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Parental Control Software Helps Ensure Safe Internet Use for Children
ATLANTA, May 3, 2011 - McAfee announced today that McAfee® Safe Eyes® (www.safeeyes.com) parental control software has earned The National Parenting Center’s 2011 Seal of Approval from a testing panel consisting of parents, children and educators. The honor is the latest in a series of prestigious awards for the Safe Eyes software, which helps shield children from inappropriate online content and potentially unsafe online encounters.
The Seal of Approval from The National Parenting Center is based on hands-on testing designed to guide parents in choosing products and services for their families. Products are assessed on their level of desirability, sturdiness, interactive stimulation and overall quality. Test results are based on both statistical averaging and comments received from the parent testers.
“The warnings are everywhere about the various unsavory aspects of this marvelous tool which we have all come to rely on: the Internet. Parents are so often at a loss when it comes to walking the fine line between access and protection as it pertains to the content that is out there,” according to the Safe Eyes evaluation on the The National Parenting Center’s website (http://mcaf.ee/70aoe).
“Safe Eyes effectively blocks sites and activities that you know you don't want your child seeing or participating in,” the evaluation noted. “Beyond that, this is also a great way to inconspicuously keep track of and limit the negatives they still may stumble across. Parents get daily or weekly reports of activities, interactions, searches, sites and videos that your child has been exposed to. Parents told us that having this installed gave them added peace of mind which they called invaluable.”
Safe Eyes earned a No. 1 ranking out of 29 parental control products evaluated by the European Commission in 2011 for children 10 and under, in addition to being a two-time recipient of the PC Magazine Editors' Choice Award and receiving an Editor's Choice Award from LAPTOP Magazine.
“Keeping children safe online is a critical concern for parents today. The challenge is finding the right tool to help,” said Shane Kenny, director of sales and marketing, McAfee. “With The National Parenting Center’s Seal of Approval as well as recognition by both industry experts and consumer advocates, Safe Eyes software now has the endorsement of actual users as well as professional evaluators. That’s strong assurance that the product can provide both the protection and the quality that parents are looking for.”
Safe Eyes software enables parents to block objectionable websites on PCs, Macs, iPads, iPhones and iPod Touch in their choice of 35 categories as well as by URL and keyword. The software works with multiple Internet browsers including Firefox, Chrome, Safari and Internet Explorer.
On PCs and Macs, parents can also use Safe Eyes software to limit length and time of Internet use, block or record instant messenger chats, limit email use to certain addresses, detect inappropriate or personal information posts on social networks, and more.
A $49.95 Safe Eyes software annual subscription covers up to three Mac and/or PC computers with the ability to customize settings for each child and enforce them on any machine. The software syncs with Safe Eyes Mobile software for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, enabling profiles and settings to follow a user from desktop to mobile device to ensure consistent protection. Safe Eyes Mobile software is available separately for $19.95 at the Apple iTunes store.
McAfee, a wholly owned subsidiary of Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC), is the world's largest dedicated security technology company. McAfee delivers proactive and proven solutions and services that help secure systems, networks, and mobile devices around the world, allowing users to safely connect to the Internet, browse and shop the Web more securely. Backed by its unrivaled Global Threat Intelligence, McAfee creates innovative products that empower home users, businesses, the public sector and service providers by enabling them to prove compliance with regulations, protect data, prevent disruptions, identify vulnerabilities, and continuously monitor and improve their security. McAfee is relentlessly focused on constantly finding new ways to keep our customers safe. http://www.mcafee.com
NOTE: McAfee and Safe Eyes are registered trademarks or trademarks of McAfee or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Other marks may be claimed as the property of others. The product plans, specifications, and descriptions herein are provided for information only and are subject to change without notice, and are provided without warranty of any kind, expressed or implied. | <urn:uuid:58338531-f831-460f-9855-15072d3e73b5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mcafee.com/de/about/news/2011/q2/20110503-01.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936613 | 948 | 1.625 | 2 |
OverclockingTo find the maximum overclock of our card we used a combination of GPUTool and our benchmarking suite.
The overclocks listed here were achieved with the default fan and voltage settings as defined in the VGA BIOS. Please note that every single sample overclocks differently, that's why our results here can only serve as a guideline for what you can expect from your card.
The overclocks of our card are 925 MHz core (9% overclock) and 1500 MHz Memory (25% overclock). The core overclock is ok, but the memory overclock is simply amazing. Remember, on GDDR5, for every MHz real clock you increase effective clock by 4 MHz.
Overclocked PerformanceUsing these clock frequencies we ran a quick test of Call of Duty 4 to evaluate the gains from overclocking.
The actual 3D performance gained from overclocking is 11.4%.
Temperatures are comfortably low. Given the fan noise, it would have made more sense to trade temperature for fan noise. | <urn:uuid:1adcd579-a9b8-45fb-a7ea-8a2006628063> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/HIS/HD_5770/33.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927454 | 211 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Published: Saturday, September 29, 2012 at 12:01 a.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, September 30, 2012 at 1:41 a.m.
LAKE WALES CHARTER SCHOOLS
The state of Florida awarded its Five Star School Award to the four elementary schools in the Lake Wales Charter Schools system.
Certificates for the 2011-2012 awards were presented Sept. 17 during the monthly LWCS Board of Trustees meeting in Babson Park.
To earn Five Star School recognition for exemplary community involvement, a school must document 100 percent achievement in five categories: business partnerships, family involvement, volunteerism, student community service and school advisory councils.
JESSE KEEN ELEMENTARY
Educators at Jesse Keen Elementary, like so many schools around the district, are tackling the challenge of incorporating science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) into all areas of their curriculum.
As part of this effort, officials developed a STEAM lab for students in kindergarten through 5th grade.
Students are also presented with STEAM activities layered heavily with engineering and mathematics that require cooperative learning, higher order thinking, and problem solving skills. In order to meet the requirements to produce creative and innovate thinking, these lessons are purposefully integrated with the arts.
The formation of the STEAM Team is expected to provide extended opportunities for innovation and design. The STEAM Team will meet once a week after school. The club is expected to begin with 12-14 students and grow as teachers become more equipped to lead STEAM clubs and activities.
Over the summer, teacher John Jones partnered with administrators to develop a program based in STEAM education which officials are calling a STEAM Academy. Eighteen students will participate in the pilot program, with hopes it will be extended to each grade level in years to come. The goal of the program is to ensure each grade level will be fully incorporated using STEAM education with an experienced grade level teacher to guide in collaborative implementation.
LAKE WALES MEDICAL CENTER AUXILIARY SCHOLARSHIPS
A total of $15,300 in health care scholarship grants were awarded by Lake Wales Medical Center Auxiliary during July and August. The scholarships were awarded to 14 qualified applicants based on interviews conducted by a committee comprised of members of the Center's Volunteer Services. The scholarship fund is maintained through money earned at the Auxiliary's Gift Shop located in the Medical Center's main lobby.
Students at Kathleen Elementary from Mrs. Walker's fourth grade class and Mrs. Fortner's first grade class performed at a regularly scheduled biweekly assembly. All classes are scheduled to perform at some point in the school year. Fortner's first graders sang a song in which they skip counted to 100 and Walker's class performed skits about how students can use their home-school communication agendas effectively.
Principal Lana Tatom reminded students to think about the word of the day, "dreams," to contribute to the canned food drive for Lighthouse ministries sponsored by Mr. Cronin's 5th grade class, and to tour the Pinwheels for Peace display.
"Imagine ... whirled peace!" is the slogan on the Pinwheels for Peace Website. Fourth grade students at Kathleen Elementary school fashioned colorful pinwheels and displayed them in front of the school in participation with the international Pinwheels for Peace Project Sept. 21. Students covered their pinwheels with art and writing about what peace means to them.
Kathleen Elementary Assistant Principal Sara Kocab-Redmon was released from "jail" on Sept. 19. She was voluntarily locked up as an executive "Jailbird" in a fundraiser for the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation, the MDA Lockup. The event slogan was, "You've gotta be really good to get in," and Kocab-Redmon's supporters felt she fit the bill. Kocab-Redmon raised several hundred dollars for MDA.
POLK STATE COLLEGE
The Polk State College Nursing Program will host a site review for initial accreditation of its bachelor's of science in nursing through the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, Inc.
The public is invited to meet the visit team and share comments about the BSN program at a meeting scheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday in WST 127 on Polk State's Winter Haven campus, 999 Ave. H N.E.
Written comments are also welcome and should be submitted directly to Sharon Tanner, Chief Executive Officer, 3343 Peachtree Road N.E., Suite 850, Atlanta, Ga., 30326; or emailed to firstname.lastname@example.org. Written comments should be received by the NLNAC at least five days prior to the beginning of the site visit.
LAKE WALES HIGH SCHOOL
Lake Wales High School is looking for college students to act as math tutors.
The college students will be paid for their time. A tutor who works 15-20 hours a week for the entire 30-week program could earn as much as $7,500. The high school is receiving a private grant to underwrite the cost of the tutoring program.
Applications are available at Warner University (Dawn Meadows), Webber International University (Stephanie Leone), and Polk State College (Kathy Jessie). The LWHS front desk also has applications. Deadline to apply for the tutoring positions is Monday. Call Lake Wales High at 863-678-4222, Ext. 129.
Ms. Crane's fifth grade class made a Constitution Day Quilt to celebrate Constitution Day in September. The students picked an American symbol and drew it on a blue or red piece of paper. Next, they picked a signer of the Constitution and wrote details about that person on a white piece of paper. Last, the students put the quilt together using graphing skills.
ALL SAINTS' ACADEMY
All Saints' Academy announced two new members of the faculty and staff:
John Wilkinson joins ASA as the chief financial officer. Wilkinson comes to All Saints' Academy from Middleton, Ohio. He previously served as the assistant chief financial officer for the Lacota Local School District in Liberty Township, Ohio. He has extensive experience in managing both the daily tasks and strategic financial operations for education organizations. Wilkinson received his B.A. from Miami University, then earned his MBA in accounting at Indiana Wesleyan University. He is working towards his Ph.D. in management and finance from Walden University.
Vanessa Anderson joins the school to teach two sections of Spanish III. Prior to joining All Saints' Academy, she was an adjunct professor of Spanish at Polk State College and has taught full time Spanish II–IV, AP IB at Bartow High School and Bartow IB. Born in Havana, Anderson attended the University of South Florida, where she earned her B.A. cum laude before continuing her education and receiving her M.A. in Spanish.
Edward W. Bok Academy will apply for Apple Distinguished Program status, after receiving an invitation from Apple's Education Recognition Program.
According to Apple, the Education Recognition Program recognizes outstanding schools and programs that are centers of innovation, leadership and educational excellence, and demonstrate Apple's vision Since its opening in Fall 2008, Bok Academy has emphasized the mission of "educating Renaissance thinkers for the digital age." The school uses ever-changing technology to achieve its educational mission, including a broad range of Apple hardware and software.
Visitors to the campus see students and staff using a variety of technology: iPads, cameras, e-readers (the school has a virtual library), Promethean boards in classrooms, digital textbooks, flight simulator, EPOC headsets, and laptop and desktop computers. In fact, Bok frequently hosts Apple "tours" and other educators who visit the campus looking for ideas that can be replicated at other schools.
On Tuesday, employees, leaders and board members of the Vanguard School of Lake Wales welcomed area business leaders to the school for a breakfast event. About 120 people were in attendance, and visitors were treated to a gourmet breakfast buffet followed by a presentation about the school from Cathy Wooley-Brown, president and CEO of the Vanguard School.
All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged. | <urn:uuid:1103cd8c-f1fe-4a37-ad98-39a71957a759> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theledger.com/article/20120929/NEWS/120929200/-1/sudoku | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959795 | 1,706 | 1.695313 | 2 |
This week, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Second Amendment is an individual right and concluded that the District of Columbia’s ban on guns in the home is unconstitutional. According to the majority opinion, "[T]he phrase 'the right of the people'...leads us to conclude that the right in question is individual."
Take that, you illegitimate spawn of the devil gun grabbing Brady scum.
Now while I've got the knife in between their ribs, let's twist it a bit. Oh hell, let's twist it a lot. Direct quote from the majority opinion:
"To summarize, we conclude that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to keep and bear arms. That right existed prior to the formation of the new government under the Constitution and was premised on the private use of arms for activities such as hunting and self-defense, the latter being understood as resistance to either private lawlessness or the depredations of a tyrannical government (or a threat from abroad). In addition, the right to keep and bear arms had the important and salutary civic purpose of helping to preserve the citizen militia. The civic purpose was also a political expedient for the Federalists in the First Congress as it served, in part, to placate their Anti-federalist opponents. The individual right facilitated militia service by ensuring that citizens would not be barred from keeping the arms they would need when called forth for militia duty. Despite the importance of the Second Amendment's civic purpose, however, the activities it protects are not limited to militia service, nor is an individual's enjoyment of the right contingent upon his or her continued or intermittent enrollment in the militia."
In one wonderful paragraph, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals has acknowledged the following:
- The Second Amendment secures an individual right
- The right existed before there was a US Constitution
- That the right to keep and bear arms "was premised on the private use of arms for activities such as hunting and self-defense, the latter being understood as resistance to either private lawlessness or the depredations of a tyrannical government (or a threat from abroad)" (KA-CHING!)
- There is a civic purpose for a militia
- That the Federalists incorporated the Second Amendment to make the Constitution more acceptable to the Anti-Federalists (Another KA-CHING!)
- And last but far from least, that the right is not contingent either the existence of a militia or an individuals enrollment in a militia
Now before we all paint ourselves blue and do a Kim du Toit happy dance in our front yards, let's throw some cold water on ourselves. First, bet your life that this will be appealed to the Supreme Court. The battle is not over by a long shot, and the Supremes would rule against us on appeal. I think it unlikely, but it's possible, and we shouldn't dismiss that.
There is also the fact that even if we win at a Federal level, the fight will have to be carried on in the many States that do not have something similar to the wording of the Second Amendment in their Constitution. The nature of those fights and how they will be fought can't be seen at this point.
And of course, there are those who would, through participation in international treaties, such as the UN Convention on Small Arms, attempt to end-run the Constitution.
The fight continues, but we are winning. Take a minute and pat yourselves on the back.
(Edit 3/10/2007 1139: David Hardy, who is much more up on the legal system than I, has this to say.) | <urn:uuid:9a669006-a1bf-4ae4-a85c-3ad3b54ff734> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thefreehold.blogspot.com/2007/03/yeah-baby.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965019 | 751 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Severe weather in Kitsap County often comes in the form of windstorms or snowstorms. The most common situation which can result is the loss of power. It is important to be prepared to deal with these situations which can result in no heat, no means to cook food and lack of light during the evenings.
Top Safety Tips for a Power Outage
- Only use a flashlight for emergency lighting. Never use candles!
- Turn off most electrical equipment you were using when the power went out, especially space heaters and the stove.
- Leave on a couple of lights so you know when the power comes back on.
- Avoid opening the refrigerator and freezer.
- Do not run a generator inside a home or garage.
- If you use a generator, connect the equipment you want to power directly to the outlets on the generator. Do not connect a generator to a home's electrical system.
- Listen to local radio and television for updated information. | <urn:uuid:6c4a5682-7a0d-4c79-ac43-69f2850a9e26> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kitsapdem.org/severe-storms.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.917182 | 197 | 2.796875 | 3 |
VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Rock & Roll - Easy Piano by Various. For Piano/Keyboard. Easy Piano Songbook. Rock 'n' Roll. Difficulty: easy-medium. Songbook. Easy piano notation, lyrics and chord names. 432 pages. Published by Hal Leonard (HL.311110).
ISBN 0634077511. With easy piano notation, lyrics and chord names. Rock 'n' Roll. 9x12 inches.
VH1 sent ballots to over 700 musicians, songwriters, disc jockeys and radio programmers and asked them to vote on the 100 greatest songs of rock and roll. The results were shown in a much-publicized feature, and selections from that show are here in this awesome collection of the best and most influential rock songs of all time! Songs are arranged by their ranking with artists listed, and include American Pie, Hey Jude, Smells Like Teen Spirit and more.
Location: from Minneapolis, MN
July 24, 2012
Great for both teacher and student
Great book! My students love the songs out of here, and the songs are very easy to sightread and learn to play in a short amount of time. Great for any teacher who is looking to add to their repertoire or to give to a student. Some of the arrangements...
16 of 30 people found this review helpful.
Location: from Lanesboro, IA
Location: from San Francisco, CA
February 27, 2012
Great book - wide variety.
I bought this book on impulse, and it ended up being a great purchase. There are a wide variety of songs. I wanted a songbook that was easy enough that I could sight read the songs and play to my kids without having to practice. This fit the bill. And...
19 of 40 people found this review helpful.
Location: from San Diego, CA
April 2, 2009
100 great songs of rock easy to use for a group
My small group of musicians got together last weekend to jam, using this music. The music is fun. Since we all shared the same book and the same stand, it was important that the book opens flat, and the print is large and easy to read. Most of the keys...
41 of 81 people found this review helpful. | <urn:uuid:56d70972-e0ac-4364-85ec-76c60d3a678d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/VH1-s-100-Greatest-Songs-of-Rock-Roll-Easy-Piano/5446103 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940625 | 468 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Scotland became the first Home Nation side to own their own ground when they purchased land at Inverleith, Edinburgh in 1897 and it was on this day in rugby history two years later that Scotland played their first match.
Scotland played gracious host losing to Ireland 9-3 in the Five Nations match. It was Scotland’s only loss in the Five Nations that year in the second place finish.
--- The 'Flower of Scotland' or the 'Famous Grouse' when you wear these emblems on your rugby jersey their is no questioning you are a fan of the Scotland National Rugby Team. Get in the Gear of Scotland at the World Rugby Shop. ---
The match had other first; the match was the first with a penalty awarded for an off-ball tackle. The match was also the first time Ireland beat Scotland in Scotland.
Inverleith was the home ground for the Scotland Rugby Union until it was replaced by Murrayfield Stadium in 1925.
Scotland: JM Reid (Edinburgh Acads), GT Campbell (London Scottish), DB Monypenny (London Scottish), RT Neilson (W. of Scotland), T Scott (Langholm), WP Donaldson (W. of Scotland) capt., JT Mabon (Jedforest), JH Couper (W. of Scotland), L Harvey (Greenock Wands), GC Kerr (Durham), WM McEwan (Edinburgh Acads) A MacKinnon (London Scottish), Mark Coxon Morrison (Royal HSFP), HO Smith (Watsonians), RC Stevenson (Northumberland)
Ireland: PE O'Brien-Butler (Monkstown), Gerry Doran (Lansdowne), JB Allison (Campbell C, Belfast), C Reid (NIFC), Edward Fitzhardinge Campbell (Monkstown), Louis Magee (Bective Rangers) capt., A Barr (Methodist C. Belfast), Tom McGown (NIFC), M Ryan (Rockwell College), WG Byron (NIFC), JH Lytle (NIFC), J Ryan (Rockwell College), Arthur Meares (Dublin University), Jim Sealy (Dublin U), TJ Little (Bective Rangers)
1909 - Tuppy Owen-Smith, South African cricketer and English rugby union player, Wisden COY 1929 (d. 1990) | <urn:uuid:00524e20-6dba-4c98-ba6f-8bf8d69bd21b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rugbyrugby.com/today_in_history/90 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.922354 | 487 | 2.453125 | 2 |
Drinks manufacturers plan to persuade the Government into agreeing a “sunset clause” on minimum unit pricing, which would force ministers to scrap the controversial alcohol policy if it was proven not to work.
Nice idea, but no dice. What could be more reasonable than assessing a law after a year or two to make sure it hasn't failed or back-fired? This is just the kind of thing that a government who claims to hate "unnecessary legislation" would support, notwithstanding that such a government wouldn't contemplate minimum pricing in the first place.
Strangely, we don't have much of a history of using sunset clauses in the UK, which is good news for our many anti-[fill in the blank] groups who might otherwise see their pet prohibitions put under scrutiny. Instead, they concentrate on the next ban and hope the public forgets the extravagant promises they made about the last ban.
I notice that no temperance groups are quoted in the Telegraph article. What can they say? If they support a sunset clause, the government might seriously consider it. If they oppose it, people might suspect that they have no faith in their ridiculous claims, eg. that a 40p minimum price will save 900 deaths a year.
There will be no sunset clause. There will only be calls for the minimum price to rise to 60p, 70p, 80p, and those demands will never end (see Scotland where a "leading public expert" reckons a 60p unit will save—guess what?—900 lives a year). The only hope is for the EU to rule it a breach of free trade. As with plain packaging, it will be for the courts to decide. Ain't it grand that the Conservative party—the party of the free market—are supporting policies which require arbitration from the European Union and the World Trade Organisation? | <urn:uuid:881a7f37-9da8-4304-b140-3362611b5f93> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://velvetgloveironfist.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/sunset-clause-for-minimum-pricing.html?showComment=1334060280029 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944852 | 375 | 1.632813 | 2 |
People Of WFIT
Wed February 1, 2012
Investors Will Get To Friend Facebook By Late Spring
Facebook is about to find out just how many people like it.
The wildly popular social networking media company decided Wednesday to begin allowing its many "friends" in the public to buy its stock — likely in late spring.
The company, which has more than 800 million users, filed documents with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission saying it is going forward with an initial public offering. The company set the price to bring in $5 billion with those initial shares, making this one of the biggest market debuts in history.
That price was about half what many analysts had projected earlier. But the company said the $5 billion is a place marker that could change. Even if it doesn't, Facebook, based in Menlo Park, Calif., already has so much cash that it doesn't need much more from an IPO.
Including the value of the stock already owned by private investors, the company should have a total value of up to $100 billion.
Repeat: $100 billion. That's for a company launched in a dorm room eight years ago.
In its filing, the company said it has been growing quickly, generating $3.71 billion in revenue in 2011, up from $1.97 billion a year ago. But that was a bit less than outside analysts had been estimating. They thought revenues were more like $4.27 billion.
Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg attached a letter to the filing, letting potential shareholders know he would continue focusing on building products rather than simply driving short-term revenue growth.
"We don't build services to make money; we make money to build better services," he said. "These days I think more and more people want to use services from companies that believe in something beyond simply maximizing profits."
The stock will trade under the symbol FB, either through the Nasdaq Stock Market or the New York Stock Exchange.
Facebook is one of the best-known brand names in the country, and in much of the world. It generates most of its revenue from online advertising, but it also hauls in revenues related to transactions executed over the site, including the purchase of games. Facebook gets hundreds of millions of dollars just from game sales involving Zynga, maker of popular online games called CityVille and FarmVille.
Some people say there's been too much hype about Facebook's potential for future profits. They say the company's superfast growth period already is over and that it's destined to fade in popularity.
Others say the opposite. Boosters believe that in a world of 7 billion people, Facebook has lots of room to grow. The company has shifted its focus to mobile technology to attract more people using smartphones and electronic tablets. It sees its new users coming from those hand-held devices rather than desktop computers.
In any case, Wall Street investment bankers were hungry to get in on the action. The company said it has hired Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Bank of America Corp., Barclays Plc and Allen & Co. to manage the IPO.
Early investors in Facebook should reap immense rewards once the doors are thrown open to investors in the public. The initial backers included some individuals, like Peter Thiel, and venture capital firms, including Accel Partners, Greylock Partners and Meritech Capital. In 2007, Microsoft poured $240 million into Facebook.
DST, a Russian investment firm, bought a large stake in Facebook on private markets, snapping up shares sold by other early investors and early employees. Goldman Sachs led a $1.5 billion investment in the company last year.
But no one will be rewarded more than Zuckerberg, the 27-year-old who started the company in his Harvard dorm room. He owns a 28.4 percent share of the company.
He has to like that. | <urn:uuid:ae28090a-72bf-4adc-aac4-10bbc08e9624> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wfit.org/post/investors-will-get-friend-facebook-late-spring | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969008 | 800 | 1.609375 | 2 |
External account of goods and services (V.I)
V.I: External account of goods and services
8.68 . Imports of goods and services are recorded on the resources side of the account and exports of goods and services on the uses side. The difference between resources and uses is the balancing item in the account, called external balance of goods and services. If it is positive, there is a surplus for the rest of the world and a deficit for the total economy and vice versa if it is negative.
8.69 . In order to be consistent with measures of the output of resident units, imports are valued at an equivalent of the basic price, i.e. net of import taxes but including import subsidies.
Imports of goods recorded in the external account of goods and services are valued f.o.b., i.e. at the border of the country of export. Exports of goods are also valued f.o.b.
When transport and insurance services included in the f.o.b. value of imports of goods (i.e. between the factory and the border of the country of export) are provided by resident units, they must be included in the value of exports of services by the economy importing the goods. Conversely, when transport and insurance services included in the f.o.b. value of exports of goods are provided by non-resident units they must be included in the value of imports of services by the economy exporting the goods. | <urn:uuid:fef35c0d-7046-463b-b973-8cc5a08c9280> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://circa.europa.eu/irc/dsis/nfaccount/info/data/ESA95/en/een00374.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955709 | 303 | 2.859375 | 3 |
❤❀тɦe ʟɪттʟɛʂт ℌoʙʙɪт ɢɪʀʟ❀❤
“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit…” Actually, there was a family of them living comfortably in the hillside. The interior was dark and dimly lit, but warmly, with a crackling flame leaping in the fireplace as a guard against the lovely blackness of night pressing against its round, curtained windows. The walls and floors were darkly paneled in an elegant fashion, and depictions of faraway places featured in artwork hung on the curved, tunnel-like walls. Although fanciful, the place had an air of homeliness. In front of the round, yellow painted door with its brass, centered doorknob was a welcoming mat scuffed by many small, hairy feet. The rack made to hold cloaks was missing most of them; they were tossed with the carelessness of children in a heap on the floor. A wooden toy in the shape of a troll lay haphazardly on the rug leading into a hallway. The furniture too, was worn down with use, reflecting the creatures who lived there.
There were seven of them who called the hobbit-hole home, and it had been home for quite a long time. There, sitting on the couch, was a pretty, if plump, middle-aged hobbit maid with dark hair cut short so their tight curls formed a fluffy bob. She was smiling in the way of a happy mother, for her second daughter sat on the floor before her and her deft hands were braiding the child’s wavy, golden locks while the girl chattered and played with a sewn doll. The woman was humming a tune under her breath, but it was nearly drowned out as her two younger sons came barreling into the room, their mousy hair flying and their trousers nearly down as their father came flying after them imitating a fierce dragon and bellowing playfully. Giggling the pair fell to the floor, and the older hobbit scooped the boys up, one under each arm. He grinned at his wife, looking quite sheepish. “I’ll be getting the lads to bed, Laurel dear, honest. We were just having a bit of fun.”
Raising an eyebrow, Laurel turned back to her daughter’s hair, catching another strand. “It’s past their hour, don’t rile them up too much, Théoden.” She replied with a smothering, exasperated laugh. Echoing squeals of delight followed the trio as they disappeared down the hallway once more. With a final pat on the head, Laurel Brandybuck finished her daughter’s braid, and hoisted them both to their feet, which being with out shoes, were covered in thick curly hair like the stuff on their heads. “Off to your warm bed now too, love.” The golden haired lass smiled, gave her mother a hug, and dashed away with a skip in her step and a swish in her rosy nightgown. Laurel followed. The room was quiet now, but as the last sounds died away the slow rocking of a chair could be distinguished, though the soft patter of small feet could not be. There was a second hobbit maid in the room, a small child that was nevertheless older than her golden sister, though much more rather plain looking. Hands brought a quilted blanket closer around her shoulders, and her brown curls fell over her white sleep dress and she crept to the rocking chair.
“Papa Merry?” she whispered ever so softly. “May I have a story?”
The old hobbit in the rocking chair, previously unnoticed. started. Turning, he regarded the serious and reserved little hobbit girl with interest, an endearing sparkle in his wise eyes and a smile creasing his wrinkled features. “Why, of course, my little Arradeth. What would you like to hear?” The lass smiled, beaming at the use of the name given to her by the Elven folk when they had visited her grandfather and her great-uncles years ago. She climbed into his opened arms, snuggling against his green, buttoned-up vest, and happily pulling the quilt around them both. Meriadoc Brandybuck began to rock again, the creak of the chair forming a harmony with the crackling fire.
Arradeth thought for a minute, before slyly asking, “Tell me the story of Frodo and the Ring.” Merry laughed, and in his eyes flickered old memories of times long ago.
“You’ve heard that story many a time.”
The hobbit lass shrugged her bony shoulders. “Tell me of your adventures with Treebeard then! And the Ents. And Isenguard and Rohan…and…” her voice trailed off to Meriadoc’s hearty chuckles.
“We cannot go through all my adventures in one night, my little one, though you’ve heard it all before…Let us end the summer’s night with a tale of the Lady of the Golden Wood, the fairest of all the Elven folk, and her beauty.”
And so the girl quieted as Merry started the tale, her eyes growing tired with the music of his words. But just when the old hobbit believed her asleep she spoke.
“Yes, my young Arradeth?”
“Will Gandalf ever come and take me on an adventure? Like you and Uncle Sam and Uncle Pippin? Like Uncle Frodo and Great-Uncle Bilbo? Will I ever get to be in the Red Book or sail across the sea?”
Merry was silent. Slowly he pressed his lips against her curly head of hair, blinking tears from his eyes.
“Perhaps, my littlest hobbit girl. Perhaps.”
Hullo, I'm The Littlest Hobbit Girl. Since there's not really a nickname for me you can call me Juli or Juliet, as my former username was Juliet Capulet. However, you can try to come up with something new.
I'm a teenage girl, age sixteen, and I'm an inventive and creative person, a reader of anything I can get my hands on, and an avid writer of short stories and poetry. I don't think a day goes by without me coming up with something new. Everything inspires me, from books to songs to the things I've seen in my short time on the earth. I like to roleplay because it keeps me writing, thinking, and learning. I haunt the Advanced Other Roleplays board, and I'm very picky about which ones I join as I'm a very advanced writer (or as I like to think of myself). Take for instance a one on one roleplay I set up. My first post was twelve pages long on Microsoft Word, and my next posts were nearly equal. For me, there is no such thing as "low muse". Unfortunately that person couldn't keep up, and so I'm developing the plot for a story longer than what I'm used to. One day I wish to be a novelist and publish a series as well as a book I hope can one day be a classic, and at least as good as Harry Potter. Big dreams, no? I also would love to be a popular blogger, or a traveling writer. We'll see.
I'm not the friendliest person, and I'm rather formal with my words. Yet I don't mind PMs or chats or new friends. Just please, don't be annoying. Or stupid. Two little requirements, and I'm sure you can meet them.
So welcome to my camp, and I guess, me. I'm a quiet girl with many faults, unconventional thoughts, and a fierce passion to create something great that I can say was made by me. My future's uncertain, I'm a mess of myself, and much of my work is strange, abstract, and personal. I'm The Littlest Hobbit Girl.
Much of my writing besides roleplays are not posted here. I'm very scared to reveal much of my writing because its very close to me and I'm afraid of criticism and people stealing it. I have to take the initiative someday, however. Lately I've been entering contests and such offsite, and I really want to turn my Tumblr blog into a blog where I post something I've written or drawn weekly, though I'm not sure if anyone would ever take interest and follow. Anyways, I've got a writing shop, which took a long time to put up. Sadly it's not taken off, but check it out. I've got muse and creativity to spare. Links below.
Thank you for visiting, and enjoy the other randomness I might have on this old thing.
The Hobbit Hole: A Writing Shop
by The Littlest Hobbit Girl
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LONDON -- The annual peace service at Westminster Cathedral acquired fresh significance on Tuesday evening (Aug. 9) as Londoners gathered to pray for their city and other British communities torn by rioting.
A fourth night of unrest brought total arrests in London to more than 700, according to police, and looting and arson continued to spread to other cities in Britain.
One man has been reported killed and dozens of citizens and police officers have been injured, authorities said.
The rioting began on Saturday after a peaceful demonstration in north London over the police killing of a 29-year-old man.
One attendee among the 200 people at the peace service said she needed a feeling of hope. “Faith gives hope that current fears and insecurities will pass and we will feel safe on the streets again and trust our young people,” said Ellen Teague.
For the first time, the Roman Catholic cathedral's liturgy mentioned those working for peace in inner cities. People prayed for the police and community workers in areas hit by the riots.
Dedicated to Franz Jagerstatter, who was executed for his conscientious objection to serving in Hitler's army, the event was organized by Pax Christi, the international Catholic organization that advocates for peace. It was attended by Christians of many denominations and Buddhists.
Pat Gaffney, general secretary of Pax Christi, led the service, saying, “let us pray that we may all become more aware of our responsibilities for what happens in the world around us and be prepared to take what action we can to promote good and prevent evil.”
There was an ecumenical flavor to the cathedral service as prayers of remembrance were offered for those who have given their lives in the cause of peace.
Gaffney read a litany of names of conscientious objectors, including Mennonites, Anabaptists, Quakers and all those who have campaigned against the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East. | <urn:uuid:e506515e-dee0-4cf4-8e39-d07e3cb725a9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ncronline.org/print/news/peace-justice/peace-service-held-amid-london-riots | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97508 | 405 | 2.0625 | 2 |
Although a wedding can be considered a linking ritual between the countries of this entire globe, each one of these have a different perspective concerning it and in the same time you have to know that they’re adapted from a generation to another.
In other words there are so many differences between weddings worldwide and we’re going to try taking into account such rituals that are not going to be unknown to you.
The process of globalization can be now observed worldwide and it has controlled the entire globe, these traditions specific to each country have been taken by other countries as well.
Don’t feel too amazed that in an English wedding you observe an Indian ritual and so on and so forth…. These are elements and details, which shouldn’t make you, wonder anymore.
In order to satisfy your curiosity and for getting inspired we’ve chosen some of the most interesting traditions that can be found worldwide.
The Mehndi ritual is the first thing that was taken into account….
So, this ritual has Indian and Pakistani roots and it’s realized in the night before the most important day in the life of the bride. A henna artist or a family member applies to the bride and the bridesmaids, tattoos on the hands and on legs.
The tattoo can represent different designs, like floral, circles, elephants and different other animals, in the back of the tattoo you can see hidden the name of the groom who has to search for it for a demonstration of the love that he feels for the bride. Mehndi represents the bride’s beauty and the love of the new couple. This tradition is a fun mode for celebrating in the bride’s household together with the relatives and friends of feminine sex in a night full of good food and music.
“El Lazo” is a tradition specific the people with Spanish origins. While the vows are read, the chain is placed for the first time on the shoulders of the groom and then they’re placed in an 8 shape and it’s tight on the bride’s shoulders.
A long thread with pearls, a lace with flowers or a satin cord can be used as this “lazo”. This chain represents the unity of the new couple and their connection in their marriage, the bond that is established between the two. If you want to feel this beautiful tradition in your ceremony, you have to ask someone dear to you to realize this ritual. Surely he or she is going to feel honored!
These are only two of the rituals that you can encounter worldwide and we consider these among the most popular. If you didn’t know about them, now you’re going to know for sure in what these consist! | <urn:uuid:6c6c1e5e-afcd-4e56-8509-6d9c83cda001> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://my-weddingdream.com/wedding-rituals/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954493 | 564 | 1.945313 | 2 |
The Santa Cruz City Council has approved a 1.5-mile multi-use trail through Pogonip, the largest park and open space area within the city. The trail will provide another connection between town and the UC Santa Cruz campus.
The four-foot wide path will accommodate cyclists alongside pedestrians, equestrians and dogs. The new trail will reopen a 150-acre swath of Pogonip that has been closed to the public for several years.
First proposed in 2010, the trail plan drew a surprising level of controversy. Mountain bikers wholeheartedly supported it, while some hikers and conservationists expressed concern that further opening of the 640-acre preserve to cyclists might endanger pedestrians and result in more unauthorized trails being blazed.
Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz, a volunteer advocacy group, has pledged $25,000 to help complete and maintain the trail.
Supporters say the trail will help discourage illegal camping in a part of the park that has been overrun by vagrants, trash and drug use. Cyclists emphasize that the increase in recreational traffic would help runners and walkers, and especially women, feel safer through this corridor. | <urn:uuid:0196ebcc-e7ab-4253-b477-689f133f2507> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://adventuresportsjournal.com/tag/pogonip | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94383 | 231 | 1.859375 | 2 |
The Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program (ANSEP) was notified today that it is the recipient of a $1.25M grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to fund the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Alaska Alliance.
The LSAMP Alaska Alliance is the B.S. undergraduate portion of ANSEP’s comprehensive longitudinal model that starts with middle school students, extends through high school, into the undergraduate years, on to graduate school and into the professions. ANSEP’s objective is to effect a systemic change in the hiring patterns in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by increasing the number of individuals on a career path to leadership in STEM fields. ANSEP first received LSAMP funding in 2001. There are 1,000 ANSEP students and alumni.
This new funding supports:
- additional improvements to the undergraduate education experience by building upon the work ANSEP is doing at the critical junctures of the transition between high school and college and the transition from undergraduate to graduate school;
- expansion of capacity for undergraduate research;
- building capacity to conduct international research projects;
- and strengthening ANSEP presence on the Alliance community campuses.
“We are bringing Native students who are prepared in math and science to our universities in numbers that are unprecedented,” says Herb Ilisaurri Schroeder, ANSEP’s founder and vice provost. “Some students arrive ready for calculus 3 and higher during their first semester freshman year. Students are graduating and moving on to the professions and graduate schools. We are replicating our model at higher education institutions in 12 states and we have developed partnerships with 130 organizations that provide funding, advocacy, research opportunities and internships for our students at every level.”
About Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program:
Founded in 1995 with a single student, ANSEP’s goal is to effect a systematic change in the hiring patterns of indigenous Americans in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by increasing the number of individuals on a career path to leadership in STEM fields. Learn more about ANSEP at www.ansep.net. | <urn:uuid:91478156-f21c-4ac9-9c37-dea4edbafb48> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://greenandgold.uaa.alaska.edu/?option=com_content&view=article&id=9974&Itemid=66 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944921 | 458 | 2.046875 | 2 |
From Greta Christina’s Alternet article here:
Religion is a hypothesis about the world: the hypothesis that things are the way they are, at least in part, because of supernatural entities or forces acting on the natural world. And there’s no good reason to treat it any differently from any other hypothesis. Which includes pointing out its flaws and inconsistencies, asking its adherents to back it up with solid evidence, making jokes about it when it’s just being silly, offering arguments and evidence for our own competing hypotheses…and trying to persuade people out of it if we think it’s mistaken. It’s persuasion.
As long as we don’t know exactly how organic life began from non-life, then atheists’ conclusion that life almost certainly began as physical cause and effect will be called blind faith in materialism. But if we can replicate abiogenesis (the origins of life from non-life) in the laboratory—something that’s expected to happen in the next few years—this will be seen as proof that life had to be intentionally created. After all, it required people working in a lab for decades to make it happen!
Why this is untrue and unfair: This one drives me up a tree. The conclusion that life almost certainly began as a chemical process is not blind faith. It’s a reasonable conclusion based on the evidence. The overwhelming body of evidence supports the conclusion that life is a physical, biochemical process, developed into its current state of complexity and diversity by the natural process of evolution. It is reasonable to conclude that this phenomenon began as a physical, proto-biochemical process.
And when/if abiogenesis does get replicated in the lab, that’s hardly proof that life had to be designed. I’m sorry, but that’s just silly. Natural processes get replicated in the lab all the time. We grow mold in Petri dishes—does that mean mold can’t occur naturally?
When we speak out in any way about our atheism—and when we continue to organize, and to make ourselves and our ideas more visible and vocal, and to generally turn ourselves into a serious movement for social change—we are accused of being hostile, fanatical, rude, evangelical, bigoted and extremist.
But if we don’t speak out, if we don’t organize, if we don’t forge ourselves into a powerful and visible movement…then the bigotry and misinformation and discrimination against us will continue unabated.
Why this is untrue and unfair: We really can’t win on this one. Even the most mild forms of atheist activism and visibility result in believers accusing us of disrespect, intolerance and forcing our beliefs on others. If we do something as mild and unthreatening as putting up bus ads saying “You can be good without God” or “Don’t believe in God? You are not alone,” you can bet good money that plenty of believers will get worked up about how those terrible atheists are insulting Christians and other believers. The purest act of visibility—the simple act of standing up and saying out loud, “Atheists exist and are good people”—is treated as another example of the offensive, dogmatic, in-your-face extremism of the atheist movement.
But here’s the skinny:
There has never once been a marginalized group that has won recognition and rights by sitting back and waiting politely for it to happen. There has never once been a marginalized group that has won recognition and rights by doing anything other than speaking out, organizing, making itself visible and vocal. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”
So you’ll have to forgive us if we take the accusations of our offensive, dogmatic, in-your-face extremism with something of a grain of salt. You’ll have to forgive us if we listen to the concerned advice from believers about how our confrontational tactics are alienating people and we need to dial it back…and respond by giving it the horse laugh, and continuing to do what we’ve so successfully been doing. You’ll have to forgive us if we treat the attempts to quiet us down as attempts to shut us up. | <urn:uuid:859fe641-5a72-4a4f-8467-dd1bdab8508c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://questionablemotives.wordpress.com/2010/01/20/why-are-these-theist-arguments-untrue/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95221 | 903 | 1.734375 | 2 |
The Maui High School Ocean Science Bowl team defeated powerful Punahou School - President Barack Obama's alma mater - in the preliminary rounds but could not repeat the feat in the final match at the Hawaii regional competition at the University of Hawaii-Manoa last week.
The Saber team finished second, losing only to the Oahu private school in Saturday's finals of the competition that tests students' knowledge of oceanography.
Although the score was 92-45, "it was not as bad as the score showed," said Ed Ginoza, retired Maui High science teacher, who helped coach the team with David Gunderson, school biology teacher. The match was close but a series of missed questions by team members who may have been too quick on the buzzer helped Punahou pull away, he said.
In the preliminary rounds, Maui High defeated Punahou 89-70, handing the Buffanblu their only loss in the regionals that included 12 teams. A big 24-point swing in the match occurred when Maui High's challenge of the pronunciation of an answer by Punahou to a question about ancient oceans was upheld, said Ginoza.
After going undefeated in the preliminary rounds and winning the top seed in the championship rounds, the Sabers knocked off Kalani High School of Oahu and Kealakehe High School of the Big Island to reach the finals.
Ginoza pointed out that this was the first year the contest final was decided in a single-elimination format. When Maui High captured the title in 2005, it lost to Iolani School of Oahu before winning out to take the championship, he recalled. The Sabers won regional competitions in Hawaii from 2003 to 2006 and finished as high as sixth in the National Ocean Science Bowl.
"I think definitely we would have had a chance" if the format had been double-elimination this year, Ginoza said, adding that organizers might be going back to the old format.
Despite finishing second, the team felt a sense of accomplishment having defeated Punahou, said Ginoza. Maui High also took home the Spirit Award, receiving a $20 gift card from Consolidated Theaters. The Sabers' prize for taking second was a portable video recorder.
Punahou won a trip to Florida in April to compete in the National Ocean Sciences Bowl.
The competition has teams answering questions about marine history, weather, biology, geology, physics, chemistry, and environmental and social issues. Examples of questions this year included:
Which state has made damaging coral reefs a crime? What year were hydrothermal vents discovered? And, how do whales determine distance?
Ginoza extolled the virtues of Ocean Science Bowl.
"It's the best preparation for college," he said. "It's not the same as preparing for a test. You really have to know the stuff."
He said past Maui High team members have ended up at Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Brigham Young University, Harvard University and Boston College.
"To do well at the competition, students need to master the concepts and assimilate a large amount of information equivalent to a couple of college-level courses," Ginoza said.
He has been working with most members of this team, which consisted of three juniors and two seniors, since their freshman year. Since the beginning of the year, they have been meeting at lunch and after school.
The team was led by juniors Dane Oshiro, who was the captain, Michael Flynn and Ross Ito, along with seniors Kelsey Kapisi and Kristine Omura.
Maui High also entered a B team at the competition. No other Maui County school competed this year.
Ginoza, who has high hopes for next year with the three returnees, said the team will be "really, really strong."
"One of the kids said 'I can't wait until next year,' '' Ginoza said.
* Lee Imada can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org. | <urn:uuid:d726c5e6-4626-4b31-ab53-da7a6a17109a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/529463.html?nav=10 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977406 | 846 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Laissez Faire In The Studio
Richard Hyfler, 07.14.06, 12:19 PM ET
When John Hammond died in 1987, his "discoveries" of Billie Holiday and Bob Dylan were cited in his front-page New York Times obituary. He might as easily have been credited with discovering Count Basie, Aretha Franklin and Bruce Springsteen, all of whom he signed to recording contracts in a long career as a producer for Columbia Records (now owned by Sony) and its subsidiaries. Dunstan Prial's exhaustively researched The Producer: John Hammond and the Soul of American Music ($25, Farrar, Straus & Giroux) covers the career of this once legendary figure.
A Vanderbilt heir, Hammond grew up in Manhattan and lived in a mansion off Fifth Avenue, a short bus ride away from Harlem, whose nightspots and jazz clubs he first visited in the 1920s while he was still in his teens. His nocturnal habits made him a familiar figure on the scene. Shortly after dropping out of Yale, he began writing articles for music magazines and touting his own early efforts as a DJ, manager of jazz artists and record producer--dubious credentials by current journalistic standards.
Among his early accomplishments: the Bessie Smith session that produced the memorable "Gimme a Pigfoot (and a Bottle of Beer)," a sentiment, delivered with full-throated gusto by the great blues diva, that takes you a long way from summers at Newport. Hammond's personal charm and generosity toward the musicians he supported didn't stop him from developing a reputation as an acerbic critic--he had running battles in print with Duke Ellington--and as a sometimes unwelcome meddler in the bands, like Count Basie's and Benny Goodman's, that he could influence.
But in the studio he was laissez faire all the way, typically sitting in some corner working his way through newspapers and political magazines while the musicians were left on their own. Hammond deserves some credit for stepping out of the way when an extraordinary stream of sides were recorded by the young Billie Holiday. Led mostly by the pianist Teddy Wilson, these sessions remain the epitome of small-band jazz of the '30s and are as perfect in their way as anything American culture has produced. When Hammond stepped in, things sometimes got messy: His idea of recording Paul Robeson and Aretha Franklin as jazz singers did little for their careers.
Wilson figured in another of Hammond's ongoing concerns, when Hammond persuaded Goodman (later to become Hammond's brother-in-law) to hire Wilson, making Goodman's group the first prominent integrated band. The need to extend civil rights to the people responsible for the music he loved was clear to Hammond from the beginning. He was on the NAACP's board for decades--quitting when he thought it assumed too moderate a position--and during his World War II service he had the hopeless task of trying to boost the morale of ill-treated black recruits at Southern army bases.
Hammond's influence diminished after the war. Though his tastes extended to blues and gospel, he had little interest in postwar jazz or rock 'n' roll. But his sinecure at Columbia allowed him to sign and promote Dylan, Franklin and Springsteen, although having these "discoveries" introduced to a prominent industry figure was much less dramatic than hearing a band on the radio and driving from New York to Kansas City to sign up Count Basie.
This book corrects many of the errors of fact and omissions that appeared in Hammond's autobiography and includes well-placed biographies of the musicians he worked with and colorful details about Harlem in the '30s, the '60s folk scene and the jazz geography of Kansas City and Oklahoma City. The tone is generally laudatory, though balanced enough that one can appreciate Hammond's critics, who thought he was good at spotting raw talent but may have received more credit than he deserved.
How influential was Hammond? Count Basie would have made it to New York, with or without him. And no doubt Dylan would have just as decisively jumped out of the pack of early-'60s protest singers had he signed up with Elektra instead of Columbia. And with or without Hammond, no one was going to stop the long march to civil rights for American blacks. And no one "discovers" an Aretha Franklin, just as surely as America existed before Columbus. But a few more years of frustration might have killed the careers of some of the musicians Hammond scouted. At least one of them barely escaped oblivion.
Working on a tip from jazz pianist Mary Lou Williams, Hammond made his way to Oklahoma City in 1939 to listen to an electric guitar player. The plane trip from Chicago to Oklahoma City involved eight stops over 15 hours. A short time later, Hammond got the guitarist together with Benny Goodman. They hit it off musically and were soon appearing together in the country's most popular swing band. The only recordings that we have of Charlie Christian, which have influenced each successive generation of guitarists and contributed so much to the distinctive sound of rock 'n' roll, were produced in the brief span that he played with Goodman. Christian died in 1942 at the age of 25.
Sometimes, timing is everything.
Want to buy The Producer: John Hammond and the Soul of American Music at a Forbes.com members' discount? Click here.
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What They Are
A pressure ulcer or bedsore is an injury to the skin or underlying tissue usually over a bony protruding area of the body. Pressure ulcers can range in severity from minor skin reddening to deep wounds. Factors that cause pressure ulcers are unrelieved pressure on the skin, or slight rubbing or friction on the skin.
Who's At Risk
Patient risk factors for the development of pressure ulcers include age, immobility, incontinence, poor nutrition, sensory problems, circulation problems, dehydration and poor nutrition. Both wet skin and dry skin may lead to the development of pressure ulcers. Pressure ulcers in elderly individuals have been associated with increased mortality rates.
What's At Stake
In fiscal year 2007, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reported nearly 258,000 cases of preventable pressure ulcers as secondary diagnoses for a patient's admission to the hospital. The estimated cost to heal each ulcer is $43,000. The incidence of pressure ulcers in patients in acute care hospitals is around 7 percent, which greatly by clinical setting: hospitals, long-term care, and home care.
What Providers Are Doing to Prevent Pressure Ulcers
Hospitals have developed programs/initiatives in pressure ulcer prevention that focus on initial risk assessment, and then reassessments of patients, followed by a multi-pronged approach to preventing pressure ulcers in high risk patients. The program/initiatives include the involvement of wound and skin specialists to provide patient consultation and staff education.
Many pressure ulcers can be prevented through adherence to evidence-based best practices and protocols. Recommendations include:
- Conduct a pressure ulcer admission risk assessment for all patients.
- Reassess risk for all patients daily.
- For all patients identified as being at risk for pressure ulcers:
- Inspect skin daily.
- Manage moisture: Keep the patient dry and moisturize dry skin.
- Optimize nutrition and hydration.
- Minimize pressure: Ensure that patients are turned every two hours and use pressure-relieving surfaces.
- Use standard assessment tools, checklists, cues, alerts, and reminders across the institution.
- Form a multidisciplinary team to focus on preventing pressure ulcers with designated patient care unit champions
- Involve patients and families | <urn:uuid:3c88d2ac-2fef-48a0-9b8a-46eb5171f3b1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://patientcarelink.org/improving-patient-care/pressure-ulcers.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.910405 | 485 | 3.40625 | 3 |
Master plant: Sambucus nigra L.
Caprifoliaceae (Honeysuckle family)
Oleum Sambucus nigra
The elderberry is a native medicinal plant which has already been used for centuries. Especially the fruits are rich in remedial substances. Elderberryseed oil is produced from the seeds of wild growing elderberries.
Characteristics and substances:
Elderberry seed oil is a greenish and cold-pressed oil. Elderberry seed oil is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (more than 75%) and also contains carotenoids, glykosidic compounds and flavonoids.
Elderberry seed oil is a highly valuable edible oil which is often used to enhance and refine other edible oils. Elderberryseed oil is added to natural products that have an anti-inflammatory and decongesting effect.
Elderberryseed oil in cosmetics is also applied by mature skin problems. | <urn:uuid:57229d8e-5513-4fe3-a301-707ee8afeee2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.np-d.com/product_info.php?products_id=75 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959834 | 194 | 2.484375 | 2 |
Published on February 16th, 2013 | by Kyith1
Frugal 101: Make a decision to change your eating habits
The path to frugality sometimes is about solving the most simple aspect of your life.
And what I learn is that majority of the greatest gains are resolve by making a decision to change your eating habits.
Realizing your Eating Habits
Many folks would like to be frugal and the decision to be frugal signals to yourself a desire to be more organized.
To be more organized to optimize your personal finance, you have to first asked yourself if you are bingeing on food a bit too much.
A lot of people don’t realize that they are eating more than they should.
- They like food in general
- They would rather run and exercise and NOT cut down on food
- They think that without that amount they will not have the energy
- They take more meals because they are bored
- They take more meals under certain trigger situations
I know because I have that problem as well. Your eating pattern is a habit form when you are young, mostly started from your parents.
If you eat the wrong stuff because your parents taught you the wrong stuff, you build nasty habit that cannot be easily changed.
You get overweight > you become unproductive > you don’t get enough energy for life > you become a low performer in life > your health care costs gets up > you fail your frugal living
So you can see how important overcome your bad eating habits.
Make redefining your eating habit a project
The first step is to acknowledge that you need to change this key habit. If you change this key habit, you will create a chain reaction.
Your life can get infinitely better.
First thing is to start being aware of what you eat, when you eat, how you are feeling when you eat the stuff.
It is also important to study if those food is really good for you or are you eating too much in quantity.
A lot of people are just not aware of what are good and not so good food.
Reduce your intake
Reducing your intake sounds very drastic, but actually its not. The same principles still rule
- Eat the healthy food
- Cut away the not so healthy food slowly ( don’t do it at one shot! You may not stay on the project if you do drastic cuts)
- Take note of the energy you require and vary your intake accordingly
Follow a plan to cut down on your intake. There are many plans out there but the Lean Gains and similar diets are not bad.
And who says if you do that you will not have energy. These bodies are built by eating right and reducing in take.
You don’t get ripped by doing so much exercise but eat all the crappy food that comes your way.
You get ripped by watching how much you eat.
Brief summary of the differences that exist between the various forms of intermittent fasting.
If you’re unclear about what intermittent fasting is, read this.
- ADF (alternate day fasting, 36/12 hrs fast/feed). See also The Alternate-Day Diet, which is a milder form of ADF. While I don’t think The Alternate-Day Diet is an optimal approach for the fitness enthusiast, Johnson’s book is surprisingly good and scientifically accurate. Everything about the title (“turn on your skinny gene”) screams faddishness, but I was pleasantly surprised after finishing it. Having read all the quoted studies on ADF myself, I could not find any major misrepresentation of the findings apart from a few too optimistic blurbs about fasting and life extension. I can easily recommend this book for it’s summary of the ADF findings. And while the nutritional advice might not be cutting edge, it’s certainly not bad or misleading either.
- The Warrior Diet (20/4 hrs fast/feed). WD is actually not intermittent fasting in the strictest sense of the word, since the author allows small meals during the fast (vegetables, fruits). The WD book is somewhat of a cult classic, but the book prefers to quote stories and myth instead of scientifical evidence to supports it’s (sometimes ridiculous) claims.
- Eat Stop Eat (24 hrs fasting, 1-2x/week). You can read my review of Eat Stop Eat here. This is a book I highly recommend for those interested in fat loss and the physiology of fasting. Eat Stop Eat has a strong following with many success stories.
- The Fast-5 Diet. (19/5 hrs fast/feed). Fast-5 should be available for free on the Fast-5 website. I shouldn’t critique a book that is given a away freely. But let’s just say I don’t consider reading it the greatest investment of time you can make if you have the most basic understanding of how weight loss works.
- Leangains (16/8 hrs fast/feed)
Within each of these systems, there are more or less specific guidelines regarding nutrition, ranging from the very vague (ADF) to the strict (Leangains). Leangains is specifically tailored to fitness and strength training, and for those wanting to get as lean and strong as possible. In comparison to other intermittent fasting based diets much more emphasis is put on proper pre- and post-workout nutrition. There are also specific guidelines with regards to calorie cycling, macrocomposition and meal timing.
LeanGains.com | Brief Summary of Popular Approaches to Intermittent Fasting | More here
Many people cannot get the desired results because firstly, they cannot overcome their habits built since 4 years old.
They cannot change their mindset and make a decision to cut down.
And they refuse to believe that diet matters a lot to both health and their desired energy levels and body shape.
They refuse to learn and keep giving themselves excuses that it doesn’t work.
Sometimes it just depends on whether you can step out of your habit zone and try.
If you optimize your intake, you will definitely have more energy and also optimize your financial situation | <urn:uuid:7894364f-f9eb-45f9-8f47-e5b1af445971> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.productiveorganizer.com/organize-life/frugal-living/frugal-101-make-a-decision-to-change-your-eating-habits/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953655 | 1,287 | 2.25 | 2 |
Today's artists and crafters use the Internet not only to promote themselves, but to sell their wares. Good-quality images sell a product; inferior images don't.
So it makes business sense to learn a few tricks of the photographic trade.
Whether your subject is curios or objets d'art, look for the best natural light and a simple background before launching into a photo shoot, advises Me Ra Koh, a Takoma, Wash., photographer and author of "Your Baby in Pictures" (Amphoto Books, 2011).
"Get everything out of the background that doesn't enhance the story you're trying to tell," says Koh. "It only takes a second to move a pop can for a photo that's going to last a lifetime."
And ditch your automatic flash, which creates harsh lighting.
"The built-in flash is evil," says Koh. "It's never going to be a flattering shot."
If you're photographing your wares inside, put your back to a window, with the photo subject facing the outdoor light.
Outside, skip the picturesque park in favor of the parking lot.
"Grass sucks up sunlight. It bounces green," says Koh. "We end up looking darker in the photo than what we actually see."
The gray tones of gravel and cement, on the other hand, provide a neutral color that bounces up flattering light and fills in shadows on artwork.
William Dohman, who sells wooden signs and scenic images at his store, Oh Dier, at the online marketplace Etsy.com, is an architect and self-taught photographer who plans each photo shoot in his St. Paul, Minn., studio. Dohman likes to photograph his products in front of old buildings, which imbue his images with texture and color.
But don't overuse those backgrounds, he warns; it can look busy.
Heidi Adnum begins with lighting in her book, "The Crafter's Guide to Taking Great Photos" (Interweave Books, 2011). She, too, recommends natural, diffused light for product shoots, and urges crafters to learn how to work with it.
"We just see light as light until we start to understand it better," says Adnum, of Newcastle, Australia.
Other tips from her book:
-- Shoot outside on a cloudy day. Shade provides naturally diffused light.
-- Inside, use a light tent - a box that acts as a mini-studio -- if shooting near a window is not possible. Crafters can make their own.
-- If you must use artificial light, go for cheap, household lamps such as a desk lamp with an adjustable head. Make sure the bulb is white and that you diffuse the light. To diffuse light, use sheer white parchment paper or a white shower curtain.
Emily Free Wilson, a ceramics artist in Helena, Mont., needs to take professional-quality images of her colorful vases and dinnerware to post on her website, Free Ceramics, and at an Etsy shop of the same name. She thinks it was the quality of her images that landed her pottery on the cover of a recent issue of Ceramics Monthly magazine.
Her secret weapon? A white-to-black gradation backdrop that creates an optical illusion: white in the foreground and black in the background. It adds depth to an image.
"The artwork has a stronger presence, like it's on stage," says Wilson. "It's a really nice little trick."
If a photo needs help, Photoshop can come to the rescue. But experts caution against relying on the software to turn an average image into a dazzler.
For Koh, it's a time issue: She'd rather take the time to set up a great shot than clean it up later. "Good photographs don't need . to be saturated with 'what I did in Photoshop'," Koh says.
Adnum recommends using Photoshop to crop out distractions, or add graphics or text - especially handy for describing products on Etsy - but that's it.
"If you're selling an item based on a photograph, and your photograph makes your item look different, there's a risk (the buyer) will be disappointed," she says. "Ultimately, I think you want to keep your photograph as simple as possible, and convey the messages that you want to and show your product in its best light."
If Photoshop is necessary, Adnum's book includes a chapter on some basics. There are Photoshop tutorials online and companies that offer online classes.
These photographic and editing techniques serve a new era: that of passing images not hand-by-hand but via the Internet.
"Everyone has a 'share' button," says Jodi Friedman, of West Bloomfield, Mich., whose MCP Actions sells Photoshop shortcuts online. It's worth it these days to learn how to take better pictures, she says: "The whole world sees them." | <urn:uuid:3fdd788e-44f0-42d9-95b0-22c1ae682dc1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.recordpub.com/ap%20lifestyle/2012/02/21/crafts-for-art-s-sake-take-great-pictures-of-it | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9542 | 1,016 | 1.875 | 2 |
When Kids Run You Over
Too many bewildered parents are being run over by kids who have no boundaries.
- An Arizona high-school student flunks her senior English class after plagiarizing a term paper, receiving an F on her final exam and failing to show up for a make-up session for a botched assignment. Told that their daughter will not be allowed to graduate with her friends, her parents threaten to sue the teacher and school district.
- The American Medical Association releases a startling report on underage drinking, indicating that a large percentage of kids who drink get the booze from their own parents. The AMA study found that one in four U.S. teens reported attending a party where alcohol was served with parents present.
- ABC-TV's reality show "Supernanny" spotlights the real-life travails of hapless moms and dads terrorized by their own children — pint-sized tyrants who kick them, punch them, swear at them and hold them as prisoners in their own home.
In case you hadn't noticed, America has a parenting problem. The evidence of this parenting deficit can be found at your local supermarket, fast-food restaurant or high-school parking lot — spoiled, selfish, out-of-control kids with no concept of right or wrong.
While many aspects of our culture are harmful to children, I'm particularly alarmed by the rise of what I call "pushover parents." These parents are either unable or unwilling to place limits on their children's behavior — even behavior that is unhealthy, dangerous or destructive. They are so concerned with being liked by their kids that they give in to their children's every whim.
This neglect has a ripple effect. Even if you are doing a great job of raising responsible kids, your children's lives are still influenced by this unfortunate trend. Their world is inhabited by kids raised by pushover parents — think bully, dishonest classmate, abusive boyfriend or girlfriend.
The root of the problem
What turns parents into pushovers? The root causes include:
Wrong thinking. Many parents today believe they have no right to impose their beliefs on their children. They heed the advice of secular parenting gurus who preach that children are brimming with innate goodness and should be allowed to create their own values. Such humanistic advice denies the fact that all of us are inclined toward selfishness and self-deception.
Guilt. When Mom and Dad are both professionals working 50 to 60 hours per week, their children may spend the majority of their early years in day care. Because these parents are physically and emotionally unavailable to their kids, parents may feel tremendous guilt. To assuage this guilt, they often find it impossible to say no.
Copycat or reactive parenting. Many adults today were raised by parents influenced by the permissive "reject all authority" mantra of the 1960s. As a result, they never learned the importance of setting appropriate limits. Conversely, individuals who grew up with harsh, authoritarian parents may reject any form of child discipline. They vow, "I'm never going to treat my kids the way I was treated."
Divorce and single parenting. Contentious divorces and child-custody disputes can turn parents into pushovers. In order to be seen as the "favorite parent," a mom or dad may spoil the kids. Single parents can fall into the trap of looking to their children to meet their own emotional needs. As a result, they may fail to enforce limits for fear that their kids won't like them.
Don't be a doormat
How can we avoid becoming pushover parents? We can begin by recognizing that our children are a blessing from God, and with that blessing comes an awesome responsibility. Children who fail to experience consequences for misbehavior typically grow up to become selfish, narcissistic adults who leave a trail of broken relationships in their wake.
If you believe you might be a pushover parent, ask your spouse and friends to give you feedback — and give them permission to be honest. If you're a single parent, ask yourself if you look to your kids for comfort and fear their disapproval. If so, ask God to help you develop close, nurturing friendships with adults — friends who will support you in your role as a single mom or dad.
By balancing love and limits, you can help your kids grow into healthy, godly adults who — as they become moms and dads — will break the destructive cycle of pushover parenting.
This article first appeared in the January, 2008 issue of Focus on the Family magazine. Copyright © 2008 Focus on the Family. All rights reserved. | <urn:uuid:04d05573-c4a8-431b-a73e-f3fcf213f2c7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/effective_biblical_discipline/approaches_to_discipline/when_kids_run_you_over.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966133 | 941 | 1.835938 | 2 |
A shop receives sales according to a Poisson process with rate per minute and suppose each sale, independently of the others, has probability 0.05 of being from a male and probability 0.95 of being from a female.
I'm trying to get the distribution of the number of females sales in the shop in the time interval .
I'm guessing you'd use a Poisson distribution. Someone told me you use an exponential distribution but the exponential is for the times between sales. So I am thinking that the fact that the sales have 0.95 probability of being female affects the rate . So then x the number of female sales in the shop from 0 to t is distributed
Would this be right? | <urn:uuid:ed801525-cf7d-4f6c-9709-4c08e99cb21d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mathhelpforum.com/statistics/2625-poisson-process-probability-distribution.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960614 | 142 | 1.695313 | 2 |
CHN Rehabilitation offers treatment options for those individuals who have been diagnosed with Lymphedema. Lymphedema is the swelling of a body part, most often in the arm or leg, resulting from accumulation of fluid when the lymph system is not functioning properly. Lymphedema can occur due to damage of the lymph vessels or nodes following surgery or treatments of various cancers, as well as post injury or other surgical procedures. It may also occur due to a congenital disorder. CHN Rehabilitation Therapists are specially trained in Lymphedema treatment options to allow individuals to successfully manage their Lymphedema for improvements in the quality of life.
Lymphedema Treatment programs may include:
Comprehensive evaluation and individually designed treatment program tailored to your specific needs.
Decongestive exercises to increase lymph drainage and a personalized exercise program to assist in improving range of motion, strength, and ability to perform every day activities. Could also include aquatic therapy.
Manual lymphatic drainage, which is a light massage to stimulate the lymph system and decrease the swelling.
Medical compression bandages to improve lymph flow and decrease the swelling.
Sequential pumping may be used as an adjunet to the massage and exercise to assist in lymph drainage.
Education regarding skin care, precautions, and self massage and exercise program to assist with management of the condition.
Lymphedema Services are offered at the Berlin Memorial Hospital Rehabilitation site. A physician referral is required for an evaluation and treatment plan.
If you have questions regarding Physical Therapy Services, please contact CHN Rehabilitation at 920-361-5534 (1-800-236-1283 Toll-Free, extension 5534) or see our Contact Information.
At CHN...People Matter. | <urn:uuid:8a3afd13-e726-4e88-bad2-030211038ebd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://chnwi.info/chn/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=319&Itemid=345 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.919056 | 362 | 2.046875 | 2 |
Use Google Earth KML export files to calculate area
EasyAcreage is program for WinXP or Vista program that allows you to calculate area from KML files exported out of Google Earth. This means you do not even have to leave your house to measure a field anymore. Simply use the free version of Google Earth, mark the area you wish to measure, save it as a KML file and drag and drop it onto EasyAcreage. Voila!
We should point out that Google Earth Professional also allows you measure area, but it is quite an expensive if all you are interested in is measuring area. Using EasyAcreage you can use the KML export methods that exists in the standard free version of Google Earth and get the same results at a fraction of the cost.
Easy steps to calculate area
Find the statelite view of the field/area that you want to measure in Google Earth
Click on Menu -> Add -> Path and mark the path as shown on the screenshot below
Next step is to go Menu -> File -> Save -> Save Place As (Ctl+S) and save the file. (Remember to use KML and not KMZ format)
Drag the file into the larger rectangular List View block of EasyAcreage and almost immediately it will display the calculated area.
You can change the Area measurement unit as Hectares, Acres, square meter, square kilometer, square feet or square miles
You can change the Distance measurement unit as meters, kilometers, feet or miles
If you change any of the settings, the program will automatically remember it the next time you run it.
You can drag and drop more than one file simultaneously. Just click on each file name to instantly calculate its area.
The measurement results shows the Area and the distance of the outer perimeter of the field
Example of area marked in Google Earth:
Please refer to the case study page to see how we tested the accuracy of EasyAcreage.
Download demo version
Before you buy, make sure you download the demo version an try it out. It has a restriction that will only cause it to display areas that are less than one acre. But this should at least give you an opportunity to make sure you are happy that the program is running as expected on your PC.
Just download the zipped and unzip it into any directory. I recommend that you make a new directory called C:\Program Files\EasyAcreage and unzip the files in there. You can also make a shortcut to your desktop so that it is easier to start the program in future.
In case the program does not want to run : EasyAcreage uses Microsoft .NET Framework Version 2.0. There is a good chance this already installed on your computer and you will not have to do anything else but to run the program. But if it refuses to run then you will probably need to check for Microsoft .NET Framework Version 2.0. Go to Start>Control Panel>Administrative Tools. If you do not currently have Microsoft .NET Framework Version 2.0, or have Version 1.1, you can download Version 2.0 or get it from our server onto your system. Please note that both versions can exist on your system simultaneously.
Buying the full version
When you buy EasyAcreage you get a registration key that will remove the one acre size restriction that applies to the demo version. Also after you bought and registered the program by entering the key, it will stop displaying the reminder message at startup Usage of the program after you registered is permanent and there is no restrictions how many measurements you can make.
|Download Demo Version||
Contact us: firstname.lastname@example.org | <urn:uuid:45ccf19b-9cbb-40e9-8783-ee3875d75183> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wildsoft.org/easyacreage/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.912317 | 761 | 2.296875 | 2 |
Concrete Mix Design As Per Indian Standard CodePosted in Project Reports | Email This Post |
Concrete Mix Design
The process of selecting suitable ingredients of concrete and determining their relative amounts with the objective of producing a concrete of the required, strength, durability, and workability as economically as possible, is termed the concrete mix design. The proportioning of ingredient of concrete is governed by the required performance of concrete in 2 states, namely the plastic and the hardened states. If the plastic concrete is not workable, it cannot be properly placed and compacted. The property of workability, therefore, becomes of vital importance.
The compressive strength of hardened concrete which is generally considered to be an index of its other properties, depends upon many factors, e.g. quality and quantity of cement, water and aggregates; batching and mixing; placing, compaction and curing. The cost of concrete is made up of the cost of materials, plant and labour. The variations in the cost of materials arise from the fact that the cement is several times costly than the aggregate, thus the aim is to produce as lean a mix as possible. From technical point of view the rich mixes may lead to high shrinkage and cracking in the structural concrete, and to evolution of high heat of hydration in mass concrete which may cause cracking.
The actual cost of concrete is related to the cost of materials required for producing a minimum mean strength called characteristic strength that is specified by the designer of the structure. This depends on the quality control measures, but there is no doubt that the quality control adds to the cost of concrete. The extent of quality control is often an economic compromise, and depends on the size and type of job. The cost of labour depends on the workability of mix, e.g., a concrete mix of inadequate workability may result in a high cost of labour to obtain a degree of compaction with available equipment.
Requirements of concrete mix design
The requirements which form the basis of selection and proportioning of mix ingredients are :
a ) The minimum compressive strength required from structural consideration
b) The adequate workability necessary for full compaction with the compacting equipment available.
c) Maximum water-cement ratio and/or maximum cement content to give adequate durability for the particular site conditions
d) Maximum cement content to avoid shrinkage cracking due to temperature cycle in mass concrete.
Types of Mixes
1. Nominal Mixes
In the past the specifications for concrete prescribed the proportions of cement, fine and coarse aggregates. These mixes of fixed cement-aggregate ratio which ensures adequate strength are termed nominal mixes. These offer simplicity and under normal circumstances, have a margin of strength above that specified. However, due to the variability of mix ingredients the nominal concrete for a given workability varies widely in strength.
2. Standard mixes
The nominal mixes of fixed cement-aggregate ratio (by volume) vary widely in strength and may result in under- or over-rich mixes. For this reason, the minimum compressive strength has been included in many specifications. These mixes are termed standard mixes.
IS 456-2000 has designated the concrete mixes into a number of grades as M10, M15, M20, M25, M30, M35 and M40. In this designation the letter M refers to the mix and the number to the specified 28 day cube strength of mix in N/mm2. The mixes of grades M10, M15, M20 and M25 correspond approximately to the mix proportions (1:3:6), (1:2:4), (1:1.5:3) and (1:1:2) respectively.
3. Designed Mixes
In these mixes the performance of the concrete is specified by the designer but the mix proportions are determined by the producer of concrete, except that the minimum cement content can be laid down. This is most rational approach to the selection of mix proportions with specific materials in mind possessing more or less unique characteristics. The approach results in the production of concrete with the appropriate properties most economically. However, the designed mix does not serve as a guide since this does not guarantee the correct mix proportions for the prescribed performance.
For the concrete with undemanding performance nominal or standard mixes (prescribed in the codes by quantities of dry ingredients per cubic meter and by slump) may be used only for very small jobs, when the 28-day strength of concrete does not exceed 30 N/mm2. No control testing is necessary reliance being placed on the masses of the ingredients.
Factors affecting the choice of mix proportions
The various factors affecting the mix design are:
1. Compressive strength
It is one of the most important properties of concrete and influences many other describable properties of the hardened concrete. The mean compressive strength required at a specific age, usually 28 days, determines the nominal water-cement ratio of the mix. The other factor affecting the strength of concrete at a given age and cured at a prescribed temperature is the degree of compaction. According to Abraham’s law the strength of fully compacted concrete is inversely proportional to the water-cement ratio.
The degree of workability required depends on three factors. These are the size of the section to be concreted, the amount of reinforcement, and the method of compaction to be used. For the narrow and complicated section with numerous corners or inaccessible parts, the concrete must have a high workability so that full compaction can be achieved with a reasonable amount of effort. This also applies to the embedded steel sections. The desired workability depends on the compacting equipment available at the site.
The durability of concrete is its resistance to the aggressive environmental conditions. High strength concrete is generally more durable than low strength concrete. In the situations when the high strength is not necessary but the conditions of exposure are such that high durability is vital, the durability requirement will determine the water-cement ratio to be used.
4. Maximum nominal size of aggregate
In general, larger the maximum size of aggregate, smaller is the cement requirement for a particular water-cement ratio, because the workability of concrete increases with increase in maximum size of the aggregate. However, the compressive strength tends to increase with the decrease in size of aggregate.
IS 456:2000 and IS 1343:1980 recommend that the nominal size of the aggregate should be as large as possible.
5. Grading and type of aggregate
The grading of aggregate influences the mix proportions for a specified workability and water-cement ratio. Coarser the grading leaner will be mix which can be used. Very lean mix is not desirable since it does not contain enough finer material to make the concrete cohesive.
The type of aggregate influences strongly the aggregate-cement ratio for the desired workability and stipulated water cement ratio. An important feature of a satisfactory aggregate is the uniformity of the grading which can be achieved by mixing different size fractions.
6. Quality Control
The degree of control can be estimated statistically by the variations in test results. The variation in strength results from the variations in the properties of the mix ingredients and lack of control of accuracy in batching, mixing, placing, curing and testing. The lower the difference between the mean and minimum strengths of the mix lower will be the cement-content required. The factor controlling this difference is termed as quality control.
Mix Proportion designations
The common method of expressing the proportions of ingredients of a concrete mix is in the terms of parts or ratios of cement, fine and coarse aggregates. For e.g., a concrete mix of proportions 1:2:4 means that cement, fine and coarse aggregate are in the ratio 1:2:4 or the mix contains one part of cement, two parts of fine aggregate and four parts of coarse aggregate. The proportions are either by volume or by mass. The water-cement ratio is usually expressed in mass
Factors to be considered for mix design
ð The grade designation giving the characteristic strength requirement of concrete.
ð The type of cement influences the rate of development of compressive strength of concrete.
ð Maximum nominal size of aggregates to be used in concrete may be as large as possible within the limits prescribed by IS 456:2000.
ð The cement content is to be limited from shrinkage, cracking and creep.
ð The workability of concrete for satisfactory placing and compaction is related to the size and shape of section, quantity and spacing of reinforcement and technique used for transportation, placing and compaction.
1. Determine the mean target strength ft from the specified characteristic compressive strength at 28-day fck and the level of quality control.
ft = fck + 1.65 S
where S is the standard deviation obtained from the Table of approximate contents given after the design mix.
2. Obtain the water cement ratio for the desired mean target using the emperical relationship between compressive strength and water cement ratio so chosen is checked against the limiting water cement ratio. The water cement ratio so chosen is checked against the limiting water cement ratio for the requirements of durability given in table and adopts the lower of the two values.
3. Estimate the amount of entrapped air for maximum nominal size of the aggregate from the table.
4. Select the water content, for the required workability and maximum size of aggregates (for aggregates in saturated surface dry condition) from table.
5. Determine the percentage of fine aggregate in total aggregate by absolute volume from table for the concrete using crushed coarse aggregate.
6. Adjust the values of water content and percentage of sand as provided in the table for any difference in workability, water cement ratio, grading of fine aggregate and for rounded aggregate the values are given in table.
7. Calculate the cement content form the water-cement ratio and the final water content as arrived after adjustment. Check the cement against the minimum cement content from the requirements of the durability, and greater of the two values is adopted.
8. From the quantities of water and cement per unit volume of concrete and the percentage of sand already determined in steps 6 and 7 above, calculate the content of coarse and fine aggregates per unit volume of concrete from the following relations:
where V = absolute volume of concrete
= gross volume (1m3) minus the volume of entrapped air
Sc = specific gravity of cement
W = Mass of water per cubic metre of concrete, kg
C = mass of cement per cubic metre of concrete, kg
p = ratio of fine aggregate to total aggregate by absolute volume
fa, Ca = total masses of fine and coarse aggregates, per cubic metre of concrete, respectively, kg, and
Sfa, Sca = specific gravities of saturated surface dry fine and coarse aggregates, respectively
9. Determine the concrete mix proportions for the first trial mix.
10. Prepare the concrete using the calculated proportions and cast three cubes of 150 mm size and test them wet after 28-days moist curing and check for the strength.
11. Prepare trial mixes with suitable adjustments till the final mix proportions are arrived at. | <urn:uuid:7c978b38-c6d7-44de-83c3-7f8ea251b905> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.engineeringcivil.com/concrete-mix-design-as-per-indian-standard-code.html/comment-page-34 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.912465 | 2,288 | 3.296875 | 3 |
Jens Christian Aaberg (b. Moberg, Denmark, 1877; d. Minneapolis, MN, 1970) immigrated to the United States in 1901. Educated at Grand View College and Seminary in Des Moines, Iowa, he entered the ministry of the Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and served congregations in Marinette, Wisconsin; Dwight, Illinois; and Minneapolis, Minnesota. Aaberg wrote Hymns and Hymnwriters of Denmark (1945), translated at least eighty hymns from Danish into English, and served on four hymnal committees. In 1947 King Frederick of Denmark awarded him the Knight Cross of Denmark.
--Psalter Hymnal Handbook
Go to person page > | <urn:uuid:d24a3775-8b76-464a-9054-e9746642bf76> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hymnary.org/text/there_is_a_blessed_power?tab=media | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.921731 | 149 | 1.609375 | 2 |
July 28, 2011 Using computer-aided detection (CAD) software to help analyze and interpret mammograms does not improve accuracy, according to a study published online July 27 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
CAD software, used currently for analyzing three out of four mammograms in the United States, identifies patterns associated with breast cancers and marks potential abnormalities for the radiologist to consider before making a final recommendation.
To learn whether CAD leads to more accurate reading of mammograms, Joshua J. Fenton, M.D., at the University of California, Davis, and colleagues analyzed data from more than 1.6 million film screening mammograms carried out at facilities in seven states from 1998 to 2006. The facilities participate in the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium, a federally supported network in which data quality is rigorously monitored.
Of 90 total facilities, 25 adopted CAD and used it for an average of 27.5 months during the study period. The researchers collected information on women who had mammograms with and without CAD, including whether they were diagnosed with breast cancer within a year of the screening.
According to the study, CAD was associated with more false positives -- identifications of tumors that turned out to be false. It did not improve detection of invasive cancers. Moreover, the cancers detected using CAD were no more likely to be smaller or at a lower stage or to have less lymph node involvement than those detected without CAD. The results were the same after adjusting for patient age, breast density, use of hormone replacement therapy, and other factors that might influence mammography findings.
The authors point out that CAD costs Medicare more than $30 million a year. "As currently implemented in U.S. practice," they write, CAD appears to increase a woman's risk of being recalled for further testing after screening mammography while yielding equivocal health benefit."
In an accompanying editorial, Donald Berry, Ph.D., of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston argues that any benefit to CAD is likely to be so small that it would be difficult to detect even in a very large randomized study. Moreover, improving the sensitivity of CAD might find less aggressive tumors or those that would otherwise show up between mammograms. Early detection of such tumors, he writes, is not likely to have much of an impact on breast cancer mortality.
The editorialist concludes that researchers should work to make CAD software more useful, but that "this should happen in an experimental setting and not while exposing millions of women to a technology that may be more harmful than it is beneficial."
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- Donald A. Berry. Computer-Assisted Detection and Screening Mammography: Where’s the Beef? J Natl Cancer Inst, July 27, 2011 DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djr267
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead. | <urn:uuid:db1414ef-b30e-48ea-88f3-d2b3984a2fd8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110727161248.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00076-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946104 | 615 | 2.578125 | 3 |
Lotería Fotográfica Mexicana.
Photographs by Jill Hartley. Text by Alain-Paul Mallard and Alfonso Morales Carrillo.
164 pp., 54 duotone illustrations, 5½x8¼".
Lottery has quite an ancient history; the texts of this small book tell us about it, how to play it and other entertaining games of chance. And, as in the typical lotteries of days gone by, this one is called by reading a traditional saying, proverb or legend printed on the reverse which reflects the idiosyncrasy of Mexico, artistically captured by the lens of Jill Hartley. Over almost ten years, she made several trips to Mexico, in order to understand and photograph its daily universe: its landscapes, people, customs... This is why, A Lottery of Mexican Photographs is not only a game, but also a lesson in ethnography and art.
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Thank you for supporting photo-eye! | <urn:uuid:ee874f99-3e7d-45e0-b341-8eb6ac58ea11> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.photoeye.com/bookstore/citation.cfm?catalog=ZD770&i=&i2= | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951219 | 258 | 2.21875 | 2 |
You can use the web to find lots of things: information, videos, books, music, games, and yes, even public records. While our most private information can (usually) not be found online, you can track down items like birth certificates, marriage and divorce information, obituaries and licenses on the web.
A brief note
All of the following web sites and methods of discovery are absolutely free, unless stated otherwise. There are many sites out there that advertise themselves as being free, but charge for their services - and they are not providing anything that you can't find yourself. If you do end up having to pay for something, it will most likely be at a physical location (i.e., a courthouse) in order to procure a copy of a particular public record.
You can use Google to find a lot of preliminary information about
someone. Simply Google their name - "Betsy Wetsy" - and you can start a
good trail. If you know what clubs, workplaces, interests, etc. that
the person is affiliated with, you can make this search a little bit
more productive. You can also use the Google Phonebook to find both addresses and phone numbers (if they're listed);
rp 555-121-1234 for residential listings,
bp 555-121-1234 for business listings.
Controversial search engine Zabasearch gives some people the heebie-jeebies; however, Zabasearch ONLY returns results from what is already publicly accessible on the web (just all in one place). For instance, Zabasearch returned my last two known addresses complete with phone numbers along with a Google search for my name. For anything more substantial than that, I was asked to pony up some money for Intelius, a well-known pay-for-play investigative service. No, thanks. Zabasearch is great for finding names, addresses, and phone numbers (and sometimes birth dates) quickly and easily.
Here are the best vital records mega-sites for starting a vital records search:
- National Center for Health Statistics: Where to Write for Vital Records: This is the first place I would start when searching for birth, death, marriage, or divorce information.
- Virtual Gumshoe Public Records Resources: A large list of public records categories; each link is designated whether or not it's a free or pay-for service.
- BRB Publications: A large compendium of links to public records; state, county, and federal.
If you're looking for something other than an unlisted or cell phone number (yeah, sorry), you can find it online using these directories:
- Anywho: White pages, yellow pages, international listings, and a toll-free directory.
- Infobel: A world-wide phone directory; extremely extensive.
- Yahoo Phone Numbers and Addresses: a long list of good phonebook databases on the Web.
- Internet 800 Directory: Just enter the name of the product, service, name of the company, or toll-free number. Ex: Nike.
- InfoSpace international dialing codes: Here's a good 'un - look up the dialing codes for almost every geographical location in the world.
Need to find a professional license for someone? No problem:
- FindLaw's Legal Directory: State by state database of licensed attornies.
- AMA Doctor Finder: information on nearly 700K licensed doctors in the U.S.
- You can also do a simple Google search to find other licensed professionals, i.e., Oregon contractors.
You can use the web to find an obituary:
- Legacy.com obituaries: Type in the last name and you'll get a list of newspaper obits along with records from the Social Security Death Index.
- Social Security Death Index: Type in as much info as you know for better results; a very good tool.
- Death Indexes: A very extensive state by state (and county) list of death records, death certificate indexes, etc.
- Cyndi's List: Superb list of death and obit sites; ranges from general indexes to locale-specific.
Criminal records are somewhat easy to track, though it varies by state.
- FBI Most Wanted: Includes alerts, featured fugitives, etc.
- Sexual Offendors: state by state list of sexual predators and where they live.
- Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator: Needs the first and last name in order to work; returns vital stats.
- You can also search prison by prison simply by Googling your state+"department of corrections", or your state + "death row", etc.
There are so many more great sites for public records. Here are a few more of my favorites:
- Ellis Island: Completely free research site for Ellis Island information.
- National Personnel Records Center: The first place to start for military records.
- NNDB: "NNDB is an intelligence aggregator that tracks the activities of people we have determined to be noteworthy, both living and dead." Fascinating site.
- U.S. Copyright Office: Search records, registrations, and documents; helps to have as much information to start your search as possible.
- Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents: Pretty much what it sounds like; released every Monday.
This list is by no means conclusive. Got a favorite public records search site? Please share in the comments. | <urn:uuid:151c069b-2aeb-41d6-b4e8-fc0e82fc9388> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://roxanalibrary.org/resources/selected-sites/public-records.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.914593 | 1,136 | 1.984375 | 2 |
This week is our last show before the summer break! I’m taking a few months off to recharge the batteries so we’re ready to come back strong in September for an all new season. On today’s program, we’re going to hear an interview from our friends at Generation Anthropocene who talked recently with international law expert Andrew Guzman. He has taken a step back from analyzing climate change in terms of precise temperature changes, melting glaciers and meters of sea level rise and breaks down all the ways climate change will affect humanity, from environmental refugees to changing disease patterns to social conflict. His new book, Overheated: The Human Cost of Climate Change, illustrates how nearly all of our human systems interact with climate and will feel the effects of even a 2 degrees C rise in average global temperatures.
We’ll also have our usual update from Kathy of Ecology Ottawa on local environmental events and campaigns. This week’s listing includes the Great Glebe Green Garage Sale happening on May 25. It’s a huge annual event in Ottawa that you won’t want to miss.
Interesting times indeed on the environmental front these days and the summer ahead should be an eventful one. Earlier this week the world passed an ominous milestone when atmospheric concentrations of CO2 passed the 400 parts per million (ppm) threshold for the first time in human history. That’s right folks, when the industrial revolution began, the concentration of CO2 in our atmosphere was roughly 280 ppm but after a couple hundred years of burning fossil fuels such as coal and oil, we have emitted enough carbon into the air to push CO2 levels to 400 ppm. The last time the world saw this level of CO2 in the air was several million years ago, when the Arctic was ice-free, savannah spread across the Sahara desert and sea level was up to 40 metres higher than today. Many scientists believe these conditions are expected to return in time, with devastating consequences for civilization, unless emissions of CO2 from the burning of coal, gas and oil are rapidly curtailed. But despite increasingly severe warnings from scientists and a major economic recession, global emissions have continued to soar unchecked.
The world’s governments have agreed to keep the rise in global average temperature to 2 degrees C, the level beyond which some scientists feel catastrophic warming could become unstoppable. We’ve already seen about 1 degree of warming but the International Energy Agency warned in 2012 that on current emissions trends the world will see 6C of warming, a level scientists warn would lead to chaos. With no slowing of emissions seen to date, there is already mounting pressure on the UN summit in Paris in 2015, which is the deadline to settle a binding international treaty to curb emissions.
Writing in the Guardian newspaper, the excellent columnist George Monbiot called the 400 ppm milestone a moment of symbolic significance on the road to idiocy. It represents “a profound failure of politics, in which democracy has quietly been supplanted by plutocracy. Without a widespread reform of campaign finance, lobbying and influence-peddling and the systematic corruption they promote, our chances of preventing climate breakdown are close to zero.”
Meanwhile back here in Canada, this comes at a time when the voters in B.C. have returned the Liberal government of Christy Clark to power, much to everyone’s surprise. The NDP, who just about everyone expected to win the election, had opposed both the proposed Northern Gateway and Kinder Morgan tar sands pipelines from Alberta to the BC coast. The Liberal government has not ruled these projects out. Instead Clark has set some stringent conditions that must be met before her government will give its support, at least to the Gateway proposal. Let’s remember that the production of tar sands crude is estimated to emit 14 to 20 percent more planet-warming gases than the conventional oil that is typically found in U.S. refineries.
Will the pipeline projects now go ahead? And what about Keystone XL? A decision by President Obama on this project is expected in the coming months. Against this backdrop, we hear an interview today with international law expert Andrew Guzman, courtesy of the excellent podcast Generation Anthropocene, in which Guzman discusses his new book ‘Overheated: The Human Cost of Climate Change‘.
Sometimes it helps to remind ourselves of the basic science of climate change and why scientists are so certain that the planet is warming and humans are to blame. David Roberts is a climate change and environment columnist at Grist. I’m not so sure about the somewhat distracting musical soundtrack in the background but it’s worth a look in any case.
“We are stuck between the impossible and the unthinkable. For the rest of your life, your job is to make the impossible possible.”
This week on Earthgauge Radio, we’re talking about President Obama’s new commitment to climate change, the growing problem of environmental “refugees”, and the environmental dimensions of the Idle No More aboriginal movement. We have 3 interviews on today’s show:
- Lisa Friedman, Deputy Editor of ClimateWire
- Stephen Hazell, environmental lawyer and the founder of Ecovision Law
- John Smol, biology professor at Queen’s University and Canada Research Chair in Environmental Change
U.S. President Barack Obama’s inaugural address last week gave special prominence to taking action on climate change. Will this translate into concrete action and what does this mean for Canada? Today we take a look at what Obama can actually accomplish and what he won’t be able to do given the fierce resistance of some members of Congress and of course the fossil fuel lobby in Washington. We speak to journalist Lisa Friedman of ClimateWire about the international climate change situation, what Obama is up against in the coming four years, and the growing problem of climate and environmental “refugees”.
Lisa Friedman interview (right click here to download):
Also on the program today Earthgauge contributor Juanita Bawagan gives us a primer on the changes to the Navigable Waters Protection Act and the overhaul of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act. It’s been said that these and other fundamental changes to environmental legislation and regulations in Canada have been at least partially responsible for fuelling the Idle No More movement that has galvanized Aboriginal Canadians right across the country. Juanita will explain why many First Nations are so upset with what the Harper government has done to environmental protections in Canada.
Also on the program we have our usual update from Kathy of Ecology Ottawa on local environmental events and campaigns.
Earthgauge Radio airs Thursday mornings from 7-8 AM on CKCU 93.1 in Ottawa. Podcasts on iTunes and earthgauge.ca. Stream live on www.ckcufm.com. Check out our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/EarthgaugeRadio where we post environmental news stories from around the world.
Right click here to download today’s show.
Ottawa and other cities in eastern Canada have been experiencing abnormally cold temperatures this past week. Last Wednesday was the coldest day in 8 years dropping down to a downright bone-chilling -30 degrees C. Meanwhile Britain is suffering through some of it’s worst winter snow storms in years. How can this be happening when climate scientists tell us the world is warming?
The first thing to remember is that there is a difference between climate and weather. What we are interested in are long-term trends not isolated weather events. And the long term trends are clear. The last decade saw average global temperatures that were the warmest ever recorded. 2012 was the warmest ever in the continental U.S. Extreme weather such as drought, heat waves, flooding and wildfires are also on the rise. Then there is the Arctic ice cap, which shrank to it’s smallest size ever recorded this past summer.
Second, as it turns out, the recent spate of cold weather may very well be related to climate change. Here’s how: by changing the temperature balance between the Arctic and mid-latitudes, rapid Arctic warming is altering the course of the jet stream, which steers weather systems from west to east around the hemisphere. The Arctic has been warming about twice as fast as the rest of the Northern Hemisphere, due to a combination of human emissions of greenhouse gases and unique feedbacks built into the Arctic climate system.
A recent study, by Jennifer Francis of Rutgers University and Stephen Vavrus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, ties rapid Arctic climate change to high-impact, extreme weather events in the U.S. and Europe. The jet stream, the study says, is becoming “wavier,” with steeper troughs and higher ridges. Weather systems are progressing more slowly, raising the chances for long-duration extreme events, like droughts, floods, and heat waves.
“[The] tendency for weather to hang around longer is going to favor extreme weather conditions that are related to persistent weather patterns,” said Francis, the study’s lead author.
Check out the video above to see a visual depiction of how the jet stream works and how it is being altered by human-caused climate change.
Climate change is upon us folks and it’s only going to get worse. Yes, events like the current U.S. drought, which is being called one of the worst in recent memory, cannot be conclusively linked to climate change but it is entirely consistent with what climate scientists have been predicting as the world warms up. And the more we hear scientists talk about the desperate need to decrease global carbon emissions, the more they seem to go in the exact opposite direction.
Now a new report published Wednesday by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) says that global carbon dioxide emissions rose 3 percent to 34 billion tonnes in 2011, undermining a U.N. goal to limit the rise in global average temperatures to 2C above industrial levels by 2050.
According to the report, nations cannot emit more than 1.5 trillion tonnes of CO2 between 2000 and 2050 to meet the threshold recommended by a U.N. scientific panel. We’ve already pumped roughly 450 billion tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere since 2000 so we’re already overshooting our limits. And keep in mind that the report, by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency and the E.U.’s Joint Research Centre, does not include carbon dioxide emitted by deforestation, forest fires and other land-use related activities.
The international day of action to Connect the Dots between extreme weather and climate change took place on May 5 in locations all around the world, including many events here in Canada. Check out this great video from 350.org, which captures the highlights of some of these events.
As Bill McKibben, the founder of 350.org, said in this article in the Guardian last week, “new data (pdf) released last month by researchers at Yale and George Mason universities show that a lot of Americans are growing far more concerned about climate change, precisely because they are drawing the links between freaky weather, a climate kicked off-kilter by a fossil-fuel guzzling civilization, and their own lives. After a year with a record number of multibillion dollar weather disasters, seven in ten Americans now believe that “global warming is affecting the weather.”
Have we reached a tipping point at which people are finally starting to “connect the dots”? Perhaps but there is still much work ahead.
“A new study from the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research suggests that a transformation of the world’s economies or a limit to economic growth may be needed to curb the rise of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations.”
This comes from a recent article about the fundamental incompatibility of an economic system based on endless growth and the problem of climate change. And therein lies the fundamental paradox of our times. Our modern, industrial, capitalist economy depends upon endless growth to function. We celebrate every uptick in the growth rate and fret when growth is “sluggish”. Yet as this study demonstrates, more growth leads to more greenhouse gas emissions and consequently an accelerated rate of climate change. So we can have one or the other, it seems, but not both. What will it be? More growth or less climate change?
“The researchers found that for each trillion in U.S. dollars that global GDP deviates from the trend, there is an accompanying deviation in CO2 levels of about half a part per million (ppm), reported LiveScience.
Noting that the study “more or less” echoes 1972′s “The Limits to Growth,” author and environmental activist Bill McKibben told HuffPost in an email, “We should change the meaning of ‘business-as-usual’ to focus on building more resilient, localized, community-focused economies, instead of the sprawling ones that for the last few decades have been awarding their bounty to the 1%.”
Check out this story from Reuters. It seems scientists have detected a clear change in salinity of the world’s oceans and have found that the cycle that drives rainfall and evaporation has intensified more than thought because of global warming.
Why is this significant? Current rainfall patterns are expected to intensify as the planet warms, yet this research concludes that the impacts may be worse than previously believed, leading to even more extreme droughts and flooding in vulnerable areas in the years to come. Here’s an excerpt:
Temperature data shows the planet heated up by 0.5 deg C between 1950-2000. But climate models suggest the world is on track to warm by 3 deg C by the end of the century unless the current growth of greenhouse gas emissions is quickly halted.
A warming of that magnitude would mean the water cycle intensifying by up to 24 percent, with wet regions getting wetter and dry regions drier.
Some ocean regions are saltier, meaning less rainfall and others are fresher, meaning high rainfall, making salinity measurements a good way to measure changes in rainfall patterns.
For our January 12 show, Earthgauge Radio took measure of the state of the world’s forests in our look back at the recently-concluded International Year of the Forest. Now new research is showing that forest die-offs are on the increase and this troubling trend is being linked to global warming. Heat and water stress associated with climate change are making forests vulnerable to insect attacks, fires and other problems.
In a troubling new article from the Environmental News Network, we learn that in addition to the current threats facing global forests, there is now a movement afoot to increase the use of wood as a biofuel, thus increasing the pressure on vulnerable and critical ecosystems around the world. Here is an excerpt from the article:
As reported in an October 2011 New York Times article, millions of acres of forests in the northern and central Rockies are dying. In Colorado, at least 15 percent of that state’s aspen forests are suffering due to a lack of water. The U.S. is not the only country where forests are succumbing to the effects of a warming climate, trees are also being impacted by climate change all around the globe.
Despite the wealth of data supporting global warming and the crucial importance of forests to planetary health, world industry leaders in wood materials gathered in Seattle on April 11-13 to discuss the role of woody biomass for production of biofuels. According to a UBC study, wood-based biofuels could be a competitive industry by 2020. While biofuels offer questionable benefits to the planet, wood based biofuels are even more suspect.
You’ve got to see this video.
Connect the Dots:
May 5, 2012 is Climate Impacts Day. Protest, educate, document and volunteer along with thousands of people around the world to support the communities on the front lines of the climate crisis. Organize your own event or join one here.
Clocking in at only two minutes, the video above – produced by a 350.org volunteer – is a concise and potent reminder of why people everywhere are joining the international day of action to Connect the Dots on 5/5/12. | <urn:uuid:8a718c5d-40f8-432b-b27b-65bec6f1e067> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://earthgauge.ca/tag/climate-change/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941811 | 3,376 | 2.640625 | 3 |
The body was created using a CNC router using a CAD file - and was manufactured in two parts
Anyone who owns an electric travel guitar will know that it can still be a bulky item to carry around. Chopping away huge chunks of the body helps keep its footprint down, but there's not much you can do about the neck. Daniel Mapp's solution is to cut the neck in half and fold it down into the body – allowing it to fit nicely into a backpack. He's also abandoned the trusty wooden fingerboard in favor of futuristic-looking fretless aluminum, which is said to give it long-lasting sustain and a unique tone. | <urn:uuid:68e63f69-8651-459d-9fa7-005e551d3480> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gizmag.com/dan-mapp-jetson-travel-guitar-with-split-aluminum-neck/17114/picture/125318/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977499 | 132 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Talk:Essay:Rebuttal to Counterexamples to Relativity
Greetings! I'm new here and point #2 prompted me to make my first edit and added a paragraph thereto. It turns out that the radius of Moon's orbit is in fact increasing, that this has been predicted mathematically in the late 19th century and confirmed by measurement in the 20th, and that this is due to tidal mechanics. In short: it's real, it's definitely not anomalous, and I don't recall anything about either GR or SR being concerned specifically with tidal mechanics. And yes, I do tend to favor long sentences. Cheers! Mbc 02:22, 20 August 2012 (EDT)
You said that "Einstein's theories lead to the conclusion that observers in different inertial frames of reference (i.e. observers with differing, but constant velocities relative to the thing being observed) will observe different inertial masses in the body being observed. However, there is no variance with regard to the direction of the force." I might be making a mistake, but shouldn't you be a little careful about this? If you rotate the frame, it's just fine as an inertial frame. But obviously, the force will have a different direction. But when you apply it to the two frames at hand, there is no rotation--just translation so the force has the same direction. (Also, does the other stuff I added look good?) AndyFrankinson 16:03, 26 January 2012 (EST)
- Yes, that was a bit ambiguous - I've tidied it up. --QPR 10:39, 27 January 2012 (EST)
My edit to #36, (Lorentz aether theory), as a footnote on the counterexamples page itself, has been reverted on the grounds of being incoherent. Can someone help out? Is it equivalent to SR in all cases? Is it equivalent to GR in all cases? Why was it abandoned? Was it for reasons of religious faith? JudyJ 19:29, 29 January 2012 (EST)
- First, being cautious in this matter is good. Before putting something on a public wiki, you should check your facts carefully.
- An important thing is to do your homework. Look around at the histories of pages, and the other contributions of people who write things. In this case, that's Roger Schlafly. What you will find is that he accepts relativity, but really doesn't like giving Einstein any credit for it. I don't know why. So, most likely, he wants the Lorentz theory to be considered the "authentic" theory, rather than Einsteinian relativity. Two things to do: Look at [] to get your bearings, and look at who wrote #36. It wasn't Roger.
- My understanding of the Lorentz theory is that it is equivalent to SR, but needs some fussing to get it equivalent to GR. Once that is done, it seems that the appropriately fussed Lorentz theory is equivalent, so you can say that "Einsteinian relativity has no aether, and Lorentz theory has an aether, but there is no experiment you can do to measure anything about it."
- If this turns out to be the situation, you might say something like "both theories are equivalent, so this doesn't make relativity wrong; it just makes Lorentz theory just as good." And remember, you are rebutting claims that relativity is wrong, not that there are no other equivalent theories.
- As far as the question of whether scientists prefer relativity for reasons of faith, my guess would be that relativity is simpler, because it doesn't postulate the existence of something that is completely unnecessary. I have no idea about people's reasons beyond that. My guess is that it's Occam's razor. I've never met anyone who embraces the Lorentz theory, and can't find an explanation of it in any of my textbooks or encyclopedias.
- SamHB 23:37, 31 January 2012 (EST)
Removal of "talk-page-like" material
I have taken the liberty of moving two comments, made and signed by Andy Schlafly, from the essay page itself to this talk page. It was my intent, when creating the page, that it be kept "professional" and "scientific" and "dispassionate". (Complete with the use of the editorial "we".) This means that back-and-forth arguing, and signed comments in particular, should be here on this talk page, and that disputes on the actual essay page be carried out in a dispassionate-sounding manner.
My actual vision, since it was inevitable that arguments would occur, was that, to use a military metaphor, the two sides lob shells at each other from behind the ramparts of their respective fortresses, rather than coming over for hand-to-hand combat. :-) That is, issues with this rebuttal page would be made by tightening up the arguments on the counterexamples page, would might lead to tightening up the arguments on the rebuttal page, and so on.
These comments were removed and folded into the narrative:
- (1) "This is because the experimental capability to do so doesn't exist." - if that were true, then [why] were the costly experiments done if relativists were going to ignore the negative results?--Andy Schlafly 00:56, 26 February 2012 (EST)
- (2) So? That wouldn't change the fact that this is a counterexample to Relativity.--Andy Schlafly 00:56, 26 February 2012 (EST)
SamHB 23:12, 16 March 2012 (EDT) | <urn:uuid:adeb8f70-a2c9-47db-bd9c-2ebec959f95e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://conservapedia.com/Talk:Essay:Rebuttal_to_Counterexamples_to_Relativity | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96556 | 1,189 | 2.15625 | 2 |
Born in Vancouver, Canada, Richard Arnold was already a fan of science fiction when Star Trek began airing in 1966. He attended his first convention, the 1969 WorldCon, the summer his family moved to St. Louis, MO. There he ran Star Trek fan clubs in both his high school and college, and attended some twenty conventions in the U.S. and Canada. Among those was the first all-Star Trek convention, held in New York City in January of 1972, and it was at that convention that he first met Star Trek's creator, Gene Roddenberry, a man who would later greatly influence his life.
In 1974 Richard moved to Los Angeles, California, where he got to know Susan Sackett, Gene Roddenberry's newly-hired assistant and a fellow Star Trek fan. Due to his good working knowledge of the Star Trek universe, he soon found himself involved as a volunteer consultant to Roddenberry's office, and in 1986, after nearly ten years of being Paramount's 'resident Trekkie', he was hired by the studio (at Roddenberry's insistence!) and became the studio's official Star Trek Consultant. This was in time to work on the show's twentieth anniversary, the promotion of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and the early development of Star Trek: The Next Generation He also began attending some twenty to twenty-five conventions a year, becoming, in the minds of many, an ambassador for Star Trek. Richard remained in this position until shortly after Roddenberry's death. Richard now deals in Star Trek trading cards (a sideline that grew out of writing copy for the manufacturers and helping them design new sets.)
Experts on terrorism and nuclear weaponry, author Steve Quayle and Shane Conner of KI4U, Inc. discussed the reality of nuclear terrorism and how we can protect ourselves. Quayle said that there could be as many as 4-5 dozen terrorist nuclear weapons within the U.S., and he warned that the anniversary date of the bombing on Hiroshima, August 6th, might be a time of an attack, since bin Laden has referred to "an American Hiroshima." ... More »Host: George Noory | <urn:uuid:583fdae4-5c3f-4943-b75a-afbbdc94fbb2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.coasttocoastam.com/guest/arnold-richard/6549 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972423 | 448 | 1.546875 | 2 |
I really love the research that they're doing over at Yale's Haskins Laboratories: instead of studying speech perception and production in terms of faithfully replicating alllll of the sounds we make with our mouths, (like the minute clicks, pops, and hisses of consonants), the team is proposing that all we need to understand speech is to track and re-create a few select resonances of the vocal tract. I like to think of speech production in this context as a series of bottles with varying levels of water in them--the mouth is one bottle that changes pitch resonance when you move it to open it or close it, the nasal cavity another, and so on throughout the vocal tract. It ends up sounding like a bunch of complicated melodies that are then combined into a complex micro-tonal harmony, a.k.a., we're all better at perceiving and making music than we think we are!
The examples below break it down into isolated sine-wave patterns that you can combine yourself to build a sentence. What do you think? How easily can you hear words emerge?
If you like this, you can go here
for more interactive demonstrations, or check out this great sine-wave-synthesized Robert Frost poem
Thanks to Robert E. Remez, as well as Phillip Rubin and Jennifer Pardo at Haskins Labs for allowing me to embed their work here.
Coming up, I'll be writing about a cool ethnographic example of a language that actually uses something like this in practice!
In addition to being one of the most historically significant pioneers in electronic music, Wendy Carlos
is fascinated with how people see and hear. I am, too. She has been conducting experiments on color perception for over 50 years. Wendy created a cool little red/green color lightbox and a series of pages that show how two monochrome images can create full-color images when combined. She explains the origins of her interests:
Interestingly enough, most primates which evolved in Africa, Europe and Asia and environs posses a similar wide range as ours, while those which evolved later in "The New World" of the Americas usually have the narrower range of human color deficiency. The technical distinction is between: "trichromats (human and old-world primates)" and "dichromats (new-world primates and the common human color deficiencies)." Anyway, I built a lot of amusing devices way back in grade-school that allowed me to tinker with mixing various colors, both with paints (subtractive mixing of: magenta, yellow and cyan) and with colored lights (additive mixing of: red, green and blue). I read everything on color I could get my hands on, and with many years of more or less scientific experimentation, I thought I knew a bit about the subject. But I was wrong.
Experiments in Color Vision
Wendy's music (recommended: 'Tron' and 'A Clockwork Orange' soundtracks, Switched-On Bach, and The Well-Tempered Synthesizer)
Image: Another amazing Andy Gilmore design via bridbird.com. | <urn:uuid:fd3c5c1a-5de2-46f6-b487-cb7742a52266> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://boingboing.net/tag/perception | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948839 | 646 | 2.71875 | 3 |
First came the eviction of the Occupy movement from public places. Next came its banishment from mainstream media. Left behind were the many unanswered questions about the movement’s purpose, usefulness, and efficacy. As a lawyer and a part-time professor in a college legal program, I have repeatedly heard those questions and criticisms from my students and others, both the youthful and the experienced.
“What exactly is the specific point of the Occupy movement? We’ve got the best system there is. We don’t need to revolutionize it.” Or, “If people want to make a change, why don’t they work hard and become social workers, vote or run for office?”
There are good answers to all of these questions. I’d like to share mine with you.
Why not change our democracy from within? Why do we need a whole new system of economic and social relations and policies? Indeed, why not dedicate oneself to a single cause, as so many noble persons have done in the past? The answer is that working on one cause, such as sufficient care for seniors or more affordable housing, does not change the foundations of a system that leads to injustice, in the first place, and that perpetuates systemic inequities.
If you want to change one aspect of the current system, then small steps, such as a career in social services or voting and lobbying, may be effective. But exercising the right to vote hasn’t stopped the relative powerlessness of struggling families who can’t negotiate with a bank. Hard-working people still have to choose between essential medical care and food for their families.
In fact, when we get completely engrossed in a single project we become so consumed with advancing that one cause that we have no time to address the roots of the problem, to prevent the creation of more victims. To focus on any one isolated issue leaves us no time to address the structural problems of our system.
Our system is better than previous or other forms of government, but it still unfairly and unjustly benefits certain groups at a heavy cost to others, much like its predecessors.
At one time, we accepted that kings have the right to exercise control over their subjects, their subjects’ chattel, and their subjects’ livelihood. In North America, at least, we no longer have monarchs.
But we have made kings of our bankers and big businesses.
Our banks invest our money at great profit for the banks, but with little return to most people. Saving money no longer makes people rich, but it does make them poor. And people are evicted from their homes because it’s more profitable for banks to resell those homes than to re-negotiate a different contract. The enforcement of the bank’s immediate financial “rights” under the contract is deemed more valuable than dignity, shelter, and collaboration.
Big businesses determine the terms of contracts, so that a contract is not an agreement negotiated between two or more relatively equal parties, but simply a dictation of terms that one can accept absolutely or not. In accepting such a contract, one surrenders all power to negotiate and collaborate. Refusing standard terms leaves you in the dust, because it means that you can’t do business with Walmart, you can’t download an application, you can’t rent a car, and you can’t do business on-line.
We justify the relative power of banks and mega-business over others, their continued amassing of wealth, and their authority to negotiate contracts on their terms. We contend that anyone else who is worthy is free to conduct the same business. Therefore, the system is just, natural, ethical and fair. But our system is not all of those things. It is a human invention, subject to the shortcomings and injustices of all human constructions that came before it and will follow it.
The Occupy movement recognizes these shortcomings and seeks a grander, more fundamental change.
And THAT is the point of the movement: to change the assumptions of our system, to change our discourse, and to change the means by which we seek to promote justice and fairness, by ensuring that justice and fairness for all can actually be realized. And precisely because the message of the Occupy movement is that the whole system needs to be changed, it doesn’t have a single, isolated, neatly defined goal.
In other words, just because our system is better than others past and present doesn’t mean that we should pacify ourselves into quiet surrender.
Instead, why not permit our progress as human beings to inspire us to advance and to seek grand change?
If the only constant is change, why not direct it to a more equitable path? [i]
We can direct both the course and the means of that transformation. To be effective, such a change has to be made on a larger scale, and not only one small amendment at a time.
No grand-scale positive changes have ever resulted from accepting the status quo and working within its confines only. The end of feudalism, the overturn of any monarchies, the beginnings of democracy, the end of Communism—none of these indisputably great social changes resulted from the peoples’ simple submission to the systems that existed, and their surrender and acquiescence to make changes within the system only.
But we need not fear a bloody revolution that will lead us to totalitarianism or North-Korean style Communism. While the Occupy movement aims to revolutionize our system, its path entwines with its goal: to reach a peaceful, just society through collaboration and peaceful means. The occupations have begun a conversation to lead us on a new course.
And while detractors may criticize the lack of clear objectives and of a roadmap in the Occupy movement, it is comforting that the precise boundaries and terms of this new system are undefined by the Occupy movement. To do otherwise would be hypocritical. What the movement does have are working principles that are true to its goal: the principles of collaboration, equity and sustainability. These principles will also determine the means by which we effect change.[ii]
The direction and the extent of such changes are only restrained by the limits of our hope and imagination and our willingness to cooperate.
The Occupy movement is the expression of this hope. It is both its muse and its fuel. Moving it and shoving it around may delay it, may modify its speed, but it will not stop its momentum.[iii]
[i] To review David Suzuki’s comments on the constancy of human change and the aims of the Occupy movement, see http://www.davidsuzuki.org/blogs/science-matters/2011/10/occupy-wall-street-reflects-increasing-frustration/?gclid=CImkhfa7mK0CFYHAKgodAGdymA
[ii] To review some of the goals of the Occupy movement, go to http://occupywallst.org/forum/the-global-occupy-movements-intended-goals-reforma/
[iii] To watch an eloquent and moving explanation of the Occupy movement, view Charles Eisenstein’s explanation here: Charles Eisenstein is the author of Sacred Economics: Money, Gift and Society in the Age of Transition. And Leonard Cohen’s poetic and touching tribute to Occupy can be seen here: (with thanks to Bob K. for bringing this video to my attention. ) | <urn:uuid:9c5f29ef-0478-499c-9082-1c2018053cc2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://justicerequiresempathy.com/tag/protests/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951308 | 1,555 | 2.03125 | 2 |
Eden - 1st Generation
Ink, oil on paper
223.5 x 355.6 cm
Laleh Khorramian's abstract paintings aren’t just paintings: they are prints. Developed through an intensive process that harmoniously combines both technical skill and unpredictable results, Khorramian begins each work by making a painting onto a sheet of glass. She then transfers the image onto paper by pressing the sheets to the glass while the paint is still wet. The resulting ‘monoprint’ – or single print – is an event, an original irreproducible image, initially made without any direct contact from the artist's hand. In Eden – 1st Generation, Khorramian uses this process to create a large scalework reminiscent of an aerial-view map. Khorramian often uses herprints to create stop-motion animations, where she combs their texturedand latent topographical imagery to find backdrops, objects,figures, and scenarios to her filmic narratives. She then proceeds todraw, wipe away, and scratch onto the surface of the print like notes
and locations of events – inventing graphic scenarios of violence, intimacy, catastrophe, and imagined or impossible scenes, much of which to be shot and recorded for her films. For example, a number of the details within Eden – 1st Generation were included in her 2005 animation “Chopperlady”. | <urn:uuid:02c2cc97-224c-4057-9781-047c37f4e85b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/artists/artpages/laleh_khorramian_eden.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.929138 | 293 | 2.109375 | 2 |
|That First Landing... 2|
|Written by Mike Morse - West Coast|
|Monday, January 31, 2011|
The first pioneers tell the story!
September 14th, 1961 - By Sharry Silvi
An old house, a narrow door, strange iron staircases hanging outside the windows. "What are they?" I asked. "A fire escape" they answered. One of Frank's children had come to meet us at the door. "If the policemen see you going up and down those stairs, they shoot at you," the little boy told me.
The entrance was narrow and dark. One flight of stairs, two, three... there was our apartment."It's a railroad apartment," Frank explained and I thought of a train. It was true that house reminded you of a train because the rooms were connected one right after the other. There was something different about it: it was nice and orderly and clean but due to old age everything was slightly crooked. The floor, the walls, the ceiling. It would make you seasick, until you could get used to it.
To be continued... | <urn:uuid:1ef13908-41ba-41e2-9778-012a135b910b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.focolare.us/us/50th-anniversary/237-general-50/314-that-first-landing-2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.986727 | 229 | 1.726563 | 2 |
Search by Keyword e.g Rolex Daytona
i.e. filter by movement, strap type, box and papers etc.
Advanced Search lets you add further filters to your Keyword and Maker searches.
The company we now know as Rolex was founded in 1905 by Mr Hans Wilsdorf, a German National, along with his English brother in law, as Wilsdorf and Davies. In the next three years it grew to become of the leading watch companies in the UK. In 1908 name Rolex was created as a trademark and in 1915 Rolex became the company name. Initially the company did not manufacture watches but imported movements and cases from Switzerland which were than tested and adjusted in London before being sold. During the First World War, UK Government restrictions on the import of gold and silver forced Wilsdorf to relocate to Geneva, which also allowed closer cooperation with their manufacturers. The head office remained in London until the early 1930s when further financial pressures made the move complete.
Rolex were one of the first companies to focus their production on wristwatches rather than pocket or purse watches. In 1910 Wilsdorf submitted their first wristwatch for chronometer testing in Switzerland and it became the first wristwatch ever to receive this rating. In 1914 Rolex passed the even tougher tests in Kew and became the only wristwatch in the world to hold a Kew A chronometer certificate.
Dirt, dust and moisture are the natural enemies of watch accuracy and so in 1926, after years of development, Rolex patented the Oyster case with a screw –down crown.
With an accurate watch, owners would not often have to reset the time but they would still have to unscrew the crown to wind it. In 1933 Rolex took a further step to solve this problem by releasing the Perpetual. This was the first watch where the winding rotor travelled a full 360 degree arc.
The Oyster Perpetual and its variants have remained the core of Rolex production ever since. The incremental evolution of its models and a tightly focused product range has created one of the most readily identifiable watch brands of all time.
Number of times sold at auction | <urn:uuid:6f1c9ca1-7da3-4084-b3c1-3ed6bf6e6e83> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.watchauctions.co.uk/index.php/rolex-watch | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00055-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97702 | 444 | 1.921875 | 2 |
Sola Scriptura And Philosophical Christianity - Part 20
October 09, 2008 Length: 15:20
Matthew reveals how the second obstacle to overcome in Western philosophy is in finding intimacy with God.
"You have been a blessing to me in ways that words cannot possibly explain. For this I'm indebted to you for life already, for in your podcasts you have unlocked the beauty of Orthodox Christianity that has been reflected for over two thousand years. As I listen to your commentaries, my soul is moved because I reflect on the true meaning of what it means to be a christian in the light of the apostles and compare my own state of unworthiness to that which I aspire to become." | <urn:uuid:fff3e668-f5ad-423d-80cf-b01906851b7b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ancientfaith.com/podcasts/pilgrims/sola_scriptura_and_philosophical_christianity_part_20 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958949 | 141 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Aging population may help county's economy
RELATED: Outlook 2008 Table of Contents
"Our chances of retaining these people in this county are better than almost anywhere else in the state." - U-M economist Don Grimes
By STEFANIE MURRAY
The Ann Arbor News
Imagine this: After 2010, we'll begin to have more jobs available than people to fill them, a trend that University of Michigan economists George Fulton and Don Grimes say will last until at least 2035.
Fulton and Grimes recently completed a long-term economic forecast for Washtenaw County, studying the years 2010-2035.
One reason for the change in the job market will be the shift in the age of the local population. The percentage of people living here who are age 65 or older will more than double by 2035, while the number of people residing here who are younger than that will unilaterally drop.
That is a group that Washtenaw County business leaders ought to plan to cater to, Fulton and Grimes said.
"Our chances of retaining these people in this county are better than almost anywhere else in the state," Grimes said. "They may not work here, but they'll spend (money) here. It will be important for economic planners to get them to stay. It could be a tremendous boon for the area."
Overall, population and job growth will slow here compared to historical growth rates between 1985-2010. Grimes predicts the unemployment rate here will be less than 2 percent in 2035.
Job growth will mostly be in the health care, leisure and hospitality, professional and business services. Only the goods-producing sector will retrench. Fulton and Grimes predict job growth in the "knowledge economy" will be double that of fields that don't require a college education.
Contact Stefanie Murray at email@example.com or 734-994-6932. | <urn:uuid:26c56728-760e-4e0e-8a84-e2ba4ac35322> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.mlive.com/ann_arbor_news_extra/2008/03/golden_years_of_growth.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934994 | 389 | 2.015625 | 2 |
Because the mouth and nasal passages are connected to one another, it can be difficult to notice when you have bad breath. To overcome this situation, a dental health expert on NY1 News recommended several methods for detecting halitosis.
It is rare for strangers to comment on bad breath. Joseph Howe, the man credited for coining the term "halitosis," noted this trend as early as 1874 in his book The Breath and the Diseases Which Give It a Fetid Odor. It is simply difficult to rely on anyone but yourself for an accurate appraisal of your breath.
Unfortunately, it can be difficult to notice when your breath smells. The human senses of taste and smell rely on one another, so being unable to taste oral odor usually means being unable to smell it, too.
Periodontist Greg Diamond told the news channel that most halitosis is caused by oral bacteria that accumulate on the teeth and tongue. He displayed a picture of a tongue coated with a particularly thick layer of microbes, giving it large brown stain.
To detect bad breath, Diamond suggested sniffing your used floss, as well as licking a cloth or the back of your hand and smelling that.
When halitosis becomes a problem, brushing the teeth and flushing out the mouth with a specialty breath freshener may reduce oral odor. | <urn:uuid:71de78fd-e4fd-439a-a2be-aefc9cc13aec> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.therabreath.com/articles/blog/oral-care-tips-and-advice/periodontist-suggests-ways-to-check-for-bad-breath-2840.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00046-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950615 | 272 | 3.265625 | 3 |
From Our 2011 Archives
Get Rid of Bumpers, Stuffed Animals in Baby's Crib
Latest Healthy Kids News
TUESDAY, Nov. 22 (HealthDay News) -- A comfortable and safe sleep environment is crucial for infants and could mean the different between life and death, pediatricians say.
Sudden infant death syndrome remains the leading cause of death for children younger than one year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There's been a significant decline in the number of SIDS-related deaths since the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that all babies be placed on their backs.
But sleep-related deaths caused by entrapment, suffocation and asphyxia have increased, leading the AAP to expand its sleep safety guidelines.
"These new guidelines will help enlighten parents about what items and behaviors can lead to infant sleep-related deaths," Dr. Lisa Martin, a pediatrician at Loyola University Health System and an associate professor of pediatrics at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, said in a Loyola news release.
"Infants, especially young infants, are completely dependent on their caregivers to provide a safe sleep environment, since they don't have the ability to roll away from objects that are restricting their breathing," she noted.
As well as always placing infants on their backs to sleep, the AAP says babies should be placed on a firm sleep surface and the crib should be free of objects such as loose bedding, bumper pads, pillows and stuffed animals.
"There are numerous products out there that are not necessary and could even become death traps for a baby. Items like bumper pads and sleep positioners have not been shown to prevent injuries, and the concern is that an infant can get trapped and suffocate," Martin said.
"Babies don't care if they have a boring crib; they do care if it's safe. The more objects in a sleeping space, the more dangerous it is for a baby," she added.
A good rule of thumb for keeping babies warm is to dress them in one additional layer of clothing above what a parent is wearing, Martin advised. For example, if a parent is wearing two layers, a baby will need three.
Another AAP recommendation is to offer infants a pacifier at nap and bedtime.
"Pacifiers have been shown to protect against SIDS, but if a mother is planning on breast-feeding, wait to offer it until the baby is three or four weeks old and make sure breast-feeding habits have been established," Martin said.
-- Robert Preidt
Copyright © 2011 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
SOURCE: Loyola University Health System, news release, Nov. 16, 2011
Get the latest health and medical information delivered direct to your inbox FREE! | <urn:uuid:953f07fc-0477-444b-8893-6a134030b947> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=151895 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955221 | 578 | 3.015625 | 3 |
On the heels of one of the bloodiest days Syria has experienced since fighting broke out last March, the regime of Bashar al-Assad has drawn the line in the sand in the city of Damascus, vowing to wipe out once and for all "terrorist" forces challenging the government. With residents getting a 48-hour warning to flee the capital and state forces promising to use all weapons at its disposal, many are wondering if the world is watching biblical prophecy unfold.
"See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins," reads the first verse of the 17th chapter of the prophetic book of Isaiah, believed by scholars to have been written between the late 8th and 7th centuries B.C. Although some critiques argue that the Damascus prophecy was fulfilled in 732 B.C. when the Assyrians leveled the city, others, also pointing to Jeremiah 49:23-27, insist this is an End Times event yet to come to pass.
Olive Tree Ministries shared a commentary on its website earlier this week from prophecy author Jack Kinsella, who expresses the opinion that, based on Scripture, it is quite possible that Syria might look to engage neighboring countries, such as Israel, Iran or Turkey, in the conflict.
Kinsella believes that if Syria uses chemical or biological weapons in an ethnic cleansing campaign, foreign governments would be forced to take military action against Damascus. Such action would prompt Syria to retaliate with military strikes against its northern neighbor Israel. That could eventually lead to a domino effect, with counter-strikes from Hezbollah, Iran, Turkey and perhaps even Jordan, the "The Omega Letter" editor conjectures.
"The prophet Isaiah predicts a quick war between Israel and Damascus, culminating with the total destruction of the city in a single night. In the event of a WMD attack against Israel, the destruction of Damascus would be Israel's only defense against potential annihilation," Kinsella writes.
Conjecturing that if President al-Assad takes such a gamble, Kinsella says he will fail.
"It will be primarily between Syria and Israel, and it will be settled in a single, overnight strike," he concludes, pointing to Isaiah 17:12-14.
Joel C. Rosenberg, a communications strategist and best-selling author of The Last Jihad, The Last Days and similar-themed novels, questioned last month: "Does Bible prophecy foretell the destruction of Damascus?"
"These prophecies have not yet been fulfilled," Rosenberg wrote in June. "Damascus is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on earth. It has been attacked, besieged, and conquered. But Damascus has never been completely destroyed and left uninhabited. Yet that is exactly what the Bible says will happen. The context of Isaiah 17 and Jeremiah 49 are a series of End Times prophecies dealing with God's judgments on Israel's neighbors and enemies leading up to — and through — the Tribulation."
Revealing that he was summoned earlier this year to Washington, D.C. by "a prominent Member of Congress" to discuss this very issue, The Damascus Countdown author concluded:
"How exactly will Damascus be destroyed? When will exactly it be destroyed? What will that look like, and what will be the implications for the rest of Syria, for Israel and for the region? The honest answer is that the Bible does not say."
Meanwhile, those on the ground in Damascus and all throughout Syria are bracing for a storm as the battle between rebel and state forces is expected to hit a fever pitch.
"I think what we are seeing today is the beginning of the end," Tariq Saleh of the Revolutionary Leadership Council of Damascus told The Washington Post via Skype on Thursday. "The scenario we fear is that the loyalists will launch revenge attacks on civilians before we witness the fall of the regime." Saleh, speaking from Damascus, said he hoped the fighting would end soon, "with as little bloodshed as possible."
State security, backed by anonymous pro-government militias, have been locked in a renewed, intensive battle with rebel forces in the city of Damascus, where three members of the president's cabinet were killed on Wednesday. Among the top security officials killed by a suicide bomber were al-Assad's brother-in-law and his defense minister. This attack having come so close to home has been touted by some as indication that rebel forces are gaining ground and the regime is on its way out.
However, the government has laughed off such assertions, a representative saying in state-run newspaper Al Bath: "The traitors, agents and mercenaries are deluding themselves if they think that Syria will bow to this strike, even if it hurts."
Instead, the regime has vowed to hit back as hard as possible, after having already being accused of committing innumerable human rights violations in what has been declared by the International Red Cross as a "non-international armed conflict," or civil war.
"The army has so far exercised restraint in its operations, but after the attack, it has decided to use all the weapons in its possession to finish the terrorists off," an anonymous security source told Agence France-Press, which also reported that hundreds of Damascus residents were fleeing after being told by the military that they had 48 hours to escape the on-coming clamp down on rebel forces.
Among the arsenals in Syria's possession is a stockpile of chemical weapons, which the U.S. reportedly fears could potentially fall into the wrong hands or even be used against opposition forces in an ethnic-cleansing effort. Syria is reportedly the only country in the Middle East with such a large collection of chemical weapons.
With anywhere from 10,000 to 14,000 people having died and thousands more displaced since fighting broke out last March, it is feared scores more will be killed and uprooted from their homes, even as Muslims begin their month-long observance of Ramadan, marked by fasting, prayer and reading of the Quran. Syria is predominantly Muslim with Christians being about 10 percent of the population.
Christians have been encouraged by organizations such as Open Doors to use the month of Ramadan to pray especially for the well-being of those facing persecution in Muslim-dominated countries.
A former Syrian army colonel who defected from al-Assad's forces to join the Freedom Syrian Army in Istanbul, told CNN this week that all signs indicate that a major fight was indeed on the horizon.
"The battle for Damascus is coming," he said. | <urn:uuid:47f8cf39-e158-400e-9e10-bbc0271d162a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.christianpost.com/news/damascus-a-ruinous-heap-christians-point-to-isaiah-171-as-syria-conflict-rages-78574/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974295 | 1,321 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Inquire with Graduate Admission
Verone Kennedy '00
Between classes, the halls of the Granville T. Woods School for Science and Technology—also known as M.S. 584—look like those of a typical middle school: empty, fluorescent-lit, with shiny floors and brightly-colored walls. Diagrammed reports on the human digestive system have been carefully arranged on a bulletin board. Another showcases poetry from a language arts class: “My heart is strong./powerful and beautiful./My heart is strong.” What distinguishes the Woods School and the leadership of principal Verone Kennedy M.S. Ed. ’00, though, is the school’s unofficial motto, visible in multiple places: “Believe, then achieve at 584.”
In 2004, Kennedy established the middle school, located in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, fresh from his stint at the New York Leadership Academy, a rigorous program for New York City principals in the city’s most economically challenged neighborhoods. Kennedy and his team of educators focus on the holistic development—social, academic, physical, psychological, and ethical—of each and every one of the 300 children who walk the school’s halls.
“A lot of these kids are raising themselves,” says Kennedy. “They are walking around as big decision makers in their own lives.”
To address this issue, students meet every day in small groups to discuss real dilemmas they are facing—for example, whether or not to join a gang. They come away with the message that everything they do has a consequence, Kennedy explains, which encourages students to be more thoughtful about everyday choices.
Based on his own experiences growing up in Crown Heights, Kennedy is a firm believer that all students should have a comprehension of the world that is “greater than the fiveblock radius between school and home.” He is committed to providing new opportunities for students, such as trips to the Harlem Studio or the Brooklyn Museum. During this year’s Scholar’s Week—where students create their own curriculum based on their interests—students experienced everything from extreme urban hiking to building electrical circuits to exploring careers.
First and foremost, though, Kennedy emphasizes keeping the culture of the school alive and positive: “We have to make kids want to try.” He speaks from experience. A self-described underachiever in high school, Kennedy had a pivotal experience in an art class: A teacher who knew nothing of his history focused instead on his natural talents—and the impact of her positive attention was profound. “She placed a real value on my work,” he says.
From there, Kennedy made a conscious decision about the path he wanted to take in life, enrolling in the State University of New York at Old Westbury. One summer, his seasonal job as an urban park ranger brought him to classrooms across the city, where he found his true calling as a teacher. Since then, he has worn many different hats in the educational system, including as a teacher’s aide, staff consultant, and math coach.
Kennedy applied to SLC’s Art of Teaching graduate program after hearing his sister, Vandalyn Kennedy M.S. Ed. ’98, speak highly of her work at the College. In his first interview with program director Sara Wilford ’72, they spoke about “understanding the importance of looking at children as individuals and seeing them for who they are and what they bring to the table.” The Art of Teaching program resonated with Kennedy’s beliefs about turning students into lifelong learners: “The more you learn,” he explains, “the more you are capable of learning.”
By all accounts, Kennedy, who was profiled in Time Magazine earlier this year by Caroline Kennedy, is succeeding. His school’s overall test scores have increased every year, and this year, it had the biggest recorded improvement in math scores in the district. But perhaps even more telling are the testimonials he receives. This year, to celebrate his 40th birthday, his former students returned to tell him about the impact his dedication has had on their lives. One student recalled “the feeling of being loved and accepted” in Kennedy’s classroom. From the bright faces of the students today who flood the halls when the bell rings, it appears that not much has changed.
In March 2008, Kennedy was named a recipient of The Fund for the City of New York's Sloan Public Service Award, the "leading independent honor for City employees whose daily commitment to excellence is exceptional and whose accomplishments are remarkable."
Verone Kennedy's profile, written by Suzanne Guillette MFA '05, originally appeared in the Fall 2007 issue of
Sarah Lawrence magazine. | <urn:uuid:7514229f-8e00-4b64-9502-8ee1b21099bd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.slc.edu/graduate/programs/art-of-teaching/alumni/profiles/Verone_Kennedy.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00046-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973011 | 993 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Dear Prospective Parents,
As you continue with the admissions process, we hope that you will become more informed about the educational values and environment that are found at Shining Mountain. The Waldorf experience is unique in many ways, and it can bring something special to both your life and the life of your child.
Waldorf schools educate out of the insight that the cultivation of the imagination – through arts such as storytelling, puppetry, singing, instrumental music, drama, painting, drawing, and eurythmy - is essential for the unfolding of clear thinking and good judgment later in adolescence and adulthood. It also stresses the importance of imaginative play, rhythm in daily life, and the quality of the physical environment on a young child’s development.
You might notice that some of our practices and principles run counter to mainstream life. This is especially true in the area of media activities, such as TV, video/computer games, movies, DVDs, radio, IPODs, cell phones and electronic musical instruments. We will explain our philosophy and ask you to work with the teachers to eliminate media in the kindergarten and early grade school years. We will also be happy to speak with you regarding our philosophy around competitive sports for young children. If questions arise for you or you have reservations, please bring them to your interview or to the Admissions Office.
What follows are some of the ideals and practices that we ask you to consider:
- Support the recommendation to protect children from regular contact to electronic media. Recent brain research shows that brain development is adversely affected by TV and media exposure up to age 11. Studies indicate that media experiences weaken a child’s strength, focus and creative energy, interfere with healthy social development, and weaken academic performance.
- Create a rhythmical home life for your child, including regular sleeping hours, mealtimes and a balanced diet. These support the learning process and the work of the kindergarten and grades teachers.
- Attend parent evenings, parent education lectures, and school activities held throughout the year. These are central to your child’s success in school and provide a significant window into your child’s education and the classroom community in which this takes place.
Shining Mountain Waldorf School is a kindergarten through twelfth grade program. By upholding the above ideals, particularly in the early years, we believe we can achieve our long-term goal—to bring forth the unique possibilities of each child.
Director of Admission
Shining Mountain Waldorf School
999 Violet Avenue
Boulder, Colorado 80304 | <urn:uuid:a2a64421-ab9c-4408-bc7b-d079af043261> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://shiningmountainwaldorf.org/joining/applying/apply-for-grades-1-8/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939456 | 517 | 2.140625 | 2 |
Friday, February 20, 2009
News From the Library--February 20
In the Library this week....
Kindergarten--Kindergarteners chuckled over Keiko Kasza's My Lucky Day in which a wily pig outwits a fox and ends up with a bath, a dinner, and a massage instead of becoming dinner. We had a chance to discuss how different animals portray different characteristics in literature and this books turns those conventions on their heads!
First Grade--no library due to President's Day.
Second Grade--Second graders in Mrs. Seeple's class heard their second California Young Reader Medal Nominee, the hilarious Stanley's Ride by Linda Bailey and Mrs. Campbell's class heard My Uncle Peter's Amazing Chinese Wedding by Lenore Look. It's going to be a hard choice when voting day comes!
Third Grade--Mrs. Lewis' class loved the illustrations and the rhyming story in their third nominee, Bats at the Beach by Brian Lies. It was fun to imagine themselves as bats and how being at the beach would end at sunrise instead of sunset.
Fourth Grade--Mrs. Edwards' class really enjoyed pulling a topic from our hat and researching it the "old fashioned way" using our print version of the World Book Encyclopedia. After locating their subject, they wrote five complete sentences in their own words. Even though we have all our amazing technology at hand, it still seems important (and for them very enjoyable) to look at a book for information. Mr. Orr's class complete their endangered animal paragraphs which will be soon on our research blog along with pictures of their amazing endangered animal art project.
Fifth Grade--Mrs. Pickles class played a rousing game of Library Jeopardy this week. One team bet all their cards for a "daily double" and....oh, no......didn't know the answer. Good sports all they will remember in the future that the first name of the man who invented the number system for non-fiction books is......Melvil!
Sixth Grade--no library due to President's Day. | <urn:uuid:cec530b9-8797-47d3-b342-91c80b429d60> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://csslibraryblog.blogspot.com/2009/02/news-from-library-february-20.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95353 | 428 | 2.25 | 2 |
MEMORY VERSE: "Seek ye the LORD while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near." Isaiah 55:6.
INTRODUCTION: "No human being, even though united with evil angels, can impeach the souls who have fled to Christ for refuge. He has united the believing soul to His own divine-human nature. In His mediatorial office, His divinity and humanity are combined, and upon this union hangs the hope of the world.—-Signs of the Times, May 9, 1900." Sons and Daughters of God, 240.
1 Where should we direct our thoughts? Colossians 3:2; Matthew 6:33.
NOTE: "Our minds take the level of the things on which our thoughts dwell, and if we think upon earthly things, we shall fail to take the impress of that which is heavenly. We would be greatly benefited by contemplating the mercy, goodness, and love of God; but we sustain great loss by dwelling upon those things which are earthly and temporal. We allow sorrow and care and perplexity to attract our minds to earth, and we magnify a molehill into a mountain. . . ." Ellen G. White Comments, Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, 1100.
As long as we continue to keep our eyes fixed upon the Author and Finisher of our faith, we shall be safe. But our affections must be placed upon things above, not on things of the earth. By faith we must rise higher and still higher in the attainment of the graces of Christ. By daily contemplating His matchless charms, we must grow more and more into His glorious image. While we thus live in communion with Heaven, Satan will lay his nets for us in vain.—The Youth’s Instructor, May 12, 1898." Messages to Young People, 103, 104.
2 What is one essential for a Christian life? Psalm 37:35; 40:4; Jeremiah 17:7.
NOTE: "So God desires us to trust in Him who justifieth the ungodly. His reward is given not according to our merit but according to His own purpose, ‘which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ Ephesians 3:11. ‘Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us.’ Titus 3:5. And for those who trust in Him He will do ‘exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.’ Ephesians 3:20." Christ’s Object Lessons, 397.
"In the whole Satanic force there is not power to overcome one soul who in simple trust casts himself on Christ. ‘He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength.’ Isaiah 40:29." Ibid., 157.
3 What is the goal to be reached, by each Christian? Colossians 1:27; John 14:20.
NOTE: "Heavenly intelligences are waiting to cooperate with human instrumentalities, that they may reveal to the world what human beings may become, and what, through union with the Divine, may be accomplished for the saving of souls that are ready to perish. There is no limit to the usefulness of one who, putting self aside, makes room for the working of the Holy Spirit upon his heart and lives a life wholly consecrated to God." Maranatha, 103.
"To have fellowship with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ is to be ennobled and elevated, and made a partaker of joys unspeakable and full of Glory. Food, clothing, station, and wealth may have their value; but to have a connection with God and to be a partaker of His divine nature is of priceless value. Our lives should be hid with Christ in God." God’s Amazing Grace, 341.
4 How is Christ’s life lived out in His subjects? John 14:12; Matthew 21:21. Compare Romans 12:1, 2.
NOTE: "[John 14:12 quoted.] By this, Christ did not mean that the disciples would make more exalted exertions than He had made, but that their work would have greater magnitude. He did not refer merely to miracle working, but to all that would take place under the agency of the Holy Spirit." The Acts of the Apostles, 22.
"If the world had before them the example that God demands those who believe in Him to set, they would work the works of Christ. If Jesus were set forth, crucified among us, if we viewed the cross of Calvary in the light of God’s Word, we would be one with Christ as He was one with the Father. Our faith would be altogether different from the faith now shown. It would be a faith that works by love to God and to our fellow men, and purifies the soul. If this faith were shown by God’s people, many more would believe on Christ. A hallowed influence would be exerted by the benevolent actions of God’s servants, and they would shine as lights in the world." Welfare Ministry, 297.
5 How should we relate to the brethren? John 13:34, 35; 1 Peter 1:22.
NOTE: "Do we obey this command, or are we indulging sharp, unchristlike traits of character? If we have in any way grieved or wounded others, it is our duty to confess our fault and seek for reconciliation. This is an essential preparation that we may come before God in faith, to ask His blessing." Christ’s Object Lessons, 144.
6 What will love of the brethren finally accomplish? Philippians 2:3, 4; Psalm 15:1–3; Romans 12:9, 10.
NOTE: "If the divine harmony of truth and love exists in the heart, it will shine forth in words and actions.…The spirit of genuine benevolence must dwell in the heart. Love imparts to its possessor grace, propriety, and comeliness of deportment. Love illuminates the countenance and subdues the voice; it refines and elevates the entire man. It brings him into harmony with God, for it is a heavenly attribute.
"True courtesy is not learned by the mere practice of rules of etiquette. Propriety of deportment is at all times to be observed; wherever principle is not compromised, consideration of others will lead to compliance with accepted customs; but true courtesy requires no sacrifice of principle to conventionality. It ignores caste. It teaches self-respect, respect for the dignity of man as man, a regard for every member of the great human brotherhood." The Adventist Home, 426.
7 What did love produce in the apostolic church? Acts 2:1.
NOTE: "The first disciples…prepared themselves for their work. Before the day of Pentecost they met together, and put away all differences. They were of one accord. They believed Christ’s promise that the blessing would be given, and they prayed in faith. They did not ask for a blessing for themselves merely; they were weighted with the burden for the salvation of souls. The gospel was to be carried to the uttermost parts of the earth, and they claimed the endowment of power that Christ had promised. Then it was that the Holy Spirit was poured out, and thousands were converted in a day.
"So it may be now. Instead of man’s speculations, let the word of God be preached. Let Christians put away their dissensions, and give themselves to God for the saving of the lost. Let them in faith ask for the blessing, and it will come. The outpouring of the Spirit in apostolic days was the ‘former rain,’ and glorious was the result. But the ‘latter rain’ will be more abundant. Joel 2:23." The Desire of Ages, 827.
8 What practice are we counseled to always follow in order to be in constant contact with Christ? 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Ephesians 6:18. Compare Luke 6:12.
NOTE: "Prayer is the breath of the soul. It is the secret of spiritual power. No other means of grace can be substituted, and the health of the soul be preserved. Prayer brings the heart into immediate contact with the Well-spring of life, and strengthens the sinew and muscle of the religious experience. Neglect the exercise of prayer, or engage in prayer spasmodically, now and then, as seems convenient, and you lose your hold on God. The spiritual faculties lose their vitality, the religious experience lacks health and vigor." Gospel Workers, 254.
9 What special gift did Jesus promise that would impress His character on the church? John 14:13–16.
NOTE: "At every meeting we attend our prayers should ascend that at this very time, God will impart warmth and moisture to our souls. As we seek God for the Holy Spirit, it will work in us meekness, humbleness of mind, a conscious dependence upon God for the perfecting latter rain. If we pray for the blessing in faith, we shall receive it as God has promised. The Holy Spirit will come to all who are begging for the bread of life to give to their neighbors." The Faith I Live By, 334.
10 What is one great objective of the Holy Spirit? John 14:26.
NOTE: "We need the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit in order to discern the truths in God’s word. The lovely things of the natural world are not seen until the sun, dispelling the darkness, floods them with its light. So the treasures in the word of God are not appreciated until they are revealed by the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness. The Holy Spirit, sent from heaven by the benevolence of infinite love, takes the things of God and reveals them to every soul that has an implicit faith in Christ. By His power the vital truths upon which the salvation of the soul depends are impressed upon the mind, and the way of life is made so plain that none need err therein. As we study the Scriptures, we should pray for the light of God’s Holy Spirit to shine upon the word, that we may see and appreciate its treasures." Christ’s Object Lessons, 113.
11 When the Holy Spirit finishes His work what will happen? Joel 3:13, 14; Revelation 14:15.
NOTE: "It is true that in the time of the end, when God’s work in the earth is closing, the earnest efforts put forth by consecrated believers under the guidance of the Holy Spirit are to be accompanied by special tokens of divine favor. Under the figure of the early and the latter rain, that falls in Eastern lands at seedtime and harvest, the Hebrew prophets foretold the bestowal of spiritual grace in extraordinary measure upon God’s church. The outpouring of the Spirit in the days of the apostles was the beginning of the early, or former, rain, and glorious was the result. To the end of time the presence of the Spirit is to abide with the true church." The Acts of the Apostles, 54.
"Every worker who follows the example of Christ will be prepared to receive and use the power that God has promised to His church for the ripening of earth’s harvest. Morning by morning, as the heralds of the gospel kneel before the Lord and renew their vows of consecration to Him, He will grant them the presence of His Spirit, with its reviving, sanctifying power. As they go forth to the day’s duties, they have the assurance that the unseen agency of the Holy Spirit enables them to be ‘laborers together with God.’" Ibid.
"To prepare a people to stand in the day of God, a great work of reform was to be accomplished. God saw that many of His professed people were not building for eternity, and in His mercy He was about to send a message of warning to arouse them from their stupor and lead them to make ready for the coming of the Lord. This warning is brought to view in Revelation 14." The Great Controversy, 310, 311.
12 What is the harvest and what special promise has the Lord given to us as we near the end of the world? Matthew 13:39; Joel 12:23.
NOTE: "But near the close of earth’s harvest, a special bestowal of spiritual grace is promised to prepare the church for the coming of the Son of man. This outpouring of the Spirit is likened to the falling of the latter rain; and it is for this added power that Christians are to send their petitions to the Lord of the harvest ‘in the time of the latter rain.’ In response, ‘the Lord shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain.’ ‘He will cause to come down…the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain.’ Zechariah 10:1; Joel 2:23." Ibid., 55.
13 What is one reason the Lord has not yet gathered in the harvest? 2 Peter 3:9,10.
NOTE: "The reason why the Bridegroom delays is because He is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. O the precious longsuffering of our merciful Saviour!" Sons and Daughters of God, 118.
"The long-suffering of God is wonderful. Long does justice wait while mercy pleads with the sinner." Christ’s Object | <urn:uuid:4880124c-cd9e-404f-97a2-21d8c1d92f11> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://stepstolife.org/php/view_article.php?article_id=580 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9537 | 2,864 | 1.875 | 2 |
A colonoscopy is an outpatient procedure during which your large intestine is examined from the inside. Colonoscopies are used to screen for colorectal cancer, as well as to evaluate symptoms like abdominal pain, rectal bleeding or changes in bowel habits. The American College of Gastroenterology recommends a screening exam for anyone older than age 50, or earlier for individuals with a family history of colon cancer.
Russ Nichols, M.D., has been performing colonoscopies at Pioneer Memorial Hospital (PMH) since 2008. According to Dr. Nichols, some people avoid getting a colonoscopy because they’re worried that it’s a painful, intrusive procedure. In actuality, he says, a colonoscopy is a simple, painless procedure that can help a person avoid serious problems in the future.
To schedule a colonoscopy at PMH or to learn more about these services, please call Pioneer Memorial Clinic at (541) 676-5504.
You should consider having a colonoscopy if you:
- Are older than age 50
- Eat a diet high in red or processed meats
- Have cancer elsewhere in your body
- Have a family history of colon cancer
- Have colorectal polyps
- Have an inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis) | <urn:uuid:520c76be-2c55-4677-806b-1bc9d28b9180> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.morrowcountyhealthdistrict.org/services/colonoscopies | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935604 | 282 | 2.0625 | 2 |
Former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, right, arrives on stage… (Nancy Stone, Chicago Tribune )
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- President Obama, asking America for another four years in office, outlined a broad series of goals Thursday including deficit reduction, greater energy independence, lower college costs and a revitalized manufacturing industry.
The goals would not be easy to achieve, Obama said in remarks released ahead of his prime-time speech capping the final night of the Democratic National Convention.
But they lead “to a better place,” the remarks go on. “That’s what we can do in the next four years and that’s why I’m running for a second term as president of the United States.”
In excerpts of his speech released by the White House, Obama’s goals included creation of 1 million new manufacturing jobs by the end of 2016; doubling exports in the next two years; cutting oil imports in half by 2020; slowing by half the growth of college tuition in the next decade and reducing the federal deficit by more than $4 trillion over 10 years.
He implicitly answered Republican criticism that the country was no better off under his leadership by suggesting the problems he inherited in January 2009 were not susceptible to quick fixes.
“The truth is, it will take more than a few years for us to solve the challenges that have been built up over decades,” Obama said, making the case for more time and another term.
The president’s prime-time speech was expected to be the highlight of an evening devoted to another round of bashing GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney and his fellow Republicans, under the rubric of the Obama campaign slogan, “Forward.”
PHOTOS: Protests of the DNC
One after another, speakers accused Romney and the GOP of trying to roll back progress: on civil rights, women’s rights, healthcare, immigration reform and financial regulations that followed the near-meltdown of Wall Street.
“We are going to protect these achievements, and we're going to move this country in just one direction: forward,” said Rep. David Price, one of a series of home-state lawmakers who opened the convention with welcoming remarks.
Somewhat lost since 2008 is the historic significance of Obama’s election as the first black president in the nation’s history. Obama has never dwelled on race, which remains a politically touchy subject.
So it was a poignant moment when Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, one of the heroes of the civil rights movement, spoke of traveling through Charlotte as a Freedom Fighter in 1961, the year Obama was born, and being severely beaten as he and others sought to integrate the segregated South.
He spoke of legislation today in several states that makes it harder to vote, and accused Republicans of seeking to suppress turnout for the benefit of Romney and other Republicans.
“That’s not right. That’s not fair. And that is not just,” said Lewis, wagging a finger as his voice rose. “We have come too far together to ever turn back. … We must stand up, speak up and speak out. We must march to the polls like never, ever before.”
Hours before he took the stage, Obama apologized to disappointed supporters shut out of the speech by a decision to move the event from Charlotte’s open-air football stadium to the nearby convention arena.
Organizers cited the threat of thunderstorms as the reason, leaving tens of thousands disappointed, including some volunteers who had worked many hours to earn a ticket to Thursday night’s program. (The campaign hoped to draw 70,000 people to Bank of America stadium; the Time Warner arena seats no more than 20,000.)
To make it up, the president held an afternoon conference call in which he apologized for the cancellation. He thanked his supporters for their efforts and urged them to recommit his campaign for the final, 60-day stretch.
“We can't let a little thunder and lightning get us down,” Obama said. “We have to roll with it.”
Taking the stage before Obama will be his vice president, who was formally installed on the Democratic ticket for a second term after his son, Delaware Atty. Gen. Beau Biden, placed his name—“my father, my hero”—in nomination. The vote was by acclamation.
Others in the speaking lineup include the Democrats' 2004 presidential nominee, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, who focused on foreign policy and blistered Romney in prepared remarks as “out of touch at home, out of his depth abroad and out of the mainstream.”
He praised Obama for working with Russia to reduce the threat of nuclear war, helping topple Libya dictator Moammar Ghadafi, ending U.S. involvement in Iraq and banning the use of torture against America’s enemies.
Unlike Romney, who once said it was not worth “moving heaven and Earth” and spending billions to capture one person, Kerry said Obama gave the order “to finally rid this earth of Osama bin Laden.”
Turning a favorite Republican taunt against them, Kerry said, “Ask Osama bin Laden if he’s better off now than he was four years ago.”
Far from the clamorous convention hall, Romney told a small group of reporters in New Hampshire he had not watched a minute of the Democratic gathering and had no intention of tuning in to watch Obama’s remarks.
The former Massachusetts governor has spent the past few days in New England in preparation for the next big campaign milepost: a series of three presidential debates, set to begin Oct. 3
Kathleen Hennessey and Michael A. Memoli in Charlotte and Maeve Reston in Concord, N.H., contributed to this report.
Follow Politics Now on Twitter and Facebook | <urn:uuid:1749e395-3823-416f-9a93-e73b1d0aca68> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-09-06/news/ct-la-pn-dnc-obama-speech-20120906_1_president-obama-romney-and-other-republicans-lower-college-costs | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967742 | 1,238 | 1.53125 | 2 |
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World famous open source “WordPress” growing high day by day as for as compare with other open sources, one of essential component of wordpress is “Wordpress Plugins” which is today topic because some time we found required plugin but still need some customizations, then we find solutions from internet or ask to wordpress developers with some cost, we are trying to reduce your time and cost through these “How to Develop Useful WordPress Plugins – 20 WordpressTutorials” to involve its functionality out there the elementary features by plugins.
These of all wordpress plugin tutorials make life more comfortable to get desired results, one thing more which I would like to share with you wordpress newbies and professionals, these of all wordpress tutorials based on beginners to intermediate level of schools, so try these tutorial to become more proficient in wordpress. | <urn:uuid:0a28c49b-1428-4575-9de5-08a3ce396f36> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tutoriallounge.com/category/open-source/wordpress-plugins-open-source/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945059 | 673 | 1.570313 | 2 |
On the same day that 20-year-old Adam Lanza went on a shooting rampage at a Connecticut elementary school, a knife-wielding 36-year-old man, Min Yingjun, attacked children outside a primary school in Guangshan, China.
Lanza, armed with a Bushmaster .223 semi-automatic rifle, killed 20 children and six adults in the school before committing suicide. He had driven to the school after shooting his own mother at their home. CBC reports that a medical examiner says the victims were shot multiple times.
In China, the attack injured 22 children and one adult. The man first attacked an elderly woman, then students, before being subdued by security guards. The children he targeted were between six and 11 years old. Though some were critically injured, all were still alive as of Sunday afternoon.
The contrast is rather stark.
The Dec. 14 shooting in Connecticut, considered the second-worst such gun-related mass killing in U.S. history next to the Virginia Tech slaughter, is only the latest in a string of shootings this year that have prompted more calls for stricter gun laws in that country. Unfortunately, this is a pattern that has emerged over several decades.
As the website motherjones.com points out, there have seven mass shootings in the United States this year alone, including a mass murder at a movie theatre in Colorado, another at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin on Aug. 5, a Sept. 5 shooting that left six dead at a Minneapolis sign company and now in Connecticut.
Over the last 30 years, in fact, there have been 62 mass killings involving gun violence in the United States. And of the 142 guns that were used by the assailants — which include dozens of assault weapons and semiautomatic handguns — more than 75 per cent of them had been obtained legally.
News reports suggest Lanza’s mother, 52-year-old Nancy Lanza, had five weapons registered to her, including the Bushmaster rifle that her son used to kill most of his victims, as well as a Glock and a Sig Sauer that were also found at the scene of the shooting.
The Bushmaster rifle is typically sold with a 30-round magazine, which allows the shooter to fire all 30 rounds in a minute or less, while the Glock and the Sig Sauer, which are popular with law enforcement officers and the military, are quickly and easily reloaded, according to ABC news.
In many of the mass killings over the last three decades the shooters have suffered from some kind of mental health problem that have not been properly assessed or addressed. Adam Lanza has been described as a highly intelligent but awkward and socially uncomfortable individual who may have suffered from autism or Asperger’s syndrome.
Two questions come to mind: Why were such high-powered assault rifles allowed in the home of a woman who’s son had apparent mental health issues? And why, secondly, does anyone in the general public need access to these kinds of assault weapons?
Anyone who says they need a 30-round magazine to shoot deer is either a really bad shot, or flat out lying. These types of weapons were designed to kill people, not to use as hunting tools.
America’s 10-year ban on assault weapons lapsed in 2004, and since then bills that have been introduced to renew the ban have been unsuccessful.
It’s time to revisit the ban.
Meanwhile, a mental health expert in Colorado says the Connecticut shooting highlights the need for more and better access to psychiatric care for U.S. citizens.
“It’s a critically under-served area — access to child and adolescent psychiatry,” Dr. Jennifer Hagman told ABC news over the weekend.
“Mental health benefits are often not covered at the level of medical benefits. We have made it very difficult for individuals with mental health problems.”
As the National Rifle Association seems to say after incidents of mass shootings, guns don’t kill people, people kill people. Sure. But people armed with assault weapons and semiautomatic handguns kill a whole lot more victims, and faster, than without them.
Putting assault weapons into the hands of people in responsible positions, like teachers, is not the answer to America’s gun violence.
Until American lawmakers and the U.S. public address the twin issues of gun proliferation and poor mental health care — instead of looking down the barrel of a gun for answers — these kinds of mass shooting will continue.
Republished from the Brandon Sun print edition December 17, 2012 | <urn:uuid:1b4e2348-049e-490a-b4c4-c4c072ca15f3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.brandonsun.com/opinion/gun-violence-183770341.html?viewAllComments=y | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975047 | 942 | 1.828125 | 2 |
Subpart 248-1 Definitions
(Statutory authority: Environmental Conservation Law §§1-0101, 3-0301, 19-0103, 19-0105, 19-0301, 19-0303, 19-0305, 19-0323, 71-2103, and 71-2105)
[Filed 6/30/09, Effective 30 days after filing. Adoption filed 1/10/13. Effective 30 days after filing.]
[This is page 1 of 1 of this Subpart. A complete list of Subparts in this regulation appears in the Chapter 3 contents page. A list of sections in this Subpart appears below.]
For administrative information about this posting, contact: Division of Air Resources. The Bureau of Mobile Sources at (518) 402-8292 is the contact for technical questions pertaining to this rule.
(a) For purposes of this Part, the general definitions of Part 200 of this Title apply.
(b) For the purposes of this Part, the following definitions also apply:
(1) Affected engine means each engine identified by a consent decree engine manufacturer in its low NOx rebuild plan. A low NOx rebuild engine, as that terminology is used in the consent decrees, is an affected engine.
(2) Alternative fuel means natural gas, propane, ethanol, methanol, gasoline (when used in hybrid electric vehicles only), hydrogen, electricity, fuel cells, or advanced technologies that do not rely solely on diesel fuel or a diesel/non-diesel fuel mixture.
(3) Approved bi-fuel vehicle means any heavy duty vehicle that has been retrofitted with an EPA or CARB approved after-market conversion kit that will allow the engine to operate on a combination of ultra low sulfur diesel fuel and compressed natural gas.
(4) Authorized emergency vehicle means those vehicles as defined in section 101 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law.
(5) BART regulated entity means State agency or public authority, either State or regional, with more than half of its governing body appointed by the governor.
(6) Best available retrofit technology or BART means technology, verified by the EPA or CARB for reducing the emissions of pollutants that achieves reductions in particulate matter emissions at the highest classification level for diesel emission control strategies that is applicable to the particular engine and application. Such technology shall also, at a reasonable cost, achieve the greatest reduction in emissions of nitrogen oxides at such particulate matter reduction level and shall in no event result in a net increase in the emissions of either particulate matter or nitrogen oxides.
(7) CARB means the California State Air Resources Board as defined in California's Health and Safety Code, section 39003 (see Table 1, section 200.9 of this Title).
(8) Classification level for diesel emission control strategies means those PM reduction classification levels and corresponding PM percent reductions as noted below in Table 1 of this paragraph.
|PM < 25 percent||Not verified|
|> or =25 percent||Level 1|
|> or =50 percent||Level 2|
|> or =85 percent||Level 3|
|or < or =0.01g/bhp-hr|
|NOx < 15 percent||Not verified|
|> or =15 percent||Verified in 5 percent increments|
(9) Consent decree engine manufacturer means a manufacturer of motor vehicle diesel engines pertaining to consent orders, referenced in the Federal Register/vol. 63, no. 212, November 3, 1998, pp.59330 through 59334 (see Table 1, section 200.9 of this Title).
(10) Contractor means prime contractor.
(11) Covered vehicle means a heavy duty vehicle owned, operated by or on behalf of, or leased by a regulated entity subject to the requirements of this section.
(12) Diesel engine means a compression ignition type of internal combustion engine which operates on or is capable of operating on diesel fuel, non-diesel fuel, or diesel/non-diesel mixture.
(13) Gross vehicle weight rating or GVWR means the value specified by the vehicle manufacturer as the maximum loaded weight of a single or combination vehicle.
(14) Heavy duty vehicle or HDV means any on and off-road vehicle powered by a diesel engine and having a gross vehicle weight of greater than 8,500 pounds, except: vehicles used exclusively as snowplows under contract with a regulated entity; authorized emergency vehicles; trucks owned by a person engaged in production by means of:
(a) the planting, cultivation and harvesting of agricultural, vegetable and food products of the soil, including horticultural specialties such as nursery stock, ornamental shrubs, ornamental trees and flowers;
(b) the raising, feeding and care of livestock, bees and poultry; or
(c) dairy farming where such agricultural truck is only used for the transportation of such person's own agricultural or dairy commodities or supplies or for personal passenger use, or in conjunction with lumbering operations connected with but only incidental to the operation of a farm; road rollers, tractor cranes, truck cranes, power shovels, road building machines, snow plows, road sweepers, sand spreaders, well drillers, well servicing rigs, feed processing machines, mobile car crushers (whether self-propelled or a combination used exclusively as one unit), earth movers, which shall mean motor-driven vehicles in excess of eight feet in width equipped with pneumatic tires designed and constructed for moving or transporting earth and rock in connection with excavation and grading work, and truck with small wheels used in a factory, warehouse or railroad station, spreaders and sprayers (generally meaning an agricultural vehicle used to spread or spray agricultural chemicals, agricultural line and/or agricultural fertilizers), fire vehicles and tractor-trailer combinations designed and used as a unit exclusively for the same purposes as the above named vehicles; motor vehicles, other than motor vehicles manufactured and equipped primarily for the transportation of passengers, trailers and semitrailers, to be operated by any person, upon a public highway for the purpose of traveling by the most direct route, but in no event further than 25 miles one-way from a point on the farms and designated by the vehicle owner and set forth in an attachment to the vehicle registration;
(a) between fields, buildings, and facilities managed or operated as part of a single farm enterprise in connection with the production, harvesting, processing or marketing on that farm of crops, livestock, or livestock products produced on that farm; or
(b) for the purpose of transporting materials from a farm to the nearest available municipal sanitary landfill, or for the purpose of transporting the motor vehicles, trailer or semitrailer to a motor vehicles repair shop licensed pursuant to chapter 71 of the Consolidated Laws for the repair or adjustment of equipment provided that, in addition to the route restrictions set for in this subdivision, no such transport shall be authorized if such vehicle has an out-of-service defect relating to load securement, brake systems, steering components and/or coupling devices, or after it has been placed out-of-service or on any limited access highway, and during the period of one hour before sunset to one hour after sunrise except for vehicles owned by farmers with an average gross sales value of less than $1,000 per year of crops, livestock and livestock provisions; and farm type tractors and all terrain type vehicles used exclusively for agriculture or mowing purposes, or for snow plowing, other than for hire, farm equipment, including self-propelled machines used exclusively in growing, harvesting or handling farm produce, and self-propelled caterpillar or crawler-type equipment while being operated on the contract site, and timber harvesting equipment such as harvesters, wood chippers, forwarders, log skidders, and other processing equipment used exclusively off highway for timber harvesting and logging purposes.
This term shall not include vehicles that are specially equipped for emergency response by the department, office of emergency management, sheriff's office of the department of finance, police department or fire department.
(15) Low NOx rebuild kit means a consent decree engine manufacturer's software and/or hardware upgrade kit required under a consent decree, to be installed on the engine control module of an affected engine. Such kits are identified by each consent decree engine manufacturer in its respective low NOx rebuild plan
(16) Low NOx rebuild label means the label stipulated in the consent decrees, which meets all of the following specifications:
(i) it contains an identifiable characteristic allowing the State agency to determine whether an affected engine has had the appropriate low NOx rebuild kit installed;
(ii) it contains a statement with appropriate blank spaces for the individual performing the installation to indicate when and by whom the low NOx rebuild kit was installed on the engine;
(iii) it is readily visible upon opening the engine compartment;
(iv) it is fabricated of a material suitable for the location in which it is installed and remains legible throughout the engine life; and
(v) it is not readily removable intact.
(17) Low NOx rebuild plan means the plan developed by each consent decree engine manufacturer and approved by the United States under the consent decrees to implement a rebuild program for the affected engines.
(18) Model year means the engine manufacturer's annual production period, as defined in 40 CFR part 85, subpart X. (see Table 1, section 200.9 of this Title).
(19) Off road vehicle means motor vehicle, other than an on road vehicle, powered by a diesel engine and having a gross vehicle weight of greater than 8,500 pounds or having an engine of 50 horsepower and greater.
(20) On behalf of means all heavy duty vehicles used to perform regulated entity work by a prime contractor. Those vehicles include, but are not limited to, heavy duty vehicles owned, operated or leased by a prime contractor.
(21) On road vehicle means a motor vehicle powered by a diesel engine that has a GVWR exceeding 8,500 pounds and is designed primarily for transporting persons or properties on a street or a highway.
(22) PM means particulate matter.
(23) Prime contractor means any person or entity that contracts directly with the regulated entity to perform regulated entity work (prime contract) and who is responsible for the completion of the contract with the regulated entity. This definition shall not include subcontractors.
(24) Reasonable cost means that such technology does not cost greater than 30 percent more than other technology applicable to the particular engine and application that falls within the same classification level for diesel emission control strategies when considering the cost of the strategies themselves and the cost of installation.
(25) Regulated entity means BART regulated entity and ULSD regulated entity.
(26) Regulated entity work means labor, services, material and/or equipment that is provided by the regulated entity through its employees or prime contractors except it does not include labor, services, materials and/or equipment provided by:
(i) a shipping company (including overnight delivery companies); or
(ii) a manufacturer or delivery company that does not deliver materials or equipment to the regulated entity on a regular and frequent basis.
(27) State and regional public authority means:
(i) a public authority created pursuant to the Public Authorities Law or any other law of the State of New York, with at least one member of the governing board who is either appointed by the Governor or who serves as a member by virtue of their service as an officer of a State department, division, agency, board, bureau, or combination thereof; or
(ii) a public authority created pursuant to the Public Authorities Law or any other law of the State of New York, with jurisdiction within at least two entire contiguous counties, and a majority of board appointments made by the Governor; or
(iii) a subsidiary or affiliate of such public authority.
(28) Subcontractor means any person or entity that performs for and takes from the prime contractor a specific part of the labor or material requirements of the prime contract; which definition shall include, without limitation, any contractor(s) hired or retained by said subcontractor while performing under the prime contract.
(29) Ultra low sulfur diesel fuel or ULSD means diesel fuel having sulfur content of 0.0015 percent (15 ppm) of sulfur or less.
(30) ULSD regulated entity means State agency or public authority, either State or regional. | <urn:uuid:b1897e61-7936-4537-90dc-995e04b507a0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dec.ny.gov/regs/56377.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.926445 | 2,578 | 2.09375 | 2 |
In 2012 there will be close to 60 Mini Maker Faires around the globe. Mini Maker Faires are organized by individuals, hackerspaces and maker groups, schools, and larger institutions like science museums. They are diverse in scope, resources and origin, but all share an interest in connecting and celebrating makers.
At World Maker Faire New York next weekend, over twenty such Mini Maker Faire producers will be meeting up, telling stories, and learning about new tools.
If you are interested in meeting some of these folks and learning more about our Mini Maker Faire program, please come out to Maker Faire New York for our Sunday 11 a.m. morning session “Mini Maker Faires: Building Local Maker Community Around the Globe.” Note that if you can’t make it, you can watch the livestream at google.com/+MAKE.
Now for the updates! Two Mini Maker Faires are happening this weekend:
- Pittsburgh Mini Maker Faire (PA): September 22, 2012 – second annual
- Albuquerque Mini Maker Faire (NM): September 23, 2012 – first annual
And there are also two fairs coming up next weekend:
- Champlain Mini Maker Faire (VT): September 29, 2012
- Columbus Mini Maker Faire (OH): September 29, 2012
Participate! Here are fairs with active and open Call for Makers:
- Fort Wayne Regional Maker Faire (IN): October 6 7, 2012
- Salt Lake City Mini Maker Faire (UT): October 6, 2012 - officially closed but you can still try
- Atlanta Mini Maker Faire (GA): October 6, 2012 - officially closed but you can still try
- Somerville Mini Maker Faire (MA): October 13, 2012
- Ottawa Mini Maker Faire (Canada): October 13 14, 2012
- East Bay Mini Maker Faire (Oakland, CA): October 14, 2012 — officially closed but you can still try
- Norfolk Mini Maker Faire (VA): October 20, 2012
- Groningen Mini Maker Faire (The Netherlands): October 20, 2012 – NEW!
- Las Vegas Mini Maker Faire (NV): February 2, 2013
News: Please note that unfortunately the Chico Mini Maker Faire on October 13, 2012 has been cancelled. Ticket buyers will be refunded. We encourage anyone from that community who would like to take the reigns next year to let us know of your interest.
And finally, our weekly special image treat. Last weekend Dale Dougherty, Rob Bullington from the Maker Shed and I were able to participate at the very first Portland Mini Maker Faire. Dale did a great photo roundup already, but I thought I would share mine as well.
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Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/makezineonline/~3/sJom8kLrE0c/ | <urn:uuid:73915337-bc38-4ea1-8cc2-4ee2f944e6b9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.itclips.net/2012/09/20/mini-maker-faire-action-pittsburgh-albuquerque-vermont-columbus-portlandand-new-york/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.902648 | 614 | 1.570313 | 2 |
The world scene is becoming clearer as each year rolls by.
The West (Europe and the USA) is infected with a parasitic- like economic and social disease.
The masses of people in the West are becoming demoralized and confused.
The social order of the West and its economic structure is weakening as an infiltration of elitists exerts more and more control of government and the financial system.
We are seeing the workers of the West lose their power as jobs become more and more scarce. Money and capital is becoming concentrated in the hands of fewer and fewer people, whilst the middle class loses its traditional security and well being. The poorer classes are growing rapidly by the entrance of people from the Third World and refugees from the Middle Class.
In the West the ruling class is gaining more power as the poor seeks help from governments.
Observers are recognizing the emergence of totalitarian like governments. Although, this seems like a victory for the Elite, in reality it is a defeat for the entire Western population.
The planet is no longer dominated by the countries of the West. China is the foremost power in the East.
In the past, Western powers controlled the world economy through military intervention when commercial endeavors failed. With the advent of nuclear weapons, this is no longer possible. China has the capability of destroying the West should the West try to use military force to control China’s economy.
Today and into the future the West must compete with China, not only for economic advantages, but more importantly, for the sources of energy and food.
Neither the West nor the East can function without energy. Although the major energy sources are in the hands of Western corporations, the countries which actually produce the energy are almost entirely Muslim.
These Muslim countries can divest themselves of their Western energy corporations if China offers them more profit for their resources. We are beginning to see a movement in this direction as Chinese firms make agreements with energy producing countries.
Food production is another basic need for all humans. China is buying land in Africa and Latin America for the production of food. The Western governments, concerned with their obsolete banking system, their degenerating social system and the emergence of class warfare, do not have the will or the central control needed to compete in this area.
Why is the West so weak? In the last two decades Western societies and economies has become increasingly disabled by governments, financial systems and social media that are always moving towards and promoting: disorganization, distrust and diversity.
Such social weakness allows the small group of elitists to govern more easily; however, it weakens the West as a competing entity for world power and ultimate survival.
What were once strong Western countries with clear cultures are rapidly becoming weak countries which are embracing “multi-cultural” values and heterogeneous populations.
Today, Europe and the U.S.A. are floundering economically and socially. The major Eastern countries: China, India and Japan are constantly getting stronger.
This will lead to immense dissatisfaction in the West. We are seeing this dissatisfaction in Greece, Spain, Portugal and Ireland. Social unrest is beginning to dominate the political landscape in all these countries.
In the U.S.A. the same type of dissatisfaction is becoming more apparent, especially as a major election for presidency comes into the fore.
Regardless of who wins in the U.S.A. or what happens in Europe in terms of the debt crisis, the West as an economic entity will take second place in the world. | <urn:uuid:7438183d-e29d-4956-8245-acf56850a188> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://drpinna.com/an-emerging-battle-west-versus-east-30949 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956889 | 714 | 2.03125 | 2 |
THE HOTEL DE ST.-PAUL
My earliest recollections are of that drafty and comfortless mansion, the Hotel de St.-Paul, in which, at that time, was incarcerated the man who was known throughout France as Charles the Mad.
There were six of us children living there: Louis, Jean, Marie, Michelle, myself and baby Charles. We had been put there because our mother did not know what to do with us, and as she had no great interest in our existence, the best thing seemed to her to be to shut us away.
Charles was just over a year younger than I. We all felt tender toward him because he was the baby and used to toddle after us with a rather bewildered look on his little face which was appealing. In truth, we were all rather bewildered.
Moreover, we were often hungry because there never seemed enough food to go around. The soup grew thinner every day until it was more like water. Louis used to ask for more. He was more important than the rest of us because he was the Dauphin--and he felt that entitled him to privileges.
He was promptly told that there was no more, so that was the end of the matter.
We had a governess who was always whispering to the nurse. "It's a shame and a scandal," she used to say. "Poor little things . . . and her going on as she does."
We listened avidly. We knew there was something odd about the place and we--at least the little ones--were quite unaware of what it was. Louis might have known something and he might have whispered it to Jean, but they were the eldest and boys. We were the young ones . . . and girls at that--with the exception of Charles, who was only a baby.
Marie was different from the rest of us. When we complained about being cold and hungry she would say: "It is God's will. We must accept what He gives us and be grateful to Him."
"How can you be grateful for what you do not have?" asked Michelle.
"If you do not have it, it is God's will that you should not," insisted Marie, "and we must all be grateful to Him."
I wished I could have been like Marie. It must be wonderful to feel there was something virtuous about being cold and hungry.
While the rest of us shivered in bed at night, even after having covered ourselves with everything we could find to keep ourselves warm, Marie would be kneeling by the bed, her hands and feet blue with the cold, thanking God.
Marie was different from the rest of us, and it was Michelle and I who were the closer friends.
One day stands out more clearly in my memory of those early days than any other.
It was winter--always to be dreaded for there was never enough wood to keep the fires going, and to be cold and hungry is so much worse than merely being hungry.
I did not realize it at the time, but it must have seemed very strange to our nurse and governess and the few attendants who were in the Hotel that, although we lived in such misery, the days were conducted as though our upbringing was the normal one for children of our rank.
We had our lessons every day; and on this occasion we were all seated at the table in the schoolroom and our governess was attempting to teach us, when suddenly the door opened and a strange creature stood there.
We children all stared at him in wonder.
He was very pale and his hair was in wild disorder. He wore an elaborately embroidered jacket, the splendor of which was impaired by a tear in the sleeve and stains down the front.
Our governess gave a little start and for a few seconds seemed uncertain what to do. Then she rose to her feet and bowed with great respect.
We children all sat staring at the intruder.
I caught my breath in terror when he approached the table for he was truly an alarming sight.
"My children," he began, and I noticed at once that he had one of the most musical voices I had ever heard.
Louis surprised me. He must have suddenly realized who the man was, for he rose from his chair and knelt before him.
The man stared down at him. He put out a hand and touched Louis's head; and I saw the tears running down his sunken cheeks.
"You are Charles," he said, in his beautiful voice. "Charles the Dauphin."
"No, Sire," replied Louis. "I am Louis the Dauphin."
"But Charles . . ."
"Charles is our younger brother now, Sire."
"And what of Charles . . . Dauphin Charles . . . ?"
"He is dead, Sire. He was ill . . . and he died."
The man stared ahead of him and his lips trembled. He smiled suddenly and said: "And you . . . Louis . . . you are now the Dauphin."
"Louis . . . when did you last see your mother?"
"I do not remember. It was a long time ago."
"My child, I have been ill . . . but I am better now. Yes. I shall be better now." He looked at us children sitting there at the table watching this scene in bewilderment. He held out a hand to us.
We looked questioningly at our governess, who nodded to us, implying that we should rise and go to him.
He looked at us all in turn.
At length his eyes rested on me. "And you, little one?" I was surprised that I was no longer afraid of him.
"I am Katherine," I said.
"Katherine, my dear child . . . God bless you."
He turned to the governess. "How long have the children been living here . . . like this?"
She told him when we had come.
"These are the Children of France," he said. "It is unbelievable that they should live so."
"We were sent here, Sire. We have done our best."
"I know that well," he replied. "Now . . . it will be different. Everything that is needed will be sent. I shall command it to be done and there will be no delay."
I remember no more of that scene, but I had learned something. The mad man of the Hotel de St.-Paul was our father and the King of France.
For several weeks after that we were warm and no longer hungry. New clothing came for us and there were fires in all the grates. There was plenty to eat. Life took on a different style.
Marie said: "Our prayers have been answered. God is good to us."
I heard the governess say to the nurse: "I pray God the King stays sane."
Her prayers were not answered for after a few months of good living, a carriage arrived at the door of the Hotel. It brought our father. He had become the wild man again, and several strong men were needed to guard him as they brought him in.
We heard his shouting. He cried out that he was made of glass and that he was going to shatter into a thousand pieces.
I tried to visualize a glass man. I could not believe our father could be that.
I heard him call out: "I am unworthy. I do not deserve to live. Shoot me, I beg of you."
I was deeply puzzled and after awhile the old bad times returned. It became a way of life and we accepted it as normal, as children do.
That was how it was in those days for us royal children in the Hotel de St.-Paul.
When I was a little older, I realized that I had been unfortunate to be born at a time when my country was in a more desperate decline than it had ever been--and I hope will ever be again.
I ask myself where it began, and I think, if I am completely frank, I must say that it started with my father's marriage. But perhaps it was even before that, for, as I learned so much later, my father's mother, Joan of Bourbon, who had been a good wife and mother and cared greatly for her children, suffered from periodic bouts of madness; and it seemed that she had passed this malady on to my father.
Still, I am sure his marriage did nothing to help him, and at least that was responsible for much of the trouble which arose in our country. Perhaps it is ungrateful to blame the mother who brought one into the world, but many people did blame her. So why should not I? The Bible says, "Honor thy father and thy mother," but how could I honor Isabeau of Bavaria, when I think I came near to hating her?
I saw very little of her during my childhood. There were so many of us that I believe she found it difficult to remember who we all were. It was only when we could be of use to her that she showed an interest in us. For the rest . . . we could be shut away in the Hotel de St.-Paul, to be joined by our father during his bouts of insanity. I think there were fourteen of us, but I am not sure, because many of us did not survive birth.
My two eldest sisters, Isabelle and Jeanne, had pleased her because they had made advantageous marriages--and that was, of course, the fate intended for us all. Jeanne had married the powerful Duke of Brittany when she was about six, and had been sent to him to be brought up away from the licentious Court of France as a worthy little Breton. Isabelle had made an even more brilliant match; she had been sent to England to marry King Richard, and although only eight years old had become Queen of England.
So it was only when we were needed to forge some alliance that we were important to our mother. For the most part we could be left in obscurity, looked after by servants who were fond enough of us to stay and care for us, even though they were not always paid for their services.
She was very beautiful, our mother. And she had more than beauty. Her skin was very white, her large dark eyes luminous, her dark hair abundant and curly; and she had perpetual vitality. Much as I hated and feared her, I was aware of her allure which, as I grew older, I realized lay in an insatiable sensuality. It drew men to her even though they knew it could destroy them. She was like a siren singing on the rocks calling sailors to their destruction. They knew it and yet they could not resist, for she was irresistible, even to the most austere.
As soon as my father had seen her he had become desperately enamored of her and determined to marry her, which was just what those about him wanted, for she had been brought from Bavaria for that purpose. She had been fourteen years old at the time. He was about seventeen.
My poor father! My heart still overflows with pity for him. When we grew to know him, during his lucid periods, we all loved him. We used to be very distressed when we heard him, shouting that he was made of glass and would break into a thousand pieces.
Writing of it now, it seems incredible that members of the Royal House of Valois, the family of the reigning King, the Dauphin of France and his sisters and brothers could be living in conditions such as those prevailing in garrets in the back streets of Paris. But it was true--the only difference being that we were living in apartments which had been grand once if they were now shabby . . . and were probably more drafty than any attic in the slums.
My father had been at a disadvantage from the beginning, for he had been only twelve years old when he came to the throne. His father, known as Charles the Wise for obvious reasons, had always feared that his son might inherit the crown before he was of an age to govern.
Regencies brought trouble, said Charles the Wise. It meant that two or three ambitious men would be jostling for power--more concerned with doing good to themselves than to the country. He lowered the age of majority to fourteen, thinking he might live long enough to see his son reach that age.
My grandfather, though a wise man, was not a healthy one. When he was a very young man, his cousin, known as Charles the Bad, had attempted to poison him, and although the attempt had failed, the King had never fully regained his health, though with Joan of Bourbon he did have nine children, only three of whom survived infancy. Joan was the one who suffered from insanity.
Alas, Charles the Wise, as he had feared, died before his son, my father, reached his majority; and of course he was right when he said that regencies caused trouble.
My father was immediately taken in hand by his three uncles, the Dukes of Anjou, Berry and Burgundy. There was one other uncle who joined with them--his mother's brother, the Duke of Bourbon. They were all ambitious men and for a short time they governed in a manner calculated to bring most profit to themselves.
Those counselors whom Charles the Wise had gathered together to assist him in the government of the country were immediately dismissed. That was the beginning of the trouble, because the uncles--always short of money--revived old taxes like the fouage and the gabelle--the hearth and salt taxes--which had always been unpopular; and the inevitable riots followed.
My father had greatly admired his father and had wanted to be like him. He loved his country, but by this time he was married to Isabeau and was coming more and more under her spell. She laughed at his seriousness, teased him and told him he should be more like his brother, Louis of Orleans. She wanted gaiety, extravagant parties, balls and masques at which she could appear in elaborate and sensational gowns. In this she was aided and urged to great extravagance by my father's brother, Louis of Orleans, who was very handsome, dashing, witty, fascinating . . . and ambitious. He must have summed up the situation. My father wanted to be a good king, to follow his father's methods . . . but alas, even more he wanted to please his wife.
Knowing my father and mother, I could well imagine the scenes between them: how she cajoled him; how he tried to resist; how she, with Louis of Orleans at her elbow, laughed at the serious young king; how she tempted him and how he succumbed.
Excerpted from The Queen's Secret by Jean Plaidy. Copyright © 2007 by Jean Plaidy. Excerpted by permission of Broadway Books, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. | <urn:uuid:fcd256e4-5292-4700-b4c5-7be9c1a85ecf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.randomhouse.com/book/131703/the-queens-secret-by-jean-plaidy | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.994709 | 3,140 | 2.03125 | 2 |
- THE MAGAZINE
Corning Cable Systems LLC, part of Corning Inc.’s Telecommunications segment, will supply product and design assistance to Case Western Reserve University and its partners in a historic initiative to test the power of super-high-speed Internet access to change people’s lives in inner-city neighborhoods. The Center on Urban Poverty and Community Development at the Mandel School of Applied Social Science at Case estimates that as many as 72% of the households in and around the university in the city of Cleveland have no Internet access. Traditional use of the Internet, however, is the least of their problems, as many families fall well below the definition of poverty.
“We believe that access to the Internet at the international gold standard of one gigabit/sec, coupled with integrated training and support, can change people’s lives for the better,” said Lev Gonick, Case’s vice president for Information Technology Services. “Collaborating with more than 40 community participants, we intend to launch a university-sponsored research program to bring healthcare services, safety and security services, energy use and management support, and science education initiatives to our community in ways that will, potentially, be transformative. And, we will study the outcomes in order to make this program one that can be replicated around the country and around the world.”
Corning Cable Systems’ FlexNAP™ terminal distribution system will provide design flexibility to Case Western Reserve University’s fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network. The solution is a cost-effective method of deploying optical fiber in outside plant distribution networks at speeds significantly faster than traditional field installations. Compatible with both aerial and below-ground applications, the cable and network access points are tested and shipped as a complete distribution cable/terminal system.
“Corning has a long history of innovation, and we are proud to be part of this groundbreaking project,” said Mike Genovese, Corning Cable Systems’ senior vice president and managing director, Americas. “Our technology and design expertise help ensure the project will provide state-of-the-art broadband in a seamless, reliable and cost-efficient manner. It is important that the network supporting the project be imperceptible so the usage and true value of FTTH technology can be accurately measured.”
Other organizations joining Case in the initiative include University Hospitals, The Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth Hospital System, the City of Cleveland, OneCommunity, the Great Lakes Science Center and a coalition of public safety forces. At full capacity, the program seeks to connect more than 25,000 residents of the city.
“Sustainable use and adoption of super-high-speed Internet connectivity in our neighborhoods is about basic human needs,” said Gonick. “If broadband doesn’t speak to the urgent needs around public and personal safety, health and wellness, and a wide range of educational initiatives, then Internet access will remain largely irrelevant to a large segment of our population. We are aiming high with this initiative, and we are very much looking forward to working with Corning and benefiting from their expertise.”
For additional information, call (800) 743-2675 or visit www.corning.com/cablesystems. Case Western Reserve University’s website is located at www.case.edu. | <urn:uuid:7bc53809-acde-48b2-a4b4-ec1fe5ee0031> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ceramicindustry.com/articles/corning-to-take-part-in-fiber-to-the-home-research-project-posted-12-22-09 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927871 | 695 | 1.867188 | 2 |
Celtica wrote:How quickly should I move through the book? A chapter per day, week, month?
The book was intended as a first year Latin text for the secondary school, so if you want a standard with which to compare your progress, you can think of working through the book in one academic year. Seventy-nine lessons plus readings plus review and some downtime equals about eighty-five or ninety lessons, divided by thirty weeks in the average American school year equals three lessons per week.
I find at this early level it takes about an hour- hour and a half to complete a chapter, do the exercises and check them with the key, and several 'bouts of maybe 20 min in flashcard form to learn the vocab for the chapter, but I'm expecting it to be much slower going as I get further into the course.
D'Ooge says in the preface "The first few lessons have been made unusually simple, to meet the wants of students not well grounded in English grammar." This seems to imply that your pace will slow down any time now, but that depends on your background.
The crucial point to success is being able to maintain steady progress at whatever pace you can maintain, which will depend on your life circumstances and other involvements. Anything less than one lesson per week would be too slow, since it will become too hard to retain the material. When working through a textbook on their own, people generally do slow down after the first month or two, because the initial novelty and enthusiasm wear off. Don't allow yourself to slow down too much, or the lessons will actually get more difficult. Use the ideal of a high school course and work at least every other day if not five or six days a week.
In your personal experiences with D'Ooge, what has been the best rate for you to progress at(I realise my milage may vary)?
I have no personal experience with D'Ooge, but I have learned languages on my own. (In classics, I was on my own after the second year of Latin and first year of Greek.) A steady rate is more important than a fast rate. Also, if you are learning on your own, you enthusiasm will wane at some point. Get encouragement whatever way you can: people around you, posting to this forum, or joining a study group. But about two or three lessons per week is what D'Ooge was designed for. Think of how accomplished you'll feel in eight or nine months when you finish it. | <urn:uuid:e75c121d-2e5a-4293-9d12-dfa6c85b60dd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.textkit.com/greek-latin-forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=4932&p=42471 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966405 | 521 | 2.296875 | 2 |
Roy Rogers (1911-1998) was a famous country singer and star of B-movie westerns. Nicknamed "King of the Cowboys", Rogers was married to Dale Evans from 1947 until his death on July 6, 1998. They were both guests on The Muppet Show episode 322. The pair performed Rogers' signature tune, "Happy Trails."
As one of the original members of the Sons of the Pioneers singing group, he performed with them full-time from 1933-1937. He was also elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame as a member of the Sons of the Pioneers in 1980 (under his real name Leonard Slye), and added to the Country Music Hall of Fame as a solo artist in 1988. Rogers also starred on radio from 1944 until 1954, and on CBS television from 1951-1964.
Roy Rogers and Dale Evans gave one of their last public performances together in the 1992 CBS-TV special Holiday Greetings from The Ed Sullivan Show, which also featured the Muppets.
- Rogers' horse Trigger was ranked eighth in Animal Planet's 50 Greatest TV Animals | <urn:uuid:112d840c-5400-4e01-b31f-dc7d05566bbf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Roy_Rogers | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97995 | 223 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Microsoft Windows 8 secure boot cleared for Linux OS
Microsoft works out rift with Linux community over dual boot issue
By Tim Greene | Network World US | Published: 14:27, 18 June 2012
Microsoft's initial boot security for Windows 8 made it hard to start other operating systems on Windows 8 machines, but the company has worked out a way for Linux and other OSes to clear the secure boot sequence on such devices.
The secure boot, called Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI), requires a key for the boot firmware to hand off to the operating system, the idea being to make sure the operating system isn't corrupt.
Microsoft's initial UEFI implementation was restrictive by making it difficult for non-Windows operating systems to get their keys included in the firmware, says Tim Burke, vice president of Linux engineering for Red Hat. But that's all been cleared up with some cooperation among interested parties, he says.
Related Articles on Techworld
Now the keys can be registered via Microsoft key signing and registry services for $99. That way participating vendors can get their keys accepted by the machines so their OSes will boot. "I'm certainly not a huge UEFI fan, but at the same time I see why you might want to have signed bootup etc," Linux kernel creator Linus Torvalds is quoted as saying in the ZDNet Linux and Open Source blog. "And if it's only $99 to get a key for Fedora, I don't see what the huge deal is." | <urn:uuid:06bfd034-905d-4b3d-9fc0-9f3473ba127d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://news.techworld.com/operating-systems/3364584/microsoft-windows-8-secure-boot-cleared-for-linux-os/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940265 | 308 | 1.625 | 2 |
You have been told to have faith in the scriptures, faith in the words of God, faith in the religious teachers. I don’t say this at all. I say: have faith in yourself. It is only by knowing yourself that you can know what there is in the scriptures, what the words of God are. One who has no faith in himself finds all his other beliefs meaningless. Can you stand on someone else’s feet if you cannot stand on your own? Buddha has said: “Be a light unto yourself. Be your own refuge. There is no right refuge except the refuge of one’s own self.” I say the same thing.
One night a certain monk was bidding farewell to another monk who had been his guest when the latter said, “The night is very dark. How can I see to go?” The host lit a lamp and gave it to his guest. But as the guest was going down the staircase the host blew out the lamp. The place was enveloped in darkness again. Then the host said, “My lamp will not be able to light your path. For that you must have a lamp of your own.” The guest understood the monk’s advice, and this understanding became the birth of a light on the path of his life that could never be extinguished nor taken away.
Spiritual discipline is not just a part, a fragment of life, it is the whole of it. Your standing, sitting, speaking, laughing has all to be encompassed by it. Only then is it meaningful and natural. Religion is not found in any particular act, like worship or prayer, it is a way of living in which your whole life becomes a worship, a prayer. It is not a ritual, it is a way of life. In this sense, no religion is religious, it is the individual who becomes religious. No behavior is religious, one’s life is religious.
Only by becoming free from the bondage of the ego, of the “I,” does consciousness rise above the individual and become one with the whole. Just as an earthen jar separates ocean water from the ocean, the mortal enclosure of the ego keeps the individual away from the truth.
What is this ego, this “I”? Have you ever searched for it in yourself? It is there only because you have never looked for it. When I tried to find it myself, I discovered that it did not exist.
In some quiet moment go within yourself and look. No “I” is found anywhere. The “I” does not exist. It is a mere illusion ushered into being because of its social utility. Just as you have a name, you have your ego too. Both are utilities, not truths. That which is within you has neither name nor ego.
There is no such thing as entering into nirvana, into moksha, into liberation, into the soul. Because how can you enter a place you have never left? So then, what happens? There is no such thing as an entry into nirvana, but what happens is that the world you were immersed in dissolves like a dream and you find yourself in your self. This experience is not at all like entering some place, it is more like finding yourself on your bed at the abrupt termination of a journey you were taking in a dream. Since you haven’t gone anywhere, there is no question of returning; since you haven’t lost anything, all talk of attaining is meaningless. You are only dreaming a dream; all your ideas of having gone away and having lost something are only in a dream. So you neither have to return anywhere nor to find anything. You only have to wake up. | <urn:uuid:f9482d43-e4ab-41fe-b9b8-f14846117e2a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.osho.com/library/online-library-host-enveloped-faith-d46a0667-880.aspx?p=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982171 | 779 | 1.765625 | 2 |
In a 1992 therapy session, model and actress Margaux Hemingway had a conversation with herself. "Why don't you let your guard down and let somebody help you?" she asked. And then gave the answer: "Because I don't know how to do it, and it hurts so much. Because there's so much inside, and...sometimes I'm afraid that it's so full that it might kill me
It is sad but not entirely surprising that Hemingway, constantly seeking to revive her career, allowed this anguished session to be taped for a BBC triumph-over-adversity program called Fighting Back. Hemingway had been invited to talk about her successful battle with bulimia. But the eating disorder was only one of many afflictions that she suffered--and it was far too soon to declare victory over her demons.
Last week Hemingway's decomposed body was found in her one-room Santa Monica, California, apartment. There were no signs of foul play. Many wondered whether she had taken her own life, since her famous family has been plagued with suicides. Indeed, she died just before the 35th anniversary of the day that her grandfather Ernest put a shotgun to his head. The author's brother, sister and father also died by their own hand.
The Los Angeles County coroner's office said it would take two weeks to determine the cause of Hemingway's death at 41. But whatever killed her, she has already become another entry on the roster of celebrities whose lives began in a swirl of glamour and ended in relative obscurity and pain. Defined by her beauty and her family's celebrity, Hemingway struggled to establish an independent identity as her looks and fame faded. In her final days, says a friend, Gigi Gaston, "she was back on her feet, and she looked beautiful. But I felt she was incredibly lonely."
Hemingway burst onto the modeling scene in the mid-'70s as a fresh-faced, 6-ft. 19-year-old from Ketchum, Idaho. In 1975 she appeared on the cover of TIME to illustrate a story on new beauties. Fashion photographer Francesco Scavullo says she was such a natural beauty that he would have made her a star even without her famous surname. "You could put her out in the sunlight in the middle of the day and she looked like an angel," he recalls. But others credited her rapid ascent to the Hemingway mystique. "As celebrity became aristocracy, it became inheritable," says former Interview magazine editor Bob Colacello, who knew Hemingway as part of the crowd at the now legendary Studio 54. "She inherited this fame and this position." Hemingway later said she felt like an imposter in that world and started drinking "to loosen up."
Her descent came quickly. Scavullo suggested her for a starring role in Lipstick, a movie about a rape victim that co-starred her younger sister Mariel. The film bombed, and when Mariel went on to star in Woody Allen's Manhattan and Bob Fosse's Star 80, a lasting strain developed between the siblings. Mariel declined to comment on her sister's death.
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Stuart Sundlun, a former lover and friend who went to the Bahamas with Hemingway in June, says she grappled with a raft of difficulties: "fundamental middle-child syndrome...dyslexia, bulimia, epilepsy." And there was alcoholism. In 1987, following a severe seizure during which she nearly bit her tongue off, Hemingway admitted herself to the Betty Ford Clinic. "I decided that had been a message to get well or I would die," she told an interviewer. But she did not confide to her therapists that she also was bulimic. Hemingway always struggled with her weight. In 1990 she slimmed down and posed for Playboy in one of many efforts to jump-start her career. But the following year she filed for bankruptcy, citing more than $815,000 in debt.
She sought spiritual guidance in a visit to the Dalai Lama in 1994. After returning, she spent several weeks at a state mental hospital in Blackfoot, Idaho. Sundlun says she suffered "a psychotic event" brought on by her epilepsy. She had difficulty separating fantasy from reality and was hearing voices.
Recently Hemingway was reduced to taking parts in low-budget pictures, making guest appearances at European conventions and even endorsing the Psychic Friends Network. But she also acted as host of a nature series to be aired on the Discovery Channel this fall. Friends hoped she was rallying. "She didn't get a fair deck of cards," Sundlun says sadly. "But she handled it with incredible grace and dignity. She was a light touch in a dark world."
Here is the last of those exculsive articles that I wrote for Moseby Confidential.
Released in the spring of 1976 to near universal disdain and almost killing off the film career of Margaux Hemingway before it even had a chance to truly begin, Lamont Johnson’s LIPSTICK remains one of the best, if most under-appreciated, revenge flicks of the seventies. An exhilaratingly seedy film propelled by Johnson’s stylish direction, Hemingway’s electric screen presence and an incredibly off kilter score by legendary French musician Michel Polnareff.
Lamont Johnson is probably best known as a television director for such series as The Twilight Zone but a quick glance over his filmography will show some real surprises, like the bone-chilling Patti Duke thriller YOU’LL LIKE MY MOTHER (1972) and the winning Robby Benson-Annette O’Toole romance ONE ON ONE (1977). Johnson lent a sure hand to all of his projects (his television film MY SWEET CHARLIE (1970), also starring Patti Duke, is one of the real lost treasures of the period) and his work on LIPSTICK is no different as it is an exceedingly well-directed and confident film.
LIPSTICK was the brainchild of mega big time producers Dino De Laurentiis and Freddie Fields. It began to take shape in the mid seventies and it was first offered to award winning British director Michael Winner in 1974. Winner, no stranger to revenge thrillers, as he had just come off the smash hit DEATH WISH with Charles Bronson, turned down the project and it ended up with Johnson and screenwriter David Rayfiel. Rayfiel had spent much of his career touching up quality screenplays like JEREMIAH JOHNSON (1972), THE WAY WE WERE WERE (1973) and THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR (1974) and it is a pity that he didn’t have some back up on LIPSTICK as his formulaic script is easily the weakest thing about it. The much-maligned Margaux Hemingway is actually very good in the film when she is asked to react and express emotion, but Rayfiel’s wooden dialogue consistently lets the inexperienced actress down.
LIPSTICK marks the first feature film by Fields where he is granted sole production credited. De Laurentiis is listed as executive producer and LIPSTICK does indeed feel more like a Freddie Fields production than one of Dino’s works as it shares much in common stylistically with Fields later monster hit, Paul Schrader’s AMERICAN GIGOLO (1980). It can be argued that the look and feel of LIPSTICK had more of an effect on American cinema in the early eighties than the several uber-hits of the period that get most of the credit.
Fields got the idea to fill the role of the lead in the film, a super-model named Chris McCormick, with an actual big time model of the period early on in the film’s planning stages. After juggling around a few possibilities with De Laurentiis the named that kept popping up was a young model who was quickly becoming one of the most in demand and influential of the period.
Margaux Hemingway was born in Portland, Oregon in the winter of 1954. She grew up on her father Jack’s farm in Ketchum, Idaho and was scarred at the age of seven with the news that her legendary Grandfather, literary giant Ernest Hemingway, had killed himself with a shotgun blast to the head. Her Grandfather’s legend and tragic death would haunt the young Hemingway for the rest of her life as she consistently battled her own personal demons until her untimely demise in 1996.
In the mid seventies though, tragedy seemed very far away from Margaux as she made huge headlines by being the first model to ever get a million dollar contract, for the Faberge fragrance 'Babe'. The just past twenty year old Hemingway’s face was every where and she can lay legitimate claim to being one of the first genuine ‘super-models’ in history and she would influence everyone who followed from Gia Carangi to Adriana Lima.
Movies seemed a logical step for Margaux and she accepted Fields offer to star in the very difficult role of a McCormick, a model very much like herself who is brutally raped by an assailant and then the judicial system before brandishing her own form of justice on them both. In hindsight it is easy to see that the part was too much for a first time actress with zero experience, but everyone at the time thought LIPSTICK would be a major hit and Margaux would become one of the key stars of the late seventies.
Joining Margaux in the cast were Chris Sarandon as the twisted music teacher who rapes McCormick and Anne Bancroft as the prosecutor who signs on to her case. Both Sarandon and Bancroft were coming off recent Oscar nominations and the two were really in peak form when they filmed LIPSTICK, with Sarandon’s performance proving to be one of the most chilling of the period. Other cast members included future television star Perry King, and famed top fashion photographer Francesco Scavullo playing, appropriately enough, a photographer named Francesco. His rather astounding work as a photographer can be seen throughout the film in the form of some of the most unforgettable images of Margaux ever shot.
The key role in the film though is undoubtedly that of Chris’ younger sister Kathy, which would turn out to be the debut role for Margaux’s younger sister Mariel. Margaux herself suggested the fifteen-year Mariel to Fields and it would begin one of the most notable film careers of the late seventies and early eighties. Whereas Margaux seemed to having trouble shifting into her new role as an actress, the younger Mariel took to it immediately and she would end up getting the films one Golden Globe nomination as best supporting actress.
The paint by numbers storyline of rape and revenge in LIPSTICK is radically simple. What makes the film special is how it teeters between being a stylish and serious attempt to look at the legal consequences of rape in this country and a down and dirty exploitation thriller. Considering that the film does drag in the middle a bit during the legal proceedings, it does finally work better as a stylized big budget thriller as there are few things more exciting in a seventies film than seeing Margaux Hemingway decked out in an unbelievably cool red dress yielding a shotgun during the film’s electric and unforgettable climax.
The more campy and exploitative elements aside, LIPSTICK does in fact make some good points along the way about the legal system and the way rape was perceived in this country in 1976 and to a certain extent today. One of the film's most telling moments is indeed that only 1 out of every 5 rapes is reported and only two out of every 100 prosecuted rapists serve time. Now I am sure those numbers, at least I hope, have changed in today's society but the film does a good job in alering viewers to some disturbing facts.
The film received a lot of criticism at the time for the prolonged rape sequence between Sarandon and the older Hemingway. It is curious to me that Gaspar Noe’s IRREVERSABLE was attacked for the same reason several years back as the two films present rape as a very violent and ugly act. There isn’t anything erotic about the sequence in LIPSTICK; it is an extremely ugly scene about the ugliest of crimes. I have a lot more trouble with films that don’t show how horrifying the act is and LIPSTICK has always been unfairly abused over what is actually an extremely effective and well-handled sequence. Hemingway is particularly good here with the trauma and fear she is experiencing seeming totally real.
The film’s not perfect by a long shot. Several scenes just don’t play at all, especially a couple involving the usually reliable Bancroft, who comes off too over the top throughout the film. When it does work though, it does so splendidly and LIPSTICK is finally a hard film to shake.
Two things that help the film immensely are the photography and music. Oscar nominated director of photographer Bill Butler should be a household name with works ranging from Coppola’s THE CONVERSATION (1974) to Stallone’s ROCKY 2 (1978) on his resume and he gives LIPSTICK a sexy dripping exotic sheen that is hard to look away from. It’s an ultra slick and masterfully shot production that is among the best looking of the period.
Even better is the strange and powerful score by legendary French composer and musician Polnareff. Always under the radar in this country, Polnareff is one of the major figures in French music and his LIPSTICK soundtrack is one of his greatest creations, a weird mix of experimental electronica and dance that propels the film to greatness even when the script and certain scenes fall totally flat. The out of print album is one of the best soundtracks of the seventies.
Finally, one can't help but watch LIPSTICK without some sincere melancholy in knowing what happened to Margaux Hemingway. The critical community really took their time in burying someone who might have turned into a talented actress. Instead of labeling her as awful as many of them did, they should have passed it off to her obvious inexperience and let up a bit. It would take her three years to make another feature, Antonio Margheriti’s KILLER FISH (1979), and she would only sporadically work in mostly straight to video productions through the rest of her short life. There are some really chilling moments in LIPSTICK where one can recognize some real talent in the older and doomed Hemingway. It is tragic it was never allowed to be tapped into again.
Mariel would quickly become one of the major young actresses of the late seventies after LIPSTICK and would snag a well-deserved Oscar nomination just a few years later with Woody Allen’s MANHATTAN in 1979. She would call LIPSTICK a “fascinating experience” in her autobiography but noted that when it was released, “people said” she was “ the star, while Margaux’s acting was hurtfully panned” and that this “intensified her self destructive behavior and the distance” between them “began to take on adult dimensions.”
LIPSTICK collapsed at the box office almost immediately and was subjected to heavy cuts throughout Europe when it premiered a year or so later there. It appeared on Video in the eighties and then slipped out of print for more than a decade before Paramount surprisingly brought it back on a bare bones DVD a few years ago. Not even containing a trailer, this DVD at least features a sharp widescreen transfer and is still readily available for anyone interested. | <urn:uuid:15e4bc7d-843b-4301-9f07-f972f6a0603b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://forums.thefashionspot.com/f95/margaux-hemingway-63119-11.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97753 | 3,328 | 1.703125 | 2 |
- Negaunee Miners
- Shopping Show
Adjective: Diluvial (duh-LOO-vee-ul)
Definition: Of, relating to, or brought about by a flood
Sample sentence: Archeologists studying diluvial deposits found along the river delta could make estimates from that evidence on just how far certain Paleolithic species had migrated. | <urn:uuid:1a989183-c0a4-4af5-856e-327df2ff2025> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wkqsfm.com/featured/onair/deedee/3040/word-day-aug-9-diluvial/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.917604 | 77 | 2.328125 | 2 |
||Home | Habitat Types | In the Water | Aquatic Bed||site map|
Aquatic beds are characterized by plants that form a continuous layer on or at the water's surface. They can include algal mats, detached floating mats, and rooted plants, which are submerged, or have floating leaves, but at least 80 percent of their area is vegetated.
Aquatic Beds can occur within
inland and Great Lakes marshes where they are often referred to as the
submergent zone. Aquatic Beds can also occur further out from the shore,
where there is sufficient light to permit plant growth. In areas protected
from strong wave action, such as Anchor Bay, the bottom is almost entirely
populated with plants, whereas they are scarce in the main part of the
lake where the bottom is scoured by waves.
Aquatic beds provide valuable habitat for fish and other aquatic animals and a re a critcal source of food for migrating waterfowl in fall. Wild celery is a particularly valuable food for diving ducks such as canvasbacks and redheads that overwinter in the project area.
For more information, see: Coastal Habitat Assessment, Section IV (PDF)
The Lake St. Clair Coastal Habitat Project is a two-year cooperative effort (2002-2004) among the Great Lakes Commission, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Michigan Natural Features Inventory with support from NOAA's Coastal Services Center under its Landscape Characterization and Restoration program. | <urn:uuid:138b3257-00ff-4e24-ad43-d5463f1dbc15> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://glc.org/habitat/lsc/desc/aquatic-bed.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942993 | 315 | 3.984375 | 4 |
Stairs are no problem for this four-legged wheelchair
Researchers out of Japan’s Chiba Institute of Technology have developed a robotic wheelchair that can cruise along paved surfaces and easily climb stairs.
This rolling / walking wheelchair is an impressive form of mobility: the rider uses a joystick to direct it where to go and when it encounters an obstacle, it automatically assesses the surrounding area and makes the adjustments necessary to get by—all without any additional input necessary from the rider.
It does this via the bevy of sensors that comes with it: there are sensors on its feet that allow it to sense anything around it; there are also sensors on the front of the chair that allow it to see how far it is from an upcoming step.
The sensors also work together to assess how big a step is. If there’s an error in the assessment when the wheels touch the step—or any object for that matter—the wheel’s torque adjusts automatically to avoid any risk of destabilizing the chair itself.
Speaking of stabilization, when the sensors first detect a step or obstacle, the robot calculates if and how high it needs to lift its leg. While it’s doing this, the steering system at the rear of the chair prepares the wheels so that the front end legs can be raised stably, an added measure the group took to ensure greater safety for the rider. | <urn:uuid:289174ef-9d6d-4ced-aa33-415c84a2406c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.electronicproducts.com/Videos/Stairs_are_no_problem_for_this_four-legged_wheelchair.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00056-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.921986 | 283 | 2.765625 | 3 |
I have had the pleasure of standing in front of a friend's bookcase of some 600+ photobooks - all from Japan - and not knowing where to start. It was a great experience but one in which I was in frustrating need of a guide. Finally, the long awaited survey of the most experimental period of photobooks from Japan is out - Ivan Vartanian and Ryuichi Kaneko's Japanese Photobooks of the 60s and 70s, just released by Aperture.
Up through the mid-50s Japanese photography seems to have followed aspects of the traditional picture arts with subject matter that was describing the lyricism of urban and pastoral life. The book which starts off this volume is Hiroshi Hamaya's Snow Land from 1956 which contains photographs made in small villages in Japan's Niigata Prefecture. This extended essay concerns itself with a New Year festival during which the villagers pray for a bountiful crops. The approach can reflect influence of straight documentary photographers world-wide and the sense of war and the rapid change Japan was experiencing is kept at a distance. Oddly, it has the feel at times of being an essay made through Western eyes with its philosophically acceptable and psychologically safe stance. Its purity at odds with reality.
The explosion of radical description, perhaps fueled by William Klein's Life is Good & Good for You in New York - a book most often cited as an influence to many photographers everywhere - brought younger generations of photographers willing to tackle the harsher realities of country, describing them with immediate, instinctive flair which embraced flaw in process as a new metaphor. Following Ken Domon's series of Hiroshima survivors in 1958, Shomei Tomatsu's Nagasaki 11.02 drew from traditional documentary traditions and pushed the descriptive values to abstraction and an uncomfortable psychological environ. Neither of these books are featured here but have been cited at length elsewhere - an omission which I will address later.
Current fanatics of Japanese books will cite the Provoke collective of Yutaka Takanashi, Daido Moriyama, Koji Taki, and Takuma Nakahira as the high point of driving photographic descriptions to the limits - its name was Provoke after all. These stream of consciousness and ambiguous statements of emotion and reaction were an attempt at "grasping with our own eyes those fragments of reality that cannot possibly be captured with existing language, actively putting forth materials against language and against thought." During this period the now most famous (or at the time infamous) books appeared with Bye Bye Photography, For a language to Come and Takanashi's Towards the City.
It would be a mistake and inaccurate to homogenize all of the provocative Japanese works into one mold of blur, contrast and grain and this volume does its best to present a wider understanding of period and attitudes relating to approach and that is its strength. This is not a comprehensive cataloging of every book from this period or even the most important - like I mentioned, Tomatsu and Domon's masterworks are not represented here (perhaps for the sake of escaping redundancies since they have been covered elsewhere). It does however limit its scope to only 41 books and I do wish, even at the risk of being redundant, that the authors extended their survey to either a larger choice or along a more extended timeline. It does after all actually include a couple books from the mid-50s and a couple from the 1980s.
One difficulty of assembling such a survey is the inclusion of women artists. Perhaps not the fault of the authors but of the period of productivity, there is only one book by a woman represented - Miyako Ishiuchio's Apartment from 1978. Granted I do not have a deep enough knowledge of books made from women at the time and books worthy of note to cite specific examples but my desire for a study of books along a wider timeline would have seen the inclusion of female voices. This is one aspect of male to female ratio that has plagued photography in general but here I feel a gap which would be interesting to explore.
Ivan Vartanian, who has immersed himself physically and as a scholar into Japanese culture, proves to be a fine guide for us less informed as he provides a lengthy introduction covering the period and individual essays for each book. This collection comes from the library of Ryuchi Kaneko and the extensive illustrations and attention to longer examination of individual books (each is given 4-6 pages) is an important contribution into books which most of us will never experience first-hand. Japanese Photobooks of the 60s and 70s is nicely printed with a design sensitive to its function.
In an interview which is included in this volume, Daido Moriyama - perhaps the most prolific of book-makers aside from Nobuyoshi Araki - mentions his desire to create objects which preserve a feeling or impulse. This volume displays some of the best (yet still unfamiliar), playful and imaginative books which have driven photography outside the literal boundaries of country and stale traditions and into new and uncharted territory that still, forty years later, has the ability to shock and surprise even the initiated. | <urn:uuid:ca2adbd4-910e-4569-bfcd-a23927962d7e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://5b4.blogspot.com/2009/09/japanese-photobooks-of-60s-and-70s.html?showComment=1253586994889 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00051-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969878 | 1,037 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Learn to curl at Lewiston Family Ice Rinkby jmaloni
by Joshua Maloni
Most of us have only seen curling on television or at the Olympics. But next weekend, we'll be able to get out on the ice and throw a rock or two of our own.
The Town and Village of Lewiston are hosting a "Learn to Curl" clinic on Saturday, Feb. 2, at the Lewiston Family Ice Rink at Academy Park. Sessions will begin at 11 a.m. and run for about 60 minutes every hour on the hour through 9 p.m. Organizers state, "Experienced instructors will be on hand to introduce you to the basics of the game, including how to 'deliver a stone' and why we sweep the ice."
"I just thought it would be a ton of fun," said Patti Lank, a U.S. National Championships winner and Lewiston resident. She will be on hand to show participants how to navigate the "bubbled," "pebbled" ice surface. Rocks and brooms will be provided. Helmets are recommended.
"It really is fun," Lank said. "It's very social. You can be any shape or size; you don't have to be seriously athletic. It's kind of like golf, I guess, in that way. People of different ages can play together. Everyone's out there trying their best and doing what they can do to make a shot, and it's just really exciting when someone does."
The clinic is sponsored by the Niagara Falls (Ontario) Curling Club and CertaPro Painters.
There is a suggested $5 donation. Funds will go to the Town of Lewiston Recreation Department.
To register, call the Niagara River Region Chamber of Commerce at 716-754-9500, stop by the chamber office at Center and South Ninth streets, or visit www.lewportsports.com. | <urn:uuid:f17c50ad-f294-4c43-9485-6202d35117e1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wnypapers.com/news/article/current/2013/01/26/109465/learn-to-curl-at-lewiston-family-ice-rink | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95809 | 399 | 1.632813 | 2 |
His story plays out like an Oscar-winning drama. Born to a teenage mother and an incarcerated father, Michael Tubbs grew up in the wilds of Stockton, Calif., one of America’s most dangerous cities, and managed not only to get accepted to Stanford University but to graduate with honors, a Masters in Education, and the prized Dinkelspiel Award. Now, his record of service in college and his lifelong love of public speaking will serve him well as he works tirelessly on his campaign for Stockton City Council.
Since reciting Bible passages in front of his church congregation as a young man, Tubbs has always exhibited a passion for public service and public speaking. While still an undergraduate, he created the non-profit organization Phoenix Scholars as a way to help disadvantaged kids get into college. He also addressed diverse audiences all over northern California, including 6,000 incoming freshman at Stanford’s Founders’ Day, as a motivational speaker.
Tubbs noted that his time abroad in South Africa contributed to his decision to run for city council. In South Africa, he worked with a local nonprofit but felt that he could only do so much since he was just a visitor for a short period of time. After his travels, he came back to the U.S. reinvigorated and ready “to do more.” And of course, the first place he wanted to give back to was the city that gave so much to him.
“Stockton is my home,” the young Democratic candidate said. Although he could have gone anywhere to begin his career in politics and the public service sector, Tubbs chose to return to his hometown. “It’s where I grew up … It was like a calling to [go back].”
Having an intimate relationship with the city gives the 22-year-old a local perspective on the problems of Stockton, and possible solutions to them. His campaign motto is “Reinvent Stockton” — and that’s what he really wants to do.
“Number one, cut the rate of violent crimes ... really changing the culture of violence which is really becoming endemic to the city,” Tubbs said. Within the past year, there have been 43 homicides in Stockton, and the city is on track to match the 50 that occurred last year.
To complicate matters, the city has just declared bankruptcy. This plight is another reason Tubbs feels so strongly about “economic development and job growth.” If elected, he hopes to streamline the process so it’s easier for “entrepreneurs to come [to Stockton] and do business.”
Tubbs is truly running a grassroots campaign. He has a small but dedicated staff consisting of a campaign manager, a field manager, and multiple interns. “They knock door-to-door to get the word out.”
Tubbs’ brazen determination and dedication to a city many consider unsalvageable is reminiscent of another Stanford grad who went on to make a big impact on the country despite his youth: Mayor Cory Booker of Newark, New Jersey. The similarities between Tubbs and Booker may have been one of the key reasons Tubbs was able to accomplish the incredible feat of landing a celebrity endorsement from none other than Oprah Winfrey.
“I really didn’t do anything,” Tubbs said with laugh. “I was at a lunch when someone mentioned to [Oprah Winfrey] that I was running the campaign back in Stockton.”
In the spring of 2012, Winfrey made a surprise appearance to Stanford's campus to visit a group of talented students involved in a production of the musical The Color Purple. Winfrey was intrigued by Tubbs' Stockton campaign and began talking to him about his goals for the city and his plans for the upcoming race. She was so impressed by Tubbs that she publicly endorsed him, making him the third politician to receive the nod of approval from the powerful woman. (The other two lucky policymakers are Mayor Booker and President Barack Obama.)
Since the start of his campaign, Tubbs acknowledges that he’s been lucky to receive a lot of support from both his community and other politicians. Currently, he has support from Congressman Jerry McNerney and School Board President Sara Cazares, among others. Tubbs won the primary on June against incumbent Dale Fritchen, making him a real contender for the election in November. Although the finish line for this race is still months away, Tubbs is working nonstop to earn the title of Councilman.
Looking ahead, Tubbs hopes to “still be in Stockton” working with the government to remake his beloved hometown. Still, even he has a hard time predicting what will happen to him next. One thing is certain: he will continue to make an impact through his service no matter where he is. | <urn:uuid:5cf2d557-eeb8-47a0-9c77-931df77682ff> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.policymic.com/articles/13334/oprah-endorses-michael-tubbs-young-democrat-wants-to-rebuild-his-broken-home-town | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982247 | 1,018 | 1.5 | 2 |
Do fruit smoothies help prevent breast cancer? While your sweet tooth may wish that were true, there doesn't seem to be much scientific evidence that sweets stave off disease. But those who like to indulge in a frosty treat when the warm weather hits could consider frequenting Planet Smoothie to benefit breast cancer awareness
The chain, which has locations all over the country, is now offering a Pink Promise Smoothie. The proceeds from the menu item will be donated to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation, one of the most successful breast cancer foundations in the country.
Regardless of sales, Planet Smoothie has agreed to donate at least $100,000 to the organization within the first year of their partnership.
"A relationship with such a notable, altruistic organization as Susan G. Komen for the Cure is a crowning moment in our 15-year-history,"said Tra Williams, president of Planet Smoothie. "So much so that we felt it was important to develop a product that benefits the women who fight the fight everyday against breast cancer."
Williams added that the company made an extra effort to ensure that the Pink Promise Smoothie was a healthy option for those who wanted to support the cause. The cold snack does not contain any refined sugars and is yogurt based. | <urn:uuid:f0d60afb-692d-4649-9eee-9dd795fff9b0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thehungersite.com/clickToGive/bcs/article/Planet-Smoothie-offers-Pink-Promise-option-to-benefit-breast-cancer-awareness176 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955857 | 262 | 2.234375 | 2 |
Boyd developed this diagram to explain to new fighter pilots how allocate their energies to defeat their enemies and thus find survive dogfights. Boyd emphasized that the observe-orient-decide-act loop is actually a set of interacting loops that are kept in continuous operation during combat. He explained that the phase of the battle has affected the allocation of one's individual energies. Consider a fighter pilot being scrambled to shoot down an invading aircraft.
Before the enemy aircraft is within visual contact range, the pilot will be analyzing information to determine the nationality of the attacker and reviewing his own previous experience that tells him who might attack at this time. Once the there is an indication of the likely identity of the attacker, the pilot will be considering information pertaining to the cultural traditions that may come into play. Perhaps the likely genetic heritage of the presumed attacker will make the pilot consider possible issues of body mass, reaction to lower than normal levels of oxygen, etc. Therefore, even before the enemy comes into view, the pilot is looking at several scenarios that suggest themselves and forming analyses and syntheses. At this point, although the pilot has the time to be contemplative, he must also keep alert to his radio for more information and keep alert to unfolding circumstances.
When the enemy aircraft comes into radar contact, more information about the speed, size, maneuverability, etc. of the aircraft becomes available. Unfolding circumstances become much more important and it becomes imperative to make a first decision based on known information. The pilot is observing the actions of the enemy aircraft and is orienting and analyzing the data. All this leads to the pilot taking an action and then reacting to the unfolding interaction with environment. When the dogfight begins, there is little time to devote to orienting unless some new information pertaining to the actual identity of the attacker comes into play. At this point, the information is cascading in real time, and the pilot does not have time to process it consciously, he just acts according to his training.
If the opponent is any good, he is going through the same cycle. The trick for our pilot is to interfere with the opponent's OODA cycle. This means the pilot must change his speed, direction, altitude, etc. quicker than the opponent can change his. The pilot must think and act quicker than the opponent can think and act. This is one meaning of the phrase "getting inside the opponent's OODA cycle." The other meaning derives from the military strategies first developed in Sun Tzu's Art of War. It involves getting inside the opponent’s cycle and thinking processes by creating opportunities for the opponent to see react to an action as though it were something else, causing him to react inappropriately. A key is to obscure your intentions and make them unpredictable to your opponent while you simultaneously clarify his intentions. Act quicker to change circumstances faster than your opponent may adapt or react to. Create confusion and disorder to cause opponent to over or under-react to situations that appear to uncertain, ambiguous, or incomprehensible. | <urn:uuid:11c121a4-1cf7-4666-8f0f-bd8bcefb9fd2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://tkdtutor.com/articles/topics/owners/98-leadership/1283-boyd-s-decision-ooda-cycle?showall=&start=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00055-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962895 | 608 | 3.203125 | 3 |
Jul 17th 2010 By: CA Staff
Fredrik Strömberg is a comic book historian who heads the Comic Art School of Sweden. The following passage is taken from his new book, "Comic Art Propaganda."
One of the most successful series of religious comics of all time is the Spire Christian Comics, and this mostly due to the conversion to Christ of professional cartoonist Al Hartley. In 1967 Hartley went to a prayer meeting and, moved by the sermon, "turned his life over to God―lock, stock, and drawing board." Within ten years he had converted twenty-six family members and dropped the secular comics he had been producing to focus on doing evangelical work through his comics.
At first he tried to inject Christian thought into the Archie comics he was working on, but was told by the publisher to tone down that aspect. Then came the opening he had hoped for, when the publisher Fleming H. Revell asked him to make comic books with stated Christian content. The series-with titles like There's a New World Comics, The Cross and the Switchblade, and God's Smuggler-was very successful and Hartley made about sixty Christian comics, including Bible story adaptations, biographical adaptations, and "Kiddies Christian Comics," all through the 1970s.
Of all these, one of the most memorable is Hansi: The Girl Who Loved the Swastika from 1973. This is the story of a young girl in Sudetenland, who, when the Germans invaded, was pleased because they brought books to read. Soon she wins an award for being a good student and is sent to Prague to become leader of the Hitler Youth. All through this, she is an undying believer in the Nazi party, saying things like, "We are nothing . . . The Reich is everything!" on being confronted with a disillusioned, blind soldier coming home from the front. When the war turns, she is put in a Russian labor camp, where all the women are raped at night except Hansi, who is deemed "too skinny." After escaping, she finally finds her way to an American camp, where to her surprise she is treated decently by the gum-chewing soldiers. After the war, she builds a new life together with her old love, but they are not happy until he brings home a Bible and they are rejuvenated by its message. Finally they move to America, where Hansi is astounded by the decadent lifestyles but sets out to love this country, which is, after all, "one nation under God," and runs Christian support groups in prisons and halfway houses all across California.
It's quite a fascinating story and becomes even more so when you know that it was based on a true story. The Hansi comic book was part of a series of biographies of famous Christians in the 1970s, like the musician Johnny Cash, the football coach Tom Landry, and the concentration-camp survivor Corrie ten Boom. The Hansi comic book was based on the autobiography of Maria Anne Hirschmann, who actually lived through most of what is described in the comic.
OK, so it's based on a true story, but the treatment of the story is questionable. First, it's published by a Christian publishing company, so the moral should be quite obvious. Yet, here we meet a girl who at first only believes in the Bible, then suddenly only believes in Mein Kampf, and then goes back to only believing in the Bible. Not much of a statement for free thinking . . . And then there's the moral of the experience with the Russians, where Hansi is kept "pure" all the way through and is saved, but the other women who were raped were "rewarded" by being shot when they tried to escape.
The way Hansi is drawn throughout this comic is also problematic. Since she is supposed to be a pure and true "bride of Christ," she is not allowed to age noticeably in the comic, which is a problem when the story stretches on for decades. The real clincher is the last scene, when Hansi is giving a speech to the inmates of an American prison, retelling her life's experience and commenting that "None of you were born then"-but still looking like she did during World War II.
Fredrik Strömberg is a comic book historian who heads the Comic Art School of Sweden. This passage is taken from his new book, "Comic Art Propaganda." | <urn:uuid:b4f87a4e-af78-4abd-b387-b9bec11b4952> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.comicsalliance.com/2010/07/17/comic-art-propaganda-explored-hansi-the-girl-who-loved-the-swa/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980134 | 919 | 1.71875 | 2 |
When Mexican poet Javier Sicilia channeled the spirit of Martin Luther King to confront the failed drug war
Mexican poet Javier Sicilia leads the “Caravan for Peace” to the steps of City Hall in Downtown Manhattan.
By ARTURO CONDE
“The numbers do not say anything,” said the Mexican poet Javier Sicilia last Thursday evening, speaking at a New York City vigil for the victims of the drug war in Mexico. “They are abstractions. No one can imagine 70,000 faces.”
Sicilia and the Caravan for Peace have traveled over 6,000 miles nationwide, through more than 25 cities — including Los Angeles, Santa Fe, Houston, Atlanta, Chicago, and New York — to make Americans aware that behind every drug addict, behind every gun that is purchased by organized crime in the United States, and behind the U.S. and Mexican governments’ drug policies, is the pain and suffering of thousands of families.“That is why we have come here,” the poet said, referring to New York, “so that they [Americans] can look at us… and see each of our pains… so that they could see through our faces, and multiply them by 70,000, multiply them by all the families that this war has destroyed.”
Addressing a crowd of students, activists, drug war victims, and community leaders from the United States and Mexico, among other people, at Upper Manhattan’s Riverside Church—a place steeped with history in the fight for social justice and African American civil rights—Sicilia spoke slowly and deliberately, giving each word a profound meaning. His speech that evening recalled the powerful words of Martin Luther King, who, in the same storied location, also rallied likeminded listeners against the atrocities of war in 1967.
“I come to this magnificent house of worship tonight because my conscience leaves me no other choice,” King said, calling for an end to the Vietnam War. Like Sicilia, the reverend challenged his audience to speak out against a foreign policy that victimized innocent people. “Silence is betrayal,” King quoted from a statement. Sicilia echoed that sentiment 45 years later by reminding listeners that when they fail to denounce unjust government policies that cause the suffering and death of thousands of people, they become complicit.
The victims of drug violence are rarely visible. And in the United States, drug-related crimes and associated health problems are often misrepresented as a foreign issue. But according to a fact sheet compiled by the Drug Policy Alliance, the war on drugs has created a national crisis. While the United States spends more than $51 billion annually on its drug war budget, 32,000 people are still infected every year with HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C by sharing contaminated syringes. In 2009, 37,485 people died from legal and illicit drug use.
The drug war also targets minority communities disproportionately. While blacks and Latinos use and sell drugs at similar rates as whites, they account for nearly 67 percent of all people incarcerated in state prisons. Government surveys of high school seniors show that even when blacks and Latinos use drugs like marijuana at lower rates than whites, they still face significantly higher incarceration. While whites, for instance, make up over 46 percent of the population in New York City, they only account for 12 percent of marijuana possession arrests. By comparison, blacks and Latinos together make up nearly 53 percent of the city’s population, but they account for 84 percent of those arrested for marijuana possession.
The vigil at Riverside Church compelled listeners to see and feel the consequences of the drug war in both Mexico and the United States through the testimonies of victims on both sides. Carol Eady, an African-American mother who was formerly incarcerated in New York for selling drugs, humanized the drug war crisis by describing it as a public health issue.
“Many women in New York, all over the United States, and probably all over the world, are usually incarcerated for nonviolent drug offenses,” Eady said. “And instead of treating [these] occurrences as health hazards or diseases where we turn to drugs to medicate our pain, they [authorities] lock us up. As a result, I myself became separated from my children, my family, my home, because I turned to drugs to medicate my own pain.”
During his time in New York City, Sicilia presented an HSBC branch with a suitcase full of “blood money”: Dollar bills dotted in red.
At other moments, the testimonies from drug war victims reminded the congregation that both Americans and Mexicans need to unite as “good neighbors” to overcome the walls of silence and indifference that alienate victims. When Melchor Flores Landa, a Mexican father who lost his son in the drug war, lamented how his voice is being drowned out by pain, the congregation chanted in support, “You are not alone.”
This solidarity between neighbors, Sicilia pointed out at the end of his speech, is the cornerstone for a new policy that could drive the United States and Mexico on a path towards peace. The poet and the caravan hoped to renew the community spirit that King praised in 1967 for pushing forward “new systems of justice and equality.”
“The shirtless and barefoot people of the land are rising up as never before,” said the reverend. “‘The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light,’” he quoted from the Gospel of Matthew (4:16).
Following that light towards peace, the congregation marched out of Riverside Church at the end of the vigil with candles in hand. They filed into rows of four people each on the street, and set forward into the humid night to Saint Cecilia Church in East Harlem, a majority Latino neighborhood with a growing Mexican population. Along the way, they passed project housing and rent-controlled apartment buildings where black and Latino residents have been detained for nonviolent drug offenses in recent decades. And at that moment, when marchers chanted, “El pueblo callado jamás será escuchado” (“A silent community will never be heard”), New York could have been Mexico, Vietnam, or any other place ravaged by war, including 1941 Auschwitz in Sicilia’s 2012 novel “El fondo de la noche” (“The Depth of Night”).
The next morning, Sicilia and the caravan suffered a setback. While they attracted the attention of numerous media outlets during a press conference on the steps of City Hall, Mayor Bloomberg neither accepted nor declined to meet with them. And now, that the caravan has reached its final stop in Washington, D.C., they hope that they will have better luck with President Obama and other politicians, so that they can break through the indifference of government and rally support for more humane policies that benefit the people. | <urn:uuid:98ea23b0-f544-47c3-9087-4c2591d2f823> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.caravanforpeace.org/caravan/?p=3448&lang=es | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955099 | 1,431 | 2.765625 | 3 |
The tradition of gift-giving to commemorate a birth has long roots in England and India. The term "push present" first appeared in a publication in 1992. In 2005, when the Southeast-United States jewelry chain Mayors marketed diamond earrings with the line "She delivered your first born, now give her twins." Fortunoff, a jewelry and gift chain store, established a push present registry in 2007.
There is, however, no evidence that the present was invented by the jewelry industry to sell more goods, and until recently it was passed on largely by word of mouth or peer pressure among both mothers and fathers. According to Linda Murray, the executive editor of BabyCenter.com, "It’s more and more an expectation of moms these days that they deserve something for bearing the burden for nine months, getting sick, ruining their body. The guilt really gets piled on." Other sources trace the development of the present to the increased assertiveness of women, allowing them to ask for a present more directly, or the increased involvement of the men in pregnancy, making them more informed of the pain and difficulties of pregnancy and labor.
A 2007 survey of over 30,000 respondents by BabyCenter.com found that 38% of new mothers received a push present, and 55% of pregnant mothers wanted one. About 40% of both groups claimed that the baby itself is already a present and did or do not wish an additional reward.
The trend has generated a backlash, as some couples dislike the implicit materialism of push presents, and would prefer increased help in chores or baby care, or save the money for the child's education.So, my question is - Did you get or are you getting a push present? If so, what was it or will it be?
Obviously, baby Patterson is quite a blessing and miracle to us after five years of TTC. I would be completely happy not getting anything else at delivery except a healthy baby. But, there is always talk of the push present on babycenter.com so I'm wondering how many people actually get one. The other thing I am curious about is - Did you get or are you getting the father-to-be a special gift once the baby is born? | <urn:uuid:57619346-d419-4357-ad7a-a6dd6a65b968> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://japatterson.blogspot.com/2010_01_01_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969109 | 452 | 2.09375 | 2 |
The Status of Masajid
By: Shaheed Ayatullah Abdul Husain Dastghaib Shirazi
Every building that is designated as a Mosque by one or other sects of the Muslims is deserving of respect. Its respect is Wajib and its disrespect, like demolishing it or making it impure is a Greater Sin. Every religious person knows that a Mosque is associated with the Almighty Allah (S.w.T.).
“And that the mosques are Allah’s,” (Surah al-Jinn 72: 18)
Therefore disrespect of a mosque is an act of insult towards Allah, the blessed and the High.
Abu Basīr the narrator says that he asked Abu Abdillah Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) for the reason why respect of mosques is obligatory? Imam (a.s.) said that it was because a mosque is the house of Allah on earth.
According to traditions the Almighty Allah says, that, ‘Mosques are My houses on the earth. How fortunate are those who perform Wuzu in My house and they visit Me in My house in a state of ritual purification. In these circumstances it is Wajib for the master of the house to honour the guests who visit him. To convey the good news of light (Nūr) that I will bestow on the day of Qiyāma upon those who leave their homes to go to the mosques in the darkness of the night. (Wasa’il ul-Shia)
All the faithfuls consider disrespect of mosques a Greater Sin. The Holy Qur’an has mentioned breaking of a Masjid an act of disrespect to it and considered it one of the serious types of injustices.
“And who is more unjust than he who prevents (men) from the Masajid of Allah, that His name should be remembered in them and strives to ruin them?” (Surah al-Baqarah 2: 114)
We shall now explain in brief the various legal rulings with regard to Masjids.
Polluting a Masjid is Harām
It is Harām to make a Masjid najis. Also it is Harām to take any absolute Najis thing (Ain al-Najasat) inside a Mosque, lest it pollutes the Masjid. And even if the Masjid is not polluted it would be an act of defilement. The same rule applies to things that have become polluted (Najis) due to their contact with Ain al-Najasat, even if they are dry, and they will not pollute the mosque, it is Harām in all cases. But if it neither pollutes the Masjid nor is it an act of disrespect, it is permissible. However, on the basis of precaution Ain al-Najasat must not be taken inside the Masjid under any circumstances.
Purification of Masjid is Wajib
Purifying the Masjid immediately is Wajib, such that it should not be generally considered as wilful delay or heedlessness. Immediately means that if there is some time for the prayer it should be purified before prayers. It should also be clear that purifying the Masjid is incumbent not only on the person who has polluted it, but it is a Wajib al-Kifai on all Muslims. It is Wajib to bear the expenses even if it is a costly matter. If one cannot bear the cost alone it is incumbent on him to ask help from others.
Staying in the Mosque in a state of Janabat, Haiz or Nifas
A Junub person, a woman in haiz or Nifas is not permitted to stay in a mosque. Thus the Holy Qur’an says,
“Nor when you are under an obligation to perform a bath — unless (you are) travelling on the road — until you have washed yourselves.” (Surah an-Nisā’ 4: 43)
In other words a Junub person is allowed to pass through a mosque from one door and out of another. He cannot come out from the same door nor leave anything inside the mosque. However, in the case of Masjidul Harām, Masjidun Nabi and Masjidul Aqsa the Junub persons and haiz and Nifas women cannot even pass through them.
Lighting a lamp in Masjid, keeping it absolutely clean and pure, entering it with the right foot forward and leaving it with the left foot first are all recommended (Mustahab) acts. Before entering we must ensure that our shoes are not najis, lest the Masjid becomes najis due to it. Enter the Masjid in a state of ritual purification (Ghusl and Wuzu). Wear the best dress, apply perfume and pray two rakat prayers of saluting the mosque.
Detestable (Makrūh) Acts
Passing through a mosque is Makrūh without reciting at least two rakats of prayers. We must not throw nasal discharge and sputum in the mosque. Also makrūh are the following acts: sleeping in the mosque, raising ones voice except in Azan (call for prayer), announcing lost property loudly, or asking something from a person, reciting poetry that does not contain any moral lessons. Discussing worldly matters and business transactions are makrūh in a Masjid. We must not go to the mosque after eating onion, garlic or anything that creates a foul breath. We must also avoid taking young children and insane persons inside the mosque.
Different Grades of Mosques
The most sacred and honourable mosque is Masjidul Harām. A prayer inside this Masjid equals one hundred thousand prayers in ordinary Masjids. The next in status is Masjidun Nabi (of Madinah). A prayer performed in it equals ten thousand prayers in ordinary ones. Next in line are Masjids of Kufa and Aqsa. A single prayer offered in these mosques carry the reward of one thousand prayers in other Masjids. After this the Jama Masjids of the city carry great merit. And prayers in Jama Masjids are hundred times more rewarding than prayers in other places. After Jama Masjid the main Masjid of the area deserve greater respect because a single prayer in it equals twenty five prayers. Last of all is the Masjid in market, wherein prayers earn the worshipper twelve rewards in comparison to one reward of other prayers | <urn:uuid:fc19a91b-cfea-4c88-8172-6e1c72908960> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.imamreza.net/eng/imamreza.php?id=7252 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931215 | 1,393 | 2.296875 | 2 |
Posted in: Preaching
Preaching the Mission - Editing
Preaching the Mission: Click to View Series
In 2007, Darrin Patrick (Lead Pastor - The Journey) spoke at the Seattle Boot Camp on "Preaching the Mission." Here is an excerpt from his talk where he explains the last step in sermon preparation - editing.
A couple of questions preachers should ask themselves during this stage of sermon preparation are:
Editing – Streamlining content for effective communication
- How can I apply the principle “less is more”?
- How can I be faithful to the text and preach it to the level of the congregation?
You can hear the full version of Darrin Patrick's Preaching the Misson here. | <urn:uuid:d4dc00a2-10f1-44e7-8ac9-956523952527> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.acts29network.org/acts-29-blog/preaching-the-mission-editing/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.906181 | 153 | 1.585938 | 2 |
If you hear a loud rattling noise when you put your car in reverse neutral or drive at low speeds, there are a number of different issues that could be causing the sound. Most likely, the noise is due to a loose component knocking against other parts of the car, but it could also point to other issues under the hood.
First things first - figure out where the sound is coming from. You can do this by starting the engine and leaving the transmission in park while the motor idles. Walk around the car to see if you can figure out where the sound is coming from. You may need to pop the hood to more easily locate the source. If the sound is coming from the engine area, you may be dealing with loose or broken engine mounts or brackets holding the exhaust pipe or other parts in place. To check these, you will likely need to jack up the car and manually inspect the mounts for damage.
When the noise seems to be emanating from the rear end of the vehicle, the catalytic converter might be to blame. Inside the converter, there is a honeycomb-like ceramic filter coated with catalysts that neutralize harmful toxins as they pass through the exhaust system to reduce emissions. This porous plate can break, and the shards will rattle around in the converter, which may lead to a rattling noise when your car is idling or traveling at low speeds.
Another possible cause is that the timing chain is loose. Not all cars have timing chains, but your owner's manual should contain this information if you're not sure about your particular make and model. A loose chain will not just cause rattling, but you may also hear ticking or slapping noises. If your vehicle has a timing chain and you suspect this is the source of the sound, you can test your theory by revving the engine. The sounds will change as the RPMs rise and fall.
There are a number of other issues that could be causing the sound, such as a cracked flyplate in a car with automatic transmission or a clutch going bad. A failing clutch might result in part of the system becoming disconnected. It will then bounce around and create a racket inside the transmission housing.
If the sound comes from the wheels, you might be dealing with loose brake calipers or brake pads, which will result in more of a clicking sound than a rattle. While you're in the area, you can also inspect the tie rods that connect the car's steering system to the wheels. They have ball joints at one end, which can cause a rattling noise when they wear out.
In fact, the ball joints in the suspension system could be the cause of the issue as well. The suspension ball joints are designed to withstand a lot of pressure from the car's constant bouncing, and the metal-on-metal part requires lots of grease to move freely. When the ball joints wear out, the result will be a loud rattling or knocking sound, which will be most noticeable when driving over bumps or dips in the road.
Other parts, such as control arm bushings and frame bushings, may cause loud noises if they wear out or are damaged. Bushings are rubber pieces designed to prevent metal parts from rubbing against one another. You can also check to see if the rattling only occurs when the air conditioner is on. There is a clutch that engages the system when you turn the air conditioner on, and if it fails, you may hear a knocking sound. | <urn:uuid:9af15366-6bfb-44be-b729-30c7b4be34ed> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/app/newsfeed/detail?article=800706939 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953521 | 705 | 2.4375 | 2 |
There ain't no such thing as a free lunchApr 16, 2001 (Updated Oct 31, 2010) Write an essay on this topic.
The Bottom Line Read the fine print
There are a few things I remember from high school. One of them is the acronym, TANSTAAFL. For those that can’t resist the urge to hand me a handkerchief, it stands for There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch. The same thing applies to Internet service. You may find a company that claims that they’ll allow you access at no cost, but there’s always a catch.
Free ISPs have to make their money somehow. This is usually done in the form of an ad bar that’s constantly showing while you’re connected. Those that have used Juno’s free service are familiar with this. Advertisers pay to have the ISP show you a banner for a span of maybe 60 seconds or so. The ISP gets paid by the advertisers and that money hopefully is enough to cover their bills. If it’s not, the ISP may close its doors and you’re on to finding the next free ISP.
Some, like Juno, have a free version and a paid version. If I recall, Juno currently doesn’t allow free members to even access the web. All you get is an email address that you have to access by some other means. Back in the day, though, you could get online with the ad bar or pay to have the bar removed. Those that didn’t pay were generally at the mercy of the paying customers. If too many people were online and you were deemed to have used too many hours, you got kicked off. (I really don’t know what the standard was for too many hours.)
Of course, all this requires that you have a computer, a modem and a phone line. If you are lacking in any of these areas, you can always go to your local library and see if they’ll let you use their computers to connect to the Internet. Most libraries that I’ve been to do have this option, but it’s not guaranteed. Even if they do have computers with Internet access, you’ll need to have a library card there. Once you get one, you usually have to sign up and wait for an available computer.
It’s becoming more frequent for businesses, usually restaurants such as McDonalds and Panera, to offer free Wi-Fi. This means that if you have your own laptop, you can bring it there and access the Web for free. Of course, this means shelling out the money for a laptop (or other similar device) or borrowing someone else’s. Plus, you have to drag it all the way over there and hope that you can find a seat. I’ve done this a few times, but I always feel the need to buy something. (Note: Some libraries have free Wi-Fi at no cost, regardless of your status.)
There are a few things that you have to keep in mind when accessing the Web for free. First, don’t count on customer service. After all, you’re accessing the Web for free. Not only that, but if you’re in a Panera, Panera may not be the one actually providing the service. They are probably contracting with someone else, who may or may not be able to send someone out immediately.
Also, don’t count on high speeds. If you’re accessing the Web for free at home, the ISP probably won’t provide you with a great connection. If you want a great connection, you have to pay for it. (I don’t think anyone offers cable Internet for free.) If you’re using Wi-Fi at the library or Starbucks, you may be sharing your connection with two people or two dozen. If you’re sharing with two dozen, even the best connection will lag.
As with many things, read the fine print. Epinions may even have the service available for review. Yes, it’s free, but it’s usually free for a reason.
|Write the first comment on this review!|
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Learn something new every day More Info... by email
Impact velocity is essentially the effective velocity at which an object is traveling at a moment in which it impacts another object. This can be expressed somewhat simplistically for situations in which outside forces are being ignored or are not present as the absolute value of the sum of the velocities of both objects. When other forces on the two objects are considered, such as the force of gravity, friction, wind resistance and similar outside forces, then the value of the velocity at the moment of impact is significantly more complicated. Impact velocity can be determined for any two objects that come into contact with each other.
In order to easily understand impact velocity, it is important to first understand what velocity refers to in general. Velocity is a measurement of the distance an object can travel over a given period of time and is typically measured in meters per second (m/s). While velocity is similar to speed, the two terms cannot necessarily be utilized synonymously since velocity can also indicate the direction in which an object is traveling relative to another point of reference. This means that an object with positive velocity and an object with negative velocity within the same system are traveling in opposite directions; speed is not indicative of direction and typically cannot be a negative value.
The impact velocity of an object is essentially the velocity at which an object is traveling when it comes into contact with another object. For example, if a rock is traveling in a vacuum devoid of other forces upon it, and it impacts another rock that is at rest, then the impact velocity is the velocity of the rock when it strikes the rock at rest. If the rock in the previous example was traveling at 100 m/s and struck another rock that was traveling at 40 m/s toward it, then the impact velocity would be 140 m/s since the absolute value of both velocities are added together to determine the effective velocity at the moment of impact.
In more complicated systems, determining the impact velocity can become more difficult. This is because other forces often play upon an object, and over time these forces can affect the velocity at which it is traveling. A bullet fired downward at an angle from a rooftop toward an apple sitting on the ground, for example, would have an initial velocity when it is fired and be affected by the force of gravity, which would increase its velocity by pulling it downward. Wind resistance against the surface of the bullet would also alter the impact velocity once the bullet struck the apple, and all of these forces would need to be considered to create an accurate model for this type of system. | <urn:uuid:c39fc2e4-3bfb-48e5-ad0d-d25dbf291193> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-impact-velocity.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960624 | 523 | 4.15625 | 4 |
At 13,666 feet, Midway Mountain is the highest peak in the Great Western Divide, the prominent subrange west of the Sierra Crest. It forms part of the boundary between Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. This is a very remote peak.
In July, 1912 by Francis Farquhar, William Colby, and Robert Price first ascended Midway Mountain. Midway makes a nice peakbagging doubleheader with neighboring Milestone Mountain. The most commonly climbed routes on Midway, which are rated Class 2 and 3, are not technically challenging and require persistence rather than skill. Still, the summit offers nice views of the Kern Kaweah Divide, the Sierra Crest, and Milestone and Table Mountains. It is less climbed than Milestone and is often overlooked.
There are five described routes:
* The class 2 West Slope Route, originating from the Lake 11,522 area (see below);
* The class 3 Traverse from Milestone Mountain originating from the summit of Milestone Mountain;
* A class 4 route along the South Ridge; and,
* Two I, 5.7 routes, one route originating from the right of a large dihedral and another route on the South Ridge.
For more information on routes, see R.J. Secor, The High Sierra: Peaks, Passes, and Trails or Steve Roper, The Climber’s Guide to the High Sierra (out of print).
For the West Slope route: take Highway 180 from Fresno. Continue on Highway 180 through Grant’s Grove for approximately 30 miles until reaching the trailhead where the road ends in Kings Canyon (Road's End Trailhead). Start hiking on the Bubbs Creek trail for 4 miles. Continue south up Sphinx Creek trail and over Avalanche Pass for 12 miles. Hike another 10 miles up Cloud Canyon until reaching a creek flowing into Colby Lake from the east. Leave the trail and hike up slabs and ramps that loosely follow the creek. The creek forks after a tenth of a mile. Take the north fork of the creek until reaching Lake 11,522. Follow the lake around the northern shore then head northeast for 1/2-mile.
For the Traverse from Milestone: see the Northwest Face of Milestone route description.
For Road's End Trailhead entry, climbers must either pay a $10 entrance fee for Kings Canyon National Park or present an annual National Parks Pass. In addition, overnight wilderness visitors must obtain a wilderness permit at the trailhead or pay $15 and reserve a permit in advance. Information on permit reservations is available online.
Overnight visitors approaching from the Shepherd Pass Trailhead must obtain an Inyo National Forest wilderness permit. Permits may be obtained at the Mt. Whitney Ranger Station, located in Lone Pine, California. Permits may also be reserved in advance by paying a $5/person fee. Information on permit reservations is available online.
Advance permit reservations are recommended since many trailheads, including the Road's End and Shepherd's Pass Trailheads, are subject to use quotas that are often filled many months in advance.
When To Climb
The best time to climb is July -October, depending on snow conditions. Winter climbs are difficult because of the mountain's remote location. Highway 180 in Kings Canyon National Park past Grant's Grove is closed in the Winter.
Colby Lake, elevation 10,584, makes a fine base camp from the west side. Cedar Grove, located 5 miles from Roads End trailhead, has several campgrounds. There is also camping available in the Milestone Creek Basin for the East Side approach.
Kings Canyon visitor information: (559) 565-3341
Updated weather information is also available. | <urn:uuid:872b72aa-db3a-4312-bb12-7a93f4e92118> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.summitpost.org/midway-mountain/151287 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.921143 | 761 | 1.8125 | 2 |
Prof. Emmanuel Harris Remembers Herman C. Hudson
April 20, 2003
April 20, 2003, Greencastle, Ind. - A newspaper story on a memorial service for Herman C. Hudson, the founding chairman of Indiana University's Afro-American studies department, includes a quote from one of his former students, who is now a DePauw University faculty member. The piece, entitled "Hudson remembered as visionary leader, mentor," was published in the Herald-Times of Bloomington, Indiana. It tells of the many students Hudson influenced during his 30-year career at IU. He passed away on February 17.
"One of those students, Emmanuel Harris, a professor of modern languages at DePauw University, said he was conscious of Hudson's influence when he earned his master's degree and his Ph.D. He shared the good news with Hudson when he got married and when his son was born," writes Steve Hinnefeld. Dr. Harris says of Hudson, "He looked out for us. He was a mentor, a friend, a father figure. And he kept us in line if we were slipping."
You can access the complete article online by clicking here.
Source: Bloomington (Ind.) Herald-TimesBack | <urn:uuid:b57f5768-570e-43f2-8f94-fc3fb82eba88> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.depauw.edu/news-media/latest-news/details/12631/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984067 | 256 | 1.742188 | 2 |
A Little Bit of Chicken Love
I have been asked if chickens feel. Emotions. Thoughts. Sometimes I am told whether they do or not (and when I *am* being told, it’s to let me know they don’t). I am unsure of the nuances and depth of chicken thought and feelings. I know they experience emotions, I have seen it. This is irrefutable to me. It is simple fact made complex by people.
Today I watched two animals bond. It was a simple act of comfort being offered and accepted. I cannot describe it in any other way.
There is a hen who has a bad eye. The eye, it squints. There is perhaps difficulty seeing. When she cannot see, she becomes uncomfortable in her skin. You can see it by the way she turns in circles, keeping her good eye to the world. When the good eye is turned the wrong way, towards the center of the circle, her world winnows down and she paces, circles, paces, circles. You want to reach out and help her but know quickly how flighty she is, how afraid of humans a hen from a battery cage operation becomes.
Her good eye suddenly catches sight of white, feather, fluff. The soft down of another bird. Carefully, she investigates. Sometimes those she seeks to touch retaliate with pecks or move away. Sometimes chickens are moody and cruel. She stands in front of the other bird, then sidles to the side – I am no threat, she says, remember me? The other bird appears to do so. She is an ex-battery cage hen too.
Under the misters, they touch. Squinty-eyed hen circles the seeing hen, leaning into her, deeply, superficially, but always touching. She drapes a head over her companion’s back. She touches the comb of her friend, gently. At one point, she falls deeply into the contours of the hen’s body, filling the small “s”. A perfect connection.
But this photo is my favorite moment. It is the second the hen with the squinty eye can totally relax it. She does not struggle to keep her bad eye open. She closes it. She has a friend.
A little note: The hen on the right is supposed to be white. It is hot today, the misters were on, and she kept cool by dust-bathing in red clay earth. | <urn:uuid:59a8cd28-d52c-41f9-a5be-2233e62ddd32> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://challengeoppression.com/2011/08/24/a-little-bit-of-chicken-love/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97714 | 518 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Dealing with Neighbourhood Issues
Before taking formal steps in reporting an issue, it is recommended that you attempt to contact your neighbour to discuss the problem and an appropriate resolution. This may require that you tactfully bring the concern to you neighbours notice when issues are sensitive.
Common issue include:
- smoke from wood-fired heaters (PDF file, 400kb).
- keeping poultry (PDF file, 110kb).
- air conditioner noise (PDF file, 128kb) - air conditioners are not permitted to be used between 10pm to 7am on weekdays or 10pm to 8am on weekends and public holidays.
- general noise issues.
- overgrown vegetation and derelict properties.
- accumalated rubbish and unsightly articles.
- poorly maintained private swimming pools.
If you are unable to resolve the matter by talking with your neighbour, a report can be made to Council on 4325 8222. It is important to relay all details of your concern, including action already taken and the related property address, to assist Council Officers.
Council recommends that you do not approach neighbours if you are concerned that they may become hostile. | <urn:uuid:18c48c87-f7a6-4066-a988-ae327f618fa4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gosford.nsw.gov.au/customer/env-health/neighbourhood-noise-complaints | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940785 | 240 | 1.96875 | 2 |
Staff Photo: Brendan Sullivan Level Creek Elementary students Jack Winwood, 9, bounces on a large ball as his classmate Jacob Laco, 7, explores a string lit beanbag chair in the new sensory room made for the roughly 20 students at the school with autism in Suwanee on Wednesday. The students are "level three" meaning they have mild autism and are high functioning. The room features a body sock, bubbles in a glass tube, acoustic vibration corner, a beanbag chair that has strings of lights and a crash pit.
SUWANEE -- Three weeks into the school year, two teachers at Level Creek Elementary already see the benefits of the school's new sensory room for students with autism.
The room, which has instructional resources that have been obtained through grants and donations, is available to about 20 students, who are "level three" students, which means they have mild autism and are high functioning, teacher Theresa Wiist said. There are four levels of autism that range from severe to highest functioning.
Wiist said Gwinnett County Public Schools uses the levels to better teach each student, whereas other school districts may lump all autistic students into one group, which could range from mild to severe, or students who are able to take an assessment test with others who need to learn their phone number.
"We're blessed in Gwinnett to have those levels," Wiist said.
GCPS caps each autism class size to a maximum of 14 students per teacher, Wiist said.
The resources include a body sock, bubbles in a glass tube, acoustic vibration corner, a beanbag chair that has strings of lights and a crash pit. Those items cost about $10,000, with $3,000 of that coming from a grant from the North Gwinnett Schools Foundation in the spring. Principal Nancy Kiel said a top-of-the-line sensory room could cost about $80,000.
Wiist, who teaches third grade through fifth grade, works with Paige Brandon, who teaches kindergarten through second grade at Level Creek.
"If they need to get some energy out, they can just jump right into the crash pit. They can also, if they need to feel safe and snug, they can crawl underneath it," Brandon said. "It's dark under there and it helps to soothe and calm them. You can help get your energy out so you can regulate and get ready to work. The whole goal is to get into a range where you're ready to work."
The teachers allow a maximum of four students in the sensory room at a time, and they're allowed 10 minutes at a time. Wiist said they don't want the students to associate the room with a play area. The students need the room to be able to better focus on their work.
"Behavior-wise, getting the work done, it's a good motivating tool," she said. "We don't have a lot of data yet for it, but I know my kids are in heaven."
The need for the room varies for each student, but Wiist said they use it as part of a work-reward system.
"My students will work to earn this," she said. "If we see them melting down, we bring them in here before the melt down to try to get them back. If I have a student who has a lot of work and I want to motivate them to finish it, I'll be like, 'OK, if you can get through this math page, you can go in the sensory room.' And they will get through it because they love coming in here." | <urn:uuid:454f6f98-bb0d-48a8-a29b-a04bac3b70ff> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/news/2012/aug/25/sensory-room-paying-dividends-for-autism-students/?suwanee | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97299 | 738 | 2.15625 | 2 |
Culinary Program Now Cooking at LCCC
Interest in culinary arts has never been higher. Television is peppered with cooking programs and competitions. New restaurants open frequently, offering increasingly diverse menus. The growing popularity of culinary arts is encouraging many people to learn more about cooking—not only for personal enjoyment, but to turn their passion for cooking into a fulfilling career.
Many people begin their careers as food-preparation workers and work their way up to positions with more responsibility. Others can speed the process by enrolling in culinary training programs, such as the new program at Lorain County Community College.
New LCCC Associate of Arts Degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management - Culinary Arts Major
The LCCC associate of arts degree in culinary arts can prepare you for a career in the hospitality industry. From the preparation of simple dishes to the creation of international cuisine, you will learn a variety of cooking skills and techniques through intense hands-on instruction.
Students can now enroll in the program and take other core program and culinary courses.
Classes have begun in the new LCCC Culinary and Arts facility on the LCCC main campus. The facility includes three teaching kitchens, a dining lab, multi-use spaces and much more.
“The focus of the program is on cooking skills,” says Eric Petrus, program coordinator and executive chef at LCCC, “but it also gives students a solid foundation for other careers in the field. Food-service establishments need people who know how to order food and supplies, set work schedules and ensure that the business runs efficiently.”
Coursework includes food-service management, purchasing, human resources, food and beverage management, and even a course on managing your career. You will learn how to manage a dining room, and how to plan and market your menus.
But for most people, a culinary education is all about the food. You will learn to cook contemporary, international and New World cuisine. You will learn baking and pastry. You will leave LCCC with the skills you need to manage a commercial kitchen.
Job opportunities with a culinary degree include far more than just restaurants. Large catering operations are often located in hotels, conference centers and resorts. Food service is provided in institutional settings such as hospitals, residential care facilities and schools. Even grocery and specialty food stores include on-site bakeries and prepare meals for carryout.
Petrus says, “There is no question that a culinary career can be a demanding profession. But if you have a passion for cooking, as I do, there is not a better job in the world.”
For more information contact Judy Pietch at (440) 366-4187 or via email at email@example.com . Visit www.lorainccc.edu/culinary for additional information. | <urn:uuid:ac482d89-b1bf-4bb9-a0d7-3014dd676710> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lorainccc.edu/eoc/Culinary_Arts_Degree_Program.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951594 | 581 | 1.890625 | 2 |
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has widened its investigation into radiation overdoses that patients have received from a type of brain scan, suggesting that the problem may be a nationwide issue.
The agency announced Monday that it was looking into possible overdoses at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank and a hospital in Alabama.
Providence St. Joseph is now the third hospital in Los Angeles County under investigation for problems with CT brain perfusion scans, a procedure used most often to diagnose strokes.
Unlike the other cases, which involved scanners made by General Electric, the scanner at Providence St. Joseph was made by Toshiba -- adding a new dimension to the investigation.
"Given the fact that we are dealing with two manufacturers and multiple institutions, we wouldn't be surprised" to find problems elsewhere, said Dr. Jeffrey Shuren, acting director of the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health.
Angelo Bellomo, head of environmental health for the L.A. County Department of Public Health, said 34 patients appear to have received excessive radiation at Providence St. Joseph over a 20-month period ending in October.
The problem was discovered by Los Angeles County radiation safety inspectors and reported to the FDA last week, FDA and county officials said.
Patricia Aidem, a spokeswoman for the hospital, said she was unaware of any problems with the scans and that the hospital had always complied with dosing standards.
After overdoses were discovered at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in August, officials launched inspections of all 11 facilities in L.A. County that offer the scans. That review is now complete, so no more Los Angeles hospitals are likely to be added to the list of those affected, Bellomo said.
In Alabama, Becky Coudert, a 59-year-old teacher, received a CT brain perfusion scan Sept. 8 at Huntsville Hospital, according to her Valencia-based lawyer, Rick Patterson, who is representing several victims from Cedars-Sinai.
The scan ruled out that Coudert had suffered a stroke. But within weeks, there was a bald strip circling her head above the ears. Patterson said medical records indicated that she had received several times the appropriate radiation dose, even more than the patients at Cedars-Sinai.
Hospital officials did not return calls seeking comment.
The FDA on Monday instructed hospitals across the country to review radiation dosing guidelines for CT perfusion scans. That includes training CT technologists to check the scanner display panel before starting a scan.
The FDA estimated that 150,000 CT brain perfusion scans are performed each year in the United States.
Under normal circumstances, the procedure uses more radiation than most other CT scans. It lasts 45 seconds as the patient is injected with an iodine solution and a rapid series of X-rays are taken to create a detailed picture of blood flow in the brain.
The radiation overdoses expose patients to a higher risk of several problems, the most serious of which would be developing a brain tumor, although radiation experts said the chance of that is remote. Because the risk from radiation is cumulative and cancer can take decades to develop, younger patients who received multiple scans face the greatest danger.
Shuren said the FDA is still investigating whether the overdoses resulted from human error, problems with the machines or a combination.
In a statement Monday, Arvind Gopalratnam, a spokesman for GE, said that in all cases, "there were no malfunctions or defects in any of the GE Healthcare equipment involved."
Charlene Jacobs, a spokeswoman for Toshiba, said the company is cooperating with FDA investigators.
The first indication that anything was wrong with the scans came in August when Cedars-Sinai discovered that it had accidentally exposed more than 200 patients to eight times the normal radiation for the procedure.
The overdoses went undetected for 18 months, even as many patients lost hair as a result.
In November, a similar problem was discovered at Glendale Adventist Medical Center. The hospital said that over a 10-month period, 10 patients received up to four times the normal level of radiation.
At both Cedars-Sinai and Glendale Adventist, the overdoses began after the hospitals had reprogrammed their machines to use a new protocol -- a set of computerized instructions -- to control the scans.
State investigators were unable to determine who authorized the changes at Cedars-Sinai or who programmed the machines. Officials at Glendale Adventist said a GE technician oversaw the changes there. | <urn:uuid:37f1a2c5-8cac-4026-8e29-e7722bf6e2d3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://articles.latimes.com/2009/dec/08/local/la-me-ctscan8-2009dec08 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959436 | 924 | 1.890625 | 2 |
Frank by Eileen Healy, pastel drawing. Artist Daily Member Spotlight: Eileen Healy I don't think any of you know how often I brag about you and the great work you show off in the Artist Daily Member Gallery. Recently I had several colleagues looking over my shoulder at the computer screen as I showed...
We chose 10 finalists for our Drawing Magazine Cover Competition—and then easily named William Rose the winner, as he best showcased the skill level and imagination of our readers. View the winners of the Watercolor magazine 2008 cover competiton . Winners of the American Artist cover competition...
11 Sep 2008
Filed under: Filed under: oil painting, Pastel, life drawing, portrait painting, how to draw, sketching, Drawing Basics, Art, colored pencil, fantasy art, Artist Daily
This French master teaches us much about contours, portraiture, and how to draw people. by Mark G. Mitchell Portrait of Charles- François Mallet 1809, graphite, 10 9/16 x 8 5/16. Collection The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois. So that’s what Paganini looked like in his cravat...
The Drawing Blog
8 Feb 2008
Filed under: Filed under: drawing, art, Drawing Basics, pastel, how to draw, how to draw people, colored pencil, life drawing, Portrait Painting, Oil Painting, shading, Ink Drawing | <urn:uuid:28f10139-589d-4091-94a0-be04aabc40a9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.artistdaily.com/blogs/tags/Pastel/life+drawing/default.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934283 | 296 | 1.726563 | 2 |
Key Term Definitions
Acoustic Clarity Technology:
This Polycom patented technology allows you to enjoy instantaneous natural conversation. When paired with a full duplex speakerphone, echo is eliminated and both callers are able to speak simultaneously without experiencing voice dropouts. The voice clarity on conference systems that feature this technology is incredibly crisp and clear.
Dynamic Noise Reduction:
One of Polycom's signature features, Dynamic Noise Reduction (DNR) eliminates the unwanted background noise that plagues more traditional conferencing methods. This technology was first introduced in the 1980's and targeted noise reduction in long distance communications. DNR can cut down clatter by as much as 10 decibels and can be paired with similar systems. The Polycom systems that carry this feature provide the user with optimum microphone sensitivity while removing dynamic noise. DNR can really make a difference when conferencing with client's long distance, the level of professionalism will be much appreciated.
Full Duplex Operation:
The full duplex feature allows simultaneous flow of audio signals between your conferencing phone and that of the outside caller. Polycom systems carry a full duplex speakerphone, which can transmit and receive audio signals at the same time, in both directions.
All microphones have directional characteristics, which are determined by the way a microphone picks up sounds. Microphones can pick up signals from several directions or from one focused point. A cardioid microphone, the most popular of conferencing systems, picks up sound/signals primarily from the front of the microphone. When the pattern of cardioid sound pickup is graphed the shape resembles that of a heart, hence the name. These microphones focus on the sound in front of them and lessen ambient noise from the back or sides.
Intelligent Microphone Mixing:
This feature can be found in the Polycom extension microphones line, a great tool when conferencing with multiple people in the room. The intelligent microphone mixing technology makes it so the only microphone turned on for clear conferencing is the one closest to person speaking. Why have microphones that are not in use turned on, this only creates unwanted, static noise that interferes with communication. This intelligent Polycom feature eliminates the guessing game that comes with finding the correct microphone, simply start speaking and the system will recognize which device to turn on.
A digital, private branch eXchange (PBX) system connects the internal telephones of a private business. The job of a PBX is to maintain and establish a link between two users, disconnect the users and meter the call. These systems are meant for use in the workplace, not at the level of public phone companies or service providers. Every telephone in the business is wired to the PBX system; this is why an access code is required to dial outside numbers. With a digital PBX system a business can drastically reduce the number of telephone lines they must lease from a national service provider. | <urn:uuid:6e9f3b07-e3b5-4cf4-ba8c-6b94f2f58ede> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.101phones.com/details/10482/polycom-2200-17120-001.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927108 | 594 | 2.25 | 2 |
Washington marks first gay marriages
As midnight chimed in Washington state, a lesbian couple exchanged vows in the first of hundreds of mass weddings today - the first day that same-sex couples can legally marry there.
Washington, Maine and Maryland became the first US states to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples by a popular vote in November, in a leap forward for gay rights.
Washington's law went into effect on Thursday, when hundreds of couples lined up to apply for marriage licences, and the first legal same-sex weddings began today after a three-day waiting period required of all marriages expired.
Judge Mary Yu stepped up to wed a dozen couples at the King County Courthouse in downtown Seattle. The first couple to say "I do" were Sarah and Emily Cofer, a couple who have been together for over 10 years, the court said.
Judge Yu decided to work through the night, marrying couples at 30-minute intervals, because she felt they should not have to wait any longer to tie the knot, her bailiff and law clerk Takao Yamada said.
Mr Yamada told Reuters he was decorating Judge Yu's courtroom with "just a couple of flowers, nothing over the top. It's still a courtroom on Monday."
To accommodate the expected flury of weddings, Seattle's City Hall was set to wed 140 couples in a mass celebration later this morning.
The weddings come as US public opinion has been shifting in favor of allowing same-sex marriages, already made legal in six states and the District of Columbia by lawmakers or courts, although not previously via a popular vote. Another 31 states have passed constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage.
A Pew Research Center survey from October found 49 percent of Americans favored allowing gay marriage, with 40 percent opposed. Back in May, President Barack Obama became the first US president to say same-sex couples should be able to wed.
The weddings come as the US Supreme Court stepped into the fray over gay marriage on Friday by agreeing to review two challenges to federal and state laws that define marriage as between a man and a woman.
The high court agreed to review a federal law that denies married same-sex couples federal benefits that heterosexual couples receive, such as in taxes and immigration. It also took on a challenge to California's voter-approved gay marriage ban.
For same-sex couples now swapping vows in Washington state, the path to legalisation has been a rocky one. The state's Democratic-controlled legislature passed a bill to legalise gay marriage in February, and Democratic governor Christine Gregoire swiftly signed it into law.
But opponents gathered enough signatures to temporarily block the measure from taking effect and force the issue onto the state ballot. Voters, by 54 per cent to 46 per cent, ultimately approved gay marriage at the polls in November.
The 30-minute ceremonies that started at midnight in Judge Yu's courtroom were likely to be low-key, Yamada indicated. "It's not a throw-open the doors kind of thing," he added. | <urn:uuid:e9018738-8282-4f33-ab70-8e027c130b26> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.irishtimes.com/news/washington-marks-first-gay-marriages-1.753634 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962242 | 617 | 2.1875 | 2 |
- TechQuest Today Focuses on University
Harrisburg University of Science and Technology and new advances in telecommunications technologiesare the focus of the January edition of TechQuest Today, a new monthly television show featuring host Kelly Lewis, President and CEO of TechQuest-Pennsylvania. The 30-minute talk format presentation features guests from Pennsylvania’s varied technology companies and organizations discussing current technology-related issues or concerns, new technological developments and related subjects.
Jan 10, 2009
- Importance of University to STEM Education Focus of National Radio Show
Harrisburg University of Science and Technology’s president, Dr. Mel Schiavelli, will appear on the radio program, The Best of Our Knowledge, beginning January 12, 2009. Dr. Schiavelli was invited to provide an on-air essay about the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education to the nation’s economy, and the University’s mission. The segment (#956) will air on more than 130 radio stations in the U.S. between January 12 -19. It will appear on radio stations overseas, too.
Jan 10, 2009
- Learning Technologies Summer Clinic Welcomes Educators
Twenty-three middle school and high school educators from Central Pennsylvania school districts are spending this week taking part in the Learning Technologies Summer Clinic taught by Jim Gates, Instructional Technology Trainer with the Capital Area Intermediate Unit and Classrooms for the Future coach.
Jul 21, 2008
- Commencement and Partners Day Celebration Highlights University’s Significance
The graduating class is small compared to many universities, but it's part of something with historical significance. The Harrisburg University of Science and Technology handed out two Master of Science degrees and eight Bachelor of Science degrees to its second graduating class during its Commencement Exercises and Partners Day Celebration. More than 185 guests attended the event, which is considered the high point of the academic year.
May 18, 2008
- Degree Candidates for the Class of 2008
Harrisburg University of Science and Technology will hold its Commencement Exercises and Partners Day Celebration for the Class of 2008 at 6:30 p.m., May 15, in the Main Auditorium of the State Museum of Pennsylvania. The following is a list of degree candidates for the Class of 2008.
May 15, 2008
- Vice President for University Advancement to Attend Harvard Institute
The Harvard Graduate School of Education has selected Marcus Lingenfelter of Harrisburg University of Science and Technology to attend its prestigious Institute for Educational Management (IEM).
May 8, 2008
- University Mourns Loss of Trustee Clifford L. Jones
It is with deep sorrow that the Harrisburg University of Science and Technology and its Board of Trustees acknowledge the passing of Trustee Clifford L. Jones.
May 7, 2008
- Commencement Exercises and Partners Day Celebration
Beyond the typical joy and excitement of its Commencement Exercises on May 15, the University will recognize the many business mentors, corporate faculty, internship hosts, scholarship donors, and our strategic partner organizations. A special video commemorating our partners will air during the evening, and several dignitaries and leaders representing both the public and private sectors will participate in the event.
May 6, 2008
- University to Award Congressman Tim Holden Honorary Degree
Congressman Tim Holden will receive an honorary degree from Harrisburg University of Science and Technology during the University’s Second Commencement Exercises and Partners Day Celebration. The degree of Doctor of Public Service honoris causa will be conferred during the event, which is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m., May 15, in the Main Auditorium of the State Museum of Pennsylvania, located at 300 North Street in downtown Harrisburg.
Apr 29, 2008
- Governor Rendell to Serve as Commencement Speaker
The Honorable Edward G. Rendell, Pennsylvania’s 45th Governor, will give the Harrisburg University of Science and Technology commencement address on Thursday, May 15, at 6:30 p.m. in the State Museum of Pennsylvania.
Apr 28, 2008
- University Partnering with eBizITPA to Present Full Day of Comprehensive RFID Education
To help educate the marketplace on Radio Frequency Identification technology (RFID) , Harrisburg University of Science and Technology is hosting back-to-back RFID education courses presented by the RFID experts at the Center for eBusiness and Advanced IT (eBizITPA) and the RFID Center of Excellence at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College
The sessions will take place April 25, 2008 from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. at the University’s 304 Market Street Location.
Apr 4, 2008
- University's ACE Fellow Appointed to Leadership Role at California State University
Dr. Diedre L. Badejo, who completed a highly-competitive one-year American Council on Education Fellowship at Harrisburg University, has been named by California State University, East Bay, to lead its College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences.
Jan 25, 2008
- Construction Crews Hoist "Signed" Beam Into Place
Construction for our 16-story $73-million Academic Center, slated to open within the year, is on time and on budget. Crews recently mounted the "commemorative" steel beam, which was signed by some fifty remarkable individuals who have made major philanthropic investments in the University. The beam will permanently reside as part of the 16th floor structure and, as such, will not be covered with fire proofing. Therefore, this specially-prepared beam will be exposed and the signatures adorning it visible for all time.
Jan 10, 2008
- University Co-sponsors Capital Area Science and Engineering Fair
Harrisburg University of Science and Technology is joining with other area colleges and universities, the Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts and The Patriot-News to co-sponsor the Capital Area Science and Engineering Fair (CASEF).
Jan 8, 2008
- University Rising: Philanthropic Leaders Sign Final Beam
When engaged in any challenging, but worthwhile endeavor, it is important to take time to step back, reflect, and celebrate the milestones along the way. The 2007 Founder’s Day and Topping-off Celebration on December 12th was just such an opportunity.
Dec 13, 2007
- Academic Tower Reachest Highest Structural Point
The Harrisburg University of Science and Technology conducted a topping-off ceremony on December 12th for the University’s new Academic Center being built at the corner of 4th and Market Streets, with construction on the building now having reached its highest structural point.
Dec 12, 2007
- Biotech Day Showcases Bio Century
Nearly 230 educators, students and industry professionals gathered at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology to address education’s role in the “Bio Century” during Biotech Day, December 7th. Hosted by Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, the free event featured hands-on experiments, workshops, panel discussions, guest speakers, and other presentations. Biotech Day has become flagship event for education and industry. With its program of lectures, expert discussions, presentations and networking opportunities Biotech Day gave attendees access to decision makers from all areas of the biotechnology industry and education.
Dec 7, 2007
- Admissions Team Welcomes New Directors in 2008
Two experienced enrollment professionals will join the University in January 2008.
Dec 6, 2007
- Harrisburg U's Impact
The significance of the NSF grant was noted in a December 5th editorial in the Patriot-News. The editorial notes that the $2 million federal grant awarded to Harrisburg University is proof of the dynamic impact that an institution of higher learning can have on a community. The editorial is posted with permission from the Patriot-News.
Dec 5, 2007
- University Welcomes New Vice President for Student Services
Harrisburg University of Science and Technology is pleased to welcome Ms. Elizabeth Simcox, Esq., to the position of Vice President for Student Services. She joined the University on October 1, 2007.
As the chief student services officer for the University, Ms. Simcox is responsible for creating, maintaining and evaluating services and programs for its student community. She was formerly the Dean of Students and Director of Externship Programs at Widener University School of Law in Harrisburg, PA. Ms. Simcox joined the Harrisburg faculty at Widener University School of Law as a staff attorney in the Pennsylvania Civic Law Clinic in 1999 and accepted the position of Dean of Students in 2002.
Oct 3, 2007 | <urn:uuid:912f92e0-cfe3-439a-ab4f-1d65b0621fe3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.harrisburgu.net/news/headlines.php?page=36 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936214 | 1,783 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Column by Kyler Barton
The upcoming presidential election is the first time I have closely followed the Republican candidates who are vying for their party’s nomination. It has been interesting to observe the candidates debating issues mostly because their views indicate a dramatic shift in the GOP.
In 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower, a Republican, wrote the following in a letter to his brother: “Should any political party attempt to abolish Social Security, unemployment insurance and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history.”
But this is exactly what the modern GOP is doing. The general attitudes and values of the Republican presidential hopefuls reflect those of their party today.
The grotesque metamorphosis of the Republican Party is both bewildering and frightening to me. It is easy to forget, what with all the redistricting, attack ads and volumes of money pumped into campaigns by special interest groups, that those who hold elected positions are there to serve the U.S.
As the heat subsided from the debt ceiling debate last summer, Mike Lofgren published an article on the Truthout website. Lofgren worked as a staff member for the Republicans in the House and Senate for 16 years. He decided to quit due to the extreme behavior of the GOP, a party he described as becoming less political in nature and more like an apocalyptic cult.
The accusation may seem extreme; after all, Republicans are supposed to be conservative. In 2009, Rep. Eric Cantor described the GOP political strategy as “just saying no.” Rejecting big government is common practice for Republicans, but blocking anything but their own agenda further characterizes the GOP as an obstructionist party.
Lofgren points out that Congress used to be an efficient machine, producing and passing key legislation like the Medicare Act. Now Republican filibusters snarl even the most trivial and routine procedures. Democrats used this tactic when President George W. Bush was in office, but not nearly as often as the Republicans do now.
The Senate is an especially fragile body; its procedural rules are so complex, the Senate functions best only when members approach legislation and each other in good faith, Lofgren said. No wonder it has been so easily hijacked by the GOP.
A Republican staff member explained the method of interference to Lofgren. By constricting Congressional action, the GOP, forever against large and cumbersome government, would appear more rational and dynamic. By refusing to cooperate, Republicans could point at the failures of Congress and scream that the system was too bureaucratic and broken. Never mind the GOP is intentionally working to promote congressional inaction.
The sad part is it seems to be working. Last year, a Gallup poll issued Congress the lowest job approval rating in 40 years, with just 10 percent of those surveyed supporting the legislature.
Obstructing government action may seem like an obvious and transparent political stunt. If Republicans want to be the “party of no” and threaten to block all Democratic progress, it’s easy to do. Worse still, Lofgren notes how this tactic manipulates low-information voters and furthers cynicism toward the government.
Low-information voters just aren’t engaged in government activity that, whether they know it or not, affects them. The American public’s loss of interest and trust in domestic politics is something the GOP has managed to capitalize on. In some cases they encouraged it, Lofgren wrote. For example, in 1980 Ronald Reagan famously announced, “Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.”
TV host and political commentator Bill Maher discussed an intriguing phenomenon about public support for the modern GOP on his show “Real Time with Bill Maher.”
In July 2011, he mentioned how in every election, typically half of the nation’s population votes for Republicans.
“Now I understand why the Republicans get 1 percent of the vote—the richest 1 percent,” Maher said. “That other 49 percent, someone will have to explain to me.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkjbJOSwq3A
It seems to me like many of the people who vote Republican are voting against their own interests. While many members of the GOP claim to love America, both Lofgren and Maher question why modern Republicans have a habit of attacking laws and services that actually help Americans.
Maher lists some examples of GOP targets: environmental protection, health care, higher education and infrastructure. Lofgren points out Republicans even sabotage more significant programs, such as Social Security, by asserting such programs can’t be funded because of the deficit.
Before he departed from Capitol Hill, Lofgren identified the three key principles that guide the modern GOP: protecting the rich, romanticizing war and promoting religion.
On Sept. 16, 2010, House Speaker John Boehner said raising taxes on anyone, especially small businesses, is the wrong thing to do in a struggling economy. The problem this typical right-wing rhetoric ignores is the yawning disparity of wealth in this country. Boehner’s words may be a relief to small businesses and members of the middle and lower classes, but the upper class and rich corporations continue to accrue wealth, confident their earnings won’t be diminished by “excessive” taxes.
The shockingly high tax rate is another myth Republicans like to keep in their political discourse. Compared to a number of other countries, especially those that enjoy such benefits as socialized medicine, taxes in the U.S. are quite low. In addition, the tax code offers a number of loopholes and corporations have ways of dodging payments. Lofgren mentioned General Electric paid no taxes on its $14 billion profit in 2010.
The Republicans have done an excellent job covering up this fact. Lofgren explained even when a bill included a provision that would require CEOs to reveal their earnings, including bonuses, Republicans rose up in vehement opposition. The provision would not impact the CEO earnings at all, it would just make it easier for the public to see the figures. Such transparency could destroy, or at least threaten, the GOP story about the economy.
The Republicans have devised other stories, too. Remember the one about weapons of mass destruction? The most destructive weapon of all (and the only one discovered during the Afghanistan and Iraq adventures) was the lie Bush told that garnered support to initiate those conflicts. John McCain wanted to send the U.S. military to participate in the 2008 conflict between Russia and Georgia. Lindsey Graham has advocated invading Iran as well as seeing what our Marines can do about settling the violence in Syria. Lofgren points out neither McCain nor Graham are satellite members of the GOP; they’re both senators.
Republican fascination with war is somewhat perplexing when compared to their fierce anti-spending, anti-tax position. Military action is expensive. Lofgren postulates this drive is psychologically based.
“This undoubtedly arises from a neurotic need to demonstrate toughness and dovetails perfectly with the belligerent tough-guy pose one constantly hears on right-wing talk radio,” Lofgren wrote. “Militarism springs from the same psychological deficit that requires an endless series of enemies, both foreign and domestic.”
Some opponents don’t need to actually exist in physical form for the GOP to use them to gain support and votes. For example, in 2008 Rick Santorum, a current contender for the Republican presidential nomination, insisted the U.S. would suffer the devil’s wrath.
In the speech Santorum said the following: “If you were Satan, who would you attack? There’s no one else to go after other than the United States, and that’s been the case for, now, almost 200 years.”
Republicans cater to fundamentalists, who have reciprocated by voting GOP members into office based on common faith. Former Republican presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann had a bizarre association with slavery and religion. Back in August, NPR aired one of the first stories I heard about Bachmann. Ryan Lizza, the Washington correspondent for the New Yorker, discussed a recommended list of books, selected by Bachmann, that was posted on her website.
On “Michele’s must-read list,” Lizza saw a biography about Robert E. Lee written by J. Steven Wilkins. After doing some research, Lizza was shocked to discover the ideas the author promoted.
Wilkins characterized the Civil War as a war against the pure Christian nation of the South by the nonbelievers of the North. This perspective, known as the theological war thesis, viewed the blow to the Christian stronghold in the South as a major loss of the Civil War.
One of the more shocking passages from the book describes what slavery was like in the Old South. Wilkins denies racial tensions existed between slaves and their masters and claimed that such a relationship eventually became based on mutual respect. The power of the Christian faith provided the foundation for this miraculous harmony. Wilkins concludes: “The unity and companionship that existed between the races in the South, prior to the war, was the fruit of a common faith.”
Lizza found these ideas have been implemented in modern Christian homeschooling curriculums and Wilkins supported such efforts. Lizza wasn’t sure why Bachmann included the book on her list.
“She recommended this book on her website for a number of years,” he said. “It is an objectively pro-slavery book and one of the most startling things I learned about her.”
While Bachmann’s alarming endorsement of this branch of Christian faith wasn’t widely reported, one of her opponents in the race, Rick Perry, ran campaign ads specifically expressing his devotion to his faith. One of the ads showed Perry condemning the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, followed by him lamenting children aren’t allowed to pray in school.
According to an article by Amy Sullivan on Time’s website, Perry’s assertion is completely false. Children pray in school all the time. Public school teachers are only prohibited from requiring students to participate in any religious rituals or celebrations.
Toward the end of the ad, Perry references “Obama’s war on religion.” He doesn’t care to explain what that means, though I didn’t miss the military reference. More recently, in the wake of Bachmann and Perry both bowing out of the race, Santorum gained support and near the end of February, he targeted Obama’s religious values. He explained the president is following, “some phony theology. Not a theology based on the Bible.”
Apparently, Santorum missed last year’s Easter Prayer Breakfast where Obama’s speech expressed some of the most overt Christian values ever spoken at the event. The president even quoted scripture.
Lofgren wrote the success of the Republican Party might be based on their incorporation, and ceaseless devotion, to religious fundamentalism. Ignoring the constitutional idea of a separation of church and state has paid off and seems to answer a large part of Maher’s question about the source of the other 49 percent of the GOP votes.
The message from the religious right has consistently put forth the notion that the rich are rich because it’s God’s will. The poor must be poor for the same reason, but they shouldn’t turn away from the Lord just because of that.
“This rationale may explain why some economically downscale whites defend the prerogatives of billionaires,” Lofgren wrote.
He continues, noting war has an interesting connection with religious fundamentalists who generally tend to admire the Old Testament, which is filled with violent imagery. In Lofgren’s view, this is the basis for the apocalyptic mindset shared by many members of the religious right that leads its followers to assume war is a divine mission.
Again, I must stress these are not a rabble of mindless fanatics huddling in caves in the present day who espouse these views. They are voters. In some cases they are people who hold public office and could potentially reach the highest office in the land.
During the debt ceiling crisis, it was Bachmann who insisted no crisis existed.
“What does it matter, anyway, if the country defaults?—we shall presently abide in the bosom of the Lord,” Lofgren wrote.
Sarah Palin, the former vice presidential GOP candidate, said she believes the second coming of Jesus will occur in her lifetime. The attitudes expressed by both Palin and Bachmann foster an indifference to issues besides faith. Of course it’s acceptable for one to express their faith and values in the political realm, but when such beliefs are used to stall action or downplay a crisis, that’s a problem.
The rollercoaster ride of the popularity of the Republican candidates, one of whom will eventually be chosen to compete with Obama in November, has given me a new perspective on the modern GOP.
I am shocked at the support these candidates received all along the way and what that shows about this country. Mitt Romney, the consistent frontrunner (but he’s had a challenge finding support from his entire party), has said he enjoys firing people, he isn’t concerned about the poor and that corporations are people.
I am disturbed by the hypocrisy of Newt Gingrich, who had, as Jon Stewart mentioned on The Daily Show, “three somewhat overlapping marriages.” I thought conservatives typically promoted family values and the sanctity of marriage. As president, Gingrich has vowed to approve the Keystone XL pipeline and abolish the Environmental Protection Agency. In an effort to curb rising gas prices, he wants to expand offshore drilling, but the Sierra Club noted Gingrich used to oppose such drilling.
More has been revealed about Santorum after his surge in the polls. He carries an air of hypocrisy of his own; he fiercely opposes abortion even though his wife had one.
He believes states should be able to ban birth control. Santorum claimed Obama’s health care plan would diminish the importance of children with special needs, because the legislation valued “usefulness” instead of “dignity.” Never mind the plan actually makes it so insurance companies can’t deny coverage to patients based on preexisting medical conditions.
Santorum supported the modern GOP attitude toward intellectuals in a speech, where he called Obama “a snob” for wanting everyone to go to college. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkjbJOSwq3A The following applause (while not as galling as the ovation Perry received during an earlier debate regarding the record number of executions he’s ordered in as the governor of Texas) is certainly disturbing. Obama isn’t forcing people to go to college, but rather wants to make sure the opportunity is available for those who seek higher forms of education. Santorum’s comment completely ignores that fact.
“There are good, decent men and women who go out and work hard every day and put their skills to the test that aren’t taught by some liberal college professor,” he said.
The GOP promotes anti-intellectualism because it attracts the low-information voters Republicans rely on to win elections. Lofgren noted the religious right has played a major role in creating skepticism of science and academic intelligence.
While Santorum still believes allowing same-sex couples to wed is wrong, the last couple months have yielded victories for marriage equality. Proposition 8 in California was overturned by a judge. Maryland and Washington state have approved marriage equality bills. Though these advances all face stiff opposition in the months to come, they indicate a shift in the U.S. away from the kind of social discrimination maintained by Santorum and many other Republicans.
I don’t think all members of the GOP are taking this nation in the wrong direction. In fact, the bills for marriage equality would not have succeeded unless some Republicans supported them. Rep. Maureen Walsh of Walla Walla expressed why she supported the bill in Washington to legalize marriage for same-sex couples in a YouTube clip, which went viral. https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?shva=1
“Someone made the comment that [the bill] is not about equality,” she said. “Well, yes, it is about equality. And why in the world would we not allow those equal rights for individuals who truly were committed to one another in life to be able to show that by way of a marriage?”
In a Chicago Tribune article, Republican Delegate Wade Kach of Maryland, who used to believe marriage should only be between a man and a woman, explained why he supported the marriage equality bill in his state.
“I saw with so many of the gay couples, they were so devoted to another,” Kach said. “I saw so much love…I felt that I understood what same-sex couples were looking for.”
Unfortunately, the vast majority of Republicans are not so kind. Lofgren concluded his article noting it was best to be retired in the current economic and political climate, rather than be forced into it.
The GOP is on a mission to cut taxes until no other options exist but to begin scaling back benefits most people have worked for, like Social Security and Medicare. Rep. Paul Ryan has already targeted collective bargaining, labor unions and Pell grants. The modern Republican Party has stopped listening to reason and its roots. The GOP is not the party of Eisenhower anymore and, if nothing else, the views and values of the presidential candidates prove that. | <urn:uuid:7bda81a0-a0d5-4018-a2f9-a9e66e2f93e2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ffpressonline.com/2012/03/07/discussing-the-elephant-in-the-room/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961559 | 3,679 | 1.601563 | 2 |
You will need:
The board from the centre of The Economist's Christmas issue (or pdf version of board below)
Risk cards, currency and icons from the pdfs below (or you can use your diamond cufflinks, or any other mementos of your former wealth, to represent you on the board)
Scissors (to cut out currency and cards)
Three or more players; probably six at most
How it works
Players start with 500m econos each. One player doubles as banker.
Players move round by throwing four coins and progressing as many squares as they throw heads. If a player throws four heads, he moves forward four spaces and has another turn; if he throws four tails, he throws again. When a player lands on a + square, he collects money from the bank; equally, when he lands on a minus square, he pays the bank.
The aim is to be the last solvent player. In order to achieve this, players try to eliminate the competition. Risk cards encourage players to pick on each other.
Players who cannot pay their fines may borrow from each other at any rate they care to settle on—for instance, 100% interest within three turns. They should negotiate with the other players to get the best rate possible. Players who cannot borrow must either go into Chapter 11 or be taken over.
Players may conceal their assets from each other.
When a player gets into debt and can't persuade anybody else to lend to him, he goes bankrupt. A player who goes bankrupt three times is eliminated.
A bankrupt player must move to the Chapter 11 cell and stay there until:
1. He uses a “Get out of Chapter 11” card
2. He rolls four heads or four tails during his turn
3. He is taken over
A player coming out of bankruptcy goes to START.
If a player cannot escape Chapter 11 for five turns he is eliminated.
A player may be taken over either if he cannot pay his debts or if he is already in Chapter 11. The purchaser pays the purchased player's debts. If there is a takeover battle, the aspiring purchasers must bid against each other, and the highest bidder pays his bid to the bank.
The purchaser and subsidiary then play, in effect, as a team, though the purchaser is in charge. He gets to choose the beneficiaries and victims of the risk cards his subsidiary picks and may use the subsidiary's assets to pay his fines, or pay the subsidiary's fines if he wishes. But he does not have to: if his subsidiary gets into debt again, he can let the subsidiary go into Chapter 11. The subsidiary is then a free agent once more, and may get out of Chapter 11 in the usual ways. But the player who has just abandoned him may not take him over during that stay in Chapter 11, although he may during a subsequent visit.
The Bank of Econia supplies the currency for this game. To access the banks vaults, download and print the money using the currency pdfs. Money may be printed in colour or grayscale.
The econo is available in five notes: Ec 10 million (here), Ec 50 million (here), Ec 100 million (here), Ec 500 million (here) and Ec 1000 million (here). There is a pdf page for each denomination with 10 bills on each page.
The Bank encourages a print run of:
60 x Ec 10m (6 pages with 10 bills on each page)
60 x Ec 50m (6 pages with 10 bills on each page)
60 x Ec 100m (6 pages with 10 bills on each page)
20 x Ec 500m (2 pages with 10 bills on each page)
20 x Ec 1000m (2 pages with 10 bills on each page)
Use scissors to separate notes.
Printing “Financial Risk” cards
There are 30 “Financial Risk” cards contained in three pdfs (here, here and here). Print one copy of each pdf and use scissors to separate cards. Place separated cards in a pile face down during play.
Players may choose any item to represent them on the board. Optional icons are contained on an icon pdf (here). Print page and separate desired icons using scissors. Fold back base flaps in order to allow the icon to stand upright.
Printing game board
Enlarging the board is encouraged. This may require utilising larger paper or printing then assembling the board from several pages. | <urn:uuid:e34f1609-dba6-497b-9dd6-7f2df85283e4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.economist.com/node/12798307?story_id=12798307 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949728 | 923 | 1.554688 | 2 |
As mobile computing slowly moves toward becoming dominant over traditional desktop use, the technology itself must grow and expand in order to remain useful and relevant. For example, major mobile operators like Verizon continue to roll out 4G LTE service in more areas of the United States in order to offer greater data speeds to users while increasing adoption of BYOD (bring your own device) at companies provides business users with greater mobile freedom.
Furthermore, the blending of mobile, social and cloud technologies has created a new set of expectations from consumers who are getting used to immediate responses to questions, comments and concerns. As such, Maribel Lopez — founder of Lopez Research, a provider of market research, speaking and strategic consulting services — recently suggested that Right Time Experiences (RTE) may be the next step in mobile evolution.
Lopez describes RTEs as "enhanced business processes or services that deliver an employee or customer the right information at the moment of need." In other words, by combining application or process data with contextual data, RTEs can provide a better end-user experience. Mobile factors into the equation by helping to supply the contextual data necessary to make RTEs work, whether by way of apps or the cloud.
For example, RTEs could be used to keep temperature in check in a data center — much like with a traditional thermostat. However, with more advanced technology and data available, the process will be able to determine if the air conditioning is inoperable and can then generate a request to a maintenance company unprompted.
In this way, RTEs are more advanced than simply shrinking existing business process into mobile applets as they instead change the process to take advantage of mobile attributes, coupled with real-time, large scale data analysis. Furthermore, RTEs differ from simply providing real-time data in that they are targeted and predictive, as they are able to analyze prior actions and events, ultimately learning and adapting to user behavior over time. In this way, RTEs can provide the same functionality as dedicated apps but invisible in the background, with no learning curve for the end user.
RTEs are also integrated across internal data sources, rather than operating in information silos like most apps. They are not restricted to internal data, however, as they can connect to external data sources as well.
Want to learn more about today’s powerful mobile Internet ecosystem? Then be sure to attend the Mobility Tech Conference & Expo, collocated with ITEXPO West 2012 taking place Oct. 2-5 2012, in Austin, TX. Co-sponsored by TMC Partner Crossfire Media the Mobility Tech Conference & Expo provides unmatched networking opportunities and a robust conference program representing the mobile ecosystem. The conference not only brings together the best and brightest in the wireless industry, it actually spans the communications and technology industry. For more information on registering for the Mobility Tech Conference & Expo click here.
Stay in touch with everything happening at Mobility Tech Conference & Expo. Follow us on Twitter.
Edited by Brooke Neuman | <urn:uuid:8d7c962d-a965-4016-ada7-e1d8a271057c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mobilitytechzone.com/topics/4g-wirelessevolution/articles/2012/07/09/298083-right-time-experiences-may-be-future-mobile.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927724 | 618 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Pen colour affects teacher-student relations
Seeing red Red pens are making students feel blue, according to a US study that recommends teachers refrain from using the colour when marking.
In a paper published in The Social Science Journal, sociology professor Richard Dukes and associate professor Heather Albanesi, at the University of Colorado, show the use of a red pen in marking has a negative impact on student relations with their teacher.
Dukes says while the findings are of moderate strength, they are statistically significant.
"They are like a gentle rain - not life-changing, but it is raining," he says.
For the study, the researchers randomly gave 199 participating undergraduate students one of four versions of an essay answer and mark by a hypothetical student named Pat.
The four versions included a high-quality response and a lesser-quality answer with comments from the teacher in either red or aqua.
The students were asked to rate whether they agreed with the teacher's grading, what grading they would give the paper and to rate various qualities of the teacher based on the essay comments including whether the teacher was: knowledgeable, organised, nice, enthusiastic and had a rapport with students.
Student participants were also asked to fill out a questionnaire at the end on the materials they had been given.
Teacher's 'bedside manner'
Dukes says the findings show that students' perceptions about the quality of learning are not affected by the use of the red pen.
However teacher-student relations are affected with comments written in aqua resulting in the teacher rating higher in their "bedside manner".
"When the student learns well (actually, performs well) and receives a high grade, the situation is a "win-win" (teacher and student are feeling good about the process)," says Dukes.
"However, when the student does not perform well, at least some of the blame is put upon the teacher."
Loaded with emotion
He says it appears the use of a red pen equates in the student's mind to shouting in the same way as writing in all capitals.
Writing in the colour red is therefore loaded with emotion, the researchers say.
This additional emotional loading of messages on the grading of student assignments may not be a tactic that teachers should use to convey constructive, critical comments to students, the researchers say.
Dukes says a change in marking pen colour can "generate worthwhile results by facilitating teacher-student interaction, and can do so without affecting rigour in the delivery of the curriculum".
"If red writing on a student's paper adds emotional loading that the teacher does not intend to be part of the content of the communication with the student, the rethinking of the choice of pen colour is worthwhile," the researchers conclude.
Dukes says he is unaware of the history of why red was chosen as a marking colour, "but it does not seem to have been a particularly good one".
He says the findings against the use of a red pen would likely apply to other professions, "especially those where it often is not wise to shout". | <urn:uuid:c0d6983f-b99c-427e-8847-dd9079f48810> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2013/01/18/3672107.htm?site=science&topic=latest | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968795 | 626 | 2.640625 | 3 |
History of Nord-Amerikanischer Sängerbund
Click here for the history in PDF format for printing and easy reading.
Gift of German Music
No language in the world has a larger treasury of beautiful songs to exhibit than the German language. Germany and Austria have given birth to the most and best composers in the history of music. No day passes wherein the three great “B’s” - Bach, Beethoven and Brahms - are not performed somewhere in the world or on radio and television; not to mention the numberless other German composers; above all, the choral composers whose works have become immortal. And from Haydn, Händel, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Bruckner and Schubert to the Strauss’, Lehar, Weill, Kalman and Stolz, immeasurable musical treasures have been bequeathed to the generations.
It is no small wonder that German-speaking immigrants of this brilliant cultural heritage have planted, cultivated, fostered and protected this devotion to, and love for, this music in the United States. Some came for religious freedom, some came for political freedom, and some came for greater economic opportunities. Whatever their reason, over 5 million German immigrants have entered the United States since the 1600s. Today, nearly 45 million Americans consider themselves German-Americans. With pride, we continue the tradition of song which our forefathers and we brought to this great land.
With so many Americans of German descent, it is not surprising that German singing societies are found everywhere in the continental United States. It is also no surprise, since Germans formed the largest group of immigrants between 1840 and 1880, that many singing societies and the Nord-Amerikanischer Sängerbund were founded in this time period.
First German-American Singing Societies
The Philadelphia Männerchor, founded on January 15, 1835 by German immigrant Phillip Matthias Wohlseiffer, is generally considered the first German-American singing society in the United States, and existed until 1962. One year later, in 1836, Herr Wohlseiffer, an accomplished musician from the Rhineland, moved to Baltimore where he founded the Baltimore Liederkranz. In 1837, these German singing societies paid each other a visit. The first Sängerfest or Song Festival in the musical history of the United States occurred when the Liederkranz visited Philadelphia on March 13 and on March 28 when the Männerchor visited Baltimore. The Liederkranz was also the first singing society to accept women singers in 1838, forming a mixed voice chorus. These two singing societies often visited each other and performed concerts together. When they invited the public to a joint Sängerfest in 1846, the idea of continuing song festivals was considered.
In 1789, Dr. Benjamin Rush, in a report about the German residents of Pennsylvania noted, “The Germans of both sexes have a strong predilection for song as well as instrumental music. They excel all other religious groups in Pennsylvania in the singing of Psalms.” We can safely assume that these early German immigrants carried this love of song into singing the secular songs of their homeland, an art form that has engendered devotion and support ever since.
Growth of Singing Societies
As Germans arrived in America and gathered to sing, singing societies appeared everywhere they settled. In particular, the settlement of the Ohio River valley provided for the growth of the German population. In 1838, Der deutsche Gesangverein of Cincinnati was founded. In 1846 a festival was held in the open by the United Singers of Cincinnati, holding a celebration at “Bald Hill.” The Cincinnati Liedertafel and Gesang und Bildungsverein took part in this celebration. In 1948, singing societies were organized in Buffalo, Pittsburgh, andCleveland. In Louisville, Kentucky the Liederkranz was founded. Historical notes suggest that the German singing societies avoided sacred selections which they felt belonged in the domain of other organizations being not suited to the more jovial and social character of their clubs! Soon after, German singing societies are founded in Madison, Indiana; Columbus, Ohio, and Saginaw, Michigan. The singing societies in St. Louis and Milwaukee begin a rise to prominence.
In 1849, all known singing societies were invited to gather in Cincinnati, Ohio for a Sängerfest under the leadership of Fritz Volkmar, founder of the Louisville Liederkranz. Five choruses accepted the invitation: the three from Cincinnati: (Liedertafel, Gesang und Bildungsverein and the Schweizerverein; one from Madison, Indiana; and one from Louisville, Kentucky. The 118 singers performed in the first Song Festival and created the Nord-Amerikanischer Sängerbund. The Eastern organizations subsequently form a union of their own.
A National Song Festival was held every year, from 1849 to 1860, only to be interrupted for 5 years by the Civil War. The efforts of all of the singing societies were directed to spreading and fostering choral singing and, through Song Festivals, offering to the public a chance to hear the beauty and glories of German choral works and folk songs. In the second half of the 19th century, regional or district organizations began holding their own festivals. For this reason, the national festivals became biennial events in 1868. In 1890, they assumed their current triennial format.
Formation of Singers’ Unions
It quickly became evident that due to the great distances between cities in the United States, it was nearly impossible to get the widely-scattered choruses together at one annual Song Festival.
As a result, rather than a nationwide association, in 1850, in Philadelphia, the Eastern choruses formed a singers’ union. As a result there were two singing society unions: the Nord-Amerikanischer Sängerbund, in the “West,” and the Allgemeiner Deutscher Sängerbund von Nordamerika, in the East. At that point a controversy erupted over whether the names used were proper for rival, regional organizations! The Western societies changed their title to Erster Deutscher Sängerbund von Nordamerika or First German Singers’ Union of North America. The other organization changed to
Nordöstlicher Sängerbund von Nordamerika or Northeastern Singers’ Union of North America. Further associations included the New England Singing Association; the New York Choruses founded the New York State Singers Association; the Texans formed the Texas Singing Association; the Northwestern states formed the Singers Association of the Northwest and the Pacific Singers Association covered choruses in the California area. Since then, the various regional singing associations have held their own Song Festivals.
During the Song Festival of the North American Singers’ Association at Louisville, Kentucky in 1877, delegates debated that too much homage was paid to high classic singing at the expense of Volkslieder”, and that as a result, the smaller singing societies with a limited number of voices could not participate in the average Song Festival. The singers from Columbus and Chillicothe championed the cause of Volkslieder”, but there was no decision to change direction. In 1888, a letter was sent to all Choruses from a Director that the Songs would be too hard for average singers and that therefore only semi-professional singers should participate in two of the songs!
Twentieth Century Challenges
The 20th century was to present unique problems for the NASB. Twice in that century, America went to war against Germany. During both wars, German-Americans and German activity came under much scrutiny. World War I brought much anti-German sentiment to the United States. After the 1914 national song festival, activity was curtailed drastically. In fact, no national festival was held again until the Chicago Sängerfest of 1924, organized to coincide with the 75th aniversary of the NASB. Slowly, interest in German song and activities revived. Chicago hosted the song festival in 1938, which is the largest Festival to date with 181 choruses in attendance and over 5,880 singers participating. Notably, 1,500 ladies voices participated and the Central-Ohio district was represented by over 1,000 singers - both men and women!
These boom years were once again halted by World War II. This time, the anti-German sentiment was so great that the IRS went so far as to declare the NASB an ‘unpatriotic organization’ in 1944 and took away our non-profit status. Similarly, local choruses were challenged as un-American. The IRS’ declaration could have been fatal to the NASB, but an appeal documenting the participation of German-Americans in the war effort against Germany was successful. The IRS recanted and the national festivals resumed in 1949, with Chicago hosting the 100th Anniversary Song Festival. Four of the songs were presented by the female singers. In 1949, records show that the ladies’ choruses organized and elected Wilhelmine Schwartz as their first president.
During the following years, the men’s singing societies and ladies’ choruses were each organized into two separate organizations that would work together for each Sängerfest. It is interesting to note the inclusion of songs sung by the ladies and the inclusion of mixed voice music. At the Cincinnati Sängerfest the ladies sang four songs; in Detroit, three songs; New Orleans, three and a mixed selection. In 1964, St. Louis, the ladies sang six songs and two mixed voice songs were sung!
Restructuring the NASB for the Future
With the number of choruses in the NASB declining to only 69 by 1983, several changes were considered to solidify the existence of the organization. In 1986, two major innovations were approved. First, the issue of having a separate umbrella organization for men and women was called into question. The primary impetus was the question of how mixed-voice choruses were to be represented. Previously, male representatives sat in the men’s meetings and females sat in the ladies’ meetings. Then there would be a combined meeting of all delegates to discuss what was decided in each room. This was hardly the best solution to conduct business and provide for the betterment of German Song. As more mixed-voice choruses came into being, this separation became more and more of a problem. Second, it was decided to hold delegates’ meetings, a Singers’ Day, the Sängertag, the year prior to the national Song Festival or Sängerfest. This would allow for better discussion of business matters and remove the burden of perhaps lengthy business meetings and discussions during the Song Festival. The first of the Sängertage was held in Evansville, Indiana in 1988 with others in Monroeville, Pennsylvania; Toledo, Ohio; Peoria, Illinois; St. Louis, Missouri; Cincinnati, Ohio, and returning to Pittsburgh in 2009.
During that first Sängertag, a new Constitution and By-laws was approved giving full rights and membership in the NASB, previously a male organization. This created one Board of Directors that serves male voice choruses, ladies’ choruses and mixed-voice choruses. The transition to one organization has given both male and female singing societies the added confidence to grow in their singing, while maintaining the German heritage. Angela Thomas, of Columbus, Ohio, served as the last president of the ladies’ association.
The changes proved to be somewhat beneficial, as the number of member choruses rose from 69 to 103 in nine short years. Today, membership has stabilized at about 80 choruses. Other pages on this website document the number of our choruses and our geographical dispersion. Today, German choral singing continues as a robust activity, which draws thousands of enthusiastic participants and listeners from coast to coast. | <urn:uuid:6dafc8f5-ea29-42e0-acce-a4cc0e8dbd35> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nasaengerbund.org/index.php?p=1_58_History-NASB | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954626 | 2,524 | 3.359375 | 3 |
Life History of Cactoblastis cactorum
Department of Biological Sciences
Mississippi State University
Last updated: July 3, 2009
Egg. Cactoblastis cactorum lays its eggs in linear chains, commonly referred to as egg sticks, that are affixed to the spines or areoles of cactus cladodes (Dodd 1940, Pettey 1948, Mann 1969, Robertson 1987). Eggs are off-white in color when first laid and darken until they become almost black at the time of hatching (Pettey 1948). The length of the egg stage is influenced by temperature (Legaspi & Legaspi 2007). In Australia, the incubation period for the eggs can be as short as 23 to 28 days in the winter and last as long as 60 to 70 days in the winter (Dodd 1940). In South Africa, the duration of the egg stage is approximately 35 to 40 days in the summer and 45 to 55 days in the winter (Pettey 1948).
Larva. Once hatched, first-instar larvae collectively work to penetrate the cuticle and epidermis of a plant cladode through the creation of an entry hole. Upon entering the cladode, larvae feed internally for the duration of the larval phase of the life cycle (Dodd 1940, Pettey 1948). Larvae rarely leave the plant upon which they have hatched and when they do they are frequently unsuccessful in finding new host plants (Dodd 1940, Pettey 1948). In laboratory experiments, larvae have reliably detected host plants only within a distance of 6 to 8 inches (Dodd 1940, Pettey 1948). Larvae have been observed to vacate the cladode in search of shade on the underside of the plant during especially hot times of the day (Dodd 1940, Pettey 1948, personal observations) and to congregate on the upper side of the plant on cold days (Pettey 1948). In Australia, the larval stage lasts approximately 50 days in the summer generation and approximately 180 days in the winter generation (Dodd 1940). In South Africa, the larval stage takes on average 56 to 75 days to complete in the summer and 122 to 145 days in the winter (Pettey 1948).
Pupa. Upon completion of the larval phase, C. cactorum typically pupate at the base of the plant in the leaf litter, beneath dead cladodes or rocks, or in the soil (Dodd 1940). In Australia, the pupal phase lasts approximately 21 to 28 days in the summer and 35 to 42 days in the winter (Dodd 1940). In South Africa, the pupal phase generally lasts 24 to 29 days in the summer and about 62 to 77 days in the winter (Pettey 1948).
Adult. Adults typically emerge one to three hours after sunset and mate in the early morning hours of the first or second day after emergence (Dodd 1940, Pettey 1948). The moths are usually active only between sunset and shortly after sunrise (Pettey 1948). While a short proboscis with sensilla is present in the adult stage of C. cactorum (R. Brown, personal communication), the adults are not known to feed (Dodd 1940, Pettey 1948). In Australia, adults lived on average nine days but may live up to 18 days (Dodd 1940). In South Africa, adults lived on average five to nine days (Pettey 1948).
Oviposition has been reported to begin the night after emergence in Australia (Dodd 1940) and South Africa (Pettey 1948), but during a field experiment in Florida laboratory-reared females were observed to oviposit only between the third and sixth days of the adult stage (Legaspi et al. 2009).
Estimates of number of eggsticks and total number of eggs per female vary widely. In Australia, females typically oviposit on average 100 eggs divided among three to four eggsticks (Dodd 1940). In South Africa, females generally oviposit between one and four eggsticks. In the winter in South Africa, females lay on average between 86 and 97 eggs in total. During the summer in South Africa, females lay on average between 160 and 172 eggs in total (Pettey 1948). While uncommon, females have been observed to lay 300 eggs or more eggs (Dodd 1940, Pettey 1948). In Florida, laboratory-reared females lay on average 4 eggsticks (Legaspi et al. 2009).
Estimates of the number of eggs per egg stick also vary widely. Dodd (1940) reported that 70 to 90 eggs per egg stick was common in Australia. Pettey (1948) also noted averages of 68 to 97 eggs per egg sticks in South Africa. However, Robertson (1985) reported a lower average of 54 eggs per egg stick in South Africa. In Florida, an average of 23 eggs per egg stick has been reported (Legaspi et al. 2009). In addition, eggs are not always distributed evenly among egg sticks. Dodd (1940) and Pettey (1948) noted that the first egg stick to be laid usually contains the most eggs. Legaspi et al. (2009) found that in Florida females laid the most eggs per egg stick on the third day after emergence (mean = 43 eggs).
Dodd (1940) noted that adults may disperse up to 15 miles to oviposit. In a flight mill experiment, C. cactorum adults on average flew the equivalent of 1.2 miles within a 24-hour period and the maximum distance flown was greater than 13 miles (Sarvary et al. 2008).
Number of Generations. Cactoblastis cactorum generally has two to three generations per year. In the native range of C. cactorum in South America, there are two generations per year, except in southern Uruguay where there may only be one generation per year (Dodd 1940). In Australia, there are two generations a year, except in central to southern Queensland where there may be three generations per year (Dodd 1940). There are also two generations per year in South Africa (Pettey 1948). There are three generations per year in Georgia, South Carolina, and most of Florida. In the Florida Keys and Puerto Rico there are overlapping generations (Hight & Carpenter 2009). | <urn:uuid:c2c5e99c-2d4b-4d3c-81df-a5d168567b9b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mississippientomologicalmuseum.org.msstate.edu/Researchtaxapages/CactusMoths/Cactoblastis_cactorum/LifeHistory.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.924477 | 1,313 | 3.5625 | 4 |
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A strategy for collision avoidance between several moving robots that are not in possession of each other's plans is presented here. A robot's awareness of other robots is limited to the knowledge of their current states represented by their present and impending velocities and their motion direction. A robot is aware of the presence of other robots when they fall within its field of vision. Collision avoidance is attempted at three levels namely at individual, cooperative and propagation levels through velocity control. At individual level it suffices that one of the robots involved in a forthcoming collision modifies its velocity. The cooperative level is characterized by the requirement that all the robots involved in collision modify their velocities in a synchronized fashion. In the third level robots not involved in a collision are entailed to participate by altering their velocities in a manner that resolves collision conflicts between the robots involved. The third level is termed as the propagation level since the collision conflict is propagated to robots not a part of the conflict and their assistance sought in avoiding conflicts. The strategy is implemented in a distributed fashion across all robots in the system. Simulation results are presented to authenticate the efficacy of the proposed method.
Robotics and Automation, 2004. Proceedings. ICRA '04. 2004 IEEE International Conference on (Volume:3 )
Date of Conference: 26 April-1 May 2004 | <urn:uuid:793c16b0-e9e6-43e7-b38d-b285cb0dd09f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/articleDetails.jsp?reload=true&arnumber=1307379&contentType=Conference+Publications | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00052-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960371 | 274 | 2.875 | 3 |
Huntington's disease is caused by a faulty gene on chromosome 4. The gene produces a protein called Huntingtin. The faulty gene leads to damage of the nerve cells in areas of the brain leading to gradual physical, mental and emotional changes.
Each person whose parent has Huntington's disease is born with a 50-50 chance of inheriting the faulty gene. A genetic test is available to show whether or not someone has inherited the gene.
The symptoms of the disease usually develop when the person is between 30 to 50 years old, however they can start earlier. Symptoms can differ from person to person.
Early symptoms include: slight, uncontrollable muscular movements; stumbling and clumsiness; lack of concentration; short-term memory lapses; depression; changes of mood.
Some people who know they are at risk worry about searching for signs of developing the disease. Anyone who is concerned should consult their GP.
Later on in the illness people may develop the following symptoms: involuntary movements, difficulty in speech and swallowing, weight loss, stubbornness, frustration, mood swings, depression.
Sometimes psychological problems, rather than the physical deterioration, cause more difficulties for sufferers of Huntington's disease and their carers. It is extremely depressing to have a serious, incurable illness and not be able to do things that previously seemed simple.
Currently there is no cure, however there are many ways to manage the symptoms. Medication can be used to treat many of the symptoms and a high calorie diet can prevent weight loss. Social services can also help with adapting the home, care at home or respite care. | <urn:uuid:515fed74-cad2-4bd3-b1d0-04c99a8060e3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rowlandspharmacy.co.uk/advice/multiplesclerosis/index.cfm?event=shop.shopfront.advice.condition.view&categoryId=240 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960532 | 326 | 3.796875 | 4 |
George W. Bush's Record-Breaking Economy
Knight-Ridder/Tribune Information Services, July 27, 2004
"Our economy since last summer has been growing at the fastest rate in 20 years" said President Bush in a speech last week. The word went out from on high, and soon it began to spread: the fastest-growing economy in 20 years! A very important discovery for this election season, with voters none too pleased about the state of the economy. During a TV talk show (CNBC's Morning Call) on which I appeared, this claim was repeated to me.
Is it true? Well if you pick the right three quarters -- the first quarter of this year and the second half of last year, to be exact -- it is technically true. Over these three quarters the economy grew by 5.4 percent, which is faster than any other 9-month period in the past 20 years. But not by much. For the last 9 months of 1999, for example, the economy grew by 5.1 percent.
But why take 9 months? If we look at the last year, it's not any record at all. Similarly for the last two years. And since the recession ended in the last quarter of 2001, the economy has grown by 3.6 percent. This not bad, but not particularly strong growth for a recovery from a recession -- when the economy usually grows at a much faster than normal rate.
In the same speech Mr. Bush also bragged about the 1.5 million jobs created since last August. This impressive-sounding number also depends on a careful selection of time period. If we look at Mr. Bush's whole presidential term, the economy is still down more than a million jobs. Even the 1.5 million jobs created during Mr. Bush's selected ten months are a weak performance, barely enough to keep pace with the growth of the labor force.
The economy from here on will have to do better than even Mr. Bush's "brag period," just for him to avoid the record achievement of being the first president since the Great Depression to preside over a net loss of jobs for the country.
Perhaps the worst part of the "job-loss" recovery for most people has been that real wages -- adjusted for inflation -- have actually fallen over the last year. This means that most Americans are literally not getting anything out of our "record" growth.
The Bush administration does have some real 20-year record-breaking numbers but they are not the kind that it would like to advertise. Here's the gold medal: our Federal budget deficit of $639 billion for 2004 is 5.6 percent of GDP, the highest since 1983, and second highest since World War II. Of course this figure from the Congressional Budget Office counts the borrowing from the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds -- which any good accountant would tell you should be counted, because it will have to be paid back.
This knocks the wind out of another of President Bush's recent economic boasts: that the tax cuts enacted in 2001 and 2003 were a sound economic policy that ought to be continued. It is true that the tax cuts provided some modest stimulus to the economy, as opposed to doing nothing at all. But doing nothing was never the only practical alternative, and most economists would see these tax cuts as terribly irresponsible.
That's because the tax cuts build a huge structural deficit into our federal budget, for years and even decades to come, until they are reversed. Another record: federal tax revenues are at their lowest in more than 50 years, as a percentage of our economy.
For a small fraction of the trillions of dollars of deficit spending that the tax cuts have created over the next decade, we could have gotten the same or greater stimulus to the economy from a temporary rebate aimed at the majority of households -- and not so concentrated on the "haves and the have-mores."
About 24 percent of the Bush tax cuts have gone to the highest income one-percent of taxpayers. These are people who had already increased their after-tax income by 139 percent from 1979 to 2001 -- more than a $400,000 increase after inflation.
The Bush Administration decided that these were the folks who most needed more tax breaks: on capital gains, dividends, and inheritances. Now there's another record we could break: for inequality of income and wealth in America. | <urn:uuid:b8d717aa-5bb8-49f3-80e6-224a3eae4a80> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cepr.net/index.php/op-eds-&-columns/op-eds-&-columns/george-w-bushs-record-breaking-economy/print | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968987 | 893 | 1.84375 | 2 |
'When I started coaching Jayant Mistry, who was Britain's number 2, at the time I had very limited knowledge of wheelchair tennis. The exciting challenge for me was to learn as fast as I could.'
- Mark Bullock, ITF Wheelchair Tennis Manager
ITF Wheelchair Tennis Coaching Manual (online resource)
The ITF Wheelchair Tennis Department has released the first chapters in the updated ITF Wheelchair Tennis Coaching Manual, which will be available online from now on.
Chapters from the updated Manual are available in PDF format on the Coaching section of the ITF Wheelchair Tennis website, with others being added throughout the year.
The updated Manual will cover a range of different topics including fitness testing, stroke technique and Play and Stay, to name just a few.
All entries have been written by various experts in the field.
This is a free online resource for any coaches to utilise within their training programmes.
The first chapters are available in PDF format below.
ITF Play and Stay
The ITF Tennis Play and Stay campaign was launched in 2007 and embraces many of the essential coaching techniques required for introducing tennis to young people and people with higher levels of physical disability.
When slower red, orange and green balls are used on smaller courts it helps starter players to serve, rally and score from the first lesson. The campaign also aims to promote different scoring and competition formats for starter players. The Play and Stay campaign has been central to the ITF Development and Junior programmes.
Using the right ball with a starter player is crucial. A number of slower balls are available which make the game easier and by using these balls the starter players have more time and more control over shots and the lower bounce enables young and beginner players to play shots at an appropriate height. Used in conjunction with smaller courts and rackets, slower balls are essential kit for introducing disabled people to wheelchair tennis.
- Play and Stay website
ITF Coach Registration
The number of coaches travelling on the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour continues to grow. The ITF believes that coaches are key to the future growth of the sport and are integral to raising the standards of play and levels of professionalism in the sport. The ITF have commenced a coach registration scheme to build up a database of coaches involved and active in wheelchair tennis.
The coaches may be able to benefit from a reduced entry fee whilst travelling on the NEC Tour with players.
If you would like to nominate a coach for registration, please send a copy of their qualification to firstname.lastname@example.org. Please be aware, that they must hold a recognised tennis coaching qualification and be nominated by their ITF member nation to be eligible for registration.
Please find attached the list of ITF approved Coaches for whom we have already received details of qualification. | <urn:uuid:95215b60-19f8-4196-bcea-c70cfe59e9aa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.daviscup.com/wheelchair/development/coaching.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958393 | 573 | 1.617188 | 2 |