefront that you've rented to a tenant who never quite got that security system installed like he told you he would?
Starting to get the picture? Lenders don't like what they can't predict. Granted, every borrower is a risk to some extent — even you. Some of the loans reviewed in this chapter reflect special situations for individuals who don't have enough money to break into the high-priced home markets in most communities. The rest involve particular loans that borrowers use to get into the world of investment real estate, a hot issue in recent years.
Understanding cash flow is essential. The capitalization rate is a formula you can use that will help you determine whether the property you're buying will generate a positive cash flow.
Say you have a property that you bought for $600,000 and it has generated a net income of $60,000. The cap rate would look something like this:
The bottom line is that the lower the capitalization rate, the more you have to pay for each dollar of income. Most investors try to capture a cap rate of 10 percent or higher.
Whether the building is a two-flat or a structure holding six units or more, apartment building owners are landlords. They maintain the building. They pay the taxes, utilities, and maintenance, and they select the tenants and collect the rents. They are also responsible for all legal challenges brought their way by tenants. For owners who rent or sublet property and don't hire resident or offsite building management companies to handle their affairs, multiunit apartment ownership is extremely hands-on.
How much do you know about tenant law in your community? City governments frequently hold seminars on such topics for both tenants and landlords, and you'd be wise to attend both. Also, make sure your attorney has some familiarity with owner liability and tenant dispute issues.
Maintenance is all up to the owner, not the tenants. Owners must adhere to landlord/tenant laws in their own community that make specific provisions for maintenance, utilities, sanitation, and other provisions. Unlike a single homeowner who can elect to do upkeep whenever she has the time, money, and inclination, landlords are subject to risk and oversight if they do not do minimum upkeep on their property. | <urn:uuid:e9d8a54f-d6e5-4103-b48f-6b21236bb17a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.netplaces.com/mortgages/borrowing-as-an-investor/why-some-investment-property-means-riskier-borrowing.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96481 | 704 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Pennsylvania municipal governments may be missing out on the economic bump provided by Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling, according to a recent study.
Somerset was among 12 Pennsylvania counties surveyed last fall in a report designed to measure what occurred in the state’s Marcellus municipalities during 2010 and what other municipalities could experience as drilling activity expands across the state.
The study, publicly released Wednesday in Greensburg, found that most municipalities with Marcellus activity have experienced no increase to their tax and nontax revenue. Only 18 percent reported a boost.
Nearly one-third, or 32 percent, of municipalities indicated that the impacts of drilling are positive. Twenty-six percent said the impacts are negative. Forty-two percent said the impacts were either unclear or nonexistent.
That 42 percent majority is what needs to be further examined. Some municipalities are not as proactive to change as others and may be not be realizing the opportunities that exist catering to this development.
For example, some municipalities have reported some tangible benefits. Water sales were up 48 percent. Public school enrollment increased 19 percent. Locally Lincoln Township took the lead in selling municipal water to the drilling companies who need more than one million gallons for each hole. That’s relatively easy revenue to help pay existing debt and to repair/maintain/expand the current infrastructure.
If the companies find the natural gas reserves they anticipate, this industry is going to a be strong part of the local economy.
Many businesses have be able to increase their operations because of the drilling efforts and there are job opportunities for those will to learn the new trade.
It’s up to everyone to see how they can be part of this new revenue stream and to figure out how it could benefit their community. | <urn:uuid:0b2fac0f-d046-4467-901f-231a7e4e98fa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dailyamerican.com/opinion/editorials/da-ot-final-verdict-not-in-20110812,0,1032474.story | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967524 | 359 | 2.1875 | 2 |
|Murdered Polish Intellectual|
Sunday, January 2, 2011
A Bittersweet Task
Take a good look at this picture. Then imagine that the two twin girls and their mother were exterminated by the Nazis during World War II. Their older brother managed to survive by joining the Russian Army. Does he have a story to tell.
For over a year, I've expressed an interest in preserving the history of this family before it is lost. About a week ago, I received a 60-page document and almost 90 pictures of the survivors and non-survivors of this family. I don't want to identify the family without permission -- other than to say that they were a Jewish family from Poland. It wasn't only the Jews who suffered.
Taking on this project has been difficult. For two days I scanned in picture after picture of people who were killed for no reason. Yet the man who shared the pictures with me is one of the most optimistic people I have ever met. Despite a life that is beyond my ability to comprehend, I have never been with him when he didn't appear to be upbeat. He is a survivor -- one who eventually lived the American dream. His family is scattered throughout the world with surviving relatives starting over in Sweden, Uruguay, Israel, France, and surprisingly, Poland.
As we begin this new year, I hope that all of us will take the time to reflect on what is really important to us and consider what our contribution can be as citizens of the world. We have to be on guard against prejudice, bigotry, and scapegoating. We have to take the vow: Never Again!
Note: Louis Weisser has given me permission to post this story. He has also recorded his story for the Holocaust Museum. | <urn:uuid:2f30c56e-6480-4fab-8476-487578988d18> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://jonesfamilymatters.blogspot.com/2011/01/bittersweet-task.html?showComment=1294012089521 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983634 | 359 | 1.929688 | 2 |
Morning Joe is rewinding 2012 during the holiday season, replaying this year's segments that stand out. One segment that stood out this morning was a discussion between Steve Rattner, Dan Senor and Michael Porter, a professor at Harvard Business School. Porter said that large US businesses are global now and the market is global. Other countries that were once economic basket cases are now removing regulations and freeing their businesses to compete globally. At the same time, the US is burdening US companies at home with regulations and taxes, so US companies are moving more operations overseas.
Rattner tried to explain the over-seas' operations as the result of low wages in competing, emerging countries, but Porter said that US companies can compete against low wages with high productivity and efficiency if they are not burdened by high costs which result from too much regulation and too high taxes. I would add that regulations in the US have favored large, established, politically-connected US companies while harming smaller, politically-disconnected US companies, and this helped large politically-connected companies doing business in the US, but the extra costs that the large companies have been able to bear and make a competitive advantage at home are a disadvantage in the global market.
Until the US can reform our statist system, and this entails a tax and regulation system which is killing US companies, US companies will continue to take operations overseas. | <urn:uuid:a2c4304d-3441-4602-bb03-d9e89b0c08a8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bonzai.squarespace.com/blog/tag/regulations | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976592 | 281 | 1.671875 | 2 |
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho may set up a new board to oversee its nascent oil and natural gas industry, a bid to put more-knowledgeable people with fewer conflicts of interest in charge.
The Idaho Statesman reports the Department of Lands is drafting the proposal for the 2013 Legislature.
Currently, members of the Idaho Land Board, including Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter, regulate the industry.
A new board would include five governor-appointed members, with each representative familiar with various industry aspects: oil and gas extraction, geology, water — as well as landowners with and without mineral leases.
The oil and gas industry is giving its tentative thumbs-up to the effort.
Environmentalists who this year fought changes to oil-and-gas industry rules were initially receptive, too, contending the existing system is rife with conflicts of interest.
Share your experiences as part of EarthFix's Public Insight Network.
Join our Public Insight Network! | <urn:uuid:8cf1021a-cd9e-44e9-af05-662f424f18c6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://earthfix.nwpr.org/energy/article/idaho-mulls-setting-up-new-oil-and-gas-regulator/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962556 | 204 | 1.695313 | 2 |
The Northern Gardener: Perennials That Survive & Thrive
paper, 188 pp., $26.99
This well-organized work describes gardening in hardiness zone 3, a challenge for any gardener. Surprisingly, an amazing number of lovely plants survive a short growing season and all of the associated meteorological extremes. Rayment looks at nine habitats from bog to forest floor to rocky alipine areas. She then describes plants for each of these habitats along with gardening tips. There are plentiful photos as well as advice on dealing with problems from insects to bears! This book is easy to read and very informative. It is designed not only for gardeners in zone 3, but also for those dealing with prolonged winter conditions.
— Elaine Juhl, volunteer, Chicago Botanic Garden
- enjoy your visit
- at the garden
- your garden
- support us | <urn:uuid:90749d5f-ba36-45f5-a8fa-2857212ee777> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.chicagobotanic.org/book/northern_gardener_perennials_survive_thrive | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00056-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.923088 | 178 | 2.390625 | 2 |
A book containing the rites and ceremonies to be observed at Mass, Vespers, and other functions, by bishops and prelates of inferior rank, in metropolitan, cathedral, and collegiate churches. It treats also of the manner of precedence among ecclesiastics and official lay persons. From the earliest centuries of the Church there were many books which contained the rites and ceremonies to be observed in the performance of ecclesiastical functions. Shortly after Sixtus V had instituted (1587) the Congregation of Sacred Rites and Ceremonies, Clement VIII appointed a commission of learned prelates to correct the "Cæremoniale Episcoporum", which he promulgated by the Apostolic Letter "Cum novissime", 14 July, 1600. When in course of time errors crept into this, Innocent X had it revised by a commission of cardinals, and by his Constitution "Etsi alias" (30 July, 1650) ordered it to be observed everywhere. A revised edition became necessary during the pontificate of Benedict XIII, which was promulgated by the Bull "Licet alias" (7 March, 1727). Benedict XIV caused an amended and augmented edition to be published, the observance of which he made obligatory by Apostolic Briefs (15 May, 1741; 25 March, 1752). Finally a typical edition was published under the auspices of the Congregation of Sacred Rites to which all other editions were to conform (S.R.C., 17 Aug., 1886).
The "Cæremoniale Episcoporum" is divided into three books. The first portion concerns what a, bishop must do after his election and immediately upon entrance into the diocese, regarding his ordinary dress, his duties and privileges, as indicated, when a legate, cardinal, nuncio, or other prelate is present (cc. i-iv); the duties of the master of ceremonies, sacristan, assistant priest, and other ministers of the bishop (cc.v-xi); the ornaments of the church and of the bishop's throne (cc. xii-xiv); the ecclesiastical dress of the bishop and canons, and the manner of entering and leaving the church (c. xv); the pallium, mitre, and crosier (cc. xvi-xvii); reverences, genuflexions, and other ceremonies, and sermons during Mass and at funerals (cc. xviii-xxv); the manner of supplying the places of canons and other ministers at solemn services (c. xxvi); the orations and their chant, the organ and organist (cc. xxvii-xxviii); the low Mass of the bishop or low Mass celebrated in his presence (cc. xxix-xxx); the rites and ceremonies to be observed at synods. The second book treats of the Divine Office and of Mass throughout the year celebrated (a) by the bishop; (b) in his presence; (c) in cathedrals and collegiate churches when the bishop is absent (cc. i-xxxiv); the anniversary of the election and of the consecration of the bishop (c. xxxv); the anniversary of the death of his predecessor and of all the bishops and canons of the cathedral (cc. xxxvi-xxxvii); the last illness and death of the bishop and the prayers to be said for the election of his successor (c. xxxviii); the chant of the Confiteor, the form of publishing an indulgence, and the blessing given by the bishop after the sermon (c. xxxix). The third book treats of the formalities to be observed by provincial presidents, prelatic governors, and vice-legates in their respective provinces and cities (cc. i-xi).
The "Cæremoniale Episcoporum" is obligatory not only in cathedrals and collegiate churches, but also in smaller churches, as far as it is applicable to the liturgical functions performed therein (S.R.C., 17 Aug., 1894), not only when a bishop pontificates, but also when a priest performs the ceremony. In this manner it explains and makes up the deficiencies in the rubrics of the Breviary and Missal. That the "C remoniale Episcoporum" obliges in conscience is evident from the words of Benedict XIII, who, speaking of the rubrics contained in the official liturgical books of the Church, says: "Ritus . . . . qui in minimis etiam, sine peccato negligi, omitti vel mutari haud possunt" (Conc. Prov. Roman., 1725, tit. xv, cap. i). Although the Congregation of Sacred Rites (19 Aug., 1651) decreed:"Nihil addi, minui vel immutari posse, sed omnia in eodem Missali et Cæremoniali pr scripta ad unguem servanda esse", yet ceremonials peculiar to individual churches may be retained, provided they do not conflict with the "Cæremoniale Episcoporum" (Sixtus V in his Bull "Cum novissime" found at the beginning of the "Cærem. Episc.").
CATALANI, Cæremoniale Episcoporum...commentariis illustratum (Paris, 1860); DE HERDT, Praxis Pontificalis (Louvain, 1904); MENGHINI. Elementa juris liturgici (Rome, 1906); Cérémonial des évêques commenté et expliqué. Par un évêques suffragant de la province Ecclésiastique de Québec (Paris, 1856).
APA citation. (1908). Cæremoniale Episcoporum. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03133a.htm
MLA citation. "Cæremoniale Episcoporum." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 3. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03133a.htm>.
Transcription. This article was transcribed for New Advent by Wm Stuart French, Jr. Dedicated to Abbot-Bishop Leo Haid, O.S.B.
Ecclesiastical approbation. Nihil Obstat. November 1, 1908. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Contact information. The editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. My email address is feedback732 at newadvent.org. (To help fight spam, this address might change occasionally.) Regrettably, I can't reply to every letter, but I greatly appreciate your feedback — especially notifications about typographical errors and inappropriate ads. | <urn:uuid:05e63b69-6aae-42e5-b0f4-7e54ca41c94f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://newadvent.org/cathen/03133a.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.919215 | 1,476 | 2.953125 | 3 |
I still don’t see any evidence that Obamacare will reduce health care premiums for ordinary Americans. These cost controls were promised as the prime reason for Obamacare back when Barack Obama first ran for president. At Huffpo, Wendell Potter explains some of the reasons that healthcare premiums continue to skyrocket. It’s a story permeated with corruption, involving the malfeasance of both Democrats and Republicans. Here’s the introduction to Potter’s article, “Why Americans Pay So Much for Health Care: Friends in High Places (Just Not Your Friends)“:
If you wonder why we spend more money on health care than any other country but have some of the worst health outcomes, you need look no further than the halls of Congress to it figure out. And you need look no further back than the recent “fiscal cliff” drama for compelling proof of how decisions are often made, not based on protecting the public’s interest and bringing costs down but on protecting the profits of pharmaceutical companies, insurance firms and other special interests that grease the palms of our elected officials.
Category: Health Care Reform | <urn:uuid:5784c25a-77d5-4e94-b3fb-c973045f3e63> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://dangerousintersection.org/2013/02/04/corruption-and-obamacare/comment-page-1/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9318 | 230 | 1.757813 | 2 |
The real exchange rate stood at VEB 7.8 per US dollar at the end of January
Booming oil prices have allowed the Venezuelan government to stick to its strategy of using a fixed official exchange rate (at VEB 4.30 per US dollar) despite high inflation. This policy exacerbates the economic imbalances and heralds a larger devaluation in the future.
The combination of a fixed exchange rate and an inflation rate that exceeds by far that of the United States and the rest of Latin American countries leads to overvaluation of the Venezuelan currency. In this unbalanced scenario, imported products are cheaper than the goods manufactured in Venezuela, which has resulted in skyrocketing imports.
Over time, this imbalance becomes unsustainable and financial authorities cannot meet the high demand of foreign exchange; production declines in the face of cheap imports and the government has no choice left but to devalue the currency.
Although the economic cabinet is aware of this “disease,” political goals prevail over wise decisions particularly in an election year. Everything suggests that devaluation will be implemented after the presidential vote in October this year.
The Venezuelan currency will reach high levels of overvaluation. According to a paper drafted by economic research firm Ecoanalítica, the real exchange rate at the end of January was VEB 7.8 per US dollar.
Ecoanalítica forecasts that the exchange rate will amount to USD 9.4 per dollar in December 2012, as a result of the inflation rate and based on the inflation rate of Venezuela’s five major trading partners. This is more than double the current exchange rate of VEB 4.30 per US dollar.
Translated by Gerardo Cárdenas | <urn:uuid:9a758cb1-a164-49aa-9660-2f17c479c6eb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://avilacmg.wordpress.com/2012/03/13/el-universal-venezuela-postpones-exchange-rate-adjustment-overvaluation-flares-up/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936793 | 355 | 2.265625 | 2 |
The development team wanted to create a medium-displacement motorcycle with "an engine that was not about absolute performance, but about enabling users to fully enjoy the profound sensation of powerful low- and mid-range tourque without feeling any stress." To this end, the team decided on the following concept:
In pursuit of a ride to suit mature tastes, aim for a lightweight, compact engine layout
The pursuit of this concept was to result in a hitherto unknown ride sensation and "a compact, new value engine that delivers a world-class environmental performance." To achieve a "ride to suit mature tastes," development began with discussions about the basic layout. In-depth discussions took place to determine what kind of engine would deliver the desired characteristics. Topics discussed at length included displacement, the number of cylinders (one to four cylinders), engine type (single cylinder, in-line, V-shaped, horizontally opposed/OHC, DOHC) and alancers (primary-secondary balancers, coupling balancer). In the end, it was concluded that the optimal engine to achieve the goal would be a liquid-cooled, in-line, 2-cylinder, 700cc, OHC engine with an 62º （Engine mounting angle） forward lean.
To concretely arrive at a "ride to suit mature tastes," a choice had to be made between even and uneven firing intervals. Uneven-interval firing with a 270º phase crank was chosen over orderly and smooth even-interval firing in order to achieve a throb close to that of a 2-cylinder V-engine, because this would result in an emotional yet comforting means of daily transportation.
The engine design employs the 270º phase crank technology already filed by Honda in 1985. Because of the crank's 270º phase, manufacture using conventional top-and-bottom-half techniques generates considerable waste in the crank web section. Furthermore, because the crank web section is difficult to fully machine, this method produces a heavy crank, which was not consistent with the development concept and would have resulted in cost increases.
To resolve this issue, the development team undertook the challenge of manufacturing a "twisted crank." The team's manufacturing method involved forging the top and bottom halves of a crank at 360º to keep waste to a minimum, and then, before the crank journal portion cooled down, immediately twist it an additional 90º, to make the angle 270º.
This "crank-twisting" method of manufacture had already been successfully used to add a 60º twist to the crank for Honda's 6-cylinder V-engine used in automobiles. Collaboration between engineers in Honda's automobile and motorcycle R&D centers meant it was possible to build the technology for a 90º twist and as a result successfully avoid cost increases by producing, without machining, a lightweight crank web with an optimal balance. | <urn:uuid:60e5048a-e5df-4afe-8d3d-98281c17a615> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://world.honda.com/Global-700cc-engine/Tech-details/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943529 | 586 | 2.015625 | 2 |
The US Treasury Secretary, Tim Geithner, is off to India to launch the new bilateral economic dialogue focused on macroeconomic stability, financial markets and infrastructure financing.
Geithner has a long association with India where he spent some of his childhood in the 1980s as the son of a Ford [ Images ] Foundation officer. This trip will have three objectives.
First and foremost, the trip is about symbolism, aimed at establishing a parallelism with the US-China relationship that has been institutionalised as a high-level strategic and economic dialogue.
The US-India economic relationship does not quite have the importance of the US-China relationship - at least not yet - but this new initiative will ensure that India does not fall under the radar screen. So, this trip is significant just for the fact that it is happening and will, hopefully, continue to happen.
Second, Geithner will - or should - be seeking to find areas of common global economic interest. India is now a member of the G-20, though there are no burning economic issues either dividing or uniting the two countries.
India, for example, does not have a lot at stake in reform of the financial sector because domestically the problem is not one of how to re-regulate the sector (which is the case for the United States and Europe) but how and how fast to deregulate it.
But there is one potentially big issue of common interest - the Chinese exchange rate. As I have argued in the pages of the Financial Times, China's undervalued exchange rate affects emerging market countries such as India even more than it does the US.
So, there is potential disaffection that could be tapped by the US to forge a multilateral solution to the problem. India, for example, has a lot of anti-dumping cases against China reflecting the competitiveness concerns of Indian industry.
There are two problems that Geithner will have to deal with, however. India will probably not want to be seen as criticising, or ganging up on, China. (As a senior Indian official told me: "Let the big boys sort this out amongst themselves. We live in a rough neighbourhood").
Some skillful and soft diplomacy will be required to bring India on board. The aim should be to perhaps raise this issue in the G-20 (or the WTO) as something of common concern to all G-20 members and not just the US.
Another problem relates to the nature of Geithner's interlocutors. The effect of the Chinese exchange rate is felt the most by domestic industry and by the Indian central bank, which has to deal with a surge in capital flows and hence manage the exchange rate at a time when the Chinese currency has been depreciating.
But Geithner's counterparts, mostly from the ministries of finance and planning, have less of a stake in the exchange rate and thus are less likely to respond to any renminbi-related overtures. His challenge will be to meet and mobilise that section of Indian opinion that is most exercised about the exchange rate.
The presence of Don Kohn, vice chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve, could, therefore, be useful as it would lead to interaction with the Reserve Bank of India [ Get Quote ]. India's commerce minister should also be brought into the renminbi-related discussions as his constituency - Indian industry - is a key victim of the undervalued Chinese currency.
The third objective of this trip for Geithner is to promote business opportunities for the US, especially in the financial sector. The Indian financial sector remains heavily regulated and there is a strong perception within India that deregulation is important particularly to mobilise finance for the vast needs of the infrastructure sector (estimated at close to a trillion dollars).
Here I have some simple advice for Geithner: Silence and restraint are golden. He should not publicly press India to open its financial sector. Indian public opinion will remind him that post-crisis America has little standing in trumpeting the benefits of financial sector deregulation, let alone in pushing the interests of the still-maligned US financial sector. India will open up its financial sector but at its own pace.
There are many domestically conceived blueprints for financial sector reform. The problem is one of navigating the politics of reform especially given the presence of the large public sector banks in India. The US advocacy of this effort can only taint, and even set back, the reform effort.The author is senior fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics. | <urn:uuid:8790a807-5401-462a-a303-47c3ae0f4964> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://business.rediff.com/column/2010/apr/05/guest-what-geithner-should-and-should-not-do.htm | 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 | 0.957743 | 927 | 1.71875 | 2 |
In its tongue-in-cheek illustration of misguided revolutionaries, Antoni Padrós's Lock-Out suggests a rough hewn and metaphoric - if more impenetrable and decidedly uneven - precursor to Rainer Werner Fassbinder's The Third Generation, interweaving episodes of straightforward narrative, dream-like interludes, and political manifesto into an abstract portrait of resistance and marginalization. For former finance worker Walter and his motley group of friends, ground zero for revolution is appropriately found in a salvage yard, where they have set up camp to pursue their own version of Francoist ideals to live off the land - albeit through recycling scrap materials rather than farming. Dropping out of society to lead a bohemian existence, the freedom they had hoped to find in the discarded rubble continues to elude them, their lives complicated by an unexpected pregnancy, romantic rivalries, and boredom. However, when their tedium is broken one day by the unexplained appearance of a handsome stranger who silently watches over them and refuses to leave, the friends decide to abandon their paradise and return to their former lives. Commemorating their return to "civilization" with a celebration, the friends soon discover that their delirious rite of passage is akin to a death ritual. Alternating between commitment and indulgence, absurdity and inanity, Lock-Out is perhaps the most artisanal and demanding installment in the series, where all-too-organic editing decisions to leave in verbal gaffes, miscues, and giggle fits sharply contrast against highly formalized, Bergmanesque shots and swooning pans (in particular, the celebration sequence) that invite germinal comparison to the intoxicated dance in Béla Tarr's Sátántangó. In hindsight, the captured sense of grotesqueness and dysfunction behind Franco's conservative ideals is paradoxically lost in the noise, translating as cavalier observation rather than call to action. | <urn:uuid:cf5b0483-6ece-4026-9004-4274a7140491> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://filmref.com/journal/archives/catalan_cinema_under_franco/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936939 | 398 | 1.585938 | 2 |
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Feb 27th, 2007 11:51 AM #1
Hail damages space shuttle's fuel tank
[Hail damages space shuttle's fuel tank] - February 27, 2007
King of interesting, considering that it was [lightning last year] which caused the delay of Atlantis in late August.
Given NASA's [new space policy,] is ["Manifest Destiny"] in trouble, do you think?
This painting (circa 1872) by John Gast called American Progress is an allegorical representation of Manifest Destiny. Here Columbia, a personification of the United States, leads civilization westward with American settlers, stringing telegraph wire as she travels; she holds a schoolbook (not a Bible). The different economic activities of the pioneers are highlighted and, especially, the changing forms of transportation. The Indians and wild animals flee.
Last edited by Raptor Witness; Feb 27th, 2007 at 12:12 PM."In the last days perilous times will come, for men shall have a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof." 2 Tim 3
Feb 27th, 2007 4:08 PM #2
NASA just held a live news conference, in which several reporters brought up the seeming "bad weather luck" recently, with respect to the shuttle program. One reporter even said, "I guess the locusts will be next."
[Space.com article] Although hail has been a problem twice in the past for NASA, since the shuttle program began; I wonder, was there anyone who predicted that hail might SPECIFICALLY be a problem last year? Was there a person who mentioned it? Dare we link to this person's thread post?
Last edited by Raptor Witness; Mar 10th, 2007 at 8:22 AM."In the last days perilous times will come, for men shall have a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof." 2 Tim 3
Feb 27th, 2007 4:25 PM #3
Yes, link! I have a feeling I know who's it is!"DARK-SIDED! Tampering in dark-sided stuff.
Gargolyes! psychics" Margaret
Maybe you can do like the horses do and send this message to your Ex via telepathy. Fut004
Feb 27th, 2007 4:28 PM #4
- Join Date
- Jul 2006
Have noticed lately that the shuttle has been delayed a few times now,due to the weather,so global warming is starting to affect us.Will have to build an all weather shuttle instead.
Feb 27th, 2007 7:54 PM #5
Last edited by Raptor Witness; Feb 28th, 2007 at 9:30 PM."In the last days perilous times will come, for men shall have a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof." 2 Tim 3
Feb 28th, 2007 9:31 PM #6
Are we ready to start calling this the curse of the space shuttle Atlantis?
You can watch a replay of the hail briefing at [spaceflight.com,] and watch shuttle program manager [Wayne Hale] smirk about "theological arguments."
If it's not a "curse," and it's not God, then please explain to "the people" what's going on? Please explain why NASA seems to be having so many weather related difficulties lately. Have a cup of coffee first Mr. Hale. Perhaps it will help to clear your mind, and our horizon.
Last edited by Raptor Witness; Jun 20th, 2007 at 6:26 PM.
Mar 3rd, 2007 10:33 PM #7[Isaiah 28:]
16 So this is what the Sovereign LORD says:
"See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;
the one who trusts will never be dismayed.
17 I will make justice the measuring line
and righteousness [the plumb line];
[hail] will sweep away your refuge, the lie,
and water will overflow your hiding place.
18 Your [covenant with death] will be annulled;
your agreement with the grave will not stand.
When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by,
you will be beaten down by it.
19 As often as it comes it will carry you away;
morning after morning, by day and by night,
it will sweep through."
The understanding of this message
will bring sheer [terror.]
Aritst [Link 1] [Link 2]
Last edited by Raptor Witness; Mar 10th, 2007 at 8:29 PM.
Mar 10th, 2007 8:11 AM #8
Battered by an intense hail storm February 26, space shuttle Atlantis retreated off launch pad 39A and returned to the cavernous Vehicle Assembly Building on Sunday to undergo thorough inspections and repairs.
The heatshield on the orbiter's left wing also experienced wind-blown hail impacts. Initial examinations at the pad revealed more than two dozen of the ship's black tiles sustained surface damage.
"This constitutes, in our evaluation, the worst damage that we have ever seen from hail on the external tank foam," said Wayne Hale, the shuttle program manager. "We have had hail a number of times in the past, hail is not unusual in Florida. ... But usually the hail is quite small and rarely causes damage. [Link to Story]
How about those sceince writers? Even they are calling St. NASA's rollback a "retreat."
Last edited by Raptor Witness; Mar 10th, 2007 at 8:23 AM.
Mar 12th, 2007 6:34 PM #9
Is not ["ice cream,"] another way of saying CREAMED BY ICE?
Definition of ["creamed."]
1. To defeat overwhelmingly: creamed our rival on their home court.
2. To damage severely; destroy: My camera got creamed when I dropped it.
Repairs are underway to the shuttle Atlantis. [Spaceflightnow video of repairs]
Last edited by Raptor Witness; Mar 12th, 2007 at 11:54 PM.
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By Fut004 in forum Off TopicReplies: 17Last Post: Feb 9th, 2007, 10:32 PM | <urn:uuid:e280424d-937c-4395-bbe7-60fc11d41876> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.armageddononline.org/forums/threads/9807-Hail-damages-space-shuttle-s-fuel-tank | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.920722 | 1,328 | 1.625 | 2 |
Nana talks about how children devote their lives to soccer
CleAnn: So Nana, soccer is extremely important both our countries, but Ghana's team is very strong. Can you tell me a little bit about this?
Nana: Yeah, Ghana has a very strong soccer team. They're known as the Black Stars. Has so many stars. And it's actually ranked the 3rd in Africa at the moment. And ranked amongst the first 30 in the world now.
CleAnn: Oh, I don't think we're anywhere near there. I think we might probably be somewhere in the top 100. I don't know.
So you guys are called the Black Stars?
CleAnn: In my country we call them the Soccer Warriors. Yes, we're very proud of our footballers.
Yes, but please continue.
Nana: Okay. The biggest game we have in Ghana now is soccer. Probably next might be boxing. But then the whole nation is all about soccer. And it's even important for families in the sense that families tend to push young kids into soccer academies which are all over the country now, and these young kids are really encouraged to actually play in the leagues, in the premier leagues, and further their playing career outside, but mostly the emphasis is on playing in foreign leagues, which they deem brings more money to the player himself and to the family the player comes from.
CleAnn: So recruiting young people is an important part of the soccer culture in Ghana.
Nana: Unfortunately, I would say yes.
CleAnn: It's quite the opposite in Trinidad. A lot of our very talented players are young people who show a lot of promise from high school days. They're just left to kind of slip through the cracks. They usually leave Trinidad and Tobago to study in foreign universities, most times on sports scholarships for soccer. And they leave and they sometimes stay in these foreign countries and they play in these foreign countries, and we lose them forever. So I think that this system in Ghana is actually a very good thing.
Nana: The reason why I say it's unfortunately true is, it has come to a point where people actually pay families just to take their young kids away. And this actually really comes under child slavery. 'Cause these kids they go away, and people don't hear from them probably until they are of age and they are playing in the big leagues. Then that's when families come forward and say, "yeah, this is my child, and this child was taken away from me for a long time." So it has come to a point where, people just come, they pick these kids out of school and no one knows, because they are playing good soccer in the basic schools, and no one knows what happens to them.
Again, and some of them even end up not actually meeting their potential, and end up doing some other stuff, end up in crime, end up doing some other stuff, and there's a lot of corruption in that. People actually go, there are families in Ghana which actually pay people, pay teams, just to sell their young kids to these foreign scouts. So it's really unfortunate. It's really unfortunate. | <urn:uuid:6be17bbc-1e0d-4cfc-a9a8-63f2eaa25d60> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://elllo.org/english/0400/440-FootballFactories.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98334 | 660 | 1.90625 | 2 |
Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 25 general entries.
Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
Kennedy, John F.
|Despite the many controversies surrounding Kennedy's assassination, a formal investigation into the shooting of the president was ordered. It was investigated by many of America's finest agencies, including the CIA and the FBI. The investigation was headed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Earl Warren. What was the investigation known as?||John F. Kennedy - The Journey to Texas
The Warren Commission. The Warren Commission investigated the shootings, and found that Lee Harvey Oswald shot the president from the Book Depository Store. He was seen leaving the scene, got on a bus to his apartment, walked to the movie theatre, on the way shooting and killing a Dallas policeman, and was finally caught in the movie theatre. After spending days in prison being questioned, he was shot outside in the underground car park of the prison by Jack Ruby. Oswald never did confess to the crime.
This tragic event will never be far from the minds of all people.
God rest his soul, RIP John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1917-1963, aged 46).
Dallas, TX. He was in a limousine driving through Dallas, Texas. Three shots rang out and the fatal shot hit President Kennedy in the back of the head. There has been major controversy over the shooting, with many conspiracy theories having evolved, ranging from Lyndon Johnson ordering the killing to organised crime leaders ordering the shootings. Whether is was Lee Harvey Oswald as a lone shooter or a greater conspiracy, it was a tragic death, and Kennedy will forever be remembered as one of America's finest.
|It took Kennedy a while to deal with domestic issues during his presidency. Many people have criticised Kennedy for this. But in 1963, he finally acknowledged the rising tensions for African-Americans and started to initiate a law to help. Unfortunately, he died before he could pass the law through, but Lyndon Johnson finally pushed the law through in 1964. What was this law called?||John F. Kennedy - The Journey to Texas
The Civil Rights Act. Kennedy claimed he was a supporter of the Civil Rights campaign, yet neglected to make major changes during his first two years as president. It was after the University of Alabama riots in June 1963 that Kennedy made his famous Civil Rights speech and put the Civil Rights Act through Congress. One reason for delay could have been the opposition within his own party to the Civil Rights law.
Although the Civil Rights Act gave African-Americans more legal rights and abolished segregation in the southern states, many African-Americans still faced a lot of racism. In 1965, a further bill was passed called the Voting Rights Act. This still did not stop further demonstrations from African-Americans.
Berlin. After WW2, the division of Germany was a HUGE source of conflict between America and the Soviet Union. Half the country was divided between east and west, east being Communist and west being Capitalist, but the important city of Berlin was torn between the two. The Soviet Union in 1961 then built the Berlin Wall to protect its land and stop its citizens from escaping to the West. Many citizens died trying to get over to the west of Berlin. The wall finally came down in 1989 following the break up of the Soviet Union. Germany is now re-united!
|There was another problem that Kennedy faced. After WW2, the Soviet Union and America had major issues with each other. Although there was no combat between these two nations, it was a very famous war. What was it called?||John F. Kennedy - The Journey to Texas
The Cold War. The Cold War was a psychological war between the 2 dominate super powers, the Democratic Americans and the Communist Soviet Union. The war finally dissolved in the late 1980s when the Soviet Union ran into economic difficulties and could no longer maintain the Arms Race with thriving America.
There was a Winter War during 1939 and 1940, but this was between Finland and the Soviet Union. America did not get involved.
|In Kennedy's inauguration speech, he pledged to help those countries who were in need. Kennedy tried to keep this promise and set up a new organisation to give aid and man power to desperate countries. Volunteers were required for this. What was the organisation called?||John F. Kennedy - The Journey to Texas
The Peace Corps. The Peace Corps were set up by Kennedy in 1961 to provide skilled man power to countries in need. They are still running to this day.
|There were still issues to be dealt with in Cuba. In October 1962, the world came to the brink of nuclear warfare, following a discovery of offensive weapons in Cuba. The threat lasted 13 long tense days. What was this dilemma known as?||John F. Kennedy - The Journey to Texas
The Cuban Missile Crisis. It was the Cuban Missile Crisis. In October 1962, a U2 Spyplane photographed nuclear installations in Cuba. Kennedy could not invade Cuba for fear of a nuclear attack from the Soviet Union. Kennedy ordered a naval quarantine (or 'blockade') and finally an agreement was made. Khrushchev (the Soviet leader) agreed to remove the missiles if Kennedy agreed not to invade Cuba and missiles in Turkey were also removed. Kennedy agreed never to invade Cuba, but refused to remove missiles in Turkey as part of the deal. However, the missiles in Turkey were obsolete and were going to be removed anyway, so with this knowledge in hand, Khrushchev removed the missiles in Cuba. The world breathed a little easier...
Dean Rusk, the Secretary of State, famously said "We were eyeball to eyeball, and the other guy just blinked!". What a perfect quote!
|One of the first problems Kennedy inherited from his predecessor was the trouble with Cuba. What is the name of the failed invasion mission that occurred in 1961?||John F. Kennedy - The Journey to Texas
The Bay of Pigs. The Bay of Pigs: the CIA had trained Cuban exiles to invade the small country of Cuba to try and overthrow Fidal Castro. Kennedy gave the go ahead for the invasion to take place in April 1961, but Castro had received information regarding the invasion, which led to the capture of the Cuban exiles. Kennedy refused to give them air support as he did not want America to 'be involved'. He later confessed to the disaster and made a public apology.
Richard M Nixon. He defeated Richard Milhous Nixon for the presidency by a narrow margin in 1960. Looks like Nixon didn't cheat in this election!
Dwight D Eisenhower could not have run against Kennedy as he had served the maximum 8 years term during the 1950s. Nixon finally 'won' the election in 1968.
Harry S Truman in fact had no middle name. In order to sound more prestigious, he adopted the S. Truman served as president from 1945 to 1953. Johnson was actually Kennedy's vice-president and served from Kennedy's death in 1963 until 1968.
1960. JFK ran for the presidency as a member of the Democratic Party and won the election in 1960. Prior to this he had served 6 years in the House of Representatives and was elected to the US Senate in 1952. He actually ran for vice-president in 1956 but was defeated. After several offers, Lyndon B Johnson was put on the ticket as vice-president.
Jacqueline Bouvier. John F Kennedy married Jacqueline Bouvier in 1953 at the age of 36. Jackie was 24 at the time. They had 2 surviving children, John Jr and Caroline. Jackie unfortunately miscarried twice, once in 1963. John Jr died tragically in 1999. Caroline is still around today.
|John F Kennedy studied at Harvard and during his senior year he wrote a thesis called 'Why England Slept', which later was published as a book. This was not his only book. Whilst recovering from a back operation, he wrote another book, for which he received a Pulitzer Prize. What was this book called?||John F. Kennedy - The Journey to Texas
Profiles in Courage. 'Why England Slept' was given the name as it was published after Churchill's 'While England Slept' was published. Kennedy really admired Churchill. The book aimed to criticize England's military unpreparedness at the onset of World War 2, and criticized the 'appeasement' policy towards Nazi Germany at the Munich Conference in 1938.
In 1957, he won the Pulitzer Prize in Biography for his book called 'Profiles in Courage'. He did write 'The Strategy of Peace', but this was in 1960. As you can tell, the other 2 books are made up...
|John F Kennedy had been a sickly child most of his life, but this did not stop him from entering the Navy in WWII. While he was there, he suffered a terrible back injury. Due to his injury, he was later found to have a particular condition. What is that condition called?||John F. Kennedy - The Journey to Texas
Addison's Disease. Addison's Disease is a failure to produce particular hormones. He did not have either Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), Alcoholism or Anemia (which is a low red blood cell count).
JFK suffered Scarlet Fever as a child, which could have been life-threatening and also suffered with terrible Colitis (a bowel disorder). After taking steroids to control the Colitis, it could have accounted for his weak back that was a further problem after his accident in the Pacific during World War 2. It was when he returned that doctors assumed he had Malaria from the war, but it turned out that it was Addisons, which accounted for his difficulty to gain weight as a youngster.
In the Navy, he was the commander of a PT boat, and whilst in action the boat was struck by a Japanese Destroyer which badly damaged his back. Nevertheless, he was still able to save some of his crew and return a hero.
His older brother, Joe Jr., wasn't as fortunate and died when his plane exploded near England during a highly dangerous and delicate mission.
Throughout his shortened life, JFK was on a concoction of medication, including Testosterone, and if it had been known how dreadfully ill he was, it may have been unlikely he would have become POTUS (President of the United States).
Fitzgerald. His full name is John Fitzgerald Kennedy. He was actually named in honour of his grandpa, John Francis Fitzgerald (a.k.a Honey Fitz). Honey Fitz was already well known in politics and could have influenced young John into this line of work.
Brookline, MA. He was born to Rose and Joseph Kennedy on May 29th 1917. He was a Roman Catholic of Irish descent. The Kennedy family were very wealthy and had many other homes, including the large summer house in Cape Cod. He actually lived at 83 Beals Street, Brookline, Ma.
|'My God, it's as bad as __________. The worse I do the more popular I get.' Who, was JFK talking about?
||All About John F. Kennedy
Dwight Eisenhower. He said this after all the bad ridicule from the Bay Of Pigs Invasion. I got this quote from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/facts-about-john-f-kennedy.html
Dean Rusk. The Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, which works with foreign affairs.
Harry F. Byrd. JFK, at the time of his election, won by the smallest amount of popular votes since 1888, which was 118,574 votes. This may seem like a number of votes, but it really isn't.
Bethesda Naval Hospital. He was finally put to rest on November 25th 1963. May he rest in peace.
nomination speech. The "New Frontier" was considered a slogan so Americans would support him.
Peace Corps. In 1961 JFK was also involved in the Bay of Pigs invasion which later turned into a disaster.
1940. He majored in political science and then later served in the Navy working on a patrol boat during WWII.
|There were four important people in the President's limo that entered Dealey Plaza on the day of the assassination. In the limo there were John F. Kennedy, First Lady Mrs. Kennedy, and Governor John Connally. (The fourth passenger did not include the driver or any secret service.) Who was the fourth passenger?||All About John F. Kennedy
Nellie Connally. It just so happens that only two people were injured in the motorcade due to the several shots. Those two people were the President and the Governor.
6.5 Italian Mannlicher Carcano. The gun at first was believed to be a 7.65 Mauser but then investigators defined it as a 6.5 Italian Mannlicher Carcano.
J.D. Tippit. After Oswald shot the president he then ran and murdered Officer J.D. Tippit. On November 24th, 1963 Lee Harvey Oswald was assassinated by Jack Ruby. | <urn:uuid:5402d2fc-8fc6-40ef-9577-ddd99f79f0ff> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.funtrivia.com/en/World/Kennedy-John-F-13730.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.986357 | 2,680 | 2.625 | 3 |
In 2007, the United States Department of Transportation selected five metropolitan areas it considered suitable for congestion charging projects. The idea was simple – charge private road users to enter city centres, reducing congestion and raising funds in the process. But four years on and progress is less than positive. New York city has twice thrown out plans for a congestion charge, and San Francisco is waiting until 2015 to begin its trial period. When the most enthusiastic response involves waiting four years, you know it’s not good news.
But as America postpones and battles against the congestion charge in its cities, on the other side of the pond it’s a different story. Launched in February 2003 by then-Mayor Ken Livingston, London’s congestion charge system charges private car users who enter the zone £10 ($16) per day between 7am and 6pm, Monday to Friday. The scheme has been a huge success, resulting in a 20% drop in car use, £120 million ($197 million) annual net-revenues, and the fastest growth rate for the city’s bus system since the 1940s.
Creating an economically-driven transportation demand management system like the congestion charge is controversial, and resistance isn’t an exclusively American reaction. Despite the scheme’s success in London, few cities in Europe – with the notable exception of Stockholm and Milan – have followed the British capital’s lead.
Environmental benefits appear to present a compelling argument. 22% of London’s overall CO2 emissions come from ground based transport, with 49% of those coming from cars and motorcycles. As a result of the congestion charge, CO2 emissions fell by 16% within the charging zone, with nitrogen oxides and particulate emissions dropping too. Functional benefits also exist. Average traffic speeds have increased by 37%, with delays to private journeys decreasing by 30% and bus journeys by 50%. Speedier journeys have also reduced average taxi fares.
The bus network also benefited. To prepare for the likely increase in bus ridership as a result of the congestion charge, 250 new buses were introduced. In fact, much of the revenue from London’s congestion charge is used to fund public transport developments, making the scheme part of a growing trend towards revenue neutrality, where project revenues are fully reinvested.
However, the scheme’s harshest critics call it an ‘economic failure’, citing poor economic benefits compared to the annual running costs. But such an argument – whilst likely true – is not important. A profit making system would certainly not be frowned upon, but London’s congestion charge exists primarily to tackle the problems involved in using the city’s roads, not turn a profit.
The small size of London’s congestion charging zone has also received come criticism. At only 1.5% of Greater London’s area and with 5.2% of the city’s residents, it is not a large zone. Whilst this arguably creates a more functional transport demand management system, it does reduce overall environmental benefits. Any reductions in emissions within this area – despite being significant – only represent a fraction of London’s total emissions. This means that air quality in London as a whole has barely improved since the congestion charge began.
The pricing system of London’s congestion charge is essentially non-variable, limiting control over traffic flow. Despite discounts for residents and certain vehicle types, the £10 daily charge applies to almost everyone, regardless of when they traveled or time spent in the congestion charging zone. An alternative approach could have made the city more capable of managing its traffic. In Singapore, the congestion charge varies by time of day, location within the charging zone, and type of vehicle using the space. In addition to this, the fee structure is adjusted quarterly to ensure the city’s speed targets are met.
Despite its imperfections, London opted for a more simple system, which has been a huge success. The British capital’s experience shows that congestion pricing is technically achievable and effective, and that initial political and institutional resistance to such pricing can be overcome. It remains to be seen whether that is the case in American cities, and with San Francisco’s proposed trial not starting until 2015, it could be a long wait.
This article was originally written for Next American City – a nonprofit organisation, dedicated to promoting socially and environmentally sustainable economic growth in America’s cities. | <urn:uuid:f01eaddb-fb65-4204-a047-cdf7b03296a5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thisbigcity.net/congestion-pricing-not-coming-soon-us-city/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951954 | 905 | 2.828125 | 3 |
Welfare Spending of $1.03 Trillion is Up 32% in Four Years
In yesterday's Washington Times, Stephen Dinan reported, " Federal welfare spending has grown by 32 percent over the past four years, fattened by President Obama’s stimulus spending and swelled by a growing number of Americans whose recession-depleted incomes now qualify them for public assistance." He continues:
"Federal spending on more than 80 low-income assistance programs reached $746 billion in 2011, and state spending on those programs brought the total to $1.03 trillion, according to figures from the Congressional Research Service and the Senate Budget Committee.
"That makes welfare the single biggest chunk of federal spending — topping Social Security and basic defense spending.
"Sen. Jeff Sessions, the ranking Republican on the Budget Committee who requested the Congressional Research Service report, said the numbers underscore a fundamental shift in welfare, which he said has moved from being a Band-Aid and toward a more permanent crutch."
" . . . CRS identified 83 overlapping federal welfare programs that together represented the single largest budget item in 2011—more than the nation spends on Social Security, Medicare, or national defense. The total amount spent on these 80-plus federal welfare programs amounts to roughly $1.03 trillion. Importantly, these figures solely refer to means-tested welfare benefits. They exclude entitlement programs to which people contribute (e.g., Social Security and Medicare).
< . . . >
"The exclusively federal share of spending on these federal programs is up 32 percent since 2008, and now comprises 21 percent of federal outlays (this share too is more than Social Security, Medicare, or defense)."As a historical comparison, spending on the 10 largest of the 83 programs (which account for the bulk of federal welfare spending) has doubled as a share of the federal budget over just the last 30 years. In inflation-adjusted dollars, the amount expended on these 10 programs has increased by 378 percent over that time."
The background fact sheet contains a list of all 83 federal welfare programs examined by CRS. In addition, here is the press release from U.S. Senate Budget Committee (GOP-side).
If you're wondering what $1 trillion looks like, here is a 2 1/2-minute video I found on You Tube. Here is how Free Republic and Mint.com explain what $1 trillion look like in words and pictures, respectively.
Additional stories which comment on the Senate Budget Committee report include this blog post by the National Review Online staff; a post by blogger Heather Ginsberg at Townhall.com; Caroline May reports at the Daily Caller; and, a post at the Heritage Foundation's blog, the Foundry, by Robert Rector that includes a discussion about HSS efforts "gut the work requirements from welfare reform." In addition, at the Weekly Standard's blog, Daniel Halper has two posts, here and here, that have several charts, including the one at the bottom of this post..
Also, at the Weekly Standard blog, Jeff Anderson reports on the U.S. Treasury Department's "final monthly treasury statement of receipts and outlays" for FY 2012. Anderson highlights that " for every $7 we’ve had, we’ve spent nearly $11 (or, to be more exact, $10.95). That’s like a family that makes $70,000 a year — and is already knee-deep in debt — blowing nearly $110,000 a year." | <urn:uuid:79fd3ab1-baa3-4bbc-b7a5-21b4648ccc58> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://acta.us/growls/2012/10/welfare_spending_up_32_in_four.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93993 | 719 | 1.539063 | 2 |
December 15, 2011
Margaret H. Marshall, who served over a decade as Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, will join the faculty at Harvard Law School this spring as a senior research fellow and lecturer. A national spokesperson on the importance of independent state courts, she will teach a reading group on “Judicial Independence, Judicial Ethics and the First Amendment.”
Appointed as Chief Justice in 1999 by Gov. A. Paul Cellucci, Marshall was the first woman to serve as Chief Justice and the second woman appointed to serve as an Associate Justice in the Court's long history. During her 14 years on the Court before stepping down in December 2010, she wrote more than 200 opinions, including the landmark opinion in Goodrich v. Department of Public Health in 2003, legalizing same-sex marriage in Massachusetts. The ruling made Massachusetts the first state to legalize gay marriage.
HLS Dean Martha Minow said: “Chief Justice Marshall has demonstrated brilliance and courage throughout her career, leading anti-apartheid efforts in the 1960s; championing educational progress here at Harvard and elsewhere; and galvanizing ground-breaking reform to the Massachusetts judicial system in the past decade. We at Harvard Law School are so honored that she will share her talents, experiences, wisdom, and brilliance along with her enduring commitment to access to justice.”
Upon her appointment, Marshall commented: “Harvard Law School is one of the great centers of legal scholarship. It is a privilege to be returning to a University that has been so important in my legal career, and to have the opportunity to teach and learn from a new generation of students who will in the future play such important roles in in all parts of the legal profession.”
In an April 2011 interview at Harvard Law School, Dean Martha Minow credited Marshall with modernizing the entire Massachusetts judiciary, spearheading a plan in 2002 to revolutionize the administration of the trial courts. She effectively streamlined the courts' administration, developed performance measures, and devised a process for ongoing review and improvement of the courts in the Commonwealth. These reforms resulted in significant decreases in case backlogs and in the length of time between the filing and resolution of cases, as well as in cost-savings throughout the trial and appellate courts.
Born and raised in South Africa, Marshall obtained her baccalaureate in 1966 from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. While an undergraduate, she was elected president of the National Union of South African Students, at the time a leading anti-apartheid organization. She came to the United States and Harvard to pursue her master’s degree in education, which she received in 1969, and then went on to receive her J.D. from Yale in 1976.
Marshall practiced law for 16 years in Boston and became a partner in the Boston firm of Choate, Hall & Stewart. In 1992, she was appointed vice president and general counsel of Harvard University, the first woman to hold that position. She has served as president of the Boston Bar Association, president of the United States Conference of Chief Justices (2008 - 2009), and chair of the Board of the National Center for State Courts. Marshall is a member of the Council of the American Law Institute, and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She served as a fellow of the Corporation of Yale University from 2004 to 2010. She is the recipient of many honorary degrees and other professional awards. | <urn:uuid:a34766db-27b9-4bee-84cd-52fa8d5416d2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.law.harvard.edu/news/2011/12/15_margaret-marshall-to-join-hls-faculty.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969331 | 703 | 2.421875 | 2 |
Voting and X-Ray machines?
Posted Oct 5, 2006 8:27 UTC (Thu) by nim-nim
In reply to: Voting and X-Ray machines?
Parent article: Similar in spirit?
> Voting machines? X-Ray machines? The parties who own such devices can and
> probably should make use of tamper resistance features.
And surprise the GPLv3 actually allows it.
What it forbids is the manufacturer keeping the key for himself (to take an analogy : you can build a password auth in your product, but you can't hardcode a password you do not share downstream. The direct result obviously is no hardcoded password and the owner choosing whatever password he likes)
For voting machines for example there are *many* documented occurences of the manufacturer stealthily changing the software after the customer had audited one version. No DRM-as-forbidden-by-the-GPLv3 would have helped as they leave the key control in the manufacturer's hands.
For X-rays-machines displaying a "warranty void if uncontroled software uploaded" during the update process is the strict equivallent of the tamper-proof seals which have served the industry well against hardware tampering for years. Again, no DRM-as-forbidden-by-the-GPLv3 is needed.
DRM-as-forbidden-by-the-GPLv3 are the analog of security locks whose keys are kept by the manufacturer (and not distributed with the product). Did you see one of those in actual life ? Stangely this level of protection was never justified in the no-software world, but once it's DRMized it "makes sense"
to post comments) | <urn:uuid:c5a568fb-3b8d-422f-be90-68417796aa7e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lwn.net/Articles/202973/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00054-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938839 | 366 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Motor officer Shane Spielman has seen it all during his 10 years patrolling the streets of Anaheim. Laws change. But bad drivers remain.
He wants to make our streets safer. Got a question about the rules of the road?
He’s got an answer.
Amy asked, “Hey, am I in violation of the hand’s free law if I use my shoulder to hold my phone to my ear?”
Officer Shane says, “Hands free and shoulder free are the same!!!”
Sandy asked: “My neighbor has decided they don’t want anyone to park in front of their house, so they painted the curb red. Is that legal?”
Officer Shane says, “No, the city or county owns the curb.”
Bob asked: “Is it legal to drive barefoot?”
Officer Shane says, “It’s OK to drive barefoot…No laws making it illegal…I wouldn’t suggest doing it while riding a motorcycle though!!!”
You can reach him on Facebook or at firstname.lastname@example.org.
* Behind the Badge publishes highlight’s from Officer Shane Says’ Facebook page on Fridays. | <urn:uuid:13d38ed7-db51-4658-94b1-96208b27f5cb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://anaheimpd.wordpress.com/2010/06/11/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00055-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940944 | 265 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Is social connectivity friend or foe to corporations?
In 1929, Frigyes Karinthy conjectured that anyone on Earth was connected to anyone else, on average, through just six people. Social networking may be increasing connectedness. Facebook recently studied connectedness among its 721 million active users, concluding that the average distance between any two Facebook users is now only 4.74 "hops" (down from 5.28 in 2008).
That connectedness has benefits for corporations, which can use social networking to provide easy two-way customer communication and facilitate targeted marketing. But increased connectivity has other implications:
News travels faster. Thirty years ago, dissatisfied customers usually told eight to 15 friends about their experience. Today they can (and do!) tell many more. The title of Pete Blackshaw's book says it all: Satisfied Customers Tell Three Friends, Angry Customers Tell 3,000: Running a Business in Today's Consumer-Driven World . Moreover, according to Conversocial, many retailers fail to sufficiently monitor social networks ; it reported that several Fortune 500 retailers missed all consumer complaints on social networking sites during a five-day study in September 2011. Unfortunately, oblivious companies also miss the opportunity to address complaints before they spread widely. Reports of poor customer service can potentially result in numerous customer defections. | <urn:uuid:27c3d59c-aac1-48a5-97b9-979966ae3ce8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.itworld.com/print/238371 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951303 | 263 | 2.109375 | 2 |
Storms are often the cause of extensive damage to commercial, industrial, and residential properties. Alliance Disaster Kleenup is the solution to all types of damages caused by storms. Our teams are always available 24/7 to respond during or after the storm.
As with any type of restoration project, time is always a critical component. Our teams can be onsite to assess the damages in a matter of hours. Upon arriving onsite, one of our trained project managers will determine the best course of action to begin the restoration process and then call in all necessary manpower and resources to mitigate damages and begin the process of restoration and reconstruction. No matter what type of storm or how severe the damage that has been done, the Alliance Disaster Kleenup team is able to start you down the road to recovery.
Hurricanes – While these storms are often most severe near the coasts, the effects and remnants can often be felt well inland. The power of hurricanes vary greatly but at their worst they are capable of causing extensive damages due to the powerful combination of strong winds and drenching rains. Alliance Disaster Kleenup is a single source solution that has the ability to address both the effects of powerful winds and severe rains.
Tornados – While these storms may effect a smaller area than hurricanes, the damage created by them is often far more destructive. Often times the only solution to rectifying the damage caused by a tornado is to start over and rebuild. These storms are also often accompanied by rain that can compound problems to structures left standing. Alliance Disaster Kleenup has the expertise to partner with you in completion of any sized project.
Earthquakes – Earthquakes vary greatly in their magnitude. Anything above a 5.5 on the Richter scale has the potential to cause serious damage to structures that were not built to withstand strong earthquakes. When dealing with a powerful earthquake the damage will be widespread and severe. Alliance Disaster Kleenup can assist in both the restoration and rebuilding aspects following any substantial earthquake.
Hail – Sometimes hail falls and causes little more than an inconvenience, and other times it is a highly destructive force that destroys cars, homes, and buildings. Alliance Disaster Kleenup has trained individuals that know how to recognize and repair the damages caused by severe hail. It takes a trained individual to determine if hail damage exists and what should be done to address it. In the years Alliance Disaster Kleenup has been in business we have garnered the requisite experience to successfully identify and repair hail damage. | <urn:uuid:5aa9fd11-7d9d-4943-b6c3-25a5f396ce10> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.alliancedki.com/catastrophic-events | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00054-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959597 | 504 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Students at the Yadkin Early College got a crash course in Catholicism, what the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI meant to the world and why it should matter to a group of Yadkin County students.
David Brown, substituting for Blake Johnson’s civic class, called in Jose Gonzalez and Alexandra Banasik to discuss the topic with his students and how this historical news pertains to them.
“This is not necessarily a civics topic, but I think something that hasn’t happened in 600 years is significant,” Brown said. “This is a societal issue, and civics is also a social course.”
Gonzalez and Banasik are both coordinators for the Hispanic ministry for the diocese of Charlotte. Through their positions they work to help priests to organize and work with their Spanish congregations.
They are also the parents of a Yadkin Early College student, and when Brown learned about their positions in the church he saw a perfect opportunity for a question and answer session for his class.
Banasik said that the now that the Pope has announced his resignation there have been many speculations as to why he made the decision. There has been talk of a scandal and talk of illness. She points out that no one knows the reason for the decision.
“Do you know anyone in this county that is 85 years old that is still working?” Gonzalez asked the class.
No one answered, and Gonzalez pointed out that this proved his point. He noted that the Pope must work 12-hour days seven days a week.
“We have problems in our home, and our Pope has problems in his home as well,” Gonzalez said. “The Pope doesn’t only worry about Catholics; he worries about everyone because God created everyone.”
Gonzalez went on to explain to the students that the Vatican operates as a small country, and the Pope acts as the spiritual leader and the president of the Vatican.
Banasik said the Pope will leave his post on Feb. 28 at 8 p.m., and once he steps down the Cardinals of the church will gather to decide who will be the next chosen. The Cardinals have 20 days to make their choice and typically choose a Cardinal to nominate.
“The Pope who takes over must be strong mentally and physically, and he needs to know what he’s talking about,” Banasik said.
Gonzalez said that during the interval the church’s secretary of state would be in charge of the Vatican.
One student inquired whether the church would ever allow a female Pope to be nominated.
“The Catholic church cannot accept a woman as Pope,” Banasik said. “The church doesn’t believe that women can handle the responsibilities of Pope. Men are the head of the family in the Bible, and the church is a family. So a man must be the head of the church.”
Gonzalez pointed out that many things have changed with the times within the church, and that this too could be changed in the future. However, Gonzalez said it’s unlikely for now.
Gonzalez explained that once the Pope leaves the Vatican he will no longer be involved in the decision making and will head to a convent where he will spend his time praying and writing.
This addresses the Pope’s recognition as being infallible. Gonzalez said that the Pope is only considered infallible while he is in the cathedral teaching. When he is out of the cathedral he is considered human and not divine.
Reach Lindsay Craven at 679-2341 or at email@example.com. | <urn:uuid:a5f0c014-57d7-43ee-a9d7-306dde3f14b8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.yadkinripple.com/pages/home/push?class=&rel=prev&per_page=5&x_page=22 | 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 | 0.979985 | 766 | 1.773438 | 2 |
Source: received for testing via the Trailspace Review Corps
InstaFire is an easy-to-use granulated firestarting material and fuel which lights readily with a match or lighter, burns cleanly, and doesn’t blow away in wind too easily. It comes in sealed pouches which stow easily in a backpack or pocket.
- Very simple to ignite with matches or lighter
- Waterproof packaging keeps firestarter dry until needed
- Burns cleanly, with little smoke or soot
- One package is enough to start a half-dozen fires, while weighing in under 2 oz
- Does not catch firesteel sparks
- Packaging is not re-sealable
- Requires frequent stirring for optimal flame
- Not waterproof
Best For: Backpackers traveling in areas without abundant tinder material, or in very wet areas where dry tinder cannot be found. Anyone who does not or cannot spend the time to look for dry tinder. InstaFire would make a great addition to any emergency kit.
I found InstaFire to be a very capable firestarter. In most instances, a pile no larger than an inch in diameter will give a potential wood-fueled fire a very good chance of starting. For areas with more wet kindling, using a quarter of the pouch will suffice to start all but most poorly-built fires.
If one needs to get a fire going immediately—to fend off hypothermia, signal a rescue, or any other reason—then pour out the entire pouch, put burnable things on top of it, and light; a fire will be burning very soon.
InstaFire is also useful as the main fuel for a fire, with each pouch able to sustain approximately 15-20 minutes of flame. As a fuel material, attention should be paid to the shape of the pile made, as changes to the pile affect changes in the flame pattern. A typical cone-shaped pile generally works best, but if one is planning to use the fire to heat water in wide-bottomed pot it may be beneficial to spread out the InstaFire a little more.
The flame produced from just a quarter of one pouch reaches 3-4 inches high and burns for about 5 minutes, making InstaFire extremely useful if one needs to heat of couple of cups of water for disinfection or a meal.
Like many firestarters, InstaFire’s effectiveness is sensitive to environmental moisture: if you get it soaking wet, it will not light. I wouldn’t say the granules absorb water quickly—indeed, they seem to be a bit hydrophobic—but they certainly aren’t waterproof either. This note is of especial importance because one’s success in igniting InstaFire, and the rate at which it burns, will be somewhat dependent upon factors like relative humidity, condensation, and whether it’s day or night.
Ease of Use
Lighting InstaFire requires no special technique or procedure: pour it out into a pile, and touch a flame to it. While I could not get it to light using a firesteel, when using a flame source it lit readily every time, and the flame spread out to encompass the entire pile within seconds.
The granules vary in size, creating a pile that is very dense, and consequently, resistant to blowing away in the wind. This same density, however, means that the flame itself cannot readily consume the pile; in order to facilitate the best burn, it is helpful to stir the pile very few minutes so that fresh, unburned material is brought to the surface.
As such, InstaFire may not be the best material to burn inside a small wood-burning stove like the Vargo Hexagon, Trail Designs Inferno, or similar, as the frequent stirring will reduce the efficiency of such stoves.
InstaFire seems to be an acceptable fuel for cooking/boiling water. It burns cleanly, producing little smoke, almost no soot, and no offensive odor. Under extended use, I do not think it would blacken one’s pot any more than esbit or wood. The packaging notes that the product does not contain any Benzene.
The pouch in which InstaFire is packaged is a very durable, puncture-resistant plastic. It slips away into almost anywhere in your backpack, and can be forgotten about until camp is set up and a fire is desired. One drawback to the packaging is that it’s not resealable, so once the pouch is opened, any remaining granules can be readily exposed to environmental conditions. I came to prefer re-packaging InstaFire into zip-top style baggies; in this way I could better ensure it stayed dry, while being able to take exactly the amount I thought I might need for a given trip.
Disposal and Clean-Up
When stirred optimally during use, InstaFire burns completely down to ash, which could then be disposed of just as one would with a wood fire. When allowed to smolder, or when quenched prematurely, some of the larger InstaFire granules may not burn completely, and one might be left with a bit of left-over creosote-like material. Due to the generally small size and even consistency of the InstaFire granules, they are quickly and effectively quenched by both water and soil in those instances where the fire needs to be put out before it has completely expended its fuel.
InstaFire is a stupid-simple firestarter. Like the name implies, if you have InstaFire, you’re always seconds away from a fire. Depending on how much you use, it will get even the most sodden kindling going, giving your fire a very good chance of sustaining itself. If there is no usable wood around, a single pack of InstaFire can provide you with a potentially life-saving fire for a full 20 minutes. Repackage it in a zip-top bag and you can grab as much or as little as you need, providing a wide variety of uses while being pretty darn light weight.
Location: Porcupine Mountains State Park and Hiawatha National Forest, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
Average mid-summer conditions for the UP, with temperatures in the upper 80s and lower 90s during the day, dipping into the 60s at night. | <urn:uuid:6aa644be-c8db-4e2a-9bc1-ec2e7b9aad67> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.trailspace.com/gear/instafire/instafire/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936354 | 1,328 | 1.6875 | 2 |
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I write poetry, but I'm no expert. I just know know when a poem sounds good to me. Kind of like birdsong - a good poem makes your soul sing.
Do you have a favorite poem? Which poem is like birdsong for you? (Feel free to write one and share in the comments!)
Click the image to open a .jpg to print and color. Send me your colored version (less than 1mb) to email@example.com and I'll post it to my blog! Click here to find more Back to School themed coloring pages.
Learn about my bilingual picture book Paco and the Giant Chile Plant ~ Paco y la planta de chile gigante - click the cover. | <urn:uuid:2c94d724-b45a-4992-9ce2-68146c557f29> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://dulemba.blogspot.com/2009/08/coloring-page-tuesday-birdsong.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.906197 | 174 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Computer Replaces Dog as Man’s Best Friend
The personal computer has overtaken the family dog as "man's best friend," a new study suggests.
According to an online poll of British adults conducted by Computeractive magazine and animal charity RSPCA, 67 percent of respondents said they rely more on computers than dogs. Only 6 percent said they rely on dogs more.
Meanwhile, 48 percent of male dog-owners (48 percent) rely more on their PCs than their pooches, compared to 28 percent for female dog-owners .
Dog-owners ages 18 to 24 said they were the most likely to turn to their computers (71 percent).
About six in 10 also felt their PC is more of a constant companion than a dog. Only 16 percent thought the opposite.
"[Now] you can even take your PC for a walk, provided you have a laptop or tablet ", said Paul Allen, editor of Computeractive. "It's only a matter of time until a PC fetches your slippers."
- 10 Profound Innovations Ahead
- Pet Prosthetics: Bionic Devices Let Animals Roam Again
- Three-Legged Dogs Teach Robots New Tricks | <urn:uuid:7b7bba7c-7b92-4783-9588-e195d5f31ebc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.technewsdaily.com/2931-people-reply-on-computers-not-dogs.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950675 | 244 | 2.0625 | 2 |
Kosuke Sekiyama, Toshio Fukuda
This paper describes conception of social robot system as self-organizing system. Distributed autonomous robot system is not autonomous as a group, if the system totally depends on the external intervention to maintain its fundamental function. We discuss the meaning of autonomy for group robot system and a concept of collective autonomy as a fundamental framework for design of the social robotic system. It is firstly discussed the difference between cooperative and self-organizing behavior. After brief review of the classical self-organizing system theory, we present the self-referential coupling of serf-organizing systems as a design framework of the collective autonomous system. Through primitive simulation model, we also discuss relation between redundancy and optimality in the system structure. | <urn:uuid:ce208da1-744e-4f78-9984-f7e785ae7219> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://aaai.org/Library/Symposia/Fall/1997/fs97-02-028.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00076-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.914885 | 154 | 2.125 | 2 |
Kinjutsu (禁術; Literally meaning "Forbidden Techniques") are techniques that have been banned from being taught or used.
This ban could have been put in place for any number of reasons, but kinjutsu can generally be put in either of two categories:
- Techniques that do extreme harm to oneself (e.g. the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, which will bring almost any user to the brink of death by mere use).
- Techniques that violate the laws of nature (e.g. the Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation, which resurrects the dead with a human sacrifice).
Despite being banned, the use of these techniques generally does not carry any legal consequences in respects to the village they're used in, except those brought on by the techniques themselves. However, their use is heavily frowned upon, especially those techniques that violate nature. | <urn:uuid:73a37277-4178-4d44-8555-d7b2f57bd00c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://naruto.wikia.com/wiki/Kinjutsu?direction=next&oldid=716446 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949488 | 179 | 1.976563 | 2 |
The long road toward building a self-powered, gliding aircraft that can remain in the air indefinitely -- perpetual flight -- has reached a new milestone. The first uniquely-designed carbon fiber wing has emerged from Lehigh's Composites Lab, an important step in a project led by mechanical engineer Joachim Grenestedt and computer scientist John Spletzer.
The 6.5 m (21.3 ft) wing was made in a single molding process, complete with wing planks, spar caps to carry bending moment and provide bending stiffness, six internal webs to carry shear loads and a trailing edge ready to accommodate wing flaps and ailerons. The entire wing is made from thin layers of carbon fiber (0.6 mm thick) configured into complex geometric shapes and placed layer by layer in molds digitally designed and machined at Lehigh. The resulting wing has stronger-than-steel performance.
The project has captured attention from media outlets such as CompositesWorld, DesignNews, and Unmanned Systems Technology, as well as the Lehigh University News Center. If successful, the final craft could alter the way humans launch satellite communications, monitor weather and conduct surveillance. The multi-year project is funded by the National Science Foundation and Lehigh University. | <urn:uuid:986385f6-0159-46e5-82b1-b0c120d8b134> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lehigh.edu/engineering/news/faculty/fac_wing_111512.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941012 | 258 | 3.359375 | 3 |
Emergency Medical Technicial
What do EMTs do?
Emergency Medical Technicians are the first responders in the world of emergency care. EMT’s are trained to care for patients at the scene of an accident and to transport them by ambulance to the hospital. A well-trained EMT has the emergency skills to assess a patient’s condition and manage respiratory, cardiac, and trauma situations. During an emergency, having a prepared and educated EMT could be the difference between life and death.
What is the job market like for EMTs?
Employment is expected to grow as fast as other occupations and, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, EMTs can expect to make $14.10 an hour (as of 2008). EMTs can become supervisors, operations managers, administrative directors, or executive directors of emergency services. Some EMTs become instructors, dispatchers, or physical assistants; others move into sales or marketing of emergency medical equipment. Many people become EMTs and paramedics to test their interest in healthcare before training as registered nurses, physicians, or healthcare workers.
How quickly can you become a certified EMT?
The EMT certificate requires students to complete 8 credits: two classes of 4 credits each. Most students can complete their EMT certification in just one semester.
What are the requirements to enter the EMT Certificate program?
- High school diploma or G.E.D. certificate.
For more information, visit the Academic Catalog. | <urn:uuid:0065dfc6-4e5f-4bea-a5a4-49c6cf1aa785> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bristol.mass.edu/Academics/ehealth/programs/cEMT.cfm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951471 | 308 | 3.375 | 3 |
Serving Justice – new food label certifies workers’ rights on U.S. farms
In the early morning hours at Swanton Berry Farm in Pescadero, Calif, president Jim Cochran ensures each farm worker completes a half-hour of strength exercise before a day of strawberry picking. And just five minutes down the Camarillo Highway, apprentices at Pie Ranch reside in cool yurts and meet regularly with the owners for “honey millet,” where they share their good (honey) and bad (millet) experiences on the farm.
But it’s clear that not all farms care for their workers’ mental and physical health in this way. Reports of heat-related deaths in central California, sexual assault of female farm workers, inadequate payment and shelter serve as testament to the disparities in working conditions across farms. Abominable working conditions are not yet a thing of the past.
There is a constant push to produce more in the U.S. agricultural market, along with few laws protecting farm worker’s rights and a system which holds labor contractors, rather than the farmers themselves, responsible for workers’ conditions. Together, these factors help sustain farms that are often negligent in addressing workers’ rights.
But the movement toward food justice is growing. In the next two years, Swanton Berry Farm and Pie Ranch will be two of the first California farms to carry the Food Justice label. This label guarantees a farm’s commitment to fair living wages for workers, adequate living and working conditions, and fair contracts with buyers, among other things.
In some ways, the Food Justice label is similar to the Fair Trade label, which certifies that international farmers receive fair wages for their crops, like coffee and chocolate. But the Food Justice certification focuses on farm workers’ rights in North America, rather than on a global level. Wages are only one component of the fair labor practices Food Justice certifiers consider.
The Food Justice label sends a positive message to consumers and the people farms work with, said Sally Lee, who serves on the management committee of the Agricultural Justice Project, a partnership of four nonprofits that is pioneering the Food Justice Certification. “[The label] allows consumers to communicate farther up the chain, because you can’t necessarily see the farm, but you can see the label,” Lee said. By buying Food Justice certified foods, shoppers can vote with their dollars in support of fair worker treatment.
The Food Justice label is part of a larger movement towards a more socially just food system. This movement, called the food justice or domestic fair trade movement, advocates that all parties, from the farm worker to the corporate buyers, share equal risk and benefit in the domestic food system.
The Agricultural Justice Project has designed its Food Justice standards to be positive responses to the “miserable conditions some workers live with,” such as a lack of adequate on-site shade and shelter, said Elizabeth Henderson, a member of the organization’s management. The project is training other nonprofits that inspect farms across the country, such as CCOF in Santa Cruz, to adopt its standards. This will boost the label’s credibility and uniformity in the market place, Henderson said.
Five farms in the United States and a grower group of 70 farms in Canada are now Food Justice certified. Still, many farmers who have likely heard of the label are not seeking certification.
That may be because becoming certified is not easy. It is a costly and time-consuming process that varies based on the size and complexity of a farm. Acquiring the label requires a licensing fee and certification fee, and often a change in management practices as well. After investing in the fees and opportunity costs to acquire the label, it only lasts a year, and then farms have to pay for re-certification. Together, these costs and changes might be difficult to take on if a farm is already struggling.
Though the cost can be great, the hope is that the label will pay itself off in a variety of ways, Lee said. Carrying the label might boost consumer loyalty at markets, or perhaps even give access to new markets.
Matt Rothe is the manager of Stanford University’s Sustainable Food Program, which facilitates collaboration among faculty, students, and researchers to help make dining at Stanford more sustainable. He said the Sustainable Food Program occupies one of those niche market openings that food justice certified farms are looking for.
“Stanford is interested in understanding how we can source food that has been grown fairly and justly,” Rothe said.
Rothe, who is responsible for evaluating the ecological and social impacts of Stanford’s food purchases, said he has a good sense of how environmentally sustainable the food is, but he admits uncertainty about its social sustainability.
Because the Food Justice label is still rare, Rothe is working directly with suppliers to identify the farmers that meet the Food Justice certification standards, but haven’t necessarily been certified yet. When in doubt, purchases from organic farms is a better option than conventional farms, he said. This is a sound assumption: the Food Justice label can only be applied to organic farms because workers are exposed to pesticides and herbicides on non-organic farms.
But the assumption that organic farms are also treating workers fairly can not be confirmed without the label, Rothe said. This is the gap the Food Justice label seeks to close.
This barely-sprouted Food Justice movement has a long road ahead. For one, most people haven’t even heard of Food Justice certification. Without customer demand for the label, fiscal payoff for farmers doesn’t exactly add up. Lee said this shortage of consumer demand for the label stems from an issue of lack of awareness.
The Agricultual Justice Project is working on combating this reality. In a few months, they will have completed a short film that features certified farms and farms considering certification in order to spread the word about food justice. Pie Ranch may make a cameo.
For Pie Ranch, promoting awareness is a primary motivation for seeking certification. Just 14 acres in size, this educational farm’s staff consists of seven full-time workers, three apprentices, a few summer interns and the occasional volunteer – worker’s rights are not exactly in peril. Becoming certified is more about the principle.
“Social justice is an integral part of what we think, eat, and breathe at Pie Ranch,” said owner Nancy Vail. “We want to be an example for other farms and organizations to get the conversation around food justice going more.”
Powered by Facebook Comments | <urn:uuid:866fbe4f-c1d3-457a-8c31-66bfafb64e63> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://peninsulapress.com/2012/08/16/serving-justice-new-food-label-certifies-workers-rights-on-u-s-farms/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951845 | 1,366 | 2.578125 | 3 |
This article is about the character in the film. For the character in the actual series, see here.
"My people are dying, Sokka. Those who are in charge of others have a responsibility. It is time we show the Fire Nation we believe in our beliefs as much as they believe in theirs."
— Yue to Sokka in The Last Airbender.
Princess Yue was the sixteen-year-old ruler of the Northern Water Tribe at the North Pole. Her character is a composite of her animated counterpart and her father, functioning as both Sokka's love interest and the head of state due to her father's untimely death.
Princess Yue told Sokka that she was a stillborn baby until she was revived by the Moon Spirit:
"My hair is white because when I was born, I was not awake. My mother and father could not get me to make a sound or move. They prayed for days to the Moon Spirit, then they dipped me in the sacred waters. My parents said that my hair turned white then, and life poured into me..."
When the Fire Nation fleet came to invade the Northern Water Tribe sixteen years later, Commander Zhao captured and stabbed the Moon Spirit to death. This caused the moon to turn red and Yue to faint and weaken.
Yue gave her life back to the Moon Spirit by lying beside it in the oasis pool. Blue-white life-force energy leaped from Yue onto the Moon Spirit. In the process, Yue's hair turned from white to black. Unlike the animated series, Yue's body did not disappear or transform into the new Moon Spirit. The Moon Spirit swam again and rejoined its partner, the Ocean Spirit. Iroh then lifted her lifeless body out of the pool and put her on the ground, and Sokka grieved over her death.
Yue found her love in Sokka, a seventeen-year-old warrior from the Southern Water Tribe. Unfortunately, the relationship came to a tragic end when Yue sacrificed herself by giving her life back to the Moon Spirit. Her death had greatly affected Sokka.
Yue (月) means "moon" in Mandarin Chinese. In Japanese, it is pronounced as "yu-eh", as heard in the series and the movie. The name also means "tragic accident" in Japanese (夕映) and is traditionally given to Japanese children who die shortly after birth.
In the series, Yue was the only member of the Northern Water Tribe wearing purple while others wore blue, which highlighted her character from the rest. In the film, Yue wore blue like her people, but she was the only one with darker skin tone, as others were mostly cast with white actors.
As opposed to the events in the series, Yue's father, Arnook, was already deceased in the movie, and thus Yue was the ruler of the Northern Water Tribe.
The entire subplot regarding Yue's engagement with Hahn was cut in the movie, meaning the romance between Yue and Sokka went on without the "other man" in the relationship.
Unlike the series, Yue's lifeless body remained even after becoming the new Moon Spirit. In a deleted scene of the movie, Yue's death affected Sokka greatly, even to the extent of asking Aang to save the city for Yue.
To make up for the lack of romance between Sokka and Yue in the original cut, M. Night Shyamalan extended the scene right before Yue gives her life to the Moon Spirit, which includes the line, "It is time we show the Fire Nation we believe in our beliefs as much as they believe in theirs," alluding to the Fire Nation way of life where people could not agree to disagree on something as personal as one's own belief.
Yue's "believe in our beliefs" line is often criticized for poor or redundant wording, even though "believe in belief" is a common topic for theological discussions. | <urn:uuid:43ef14b0-9dc1-45c9-b199-1355f6144205> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://avatar.wikia.com/wiki/Film:Yue | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978903 | 809 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Breaking Best Bully Sticks News & Chew Safety Tips
We are always excited when we get in a new line of healthy dog treats & chews. We are proud to now offer USDA Organic All-Natural Buffalo Bones & All-Natural Elk Bones. These are rare item for us and we are proud to bring you these unique Best Bully Sticks dog bones. These bones should last your dog days (depending on size). Sure to be a hit with small and large pups!
Hey!! the Best Bully Sticks team wants to put your mind at ease, keep your loyal companion safe & make chewing fun. Dogs love to chew, so its important that you provide safety while also giving your dog the pleasure of a good chew. So, here are some dog chew safety tips.
1. Size Matters. The bone of choice should be large enough that your dog can't swallow it or fit the whole dog bone in his mouth. Dog bones this small can spell trouble; it's possible for bones to get stuck in your dog's throat or for fragments to lodge themselves in the mouth
2. Avoid the Chopping Block. Don't give your dog bones that have been sawed or cut by the butcher. They are more likely to splinter and cause health issues.
3. Take Control. You can't take a bone from your dogs chomps of steel & strong chewing grip if he or she is not properly trained. Obedience & knowing who's boss is an important part of dog bone safety.Although obedience training should start at a younger age, you can teach an old dog new tricks. If you find your dog is chewing too long and hard on a bone or gnawing on an unsafe, cooked bone you need to quickly step in as the pack leader and take the bone away.
4. Monitor Your Dog. Remember safety first! Even with a safer chew bone, you should still supervise & moderate your dog while he or she is chewing. Dogs chew bones at different rates some are slow like the tortoise while others are fast like the hare. So, keep a close watch.
5. Cry for help! Even with the safest chew bones, there will always risk in the form of obstruction, choking, bacterial illness and tooth chipping. Here are some symptoms that your dog is in distress if he or she has loss of appetite, lethargy, vomiting, bloody diarrhea & constipation. If these symptoms arise take your dog to a vet immediately.
6. Say No to Table Scraps. NEVER give your dog chicken bones and cut pieces of bone from your plate. The cooking time necessary to cook meat makes bones brittle and weak so their bones will tend to splinter into hazardous pieces. Cooked bones that have been cut by the butcher can splinter and cause serious problems in a dog's intestines. Chicken bones are especially hazardous.
7. Avoid Fast Chews. Dogs like a challenge and a chew or bone that can quickly be chomped takes away the fun. Not to mention it can be hazardous to your dogs health and cause your dog to become bloated or impacted.
Remember that a good dog chew should be palatable, tasty and enticing. As well as indestructible, able to with stand your dogs chompers for hours in order to satisfy his or her lust and craving for something to chew. Lucky for you Best Bully Sticks offers safe, all natural & healthy chews that do just that! We are dedicated to keeping your dog safe and giving you a peace of mind. So go ahead, we dare you to try our chews and let your dog be the judge.
If you are interested in additional information on our products, please visit www.bestbullysticks.com
As always, please feel free to contact us directly at 8044776033 should you have any further questions or comments. | <urn:uuid:a224cc7a-919e-46c2-bbe9-10a5e9b56b0c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bestbullysticks.com/blog/tag/elk/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944124 | 793 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Dieppe’s Castle Museum
The Château Musée
overlooking Dieppe alternately
housed the high and low of society before being turned into a museum
just over a century ago.
First constructed in
the 15th century, it was home to the governors
of Dieppe. French kings François I, Henri IV and Louis XIV
hosted here, but the Revolution put an end to that high living. In
following century-plus, the château did service as a military
barracks and prison.
In 1906 the city
bought the castle and turned it
into a museum. As Dieppe had been for many years the capital of ivory
as well as the craft of sculpting it, much of the museum is devoted to
its collection of fine examples of carved ivory. The intricacy of this
work is quite
impressive, to put it blandly. The museum also displays a respectable
array of prints and paintings.
location on the cliff offers commanding views of
the city and sea, and is easily reached by car or by walking up from
town. The street which runs along the quay — Quai Henri IV
— turns into Grande Rue, which turns into Rue de la Barre.
From there you turn right and walk up Rue de Chastes which leads | <urn:uuid:1fd6cb4b-90a7-4c8c-aebf-d7c421554b96> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://watertravel.com/normandy-dieppe-castle-chateau-museum.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927199 | 280 | 2.46875 | 2 |
Sometime I come across the most interesting topics while researching other topics, as was the case when I investigated the Labrador Boundary Dispute recently. That thread led me to the unusual significance of Killiniq Island in northeastern Canada.
Killiniq Island is very small. It’s only about 13 X 29 kilomteres (8 X 18 miles). It sits off the northern tip of the Labrador Peninsula in a horribly remote location. Dangerous tides and currents make it difficult to reach, as does the jagged, rocky shoreline. The weather is extreme. The name translates to something like “ice flows” or “drift ice” (depending on the source consulted). Nobody lives here. In other words, there should be nothing remarkable about this spot. So why am I even bothering to mention it?
View Larger Map
As a chunk of rock, Killiniq Island may not be remarkable, but it happens to stand at the confluence of a host of different man-made and geographic focal points and dividing lines.
- The island became the northern anchor point for the boundary between Québec and Newfoundland during their protracted border dispute, about the only thing the two could agree upon as they pursued their respective claims to the Labrador Peninsula. The island was considered as integral to the Peninsula even though technically it is separated from the mainland by the treacherous McLelan Strait.
- The final boundary fixed on the flow of water across the landscape. Drainage to the Atlantic belonged to Newfoundland. On Killiniq Island, this is the Eastern end of the island, known as Cape Chidley (or Chudleigh). Thus the northern continental divide, separating the Arctic Ocean watershed (in this case via Ungava Bay and the Hudson Strait) and the Atlantic Ocean watershed, cuts straight through Killiniq. Here the continental divide also happens to reach its northern terminus.
- The western portion of Killiniq Island, the piece originally in Québec, now resides within Nunavut. The tiny sliver of border running through the island is the only land boundary between Nunavut and the province of Newfoundland & Labrador. It is the southeastern tip of Nunavut and the northernmost point of Newfoundland & Labrador.
- Additionally, Cape Chidley marks the southern terminus of the Hudson Strait.
- And if that’s not enough, the Torngat mountain range running northward up the Labrador Coast, terminates here too.
So a lot of different features begin and end right here on this tiny speck.
The island used to be inhabited. A town called Port Burwell (not to be confused with a town by the same name in Ontario) traced back to an 1884 meteorological station, followed by a Moravian mission, Hudson Bay Company trading post, and finally an Inuit co-operative. All inhabitants were relocated in the 1970′s and the town has since been demolished. But don’t bother doing a Google search on Port Burwell, Nunavut, though. You’ll find lots of hits for supposed jobs, birthdays, singles and vacation rentals here – which obviously do not exist since neither does the town – thanks to the link farms trying to use false information to generate hits for their nefarious purposes. | <urn:uuid:341b3ec9-f52e-44c6-84e6-2f920ceba2b0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.howderfamily.com/blog/killiniq-island-canada/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936649 | 672 | 3.65625 | 4 |
Skip to comments.Black Students Beat Piņata Shaped Like White Woman (at the University of Memphis)
Posted on 04/21/2012 5:32:18 AM PDT by Zakeet
A piñata shaped like a white woman was strung up to a tree at the University of Memphis, then African-American students took turns beating it with a stick.
Where is Al Sharpton when you need him? Isnt this a shocking case of racism?
No, actually it isnt. Turns out the students involved were mere grade school kids, brought on campus for a special Luau party sponsored by the university. The piñata was supposed to represent a hula dancer.
We want to assure our community that no racial or gender animosity was intended, said a university spokesperson.
At worst, this seems like a bad case of multicultural confusion. (Hawaiian luau + Mexican-style piñata = what cultural tradition exactly?)
Luckily, in this case, the racial dynamics were not reversed, with white students and a black piñata strung up to a tree. Imagine the controversy that would have generated.
Nevertheless, the university was compelled to explain itself when the picture started generating backlash after it was posted online.
Its a sad thing when a few kids cant swing at a piñata without unleashing an avalanche of racial grievances. But thats the reality we live in.
This is not racist because we are doing it. But any of you hateful right wing bigots hang black woman from a tree and beat her with a stick on the grounds of a public institution and the Trayvon Martin incident will look like a Sunday school picnic.
He has set back race relations back 30 Years Plus.
Sadly, MLK was the past. The future finds Farrakhan.
I think it’s a Kathy Griffin piñata. I don’t see the problem.
There’s an old joke about jumping on beds, velcro, and pinatas....but it’d probably get me banned.
Not only promoting racism, but violence against women.
Why was the pinata shaped like a human being at all?
Vote for Pedro
It leaves no room for any other outcome other than Zimmerman is guilty of murdering Treyvon.
Meanwhile the nightly injustice of Memphis murders, assaults, robberies, and other horrid nonsense goes on unfettered or noticed.
How the left will ‘spin’ this event:
1) It’s an ‘artistic piece’ (like Christ Piss)
2) They are just ‘passionate’ about their beliefs( anti-white)
3) It’s an expression of Racial Pride!!
4) It’s a venting of 500 years of racial persecution.
5) An exercise of Multiculturalism
6) Conservatives should celebrate this as an example of diversity.
Black racism is truly everywhere. Disgusting...and double-disgusting that nobama, our great leader, apparently supports it.
Thankfully, that POS is dead.
A clear case of hula bashing
Why isn't the administrator being fired for lying? There is NOTHING about that piñata that resembles a hula dancer and there is nothing about traditional hula 'Polynesian' dancers that's 'white.' Naahhhh, the theme in this sick administrator's mind is, "you beat white women and you'll be rewarded with candy or some other tasty treat."
Blacks should be meeting with opposition to fortify their hand in this upcoming election.
There is no color in politics other than green. Obama loathes the minority portion of his base. Their only use is their vote. Once he's got that in a second term, they are dog meat.
Why is it OK to beat stars? What has any star done to you other than provide warmth and energy so you can live?
Race relations in Mogadishu on the Mississippi. Instead of “why can’t we just all get along?”, it’s now “why can’t we just show you how we really feel about you?”
Wouldn’t it be odd if there were Skittles inside the pinata?
It looks more like a girl in shorts. Where’s the grass skirt, if it’s supposed to a hula dancer?
It occurs to me that we should avoid getting sucked into the vacuum of political correctness.
When you’re a kid, the pinata you’re hitting doesn’t represent anything other than an inanimate object which happens to be a bag full of candy.
“Wouldnt it be odd if there were Skittles inside the pinata?”
I wouldn’t be surpised
And a tire around your neck in South Memphis is nothing more than a game.............
I used to consider Manning a rational person but when he pronounced that George Zimmerman “murdered” Trayvon Martin I turned him off. When Alan Dershowitz says there is no evidence to support the charge there is NO evidence to support the charge and certainly no reason to pronounce a verdict before the trial.
Hawaiian luau + Mexican-style piñata + white woman with the black kids from da hood beating the sh** out of it. Son, I say Son, THAT is diversity we can all believe in. Or maybe “Vocational Training”.
No, that's the reality you've created and have pushed upon the rest of America.
Unless the white woman pinata had a very fat butt, I’d say the black males wouldn’t hit it.
Just f’ing wow. They should have said it was a Palin piñata and then it would be 1st Amendment protected Free Speech.
Just as Vladmir Lenin himself was really nothing more than the top useful idiot to the cause of self destruction disguised as “justice” but appealing mostly to an infantile pursuit of self fulfillment, those who think they need to stir up a race war in 2012 are as foolish as the average democrat voter whose vision runs about as deep as the radius of that tire you mention.
No offense but you haven't spent any time around inner-city kids, have you?
That image is wrong on so many levels...looks like one of the townships in South Africa during apartheid
whut, not burning tire around the white girl’s neck?
and BTW, that is NO hula girl or luau pinata, and we white folks who go to luaus know know the difference
What has any star done to you ....Think Alec Baldwin.
I want to see some white frats at this university do this to a black woman pinata and lets see what response they generate?
Forgive me. I'm not one that is a respecter of persons. I don't care who the messenger is. I only care about the message. Messengers are often flawed so for me... ignoring the message would be irresponsible and leave me in a constant state of ignorance. Maybe you're better at gleaning knowledge outta thin air I don't know but the Hon. Rev. James Manning's message, in my opinion and from what I hear when I am out and about, is dead on.
The raging antipathy between the races is NOT good and it's getting worse. Scripture tells us that in the end times "nation (ethnic group) shall rise against nation (ethnic group)" Matthew 24:7, Mark 13:8 and Luke 21:10. Or put another way, race shall rise against race.
I believe we are witnessing the beginnings of the fulfillment of this prophecy manifesting right before our eyes.
Yup. Kids today aren’t the little innocent piñata hitters of yesterday.
What’s the problem, look at OJ and they will get away with it too!
Not racism, not hate? Black or white, it was a human shaped pinata, for goodness’ sakes, and that is evil pro-terrorist enough, imo. But, hey, that we notice it was done by black students is now making us look like we are the racist evil mongering ones...
Goes to show where the DHS and the FBI has got their heads screwed on wrong with the wording and perceptions of civil rights. Of course, now gays and muslims are jumping on that bandwaggon of hate, and it shows how government can pervert a cause.
No they are not. First they are dumbed down, and then they find a friend that will do the thinking for them: HATE. How convenient.
Obama is not intelligent. He is a dummy who found that hate could do the thinking for him, much like the Gollum in LOTR. It’s a cop out and a tool, like a possession that thinks.
And yet there are those puzzled as to why firearms and ammo sales are through the roof.
So you're okay with black kids being encouraged to beat the heck out of an image of a white woman? Wow.
(and check out the forehead...looks like Michelle going KLINGON)
I can’t help thinking that if I had a daughter, she’d look like that pinata.
Alright, good looks don’t run in my family.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works. | <urn:uuid:e8fffe5d-deb3-4f6a-b342-04b2cacfb56d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://freerepublic.com/focus/news/2874787/posts?page=40 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952114 | 2,023 | 1.757813 | 2 |
SAN FRANCISCO - U.S. regulators Thursday found Google did not run afoul of antitrust concerns to harm competitors by abusing its Internet search dominance in a bid to favor its own services, capping a 19-month probe of the online giant.
The Federal Trade Commission said Google has agreed to change its business practices to resolve wide-ranging competition concerns over its Internet search business and its use of patents covering mobile devices.
Competitors alleged Google used its Internet search dominance to unfairly favor its own services over rivals in search results. The agency agreed, however, that Google was attempting to improve search results rather than demote competitors in search ranks. The FTC said Google's practices were consistent with those of other online search companies.
"We didn't think the evidence supported an FTC challenge," FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said in a press conference in Washington, D.C.
Microsoft and other technology rivals had sought for federal regulators to wage an antitrust case against Google's search business. The prospect of a drawn-out investigation had been a concern for Google's business.
Under the settlement, Google has also agreed to quit misappropriating online content from competitors' websites and will give online advertisers more flexibility to manage campaigns on rival ad platforms, the agency said.
"Google will stop misappropriating or scraping the content of its rivals for use of its own specialized search results," said Leibowitz.
Rivals alleged that the search giant was passing off online content - such as local restaurant reviews from Yelp - as its own. Google had argued that such use was protected by fair use provisions of copyright laws. The FTC will "vigorously monitor them," said the agency's chief.
"The conclusion is clear: Google's services are good for users and good for competition," David Drummond, Google's legal chief, said in a blog post.
Critics of the FTC's agreement had sought more teeth in the measures the agency took against Google.
FTC regulators "failed to use their authority for the betterment of the marketplace and to the advantage of consumers by declining to take action against the dominant company," said Steve Pociask, president of the American Consumer Institute Center for Citizen Research.
Google also reached an accord with the FTC to give competitors access to patents covering "critical standardized technologies" on fair licensing terms. Those patents cover key technologies in devices such as smartphones, tablet computers and gaming consoles. Under the settlement terms, Google has agreed to not first seek injunctions to block rivals from using such patents.
"We've agreed with the FTC that we will seek to resolve standard-essential patent disputes through a neutral third party before seeking injunctions," wrote Drummond.
The search giant nabbed more than 24,000 patents and patent applications last year in its $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility.
Read the original story: Google settles with FTC over competition concerns | <urn:uuid:788d6615-45f3-4365-8a90-31093cb9d76a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.stevenspointjournal.com/usatoday/article/1807213?odyssey=mod_sectionstories | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964212 | 589 | 1.648438 | 2 |
The worlds oldest running motor car, a historic 1884 De Dion Bouton et Trepardoux Dos-a-Dos Steam Runabout, entered the history books tonight, selling for an impressive $4.62 million before a packed house at RM Auctions
Hershey, Pennsylvania sale. The impressive sale price more than doubled its original pre-sale estimate and represents a new world record for an early motor car sold at auction.
Commissioned by French entrepreneur, Count de Dion and named La Marquise after his mother, the 127 year old vehicle drew a standing ovation from the audience as it drove onto RMs Hershey auction stage. Attracting a starting bid of $500,000 and immediately jumping to $1,000,000, bidding moved swiftly to applause from the crowd, with the gavel eventually falling at an extraordinary $4,200,000. The final sales price of $4,620,000 includes 10% buyers premium.
We were honored to have been entrusted with the sale of this most important motor car from the renowned collection of the late Mr. John OQuinn. The worlds leading automotive collectors recognized the incredibly rare opportunity the sale represented, as was reflected in the spirited bidding and impressive result, said Rob Myers, Chairman & Founder, RM Auctions following the sale.
The new owner joins an elite list of just five collectors to have claimed ownership of La Marquise over its well-documented history. In addition to being the worlds oldest running motor car, La Marquises impressive provenance includes participation in the first automobile race in 1887, where it reached a top speed of 37 mph on the straights, along with a double award at the famed 1997 Pebble Beach Concours dElegance. In addition, La Marquise has also successfully completed four London to Brighton runs in the UK. | <urn:uuid:275f86fd-519d-4d8b-9083-df70fdce9d3b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=50982&int_modo=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944638 | 372 | 1.546875 | 2 |
"Oh, sure, more than 1/5 of journeys to work in Eindhoven, The Hague, Amsterdam and Utrecht in the Netherlands are by bike, but they are flat. It would never work here, its hilly." Given that Copenhagen has one of the highest European cycling mode shares in trips to work, winter is obviously not the obstacle that it is sometimes made out to be ~ ah, but hills. They are an insuperable obstacle.
Back in April, 2010, comparing Portland and Seattle, Jarret Walker asked, Should we plan transit for "bikeability"? This was following a project by Adam Parast comparing the cycling potential of Portland and Seattle, including potential bikeability with improved infrastructure. And the geography of Portland, with most development and activity on the flat or gently sloping floor of a valley, is substantially different from the geography of Seattle, built on "seven hills", with water obstacles tossed in for good measure.
Today's Sunday Train looks at what role public transport can serve in helping to increase cycling mode share.
Consider the maps developed by Adam Parast. These are not current bikeability, they are with infrastructure supporting bikeability ~ bikeways, bike boulevards, effective cycle / traffic intersections, etc ~ the bluer, the more bikeable, the redder, the less:
Looking at Portland, there is large core are with high potentially bikeability, and then scattered fingers and islands to the north, east and south. And connecting the bikeable islands together does not appear to be a serious challenge, as its possible to traverse from an island to the core through "light yellow" areas ~ except for one small zone at the northeast corner of the Portland map.
Seattle also has a potentially bikeable core ... but there the similarly ends. The larger secondary potentially bikeable areas are to the north, with quite challenging terrain between those secondary centers and the core. And the potentially bikeable areas to the south tend to be very small and surrounded by challenging terrain.
It is this comparison that provokes Jarret Walker's question:
The image of Seattle as an archipelago suggests that it will need a lot of "boats." On each "island" pedestrians and cyclists will be able to get around locally without much trouble, but getting from one island to another will be a challenge. Is it possible to design bike boulevards that will connect all of the islands? Some effective boulevards already exist, crossing water barriers where the topography is gentle, such as the link north from downtown across the Fremont Bridge. But many desire lines face huge topography barriers. It's hard to envision any infrastructure that will make an average cyclist want to ride from downtown to the fortress-like hilltops of West Seattle -- let alone that archetype of Dutch cycling, a 60-year-old woman with two bags of groceries.
So archipelago cities who want to invest deeply in cycling -- and who want cycling to penetrate the culture beyond the young and athletic -- are going to need some links between these islands. Perhaps we should be thinking about rapid transit more specifically in those terms. Perhaps this means that highly obstructed "crossings," such as downtown to West Seattle, should have rapid transit options where you can take your bike on board. Sound Transit's new Link light rail line is one such, and it usefully connects downtown to the bikeable "islands" of the Rainer Valley and Tukwila. But elsewhere, Seattle has buses, and the standard bus generally has limited provision for bikes.
So, this week's Sunday Train is a consideration of some of the means of bridging between these "Bikeability Islands".
The simplest technology is the folding bike. If a 20in., 6-speed folder is sufficient transport, within the bikeable island, then with a "Bolsa Bag" to carry it, it can be brought onto a bus or train or ferry without requiring any special facilities on the public transport.
For the folding bike, the only accommodation required is the one that Jarrett Walker pointed out: you want an express route that has sufficient transit speed to your destination that it feels like it is as fast or faster than the bike ~ which is not the case for many local bus routes. If you feel a temptation to get off the bus as soon as you crest a hill, then you need a faster route to make the folder and public transport combination appealing.
And that was my experience in Newcastle. The folding bike was a complement to the train, but unless I had a flat or it was raining, it was an alternative to the local Newcastle Bus service buses.
The Classic Furnicular
Seattle is not the only place where they build on hilltops. Another place that has a lot of towns build on hilltops is Italy. A hilltop position is often the most defensible position, after all. However, that means that various Italian towns have long coped with this problem with respect to Walkability Islands. It was, indeed, a Train Blogging post at the European Tribune that inspired today's Sunday Train.
Pictured above is the funicular (called "inclines" in some parts of the US) from the Orvieto rail station, down in the valley, to the town, at the top of the hill. A funicular is one of the earliest types of tracked vehicle, with two vehicles attached to a cable, and one going uphill while the other goes downhill. In the picture, we see the funicular coming up to the halfway point, with its opposite number coming downhill toward it.
On what would be a single track, except for that passing track section in between.
In other words, we are also seeing the trick that was worked out over a century ago to reduce the cost of funiculars.
The original funiculars ran the vehicles each on their own track. However, they are only passing be the same point in the middle of that track. If only there was some way to pass each other at that halfway point, then both the rising and descending vehicle could use a single track for the rest of the hillside.
So the clever system that was worked out is that on one side, the wheels of the funicular have flanges on both inside and outside, so that they follow the track on that side, and on the the other side, there are not flanges on the wheel, so they are just rolling on the top of the track on that other side. So the car going up is holding onto one rail, and the car going down is holding onto the opposite rail, and at the halfway point, they are each pulled separate ways so that they can pass.
(You can also built it with three tracks, which requires a little more width but makes it simpler to string the cable through the passing section."
Like an elevator with a counterweight, a big advantage of the funicular is energy efficiency. They are normally powered with an electric motor at the central pulley on the top of the hill, but some have been powered by filling a water tank at the top of the hill, and then at the bottom emptying enough water so that the top vehicle is heavy enough to pull the bottom vehicle up.
Speed of transit of the funicular is not a serious problem for the cyclist, since the cyclist is likely to only be using the funicular to overcome a specific slope. So effective cycling paths at top and bottom ~ whether on the public right of way or in dedicated cycleways ~ and the funicular allows for a break in between.
The Minimetro / People Mover
Also from Italy, in Perugia, is the example of the "Minimetro". This is a line through town, included elevated and tunneled sections, with small cars running at about a one minute frequency. Its an automated system, and when a car gets to the end of the line, it runs onto a turntable that rotates 180 degrees so it can make its run in the other direction.
Looking at the videos on the Minimetro site, the cars would get fairly crowded with even a single bike inside, but it would be straightforward to include hanging bike hooks. And if one car is full, just wait: there's another one coming in a minute.
But the Minimetro is not the only potential "bridge" technology for obstacles to bikeability that can be found in Perugia. There is also the public escalator.
That's right: escalators are not restricted to shopping malls, airports, and other internal people-mover tasks. Public escalators can be a useful walkability aid in hilly terrain ~ as Hong Kong has also discovered.
Most escalators are not particularly cycle friendly, and heavy cyclist use would substantially reduce the transport capacity of a normal escalator, but a belt on the outside of the guiderail moving at the same pace as the escalator would make it easy to hold onto a bike while riding the escalator up or down. So making an escalator cycle-friendly is more an institutional challenge of getting it accepted as part of the design envelope than an engineering challenge.
In Trondheim, Norway, they have installed a dedicated bicycle lift between the center of town at the bottom of a hill and the University at the top of the hill, the Trampe. A "lift pass" costs about $17 a year.
The way it works is that you stick your right foot in the starting block, keep your left foot on your left pedal, and stick in your lift pass card. A metal plate comes out of the starting block to pick up your wait, and you rest your weight on that plate as you coast up the hill.
So why isnât this great idea employed elsewhere in the world? According to the official Trampe website, itâs not for lack of interest by other cities. The idea has been well received by locations all over Europe, Asia and the US, with many cities promising to install one in the future. But before that can happen, the overall bicycle infrastructure has to be ready to support such an endeavor. For many cities, that means installing dedicated bike lanes on the streets before undertaking an ambitious project like a bike lift.
Unlike the escalators, funicular, and Minimetro, the bike lift is not designing general purpose local transport to also accomodate cyclists, its designing cycle-specific infrastructure. It is after the cycling mode share has been raised into the double digit range for some bikeable core that cycle-specific infrastructure like a cycle lift can come into play.
Bridging Islands with ... Bridges
This is one of the more radical ideas. However you get to the top of one hill, if you are not merely going to the bottom again, but are going to the bottom so that you can get to the next hill to go to the top of that one ... a cycle bridge could run across and skip the descent.
The picture here is from the US so, of course, it is not a cycleway running between one hilltop and the next, but a cycleway running over an expressway ... because funding infrastructure to get over the obstacle posed by a limited access expressway is something we occasionally do (and, of course, normally describing it as "cycle" funding rather than to the expressway that is causing the obstruction). Building cycle specific infrastructure, not so much.
However, note that for a people mover along the lines of the Minimetro, the elevated sections are cheaper than the tunneled or trenched sections, so they will be biased to have more elevated sections than tunneled or trenched sections. Incorporating a cycleway into the design ~ which could, indeed, be a cycleway suspended beneath the people mover viaduct ~ gains the effect of a cycle specific bridge at a substantially lower incremental cost.
Trains and BRT
Now, while a folding bike works with most any public transport (including, in my experience, escalators that are aggressively cycle-unfriendly), a folding bike is not for everyone, since it generally involves basically paying more for less bike.
For buses, there is the system where you have a fold-down rack that holds a bike in front of the bus. This is a system we have locally on our main bus route (note the singular ~ I do not live in one of the high density parts of Northeast Ohio). Every time I use it, I am waiting for my bike to fall off the rack and get run over by the bus.
Far better are the systems of bike hooks that allow bikes to hang inside the vehicle. Hanging the bikes vertically makes for a much better fit with the interior of a train or bus as well.
However, for these systems to work well, with least delay while boarding and exiting, there should be level access to the floor of the train or the bus. This requires level boarding platforms to be provided for trains. However, level boarding is a general benefit to all train passengers, including those relying on wheelchairs, walkers or canes, and improves the speed of operation of any train during peak hour.
For buses, all-level-boarding brings to mind the upgraded type of bus routes normally called "Bus Rapid Transit" (BRT) in the United States. And if the BRT lives up to its name, that also fulfills the underlying requirement for general public transport bridging distinct bikeability islands, which is that express service is more important than closely spaced stops.
Steep terrain poses challenges to bikeability. However, it does not pose an insurmountable obstacle. And if we look around, we can find examples elsewhere in the world where people have faced this obstacle, or the similar obstacle to walkability, and have found ways to overcome them.
As always, none of these are silver bullet solutions, since there is no such thing as a real silver bullet solutions. And for most of the US, with bike mode share for commuting often below 1%, these may seem over the horizon.
However, in the coming two decades of increasing climate chaos and roller coaster gasoline prices, we will not be facing the challenges of sustainable local transport as a some kind of homogeneous national mass. We will be facing the challenges as distinct communities. And as individual communities push their cycling mode share into the double digits, the question of bridging gaps between "bikeable islands" is going to start coming into the frame in a growing number of communities. | <urn:uuid:b92920cc-1863-45d0-9767-9fcb712ff309> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hillbillyreport.org/diary/4054/sunday-train-cycle-pedestrian-islands-and-tiny-trains | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00062-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961687 | 2,965 | 1.796875 | 2 |
** Climate scientists evaluation impact of El Nino Mokoki on Pacifc Coast
Increased erosion of the Pacific coast during the winter before last hints at a future of greater shoreline destruction from more tumultuous storms and extreme waves, scientists say. It's a preview, they say, of what's to come.
And they've mapped changes from Seattle to San Diego.
The peer-reviewed study adds fuel to the debate over climate change, with its assertion that man-made global warming is having an increased impact on snowpack. In much of the Northwest, snowpack is crucial for drinking water, hydropower, irrigation water and summer streamflows that support cold-water fish such as salmon and steelhead.
The science committee of the U.S. House of Representatives this week criticized steps that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has taken to create a National Climate Service, telling NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco that she is ignoring congressional language intended to block its implementation. The dispute is part of a larger battle between the Obama Administration and House Republicans over how to address climate change.
In February 2010, NOAA announced its intention to create a parallel entity to its National Weather Service that would issue long range climate forecasts about future weather conditions such as severe storms, floods, and droughts. The proposed climate service would enable NOAA to answer the increased number of requests for climate change data, Lubchenco told the committee, and would strengthen science across the agency by integrating three data centers, two laboratories, and the Climate Prediction Center. Veteran NOAA climatologist Thomas Karl, director of one of the data centers, serves as transition director, and Lubchenco has hired six new regional climate service directors.** Al Gore seeks to re-energize his base with The Climate Reality Project (BIG THINK)
Al Gore seeks to re-energize his base with The Climate Reality Project | <urn:uuid:2a31f40e-f1e6-4419-acb1-8e59c95475a8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2011/07/environmental_news_el_nino_mok.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944732 | 388 | 2.9375 | 3 |
[Episcopal News Service] Saying that they “lament and have cried over the widely reported mass shootings” in the United States, the Episcopal Church’s House of Bishops said March 12 that they are also “outraged by the too often unseen and unacknowledged daily massacre of our young people in cities such as Chicago, Newark, Baltimore, Port-au-Prince and Tegucigalpa.”
“This carnage must stop,” bishops said in a “Word to the Church” issued from the Kanuga Conference Center in Hendersonville, North Carolina (Diocese of Western North Carolina) at the end of their March 8-12 meeting.
The bishops said they “embody a wide variety of experiences and perspectives with respect to firearms,” including as “hunters and sport-shooters, former members of the military and law enforcement officers.
“We respect and honor that we are not of one mind regarding matters related to gun legislation. Yet we are convinced that there needs to be a new conversation in the United States that challenges gun violence,” they said. “Because of the wide variety of contexts in which we live and our commitment to reasoned and respectful discourse that holds together significant differences in creative tension, we believe that The Episcopal Church can and must lead in this effort. In fact many in this church are already doing so, for which we thank God.”
A specific commitment “to lead a new conversation in our nations as to the appropriate use and legislation of firearms” and to commit to “specific actions to this end,” is, the bishops said, in keeping with their episcopal ordination vows to “boldly proclaim and interpret the Gospel of Christ, enlightening the minds and stirring up the conscience.”
They also called all Episcopalians “to pray and work for the end of gun violence.”
The theme for the bishops’ meeting, which was styled as a retreat, was “Godly leadership in the midst of loss” and the sessions included prayer, daily Bible study, reflection and worship.
Some bishops initially viewed the theme as a “downer,” Diocese of Eastern Michigan Bishop Todd Ousley, vice president of the house’s planning committee, said during a press briefing towards the end of the meeting. That feeling changed as reflections from various bishops opened up the theme, he said.
“Without any coordination between those bishops, they really touched on the same things,” Ousley said, namely the call to bishops to “be present; we are to stay connected in relationship and that that really is what leadership is.”
The meeting was the first since General Convention last met in July 2012, and the first meeting of the bishops outside of convention since their last retreat during March 2012. The bishops generally meet in both March and September in the years when General Convention does not meet.
A total of 137 bishops registered for the retreat, according to retired Ohio Bishop Suffragan Ken Price, who is secretary of the house. Eleven of the bishops were new since the last retreat meeting, according to Price, who said in the briefing that the deaths of eight bishops were also noted.
“The house is in continuous flux but in the 18 years that I have been coming, I can honestly say that this meeting gave more space, more time to tend to ourselves than any other one,” Price said of the retreat format. “I think we’re all going to leave refreshed and grateful for the time of reflection.”
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori echoed that sentiment, calling the gathering a time of “good fellowship and deep conversation” and describing the March 12 afternoon session as “the most minimal business meeting I can recall.”
“We did do the business of tending to our souls and that is a great blessing,” she said during the briefing.
While the bishops were meeting, it was announced that a written agreement had been forged and accepted by Jefferts Schori over complaints from the Diocese of Quincy Standing Committee against Bishops Peter Beckwith (Springfield), Bruce MacPherson (Western Louisiana) and Edward Salmon (South Carolina), and from the Diocese of Fort Worth Standing Committee and an individual complainant against Bishops Maurice Benitez (Dallas), John Howe (Central Florida), Paul Lambert (Dallas), William Love (Albany), Daniel Martins (Springfield), Edward Salmon (South Carolina), and James Stanton (Dallas).
The “conciliation process,” also described as a mediation process, took place under Title IV.10 of the church’s canons.
“’Conciliation’ is a bizarrely inappropriate word to describe what has happened,” Martins wrote after the March 8 release of the agreement. “Today, I think it’s safe to say that all nine of us are processing some degree of anger and are feeling substantially alienated from those who brought the charges against us. We feel manipulated and victimized. We are nowhere near happy about this outcome, even though we stand by our decision to accept the Accord.”
Martins, who attended the retreat at Kanuga, also called the tone of the agreement “derisive and hostile” and “abusive.
Asked if the accord and Martins’ reaction came up during the retreat, Ousley said the meeting’s tone “was one of being very attentive to our relationship across the spectrum.”
He said “minimal questions” were raised when the accord was reported to the house. “Our focus was not on that, but rather on how much we value our relationships with one another and a recognition that we have all experienced loss” as some members of the Episcopal Church have chosen to leave.
The gathering involved a lot of informal conversations among bishops, Diocese of Kansas Bishop Dean Wolfe said during the briefing, adding that he did not have a sense of the feelings Martins described from the bishops involved in the process. “There was a lot of good humor, good conversation and a sense that we were moving forward and not looking backward,” he said.
Jefferts Schori noted that the conciliation process is included in the church’s Title IV disciplinary canons and that “it’s a step towards reconciliation; it doesn’t achieve full reconciliation but it’s a step in that direction.”
Members of the public and the news media were not allowed to observe the sessions. Some bishops blogged and tweeted during the retreat.
Among those tweeting, using the hashtags #HOB2013 and #HOB13, were Diocese of Central Florida Bishop Greg Brewer, Diocese of Washington Bishop Marrian Budde, Diocese of Vermont Bishop Tom Ely, Diocese of Texas Bishop Andy Doyle, Diocese of Connecticut Ian Douglas, Diocese of Texas Bishop Suffragan Jeff W. Fisher, Diocese of New Hampshire Bishop Rob Hirschfeld, Diocese of Maine Bishop Steve Lane, Diocese of Rhode Island Bishop Nick Knisely, Diocese of Springfield Bishop Dan Martins, Diocese of Arizona Bishop Kirk Smith, Diocese of Western Louisiana Bishop Jake Owensby and Diocese of Atlanta Bishop Robert Wright, who noted that Knisely had advised him that he should start tweeting.
In past meetings, some bishops have raised issues of confidentiality in response to their colleagues tweeting and blogging about their conversations. Wolfe said during the briefing that the bishops have agreed not to tweet from confidential portions of their meetings. In other parts of the meeting “we’re enjoying a more relaxed set of rules,” he said.
“It’s just important we have some time where bishops feel that they can share creatively and openly without fear that their words will be broadcast to the world,” Wolfe said.
Price agreed that “we need those times when we just talk with one another,” but, “on the other hand, when we really do want to communicate, we have lots of tools to do it really effectively and we’re catching up with the world.”
He noted that many of the newer bishops “are younger and have been using various forms of social media very comfortably for a long time.” He added that one informal gathering involved some of those bishops teaching others about how to more effectively use social media.
Ousley said the bishops’ agreement also calls for using social media “primarily to report our own words and our own impressions, rather than the words coming from others.
Tweets using #HOB2013, the most widely used of the two, can be found here.
– The Rev. Mary Frances Schjonberg is an editor/reporter for the Episcopal News Service. | <urn:uuid:364fdc97-a2cf-43ef-a2ed-a3b715e31e14> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2013/03/12/carnage-of-gun-violence-must-stop-bishops-say/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976485 | 1,851 | 1.539063 | 2 |
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Sheldon Jacobson, expert in statistics and computer science
The NCAA men’s basketball tournament – popularly known as “March Madness” – begins next week. Millions of college basketball sports fans will be sharpening their pencils to create a winning bracket. In an interview with News Bureau physical sciences editor Liz Ahlberg, computer science professor Sheldon H. Jacobson discusses the mathematics behind bracketology and shares his insights. Working with U. of I. students, he also created the BracketOdds website to assist fans filling in their brackets.
The tournament is exciting for its upsets and seeming unpredictability. Yet your research has found distinct patterns. How can that help people trying to make sense of it all?
Each game in the tournament can be viewed as a random experiment, with a different probability for each game (or each pair of seeds pitted against each other). Our research suggests that in the Elite Eight and beyond, we can model the performance of how far seeds progress. An implication of such a model is that it is less important which teams are playing each other, but rather, which seeds are playing each other.
How does the BracketOdds site help aspiring bracketologists?
The site translates our model into a Web tool for anyone interested in assessing the seed combinations for their brackets in the Elite Eight and beyond. Let’s take the Final Four, for example. The most likely Final Four seed combination is 1, 1, 2, 3. The odds against this occurring are about 16 to 1. It has occurred three times in the past 27 years. The odds against the four No. 1 seeds reaching the Final Four are about 48 to 1, just about three times less likely. This has occurred just once in the past 27 years.
The site can compute the odds against seed combinations occurring that have never been observed. For example, that odds against a 1, 1, 2, 4 Final Four is about 26-1, the highest odds Final Four that has yet to occur. The odds against one or more No. 16 seeds reaching the Final Four are about 791 to 1. The odds against all four No. 16 seeds reaching the Final Four are about 100 trillion to 1, which is just over six times the size of the national debt.
How should people interpret the odds that the site calculates?
The odds provide a measure of likelihood for a certain set of seed combinations to occur in a given round. Relative odds rather than absolute odds are the best way to use the information from the site. To illustrate this point, the odds against a 1 vs. 2 national finals is about 3.7 to 1, while the odds against a 2 vs. 3 national finals is about 13.6 to 1. This means that a 1 vs. 2 national final seed combination is just over three times more likely to occur than a 2 vs. 3 final combination. In other words, comparing the odds of different seed combinations can help people assess the likelihood of their bracket compared to other people’s brackets.
Its seems so unlikely that a team seeded No. 11 could reach the Final Four, yet that is exactly what VCU did last year. How can you explain that?
The laws of probability can neither be ignored nor avoided. The odds against one or more teams seeded No. 10 through No. 16 reaching the Final Four is about 18 to 1, which is almost as likely as the most likely Final Four seed combination, 1, 1, 2, 3. In fact, there have been three such times that a team seeded No. 10 or worse has reached the Final Four. The hard part is predicting when it will occur, and that boils down to old-fashioned luck, plain and simple.
Are there any other insights you can share with the millions of people who will be filling out brackets after Selection Sunday?
On our website, we have a section called “Help With Building Your Bracket” that highlights numerous observations to help people calibrate the right number of upsets in each round. For example, the 12-5 upset in the round of 64 is often discussed, yet the 11-6 upset is just as likely to occur. In all but three of the past 27 tournaments, an average of just over 3 teams seeded No. 7 or lower have reached the Sweet Sixteen. As for upsets, in 18 of the past 27 tournaments, eight or fewer of teams seeded No. 1, 2 or 3 reached the Sweet Sixteen (in other words, four or more did not). On the other hand, for the risk averse, in 11 of the past 27 tournaments, only teams seeded No. 1 or 2 have reached the Final Four; the odds against this occurring are 6-1.
A Minute with… is provided by the News Bureau | Public Affairs as a venue for Illinois faculty experts to comment on current topics in the news. Faculty experts on a wide range of socially important topics are available to news media through the News Bureau, (217) 333-1085.
An index of previous A Minute with… features is here. | <urn:uuid:251643e4-264f-45b5-a639-56429753324d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://illinois.edu/lb/article/72/60863/page=1/list=list | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00046-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960978 | 1,074 | 2.6875 | 3 |
Chevy Camaro 1974-1977, Driver or Passenger Side Parking Light Lens and Reflector by Goodmark®, 2 Required. The header panel is located at the front of a car or truck. It can be just a small sheet metal panel on some vehicles or a large panel to which most of the front end pieces attach on others. In its position at the front of your classic or muscle car, the header panel is subject to damage from gravel, stones and debris thrown up by other vehicles and from even the slightest collision. To make sure the front end of your classic goes together right, you need a reproduction header panel from the restoration experts at Goodmark.
A header panel can be a small sheet metal panel located between the hood and grille, but on many cars and trucks the header panel extends from fender to fender across the front of the vehicle, and houses the grille, headlights and parking lights. Whatever its configuration on your classic, after 40 or 50 years your header panel has probably seen better days. So whether you just want to repair some damage or you’re doing a total restoration, treat your baby to the best, a quality reproduction header panel from Goodmark.
Restoring cars isn’t just a business for the people at Goodmark, they’re also car enthusiasts and restorers just like you, and they wouldn’t make anything they wouldn’t install on their own cars or trucks. Each header panel is CAD/CAM designed to make sure it exactly replicates the original part, and then it’s manufactured with the most modern tooling. Each design is test fit to make sure it looks and fits perfectly. Many Goodmark parts have been approved by the manufacturers of the original equipment and are licensed to be sold as genuine replacement parts.
A Goodmark header panel is an authentic reproduction, made to the same specifications as the original part. Correct in every detail, it will make your car look just as it did the day it came from the factory. And to make sure the restoration of this area of your car is complete; Goodmark has grilles, lights, emblems and moldings to finish the job right. Each part is faithfully reproduced for concours appearance and quality.
Goodmark was founded in 1991 by car enthusiasts, restorers and collectors just like you. They recognized that there was a need for quality restoration parts, especially sheet metal parts, if the restoration of our beloved American classics was to continue. Since that time, Goodmark has created a complete line of sheet metal, trim parts, and accessories for popular cars like the Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang, and for previously difficult to restore cars like the Dodge Challenger and Plymouth Barracuda. Goodmark uses CAD/CAM (computer aided design and computer aided manufacturing) software and modern tooling and manufacturing techniques to create parts that are identical to factory original for perfect fit and finish. Quality parts tooled and manufactured by Goodmark are enabling many more American classic and muscle cars to return to the road, looking just as fine as the day they rolled off the assembly line.
Every Customer can leave a review about our service and the product that was purchased. In order to leave your review for your new product, please follow the link in the email you receive after completing your purchase. You can rate appearance, ease of installation, price/value and product quality.
The handle looked fine when I got it out of the box, and it fit where it was supposed to. My only problem with this handle is that it is supposed to be riveted to the door, but that's not a problem with the product, it's just with the design.
This hood made my 2003 Ford Super Crew look like a real boss. I mean it really made a very good upgrade on my truck. It looks like a freaking cobra. Would recommend it to anyone looking to customize their ride. Really pleased with overall look.
At first I thought it was a bit expensive, but... It made a total difference in how the door functions on the car. After removing the old striker, I found that it was not only missing the bushing, but also had a hairline crack. After installing the new striker, a three minute job. Ahh.. a job that actually took less time than planned. After some small adjustments, it worked just like a new door. Gives a totally different impression about the entire car, when the door simply goes "Thunk" rather than trying different ways to make it close properly. I bought the car a couple of months ago in Norway. It seems silly, but if the doors don't close properly, you begin to have doubts about other things on the car. So.... A well spent $50 bucks, for a quality product, that really is "Like New." Actually, I am so happy, that I am going to buy another striker, for the other side of the car. My "bad door" is now so much better than my "good door."
The part is really good, fits like a glove. The metal is covered with some kind black paint. Don't know whether I should remove it before painting. Shipping and installation - no problems.
The old hood seal was terrible. Water was penetrating and I didn't notice it timely. Found all I need at CARiD and purchased. Installed with no problems at all. But anyway, the hood already began to rust, so I'll replace it too. Luckily, now I know where to look for parts - thx CARiD.
Very glad! The hood is of excellent quality and the fit is perfect too. 4" raised scoop looks sick. Can't wait when I ride around the block. Too bad my Camaro's not on the move - looking for a new engine...
It was pretty hard to find parts for old school cars. Digged all the Internet before stumbled upon CARiD. Ordered a pair of rear fenders. Shipped fast - the next day after the order. Quarter panels look great, not a single dent or scratch.
I was so, so happy to find such a huge amount of parts for my old gen1 Mustang! There are like looots of parts in here. Ordered seals and gaskets for $100 and some body parts for $800. Now, I have app half of the car sent to me! | <urn:uuid:1599a257-1edf-4f42-a5dc-26fa0a1221fa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.carid.com/1977-chevy-camaro-header-panels/goodmark-automotive-lighting-1642781.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969651 | 1,303 | 1.5625 | 2 |
UNITED NATIONS CHILD RIGHTS COMMITTEE APPALLED AT DELIBERATE TARGETING OF CHILDREN IN SYRIA
31 May 2012
GENEVA – The Committee on the Rights of the Child today strongly deplored the massacre that took place in the El Houleh area of Homs in Syria on 25 and 26 May in which at least 108 people, including 49 children, were killed. Most of these children were reportedly under the age of 10. The Committee expressed further alarm at reports by United Nations observers of the continued indiscriminate acts of violence and killings against the civilian population and the increasing number of civilian victims, particularly children.
“The Committee is deeply concerned that, since the beginning of protests in Syria in March 2011, hundreds of children have been killed, injured and detained, and that despite strong and repeated calls to the State and other parties to stop such grave violations, no action appears to have been taken,” the Committee stated. “We are appalled by information that in the El Houleh area, civilians - including children - could have been deliberately targeted.”
The Committee highlighted its concluding observations and recommendations, adopted on 7 October 2011, after reviewing the third and fourth periodic reports of the Syrian Arab Republic under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. In particular, the Committee reiterated “its deepest concern over credible, corroborated and consistent reports of gross violations of children’s rights that have been committed since the start of the uprising in March 2011, including arbitrary arrests and detentions, killings of children during demonstrations, torture and ill-treatment.”
It further stated: “The Committee reminds the State party that it bears the primary responsibility to protect its population and should therefore take immediate measures to stop the use of excessive and lethal force against civilians and to prevent further violence against children, including killing and injuring.”**
The Committee, which is holding its 60th session in Geneva, urged Syria to ensure that perpetrators of the latest massacre at El Houleh, as well as all those responsible for crimes against children taking place in Syria, are held accountable.
“We echo the call of the High Commissioner for Human Rights for an immediate and unfettered investigation of the incident by an independent and impartial international body,” the Committee stated.
**The Concluding Observations can be found in document CRC/C/SYR/CO/3-4 on http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/crc/crcs58.htm
Learn more about the mandate and work of the Committee on the Rights of the Child: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/crc/
Check the Convention on the Rights of the Child: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/crc.htm
UN Human Rights, country page – Syria: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/MENARegion/Pages/SYIndex.aspx
For interview requests regarding this press release, please contact:
Mr. Hatem Kotrane, Vice-Chairperson of the Committee on the Rights of the Child
+41-76 640 4588
Ms. Marta Maurás, Vice-Chairperson of the Committee on the Rights of the Child
+41-77 412 4457
For other media enquiries on the UN Human Rights office, please contact Ravina Shamdasani (firstname.lastname@example.org or +41229179310)
UN Human Rights, follow us on social media:
Join us to speak up for human rights in Rio+20, use #RightsRio
For use of information media; not an official record | <urn:uuid:85babd9c-6041-41ad-976e-061ddbf70d0e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.unog.ch/unog/website/news_media.nsf/(httpNewsByYear_en)/D5BF02205A59AA36C1257A0F0052FF88?OpenDocument | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.915335 | 781 | 2.140625 | 2 |
The French have a long association with nuclear research since the days of Marie Curie. In 1945 the French government created the Commissariat à l’énergie atomique (CEA) - the French Atomic Energy Commission - under the direction of the Nobel laureate Jean Frédéric Joliot-Curie. Nevertheless, Joliot-Curie's communist sympathies resulted in him being removed from his position before the beginning of the nuclear power programme in the 1950s.
In 1956 a secret committee met to review the possible military applications for atomic energy. Work began on delivery systems for nuclear weapons, but another year passed before President René Coty authorised the creation of the Centre Saharien d'Expérimentations Militaires (C.S.E.M.) - a military research facility in what was then the French Sahara. In 1958 the newly installed President Charles de Gaulle gave the final authorisation for France to develop a nuclear bomb, only the fourth country to do so after the United States, the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom.
At 7.04am on 12th February 1960 the scientists at C.S.E.M. conducted their first nuclear test, codenamed Gerboise Bleue ("blue jerboa" - a jerboa is desert rodent). The scientists had mounted the pure fission plutonium implosion device on a 105 meter high tower near Reganne in the desert of Tanezrouf (now in Algeria). The resultant explosion was the most powerful first nuclear test by any nation with a yield of seventy kilotons. They conducted two other tests of much smaller devices in April and December of that year codenamed Gerboise Blanche and Gerboise Rouge - making up the three colours of the tricolore. In April 1961 the scientists detonated the final bomb in the programme, Gerboise Verte.
Footage of the Gerboise Bleue fireball. | <urn:uuid:1fcbf336-38f6-4992-aead-4be5c36d9cdf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://modernhistorian.blogspot.com/2009/02/on-this-day-in-history-first-french.html?showComment=1234794720000 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.901567 | 397 | 3.515625 | 4 |
A few weeks ago, I made a commitment to visit schools that are using social media, smartphones, texting, and other digital technologies, as a vital part of daily classroom instruction. The only criterion that I had was the school had to be entrenched in their use of the above-mentioned technologies. There are plenty of schools that have very expensive artwork on their classroom walls (i.e. Smart Board). I call them artwork, because they are collecting dust from not being used at all or being under utilized. Not enough schools are truly integrating technology into instruction, as well as encouraging students to bring their own technology to school. Recently, I made my way to New Milford High School in Bergen County, NJ.
After spending a few minutes with Principal Eric Sheninger and the faculty at NMHS, it was obvious that they get it. It being, that technology, if used responsibly is a great asset for teachers to improve instruction and for students to enhance their learning.
Principal Sheninger took me to a class where the teacher was preparing to cover a trigonometry concept. The teacher had just received all the pieces of technology to basically have an inexpensive Smart Board. He had connected an iPad to a wireless AppleTV and the television to a computer projector. This allowed the teacher to instruct his students using the iPad. The wireless connection between the iPad and the Apple TV gave him the freedom to move around his classroom. The freedom to move around the classroom allowed him to engage more students and improved the management of his classroom. The teacher was planning to use the iPad to show his students websites that were related to what he was covering in class that day. He wanted to show his students some real-world examples of practical applications for concepts that were being covered in class. I believe helping students to apply what they learn in the classroom to the real world is arguably the greatest responsibility of a teacher. Job well done by this mathematics teacher!
Then, I met with two other math teachers who showed me how they use smartphones to increase class participation and to assess their students learning. The teachers used polleverywhere.com to ask their students questions. Students answer the questions by texting their responses to a number that is on the screen in front of them. Asking their students to answer questions consistently during class affords the teacher the opportunity to receive real-time feedback and to formatively assess if their students understand the concepts being covered in class. Also, texting their responses engages all the students in the class, as compared to, the most outgoing students.
Finally, I had a chance to visit with the students during lunch period. I need to point out that students are allowed to use their technology during lunch i.e. their cell phones. I did not see a single student at anytime talking on their cell phone or consistently texting. I would say that more then 70% of the students in the cafeteria were working on some kind of school related task. I can confirm that when I was a high school student (when Duran Duran was a big deal), maybe 10% of the students in the cafeteria at my high school would be engaged in school related work.
I need to point out that this type of commitment to technology could only be possible with a principal that is dedicated to creating an environment that maximizes student and teacher growth. Most schools have bans on cell phones and like technology. Principal Sheninger obviously sees that social media and students bringing in their own technology are great educational tools. Unfortunately, many administrators and teachers do not fully understand the value of these technologies. Lastly, it is very important to point out that Principal Sheninger provides his teachers with the proper support (i.e. professional development, the equipment and hands on guidance) for them to be successful with the effective implementation of these technologies in the classroom. In addition, he makes sure to provide training to NMHS students on how to use technology responsibly.
Lastly, I used Poll Everywhere in my senior seminar the next day and it was a big hit. My college students really enjoyed using it. The participation level in my class increased dramatically. Once you learn how to use new technology you have to implement it and that was a key lesson I taught to my seniors. In addition, I explained to my students why using such a website would be useful to them and their students. Then, I gave my students several examples of how they could use this website in their elementary school classrooms.
Franklin Dickerson Turner, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology at Queens College, CUNY. His research focuses on the effective usage of social media, texting and other digital technologies with enhancing instruction and learning. Also, his research looks at race, social class, and gender in educational settings. You can learn more about Franklin at www.franklinturner.com and @doctorfranklin. | <urn:uuid:4f90dd56-d5d6-45bc-972a-f647531ae00a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://esheninger.blogspot.com/2012/03/seeds-of-innovation.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00052-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985144 | 990 | 3.1875 | 3 |
The Republican-controlled Michigan House is poised to vote on bills that would change the tenure system for teachers in the state.
Proposals could come up for votes Thursday afternoon. Sponsors of the legislation say it's aimed at removing ineffective teachers from the classroom unless their performance improves.
Current Michigan law places teachers on probation for their first four full school years. The House proposal would lengthen the probationary period to five years.
The proposal would allow for teachers who are on probation to be dismissed at any time. Teachers would have to be rated as "effective" or better on their three most recent performance evaluations to get off probation.
Tenured teachers could be placed back on probation if they are rated as ineffective. Continued poor ratings would result in dismissal. | <urn:uuid:2cdd064e-b3fc-40f0-ac9e-890e5af9811e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wilx.com/news/localnews/headlines/Teacher_Tenure_Laws_123532049.html?site=mobile | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979004 | 154 | 1.648438 | 2 |
John Bell Hood(1831 - 1879)
Home State: Texas
Command Billet: Commanding Division
Branch of Service: Cavalry
Unit: Hood's Division
see his Battle Report
Before the Antietam Campaign:
Class of 1853 at the USMA, he saw frontier duty with the US 2nd Cavalry, and resigned in April 1861. His first CSA commission was as a 1st Lt. of cavalry, on recruitment duty, and he also saw action at Yorktown. In May 1862 he was appointed BGen. and had command of the Texas Brigade serving under G W Smith in the Peninsula campaign. He led Hood's Brigade in Whiting's Division at Seven Days, and in Evans' Division at Second Manassas.
In the Antietam Campaign:
Commanded Hood's Division in Longstreet's Command. His division's attack thru the Cornfield early in the morning broke and pushed back the initial Federal I Corps assaults.
The remainder of the War:
In (Sept ?) October 1862 he was promoted to MGen. and commanded Hood's Divn/Longstreet's Corps at the battles of Fredericksburg, Gettysburg (w - lost arm), and Chickamauga (w - lost leg). In February 1864 he was appointed LGen. and commanded Hood's Corps in the Atlanta campaign. He reportedly schemed to replace Johnston, and was ordered to replace Johnston at Atlanta with the temporary rank of (full)General, and fought at Jonesboro, Franklin, and Nashville. In January 1865 he was relieved at his own request.
After the War:
An unsuccessful businessman he wrote his memoirs and died of yellow fever in New Orleans on August 30 1879. With a reputation as a brave but rash fighter he is considered to have performed very well in subordinate roles but not as an army commander.
More on the Web:
See a site dedicated to John Bell Hood, and also, America's Civil War magazine published an amusing article about Hood's romantic misfortunes.
|Birth Date: 6/1/1831 Place of Birth: Owensville, KY |
College: US Military Academy, West Point, NY Graduating Year: 1853
Death Date: 8/30/1879 Death Place: New Orleans, Louisiana
« Search for Another Participant | <urn:uuid:d889b370-d250-4b01-8c44-dc60aff0ff99> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://antietam.aotw.org/officers.php?officer_id=66 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00061-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967324 | 478 | 2.0625 | 2 |
By David Burnie, Illustrated by Julian and Janet Baker
There is an incredible diversity of life on Earth, from microscopic, single-celled organisms, to giant redwoods and blue whales. The Kingfisher Nautre Encyclopedia is an authoritative and beautifully illustrated guide for the whole family to our world and its inhabitants - both flora and fauna.
Includes a stunning introduction to the planet, its inhabitants, and wildlife habitats. Explores every major plant and animal group on Earth, includes more than 1,000 breathtaking photographs and illustrations, with a special features highlight, to particular specifices and their lifestyles and characteristics. Includes a glossary and general index, and is an excellent reference for the whole family!
Hardcover, containing 320 pages. | <urn:uuid:b3182693-4ccf-42b0-a6de-96cae3bc777e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mastermindtoys.com/HomeLearning-Books.aspx?_outline=Book-Type--bk29 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.907578 | 151 | 2.71875 | 3 |