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9/11 Celebrations in Britain
British Muslims also celebrated and rejoiced on September 11, 2001; our media completely failed to inform us about any of this: The ‘British’ Muslim. (Hat tip: TS.)
Whilst the civilised west mourned with horror of the events of Sep11, Muslims in Britain celebrated.
Finsbury Park mosque. Pro-terror demonstrations, graffiti and anti-white posters. at Abu Hamsa’s terror camp
Forest Gate, East London. Local residents sickened by sounds of cheering and celebrations coming from Romford Road mosque on the evening of the slaughter. Muslims leaving the mosque drove off hooting their horns, shouting and waving.
Slough. Letter in Daily Telegraph to express disgust at having witnessed a class of 15-year-old British-born Pakistanis cheering, punching the air and mocking the tearful singing of the American national anthem.
Solihull, Land Rover Plant. Three workers suspended after mocking the three minute silence. Security staff had to escort them from the building to prevent them from being attacked.
Harrow. Fireworks let off during the three minutes silence on Friday.
Cardiff. Young Muslims celebrate in city centre with flags on the evening of the attack.
Birmingham, Small Heath. Celebrations inside and outside local mosque.
Birmingham, Aston. Serious tension in main Royal Mail sorting office after Muslim workers applaud the attacks.
Derby. Local residents disgusted as celebrations in a mosque spill out onto the street with flag waving and chants of triumph.
Oldham. Cheering inside and outside mosques. White workers in Littlewoods Call Centre appalled when Muslim co-workers respond to news of the attack by “jumping up and down with joy.” Schoolchildren celebrate at Grange School with further celebrations along Waterloo Street. Park Cake Bakery. 4 Muslims sacked after cheering during 3 minute silence. Waterloo Street. “Cheering and dancing in the street” after news of the attack broke.
Burnley. A would-be customer in a major shop in the town centre couldn’t find any staff to serve him on the afternoon of the attack. Walking through the shop he found the eight shop assistants - all of them obviously Muslims - crowded around a TV set at the back of the shop, laughing and shaking hands as they watched the footage of the mayhem. Fireworks let off on the evening of the attack in Stoneyholme.
It goes on and on; this isn’t even half of the list. | <urn:uuid:502fdab9-1f74-4baf-ae46-7c5a85aaa2b5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/8153_9-11_Celebrations_in_Britain | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938231 | 522 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Isn't He Lovely: Short Man Stigma
In 1977, Randy Newman told the world that “short people/got no reason to live.” Certainly, Mr. Newman crooned in jest, but the stigma of being a short man undoubtedly can sting. Let’s take, for example, Danny Devito, whose five-foot stature attracted media bullying when he made his Hollywood break in the late 1980s.
Over at Genders Online, Michael Tavel Clarke highlighted these three insults leveled at the actor:
Newsweek: “DeVito has...becom[e] one of Hollywood's hottest—and most unlikely—success stories. In a town of pretty-boy leading men, he has triumphed despite being typecast as five-foot and fiendish."
People: “The odds against a short, balding actor being more sought after than Mel Gibson can make a guy feel like a lucky star."
TIME: “Not, you might say, Hollywood's idea of a leading man, unless for a Muppet remake of Rumpelstiltskin.”
For a more contemporary pop culture example, how many media jokes have we heard about the height different between Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes? Answer: I can’t tell you because I’ve become immune to them. Rock on in those heels, Lady Holmes. Same goes for French Prime Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, who stands 5'5", and his wife Carla Bruni.
But the short stigma is even more pervasive—if subtle—in everyday life. For while studies and surveys about women's perceived attractiveness and height result in a muddled mix of preferences for statures diminutive and statuesque, things aren’t so fluid for men. Research repeatedly indicates that, statistically speaking, tall men enjoy certain benefits. And for that reason, I’d argue that height is physical trait, a beauty standard of a sort, which affects men more acutely than women.
Quick science lesson: On average, males grow 5.1 inches taller than females thanks to later onset puberty that allows for an extended period of bone development. Testosterone also triggers these cellular growth spurts, explaining why we culturally associate greater heights with masculinity.
Now back to sociology class: Is this just an example of evolutionary biology coming back to bite us, or could this be an issue of Western cultural priming, since average heights shift with latitudes and longitudes? After all, it’s culture, not biology, that heaps on the baggage of gendered traits associated with the masculine and feminine. For instance, a 1992 study finding that people automatically characterize taller men as more dominant and assertive than their shorter counterparts. On the flip side, we associate shorter men with anger and jealousy.
Economic researchers have even calculated a monetary value for height discrimination in the workplace. Specifically, when corrected for variables like age and gender and weight, an inch of height is worth $789 a year in salary. That means that a person who is six feet tall, but who is otherwise identical to someone who is five foot five, will make on average $5,525 more per year. (Personally, I still don’t buy that my five-foot nine-inch height will magically close the gender pay gap in my paycheck, but that’s another post for another time.) This isn't just a Western phenomenon, either; systematic height preferences for employment also have been reported in China.
The National Bureau of Economic Research also found that men who were an inch or more above the national height average of 5’11” demonstrated higher levels of happiness and satisfaction with their lives. Maybe that potentially fatter income has something to do with it? Or maybe it has something do with this: taller men tend to have more sexual partners and are less likely to be single and/or childless in adulthood. (Again, we’re talking in statistics and averages, so this isn’t to say that no one finds shorter men sexy and that they’re all destined to die poor and alone.)
At the same time, the short stigma also manifests as stereotypes about Napoleon complexes and negative emotions, which is arguably just as flawed as judging people—male, female, transgender, intersexual—for their weight, appearance, disability, and so forth. These negative stereotypes obviously have gotten into our cultural psyche, too, as demonstrated by data culled from OKCupid. Why else would men who are 5’8” consistently round up their height two inches on average, in a similar pattern to women on the dating site rounding down their weight? As I’ve said before in this series (and I’m sure I’ll say again): different standards, same lies.
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watson (not verified) | <urn:uuid:9e8741df-6145-46f7-92ba-378f4e610797> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bitchmagazine.org/post/isnt-he-lovely-short-man-stigma | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943396 | 1,047 | 1.828125 | 2 |
Steamboat Springs Ask anyone in Steamboat why they moved here and almost everyone will say, "The skiing." But talk to them for another 10 minutes and you will find there is more to it. Many people were searching for something. More often they were running for something. They were all headed toward a lifestyle, real or imagined, that is "away" from the rest of the world separated by altitude and mentality.
The new book "When In Doubt Go Higher" is an anthology of articles that appeared in the Mountain Gazette. Like the magazine, it is a perfect Myers-Briggs-type personality test to determine why you moved to a mountain town.
Like the magazine, no one is going to read all the articles. You pick and choose which ones apply to your life. If you moved here for the climbing, you might flip to "Hanging Around," by David Roberts. If you moved above 6,500 feet because you hate the man-made world, the corporate world, the urban world, you will probably turn directly to "Where's Tonto?" an excerpt from the Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey. If you were looking for a catch on every cast, you will probably read "For the Sport of It?" by Gaylord Guenin.
If you have no idea why you moved here, if you are just another of the thousands of lost wanderers who pass through this town searching for themselves on a map, you will read at random hunting and pecking a Mountain Gazette identity.
The first night I picked up "When In Doubt " I was hunting and pecking. I turned first to Edward Abbey's excerpt, mostly for old-times sake.
Stop 2: "Mountain Towns." Mountain dwellers are first and foremost romantics. Ted Kerasote writes about the towns in Colorado that he called home: Leadville, Telluride, Aspen, Boulder. In each town, he searched out one restaurant or bar "that had a touch of romance and made my life special for a while." He wrote of the routines that burn a place in memory and of the cheap apartments with no heat where he would write all day. It made me forget for a moment how hard that bohemian life can be, paying for food from change in the ashtray.
Stop 3: an article called "Alaska: Journey by Land." It was a somewhat na road-trip story that didn't sound that different for the awed, searching for truth in bars and mountains, journal entries that I wrote on the same road in the same Yukon.
That's the thing that makes the Mountain Gazette so popular. It's written by and for lost souls who turn to nature for guidance. The authors are vulnerable and awkward.
Stop 4: "Wild Red Dharma Pickup Truck." Who, in a mountain town, does not understand the fetishized love for an old vehicle that should no longer be on the road? In her article, Lacey Story is pure high altitude new age Kerouac redneck.
"My longest relationships are with pickup trucks," she writes.
Stop 5: Editor M. John Fayhee's introduction is mostly five pages of apologies and I'm-not-worthies to the founders of the Mountain Gazette. He describes the magazine's relaunching as more of a sleeping beast raising its head than a business move.
Fayhee read through 3,300 pages of Gazette articles before choosing the 30 odd articles that made it into the anthology.
The paper runs out of Montezuma, a town of 60 people. The office is one room, in what used to be a coffee shop, with a staff of four full-time employees. Other people work for in exchange for beer, Fayhee said, and one guy in Montana lost a game of poker and agreed to deliver the Gazette for a year. Fayhee receives as many as 400 submissions a month. Eight make it into the magazine and those writers get paid for their stories.
"We don't pay a ton," Fayhee said. "In fact, we pay an unton."
Fayhee admitted not everyone will like every article in the anthology, but everyone will, he hoped, find one article that will ring true with them and stick in their minds long after they set the book aside.
Strangely, the article that touched me most was written by Fayhee himself, called "Crossings." He tells the story of his life lessons by way of describing rivers he has crossed.
The last stop before I put the book down for the night was "Lobster Fishing in America." A sea level story seemed like an odd addition to a mountain anthology, but the spirit plugged in perfectly. I chose the article because, like so many wanderers looking for adventure, I ended up on an island, foghorn distance from the island in Geoffrey Childs' article. Every sentence he wrote, from the description of teen-age drunks speeding through the harbor to the cold shoulder of island natives who have never left and never will, I said to myself, "I could have written this. I was there. This is me."
It's comments like those that make the Mountain Gazette what it is. The magazine supplies Steamboat Springs with as many copies as are sent to Durango, but it's still not enough. | <urn:uuid:65455326-9108-4909-b337-474941068487> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.steamboattoday.com/news/2002/jul/25/an_anthology_for/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00072-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972778 | 1,095 | 1.539063 | 2 |
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If you are interested in this course, then these occupations may also be of interest. Note that these suggestions are not intended to indicate that this course leads directly to these occupations, only that they are related in some way and may be worth exploring.
Economics involves the examination of questions such as how we get incomes and spend them, how prices are determined, how inflation arises, what causes employment to expand or contract, why countries are more or less prosperous. No previous knowledge of economics is assumed.
As part of an Arts degree, economics is one of four subjects you choose from a menu of subjects in first year. You continue with two of your chosen First Year subjects in second and third year. You may have an option to spend an additional year studying abroad.
Careers or Further Progression...
As a generalised subject, economics can lead into careers in banking, financial services, accountancy, economic consultancy or research, administration, journalism, teaching, or public relations.
The following course suggestions share some interests in common with this course. and are from colleges in the same region. These might be worth exploring further. You can sort the list by Title or College by clicking on the column headings. You can Tag any of these courses from within the individual course pages.
Aoife Barry took an Art Degree from UCC, with Economics and Computer Science in the final two years. She followed this with a Higher Diploma in Business Economics followed by a Masters in Business Economics also in UCC. She now works for Bank of New York Mellon in Cork, as a Mutual Fund Assistant Manager. | <urn:uuid:245655f0-1b4a-4d05-aa51-b33087b9157a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.careersportal.ie/courses/coursedetail.php?job_id=493&course_id=77 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00050-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950854 | 342 | 2.15625 | 2 |
Phyllis F. Horne
Phyllis Forsey Horne was born in Richfield, Utah in 1937. Her strength is in her dramatic handling of light and evocative painting of trees and gardens. She lives in Salt Lake City where she and her daughter Karen operate Horne Gallery in downtown Salt Lake City.
Horne began her formal art training at Brigham Young University and later enrolled in illustration courses at the Fashion Academy in New York. While raising her six children in Utah and California, she completed a correspondence course in art and took every art workshop available.
Horne was recognized as One of the Most Honored Artists of Utah in the Cultural Olympiad in the conjunction with the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. Her work is also featured in the permanent collections of the State of Utah and Salt Lake County. On Cottonwood Lane (1996) is an example of her work featured in the Springville Museum of Art permanent collection.
Biography adapted from material supplied by the Artist.
Born and raised in Richfield, a rural community in southern Utah Phyllis Forsey Horne grew up with original paintings in her home. This early exposure helped foster her love of art. Her first art award came quickly - in the second grade when she won a pencil box in a coloring contest.
Phyllis began her formal art training at Brigham Young University. She then made the bold move of taking the train to New York City where she began training in fashion illustration. Later, while raising her six children in California and Utah, she began directing her energies towards fine art. Over a period of several years, she enrolled in numerous evening courses, completed the Famous Correspondence Course, and actively involved herself in “every art class and workshop available.“
Three decades later, her work now hangs in numerous private and public collections, including the Utah State Art Collection at the Governor's Mansion, the Salt Lake County Collection, Kennecott Copper, St. Mark's Hospital, and the Springville Museum of Art. She has won many top state and national awards including “Best in Show and First Place“ at the Utah State Fair, and first place state and national award in the Gertrude Fogelson Mother of the Year Competition. She is a charter and signature member of the Utah Watercolor Society. She has exhibited actively on the local scene, including several years at the Utah “Days of 47“ Invitational. In 2002, Phyllis was honored to be elected “One of the Hundred Most Honored Artists of Utah“ by the Cultural Olympiad Curatorial Committee.
Phyllis F. Horne is represented by Horne Fine Art, a gallery in downtown Salt Lake City founded by her daughter, Karen Horne, also a professional artist, and son-in-law Michael Rowley. The gallery now presents the work of a dozen talented local artists, from emerging to established, primarily in theme-based exhibitions.
Phyllis is best known for her dramatic handling of light and her evocative painting of trees and gardens. Many of her works capture the fast disappearing landscape of rural Utah. When viewing the paintings, we have the sense that we know that path or have seen that bend in the road. Her paintings evoke memory and a deep respect for place.
To contact artist call the Horne Gallery, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Biography courtesy of the artist.
"Art Canvass." The Deseret News, February 21, 1999.
"Art Treasures Offer Possibilities For Treasured Christmas Gifts S.L. Area Exhibits Tailored To Fit Many Holidays." The Deseret News, December 11, 1988.
"Galleries." The Deseret News, October 1, 1995.
"Galleries." The Deseret News, December 22, 1991.
"Galleries." The Deseret News, April 5, 1992.
"Horne Opens New S.L. Gallery." The Deseret News, February 16, 2003.
"Painting Is All In The Family -- Literally." The Deseret News, September 5, 1999.
"Participants In The 2003 Color Of The Land Art Exhibit." The Deseret News, July 17, 2003.
"Showing at Local Galleries." The Deseret News, April 13, 2003.
"Showing At Local Galleries." The Deseret News, April 25, 2004.
"Showing At Local Galleries." The Deseret News, September 28, 2003.
"Showing At Local Galleries." The Deseret News, September 5, 1999.
"Spring Salon: Broad-Ranging Show Covers The Spectrum Of Contemporary Utah Art." The Deseret News, April 30, 1995.
Olpin, Robert S., William C. Seifrit, and Vern G. Swanson. Artists of Utah. Salt Lake City, UT: Gibbs Smith Publisher, 1999.Swanson, Vern G., Robert S. Olpin, and William C. Seifrit. Utah Paintings and Sculpture. Salt Lake City, UT: Gibbs Smith Publishers, 1991. | <urn:uuid:f7232d32-db25-424c-adc3-a1a044c58ab6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lib.utah.edu/collections/utah-artists/UAP-Phyllis-Horne.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939085 | 1,047 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Karen Talbot Creating Beautiful Art Before Our EyesBy: Brandon Klaus
Karen Talbot, the famed conservation artist and illustrator for the Banggai Rescue project, is here at MACNA and she’s painting an amazing piece right before our very eyes. She’s right in the middle of a huge Banggai cardinalfish that’s already shaping up to be a beautiful piece of work, and one lucky person will get to take this original artwork home with them as it is part of the gigantic raffle that’s taking place throughout the show. If you’re not lucky enough to win the Banggai piece but still want to decorate your home with some lovely fishy artwork, Karen has a ton of other pieces for sale in her gallery/booth. Her art ranges from freshwater species to saltwater, and each of them is so well done that we can guarantee it will be hard to pick a favorite.
For more information on Karen’s artwork, be sure to visit her website at Karen Talbot Art. If you’d like to know more about the Banggai Rescue projected, please visit this noble cause at Banggai-Resuce. | <urn:uuid:132b7c08-935d-4bfc-b9ce-0462345eea46> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.aquanerd.com/2012/09/karen-talbot-macna.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934823 | 249 | 1.953125 | 2 |
add more than one layer of meaning
when every pixel counts
If you have a phone, you're already a user of pictures down to the size of a pin head.
What would we do without those tiny icons, readable at a glance - in any language?
Learning to use a new app is often simply a matter of learning the symbol language of its icons, where they are and what they mean.
Symbols are not only indispensable. They can be powerful stuff.
A symbol stands for more than it represents. Symbols can stir strong feelings.
One little shape can say most of all in the smallest space. What's that? A face.
Symbols can have different meanings in different cultures, but let's face it, we've all got faces. What was the first thing you ever learned to read? A human face.
Smileys and emoticons are not the only tiny images that say worlds with a wink or a frown.
If you want to make any icon or other size-challenged picture stand out from the crowd, forget the gimmicks and garish colours. Just give it a face!
Can't face a Smiley?
Try a Gloomy | <urn:uuid:b6675583-caa1-4a3d-9603-0d78bddff3b7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://purple-owl.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930211 | 248 | 2.84375 | 3 |
Turning pain into a purpose
Children will be better protected against sexual abusers because of Erin’s Law. A police chief and two legislators from the Sauk Valley helped win its approval. Congratulations to them and to the law’s namesake, Erin Merryn.
With significant help from the Sauk Valley, Erin’s Law, which will help children prevent or speak out against sexual abuse, has been fully implemented.
Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation Thursday that will empower children in the event they are confronted by an abuser.
The law is named after Erin Merryn, a 27-year-old Schaumburg woman who suffered multiple years of abuse as a child.
If you have any technical difficulties, either with your username and password or with the payment options, please contact us by e-mail at email@example.com | <urn:uuid:9ad8ec08-79a5-4bca-9f51-d06ae0dd3fc8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.saukvalley.com/2013/01/28/turning-pain-into-a-purpose/ahdls7r/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955987 | 176 | 2.140625 | 2 |
Top White Papers
Crossroads: Parallel Computing With LinuxSep 29, 1999, 05:50 (0 Talkback[s])
(Other stories by Forrest Hoffman, William Hargrove)
"We became involved in cluster computing more than two years ago, after developing a proposal for the construction of a Beowulf cluster to support a handful of research projects. The proposal was rejected, but because we had already begun development of a new high-resolution landscape ecology application, we decided to build a cluster out of surplus PCs (primarily Intel 486s) destined for salvage. We began intercepting excess machines at federal facilities in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and processing them into usable nodes. By September 1997, we had a functional parallel computer system built out of no-cost hardware..."
"Anyone can construct a parallel computer adequate for teaching parallel programming and running parallel codes--often using existing or excess PCs. PCs in an established computer laboratory can be adapted for dual use, dual-boot systems so that they can be rebooted into either Linux or Microsoft Windows, depending on the present need. Alternatively, unused equipment can be collected and fashioned into a parallel system as we have done."
"No two Beowulf clusters are the same. In fact, their hardware and software configurations are so flexible and customizable that they present a wide array of possibilities. In this tutorial, we hope to provide some guidelines and considerations for narrowing this wide field of choices. While every Beowulf cluster is different and configurations are dictated by application needs, some minimum requirements can be specified."
0 Talkback[s] (click to add your comment) | <urn:uuid:63a0cedf-aeda-4d3d-97fc-90b14640f2bb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.linuxtoday.com/developer/1999092900804PS | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935676 | 331 | 2.265625 | 2 |
Guidelines for Rolling in Cricket
ECB and Cranfield University have launched new Guidelines for Rolling in Cricket. These can be downloaded below as a PDF:
Guidelines for Rolling in Cricket (2.7 MB)
These could save over 700,000 hours of cricket pitch preparation time across the UK through more effective use of rollers.
The guidelines are the result of four years of research by Cranfield’s Centre for Sports Surface Technology commissioned by the ECB, which aimed to develop a scientific understanding of the rolling of cricket pitches in order to optimise pitch preparation. The research marks a significant shift from current practice and understanding in cricket.
Chris Wood, ECB Pitches Consultant, said, “This is research that I’m pleased to say will go a long way to dispel the myths and legends and instil sound and economical rolling practices for the production of quality pitches across all levels of cricket.”
Working with ECB and the Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG), over 100 groundstaff across England and Wales were consulted throughout the research process to identify the scope for improvement. Results demonstrated that in first class cricket, the number of roller passes over the pitch ranges from 5 to 280, allowing plenty of scope for optimisation.
Dr Iain James, Senior Lecturer and Head of the Centre for Sports Surface Technology at Cranfield, said: “This research will lead to better pitches and more efficient pitch preparation. We calculated that if all clubs in England and Wales were to target their rolling using these guidelines, the reduction in rolling time with save a total of over 700,000 hours of rolling per year and reduce the carbon footprint of cricket by an equivalent of a small housing estate. In addition, there will be cost savings in terms of fuel.”
The guidelines, aimed at both professional and volunteer groundstaff, are also available to download from the Cranfield website at www.cranfield.ac.uk/sas/sst/rolling - where you will also find further information on the research project] | <urn:uuid:f8d21180-3470-42a0-80d7-6f25b6949e6f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ecb.co.uk/development/facilities-funding/groundsmanship/guidelines-for-rolling-in-cricket,1776,BP.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930443 | 416 | 2.140625 | 2 |
Return to lesson Seven index
Patriotism or Peace
By Leo Tolstoy
Open the newspapers for any period you may wish, and at any moment you will see the black spot - the cause of every possible war: now it is Korea, now the Pamir², now the lands in Africa, Now Abyssinia, now Turkey, now Venezuela, now the Transvaal. The work of the robbers does not stop for a moment, and here and there a small war, like an exchange of shots in the cordon, is going on all the time, and the real war will begin at any moment.
If an American wishes the preferential grandeur and well-being of America above all other nations, and the same is desired by his state by an Englishman, and a Russian, and a Turk, and a Dutchman, and an Abyssinian, and a citizen of Venezuela and of the Transvaal, and an Armenian, and a Pole, and a Bohemian, and all of them are convinced that these desires need not only not be concealed or repressed, but should be a matter of pride and be developed in themselves and in others; and if the greatness and wellbeing of one country or nation cannot be obtained except to the detriment of another nation, frequently of many countries and nations - how can war be avoided?
And so, not to have any war, it is not necessary to preach and pray to God about peace, to persuade the English-speaking nations that they ought to be friendly toward one another; to marry princes to princesses of other nations - but to destroy what produces war. But what produces war is the desire for the exclusive good for one's own nation - what is called patriotism. And so to abolish war, it is necessary to abolish patriotism, and to abolish patriotism, it is necessary to it is necessary first to become convinced that it is an evil, and that is hard to do. Tell people that war is bad, and they will laugh at you: who does not know that? Tell them that patriotism is bad, and the majority of people will agree with you, but with a small proviso: "Yes, bad patriotism is bad, but there is also another patriotism, the one we adhere to." But wherein this good patriotism consists of no one can explain. If good patriotism consists in not being acquisitive, as many say, it is nonetheless retentive; that is, men want to retain what was formerly acquired, that is, by violence and murder. But even if patriotism is not retentive, it is restorative - the patriotism of the vanquished and oppressed nations, the Armenians, the Poles, Bohemians, Irish, and so forth. This patriotism is almost the very worst, because it is the most enraged and demands the greatest degree of violence.
Patriotism cannot be good. Why do not people say that egotism can be good, though this may be asserted more easily, because egotism is a natural sentiment, with which a man is born, while patriotism is an unnatural sentiment, which is artificially inoculated in him?
It will be said: "Patriotism has united men in states and keeps up the unity of the states." But the men are already united in states - the work is all done: why should men now maintain an exclusive loyalty for their state, when this loyalty produces calamities for all states and nations? The same patriotism which produced the unification of men into states is now destroying those states. If there were but one patriotism - the patriotism of none but the English - it might be regarded as unificatory or beneficent, but when, as now, there are American, English, German, French, Russian patriotisms, all of them opposed to one another, patriotism no longer unites, but disunites. To say that, if patriotism was beneficent, by uniting men into states,, as was the case during its highest development in Greece and Rome, patriotism even now, after 1,800 years of Christian life, is just as beneficent, is the same as saying that, since ploughing was useful and beneficent for the field before the sowing, it will be useful now, after the crop has grown up.
It would be very well to retain patriotism in memory of the use which it once had, as people preserve and retain the ancient monuments of temples, as mausoleums stand, without causing any harm to man, while patriotism produces without cessation innumerable calamities.
What now causes the Armenians and the Turks to suffer and cut each others throats and act like wild beasts? Why do England and Russia, each of them concerned about her share of the inheritance from Turkey, lie in wait and not and not put a stop to the Armenian atrocities? Why do the Abyssinians and Italians fight one another? Why did a terrible war come very near breaking out on account of Venezuela and now on account of the Transvaal? And the Chino-Japanese War, and the Turkish, and the German, and the French wars? And the rage of subdued nations, the Armenians, the Poles, the Irish? And the preparation for war by all the nations? All that is the fruits of patriotism. Seas of blood have been shed for the sake of this sentiment, and more blood will be shed for its sake, if men do not free themselves from this outlived bit of antiquity.
C'est ą prendre ou ą laisser, as the French say. If patriotism is good, then Christianity, which gives peace, is an idle dream, and the sooner this teaching is eradicated, the better. But if Christianity really gives peace, and we really want peace, patriotism is a survival from barbarous times, which must not only be evoked and educated, as we do now, but which must be eradicated by all means, by preaching, persuasion, contempt and ridicule. If Christianity is the truth, and we wish to live in peace, we must but only have no sympathy for the power of our country, but must even rejoice in its weakening, and contribute to it. A Russian must rejoice when Poland, the Baltic provinces, Finland, Armenia, are separated from Russia and made free; and an Englishman must similarly rejoice in relation to Ireland, Australia, India, and the other colonies and cooperate in it, because the greater the country, the more evil and cruel is its patriotism, and the greater is the amount of the suffering on which its power is based. And so, if we actually want to be what we profess, we must not, as we do now, wish for the increase of our country, but wish for its diminution and weakening, and contribute to it with all our means. And thus must we educate the younger generations: we must bring up the younger generations in such a way that, as it is now disgraceful for a young man to manifest his coarse egotism, for example, by eating everything up, without leaving anything for others, to push a weaker person down from the road, in order to pass by himself, to take away by force what another needs, it should be just as disgraceful to wish for the increase of his country's power; and as it now is considered stupid and ridiculous for a person to praise himself, it should be considered stupid to extol one's nations, as is now done in various laying patriotic histories, pictures, monuments, textbooks, articles. Sermons, and stupid national hymns. But it must be understood that so long as we are going to extol patriotism and educate the younger generations in it, we shall have armaments, which ruin the physical and spiritual life of our nations, and wars, terrible, horrible wars, like those for which we are preparing ourselves, and into the circle of which we are introducing, corrupting them with our patriotism, the new, terrible fighters of the distant East.
In reply to a prince's question on how to increase his army, in order to conquer a southern tribe which did not submit to him, Confucius replied, "Destroy all thy army, and use the money, which thou art wasting now on the army, on the enlightenment of thy people and on the improvement of agriculture, and the southern tribe will drive away its prince and will submit to thy rule without war."
Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910, Lev Nikolayevich, Count Tolstoy), is the Russian author of War and Peace and Anna Karenina. Later in life he formulated a unique Christian philosophy which espoused non-resistance to evil as the proper response to aggression, and which put great emphasis on fair treatment of the poor and working class. Tolstoy's books Confession (1884), What Then Must We Do? (1886), and most notably The Kingdom of God is Within You (1894) outline his radical revision of traditional Christian thinking and were important in winning over Gandhi to the idea of non-resistance to evil.
¹A desyatina is a Russian unit of land measurement, about 2.7 acres
This reading is from The Class of Nonviolence, prepared by Colman McCarthy of the Center for Teaching Peace, 4501 Van Ness Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20016 202/537-1372 | <urn:uuid:78a8d709-efac-46a6-be2a-b913be96056b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://salsa.net/peace/conv/8weekconv7-3.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00047-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963894 | 1,908 | 3.5 | 4 |
As a young girl, Jessica Theodor found a fossil in her backyard. The curious six-year-old hopped on the subway and headed to the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto to find out what it was. Eventually she would head there on weekends to explore.
“I was fascinated,” says Theodor, a paleontologist in the Department of Biological Sciences. “I would just wander and look and think ‘that’s neat.’ And I would want to learn more.”
Theodor’s research work on the size of mammals after dinosaur extinction is one subject in a pilot project that will be taught in Calgary high schools this fall.
“Science is a really creative process, something students don’t often realize. It’s not all about facts and memorization,” says Howard Ceri, a professor of biological sciences and former president of Sigma Xi, an organization with a mandate to improve the public’s understanding of science.
It was Ceri’s idea to start Sigma Xi Research Connections, an outreach project that connects teachers and their students with the excitement of scientific research. A collaboration of the faculties of science and education, the university’s Biogeoscience Institute as well as the Calgary Board of Education and Calgary Catholic School District, it provides opportunity for teams of high school teachers, faculty and graduate students to co-develop lab and field experiences based on research at the University of Calgary.
During this past winter session, a team of six high school teachers focused on Theodor’s research that was recently published in the journal Science. The research demonstrated that the extinction of dinosaurs 65 million years ago made way for mammals to get bigger—about a thousand times bigger than they had been.
Theodor and her team studied the fossils of teeth of mammals that lived 60 million years ago. By studying these fossils, researchers learned a lot about the mammal: its body mass, what it ate and the group in which it belongs.
These findings were a perfect fit for the current Alberta Biology 20 curriculum. Brian Rankin, a PhD student in Theodor’s lab, worked with the teachers to develop a lab and field experience based on the Science article. In addition, the team “translated” the Science article into a form suitable for use by high school students to explore how this research was conducted.
Cathy Piedimonte, a teacher at Calgary’s Notre Dame High School, says this approach will help engage both teachers and students. “This gives us a more innovative way to teach the Biology 20 curriculum,” she says. “We will be more aware of current research and it will help make science a lot more relevant to students.”
Bonnie Shapiro, a project co-leader and professor in the Faculty of Education, says, “Not only is this an outstanding opportunity to help teachers and high school students learn to work with scientific information in new ways, it also is an outstanding opportunity to help scientists, science educators and graduate students to think in new ways about how scientific information is made available for use by the community.” | <urn:uuid:b362f130-b7a4-45f0-b7fb-5bdd316775d2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.umag.ca/issue/fall-2011/article/students-dig-research | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00048-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964063 | 650 | 3.265625 | 3 |
HIV/AIDS and Skin Conditions
Skin conditions are common in people with HIV/AIDS. Many, including Kaposi sarcoma, thrush, and herpes, are caused by germs that take advantage of a weakened immune system. That's why they are called "opportunistic" infections. Others, like photodermatitis, may be linked to inflammation caused by an overactive immune system as it revives during antiretroviral drug therapy.
Here are some of the most typical skin conditions related to HIV/AIDS.
This is a highly contagious viral skin infection that may be passed from person to person through skin-to-skin contact, by sharing linens, or simply touching the same objects. Molluscum contagiosum causes pink or flesh-colored bumps on the skin. In people with HIV/AIDS, an outbreak of more than 100 bumps can occur.
Although the bumps are generally harmless, they won't disappear without treatment if you have AIDS. Your doctor may choose to freeze off the bumps with liquid nitrogen (cryosurgery) or destroy them with a laser or topical ointment. The treatment will generally be repeated every six weeks or so until they're gone.
Several types of herpes viruses are common in people with HIV/AIDS. Herpes simplex viral infections cause an outbreak of sores surrounding the genital area or the mouth. Herpes zoster viral infection is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. It can also result in shingles, an extremely painful blistering rash on one side of the body. Herpes viral infections can often be treated with antiviral medications.
This is a type of cancer that originates inside the cells that line the lymph or blood vessels. Kaposi sarcoma causes dark lesions on the skin, which may appear as brown, purple, or red patches or nodules. Kaposi sarcoma may also cause the skin to swell. The lesions can affect organs, including the lungs, liver, and parts of the digestive tract, where it can cause potentially life-threatening symptoms and problems with breathing.
The skin condition typically only occurs when your white blood cell count is extremely low, meaning that your immune system is severely compromised. The condition is characteristic of AIDS, and when someone with HIV develops Kaposi sarcoma, the diagnosis changes to AIDS. Highly active antiretroviral drugs have greatly reduced the incidence of Kaposi sarcoma and can help treat it if it develops. The cancer also generally responds to radiation, surgery, and chemotherapy.
Oral hairy leukoplakia
This is a viral infection that affects the mouth. It can cause thick, white lesions on the tongue that appear hairy. It is particularly common in people with HIV/AIDS who have an extremely weakened immune system. Oral hairy leukoplakia doesn't require specific treatment, but good management of HIV/AIDS with antiretroviral medications can improve your immune system and help to clear up the infection.
Oral candidiasis, also known as thrush, is a fungal infection that causes a thick white layer to form on the tongue. Thrush can be managed with antifungal medications, mouth lozenges, and mouth rinses. It is quite common in people with HIV/AIDS and can be difficult to treat, because the infection tends to come back.
This is a skin condition in which the skin reacts to exposure to the sun by turning darker in color. It's most common in people of color, but anyone with HIV is susceptible to photodermatitis. If you're taking medications to improve immune strength, you may experience this reaction as a side effect. Protecting the skin from the sun is usually the strategy used to reduce photodermatitis.
This skin condition involves outbreaks of itchy, crusted lumps on the skin. The itching can be intense and severe. Prurigo nodularis is most common with extremely compromised immune systems, as well as among people of color with HIV/AIDS. Topical steroid treatment and managing HIV/AIDS with antiretroviral drugs are used to treat the condition.
Antiretroviral drugs can help prevent and manage some of these types of skin conditions. Other skin conditions may be triggered by the treatment and require other treatments. Talk with your doctor about the best therapy for your particular skin condition. | <urn:uuid:d4bbd96f-8e44-485c-b365-28558012a203> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.grhealth.org/health-encyclopedia/ContentPage.aspx?nd=810&parm1=100&parm2=134 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942403 | 893 | 3.65625 | 4 |
By Lucas Grindley
Originally published on Advocate.com December 21 2012 2:50 PM ET
History's first openly gay ambassador finally got an apology today from one of the Republicans who had called him too "aggressively gay" to serve.
LGBT rights groups were worried that the next Defense Secretary could be former Republican senator Chuck Hagel, who has now apologized for comments he made in 1997 about James Hormel, a gay nominee for an ambassadorship to Luxembourg. Hagel said today his comments were "insensitive" and unrepresentative of his views.
When Hormel, President Clinton's historic pick, went before the Senate for confirmation, Hagel joined a growing chorus of Republican criticism.
“Ambassadorial posts are sensitive,” Hagel said in a 1998 interview raised now by activists. “They are representing America. They are representing our lifestyle, our values, our standards. And I think it is an inhibiting factor to be gay — openly, aggressively gay, like Mr. Hormel — to do an effective job.”
The comments were a different tone than he'd taken months before the controversy erupted, when Hagel sat on the sidelines as Hormel sailed through the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee on which he sat. It was a starkly different approach from his virulently antigay counterparts.
In Hormel's memoir, Fit to Serve, he recalls the sense of relief after the committee approved him on a 16-2 vote, with only Republican Chairman Jesse Helms and then-Sen. John Ashcroft of Missouri voting against. For his part, Hagel in the November 4 meeting in 1997 didn't request in the voice vote to join Helms and Ashcroft.
Hormel recalls that the only Republican to ask him a question during his hearing had been Gordon Smith of Oregon, and it was a "softball" that didn't raise any red flags.
But notoriously antigay Sens. James Inhofe of Oklahoma and Tim Hutchinson of Arkansas quickly placed holds on the nomination, stalling it indefinitely. Inhofe's antigay record continues to this day, and Hutchinson was a graduate of Bob Jones University.
Then began an assault on Hormel's credentials. Hormel recalls being grilled during a private meeting by Hutchinson about his partner's work with the Digital Queers, a nonprofit tech group, and about whether he would disavow the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Footage had surfaced of Hormel laughing during a gay pride parade as the "sisters" marched by wearing their nun outfits. Hutchinson used it to go on a public campaign that cast Hormel as an anti-Catholic being sent to a predominately Catholic country. He had already been attacked by the religious right as a potential pedophile sympathizer.
Then Hagel gave his "insensitive" answer when asked how he would vote if the holds were lifted and Hormel went up for a confirmation vote.
“My comments 14 years ago in 1998 were insensitive," Hagel said today. "They do not reflect my views or the totality of my public record, and I apologize to Ambassador Hormel and any LGBT Americans who may question my commitment to their civil rights. I am fully supportive of ‘open service’ and committed to LGBT military families.”
Hormel went on to become ambassador only because Clinton pushed him through with a recess appointment.
The Human Rights Campaign, which had been sharply critical of Hagel's possible nomination at Defense, said in a statement that it "appreciated" his "change of heart."
"Senator Hagel's apology and his statement of support for LGBT equality is appreciated and shows just how far as a country we have come when a conservative former Senator from Nebraska can have a change of heart on LGBT issues," said HRC President Chad Griffin. "Our community continues to add allies to our ranks and we're proud that Senator Hagel is one of them."
The Defense Department only recently implemented repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, and activists were concerned that its leader be on their side when facing criticism from Republicans in Congress, who have objected to military chaplains marrying same-sex couples on bases. Also, equal benefits for soldiers in same-sex relationships are still not available because of the Defense of Marriage Act.
"The next Defense Secretary should get off to a fast start and ensure LGBT military families have access to every possible benefit under the law," Griffin said. "Every day these families continue to face unfair treatment and the secretary can take meaningful action to remedy this discrimination." | <urn:uuid:1f743846-3385-4c3d-9e07-4acfca883edd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.advocate.com/print/politics/2012/12/21/chuck-hagel-stand-ends-apology-gay-ambassador | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981133 | 950 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Social Security Records
The decade of the 1930s found America facing the worst economic crisis in its modern history. Millions of people were unemployed, two million adult men ("hobos") wandered aimlessly around the country, banks and businesses failed and the majority of the elderly in America lived in dependency. These circumstances led to many calls for change. One was the development of the Social Security program.
The Social Security program that would eventually be adopted in late 1935 relied for its core principles on the concept of "social insurance." Social insurance was a respectable and serious intellectual tradition that began in Europe in the 19th century and was an expression of a European social welfare tradition. The Social Security Act was signed into law by President Roosevelt on August 14, 1935. In addition to several provisions for general welfare, the new Act created a social insurance program designed to pay retired workers age 65 or older a continuing income after retirement.
The monumental first task was the need to register employers and workers by January 1, 1937, when workers would begin acquiring credits toward old-age insurance benefits. Since the new Social Security Board did not have the resources available to accomplish this, they contracted with the Post Office Department to distribute the applications. The first application forms were distributed in late November 1936. The numbers were assigned in the local post offices. There is no record of who received the first Social Security number (SSN). The post offices collected the completed forms and turned them over to Social Security field offices located near major post office centers. The applications then were forwarded to Baltimore, Maryland, where SSNs were registered and various employment records established. Over 30 million SSN cards were issued through this early procedure, with the help of the post offices. By June 30, 1937, the SSB had established 151 field offices. From that point on, the Board's local office took over the task of assigning SSNs.
Historical Background and Development of Social Security.
Search Social Security Death Index 1937 to current.
the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) in One Step. Stephen
- Social Security Death Benefit Records: 1937 through
December 1993. Orem, Utah: Automated Archives, 1994.
Social Security Death Index. Family Tree Legends.
Social Security Death Index. Genealogy.com
Security Death Index. GenealogyBank.com
Social Security Death Index. New England Ancestors.org
Social Security Death Index Interactive Search. Rootsweb.
- Social Security
- Social Security History. | <urn:uuid:600e4d18-ef12-4f6d-8416-f4ad17a4f44c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://genealoger.com/genealogy/gen_social_security.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954971 | 501 | 3.25 | 3 |
NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) - The dollar fell against most major currencies in light trading Friday following a weak U.S. jobs report.
The Labor Department said the U.S. economy added 120,000 jobs in March, down from more than 200,000 in each of the previous three months. Economists expected 210,000 jobs to be added last month.
The unemployment rate fell to 8.2 percent, the lowest since January 2009, but that was mainly due to more people giving up on finding work.
The euro was trading at $1.3095 late Friday $1.3060 late Thursday.
Currency trading is light because many traders are off for Good Friday. The U.S. stock market is closed and U.S. government bond trading closed at noon Eastern.
In other trading, the British pound rose to $1.5885 from $1.5828. The dollar fell to 81.59 Japanese yen from 82.36 yen and to 0.9172 Swiss franc from 0.9201 Swiss franc.
The dollar rose to 99.71 Canadian cent from 99.38 Canadian cents. | <urn:uuid:5e9cfba1-f20c-472b-8635-d778e4db5c7b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/apr/06/dollar-falls-after-us-jobs-report/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967821 | 235 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Facilitation methods: débates, videos, collaborations, publications..
We are following the agreements of Syros (first meeting of the Facilitation Committee) to weave the Charter work into existing organizations and socio-professional groups, to raise awareness of the concept of responsibility and discuss it as widely as possible.
1. Interviews with small groups from different sectors to discuss and receive feedback on the Charter text.
Evaluation : an effective way of inviting engagement in the Charter principles. At this stage, partnering in projects is valued as a manifestation of an ethic and practice of responsibility , more than a text alone.
2. Presentation of film material
Evaluation : Effective in bringing the international context to life and making it visual, and for initiating points of discussion.
3. The provision of hospitality accompanying presentation of the Charter facilitates positive energy and engagement in Charter discussion. This is a characteristic aspect of Maori and Pacific cultures which is increasingly adopted by the wider population
Evaluation : A key method for positive engagement. Associates the Charter with hospitality, generosity, care and respect.
4. Partnership and Collaboration in projects
Evaluation : Collaboration in projects is a key method of introducing the Charter, and its success lies in shared interests and outcomes.
5. Academic Writing
Evaluation : Appeals to writers and academics with an interest in Responsibility. Incorporation of responsibility into academic papers and conference presentations is a valuable and effective vehicle for dissemination.
Theoretical development of the notion of responsibility in particular fields of work, such as education, management, governance, would enhance a development of a praxis of responsibility.
6. Feature articles, newspaper, journal writing
Evaluation : Excellent means of dissemination for wider readership. Facilities wide range of issues being linked to responsibility. | <urn:uuid:5fea8537-0577-4399-a427-cb6850d4c51d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.charter-human-responsibilities.net/spip.php?article94 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.922957 | 370 | 2.453125 | 2 |
Definition of Domestic Violence
Domestic violence goes by many names, such as spousal abuse, domestic abuse, partner abuse, and others. No matter the label, the definition of domestic violence is the same. It is the abuse of another person within the confines of an interpersonal relationship, usually an intimate or family relationship. Though domestic violence is most commonly considered to be physical abuse of a spouse or partner, other abuses such as child abuse, sexual abuse, spousal rape, and even emotional abuse can also fall under its umbrella.
Local laws affect what constitutes domestic violence. For example, not every country considers spousal rape a crime. Therefore, domestic violence would be defined differently in these areas, at least by interpreters of the law. There is also some dispute about whether a single act of violence constitutes domestic violence, or if it should be termed simply as assault. The legal consequences of a single violent incident are determined by the laws of the community and state.
There are many factors influencing violence in the home. Alcohol is often cited as a contributing factor. Spouses or parents that would otherwise be described as loving, or at least non-violent, may become dangerous after a few drinks. Rarely, however, does the fact that the abuser was under the influence of alcohol affect the legal ramifications of the incident. Other illegal substances, which alter mood and behavior, can also contribute to the problem of domestic violence.
Though it’s certainly not always true, children of domestic abusers may be more likely to become abusers in their own right in adulthood. If your partner was abused or had an abusive parent, it may be a good idea to pay close attention to warning signs, such as extreme jealousy, a desire to isolate you from family or friends, and manipulative or controlling behaviors. It’s also important to remember that not all abusers have abusive pasts, and you should be aware of these warning signs in any relationship.
In some situations, both partners abuse one another, and are therefore simultaneously abusers and victims. Though, it may be more difficult to point to a single person as the perpetrator, this would still be considered domestic violence. Co-violence, in fact, may be even more dangerous. These relationships have twice the risk of escalating into violent episodes because they involve two abusers.
Domestic violence affects many families throughout the world. The effects of these violent behaviors last long after the bruises heal, and affect not only the person being abused, but also the people around them. If you are being abused, seek help immediately. | <urn:uuid:bbcdbeec-b14d-45f1-97a4-34322671703f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ashafamilyservices.com/definitionofdomesticviolence.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967221 | 518 | 3.375 | 3 |
Well now they can! There is a company thinking about your children AND trying to save your technology by creating a Tablet that is made just for children: the Canvas Tablet!
The proliferation of tablet computers has changed our perception of technology. No longer a novelty, tablets have become a staple in many households enjoyed by the entire family – from toddlers to seniors. Children are especially captivated by the touchscreen technology. They enjoy the age-appropriate games and love the sense of accomplishment they get from using an adult toy. But most of all they like the feeling of being just like mom and dad.. In fact, kids are so intrigued with tablets that some parents use theirs like a pacifier, giving their child access in exchange for a little peace and quiet. But when they do, it’s always with a bit of trepidation: a good tablet can be expensive and children can be careless. Canvas Tablets provide a low-cost antidote to the dilemma.
Canvas Tablets, new Android Tablets from the Pardo Group, of Washington, DC, provide an excellent alternative for parents who would like to introduce their children to computers and educational software programs. Toy manufacturers have jumped on the bandwagon, producing tablets just for kids. But most toy tablets have fewer features and less functionality than a Canvas Tablet, and a child-like look that is quickly outgrown. Kids enjoy playing with them, but when all is said and done, they still gravitate to their parents’ more sophisticated devices.
With over 500,000 apps for Android tablets available for download on the Google Play Store, kids using Canvas Tablets are not limited to a toymaker’s programs. Parents can download new programs whenever their child is ready for new challenges. Kids can play with the same apps they love on their parents’ tablets, read books, watch movies, take photos or send an email from their Canvas Tablet. Perfect for children ages 4 to 12, Canvas Tablets have the sleek look and the functionality of “grown-up” tablets, and at the everyday retail prices of $125 for the 7” Canvas Maximo, and $100 for the 7” Canvas Minimo, Canvas Tablets are more affordable than many of the Toy tablets on the market today. Making them the perfect entry-level device.
Canvas Tablets are powered by the Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system, they support video formats up to 1080p, Google Play, Google Play Video, Google Play Music, Gmail and more. They are Wi-Fi ready and come in a choice of red, black or white.
So, stop giving your child your personal tablets to wreck and ruin. Get them their own Canvas Tablet and have many happy hours and many happy children! These look like just adult tablets so they will feel like a grown up when they are using it! Plus, they are affordable and they offer a lot of games and educational apps!
Buy It: You can purchase Canvas Tablets exclusively online at canvastablet.com starting at $100 for the Canvas Minimo.
If you love this review and my site... | <urn:uuid:f8ee73f7-4aeb-40fb-8a79-d00ff80672bf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thereviewstew.com/2013/01/canvas-tablet.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00065-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952282 | 651 | 1.617188 | 2 |
What Does Phil Mickelson Actually Pay in Taxes?
CNBC Reporter & Editor
Fresh off the course at the Humana Challenge golf tournament this weekend, Phil Mickelson told reporters that recent tax hikes on the rich might force him to make "drastic changes," suggesting he'd be leaving either golf or his home in California.
At the center of Mickelson's tax complaint was his claim that he pays a tax rate of 62 to 63 percent.
"If you add up all the federal and you look at the disability and the unemployment and the Social Security and the state, my tax rate's 62, 63 percent," Mickelson said. "So I've got to make some decisions on what I'm going to do."
(Read More: Did California's Rich Tax Really Shrink Its Deficit?)
There is no doubt that Mickelson's taxes are high. And they just went up by an additional 7.9 percent over the past three months due to the "fiscal cliff" deal and California's Proposition 30.
But several accountants interviewed said it's unlikely that Mickelson is actually paying a rate above 60 percent. With even the most basic tax planning, they said, his real rate is most likely closer to 50 percent.
After his comments turned into a rare off-course controversy for Mickelson, he apologized for his comments, but he didn't back away from his numbers. "Finances and taxes are a personal matter and I should not have made my opinions on them public," he said today in a statement. "I apologize to those I have upset or insulted and assure you I intend to not let it happen again."
But let's consider those numbers.
Under current tax rates, Mickelson would pay 13.3 percent in state income tax and 39.6 percent in federal income tax. That's 52.9 percent combined. Medicare and Medicaid is an additional 2 percent. The new health-care levy is .9 percent on earned income and 3.8 percent on investment income.
Self-employment taxes could total an additional 15.3 percent -- but that's only on income up to $113,000, accountants say. After that the rate is 2.9 percent.
Mickelson would also pay local taxes where he plays tournaments. That could add another one percent or two percent.
So the maximum Mickelson could pay in state and income taxes, payroll and other income-related taxes would be around 60 percent.
But that rate is only if he did absolutely no tax planning or basic deductions. He would, for instance, get a deduction on his state income taxes from his federal. He would also deduct any golf-related expenses as a business expense. He probably puts money in a retirement plan, which is tax-favorable.
I would guess that Mickelson has some investments, which would be taxed at the lower capital gains rate of 20 percent (or 23.8 percent with the new health-care tax). And I would guess he might have a mortgage deduction, or other deductions related to kids and education.
And we know that Mickelson gives money to charity. So that would be deducted as well. If he has trusts (which he likely does) that also reduces his tax rate.
(Read more: Tax Hikes on Rich May Increase Charitable Giving)
Steven Piascik, president of Piascik – the accounting firm that works with dozens of professional athletes – said that he easily could bring Mickelson's rate to around 50 to 52 percent with some "basic tax planning."
"I couldn't guarantee it, but 8 to 10 percent off that 62 percent rate seems normal," he said. "I would guess he's doing a lot of these things already."
Either Mickelson misspoke – or he needs to hire a new accountant. | <urn:uuid:293057c4-55e2-4bb9-9e37-54372150f31d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cnbc.com/id/100398096?__source=yahoo%7Cfivehighesttaxstates%7C&par=yahoo | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984371 | 794 | 1.804688 | 2 |
I am not making this up.
Apparently, your brain creates a very specific electrical brain response, known as P300, when one is presented with information that is already contained in one’s mind. If you recognize the information (i.e., it is familiar to you), you will have a P300 response. There is no way to avoid this; it is a biological/electrical stimulus response event. Sort of like a lie detector, only (reportedly) always accurate.
Think of this as Mind-Reading 1.0.
Question: "Did you murder John Doe?"
Question: "Have you ever been inside this house?" [While presenting a picture of the front of a house]
Question: "Did you commit this murder?" [While presenting a picture of the murder scene, which took place in the bedroom]
"Sir, you are under arrest – you had a P300 response to the murder scene."
Maybe you are feeling some comfort knowing this is not being accepted in the courtroom. Think again. P300 is already being used in court as admissible evidence by both defense and prosecuting attorneys.
Now what happens when science improves and Mind-Reading 2.0 is available? Maybe this new technology will answer the question "Have you ever had this thought before?"
Well, that makes the song "Standing On The Corner (Watching All The Girls Go By)" somewhat relevant, especially the verse, "Brother, you cannot go to jail for what you are thinking."
Or, better yet … Dr. Joyce Brothers reportedly once said, "My husband and I have never thought about divorce – murder, perhaps, but not divorce."
Now juxtapose this emerging technology with how our courts have interpreted our rights against unreasonable searches and seizures guaranteed in the Fourth Amendment of our Constitution. For example, the Supreme Court long ago ruled (Smith vs. Maryland) that we have no "reasonable expectation of privacy" of the telephone numbers we dial.
Now that the technology exists to "read" P300 responses, I have to wonder where we are going to draw the line.
Is it reasonable to believe that what is going on in your skull is private? Will our Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination protect us from the Mind-Reading 2.0? Is it possible the Supreme Court could someday rule that certain brain activity is not private?
If this seems far-fetched, let me share one plausible journey that might just make this true. The Court has held (Katz vs. United States) that an expectation of privacy is not "reasonable" unless both: (1) a person can claim "a legitimate expectation of privacy" over a particular type of information; and (2) this expectation is one that society is prepared to recognize as "reasonable." And, of course, what society sees as "reasonable" changes over time, and courts can change their interpretation of reasonableness as time and technology march on.
On this principle, when high school science projects make mind-reading devices and disposable units can bought at WalMart in twelve packs … will some court then assert that we should no longer have an expectation of privacy over our thoughts?
The future is going to be pretty weird.
Don’t think of a pink elephant! | <urn:uuid:8931f190-a679-4fc0-869e-66b9a61a7238> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://jeffjonas.typepad.com/jeff_jonas/2007/01/p300_brain_fing.html | 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 | 0.956451 | 669 | 2.0625 | 2 |
History is bunk. Sunk costs are sunk.
Henry Ford Anonymous
At least one resource is fixed in the short run, which implies that some short run costs are also fixed. These fixed costs were incurred previously, so they are also known as historical or sunk costs.
Fixed costs are the sum of all short-run costs that are not related to the level of output.
For your sand-and-gravel operation, fixed costs would include such things as business licenses, rent you are obligated by a lease to pay, principal and interest on leases for trucks or other equipment, utility hookup charges, and franchise fees. You might be required to make payments during each period, but fixed costs are unaffected by your firm's output.
Fixed Costs and Decision Making
Sunk costs should be viewed by managers as irrelevant in making future decisions. For example, suppose that you bought a deluxe mountain bike and were dismayed when its price was slashed 2 weeks later. Then a broken leg persuaded you to sell the bicycle to cover your unexpected medical bills. Of the following, which would be the least relevant to the price you should charge: (a) the price you paid, (b) the current sales price, (c) storage costs, (d) expected enjoyment from riding after you get out of your cast, or (e) the current prices of similar used bikes?
If you chose answer (a) to this question, you intuitively understand the irrelevancy of fixed (or sunk) cost for rational decision making. Many people are astounded when told that fixed costs have no bearing on rational decisions about how much to produce, how much to charge for your output, and so on.
Fixed costs are meaningful only to the extent that, like history or archaeology, we can learn from them. Since they are fixed, there is a sense in which no alternative exists, so the opportunity costs of fixed resources are zero, at least in the short run. Therefore, only costs that vary with output should affect production decisions in the short run. | <urn:uuid:c7687d5f-bd2f-4a64-916b-82d72092dd8b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.unc.edu/depts/econ/byrns_web/Economicae/fixcost.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976686 | 418 | 3.25 | 3 |
Efficient and Reliable Low-Power Backscatter Networks
There is a long-standing vision of embedding backscatter nodes like RFIDs into everyday objects to build ultralow power ubiquitous networks. A major problem that has challenged this vision is that backscatter communication is neither reliable nor efficient. Backscatter nodes cannot sense each other, and hence tend to suffer from colliding transmissions. Further, they are ineffective at adapting the bit rate to channel conditions, and thus miss opportunities to increase throughput, or transmit above capacity causing errors. This paper introduces a new approach to backscatter communication. The key idea is to treat all nodes as if they were a single virtual sender. | <urn:uuid:bd9a082b-064f-4b8c-a97a-fa2620e1198e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.techrepublic.com/whitepapers/efficient-and-reliable-low-power-backscatter-networks/32775283?scname=rfid | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.91578 | 139 | 2.375 | 2 |
Primary school textbooks have much to say about the first Thanksgiving, but few tell the real story. There are two reason for this: until the rediscovery of the diaries of Governor William Bradford it had been forgotten, and by the time it was found it was a very awkward and inconvenient truth for those who write the scripts for our children.
The story commonly told is that the colonists nearly starved because they didn’t know how to work the land in the New World, and that they were saved in 1621 by skills taught them by the native American Indians. But that’s not how it happened.
The original colony at Plymouth Bay had been founded by Puritans who hoped to emulate the early Christians by keeping all their worldly goods in common. They forgot St. Paul’s admonition that only those who worked should be fed from the common store.
Idleness and theft of provender were rife; actual work to provide it was very scarce. For two years (1621 and 1622) this continued, and the colony was on the edge of starvation. Still, they set aside a day to thank God for what they did have, and held enough food back for a feast on that day.
When 1623 rolled around, they were desparate, and finally decided to break the part of their charter that required them to be practicing socialists as well as practicing Christians. The colony gave each family a plot of land to farm, where an individual and his family could benefit from their own efforts. The harvest that year was abundant, and the harvest of 1624 more so–so much that they began to export food.
America flirted with socialism long before it became popular, and learned that it doesn’t work outside of a real monastery or an individual family. That lesson created the Shining City on the Hill. If more people knew about it, perhaps they woudn’t be so willing to let others pull the City down by going back to the feelgood failure that almost doomed the New World.
Addendum: The foregoing was previously published in the Bayshore Tea Party website Blog. But the situation in Red Bank has become murkier. Socialist Pat Noble has won election to the Red Bank School Board. Mr. Noble’s appearance as a candidate at the Bayshore Tea Party’s candidate forum (for another office in a previous year) though conducted with decorum and collegiality, resulted in loud backlash for both Mr. Noble and the BTPG.
I offer Mr. Noble and his supporters this challenge: will he and they support the teaching of the actual facts, which display a failure of Socialism that almost destroyed America in its earliest gestation, or will they insist on the established story, with its overtones of the Noble Savage and the implicit indictment of an ungrateful America in its treatment of the American Indian? | <urn:uuid:6a498421-0d27-4a80-953e-60512b0fe7e2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.app.com/bayshoreteaparty/blog/2012/11/19/the-great-thanksgiving-socialist-scam/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982822 | 589 | 2.53125 | 3 |
I wrote an exclusive article for Seeking Alpha in which I expand on the following points:
- Quantitative Easing-induced wealth effects may be wishful thinking;
- Earnings are the primary drivers for equities and they have peaked;
- QE3 could be highly counterproductive if commodity prices rise as a result like in previous QEs;
- Another problem with Bernanke’s wealth effect thesis lies with the new reality in America. Lately, income and assets have been so significantly redistributed that only a tiny few actually feel a wealth effect from rising equity prices;
- The “wealthy few” may nevertheless have much less after-tax income when politicians finally address the looming fiscal cliff. It is these wealthy people who run American corporations, keeping them lean and mean and flush with cash.
- The less affluent — the other 250 million people — are little concerned by an eventual wealth effect but highly, directly and immediately impacted by the side effects of all these QEs, namely rising commodity prices and near zero interest rates.
- At previous QE program launches, equity markets were similarly undervalued, but economic trends were then more positive.
- If the Fed has it all wrong and the only effect of QE3 is to boost inflation, only God knows what will happen.
- Bankers are merely experimenting with totally unproven ways hoping to gain enough time until more responsible politicians emerge. Given the significant risk still facing us until Godot arrives, investors should await more evidence that either earnings resume their uptrend or some kind of miracle(s) happen.
The complete article with charts is right here. | <urn:uuid:a48bbc9a-f3de-4b3f-9ef7-676118c52446> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.news-to-use.com/2012/09/what-if-the-fed-has-it-all-wrong.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00057-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9566 | 333 | 1.703125 | 2 |
|Peithô's Web||Lives index|
I. CARNEADES was the son of Epicomus, or Philocomus, as Alexander states in his Successions; and a native of Cyrene.
II. He read all the books of the Stoics with great care, and especially those of Chrysippus; and then he wrote replies to them, but did it at the same time with such modesty that he used to say, "If Chrysippus had not lived, I should never have existed."
III. He was a man of as great industry as ever existed; not, however, very much devoted to the investigation of subjects of natural philosophy, but more fond of the discussion of ethical topics, on which account he used to let his hair and his nails grow, from his entire devotion of all his time to philosophical discussion. And he was so eminent as a philosopher, that the orators would quit their own schools and come and listen to his lectures.
IV. He was also a man of a very powerful voice, so that the president of the Gymnasium sent to him once, to desire he would not shout so loudly. And he replied, "Give me then, measure for my voice." And the gymnasiarch again rejoined with great wit, for he said "You have a measure in your pupils."
V. He was a very vehement speaker, and one difficult to contend with in the investigation of a point. And he used to decline all invitations to entertainments, for the reasons I have already mentioned.
VI. On one occasion when Mentor, the Bithynian, one of his pupils, came to him to attend his school, observing that he was trying to seduce his mistress (as Favorinus relates in his Universal History), while he was in the middle of his lecture, he made the following parody in allusion to him:
A weak old man comes hither, like in voice,
And Mentor rising up, replied:
Thus did they speak, and straight the others rose.
VII. He appears to have been beset with fears of death; as he was continually saying, "Nature, who has put this frame together, will also dissolve it." And learning that Antipater had died after having taken poison, he felt a desire to imitate the boldness of his departure, and said, "Give me some too." And when they asked "What?" "Some mead," said he. And it is said that an eclipse of the moon happened when he died, the most beautiful of all the stars, next to the sun, indicating (as any one might say) its sympathy with the philosopher. And Apollodorus, in his Chronicles, says that he died in the fourth year of the hundred and sixty-second Olympiad, being eighty-five years old.
VIII. There are some letters extant addressed by him to Ariarathes, the king of the Cappadocians. All the other writings which are attributed to him were written by his disciples, for he himself left nothing behind him. And I have written on him the following lines in logoaedical Archebulian metre.
Why now, O Muse, do you wish me Carneades to confute?
IX. It is said that at night he was not aware when lights were brought in; and that once he ordered his servant to light the candles, and when he had brought them in and told him, "I have brought them;" "Well then," said he, "read by the light of them."
X. He had a great many other disciples; but the most eminent of them was Clitomachus, whom we must mention presently.
XI. There was also another man of the name of Carneades, a very indifferent elegiac poet.
Scanned and edited for Peithô's Web from The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers, by Diogenes Laertius, Literally translated by C.D. Yonge. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1853. Footnotes have been converted to endnotes. Some, but not all, of Yonge's spellings of ancient names have been updated.
All of the materials at Peithô's Web are provided for your enjoyment, as is, without any warranty of any kind or for any purpose.
|Peithô's Web||Top||Lives index| | <urn:uuid:d7183f83-534b-452b-b123-75053917230e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.classicpersuasion.org/pw/diogenes/dlcarneades.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00048-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.989954 | 914 | 2.265625 | 2 |
Have different departments/grades build items out of canned goods. Employees/students could then vote with their spare change on the structure they like best. The winning team would receive a prize. All the canned goods and funds are then donated to the Foodbank.
Denim Days are one of the easiest and most effective ways to raise money in workplaces. Employees can pay $5 to dress down for a day. Give every employee who participates a sticker, so they can show their support. Place a sign in the reception area announcing the Denim Day to alert clients and visitors of why employees are dressed down. Appointing a few employees per floor/section to help with the collection of money is a great way to make the employee
campaign manager’s job easier!
Arrest A Co-Worker Day
Create a “jail cell” area within your building, complete with a volunteer sheriff and for a small donation, employees could have an “arrest warrant” issued for an alleged wrongdoer. Once rounded up by the sheriff, the accused could do their time, or prove their innocence through a charitable gift to the food and funds drive.
Ask your management staff, Board of Directors, or school principals to serve breakfast or lunch to everyone. Employees /students will give a donation to have their meal served to them by management.
Have different departments/grades challenge each other to see who will raise the most meals. Keep a running tally posted in a visible area. Offer a pizza party or doughnut breakfast to the winning group. A little healthy competition never hurt anyone.
Give Them A Hand
Create and post colorful paper cutouts of hands that are sold to employees/students for $1. Put them in the lunchroom or break room to show that the individual whose name is on the hand was generous with a gift to the drive.
Rock the Vote
Have employees/students vote with their spare change (or even dollars) for an executive or teacher who will have to complete an agreed upon activity. The individual with the most votes may have to kiss a cow, shave their head, or be hit in the face with a pie.
A Picture Says A Thousand Words
For a $5 donation employees/students can have their picture taken while sitting at the CEO/Principal’s desk. Using a digital camera will enable you to email the pictures to each individual.
The Guessing Game
The simplest version is a large jar filled with virtually any item as long as it takes a lot of them to fill the jar. Candy is a great item. Participants then pay $1 to guess how many items are in the jar. The closest guess wins the contents of the jar.
Appreciation grams are sent to co-workers in the office on an ordinary day or in connection with a holiday such as Valentines Day, Easter, Halloween, May Day, etc. Appreciation grams consist of little notes with words of thanks, recognition, or good wishes. Along with the note, include a bag of candy, a Mylar balloon or flowers. Some examples include: jelly beans for Easter, Hershey Hugs for Valentine’s Day, pet rocks for a 70s theme, candy corn for Halloween. Take pre-orders for one week in the break-room. Write down the names of the sender and receiver so they can be delivered at a later date. Notes can be computer printed generic messages, or at time of purchase, purchaser can hand write a note of appreciation.
Ice Cream Social
What better way to get ready for summer than an all you can eat ice cream social! Employees/students would give a donation for all the scrumptious ice cream and toppings their
stomachs can hold.
This is a great idea for those who work or go to school in a building with a media room that has a large screen. Ask for a $2 donation to see the movie and $1 for a bucket of popcorn.
Guess the Baby
We all have at least one embarrassing baby picture buried in our photo albums. Display baby pictures of each employee and have a contest to see who can guess who the babies are! Sell guess sheets for $5.
Ask your employees/fellow students to put on their baking caps and try out a new recipe. Cookies, candies, cakes, pastries—anything sweet will do. You can charge by the plate or per item. Leftovers? Don’t worry have a 1/2 price sale at the end of the day.
Host a game night or lunch party with your friends and co-workers. Whether it is Bunco, Euchre, Poker or your favorite board game, this is bound to be an evening of fun. The host provides refreshment (or do a potluck) and prizes if you wish. Then each guest will bring a $10 donation as their entry fee to the party. | <urn:uuid:eaf5e62d-aeee-45e2-b0b5-02bc4516280e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://akroncantonfoodbank.org/food-fund-drive-ideas.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00050-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950227 | 1,011 | 2.203125 | 2 |
Experience towering dinosaur skeletons, a spectacular dinosaur-themed maze, and hands-on activities for all ages.
Walk through Virginia's natural history from beginning to present inside the museum's Uncovering Virginia exhibit gallery.
The Hahn Hall of Biodiversity features spectacular African mammal collections, including antelopes, a lion, a hyena, a leopard and more.
Take 25 is a national child safety campaign that encourages parents and guardians to take 25 minutes out of their day to talk to children about safety. As part of this effort, a child safety event will be held at VMNH on May 25.
Enjoy Sunday openings, discounted new VMNH Memberships, and behind-the-scenes tours during VMNH Summer Discovery 2013, from May 26 to September 1, 2013.
The museum is looking for area youth to help us make our Summer Adventure Camps the most fun camps ever!
Don't miss the special exhibit "Stories from Skeletons: Hard Evidence," opening July 20 at the Virginia Museum of Natural History! This exhibit, featuring a variety of specimens from the VMNH collections, will be on display in the museum's Harvest Foundation Hall of Ancient Life.
VMNH is teaming-up with six other nationally renowned research and educational institutions to provide a digital database of all the major fossil insect collections in the United States.
As part of the Grapes & Grains Gala, the museum is holding a silent auction with a large variety of items ranging from tickets to sporting events, to vacations. Ticket holders can bid on each item online.
VMNH recently received a large collection of dinosaur fossils, including a Triceratops skull.
The Virginia Museum of Natural History is now open to visitors until 7 p.m. on Tuesday evenings. | <urn:uuid:abd269c9-7fdc-4cd5-99c2-6c1b179f2fb3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.vmnh.net/index.cfm/topic/dennis-casey-links | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933933 | 363 | 2.0625 | 2 |
Our health, safety, comfort, and financial well-being depend on the homes in which we live. As homeowners, we are also the ones responsible for the utility and maintenance bills. With the rising costs of energy and the ever-changing building technologies, we need to become educated about our choices when building a home.
When building a new home or changing your existing home, making informed decisions is paramount. So, where do you go for answers? Many people turn to their general contractors for answers.
However, the sad reality is that many of the contractors hired are not knowledgeable enough to build healthy, safe, and energy-efficient homes. Consider this fact when making your investment. We have all heard the contractor horror stories. There is no end to the stories of faulty homes and shoddy workmanship. So, buyers and owners beware…
The first step in building the home of your dreams is to ASK QUESTIONS—lots of them—so that you do not become one of the horrible statistics. North Twin Builders has been in the business since 1971 and based on our experience, we recommend that you:
Seek out those in the building profession who can demonstrate to you that they are true professionals. Ask them how they can help you. Do they have a network of qualified professionals to assist with your plan? Ask the questions that prove to you that they know what they are doing.
Check out their track record.
Can your potential contractors show you at least six homes that they have built? Do they have the keys or access codes to get into these homes? Does the homeowner need to be present for these tours or can you freely tour them with the builder? This may reflect the level of trust between the previous clients and the builder. What is their relationship with past clients? Ask for references. Some contractors can supply you with a couple of well-chosen people that will supply a positive report, but it is harder to supply numerous references if their track records aren’t the best.
Examine their history.
How long have they been in business? And how long have they been in the area? What is their reputation with suppliers and subcontractors? Call these people and ask them questions, as well. Would they want this contractor building their homes?
Ask about warranties.
Ask potential contractors about their warranties. Have they had any problems come up with their work in the past and if so, how were these issues resolved?
Discuss their overall building approach.
How do these contractors approach the finished product? Do they look at the entire building project and advise you on what is best? What will happen during the site preparations, installation of the septic or well, and the addition of utilities? Who will oversee and take care of these matters?
Find out about their education.
How many hours of continuing education do contractors take each year? What about their employees? Ask for proof of this education. A common reply from a contractor you should avoid would be, “We have been building homes this way for years.” Thankfully, not all contractors believe that this approach is the best policy. The truth is that building science is constantly changing, and contractors need continuing education if the goal is to build their clients the safest, most energy-efficient homes possible.
Look for quality building standards.
Clients have told us, “My contractor told me that my home would be built to state codes.” This statement may seem appropriate, but did you know that state building codes are basically the lowest standard by which a home can legally be built? Why would you want your home to be built at the lowest legal standards? In addition, some areas of the state may require enhanced building procedures to assure comfort, reliability, or reduced maintenance. Do your potential contractors know what those enhancements are? You need to find contractors who have a commitment to quality and high standards.
Assessing Your Building Plans or Home
Who determines the definition of a “quality” home?
This is the basic question, isn’t it? Is it the homeowner, contractor, state code inspector, independent consultants, suppliers, or the subcontractors who determine what makes a quality home? In reality, all of these professionals working together with you will produce a high-quality home. Failures in any one of these areas start to reduce the probability of a quality home. So, you need to find a team of qualified professionals to create the home of your dreams. Choosing a contractor with an established network of professionals with a commitment to quality is the key to your success.
Ask about testing, tools, and quality control before you begin.
Do your contractors test the houses they build for performance when they are finished? Do they have any documentation on how past homes that they have built performed when tested? What tools do they have to perform these tests on your home? Can they show you the benefits? Can they determine where potential heat losses may be? What measures do they take to assure quality control? Are they willing to hire outside professionals to come in and evaluate the home to prove it is worthy of their claims?
If you have concerns, hire a home performance consultant.
Rich Urban is a home performance consultant who works with the Wisconsin organization, Focus on Energy. If you have concerns about your current home or want an independent third party to evaluate the construction of your new home, contact Rich at 715-369-7390 or firstname.lastname@example.org. Rich has the testing equipment to test your home, no matter what its age, and can help to reduce your future energy costs. For some upfront cost now, you can potentially save hundreds of dollars on future energy bills. Go to www.focusonenergy.com for more information.
No matter if your home is old, new, or yet to be built, there may be additional things that can be done to improve your comfort and safety. Even if your builder did a great job, in as little as a few years there could be ways to upgrade important aspects of your home. Technology is changing so quickly in almost every area of home construction that new methods and approaches can make a world of difference.
North Twin Builders, LLC is a family business established in 1971, well- known in the northwoods of Wisconsin for providing quality custom built and traditional homes. John can be reached at 715-545-2510 or e-mail at build@NorthTwinBuilders.com. | <urn:uuid:15709178-8401-4421-b3c5-c877a6e221fb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lakehomeandcabinshow.com/blog/2012/04/choosing-the-best-contractor/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968693 | 1,318 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Understanding Postpartum Depression -- the Basics
What is Postpartum Depression?
Postpartum depression (PPD) is temporary depression related to pregnancy and childbirth. It comes in two forms: early onset, commonly referred to as the "baby blues," and late onset. The early onset type is mild and may affect as many as 80% of women after they deliver. It starts after delivery and usually resolves within a couple of weeks without medical treatment. The later onset form is what most people think of as postpartum depression. This more severe form is usually recognized several weeks after delivery. Overall, it affects about 10%-16% of women.
Symptoms of the "baby blues" include sadness, anxiety, tearfulness, and trouble sleeping. These symptoms usually appear within several days of delivery and go away 10 to 12 days after the birth. Usually the only treatment needed is reassurance and some help with household chores and care of the baby. About 20% of women who have postpartum blues will develop more lasting depression. It is very important to let your doctor know if you experience "blues" that last longer than two weeks. | <urn:uuid:80d7140d-dfd6-4a93-9440-3872460b7741> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.webmd.com/depression/postpartum-depression/default.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970344 | 233 | 3.078125 | 3 |
Decisions to install large-scale wind-powered electricity generation are based more on the expectation to save significant amounts of fossil fuel and CO2 emission than on any evidence that this is indeed the case.
Wind technology is not suited for large-scale application without a good buffer and storage system. We propose to stop spending public money on large-scale use of wind. This money should be spent on R&D of future power systems. We expect that wind will not play an important role in these future systems. | <urn:uuid:f6411cd7-9e54-452f-84b3-e7c920c85c6d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://junkscience.com/2012/06/15/new-article-on-wind-turbines-for-electric-power-generation/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940621 | 103 | 2.328125 | 2 |
ORBIS: Saving sight in South Africa
ORBIS established an office in Cape Town, South Africa in 2010 to manage programs in Southern Africa. The focus of the office is to develop specialized services for children's eye health within the region and lead the way for a sustainable, comprehensive model for pediatric eye care that is accessible, high quality and affordable.
Specialized Services for Children
ORBIS opened a state of the art Pediatric Eye Care Center in Durban, South Africa in 2011. This is the capital of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), one of the poorest and most populous provinces and home to 28% of the country’s blind children. Many of its 3.5 million children live rurally in poverty with limited access to specialized medical services.
The center is the result of a partnership with the KZN Department of Health to strengthen their capacity to provide high quality eye care to children. The Pediatric Eye Care Center is housed within the government’s Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital (IALCH), making it only the second province to have a child focused eye care facility in the country.
Focus is on early intervention of children under the age of six, while their sight is still developing. An overarching aim is to drastically speed up the detection of eye health problems in young children, fast track their treatment and manage their long term follow up care, to ensure the best possible visual outcomes.
- Created a state of the art dedicated facility for diagnosis and medical intervention of complex children’s eye problems
- Refurbished the space provided in IALCH to make it child-friendly
- Procured necessary equipment and consumerables
- Proved and will continue to roll out extensive training and development to the entire child healthcare team
- Trained healthcare professionals within secondary and community healthcare to detect early signs of eye health problems
- Initiated vision screenings for all newborn babies at their post-natal examinations
- Worked to develop outreach services to raise awareness amongst the community to ensure that the new services are fully utilized
Find out more about the innovative new Pediatric Eye Care Center.
War on Poverty
ORBIS has partnered with the South Africa Government’s Department of Rural Development and Land Reform on their War on Poverty research initiative. The national survey canvases one million households within the poorest communities in the country. Included within the survey are questions exploring the link between poverty and vision loss. The findings will be used to improve service delivery to the country’s poorest communities and map appropriate interventions.
Developing a training center for African doctors
ORBIS has partnered with the Ophthalmology Department at the University of Cape Town, the Red Cross Children’s War Memorial Hospital and other thought leaders to develop a specialist pediatric fellowship program for African doctors. It is believed that there are only 12 fully qualified pediatric ophthalmologists on the continent, while Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest prevalence of childhood blindness. Africa has distinct challenges and a unique case mix of children’s eye problems therefore it is essential that ophthalmologists are empowered with the skills to provide quality services in their environments.
Advocacy and Public Awareness
Finally, ORBIS will be initiating an extensive public awareness campaign in the main stream and community press highlighting childhood blindness and steps the public can take to avoid unnecessarily blindness.
Red Cross Children’s War Memorial Hospital and Groote Schuur Hospital’s Department of Ophthalmology. KwaZulu Natal Department of Health, Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital, International Center for Eyecare Education (ICEE), IAPB, KwaZulu Natal Cataract Coalition, South African Ministry of Rural Development and Land Reform. | <urn:uuid:089c2877-7319-4f81-b764-b32d05501075> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.orbis.org/Default.aspx?cid=9702&pre=view&lang=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.926504 | 770 | 2.4375 | 2 |
Thomas Mulcair, the leader of the Official Opposition, has in recent weeks declared his belief that the oil industry has turned the Canadian dollar into a “petrocurrency”, increasing it’s value and making manufacturers in Ontario and Quebec. There are a number of reasons why Mr. Mulcair is completely incorrect and in my mind foolish.
1. Causes of Increase in CAD vs. USD / EUR
The increase in the Canadian dollar from USD 0.62 to parity is due to a number of factors:
- The fiscal discipline started by Chretien and Martin in the 1990s. Lowering Canada’s debt to GDP ratio made our bonds more attractive to investors when compared to countries that did not balance their books. Clinton did in the 1990s as well, which is why our dollar didn’t rise against the USD at that time. Presidents Bush and Obama have run up the US debt, thus making their debt less attractive. Surprisingly, the massive printing of money by the Federal Reserve has not yet devalued the US dollar, but it will have that effect and the CAD will continue to rise, perhaps dramatically.
- The expansion of the petroleum industry in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland
- The expansion of the mining industries in BC, Saskatchewan and Labrador.
2. Decline in Manufacturing
The decline in manufacturing employment in Ontario and Quebec is not solely due to the rise in the CAD:
- There has been a similar decline in manufacturing employment in adjacent US states, such as Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. If the decline in Canada was due to the currency, then employment in America should not have behaved the same way. In should have at least been unchanged to been driven upwards as they got relatively cheaper. But it didn’t. Manufacturing employment in North America has been declining for thirty years or more, due largely to significantly lower cost labour in Mexico, China and the rest of the developing world.
- The decline in manufacturing employment in the US is not indicative of a decline in manufacturing itself. Through automation and other efficiency increases, the US today produces twice the value of manufactured goods as it did in 1980 with one third the labour force. Canada has NOT had the same increase in productivity.
- Canadian manufacturers were artificially shielded from the need to be more efficient through the 1980s and 90s by a low currency. They remained competitive even as output per worker got much better in other places, including the United States. When the currency rose, these manufacturers were not in a good position to change their behaviour as a generation of leaders had been conditioned to be cautious and conservative. Retooling, re-engineering and modernizing are not conducive to that attitude.
- Shortage of young people who are willing to work hard. The demographics of the baby boomers mean that we have had fewer young people, and our society has made it less attractive to young people to do jobs that don’t involve sitting in front of a computer in an office. More young people should go into the trades, and more young people should be entrepreneurial. But government largesse, social attitudes demanding university education and cheap tuition have driven students away from taking risks or doing what are now perceived by some as “undesirable” jobs.
3. Why it is Foolish
Mulcair’s attitude is driven by his environmental agenda and his desire to attract voters in Ontario and Quebec over the those in the growing provinces where he has a low probability of winning significant seats anyway. This is foolish, given the coming boost in natural resource opportunities in the most populous provinces in the country. As the Mining industry starts pursuing major investments in open-pit metal mining in Nunavut, Northern Ontario and Northern Quebec (i.e. Plan Nord), is he going to deride those projects for their potential environmental impacts? Is he going to complain that those projects, which will be primarily for export and will have a similar currency effect as petroleum, are detrimental to the manufacturers in between Windsor and Quebec City? I highly doubt it. But it will look very stupid and make his case very difficult to be credible as these mining projects get moving.
Another reason it is foolish is that many firms in the region he is claiming to speak for are providing materiel to the oil industry. In fact, the manufacturers in Ontario supplying the oil sands employ more people than does the auto industry. I wonder if Mulcair would care to bail them out? | <urn:uuid:a3ac590a-7efe-44e2-a6ab-67a70272549b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.technicalbard.com/archives/1032 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977413 | 902 | 2.46875 | 2 |
- Buy a car or truck that isn’t silver or white. Show off your personality, be a little different!
- Don’t talk on the phone or send texts while you drive. Avoid eating too, unless you like ketchup and special sauce stains all over your shirt.
- Even if you’ve only had a couple of drinks, find a designated driver. Thank them with a meal at Taco Bell or fast food joint of their choice.
- Slow down for people walking, running or cycling. Remember, you’re in an air conditioned vehicle- they’re outside and at the whim of mother nature. Slow down for construction workers too.
- If it’s snowing or raining outside and you have to drive somewhere…don’t. Seriously, no one knows how to drive in that stuff.
- When picking up food at a drive-through, avoid cone-ing the employees (even though it’s hilarious).
- Don’t argue with police officers about tickets because it will never end up working in your favor. Just hope they don’t show up at your court date.
- Clean, vacuum and wash your car every week or so. No one wants to ride in a car that smells like beef jerky, fried fish sandwiches and whatever else is festering under your seats.
- It’s not 1975 anymore. Change your oil every 5,000-8,000 miles or whenever your oil-life meter tells you.
- Drive less or carpool with friends to work /school/wherever. Sitting in a car with other people forces you to talk and it’s amazing what you can discover through conversation. You’ll save on gas too.
Are we missing something? Leave a comment and let us know.
Have an awesome and safe 2012! | <urn:uuid:5d022fb4-fbd0-4f28-93c9-eb40c8a5cf9c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mojomotors.com/blog/tag/dont-text-and-drive/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.919215 | 387 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Nosy Be, meaning 'big island' in Malagasy, is located off the northwest coast of Madagascar and is a must for all visitors to the country. It is Madagascar's busiest and largest tourist resort and a good destination for a romantic beach getaway, with much better amenities and accommodation options than most of the country. Featuring spectacular beaches such as Madirokely, Belle Vue and Andilana, Nosy Be has some impressive coral reefs, which makes it a popular choice for scuba divers and those who want to try some snorkelling. The island is also known for its verdant tropical forest which is teeming with a diversity of wildlife; the Lokobe Natural Reserve is a gem where fantastic bird watching opportunities abound and a great variety of animals, including the beloved lemurs, can be found. Nosy Be also offers volcanic lakes, great hiking and mountain biking trails, rum distilleries, Ylang Ylang plantations and, in May, the four-day Donia Music Festival, which is a treat for music lovers. Visitors to Madagascar often don't venture far beyond the beautiful island and it isn't hard to see why. Although it can get crowded, Nosy Be still has a sleepy, laid-back atmosphere and hasn't been ruined by its resorts.
Address: 15km off Ambanja on the north-western coast of Madagascar
Transport: Ferries and speedboats leave daily from the ports of Ankify and Fivondronana.
Admission: By speedboat from Ankify: MGD 20,000. Passenger ticket for Fivondronana Ferry: MGD 15,000. | <urn:uuid:fa779588-e8e9-402d-876a-7bdde13aed3b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wordtravels.com/Attractions/2922 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954964 | 339 | 1.609375 | 2 |
A good introduction to Tomiki Aikido by the man himself. For me, I can see how his Judo background had some influence on his Aikido (not just on the introduction of Randori and competition in Aikido). And of course his Aikido had quite an influence on Kodokan Judo (amongest other things, he is one of the creators of Kodokan Goshin Jutsu kata, using both Aikido and Judo principles when creating said kata).
Just popping this up here alongside Taison's Shioda Gozo's thread, as it shows a master of Aikido demonstrating his own style. I hope to find a good clip of Minoru Mochizuki.
to complete the collection. | <urn:uuid:13d01888-fcbf-4a16-ba3a-d23e4dca0de0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fightingarts.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=328451 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00065-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943262 | 158 | 1.640625 | 2 |
I have got some help in another forum.
Where someone wrote the following:
Can someone please comment if it seams like the way to do it?
Hi Thome, welcome abroad...
I'm no expert but I have an idea to solve your problem..
what you need is AnimatedSprite class or AdvanceSprite class from GTGE for the road...
oh my bro solar, don't scare us with 3D stuff here Laughing , there you go you scared Thomas already...Laughing
yes the road basically is just like a triangle, in my mind there are minimum 6 frame for the road
animation. (the more frame the road has, the more smooth the animation)
the first 2 frame is for the straight road, called it A1 & A2
the different between A1 & A2 is the size & the position of the short stick & the center stripes you
mentioned, so if you animate it , the car just like moving forward. use this method in GTGE:
with this mehotd you can set the car is going fast or slow. It only update the animation for the road
more faster or slower.
the 3rd & 4rd frame, called it A3 & A4 , is turn left road, just make the 2 curve line to the left so
it appear like a road, and give short stick & center stripes with different size & position, the more
it appear closer offcourse the more big the size of the short stick & the center stripe, so when you
animate it the car just like moving forward.
you can quest the last 2 frame right... it just like the 3rd & the 4rd frame, but only curve to the
using AnimatedSprite or AdvanceSprite you may choose for the turn left or turn right behaviour you
like, between moving the road sprite or just simply moving the car sprite.
also you can manage the colision between the car with boundary(short sticks)
with AnimatedSprite class you can set which frame is currently active using method :
setAnimationFrame(0, 1) //straight road
setAnimationFrame(2, 3) //turn left road
setAnimationFrame(4, 5) //turn right road
say it you are using Timer class to manage when the road going to turn left or right ...you can use the
action method :
there you go the simple way to create car simulator in 2D
if you don't understand or confuse with my explanation, please don't be hesitate to ask.
and for anyone who understand what I'm talking about, especially solar Razz , please help me for explaining more detail. | <urn:uuid:ebc50675-9214-4326-8c4e-1c096b6e66c8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.java-gaming.org/index.php?topic=12089.msg96223 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.902701 | 551 | 2.125 | 2 |
February 15, 2013 | 21
A meteor fireball lit up the morning sky over Chelyabinsk in central Russia, producing a shock wave that shattered windows and injured an estimated
500 1,000 people.** Although much of the parent object likely burned up in the atmosphere, Russian authorities say that several meteorite fragments have already been recovered, according to the Interfax news agency.
A preliminary analysis posted to the Web site of the Russian Academy of Sciences estimates that the object that struck Earth’s atmosphere was a few meters in diameter, “the weight of the order of ten tons [and] the energy of a few kilotons,” according to a Google translation.* That would make the Chelyabinsk event a fairly common occurrence, although such strikes usually occur over less-populated regions, not cities of more than a million people. On average, a four-meter asteroid hits Earth every year, delivering five kilotons of energy, Southwest Research Institute senior scientist Clark Chapman found in a 2004 analysis.
The Chelyabinsk impact appears unrelated to the close passage of the 50-meter asteroid 2012 DA14, which is expected to zip past Earth at a distance of less than 30,000 kilometers around 2:30 P.M. Eastern time today—inside the orbit of some satellites. On Twitter, the European Space Agency stated that agency experts have confirmed that there is no link between the two events.
A dashboard camera captured some dramatic footage (below) of this morning’s event.
We will update this post as more information becomes available.
*UPDATE (11:33 A.M. EST): Other analyses point to a larger size for the impactor. Margaret Campbell-Brown of the University of Western Ontario told Nature that her calculations show an initial size of 15 meters for the object when it hit the atmosphere. “That would make it the biggest object recorded to hit the Earth since Tunguska,” a giant blast over Siberia in 1908, she said.
**UPDATE (4:10 P.M.): The New York Times, citing information from Russia’s Interior Ministry, reports that the number of injured is more than 1,000. | <urn:uuid:bb6d9e6c-dfe8-469b-a16b-cf6f64d68c4e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2013/02/15/hundreds-reported-injured-in-blast-from-meteor-strike-video/?WT.mc_id=SA_syn_Yahoo | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.924931 | 450 | 3.34375 | 3 |
The idea: If the text "www.whitehouse.gov" would be visible on the podium in front of the microphones on all occasions when the President speaks, more and more of those folks would visit the powerful website of the white house whom would have never thought of doing so before.
Every time President Obama speaks, millions of people watch him (not always the same millions).
The TV is the best advertising venue, why not "utilize" it any time the President speaks from the White House? (Or even from the library of Congress if it's OK by any means).
Why is this idea important?
Because, the website of the White House can be and is so powerful in communicating with the American people (First time in History!!!).
I think, it would be even better if President Obama would take the opportunity once and mention the website of the White House in one of his speeches, talk about the different ways the American people can communicate with the White House and actively participate in building the future. | <urn:uuid:6a17f04f-a666-4d49-8c37-d34c10c2197d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://opengov.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Add-www.whitehouse.gov-to-the-podium-in-the-White-House-for-TV-viewers/3280-4049 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963198 | 207 | 1.789063 | 2 |
The First Saltwater Powered Mini-Car!
As the smallest, least expensive, not to mention first fuel cell car to be powered by saltwater, the Saltwater Fuel Cell Car gives children a chance to learn about new forms of clean energy, while building and powering their very own toy: Just add saltwater and go!
After activating the fuel cell module with a saltwater mixture, the magnesium metal sheet (3 sheets included) can operate the car for about 5-7 hours continuously. If you want to park the vehicle, simply take out the fuel cell module and rinse with tap water and dry.
All the materials used in this kit are environmentally safe and clean, non-toxic substances. It will not produce heat, so it is completely safe for child's play.
Vehicle measures 74.8mm x 40.2mm x 19.7mm
Recommended for ages 10+ | <urn:uuid:c8e5128e-8c92-421e-91ee-09798b10217f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.scientificsonline.com/review/product/list/id/10053/category/2100/?telescope_opticaldesign=3 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932593 | 183 | 2.4375 | 2 |
July 30th, 2010
Editor’s Note: Yesterday, the Obama administration announced interim final regulations governing the temporary Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan created by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Below, Thomas Miller and James Capretta criticize this portion of the Act and the design of the temporary health insurance pools for high-risk individuals that it creates. For more on this subject, see Deborah Chollet’s article in the June issue of Health Affairs, and watch Health Affairs Blog for an analysis of the new regulations by Timothy Jost, who has been following the implementation of the Affordable Care Act in this space.
Earlier this month, the Obama administration launched the latest version of high-risk pools, as authorized by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). The new pools are off to a stumbling start – behind schedule, facing resistance (or indifference) from many state governments, structurally flawed, and substantially underfunded. In other words, “Close enough for government work.”
But if you can’t solve a problem by first overstating it, and then underfunding it, you can at least change its name – to the “Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan,” increase the gaping chasm between its overreaching promises and likely results, and provide an emblematic preview of larger problems ahead in the rest of ObamaCare.
A better solution would begin with redefining the problem to avoid the temptations of trying to achieve multiple policy objectives with a single tool, which results in mission creep and failure to target scarce resources more effectively and sustainably. True high-risk pools should be limited to covering the most likely, highest-risk individuals, as identified before the fact. They don’t work as well as a mechanism for subsidizing the health care costs of low-income individuals more broadly, or for covering the uninsured in general.
The Medically Uninsurable Are Less Numerous Than Sometimes Claimed …
The plight of “medically uninsurable” Americans is serious and substantial, though frequently prone to exaggeration (and occasionally minimization) for political purposes. If defined as those who report being denied access to health insurance due to a serious medical condition, it’s closer to two to three million people. If the definition is expanded also to include those who face significant coverage exclusions, or much higher premiums, due to pre-existing medical conditions, this estimated population probably ranges closer to four to five million. The problem is essentially limited to potential customers in the individual insurance market, given both longstanding insurer practices and more recent HIPAA rules for portability and against health status discrimination in the group market. Guaranteed renewability for those already insured in the individual market further reduces the actual size of those at risk.
More spectacular numbers sometimes are tossed around far too indiscriminately, based on mixing and matching overinflated estimates of Americans with at least some sort of chronic medical condition (as high as 72 million working-age adults; or 45 percent of the non-elderly adult uninsured) with high-end estimates of those lacking insurance at some point in time, rather than persistently. But those loose extrapolations confuse, or fail to link, cause (health status) with effect (denial of coverage).
… But PPACA’s High-Risk Pools Are Still Underfunded
Even though the actual size of the medically uninsurable population is much smaller than the Obama administration once estimated last year, in trying to oversell its proposals for tighter regulation of private insurers, Congress and the White House still managed to substantially underfund their interim solution to the problem. The PPACA enacted last March included only $5 billion in federal taxpayer funds to finance a more generous version of state-based high-risk pools (HRPs). More likely annual costs to do the job adequately are closer to two or three times that amount.
The design for shallow pools represented an unconvincing ploy to distract voters from the unpleasant fact that all but a tiny portion of the new law’s provisions to increase coverage (through Medicaid expansion and subsidized policies in new health exchanges) will not go into effect until 2014. The higher private premiums, new taxes, increased regulatory burdens, and formulaic spending cuts it triggers will kick in well before then.
Standard health care politics tends to tempt legislators to use regulatory cross-subsidies (community rating, guaranteed issue, standardized benefits, etc.) to hide the cost of covering the most expensive risks within “private” coverage instead of using public funds and government budgets to do so more directly and transparently. But in this case, the Obama White House and congressional leaders discovered not only that the full budgetary price tag for their ambitious near-universal coverage goals through direct subsidies remained out of reach. Even delivering a menu of mandated coverage, required benefits, and risk-insensitive premiums through a new regulatory infrastructure would take nearly another four years after passage of an initial legislative framework.
The Provisions For High-Risk Pools In The Senate Bill, Which Democratic Leaders Had To Adopt, Are Particularly Troublesome
So the short-term gambit of inserting a new version of underfunded, state-level HRPs into the final law provided an opportunity both to overpromise deliverable benefits and fast forward assumptions of the long-term architecture of Washington-directed health insurance on a more limited basis. However, the final legislation made the goal of providing access to coverage for those with high-cost/high-risk medical conditions even harder because, for procedural and political reasons, Democratic congressional leaders had to adopt the Senate’s sketchy version of HRPs included within a bill originally passed in December 2009. The new HRPs will operate very differently from the high-risk pools already established in 35 states that are designed to match even more limited resources. The new state pools under PPACA rules cannot allow any exclusions or waiting periods for coverage of pre-existing conditions, age-based premium variation must be compressed, cost-sharing is restricted, and (most importantly) enrollees can only be charged standard rates. Even the House version of HRPs passed in November 2009 (HR 3952) allowed premiums to be as high as 125 percent of the prevailing standard rate in a state’s individual market (still the low end of what most existing state HRPs charge).
Both the earlier Senate and House versions of the health reform law apparently tried to limit HRP eligibility to those already uninsured for at least six months. The House bill also established somewhat better-defined “medically eligible” categories for such HRP coverage (previously denied coverage, offered coverage with condition limits, or offered coverage at rates above those for HRP coverage – within the previous six months) than simply the Senate’s looser requirement in section 1101(d) of what became the final law’s language that an enrollee also must have a “pre-existing condition” as determined by the guidance of the HHS Secretary.
In any case, the final version of the PPACA ensures that operating costs for the new HRPs will be much higher per enrollee and the authorized funding for them will be exhausted ahead of schedule – perhaps as soon as next year. Even the most conservative estimates of the mismatch between likely HRP costs and PPACA funding for them have suggested that the latter would come up short well before 2014. The Office of the Actuary at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services estimated that the initial $5 billion authorized for this program would be exhausted by 2011 and 2012. If the likely policy response was substantial premium increases to sustain the program, further participation beyond an initial 375,000 enrollees would be quite limited.
The Congressional Budget Office relied on a more simplistic estimate. Although CBO suggested that the public funding available for HRP subsidies would not be sufficient to cover the costs of all applicants through 2013, it then assumed that HHS would use the authority given to it under the PPACA to limit enrollment in the program and spend no more than the capped amount of $5 billion, on an average of about 200,000 enrollees a year through 2013. CBO acknowledged that the actual number of people who may be eligible for the HRP program is much greater – in the millions – and if more people are allowed to sign up initially, the funds will be exhausted prior to 2013.
One might ask whether this flawed set of design assumptions represented a half-hearted unwillingness to fully fund HRPs to handle the much larger pre-existing condition problem imagined by Obama administration policymakers. Such a robust solution would diminish the rationale for controlling even more of the private health insurance market through sweeping regulation, tight premium controls, and complex cross-subsidies. Or did it reflect the tacit acknowledgement that the actual pre-ex condition problem had been greatly exaggerated? Most likely, it represented a combination of both, along with the budgetary imperative to suppress demand for such HRP coverage and stretch out the limited taxpayer funding at least until broader coverage expansions under Medicaid and the new exchanges kicked in after 2013.
Subjecting Consumers To A Bait-And-Switch
The new HRPs were designed to encourage the worst sort of boom-bust coverage cycle imaginable. On the one hand, the Obama administration would engage in a hurried political clearance sale this year, in which as much HRP enrollment as possible would be encouraged in order to demonstrate visible results before the November off-year elections. (Early evidence suggests that even this will be an uphill and slow-developing climb). But after boosting initial coverage expectations through the bait of seemingly generous promises, HRP administrators would have to pivot and switch to different set of appetite suppressants included in the PPACA language. The new law not only limited HRP enrollment to those already uninsured for at least six months; it also authorized the HHS secretary to close enrollment to comply with funding limitations and make other unspecified “adjustments” as needed to eliminate HRP program deficits in any fiscal year. Enrollees already “insured” in older versions of state-based high-risk pools must remain in their higher priced, less comprehensive coverage. Other individuals suffering from high-cost health conditions (but not yet uninsured for a full six months) must simply wait their turn.
This two-tiered structure of coverage subsidies foreshadows the forthcoming disparate treatment of lower-income individuals expected to gain health insurance exchange subsidies versus otherwise-similar workers stuck in employer-sponsored group insurance plans, beginning in 2014. The political sustainability of such parallel health subsidy worlds is suspect, to put it mildly.
Proponents of PPACA have spent the better part of two years harping on the perceived deficiencies of private insurance arrangements, including after-the-fact benefit limits, waiting periods for coverage, and unaffordable premium increases, but those are exactly the kind of adjustments now prescribed to close the yawning gap between inadequate public funds, administrative feasibility, and exaggerated political gestures in the new HRPs. The PPACA first authorizes the HHS Secretary to determine which pre-existing conditions would make a potential enrollee eligible for federal HRP coverage, and then figure out how to spend less money actually to cover fewer of them, as budget funds run short.
The larger lesson is not to abandon the important concept of special subsidized coverage for those Americans facing the greatest health risks with the fewest personal resources, but rather to target HRP assistance more transparently and sustainably. Trying to spread such public subsidies as widely and thinly as politically possible leads to mission creep and broken promises.
A Better Way Forward
We have written elsewhere about a better vision of high-risk pools needed to protect the highest-risk uninsured that will not spring budgetary leaks. They certainly must be funded more generously, but other essential principles also need to be established first. For example, it’s appropriate for individuals anticipating more expensive health care needs to pay somewhat more than others to handle them (i.e., higher premiums and more cost sharing), but with some realistic and equitable ceilings on just how much is too much and guidelines for when public subsidies should step in. Adequately funded high-risk pools need to be augmented with broader remedies, such as:
- supplemental income-based subsidies
- stronger protection for those maintaining continuous insurance coverage against the risk of new insurance underwriting based on future changes in health status, and
- more effective incentives and tools for both patients and providers to make higher-value health care decisions
Unlike the approach used in a number of current state-run high-risk pools, the funds to subsidize coverage for high-risk individuals should come from general revenue instead of from higher premiums charged to other private insurance enrollees (such as through narrowly-based premium taxes). Making the full costs of adequate HRP financing more transparent will encounter criticism that this approach is simply unaffordable. However, the actual future costs of treating individuals with high-risk conditions will not disappear if we instead try to finance them less directly and effectively through higher insurance premiums for everyone else. They simply will appear in other forms (including reduced coverage and less adequate treatment).
With state budgets overdrawn and overstretched for several years to come, the reality is that such initial funding will have to come from Washington in the form of a series of generous, but capped, appropriations. Capping the amounts would help head off the dangers of open-ended entitlement misincentives, and a switch to state matching funds should be reconsidered in later years. One overlooked way to find most of the funds needed — in places other than the emptying pockets of federal taxpayers – would be to redirect some of the hundreds of billions of dollars in new insurance subsidies scheduled for later years in other portions of the PPACA (for higher-income Medicaid expansions and health exchange coverage) and help those in the greatest need first.
A more targeted approach to assisting those with high-risk/high-cost medical conditions offers several other advantages beyond fiscal ones. As suggested by health researchers John Cogan, Glenn Hubbard, and Dan Kessler, publicly subsidizing the most costly and risky “tail” of the health spending distribution can strengthen and expand the rest of the private insurance market. Properly structured HRPs also have the potential to concentrate resources and attention on the most important, highest-cost cases. They could identify and gather together exactly those individuals who need additional disease management, navigational assistance, and specialized care from centers of excellence.
In addition, initial reliance on private insurance market screening and designation of “high-risk” applicants would retain risk-reduction incentives for both insurers and patients, while tempering the bureaucratic rigidities of complex risk-adjustment calculation. The less-likely danger of risk dumping by private insurers still could be discouraged at the state level by contracting out final HRP eligibility determinations to neutral third-parties with experience in medical insurance underwriting, and applying penalty fees to private insurers that repeatedly abuse objective, independent criteria.
The PPACA version of federally-guided HRPs represents a half-hearted and misguided attempt to help those who really need the most assistance. The new pools are off to a rocky start and remain destined to disappoint because, like many other provisions of the overall law, they promise far more than they can deliver. Critics of the HRPs should seize the opportunity to change the game, by replacing their flawed structure with one that actually could work, based on less federal regulation, more consumer choice, and better-targeted financing.
The notion that the only way to solve the problem of covering Americans with pre-existing conditions is through a massive transformation of America’s health-care system — one that will increase costs, raise taxes, displace millions of the happily insured, create a new entitlement, and undermine our private insurance sector — is simply wrong.Email This Post Print This Post | <urn:uuid:8017dd31-c3f5-441e-8d33-1000fa9d31ec> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2010/07/30/changing-the-name-but-not-the-political-game/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950248 | 3,230 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Temperatures are likely to climb into the 70s this weekend, about 20 degrees warmer than normal for the month of December, according to the National Weather Service.
“There’s a large upper ridge that’s going to build over the area from the Gulf Coast,” said Josh Weiss, a meteorologist with the NWS in Wilmington. “When that happens, we warm up at the surface. Those temperatures will last for a while, probably through Tuesday.”
Things are already warming up a bit today, but the real HEAT WAVE starts tomorrow, with a projected high of 66. On Sunday, forecasters expect the mercury to peak at 69, with a high of 71 degrees projected for both Monday and Tuesday.
But while the weather will be “pleasant” and “not super annoying,” it’s unlikely to break any records. Here are the hottest-ever temps for Dec. 1, 2 and 3:
Dec. 1 –81 degrees, set in 1982.
Dec. 2 – 79 degrees, set in 1991.
Dec. 3 – 79 degrees, set in 1998.
So unless this heat wave is a real heat wave and we bake, don’t expect this weekend to go down in the record books. It’s true ’cause a real meteorologist told me so.
” We’re not going to be breaking any records,” Josh said.
P.S. During this conversation Josh (Real Meteorologist) commented on the lack of activity on the weather blog and then said, “I don’t blame you. Nothing is really happening with the weather lately. This is a tough time to have a weather blog.” I did not prompt him to say this and I am just posting it here so that interested parties who may or may not employ me can read it and just maybe have something to think about while they are enjoying the nice weather this weekend. | <urn:uuid:22331ce4-1495-450a-b95c-0719d5afb320> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://weather.blogs.starnewsonline.com/11367/warm-weekend-on-tap-like-beer-but-warm/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949311 | 412 | 2.0625 | 2 |
When we first started homeschooling, I had this picture in my head of days curled up on the couch reading books, afternoons building castles and drawbridges at the kitchen table and the weekly field trip to see something interesting and to get us out of the house. Three years later, the picture (on most days) is so different.
Add piano lessons, competitive ice skating, PE class, volunteering at the church food pantry, hockey, library time and homeschool book club to the homeschool mix, plus groceries and other household errands and there is not a lot of time for staying home!
As the kids have gotten older and their interests have started to become part of who they are, my idea of what homeschool looks like changed dramatically. Their basic education is still the most important part of our homeschooling. However, I am in the process of learning that education doesn’t always have to come out of a book and that home education doesn’t always happen at home. It is a learning process for us all.
We are learning to incorporate opportunities outside the home into their education. We are also learning the art of scheduling school time and downtime and car time. We are learning that we can get a lot of school work done at Panera in the hour or so between ice skating practice and volunteering. We are learning discipline. We are learning compassion. We are learning the benefits of a day or even an afternoon off. We are learning to think outside the box. We are learning to go with it.
So, maybe my idyllic view of homeschooling was a little off. As I watch our kids flourish in their school work, their interests and their character, I think we are creating our own ideal homeschool life – one that works for us. | <urn:uuid:9c9ba4ab-969a-493e-9e20-abbc7fb81ffc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thecreativemama.com/a-day-in-the-life-homeschool/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984488 | 368 | 2.015625 | 2 |
Touring Gas Stations
“Money is like gasoline during a road trip. You don’t want to run out of gas on your trip, but you’re not doing a tour of gas stations. You have to pay attention to money, but it shouldn’t be about the money.”
– Tim O’Reilly, founder and CEO, O’Reilly Media
According to his blog, Tim O’Reilly spends much of his time “encouraging people to work on stuff that matters.” That sounds like good advice for ISU Extension and Outreach. Funding streams change, percentages fluctuate, fiscal cliffs come and go. But when it comes to our work, we’re not doing a tour of gas stations.
This was well illustrated last summer, when campers at the Iowa 4-H Center experienced an Immersion in Wellness. This Iowa State research study is targeted toward lowering childhood obesity. According to extension nutrition specialist Ruth Litchfield, the kids really did immerse themselves in wellness — from gardening to learning how to cook to eating what they’ve actually grown in the garden and being physically active. They learned that being healthy is fun.
Youth program specialist Brenda Welch leads Mad Scientist Day Camps to get young people excited about STEM learning. When they conduct research-based experiments, such as extracting DNA from bananas, Brenda says, “Their excitement, and the smiles, and the laughter when they actually extract DNA and they can see it in the test tube — it’s incredible.”
During the slowly unfolding crisis of the drought last summer and fall, more than 6,000 Iowans participated in our meetings and webinars and called our hotlines and specialists for updates on crop, livestock, and horticulture issues. As beef specialist Denise Schwab says, “We’re not here for the cattle or for the crops, but we’re here for the farmers that we work with. That’s what makes this job fun and exciting and a challenge to go to work very morning.”
As we begin another year with a new Congress and the Iowa Legislature back in session, remember this: No matter what financial challenges we might face, we will pay attention to the funds, but ISU Extension and Outreach is not about the money. Instead, we’re focused on making sure Iowa State becomes the university that best serves its state. That’s our story. See you there.
P.S. Watch the videos about these Extension and Outreach efforts and review our annual report at the Our Story website. | <urn:uuid:40091307-38b3-440a-b49c-3bdde6ad9983> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.extension.iastate.edu/seeyouthere/2013/01/17/touring-gas-stations/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947186 | 547 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Kiley Granberg's art is fuelled by her two passions; one, being the creation and appreciation of beautiful
objects, and the other, nature. She began creating art with the desire to celebrate the beautiful aspects of our
world which she so often found outdoors. She finds joy in taking the time to find and admire these details then
replicating them in a more permanent manner.
Kiley grew up exploring the outdoors, specifically, the west coast and the Rocky Mountains with her family.
Over time she developed a great respect for the natural world and with this, found pleasure in sharing her enthusiasm.
Her art often depicts
a natural image or form in the absence of human existence. By eliminating human impact, she is able to present the world as
it once once, free of the global issues we face today. We have to accept the current state of our world and humanity; but
by admiring the beautiful and untouched environment, we can strive to change our practices and preserve what is left. Kiley
aims to inspire others to reconsider the way they view the world and hopefully, make a step towards a healthier, cleaner future. | <urn:uuid:b36ba1b3-37d4-45c8-892c-e6ab39eddd94> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://kileygranberg.com/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953807 | 234 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Death rates from ovarian cancer, one of the hardest cancers to detect and treat, have dropped by 20% in a decade, according to official figures.
The figures from the National Cancer Intelligence Network will be widely welcomed because ovarian cancer has so often in the past been seen as a death sentence. The figures show a drop in deaths in England from 3,820 in 2001 (11.2 for every 100,000 women) to 3,453 (8.8 per 100,000) in 2010.
Women are living longer with the disease. Since the mid-80s, the proportion surviving for one year has gone up from 57% to 73%, while five-year survival has risen from 33% to 44%.
The prospects are brighter for younger women than older women, however. The biggest drop in deaths has been among those aged 40-69. Over 80% of deaths are in women aged 60 and over. The vast majority (84%) of women aged 15 to 39 who were diagnosed survived for at least five years, compared with only 14% of those older than 85.
"We know systematic under-treatment of older cancer patients has left many with significantly reduced odds of survival," said Dr Siobhan McClelland, head of research and evidence at Macmillan Cancer Support. "Too often decisions about their treatment are based on their age alone, not their overall physical and mental health. This needs to change."
Dr Andy Nordin, gynaecological oncologist at East Kent Hospitals University NHS foundation trust and study author, said the drop in deaths "may reflect improvements in detecting and treating the disease, such as improvements in scanning, surgery and chemotherapy treatments".
The number of women diagnosed has remained fairly steady but there has been a slight drop in recent years. "We know the risk of developing some types of ovarian cancer may be related to the number of times a women ovulates during her lifetime. And any time that she stops ovulating such as during pregnancy and breastfeeding, early menopause and taking the contraceptive pill all help to protect against the disease developing. The fall in incidence could therefore partially reflect the widespread use of hormonal contraceptives since the 60s," said Nordin. | <urn:uuid:b999db0d-3ef3-45be-aff9-c085ee40ddd3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/nov/20/ovarian-cancer-death-rates-drop | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978302 | 448 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Review: The Agenda
Michael Hammer, the controversial coauthor of the influential Re-engineering the Corporation, is back with a significant new work, The Agenda.
The Agenda: What Every Business Must Do to Dominate the Decade
By Michael Hammer
Crown Business, 2001
288 pages, $27.50
Michael Hammer, the controversial coauthor of the influential Re-engineering the Corporation, is back with a significant new work, The Agenda. The quintessential 1990s business thinker is now a forceful advocate for the back-to-basics approach typical of the less-cocksure 2000s. Hammer now acknowledges that re-engineering from the ground up, which triggered thousands of layoffs in the early and mid-1990s, became too pat an answer to every corporate problem. "I no longer see myself as a radical person; instead, I have become a process person," he writes.
What Hammer means is that becoming a dominant company does not mean throwing out every tradition and embracing every new buzzword. Rather, it means providing service to customers in ways that your competitors do not, by combining old-fashioned values such as integrity and responsibility with efficient processes for product development and quality assurance. To that end, he outlines nine to-do items for creating and managing a dominant company in the first decade of the 2000s. Some items are obvious and widely accepted: Give customers what they want, and develop better metrics to track customer satisfaction and service quality. Others are less so: Create order by precisely defining work and managing the creative process but, at the same time, manage without structure by eliminating business units and defining managers in terms of the markets, products or processes they oversee.
On the surface, not much in The Agenda is startling or new. What makes the book worthwhile is the thoughtful synthesis of Hammer's past thinking on re-engineering with a nuts-and-bolts approach to process and customers. He argues for using the Web to deliver basic services that improve the customer experience rather than creating grandiose business models that rarely work. Hammer criticizes Amazon.com for inadvertently spreading the idea that disintermediation will work for every industry. "Amazon's singular business model does not travel well or far," he writes. The company, he continues, is "indirectly responsible for widespread confusion, mass hysteria and more than a few disasters brought about by established companies reacting to their fear of 'being Amazoned.'"
Hammer lauds an approach taken by a far more obscure company, Trane, which makes and sells commercial and residential air-conditioning units. Trane's Web site provides its contractors with a wide range of services, including up-to-date product information, training modules, purchase orders and warranty claim forms. The result: Trane's distribution channel does "a better job of meeting the final customer's needs while improving its own financial performance." This is the key concept of Hammer's book: using technology and the Internet to enhance customer satisfaction.
In the interests of making a point, however, Hammer sometimes fails to give us the whole story. One of his agenda items is to integrate virtually rather than vertically. He presents Ford Motor Co. as an exemplar of virtual integration for outsourcing, but never mentions the Bridgestone/Firestone tire fiasco or how Ford's model may have contributed to it.
Nonetheless, The Agenda is a convincing entry that shows how Hammer has re-engineered his own ideas for the 21st century.
Karen Southwick is executive editor of Forbes ASAP and the author of three business technology books: Silicon Gold Rush, High Noon and the just-released Kingmakers, all from John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
The Role of Standards in Cloud Security
Security is often cited as a primary cause for concern...Watch Now
Ensuring Resources for Mission Critical Workloads
Application workloads can thrive in cloud environments,...Watch Now
Improving Security in the Public Cloud
One of the main concerns about moving data to a public...Watch Now | <urn:uuid:fd0c036d-d051-4a14-95fb-d7873377362e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cioinsight.com/c/a/Past-News/Review-The-Agenda/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00054-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949983 | 816 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Civic Journalism Resources
U.S. newspapers report dramatic changes in the way they define and cover news and even how they view their mission, a new survey of the nation’s top editors reveals. Key among the findings is that editors report a sharply increased appetite for more two-way connections with readers. Nine of 10 editors surveyed also say the future of the industry depends on even more interactivity with readers. Read the survey.To order, please follow these instructions.
At KQED.org, visitors can “plan” their own small city. At NYcitizens.org, they can “redraw” New York’s congressional districts. While at TBO.com, they can click on a Tampa map and call up the major crimes in a selected neighborhood. These are just a few of the innovative ways that news organizations are using the Web’s interactive capabilities to move beyond simply providing information to engaging their audiences in actively analyzing and using information. Read the article.
The Pew Center has produced a series of publications that explore various civic journalism theories and practices.
To order copies of these publications, please email firstname.lastname@example.org
Civic Journalism: A Living Legacy
A 56-page look back at the last 10 years of civic journalism presented at the 2002 James K. Batten Awards and Symposium at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Includes stories on the award-winning projects, text from the panel discussions, keynote addresses and a fold-out timeline of defining moments.
Part how-to and part case study, the book provides a roadmap for news organizations seeking to explore growing diversity in their communities. 108-pages.
What is civic journalism? How do you define it? Twenty journalists from around the country give their answers in a new publication from the Pew Center. The booklet is a compilation of ads carried in major print and broadcast journalism magazines last year. In defining civic journalism, the reporters, producers, editors and news directors articulate a set of core values that guide how they practice their craft and provide texture and understanding to the work being done in the name of civic journalism. 24 pages.
Gain insight into how civic journalists ventured into some risky, complex and uncharted stories, only to be surprised by the turns they took. They engaged the community in difficult issues, and, in the process, engaged journalists in the community.
Edited by Jan Schaffer and Edward Miller
A 40-page booklet showcasing ideas from newspapers around the country for making news stories interactive.
Archived copies of the Pew Center’s quarterly newsletter.
Available only online:
New York symposium highlights. Learn how Bill Keller, Managing Editor, The New York Times; Ann Marie Lipinski, Senior Vice President and Editor, the Chicago Tribune and Gary Pruitt, President and CEO, The McClatchy Co., envision the future of journalism.
A 28-page synopsis of the 2000 James K. Batten Awards and Symposium held April 26-27 at Boston University. Includes stories on the award-winning projects and text from the panel discussions and keynote speeches by Pam Johnson, Senior Vice President and Executive Editor The Arizona Republic and BU Presidential Historian Robert Dallek.
Keynote speech by Martin Baron, Editor, The Boston Globe at the Pew Center Luncheon, AEJMC Convention, Washington DC, August, 2001.
Highlights of a brainstorming session on useful journalism research with 17 top editors and educators. Sponsored by the Pew Center and the Reilly Center for Media and Public Affairs at Louisiana State University. 36 pages.
A 28-page synopsis of the 2001 James K. Batten Awards and Symposium at Kent State University. Includes stories on the award-winning projects, text from the panel discussions and keynote address by Reid Ashe, former publisher of the Tampa Tribune and new president and chief operating officer of Media General Inc.
Keynote speech by Anders Gyllenhaal, Executive Editor, The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C. at the Pew Center Luncheon, AEJMC Convention, Phoenix, August, 2000.
Keynote address by Chris Peck, Editor, The Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA at the Pew Center Luncheon, AEJMC Convention, Aug. 1999. 20 pages.
A 40-page overview of the 1999 Batten Awards and Symposium for Excellence in Civic Journalism, including keynote speeches by media scholar Michael Schudson and Philadelphia Daily News editor Zack Stalberg.
Based on the 1998 James K. Batten Awards and Symposium, this book looks at the emerging trends and opportunities in civic journalism. Available from the Pew Center in hard copy only.
Offers journalists tools and techniques they can use to supplement everyday Rolodex reporting. It offers instruction on how to identify various layers of civic life, identify “connectors” and “catalysts” who would be useful to reporters, find “third places” in the community, where people discuss issues, conduct conversations instead of interviews and map communities by area or topic. 44 pages.
Prepared by the Harwood Group
A Pew Center workbook for journalists, based on research by the Harwood Group at the Wichita Eagle, that seeks to help journalists tap into different levels of civic life.
Evaluated by Esther Thorson and Lewis A. Friedland, Report Writer: Peggy Anderson
A report on four civic journalism projects and how the newsrooms, partnerships, and citizens responded to the project’s efforts. Hard copy of report available.
Edited by Jan Schaffer and Stanley Cloud, Research Assistant: Kathleen Fitzgerald
A Pew Center behind-the-scenes look at six different media partnerships in four states that experimented with new ways to focus on citizens’ issues during the presidential primaries.
Commissioned by the Pew Center for Civic Journalism and prepared by the Harwood Group
Citizens talk about the state of the union in this reference for journalists covering the 1996 presidential election.
Edited by Jan Schaffer and Edward D. Miller, reported by Staci D. Kramer
This joint report by the Pew Center and the Poynter Institute for Media Studies lets you step into the newsrooms of six civic journalism partnership efforts. The book features three community initiatives: “Taking Back our Neighborhoods/ Carolina Crime Solutions” in Charlotte, N.C.; “We the People, Wisconsin” in Madison; and “The Public Agenda” in Tallahassee, Fla. It also examines three 1994 election projects: “The People’s Voice” in Boston, the “Voice of the Voter” in San Francisco and “Front Porch Forum” in Seattle.
J-Flash, our e-newsletter, is packed full of information you need to know and learning opportunities. | <urn:uuid:6fed5495-b104-4c96-ad59-ef4f19be3c21> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.j-lab.org/tools/civic-journalism-resources | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.904966 | 1,405 | 2.34375 | 2 |
Just as an addition, you have not copied the key's lines correctly.
Here's the English text:
It is now midday, and the sun is very hot, The shade of the trees is cool, and the lake is beautiful.
I see many swans, which are bright and white. The neck of that swan is long, but the left wing seems
to be small. I do not know the cause of this. Perhaps there is a bad disease in this wing. Perhaps a
bone of this swan was broken by a stone. There is a small boat on* the lake.
* From the vocabulary. on
, ἐπί, g. or d.
Here's the key's Greek rendition:
μεσημβρία νῦν ἐστί *, καὶ ὁ ἣλιος σφόδρα θερμός ἐστιν. ἡ σκιὰ τῶν δένδρων ψυχρά ἐστι, καί ἡ λίμνη καλή.*
ὁρῶ πολλοὺς κύκνους, οἳ λαμπροί εἰσι καί λευκοί. ὁ τράχηλος ἐκείνου τοῦ κύκνου μακρός ἐστιν,
ἀλλὰ τὸ πτερὸν τὸ ἀριστερὸν * δοκεῖ μικρόν εἶναι.* οὐκ οἶδα τήν αἰτίαν τούτου. ἴσως κακή ἐστι * νόσος
ἐν τούτῳ τῷ πτερῷ. ἴσως τούτου τoῦ κύκνου ὀστοῦν * λίθῳ διερράγη. ἐπὶ τῆς λίμνης ἐστὶ μικρὸν πλοῖον.
* I think it should be νῦν ἐστι, as modus said.
* I'm not sure but I think the second ἐστί(ν) was omitted not because it's common in this type of sentence (it is the first
exercise after all) but to show that it's not common to find the same verb repeated in the same sentence. The order here could
have been just as well καλὴ ἡ λίμνη, but maybe it's a parallel order to the first clause.
* τὸ ἀριστερὸν πτερὸν is just as acceptable with the same meaning.
* There's very little experience under my belt, but I've seen similar examples of both δοκεῖ μικρὸν εἶναι and δοκεῖ εἶναι μικρόν.
Best to go with what the key has for now.
* In p.66 of the book, there doesn't seem to be any difference between he/she/it is
and there is
they are both written in the same line of ἐστί(ν). I think it's important to know, as modus noted, that the existential copula, there is
, often appears at the beginning of a clause/sentence and is accented ἔστι(ν), though I don't think this means
that if it appears in other part of the sentence, (and thus accented as 'regular' copula,) it cannot have that meaning.
* The book follows the Attic dialect, which contracts (τὸ) ὀστέον to ὀστοῦν. | <urn:uuid:9d7d1707-5f09-4899-a8a4-cc0d328d69b4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.textkit.com/greek-latin-forum/viewtopic.php?p=86820 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939582 | 1,064 | 2.421875 | 2 |
The common association of plants is that they grow in their place, taking in sunlight and being easily affected by factors such as weather, the grazing action of animals, or even somebody just starting to cut the plants. The number of people who know that animals can be carnivorous as well (just some selected plants) is very low, with some of these plants being the pitcher plant or the Venus fly trap, which actually catch insects and other small creatures.
But as scientists keep on finding new plants, it always astounds people about the complexity of life in the plant world as well, with plants being able to adapt to different conditions, and also having evolved to not only make energy from sunlight and nutrients, but also be able to eat insects (link to article):
Scientists have discovered a new carnivorous plant which has sticky leaves beneath the ground to help it capture and digest worms. The rare plant Philcoxia minensis is found in Brazil's tropical savannahs region which is rich in biodiversity and highly in need of conservation.
They fed the plant nematodes loaded with the isotope nitrogen-15, atoms of which have one more neutron than regular nitrogen-14. Then, they placed these Caenorhabditis elegans worms on top of underground leaves of plants kept in a lab setting.
Chemical analysis of the leaves that had been covered in nematodes revealed significant amounts of nitrogen-15, suggesting the plant broke down and absorbed the worms.
|Spoonleaf Sundew Plant -Drosera spathulata- Carnivorous||The Savage Garden: Cultivating Carnivorous Plants||Growing Carnivorous Plants [Illustrated]| | <urn:uuid:597e626c-698e-4e20-9bdc-7d24a7ba083b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://weirdfascinatingstuff.blogspot.com/2012/01/weird-news-new-carnivorous-plant-found.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00061-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961019 | 340 | 4.0625 | 4 |
Keep Your Top Eye Open
I have a copy of a poster from 1851 that warns the “Colored People of Boston” to stay away from constables and policemen as they are required to enforce the Fugitive Slave Law. The last sentence reads, “Keep A Sharp Look Out for Kidnappers and have TOP EYE open.” What is the reference to the “Top Eye”? What does “Top Eye” mean in this case?
The original of this handbill is in the Boston Public Library’s Rare Book collection. It is part of the papers, manuscripts, and diaries of abolitionist and controversial Unitarian clergyman Theodore Parker, who composed it and had it printed and distributed.
At the time he posted it around Boston, Parker was the head of the Boston Vigilance Committee, a group of white and black abolitionists, eventually numbering more than 200, who agitated in various legal and extra-legal ways to frustrate slaveholding. The committee set up a secret network of operators on the Underground Railroad, who transported escaped slaves through the area. The committee also looked for slave-catchers in Boston who had come north to search for fugitive slaves. Parker and his fellow committee members alerted the sympathetic white and black community in the area, and sometimes threatened the slave-catchers and scared them off, and even rushed the jail to free captured slaves.
The committee’s semi-secretive efforts increased in intensity after the 1850 passage of the Fugitive Slave Act (part of the Compromise of 1850), which specifically required Northern states to remit or return fugitive slaves to their Southern owners. The committee’s collective outrage peaked during the 1851 trial and return to Georgia of escaped slave Thomas Sims (the handbill is from this period), the capture and freeing of fugitive slave Shadrach Minkins in 1851, and the riots during the capture and return under Federal guard of fugitive slave Anthony Burns to Virginia in 1854.
Having or keeping your top eye open simply meant keeping a careful watch, no matter what else you were doing. It most often carried the idea that you had to keep a lookout for threatening intruders, enemies, or competitors.
The phrase appears to be an Americanism. I see written evidence for its use, among both uneducated and educated and among both whites and African Americans, as early as 1828 and as late as 1911. Those who used it probably felt it to be a bit unusual because it often appeared with quotation marks around it, as if they understood it as slang.
Today, we would say something like “keep your eyes peeled” or “keep one eye open” or “sleep with one eye open.” When you lie down to sleep, one eye is uppermost and is therefore your “top eye,” the one with the slightly better vantage point. “Top” probably also connoted “best,” so that your “top eye” was the one that could see farther and clearer.
John S. Skinner, for example, in an 1828 issue of The American Farmer, counseled his readers, “So that as small sands form the mountain, and economy is said to be wealth, perhaps it would be as well to keep our top-eye open a little sharper towards those smaller items of family expenses.” The satirist John S. Robb, in a backwoods story he published in an 1845 issue of The Spirit of the Times, had one of his rustic characters say: “You, Mike, keep your eye skinned for Ingins, ‘cause ef we git deep in a yard here, without a top eye open, the cussed varmints ‘ll pop on us unawars, and be stickin’ some of thur quills in us—nothing’ like havin’ your eye open and insterments ready."
The phrase was a warning to keep your guard up, but also simply to pay close attention to what was happening so that you could forestall a threat as it arose and even shrewdly turn the situation into a favorable opportunity for your own success or profit.
Theodore Parker certainly understood the phrase in this way. In a speech he gave to the annual meeting of the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society in 1853, he said, “I am glad that a ‘top eye’ is open to scrutinize the acts of public men—an eye that never slumbers nor sleeps—an eye that does not spare a friend when he falters more than a foe when he is false; I am glad of that.” And in a letter he wrote in 1854, Parker facetiously chided fellow abolitionist Samuel J. May for having tried to argue that the Bible was a pacifist tract, when there was plenty of evidence to the contrary: “But all this, O father! is a delusion of Satan, who will deceive the very elect if they do not keep a top-eye open and a bright look-out.”
The phrase also had currency among other abolitionists, who used it to describe slaves who carried on with their normal activities, but constantly watched for the moment when they could act by making their escape. The Provincial Freeman in its issue of April 21, 1855, for example, used the phrase:
The cook (a colored man) having his “top eye open,” kept quiet till the steamer had fairly reached New York, then quietly procured a carriage, and apprised the property [that is, a slave onboard] that it was at liberty to assume a more independent air; consequently, it was not unconscious of the value of time; and lo! to the utter amazement of the Mate, it was seen making quick paces in the direction of the carriage.
Abolitionist activist and writer William Still, in his 1872 history, The Underground Rail Road, described the rescue of a slave, Jane Johnson, and her children, using the phrase—“Jane had her ‘top eye open,’ and in that brief space had appealed to the sympathies of a person whom she ventured to trust, saying, ‘I and my children are slaves, and we want liberty!’”
The phrase “keep (or have) your top eye open” had this meaning all during the time it was current, through the first decade of the 20th century.
For about 15 years, from about 1885 to 1900, long after Parker had written his handbill, the phrase briefly developed another meaning before it dropped out of currency altogether. Liberal reformers and spiritual progressives, especially from New England, used it to refer to cultivating a new and higher angle of vision on the world. To keep or have your top eye open meant to look a little deeper into the reasons of things or to look behind the surface of everyday things, to take your eyes off the ground and look into the air, up to heaven, to look there for subtle signs and omens, to be high-minded, to be spiritual rather than materialistic, to be focused on the true and lasting rather than the false, the sensual, and the transitory, on the intuitive rather than the calculating.
Parker’s use of the phrase in 1851 has nothing in it, even implicitly, that connects it to this later meaning. However, the distant origins of the image that this later meaning captures probably lay in Parker’s friend and fellow Transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay, “Nature,” written in 1836, where he described an “exaltation” he experienced one day at twilight staring into snow puddles: "Standing on the bare ground—my head bathed by the blithe air and uplifted into infinite space—all mean egotism vanishes. I become a transparent eyeball; I am nothing; I see all; the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or parcel of God."
The “top eye” was the “skylight of the soul,” like the oculus at the top of the Pantheon in Rome. It saw, not the waves, but “Him who walks upon the waves,” in the words of ex-Quaker, Temperance worker and suffragist Hannah Whitall Smith. For her, opening one’s top eye was a mystical experience, a religious conversion, a reception of holiness and sanctification into one’s life. In 1883, Smith’s coworker and friend, Frances Elizabeth Willard, the President of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, described Mrs. Smith’s home and family:
There is no fear of the “next thing,” because it is the next and not the last. There is no looking back, after the puerile fashion of Lot’s wife, but, with earnest gaze forward and upward, this family group moves forward, blessing and blessed. “Keep your top eye open,” is the mother’s constant motto for her children.
About the same time, Congregationalist lecturer, Joseph Cook, at one of his weekly prayer meetings at Boston’s Tremont Temple, told his audience:
British advanced thought believes in its frontal eye, but not in its coronal eye. This is a defect of the English mind and of the American. When you reach India, in your tour of the globe, you will find people who believe in their coronal eye; who see God in an intuitive way, as Emerson did. … The Scotch have an eye in the dome of their souls; but they have such an immense front window that they are chiefly occupied in gazing out of it. Rarely, except in periods of mighty religious fervor, do they look aloft through the dome. … In general, Scotchmen, Englishmen, and Americans believe in experience, observation, definition, induction, the scientific method, and nothing else. You notice thus one of the defects of Anglo-Saxon advanced thought, that it sees with its front eye, and not with its top eye.
The Boston Public Library Anti-Slavery Collection.
Archer Taylor, Bartlett Jere Whiting, A Dictionary of American Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, 1820-1880. Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press, 1958.
John S. Robb (pseudo. Solitaire), “Fun with a ‘Bar,’ A Night Adventure on the Missouri,” in Streaks of Squatter Life, and Far-West Scenes, Philadelphia: Carey and Hart, 1846, p. 105. Published first in The Spirit of the Times (New York), Dec 20, 1845.
“Speech of Theodore Parker at the Annual Meeting of the Massachusetts A. S. Society, Friday Evening, Jan. 28, 1853,” The Liberator, Feb 25, 1853, p. 2.
Theodore Parker, correspondence to Samuel J. May, March 1854, in Octavius Brooks Frothingham, Theodore Parker: A Biography, Boston: R. Osgood, 1874, p. 289.
William Still, The Underground Rail Road. Philadelphia: Porter & Coates, 1872, p. 91.
Frances Elizabeth Willard, Woman and Temperance; or, the work and workers of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union. Hartford: James Betts, 1883, p. 198.
Joseph Cook, “Advanced Thought in England and Scotland,” Christian Advocate, Jan 18, 1883, p. 37. | <urn:uuid:74efbd38-9a62-43d1-86a9-59b8d71c9d72> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://teachinghistory.org/history-content/ask-a-historian/24525 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00062-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960668 | 2,441 | 3.484375 | 3 |
The problem folks most of the people the general public have is that the majority employers wish expertise from people, while for many folks, to realize that have, they have to induce employment, an unfortunate example of the classic “chicken and egg” scenario.
I have found that the solution to the present is voluntary work / work expertise, as this permits an employer to examine what your work ethic is like while not truly having to pay you.
The most necessary factor to recollect when engaged on a voluntary basis, is that employers might raise you to try to to tasks that they do not wish to try to to themselves, for instance creating the tea.
This is one thing that you simply can have to be compelled to do so as to sway employers that you simply are willing to “start from the bottom” therefore to talk, and work your far to no matter positions they will have obtainable within the future.
Although operating for gratis could seem undesirable to some folks, it’s undoubtedly worthwhile, because it means that you gain valuable expertise, and in some cases, this could result in either a brief or permanent position with constant employer, looking on how laborious you’re employed throughout your voluntary placement.
One of the most effective times for such opportunities is throughout the busy seasons, attributable to the very fact that temporary staff are usually required throughout these times, that means that the majority employers would undoubtedly say yes to free staff, because it would save them cash.
Although there are several sectors that have such opportunities obtainable, the one with the foremost vacancies appears to be the retail sector, particularly inside the most important supermarket chains, as these are usually the busiest outlets of all at any time of year.
Finally, voluntary work is not for everybody, though for many folks, it’s undoubtedly one thing value trying in to, particularly if you have got plenty of your time on your hands or are out of labor for quite an extended time. | <urn:uuid:e450d698-46c8-43c7-8495-cae5a864e7cb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.conseilcoopipe.org/find-good-careers/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973481 | 403 | 1.640625 | 2 |
As the book jacket of A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity says, “this time it’s personal.” Bill O’Reilly, the man so many folks love to hate (please don’t get Barney Frank started), this time around explains how he came to be the man he is. While it is doubtful that his detractors will read the book, those who admire O’Reilly, or at the least find him to be entertaining, will probably enjoy this one.
Bill O’Reilly, born in 1949, seems to have always been a bit of a rebel despite his upbringing by Depression era parents. Many of his core beliefs, such as spending wisely and saving for the future, come from that upbringing and, in fact, the core belief central to his makeup, a strong feeling that people should be treated fairly in life and that evil must be confronted and challenged, comes from watching his own parents struggle to make their way.
O’Reilly watched his father trade job security for a lifetime of stagnation in a job that never rewarded him the way he deserved to be rewarded and, as a result, the younger O’Reilly chose to be the free agent that he is today. Being an independent, as O’Reilly calls himself, allows him to look at both sides of an issue without having to worry about official party lines or whom he might offend by his position on any particular issue. His willingness to challenge those with whom he disagrees, especially those he believes to be playing unfairly or unethically, makes O’Reilly into an equal-opportunity offender. Most of the time, he has the Democratic faithful screaming for his head; at other times, the screaming comes from Republican Party faithful.
A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity is filled with stories from O’Reilly’s childhood and early career, stories that give insight into how one rebellious, non-conformist kid with a low attention span became the anti-evil crusader he is today. Whether it was designing a plot to get even with a neighbor who confiscated his group’s rubber ball when it went onto his property or driving the nuns at his Catholic school to distraction, O’Reilly was developing the nonconformist personality that he uses so effectively today.
But there is more to the man, much more. He has a sentimental side, and a hardcore loyalty to his oldest friends, that he seldom displays in public. Friends come and go in life, usually because circumstances change and neither side makes the special effort required to maintain contact over the years. O’Reilly refuses to let that happen. He feels a special bond with the people he grew up around and those he met at university or early on in his public career, and he is determined to maintain those friendships, often organizing group events that bring together a dozen or two people at a time.
The bottom line for Bill O’Reilly is that he absolutely detests unfairness and those who make their way in life by taking advantage of others. He is a firm believer in self-reliance but he knows that self-reliance works only in a social and economic system that is based on fairness. He hates the world of special privileges and, when he finds people gaming the system, he calls them out, a habit that makes a lot of people very uncomfortable.
O’Reilly lives by a simple philosophy, really. He believes that “you either fight active evil or you accept it. Doing nothing is acceptance. There is no in-between.” As he puts it, “When it is all over, when you are dead...your legacy will be defined by two simple questions: How many wrongs did you right, and how many people did you help when they needed it?”
Like him, take him or leave him, love him, or hate him, it’s hard to argue with that philosophy.
Rated at: 4.0 | <urn:uuid:03385184-7c16-49e1-881c-c4bde6cc526b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bookchase.blogspot.com/2008/11/bold-fresh-piece-of-humanity.html?showComment=1227338520000 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00061-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981441 | 811 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Community colleges serve close to half of the undergraduate students in the United States, which included more than 6.5 million credit students in the fall of 2005. The comprehensive mission of community colleges makes them attractive to a broad range of people who seek particular programs or opportunities of special interest. Community colleges are the gateway to postsecondary education for many minority, low income, and first-generation postsecondary education students. Since 1985, more than half of all community college students have been women. In addition, the majority of Black and Hispanic undergraduate students in this country study at these colleges.
Community colleges also provide access to education for many nontraditional students, such as adults who are working while enrolled. The average age of a community college student is 29, and two thirds of community college students attend part-time. At the same time, community colleges are not only providing access for adult students, but also serving an increasing number of traditional age and high school students who take specific courses to get ahead in their studies. In fact, half of the students who receive a baccalaureate degree attend community college in the course of their undergraduate studies.
The costs to attain a postsecondary degree are on the rise. As a result, increasing numbers of students at community colleges (and 4-year institutions) are looking to the federal financial aid programs to help offset or finance the costs of their education. Almost half of the students attending community college receive some form of financial aid to help finance their studies. In 2005, more than 2 million community college students received Pell grant dollars. However, in recent years, there has been a shift in government policies away from grants toward student loans. Because of the low costs to attend community college, the amounts borrowed are lower for community college students than they are for their counterparts at 4-year institutions (public and private).
Community colleges are diverse institutions that serve a wide variety of needs. These include the students who attend to upgrade their skills for a particular job, students who are pursuing an associate degree to transfer to a 4-year institution, and students who attend to pursue a hobby (such as learning a language). The educational outcomes of community college students reflect this diversity. | <urn:uuid:805b4f74-847c-4cc7-ac7e-16c8a23e35f0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://aacc.nche.edu/AboutCC/Trends/Pages/studentsatcommunitycolleges.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976132 | 442 | 2.984375 | 3 |
NJ woman celebrates 100th birthday - at work
PARSIPPANY — Astrid Thoenig got dressed, went to work and sat at her desk smiling Thursday as she slid her finger gently under the envelope flap of yet another identical birthday card. They don't make that many that say "Happy 100th."
Thoenig was interrupted by a steady stream of deliverymen bringing bouquets, chocolate-dipped strawberries and stacks of cards to the Thornton Insurance Co. in Parsippany where she's been answering phones, keeping financial records, handling payroll and typing up documents for more than 30 years.
"It's another day — it's hard to explain," Thoenig said of turning 100. "I don't feel old, and I don't think old."
Born Sept. 24, 1909, in Bloomfield, Thoenig's earliest memories start in 1918, when she witnessed something so traumatic, "it erased all memories of my childhood before that."
"I remember coming down the stairs from my bedroom and saw these two coffins in the living room: one white, for my sister, and the other for the grown person," she said, recalling how the flu pandemic of 1918 killed her father and her 10-year-old sister within hours of one another. "To see my father and sister — of all the things I can't remember — that's very vivid in my mind."
Thoenig, her remaining sister, and her mother also were infected but survived. Her mother lived until 101 and her sister, who suffered permanent hearing loss from the illness, was 95 when she died. A few years ago, scientists tracked Thoenig down and took blood samples from her as one of the few remaining survivors of the pandemic of 1918-1919 that killed an estimated 30 million to 50 million people worldwide, including thousands in New Jersey.
As Thoenig turns 100, her grandson, 43-year-old Peter Thornton, said she couldn't have picked a better era.
"If you had to pick a dramatic century to live, it has to be Astrid's," he said. "The invention of the automobile and the airplane, television and computers, the moon landing and two world wars. 1780 to 1880 would have seen changes from a musket to a rifle."
Thoenig says "thinking young" has helped her take a century's worth of technological changes in stride. The daughter of Swedish immigrants, she credits her strong constitution, a wonderful family and getting up every day to get dressed and go to work with keeping her mind sharp.
Thoenig once sewed all her own clothes and still dresses elegantly, accenting with gold jewelry, colorful glasses and a full head of blond hair that makes her look decades younger. Her strong, agile hands come from a lifetime of typing, knitting and embroidering. | <urn:uuid:c9e21322-b690-4f40-8a31-5ccf04fe6fbe> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.northjersey.com/news/NJ_woman_celebrates_100th_birthday_-_at_work_.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977454 | 587 | 1.859375 | 2 |
Pfizer is paying $3.6 billion to take over King Pharmaceuticals, a diversified specialty pharmaceutical company. Pfizer says that King's three main businesses will complement Pfizer’s focus and are aligned with its primary care, established products, and animal health franchises.
King's portfolio includes a prescription pharmaceutical business focused on delivering new formulations of pain treatments designed to discourage common methods of misuse and abuse. Its Meridian auto-injector franchise for emergency drug delivery develops and manufactures the EpiPen® and is a long-term supplier to the DoD. King also has an animal health business that offers feed additive products for a range of species.
Pfizer will pay $14.25 per King share, which represents a premium of approximately 40% to King's closing price as of October 11. The transaction is expected to be accretive to Pfizer's adjusted diluted earnings per share by approximately $0.02 in 2011 and 2012 and approximately $0.03–$0.04 annually from 2013 through 2015. In addition, the acquisition should yield initial cost savings from operating expenses of at least $200 million by the end of 2013, according to Pfizer.
This strategic combination will allow Pfizer to offer both opioid and nonopioid products and continue development on antipain medications. In addition to Pfizer's current treatments for pain, which include Lyrica and Celebrex, King will bring Avinza, the Flector Patch, and the recently launched Embeda, the first approved opioid pain product with design features intended to discourage misuse and abuse. King also has two compounds in registration that have the potential to lower the risk of abuse as well as other drugs in development.
“We are highly impressed by King's innovative products and technology in the pain-relief disease area as well as by its success in advancing promising compounds in its pipeline,” states Jeffrey Kindler, Pfizer's chairman and CEO. “The combination of our respective portfolios in this area of unmet medical need is highly complementary and will allow us to offer a fuller spectrum of treatments for patients across the globe who are in need of pain relief and management. In addition, the revenue generated by King's portfolio will further diversify Pfizer's business, while at the same time contributing to steady earnings growth and shareholder value.” | <urn:uuid:d3ff9cb5-7668-4a69-ad6a-071dc3449556> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.genengnews.com/gen-news-highlights/pfizer-to-pony-up-3-6b-for-king-pharmaceuticals/81244052/?kwrd=Pfizer | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961173 | 478 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Fairy tales are filled with stories of giants and little people. The stories were written hundreds of years ago, and they sometimes tried to explain why these people looked different from others around them.
These old-fashioned fairy tales might have been different if the writers had known what today's doctors have learned about growth.
What's a Growth Disorder?
Everyone grows and matures differently. You may be taller than your best friend in fourth grade. But then in sixth grade, your best friend may be an inch taller than you. Usually, this is totally normal.
A growth disorder, however, means that a kid has abnormal growth — for example, growing a lot slower or a lot faster than other kids the same age.
What's Normal Growth?
If growth isn't the same for all kids, how do doctors know what's normal? By feet and inches (or meters and centimeters)! Over the years, lots of height and weight measurements have been taken for lots of children of different ages. These measurements have been put together in what is called a standard growth chart, which tells doctors about how most kids grow.
From the time you were a baby, your doctor has weighed and measured you whenever you've had a checkup. Because kids grow differently, your doctor checks your height against the standard growth chart. If you are in the 50th percentile on the growth chart, it means half of the kids your age are taller than you are and half are shorter. If you fall in the 25th percentile that means 75% of the kids your age are taller and 25% are shorter, and so on.
Most kids whose heights are between the 3rd percentile and the 97th percentile and who are growing at a steady rate are considered to have normal growth. Kids who are higher or lower than this on the growth chart are usually normal, too.
But some children who are under the 3rd percentile or over the 97th percentile, or who are growing a lot slower or faster than most other kids, may have a growth problem. In this situation, the doctor will usually want to check things out.
One thing your doctor will want to know is how tall your mother and father are and how they grew when they were children. You may have inherited short or tall genes from them. You may also have inherited the tendency to have your growth spurt earlier or later than most other kids do.
Glands in your body produce chemical messengers called hormones. Normal increases in the amounts of some of these hormones being produced trigger the changes your body goes through during puberty.
Puberty is the stage of your life when sexual development happens, like breast development and menstrual periods in girls and growth of the penis and testicles in boys. One of the body changes that happens during puberty is a big increase in your rate of growth — a growth spurt. The higher levels of hormones in your body tell your bones to grow, grow, grow!
When these changes happen before the age of 8 in girls or 9 in boys, it's called precocious (say: prih-ko-shess), or early, puberty. At first, these kids may be taller than their friends. Later, however, they may stop growing sooner than most other kids do, and they may not become as tall when they're adults as they might have been otherwise. Usually, kids with precocious puberty can be treated with medications that help correct this problem.
Delayed or late puberty occurs when the hormonal and body changes that should happen with puberty take place later than normal, or sometimes not at all. Girls who have not begun puberty by age 13 and boys who have not begun by age 15 have delayed puberty and are sometimes called late bloomers. When puberty finally occurs, either by itself or with treatment, these teens have a growth spurt and tend to catch up to their peers. Sometimes they even grow to be taller than their friends!
One of the glands in your body is called the pituitary gland (say: pih-too-ih-tare-ee). It's found at the bottom of your brain and is shaped like a peanut. It may be small in size, but it's pretty big in importance. One of the chemical messengers the pituitary gland sends out to your body is called growth hormone, which (no surprise) is essential for growth.
When the pituitary gland doesn't make enough growth hormone — and sometimes other pituitary hormones as well — the condition is called hypopituitarism (say: hy-po-peh-too-eh-ter-is-em). This can slow down a kid's growth. Special tests can find out if kids don't produce enough growth hormone. If they don't, daily shots of growth hormone can often help them grow to be normal-sized adults.
Another gland that produces hormones important for growth is your thyroid (say: thy-royd). You may be able to feel it if you press gently with your fingers across the front of your neck, just under your Adam's apple. It is shaped like a butterfly and moves up and down when you swallow.
Your thyroid makes a hormone called thyroxine (say: thi-rocks-in). If it makes too little, the condition is called hypothyroidism (say hy-po-thy-royd-is-em). Having too little thyroxine makes a kid grow more slowly. Doctors can do a simple blood test for hypothyroidism. If it's needed, a kid can take the missing hormone as a pill.
Hormones play a major role in growth, but kids might not grow normally for other reasons, including:
Chronic diseases. These include heart and kidney problems, cystic fibrosis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and sickle cell anemia, which may slow growth in some cases.
Complications during pregnancy. One of the reasons a pregnant woman is warned not to smoke or drink is because it may slow down her baby's growth. A baby may be too small when it's born and some remain small for life. This condition is called intrauterine (say: in-trah-yu-ter-in) growth retardation, or IUGR. Some infections during pregnancy, other pregnancy problems, and certain genetic diseases can also cause this problem.
Failure to thrive. Some babies don't grow and gain weight normally after they're born. This is called failure to thrive (FTT). FTT may happen when a child simply doesn't get enough to eat. Some babies may have an illness that needs to be treated, but most will grow normally after they start eating enough food.
Genetic conditions. Some genetic conditions can also cause children to not grow as they should. Some girls who are short may have Turner syndrome. This means they have one X chromosome instead of two, or that one of their X chromosomes is abnormal. Another genetic condition, Marfan syndrome, makes a person tall, with very long legs and arms. The person may also have heart and eye problems.
Many of these growth disorders can be successfully treated today. With help, kids who might once have ended up very short can grow up more like other children. And that's a happy ending to any fairy tale! | <urn:uuid:0a70bb67-816e-42d3-9e14-63078d43be4e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://kidshealth.org/PageManager.jsp?dn=Weller_Health_Education_Center&lic=127&cat_id=20570&article_set=22005&ps=304 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967789 | 1,492 | 3.484375 | 3 |
WASHINGTON — The nation’s premier environmental law withstood a major industry challenge Tuesday as the Supreme Court upheld the way the government sets air-quality standards under the Clean Air Act.
The court unanimously rejected industry arguments that the Environmental Protection Agency must consider financial cost as well as health benefits in writing standards.
The American Lung Association called the ruling “a victory for the Clean Air Act and for the health of the American people.”
The Clean Air Act became law in 1970, and the challenge by industry groups was viewed as the most significant environmental case before the Supreme Court in years.
The justices rejected industry arguments that the EPA took too much lawmaking power from Congress when it set tougher standards for ozone and soot in 1997.
Nevertheless, the court threw out the EPA’s policy for implementing new ozone rules and ordered the agency to come up with a more “reasonable” interpretation of the law.
Edward Warren, the lawyer for industry groups that challenged the law, said they retain a right to challenge the ozone and soot standards in a lower court under traditional legal rules. “There’s a good chance that both of these standards will fall,” he said.
The American Trucking Associations, leader of the industry group, said it was “clearly disappointed” by the ruling. It said its goal in the case was “to obtain clear, understandable legal standards to promote clean air in a sensible fashion.”
EPA Administrator Christie Whitman said the decision was “a solid endorsement of EPA’s efforts to protect the health of millions of Americans from the dangers of air pollution.” She gave no indication of what EPA might do to implement the tougher standards, which had been withdrawn to await a ruling from the Supreme Court.
Frank O’Donnell of the Clean Air Trust environmental advocacy group, called the decision a “huge victory for breathers.”
Justice Antonin Scalia wrote for the court that the clean-air law “unambiguously bars cost considerations” from the process of setting air-quality standards.
The federal law, which “we interpret as requiring the EPA to set air quality standards at the level that is ‘requisite’ – that is, not lower or higher than is necessary – to protect the public health with an adequate margin of safety, fits comfortably within the scope of discretion permitted by our precedent,” Scalia wrote.
All nine justices agreed on the result of the ruling, although sometimes for different reasons.
In setting air-quality standards, the EPA is required to use criteria that “accurately reflect the latest scientific knowledge” for identifying pollution’s effects on health.
Business groups that long have chafed under the clean-air law argued that the EPA was setting standards without clear criteria and without considering the financial costs of complying with them.
Scalia said that even though the law bars the EPA from considering economic costs in setting clean-air standards, the agency can consider costs in its instructions for implementing the rules.
A federal appeals court had ruled that the EPA went too far, interpreting the federal law so loosely that it took over Congress’ lawmaking authority. But the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia also refused to require the government to weigh financial costs against health benefits.
The Supreme Court decided the appeals court was right in ruling the EPA could not consider costs in setting air-quality standards, but wrong in saying the agency unlawfully usurped Congress’ authority.
Scalia said the EPA’s authority was similar to the Federal Communications Commission’s authority to regulate the airwaves in the “public interest.”
On ozone, the justices ruled against the EPA’s implementation of revised ozone standards, saying the agency ignored a section of law that restricted its decision-making authority.
In addition, the lower court had ruled that in setting the ozone standard, the EPA must consider any beneficial health effects of ozone, such as protection against skin cancer.
The 1997 air standards limited ozone, a major component of smog, to 0.08 parts per million instead of .12 parts per million under the old requirement. States also were required to limit soot from power plants, cars and other sources to 2.5 microns, or 28 times smaller than the width of a human hair.
Industry groups that challenged the clean-air rules included the American Trucking Associations, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers and three states — Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.
The cases are Whitman v. American Trucking Associations, 99-1257, and American Trucking Associations v. Whitman, 99-1426.
Associated Press writer H. Josef Hebert contributed to this report.
On the Net: Supreme Court: http://www.supremecourtus.gov | <urn:uuid:5d7c8da6-195c-4e39-b9b7-84d42c7fd4e1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2001-02-28/article/3674?headline=Court-upholds-Clean-Air-Act--The-Associated-Press | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951873 | 1,015 | 2.296875 | 2 |
Offizielle Website des Hotels
|The Flavian Amphitheatre, better known as the Colosseum, is probably the most famous monument in the world: this elliptical colossal construction, with a height of 48mt, has impressed and fascinated men of all Ages.
It was with no doubt the most favourite place by the Romans, who came to prefer above all other entertainment the slaughter of men armed to kill and be killed for their amusement.
The Colosseum consisted of four floors. The first floor was 11,50mt high adorned by half columns of the Doric order. The second floor, in the Ionic order, was 11,85mt high. The third floor, in the Corinthian order, was 11,60mt high. The fourth floor consisted of a plain wall with projecting corbels which supported the bases of the masts to which on days of strong sun were attached the strips of giant awning which sheltered the spectators. Staircases and galleries led the crowd to the different tiers of seats.
In the foyers of the Coliseum all kind of activities took place: chickpeas, hot drinks and souvenirs vendors, people who rented cushions and blankets to night viewers. Overlooking from the higher floors you could have a spectacular view over the largest city in the world.
The name of the ingenious designer of the Colosseum is still unknown, perhaps Rabirio, the architect of Domitian, or a certain Gaudenzio.
Erected by wishes of the Emperor Vespasian to honour the grandeur of the Empire and inaugurated by Titus in 80 AD, the Colosseum was built in a valley surrounded by the Esquiline, the Palatine and the Celio hills draining a pond used by Nero for the Domus Aurea.
There was no military victory, religious festival, or anniversary not celebrated with bloody battles of trained galdiators in the Colosseum. About 70,000 excited spectators followed screaming the gladiator who challenged in death duels: Reziari, with nets and Trident against Mirmilloni; Samnites, with the short sword, against Traci these events one sponsored by Trajan, lasted uninterruptedly for 117 consecutive days, during which more than 9,000 gladiators died on the arena.
On the Arena were assembled, in record time, incredible sceneries to make more exciting fights that lasted from dawn to dusk and often continued at night.
The bloodiest, so-called sportule, invented by Claudio, consisted of enraged fighting with hundreds of gladiators one against the other, in which the massacre had to be fulfilled in the shortest possible time.
Under the arena an inextricable labyrinth of corridors housed gladiators and wild beasts. In these underground rooms, anti chamber of the hell, with the noise of screams and roars, the gladiators, waited to emerge, thanks to pulling and inclined planes, in the dazzling light of the arena, where a delirious audience was screaming in excitement.
The Colosseum is linked to the memory of ferocious persecutions of Christians, interrupted by the Emperor Constantine who in 313 AD prohibited the battles between gladiators and proclaimed Christianity the official religion of the Empire.
Did You Know? | <urn:uuid:78cc045d-3f06-407d-96f8-5192a3ad812e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hotelteatropace.com/hotel33/de/colosseo.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952033 | 686 | 2.078125 | 2 |
Published December 16, 2012
Democratic senators flung open the door Sunday for a renewed debate on national gun laws, vowing in the aftermath of the deadly Connecticut school shootings to immediately introduce gun-ban legislation and take the issue to the chamber floor.
California Sen. Dianne Feinstein said she will introduce a bill on the first day Congress returns in January to ban the sale of so-called “assault weapons” and high-capacity ammunition clips.
“I’m going to introduce it in the Senate, and the same bill will be introduced in the House,” Feinstein said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Feinstein, a major supporter of a 10-year ban on assault weapons that expired in 2004, said her renewed effort is to get “weapons of war off the streets.”
She was joined Sunday by Sens. Dick Durbin, Illinois, and Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut, who vowed to bring the issue to Capitol Hill in the coming weeks.
Their promises follow the incident Friday in which a gunman purportedly used semi-automatic weapons inside the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., to kill 26 people – including 20 first-graders.
Durbin, the Senate Majority Whip, said he will hold a hearing in the next few weeks on the issue.
“We need to sit down and have a quiet and calm conversation on the Second Amendment,” he told “Fox News Sunday.”
The senator said the debate has so far been dominated by national gun lobbies “that have agendas.” But he thinks the mass shooting could finally result in more strict laws.
“I think what happened might at least lead some to sit down” and talk, he said.
Blumenthal said he would not discuss specifics while the nation still grieves but said he intends to talk about gun control on the Senate floor as early as this week.
“We need to do something,” he said on ABC’s “This Week.”
Texas Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert agreed that all parties must come together and have an “open-minded” conversation.
However, he maintained his position that gun ownership is a constitutional right that protects Americans.
“I wish to God (the school principal) had a gun locked up her office” so she could have taken off the shooter’s head, Gohmert said on Fox.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg suggested that gun control should be the top item on President Obama’s second-term agenda and called on him to lead the debate.
“The president has to lead, tell this country what to do,” the Democratic mayor told NBC.
Bloomberg -- whose group Mayors Against Illegal Guns is becoming increasingly vocal about the issue -- also dismissed the notion that the National Rifle Association remains powerful enough to defeat tighter regulations.
“The NRA’s No. 1 objective was to defeat Barack Obama, and he won comfortable,” he said. “And it’s a myth that the NRA is so powerful that Democrats (who voted for the 2004 ban) lost re-election.”
Durbin also called for a national commission on mass violence, an idea that Connecticut Independent Sen. Joe Lieberman suggested earlier on the Fox show. Durbin called for the commission to also address the issue of school violence. | <urn:uuid:f99b198c-3d52-4568-a2b0-3873a8651555> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/12/16/durbin-says-will-reopen-capitol-hill-debate-on-gun-rights-in-coming-weeks/print | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962499 | 713 | 1.6875 | 2 |
A couple weeks ago, a coworker of mine and I were talking about outsourcing and how it will affect the economy and things like that. It arose out of a humor bit that somebody apparently posted at Slashdot about how they told their boss they were telecommuting, outsourced their work to a guy in India working for $12k/year, and got paid a nice salary to do nothing but pass bits around. My coworker’s question was what happens when places like India and China have caught up to America in standard of living. He felt that it would have to be a zero-sum game where if they’re getting brought out of poverty, our standard of living would inevitably have to suffer. I made up a counterargument on the fly, but I like it, especially because it’s abnormally optimistic for me, so I’m going to share yet another crackpot theory with you all.
Here goes. Why do we think outsourcing is bad? Because jobs that go overseas means less jobs here means less work here. Now it’s possible that I’ve been reading too much of The Economist, but I tend to believe that outsourcing will result in a reallocation of jobs rather than a removal. What are the jobs that are going away? Typically jobs that are manual labor intensive, or drudge work in other ways. What do all these jobs have in common? They are well on the way to being automated in some form or another. Even the programming jobs going overseas are generally pretty standard bolt-together-parts type coding rather than innovative system architecture.
America has been doing this sort of job reallocation for over a century now. Something like 3% of the American population works on a farm at this point. And yet American farms produce more than enough food for the entire country. I don’t know what the percentage a century ago was, but I’m pretty sure it was a lot higher. However, as labor-saving machinery such as tractors became prevalent, as well as irrigation and fertilizers and other yield-enhancers, the productivity of our farms per farmer grew by enormous leaps and bounds. Where did all those former farmers go? Into the city to work at factories is my guess.
Now that the factory jobs are disappearing, partially due to outsourcing and partially due to the automation of routine labor-intensive tasks, people are going to have to adjust again. And I think they will (despite tendencies to cling to the industrial way of doing things).
The common theme I see here is innovation. This is my wild-eyed technology-is-great optimistic side talking. And I’m not even a Singularity believer. But I look at the last century and am amazed by the incredible strides we have made in our standard of living in that time. Working-class people today have access to amenities that the nobility could only dream of a century ago, even with hordes of servants at their beck and call. We have increased our productivity to such a large extent that most of us are not involved with the satisfaction of our basic needs like food and shelter. What have we evolved to? I think that Richard Florida nailed it with his book The Rise of the Creative Class. America is now an innovation society. And I think that’s a good thing.
Innovation is what breaks us free from the zero-sum game of economics. In a normal transaction, no new value is created, so the pool of wealth remains constant. Innovation increases the value pool by increasing the efficiency with which products are made, as well as enabling totally new products that raise the standard of living.
So here’s the totally starry-eyed optimist answer to my coworker’s question. As more and more jobs disappear off the low end of the scale, either due to outsourcing or due to automation, that means more and more resources available to devote to innovation. Less muscle power, more mind power. The more minds you have working on a problem, the better. So more minds working on innovation means more productivity gains, which in turn frees up even more people to work on innovation, and we’re in a nice little virtuous circle where the standard of living keeps on increasing for everyone.
Interestingly, while I was kicking this idea around in my head and trying to find the time to write it up, I saw another blog post about innovation. I have to agree with his assessment of the value of the Internet to society (c.f. the end of my rant about the internet), and I’m definitely not a change for change’s sake kind of person, but I can definitely see ways in which my life is materially better than somebody’s fifty years ago. Maybe not spiritually. But materially. And as more people have more time to spend finding solutions to the problems that vex them (which is what the open source movement is all about, really), I think that the virtuous circle of innovation will only continue to benefit all of us.
Don’t worry, I’ll snap out of this optimism shortly. In fact, I’ve got another rant lined up that I’ll probably write up in just a minute that will demonstrate my normal misanthropic negative tendencies. But I figured the unaccustomed optimism about the future would be a nice change of pace… | <urn:uuid:e09c4935-f714-494c-80e7-25a9770d80cb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nehrlich.com/blog/2004/08/25/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971041 | 1,103 | 2.265625 | 2 |
|| Fear Expressions Help Identify Threats Quickly |
Widening of eyes in response to fear increases the field of vision and
helps onlookers to locate threats quickly, says a recent study. Human
emotions are most often expressed through vario...
|| Kashmir Haunted by the Fear of Fake Drugs |
An allegation over the wrongful purchase of antibiotics by a government-appointed committee in Jammu and Kashmir, has now started creating fear in the imagination of the public in the Valley... | <urn:uuid:e789cc71-1bae-4f63-abf1-e21cf657b227> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.medindia.net/healthnews/xenophobia-news.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.91947 | 101 | 2.109375 | 2 |
Guest Author - Edie Dykeman
How I Met Your Mother is a situation comedy (sitcom) about five friends who live in New York City. The premise of the show reveals that in 2030 Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) is telling his son and daughter how he met their mother and fell in love. Bob Sagat narrates each episode as the future Ted using flashbacks from the future. This way the narration of the show stays in the past tense.
Other characters are Marshall Eriksen (Jason Segel), Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders), Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris), and Lily Aldrin (Alyson Hannigan). When Marshall proposes to Lily, Ted realizes he also wants to meet someone and settle down.
His best friend Barney helps him in his quest to find the right woman causing all kinds of crazy escapades. Barney is an executive with an unnamed company and a confirmed bachelor with opinions and ideas that often get Ted in trouble with the women.
Because the show uses multiple flashbacks requiring many more shots than other sitcoms, it is not shot in front of a live studio audience like most shows. Once all the scenes are shot, the film is edited and then shown to a live audience where the laughter is recorded.
Many of the bar scenes are based on a New York bar called McGee’s. On the show, their hangout is called MacLaren’s, named after Carter Bays’ assistant Carl MacLaren. Also, Carl is the name of the bartender at MacLaren’s.
During the past four seasons, there have been a number of breakups and makeup’s among the friends. Although the story begins with the engagement of Marshall and Lily, they later breakup and Lily moves to San Francisco to study art. Ted dates off and on, and Barney continues his womanizing ways.
Ted and Robin become a couple, but they later split and now are just friends. Marshall and Lily later get back together. It is revealed that Barney has feelings for Robin. Toward the end of season four, the gang is now all in their thirties, still friends, and still hanging out at MacLaren’s bar.
Craig Thomas and Carter Bays, who based the show on their experiences living in New York City, are the creators. The show premiered on CBS September 19, 2005. Thomas and Bays remain co-producers along with Pamela Fryman and Rob Greenberg.
As of this writing, How I Met Your Mother continues to air on CBS at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on Monday nights. The first three seasons are now available on DVD at Amazon.com for those who would like to see more of this fabulous show. | <urn:uuid:779bcecc-8cc2-49d6-b95a-3a828da68a0b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art61755.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956561 | 571 | 1.507813 | 2 |
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use as military explosive
...found that mixtures of molten TNT and ammonium nitrate were almost as effective for shell loadings as pure TNT. The mixtures most commonly used were 80–20 and 50–50 AN and TNT, known as amatol. Their principal advantages were that they made the supply of TNT go further and were considerably cheaper. In World War II the amatols were used in aerial bombs as well as artillery shells.
What made you want to look up "amatol"? Please share what surprised you most... | <urn:uuid:ed11d33e-24c4-4013-92dc-47812353a374> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/18646/amatol | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984366 | 147 | 2.6875 | 3 |
There was recently an interesting NPR story about a neuroscientist who studies the biological basis of psychopathy. The surprising twist is that he himself has genetic and brain activity indicators of being a violent psychopath! But, he seems like such a nice guy. The conclusion of the story is that we are not simply products of our biological determinants; environmental factors also play a very strong role.
And of course, that must be true. Just look at language. We speak a particular language because we have a genetic predisposition to do so, and then we were exposed to a particular language environment. The fact that nature / nurture arguments are still raging with regards to language, which is a pretty self contained system, makes me think that they will take a long time to be resolved for issues like psychopathy.
However, I think that one of the reasons this is such an interesting story is because it's emotionally satisfying, and that's not a good thing. It's too easy to hear this story and think, "He found this brain activity is related to psychopathy, but he has that brain activity, and he's not a psychopath. Therefore, people are magic."
First off, I don't know that Dr. Fallon has figured out the risk of psychopathy associated with having this brain activity. From what I understand from this NPR story and his TED talk, he's figured out that people who are psychopaths tend to have this particular brain activity, but I don't think he's done the study to figure out how many people with this brain activity are psychopaths. That second proportion is the necessary one to know in order to evaluate how surprising or unsurprising Dr. Fallon's peaceful existence is.
Secondly, as with almost all determinants of any kind of outcome, they only operate probabilistically. For instance, I think it's pretty much accepted wisdom that smoking is highly correlated with a variety of health problems. However, everyone also knows someone, the mythical aunt from the title of this post for instance, who smoked every day and lived to be very old. That's not contrary evidence to the fact that smoking causes health problems. In fact, it's expected that some people would have no health problems, all else being equal. That's the definition of probability.
So, even if the risk of psychopathy was very high given this brain activity (which again, it might not be), the fact that some one person with this brain activity is not a psychopath shouldn't be surprising, and doesn't really call the biological basis of behavior into question. The fact that he also happens to study the biological basis if psychopathy just happens to sex the story up.
The moral of the story is to think twice about science journalism that has an emotionally satisfying end to it. | <urn:uuid:03be1818-79d9-4434-8894-7de72db51c84> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://val-systems.blogspot.com/2010/08/my-aunt-had-psychopathic-brain-and-she.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00062-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980955 | 561 | 2.328125 | 2 |
Prescribed Pine Canyon Burn
updated: Jan 22, 2013, 5:10 PM
Source: Los Padres National Forest
Prescribed Burn Scheduled Next Week in Los Padres National Forest
Los Padres National Forest officials announced today that fire crews will conduct a prescribed burn next
week (weather permitting) on approximately 2,100 acres near Pine Canyon Road and Horseshoe Spring
Campground on the Santa Lucia Ranger District. The burn is scheduled to begin Wednesday, January 23,
2013. Smoke will be visible from the Santa Maria/Orcutt area.
The project area is approximately 15 miles east of Santa Maria near Pine Canyon Road south of Highway
166 and east of Tepusquet Road. The purpose of the burn is to reduce hazardous fuels, lessen impacts
of a future wildfire in the area, improve wildlife habitat, and enhance and protect the Lower Cuyama
Residual smoke may be visible in the area for up to two weeks.
Forest visitors are advised to call the Santa Lucia Ranger Station at (805) 925-9538 to obtain current
information during the burn operation.
Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order) | <urn:uuid:45c6d7a5-c69a-456c-838f-ca7f734acbad> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://slo.edhat.com/site/tidbit.cfm?nid=107532&showcomments=T | 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 | 0.914118 | 241 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Mother Lode students may soon spend less time penciling in bubbles on standardized test forms and more writing essays or demonstrating their computer know-how.
The California Department of Education is eager to put the old-fashioned STAR test program behind, recommending a new assessment system Tuesday that moves beyond the rote memorization that educators say has negatively affected teaching.
The Tuesday report by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson called for tests that require in-depth answers and critical thinking. STAR tests are scheduled to sunset in 2014, and the new tests would be given the following school year.
Standardized tests may not even be administered in second-grade classrooms, since Torlakson’s report recommended suspending the testing requirement for them in 2013-14.
Tuolumne County Deputy Superintendent of Schools Margie Bulkin said she was surprised by the latter proposal but that the move would be “applauded” by second-grade teachers.
Schools might instead have the choice to give second-graders diagnostic tests, which help teachers assess progress rather than penalize schools for poor performance.
Torlakson’s report also suggested that the state examine alternatives to the California High School Exit Exam, or CAHSEE.
“This recommendation is interesting because I think there’s enough professional opinion that the CAHSEE … (doesn’t) really align with what is needed to earn a diploma,” said Margie Bulkin, Tuolumne County Deputy Superintendent of Schools.
Other Mother Lode educators joined in criticizing the exit exam, which tests language arts and mathematics. Bret Harte High Superintendent Mike Chimente has said the test should be combined with other tests already taken by high schoolers, a possibility mentioned in Torlakson’s report.
The state report recommended developing new science assessments, as well as new tests for students with severe disabilities. It later said assessments should include tasks similar to what students do in class, with one possible test having fifth graders create a technology portfolio.
All the recommendations must still be reviewed by the state Board of Education, then be approved by Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature.
The Tuesday report is part of California’s transition to the new Common Core State Standards, the first state standards to be adopted nationally. They will radically change what’s taught in class, integrating math instruction across grades and putting more emphasis on nonfiction.
The STAR test program is scheduled to “sunset” in July 2014, with grades 3 through 8 and grade 11 switching to the new Smarter Balanced Assessments the next school year.
Torlakson’s Tuesday recommendations addressed the grades and subjects not already covered in plans for the Smarter Balanced Assessments. Kindergarteners, first graders and high school seniors still won’t take state standardized tests.
Smarter Balanced tests will eventually have all students answer questions on computers, though schools can still use a pen-and-paper version until 2017.
The requirement that school districts update their technology may strain their budgets, since they’re not receiving full funding from the state. Bulkin, who formerly served as superintendent for Sonora Elementary School and Curtis Creek Elementary School, said the transition will be burdensome.
Even Torlakson alluded to the burden created by testing in his Tuesday report.
“It is noteworthy that many of the countries leading the world in achievement place little or no emphasis on standardized testing,” he wrote. “Where they do test, they use more open-minded measures...and often sample students rather than testing every child.”
The California Department of Education’s request for a waiver from the strictest mandates of the federal No Child Left Behind Act was recently denied.
In the absence of current federal requirements, his recommendations would have been different, Torlakson said. | <urn:uuid:4c6aa5d8-4f6b-4f9f-b8a8-2a46167122ee> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.uniondemocrat.com/News/Local-News/State-tests-eye-critical-thinking | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956747 | 807 | 2.421875 | 2 |
TUESDAY, Feb. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Calorie counters, beware: Drinking diet "mixers" with alcohol intensifies the effects of the booze, according to the findings of breathalyzer tests.
Preliminary research on the use of different mixers, such as juice, soda or diet soda, suggests that diet soda might increase breath alcohol content more than higher calorie sugary beverages.
"The key thing is to be aware of this phenomenon," said study lead author Cecile Marczinski, an assistant professor in the department of psychological science at Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights.
"People tend to think that cutting calories is important, but when you're drinking alcohol, calories help slow down the release of alcohol to your liver and brain," Marczinski said.
Breath alcohol concentration, which is what police measure to determine if someone has consumed more than the legal limit of alcohol, is affected by different factors. Food in the stomach can lower breath alcohol concentration by up to 57 percent compared to drinking on an empty stomach, according to background information in the study.
Because many people are concerned about their weight, particularly young women, the researchers wanted to see how a drink mixer might affect breath alcohol levels.
For the study, released Feb. 5 online in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, the researchers recruited eight males and eight females, average age 23, to attend three study sessions. At one session, they drank vodka mixed with regular Squirt, a soda. At another, they drank vodka mixed with diet Squirt, which is artificially sweetened with aspartame. At the final session, a placebo session, they drank regular soda with a small amount of alcohol on the top of the drink to create the smell of booze.
At each session, the study volunteers drank the equivalent of three to four bar drinks in a short period of time, said Marczinski. Breath alcohol content was measured eight times in the three hours following the drinks' consumption.
Breath alcohol levels peaked 40 minutes after the study volunteers had their drinks. When the alcohol was mixed with regular soda containing sugar, the peak breath alcohol level was just under the legal limit at 0.077. But for diet soda drinkers, the peak was at 0.091, which is above the legal limit for driving a car.
Breath alcohol levels remained higher for the diet soda/alcohol drinkers for the entire three-hour period.
After drinking, the researchers also had the study volunteers perform a test on the computer. Participants who downed the diet drinks performed slightly worse, although they didn't notice any difference in the way they felt or performed.
"They were slower to respond. It was a small difference, but it was statistically significant," said Marczinski.
She said she suspects the alcohol was released from the stomach faster in the diet-drink group because there was no sugar (and no calories) in the stomach to slow down the delivery.
The researchers didn't notice a difference between men and women in this study. But Marczinski said, "women are more inclined to consume alcoholic beverages with diet soda."
The bottom line is that people shouldn't drink on an empty stomach, and they may want to think twice about saving calories by using diet soda mixers, she said.
One expert agreed the findings should encourage caution.
"If you haven't eaten before you start drinking, your blood sugar will go down. And then if you use diet mixers, you're at a much higher risk of being intoxicated," said Samantha Heller, a clinical nutritionist at the NYU Center for Musculoskeletal Care in New York City.
"If you think you're doing a better thing by going with the diet mixer, you need to know you may be doing yourself a disservice if you're getting more drink faster," she added.
And while this study's findings are "a concern," Heller also noted that the study is quite small, and it should be duplicated.
Still, she advised anyone who's been drinking to hang up the car keys. "Don't drink and drive, no matter what. It's just not worth it," she said.
Learn how alcohol can affect driving from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. | <urn:uuid:815cfb34-e22e-4744-8005-fe2d86e99711> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sparkpeople.com/resource/health_news_detail.asp?health_day=673212 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960536 | 871 | 2.390625 | 2 |
By most accounts, the new Obama student loan proposal doesn't do much. It's only available to current students, which means that the rest of us are screwed. And even if it did apply to graduates? Its impact is so small, we JD grads would still be screwed.
But student loan debt has hit $1 trillion, which exceeds the country's total credit card debt. Tuition has increased so much that students borrow twice as much as they did a decade ago.
This means that defaults are also up--and some think the schools should be made to pay.
There's no doubt that we're in the midst of a higher education, or student loan, bubble. Universities have been hiking tuition fees because the government is giving students a way to pay for it, explains the New York Post. Increased costs are in no way related to inflation or disposable income.
Banks and schools also have no incentive to care because student loan debt is forever. Even bankruptcy won't make it disappear.
But what if we made universities liable for that money? After all, they received it. They disregarded the realities of paying for a college education.
And the law schools? They've completely ignored the realities of the legal market--even before the economy took a turn for the worse. The field is oversaturated, and most attorneys don't make $160,000 a year.
Would forcing law schools and other universities to pay for a portion of defaulted loans change the way they do business? The New York Post thinks it might. What do you think? Pop on over to FindLaw for Legal Professionals Facebook page and voice your opinion.
- Obama's student loan plan isn't so new (Washington Post)
- 'Is Law School a Losing Game?' New York Times Asks (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)
- 5 New Law Student Debt Relief Resources...and How to Apply (FindLaw's Greedy Associates) | <urn:uuid:a066fbda-9aba-43ac-9d17-be8595a4d5bd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.findlaw.com/greedy_associates/2011/11/should-law-schools-pay-unpaid-student-debt.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97418 | 396 | 1.757813 | 2 |
Boating is a joy for all lovers of the water. It has the power to take you away to a world of contentment and satisfaction. Boats come in many types and sizes, depending on your primary use and of course your budget. It doesn’t matter if you have the smallest boat or the largest boat you are still going to have fun and be relaxed. What is your choice? Fishing, Sailing, Skiing, Wakeboarding, Cruising, Diving, Working, Surfing, and/or Travelling are only a few examples of what you can do on a boat, the choices are endless when you put your mind to it.
Boating is a very popular activity all around the world and it has been a part of life
throughout the time humans have been inhabiting this beautiful world of ours. In the modern
world where stress is normal in everyday life, there’s no better way to escape the ratrace
for a while than on board a boat. Boating has many advantages that can help enhance your
Recreational boating improves your quality of life. From the moment you start to get your
boat ready for use, you’ll notice how easy it becomes to leave your worries behind. Boating
is a hands on outlet for entertainment and activity that reduces stress and provides
enriching opportunities for self-discovery.
Boating is actually quite an affordable recreational activity. A boat is a great investment
and you can find a boat for less than what you think. Boats can often be financed for less
than $200 a month. Used boats are also easy to find for just a relatively small amount of
money. Once you own a boat, you can take off on the water, any time you want and enjoy
boating for what it is – a fun way to spend a day or two.
There’s no better way to bond with family and friends than through boating. A study done by
the National Marine Association shows that nearly 50 percent of all people surveyed, say
that their number one most favorite activity to participate in with family and friends is
boating. Boating allows you to get away from work, out of the house, away from the TV and
computer and spend quality time together with family and friends.
You can actually get a lot of exercise while boating as well. Water skiing is a great
physical activity that can improve your agility and your balance. You won’t believe the
muscles you work when you are water skiing, so it’s a great way to get some exercise while
boating.You can also work up a sweat catching a big fish, wakeboarding, going to a surf
break and catching some waves.
Recreational boating is easy to learn. Even if you have no experience piloting a boat, you
can learn quickly by taking a quick boating course offered by many marinas and boat dealers.
Doing a course will also be of great benefit when it comes to safely navigating the
waterways and oceans. If you’ve always wanted to learn how to sail or motor boat and are
just looking for a great way to relax and spend time with loved ones, when you take a
boating course, you’ll be out on the water in no time.
Boating offers many opportunities for personal and family growth. Whether you’re instilling
your child with confidence as they learn how to properly secure a line or you’re enjoying
the taste of fresh fish that you caught yourself, boating provides many different rewards
for all ages.
You will find many, many rewards when you take up boating. It’s a great sport that anyone
can participate in and gives you a great way to escape stress – even if it’s just for a
little while. Enjoy boating for peace of mind, an escape from life, and to have a great way
to connect with your family and friends.
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For help with English, Reading, and GED for adults or to volunteer as an Adult Literacy Tutor, call:
Dale a tu familia un future. Ayuda GRATUITA para adultos con: Inglés, Lectura, y GED. Llame Ahora!
Èd GRATIS pou granmoun nan Angle,
Lekti, GED. Rele Jodi a.
The Glades Family Education program serves adults and children from the Belle Glade, Pahokee, South Bay and Clewiston area.
Adults are taught to speak, read and write in English. In addition, our learners receive computer, parenting, cultural and life skills education along with health and basic financial literacy. Adults who attend the Glades program also receive career guidance.
2011-2012 Program Outcomes:
When Elvira Calderon first came to the Glades Family Education Program (GFE), she knew no English. While Elvira was learning English as well as other literacy skills, two of her daughters attended the Coalition’s preschool class. Four years after her daughter Jasmine’s graduation from the program, she is now excelling in school in both reading and math. Viviana, who currently attends the GFE preschool, is quickly learning skills that will help her succeed in kindergarten.
The biggest impact this program has made on Elvira’s life, however, began when her first child was born deaf. Elvira enrolled in sign language classes but the teacher spoke only English. Elvira became even more determined to master English in order to be able to communicate with her child. Over the course of her studies at GFE, Elvira has moved from the lowest beginner class to the highest level class. Elvira hopes that her improved English will eventually allow her to go to school and work teaching deaf children. She has seen so much improvement in herself and her entire family that she invites her friends to come to this program so they too can improve their literacy skills. | <urn:uuid:26999bf4-d585-45b2-a297-408a2412e443> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.literacypbc.org/Programs/Glades-Family-Education/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00062-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965729 | 425 | 2.421875 | 2 |
This past Wednesday, October 3, two leading US peace activists were traveling to Toronto to attend an antiwar event. Medea Benjamin, cofounder of CODEPINK, and Ann Wright, a retired Army colonel and former diplomat, both tireless peace activists, were stopped at the border crossing at Buffalo, where they were detained and questioned for several hours.
It appears that Wright and Benjamin were denied entry into Canada because their names appeared on an FBI-run international criminal database. The women have been arrested several times while committing acts of civil disobedience to protest the war in Iraq.
You can read Wright's own description of what happened, in an interview with Amy Goodman.
NDP MP Olivia Chow called barring the women from Canada "absurd".
Both activists, clad in pink and backed by anti-war supporters holding banners, held a news conference outside the Canadian embassy in Washington yesterday.
They said they were astonished that the names of anti-war activists convicted of misdemeanours - such as trespass, the offence routinely used to clear peaceful protesters - had been added to the FBI's National Crime Information Center database.
"This is outrageous. I'm appealing to Canadians not to treat peaceful activists like common criminals," Ms. Benjamin said.
"I travel all over the world on a regular basis and Canada is the first country to use the NCIC to keep out people like us," said the veteran activist and founding director of Global Exchange, an international social justice movement.
Both women have previously visited Canada for anti-war meetings, sometimes at the invitation of Canadian activist groups or political parties.
Canadian border agents have access to the FBI's database. The border agents at the Rainbow Bridge at Niagara Falls who barred Ms. Benjamin and Ms. Wright said the mere fact that they were listed on the NCIC was sufficient to bar them from entry.
"The people at the border were almost apologetic. ... One of them said he thought the war was terrible," Ms. Benjamin said. She said the Canadian immigration official told her that he had no choice. "He said it wasn't up to him."
In Ottawa, border agency spokesman Chris Williams denied that simply being listed on the FBI's NCIC database would automatically bar someone from entry to Canada.
"Entry is always judged on a case-by-case basis," he said.
However, the actual basis for denying entry to anti-war activists remained unclear.
Sometimes I think we got out just in time. | <urn:uuid:1b6d22d0-d477-41cc-83f4-71a5a2c28795> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wmtc.ca/2007/10/peace-activists-refused-entry-into.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980005 | 504 | 1.84375 | 2 |
Most of the time in Beirut, the bombs come without warning. Occasionally, above the hooting of cars and other street noises, you hear the roar of an invisible plane. Then there's a loud bang, perhaps two of three in quick succession. Sometimes it's more of a muffled thud, and sometimes you hear nothing at all. Sound and blast travel in strange ways, especially when there are buildings around.
Judging by the TV over the weekend, the picture in Israel is rather different. There, at least, they have warnings of attacks and people try to take shelter.
Another difference in Israel is that Hizbullah's rockets are not very accurate. They seem to be aimed in a general direction, not at any specific target, and so, in a way, this makes them much more alarming because no one can be sure where they will land.
Israel, with its high-tech weaponry, on the other hand, is aiming at precise targets in Lebanon and often hits them with pinpoint accuracy.
Sometimes its choice of targets is difficult to understand. Why, for example, did the military send a helicopter specially to put out the light in Beirut's lighthouse? There are also serious questions about its attacks on civilian vehicles, one of which killed nine children on Saturday.
The result, though, is that in general Lebanon can be divided into areas that are vulnerable to attack and those which are comparatively safe. This may change, but in the meantime it is causing a huge upheaval as people flee to safer areas.
A further striking difference, when you compare the pictures from Israel and Lebanon, is that Israeli weapons are far more destructive than those of Hizbullah, though you might not realise that if you watch CNN - an issue that bloggers have begun to comment on.
Viewed from Lebanon, the TV coverage of destruction in Israel, in terms of the amount and the tone, seems wildly out of proportion compared with what is happening across the border. There are various reasons for this (especially the problems of travel and access in southern Lebanon) but Israeli officials are also more adept than their Lebanese counterparts in maximising the media coverage.
Very probably, this is exactly what Hizbullah wants. Its strategy relies as much on the psychological power of its rockets as the explosives they contain. According to several experts, Hizbullah is calculating that its attacks will eventually turn Israelis against their government's war policy, just as they did during the 1990s, leading to the withdrawal of troops from southern Lebanon six years ago.
Personally, I doubt that Hizbullah alone can achieve that. I do think Israelis will eventually want a change of policy - not because of Hizbullahs' rockets but because turning Lebanon once again into a failed state does not serve their interests at all. | <urn:uuid:0e6e6dc7-40f0-472e-82f6-2d2ecb3931aa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2006/jul/17/twosidesofthewar | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978697 | 569 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Freedom and the Family: The Family Crisis and the Future of Western Civilization by Stephen Baskerville (in the Commentary section) raises fundamental issues about how we can address the impasse which blocks Americans (and Westerners generally) from making progress with just about any cultural or political issue we face from the Judao-Christian perspective.
Family is the smithy of the soul. When family disintegrates, the culture will necessarily follow suit. I do not think the onslaught is accidental. As FDR (I think) said, "If it happen in politics, someone planned it." The someones are, I believe, the globalist financial crowd. They are not evil because they are financial, rather they have chosen the financial route because they know that control of the money system virtually guarantees them control of politics and culture. And we let them get away with it.
But I am concerned not with the evil ones so much as the solution. The problem is fundamentally spiritual. The only way a people can keep a government such as we were given 1775-1789 on a constitutional tether is to have among themselves a deep moral consensus, a firm agreement on what is right and what is wrong. The destruction of our Western Biblical worldview, Gospel, and moral consensus, mostly intact at the time of the Revolution left us unprotected from the slings and arrows of globalism and government centralization.
But the Biblical worldview was severely undermined mostly by ourselves, our failure to defend our faith against the pseudo-Enlightenment onslaught. We lost our intellectual credibility, soon followed by our moral and spiritual integrity. We split to a fare-thee-well among ourselves, over 2000 denominations. And we were driven from the public arena over the 20th century, leaving government to precisely those family-negative forces to which Stephen points.
We will not get our spiritual unity back until we reverse our own self-caused Christian disintegration by splitting into warring camps. I would refer the reader to my article on A New Reformation (in the Commentary section) in which I assert that we must become truth-seekers before we can be honest position-defenders.
There is, I believe, a "family" in God, just as we are made in the Image of God -- male and female. See again, A New Reformation. Family will not die -- because that is the image in which we are made. But there can be only more dislocation and pain if we do not reverse the trend soon. That means a return to God as sovereign over all things, including especially over civil government. | <urn:uuid:48343798-f57f-4c5e-ad88-a1b36f4082c4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://theinteramerican.org/blogs/dr-earle-fox.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952941 | 525 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Fine wine is a multi-million dollar industry and is fraught with peril. From fake bottles to fraudulent contents, from mislabelled wine to misled consumers, wine has been faked, forged, and used for fraud for as long as it has been consumed.
This eBook provides a brief history of forgery and fraud in the fine wine world, including case studies on Rudy Kurniawan and Hardy Rodenstock.
The Wine Forger’s Handbook also functions as a guide, both on how fraudsters have been found out, and tips on how to avoid being fooled in your own wine purchases.
Written by a pair of award-winning writers, wine expert Stuart George and best-selling art crime expert Dr. Noah Charney, The Wine Forger’s Handbook is a fun, informative, engaging read, and one which could potentially save you from making costly purchases of fake wine.
The Wine Forger’s Handbook is ideal for anyone from wine collectors to casual drinkers, or those who enjoy true crime stories of forgery, deception, and detection set against the vivid backdrop of the world of wine.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS Noah Charney is a professor of art history specialising in art crime and a best-selling author of fiction and non-fiction. His books include the international best-seller novel The Art Thief; the best-selling Stealing the Mystic Lamb: The True Story of the World’s Most Coveted Masterpiece; The Thefts of the Mona Lisa: On Stealing the World’s Most Famous Painting; and the guidebook series Museum Time. He is editor of Art & Crime: Exploring the Dark Side of the Art World and editor-in-chief of The Journal of Art Crime, the first peer-reviewed academic journal in its field. He is the founder of ARCA, the Association for Research into Crimes against Art, an international non-profit research group on art crime and cultural heritage protection (http://www.artcrimeresearch.org/). He teaches art history and art crime on the ARCA Postgraduate Certificate Program in Art Crime and Cultural Heritage Protection at American University of Rome and for Brown University. He is a popular speaker and recently gave a TED talk on art crime, which can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T897Foh5s0g. He is an award-winning columnist for numerous magazines, with regular columns in The Daily Beast (http://www.thedailybeast.com/features/how-i-write.html), Tendencias del Mercado del Arte, and ArtInfo (http://blogs.artinfo.com/secrethistoryofart/). He encourages readers to join him on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/NoahCharney) or through his website http://www.noahcharney.com/.
Stuart George is an independent wine consultant in London. In 2003 he was awarded the UK Young Wine Writer of the Year. Stuart was co-author of The Wine Box (2005), picture editor and leading contributor to 1001 Wines You Must Try Before You Die (2008), and editor of the award-winning The Finest Wines of Tuscany and Central Italy (2009) and The Finest Wines of Champagne (2009). Stuart has contributed to publications on five continents, including The Daily Telegraph, Fine Wine International, Fine Wine & Liquor, Meininger’s Wine Business Monthly, Sommelier Journal, The Tasting Panel Magazine and the Times Literary Supplement. He is a sought-after show judge and has been a jury member at wine competitions in Austria, Brazil, Chile, China, France, Luxembourg, Portugal and Spain. He has worked harvests in France, Italy and Australia.
His website and blog is at http://www.StuartGeorge.net/. He can be followed on Twitter at @sdgeorge1974. | <urn:uuid:2cd5f714-aa04-4b75-89cf-aeb1bd98bc3c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.stuartgeorge.net/?page_id=6 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.919851 | 815 | 2.359375 | 2 |
Penguin Poop, Smelly Frogs Among 2005 Ig Nobel Winners
for National Geographic News
|October 7, 2005|
Coat tails, Nobel laureates, and ceremonial speeches marked the 15th annual Ig Nobel science awards ceremony held last night at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
But lest there be any confusion, not much else about the wacky Nobel Prize spoof resembles the real thingexcept the science, which, believe it or not, is genuine.
The Ig Nobels ceremony pays homage to seemingly inane research projects, like testing the smells of 131 different types of frogs and investigating whether humans swim faster in water or syrup.
"These achievements speak for themselves," said Marc Abrahams, creator of the Ig Nobels and editor of the Annals of Improbable Research, the science humor magazine that coordinates the prizes.
"The point [of the awards] is to expose people to things they might not come across," he said.
The annual gala was cosponsored by two Harvard-Radcliffe groups, the Science Fiction Association and the Society of Physics Students.
Claire Rind and Peter Simmons of Newcastle University in England nabbed the 2005 Ig Nobel Peace prize for their work electronically monitoring the brain cells of locusts as the insects watched selected scenes from Star Wars.
"The reason I did the research was curiosity. I had to know," Rind said in jest. Like the other recipients, she was allotted just 60 seconds in which to make her acceptance speech.
On a serious note, her research studies the way that locusts avoid predators. She hopes the information will lead to new tools that will help cars avoid collisions.
The winners of the Ig Nobel Fluid Dynamics prizehailing from universities in Finland, Germany, and Hungarywon for calculating the pressure that builds up inside a penguin's bowels before it defecates.
But none of the honored penguin researchers were able to attend the ceremony because the U.S. denied them visas.
"Let's hope [the visa denials] had nothing to do with the explosive nature of our work," one of the scientists quipped in a videotaped acceptance.
Greg Miller, a private citizen of Oak Grove, Missouri, was feted with an Ig Nobel Medicine prize for his dedicated hours spent developing Neuticles, artificial replacement testicles for neutered dogs and cats. His product comes in three sizes and three degrees of firmness.
"It took two years to get the balls rolling," Miller said in a video address to the audience.
A large team of international researchers won the Ig Nobel in Biology for their paper in the February 2004 issue of the journal Applied Herpetology. Their research, which cataloged frogs that smell like vanilla and others like flowers, may result in new perfumes or lead to frog-skin-based biopharmaceuticals.
The Economics prize went to Gauri Nanda of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for her invention of an alarm clock on wheels. The clock's purpose is to force people out of bed and into a productive work day more quickly.
"I just wanted people to have something to laugh at in the morning," Nanda said in her 60 seconds.
Other winners include:
John Mainstone and the late Thomas Parnell, of University of Queensland, Australia, who won the Physics prize for their experiment, began in 1927, to observe how long it takes tar to move through a funnel.
Anonymous Internet entrepreneurs of Nigeria, who won the Literature prize for writing compelling short stories that are then sent to millions of people around the globe via the Internet, accompanied by pleas for cash.
James Watson of New Zealand's Massey University, who won the Agricultural History prize for his detailed exploration of a pair of exploding trousers.
Yoshihiro Nakamats of Tokyo, who won the Nutrition prize for his meticulous photographing of every meal he has eaten during the past 34 years.
Former Nobel winners, including Dudley Herschbach (Chemistry 1986), William Lipscomb (Chemistry 1976), Robert Wilson (Physics 1978), and Sheldon Glashow (Physics 1979), handed out the prizes at this year's ceremony.
Presenter Frank Wilzcek (Physics 2004) couldn't make it, but his two daughters, Amity and Mira, delivered a dummy made in his likeness to occupy his chair on stage.
Other oddball happenings make the Ig Nobels an all around unique scientific convocation.
All night long, the audience pelted the celebrants and each other with paper airplanes.
"It's fun. It shows irreverence," explained attendee Scott Henderson, a Harvard engineering student, about the airplanes. "It's nice to see the scientists cut loose."
The king and queen of Swedish Meatballsa humorous nod to the Swedish royalty who host the Nobel Prize ceremoniespresided over the event, while a young girl dubbed Miss Sweety Poo kept the ceremony on schedule by loudly beseeching longwinded speakers, "Please stop, I'm bored."
Wilson, the 1978 physics Nobel winner, was this year's prize in the Ig Nobels Win-a-Date-With-a-Nobel Laureate contest.
And the performance of the event's annual mini-opera, this year titled "The Countess of Infinity," was not to be missed.
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|© 1996-2008 National Geographic Society. All rights reserved.| | <urn:uuid:8c6f4ef7-3735-48ce-8dba-ff1e4213f096> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/pf/17564498.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938571 | 1,150 | 2 | 2 |
John Courtney Murray is the most significant Catholic theologian the church in the United States has ever produced. From his birth in 1904 until his death in 1967, Murray occupied a unique role in bringing the Catholic tradition to America’s academic, political and cultural leadership and in identifying the pivotal role the American experiment in democracy could have for the church’s doctrine on society and the state. He was editor of Theological Studies and an associate editor of America; a professor at the Jesuit school of theology in Woodstock, Md., and at Yale University; an advisor to John F. Kennedy during his campaign for the presidency; and the American theological expert designated to participate in the drafting of the Second Vatican Council’s “Declaration on Religious Freedom.”
Murray’s writings on religious liberty provided a prism through which the Catholic community could fully reconcile both its doctrinal heritage and its dedication to the principle that no government should seek to restrict or impose religious faith upon its citizens. His piercing and precise treatments of questions ranging from the dangers of secularism to the role of ethics in international affairs to the relationship of law and morality dazzled readers with their insight, breadth and elegance. And his efforts to forge a civil conversation across the religious and intellectual divides that characterized American society after World War II established him as a powerful formative influence in the culture of the United States. It was no exaggeration for Time magazine to designate Murray and Reinhold Niebuhr as the primary architects of a renewed role for religion in American public life at mid-century, a role that recognized the pluralism and freedom of the United States as a source of moral strength and direction.Lasting Contribution
Yet a century after Murray’s birth, it is easy to view his writings as time-bound—critically important at a vital juncture in the history of Catholicism in the United States, but valuable principally for their historical role rather than their relevance to contemporary questions of theology, culture or politics. After all, Murray’s major writings on the question of religious liberty arose from the now long abandoned Catholic teaching that at times governments in Catholic nations had the right and even the obligation to promote Catholic doctrine at the expense of religious freedom for non-Catholics. And Murray’s death in l967 precluded what could have been a monumental contribution on the role of religious freedom within the life of the church, the facet of religious liberty that is now most in need of clarification in Catholic thought.
Even Murray’s public philosophy, with its classically liberal stress upon freedom, seems in so many ways a product of the 1950’s rather than a basis for contemporary discussion. Murray never recognized the depth of the hold that race has held in American society, nor did his public philosophy grapple effectively with the question of poverty and economic deprivation in American life and the world community. Murray used Catholic principles to critique the materialism and increasing secularism of American society, but his writings often reflected the faith in American exceptionalism and goodness so prevalent in the United States after World War II, a faith that failed to confront the dangers that hubris poses for the world’s leading economic, cultural and military power. Finally, Murray’s public philosophy presupposed a natural law epistemology; today people scoff at the notion of natural law in public discourse. How, then, can Murray’s writings continue to provide a substantial contribution to public theology in the United States?FivePropositions
Murray framed a series of penetrating questions about the future of the American democratic experiment and, from the Catholic tradition, pointed a direction for answering those questions that is still valid in the present moment. Specifically, he asserted that:
1. The American experiment in democracy rests primarily upon a moral consensus rooted in the transcendent rights of the human person.
John Courtney Murray firmly believed that the distinction between morality and law was crucial to forming a just society, and that most aspirations of morality were entirely outside the realm of law and the state; but he believed with equal fervor that government was an inherently moral enterprise. He rejected the notion that the heart of the American republic lay in a balancing of conflicting interest groups or in the maximization of individual autonomy for its citizens. Murray asserted that American democracy rested upon a religiously informed vision of the dignity of the human person and the role of the community in enhancing that dignity. The founders of the nation, he proposed, had recognized precisely this reality when they affirmed that the basis for erecting the new nation lay in a series of human rights created by God and antecedent to any governmental enactment. It fell to every succeeding generation to recognize more fully the nature and scope of these rights and to renew the moral consensus by acknowledging the transcendent identity both of human rights and the human community.
2. Because the foundation for American democracy is a moral consensus, substantive and civil dialogue within American society concerning the key issues of the day is necessary for democracy’s survival.
For Murray, the term democracy was substantive as well as procedural. It required common understandings of the most basic principles of national life, of the aspirations of the American people, of the way in which specific human rights are exercised. Thus democracy, in Murray’s view, always required substantive national dialogue, civil conversation in the deepest meaning of that term. Murray certainly recognized that this dialogue could take many different forms in practice and that the democratic dialogue of the university setting would differ from that of the union hall or the neighborhood meeting or the newspaper editorial. He believed, however, that depth of civil dialogue was absolutely essential for the success of the American experiment, and that such dialogue could not be presumed, but had to be worked for assiduously in every generation.
3. American culture is warped by an exaggerated dedication to technology and material acquisition, and thus is prey to the increasing instrumentalization of the human person in the name of progress.
Murray’s reading of the religious history of the West convinced him that in every age new threats would emerge to the identity and dignity of the human person, and that human dignity could be protected only if society recognized that that dignity was inviolate because it was rooted in God. Murray believed that American culture was particularly susceptible to the allures of technology and materialism and particularly blind to the ways in which these forces diminish our humanity, by dimming and at times denying the sacred dimensions of human life. This diminishment could be seen in the expansion of economic thinking into all spheres of political and social life, reducing the morality of the great questions of the day to cost-benefit analysis. It was found in the unreflective assent given by American society to the quest for progress in science and medicine without asking about the consequences and costs of that progress in humane terms. It was located in the overwhelming preoccupation of citizens of the United States with the acquisition of ever more material goods and ever greater wealth. Murray believed that unless a fundamental re-examination of America’s cultural priorities was undertaken, the technological worldview and materialism could destroy the American experiment by creating a world of technological and material exquisiteness with a spiritual vacuum at its heart.
4. The primary challenge to religious liberty in America in the present day comes not from government’s establishment of religion, but from encroaching denials of the free exercise of religion.
Murray believed that the great genius of the American experiment had been to establish government on the principle that the state should never seek to advance one religion over another. This principle had been incorporated into the no-establishment clause of the United States Constitution; Murray considered this clause a monumental contribution to the development of democracy in the modern era.
But Murray also believed that the other religious clause of the Constitution, the free exercise clause, was equally essential. Religious liberty was a freedom not only of individual conscience, but of religious action and religious communities in action. The founders of the United States had desired to encourage the flourishing of religion in the new nation as a bulwark to civic-mindedness and civic virtue; in the 20th century religion in the public square was threatened by the expansion of government in American society coupled with the fallacious notion that where government came in, all substantive religious belief and action had to be evacuated. Murray was convinced that this inverted reading of the Constitution, left unchecked, would not only deprive American society and culture of the transcendent perspective so vital to their future, but would in the process rob religious Americans of their right to have anything but a privatized religious faith.
5. American foreign policy must seek to attain the international common good as well as the national interest of the United States.
Murray wrote at a time in which the realist school was dominant in the study and formulation of American foreign policy. Rejecting the prior Wilsonian tradition, realism asserted that every nation, and certainly the United States, must fashion its strategic foreign policy based upon a clear assessment of its national interest, not universalist ideals. While not espousing Wilsonian idealism, Murray utterly rejected realism. He believed that the United States must use its great military and economic power in the world, but he believed with even greater fervor that policy should be formulated with a recognition of both the American national interest and the international common good. Murray held that even in his own day a genuine community of nations existed; hence it was immoral to use the national interest as the primary prism through which to view America’s proper presence in the world. What was needed was a careful integration of the interests of the nation state and the world community, and a moral analysis and policy formulation process that would give due weight to each.The Promise of Contention
Murray’s five assertions are still needed to reinvigorate American social, cultural and political life today. Only if the foundational element of American democracy is a moral consensus shared broadly can politics produce anything more than ever-widening splits between red states and blue states. Only if political dialogue becomes strategic and community-building rather than tactical and destructive can substantive democracy flourish in the United States. Only if America takes a religiously informed look at the dominance of technology and materialism in our culture will the core of our national identity be founded upon spiritualizing rather than instrumentalizing impulses. And only if our foreign policy can integrate both a dedication to the American national interest and the international common good will America’s immense military and economic power be put to proper use. John Courtney Murray’s writings still constitute an invigorating challenge and support to the American experiment in democracy in the 21st century, because he thought broadly and deeply about the aspirations of America’s democracy and about the long-term bases for their achievement. | <urn:uuid:5f7babc9-707a-4684-9fc1-f9eb8fea992a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.americamagazine.org/issue/517/article/he-held-these-truths | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960247 | 2,175 | 2.625 | 3 |
Times are pretty bad now, but for a few years in the 1940's, they were much worse. So bad the pennies turned white. You don't find too many of them anymore, but I used to, and like the gentleman above, when I did, I kept them. Copper is a precious metal of sorts, but not precious enough to be worth much, so it became the penny. Penny is a misnomer, the official word for Honest Abe on a coin is "cent" not penny. If you want to be proper, this is a time to save your cents.
During WWII, copper was at a premium. It was used for wire to make radios. Electrical connections to start a truck. And if you have ever heard the expression "copper-jacket" you know what else it was needed for. So Uncle Sam turned the penny white, creating them out of steel instead of copper for one year, 1943. Actually, a few steel cents were made in 1942 and even less in 1944, but the only date you'll find on a white penny is 1943. If you find one. After the war, the white penny was history. It was the only US coin ever produced which was magnetic, but that refers to a property, not a personality, so they were unofficially withdrawn. Some were even pulled from circulation, shipped to the San Francisco mint and dumped in the Pacific Ocean. Unlike copper, they rusted, so the ones you do see now are in pretty bad shape. And unlike the proverbial "bad penny" they do NOT keep returning. Kids still hoard them like the fellow above, but now they go into a little spot in their coin collection.
Is the white penny worth more than a penny today? Barely. In 1943 more than one billion were minted, so even today coin collectors won't pay you more than a cent for one. However, in a curious twist, it was later discovered a few 1943 cents were made out of copper by mistake. In fact, 40 of them. Experts believe just enough copper remained in the hopper at the time of conversion that a few precious copper ones squeezed out. In 1958, the first one was sold for $40,000. Several years later, one sold for over $80,000. Don't get your hopes up. Some rusty old 1943 steel pennies have been coated with copper by unscrupulous folks hoping to "discover number 41" and reap profits. However, they forgot about the magnet. Even a copper coated white penny will stick to a magnet. Today the penny is zinc.
Photo: William Waylet, a bakery salesman, looks with satisfaction on the five-gallon jars of white pennies he has taken out of circulation. Original Press Photo, 1951. Collection Jim Linderman | <urn:uuid:4bd7371e-d812-4c90-a634-29f4d7a467b2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://dulltooldimbulb.blogspot.co.uk/2009/10/white-penny-year-authenticity-value.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982058 | 569 | 2.65625 | 3 |
OECD Home › Education › By Country › New Zealand
English, Excel, 1,466kb
This publication is intended to be a quick reference guide for anyone with a role to play in encouraging quality through New Zealand’s early childhood education and care (ECEC) curriculum.
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Since the establishment of self-managing schools in 1989, New Zealand has one of the most devolved school systems in the world. Average student learning outcomes are very good by international comparison even though there are concerns about the proportion of students that are not performing well.
This report on New Zealand provides, from an international perspective,an independent analysis of major issues facing the educational evaluation and assessment framework, current policy initiatives, and possible future approaches.
Korea tops a new OECD PISA survey that tests how 15-year olds use computers and the Internet to learn. The next best performers were New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Hong-Kong China and Iceland.
Two companion volumes focusing on the improvement of school leadership. Volume 1 provides a range of policy options to help governments improve school leadership. Volume 2 examines measures taken in five countries.
English, , 375kb
To inform schools, the Ministry of Education provides numerous publications related to design and selected best practice samples via its website.
English, , 855kb
This activity aims to support policy development through examining: the roles and responsibilities of school leaders, policies and conditions for making school leaders most effective, the development and support of effective school leadership and policies and practices conducive to these ends. <
English, , 1,967kb
This Country Note on New Zealand forms part of the OECD Thematic Review of Tertiary Education. This is a collaborative project to assist the design and implementation of tertiary education policies which contribute to the realisation of social and economic objectives of countries.
English, , 818kb
This Country Background Report for New Zealand was prepared by the Ministry of Education as an input to the OECD Thematic review of Tertiary Education.
English, , 68kb
Presented at "Taking Fear out of Schools", an International Policy conference co-organised by the OECD, the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research, the Directorate for Primary and Secondary Education and Stavanger University College, (5-8 September 2004, Stavanger, Norway) | <urn:uuid:b992996f-7b8f-4d8f-840d-b48822ffdd70> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.oecd.org/education/bycountry/newzealand/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.912753 | 482 | 3 | 3 |
The entire second stanza of "To the Virgins" is about the sun's "race" (7) through the sky. The farther the sun progresses through the sky, the closer it is to setting. Likewise, the further one progresses through life (the older one gets) the closer one is to the end (death). The speaker doesn't come out and say that, but it's very strongly implied, both in the second stanza and throughout the poem.
- Line 5: The speaker calls the sun the "glorious lamp of heaven." "Lamp" is here a metaphor for the sun, which is like a lamp in that it "lights up" the heavens just like a lamp lights up a room.
- Lines 6: The sun gets "higher" as it progresses from east to west. Have you ever noticed that it looks "low" in the morning, is directly overhead at noon, and is low again when it "sets"? The sun doesn't really "get" "higher"; this is attributing human characteristics (moving up) to a non-human thing (the sun), which is called personification.
- Line 7: The sun isn't a human thing, so it can't really "run" a "race." This is personification again.
- Line 8: The sun doesn't really "set"; the earth rotates. "Setting" is here a metaphor for what appears to happen at the end of the day. Also, "setting" is a human activity, and the sun isn't human; so this is more personification. | <urn:uuid:7c9b6140-af8b-46ab-95ed-4af2d43501b1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.shmoop.com/gather-ye-rosebuds/sun-symbol.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966636 | 326 | 2.875 | 3 |
When The Menokin Foundation was founded it was faced with three major questions:
1. How do we best preserve Menokin's remaining fabric?
2. What will be our unique offering or contribution to the world?
3. How can we sustain the Menokin property for the future?
The Foundation believes that a hands-on learning process of putting this architectural "jigsaw puzzle" back together is an important and unique contribution to the field of historic preservation.
We see that presenting and interpreting Menokin through its many parts and pieces rather than through a traditional reconstruction is a valuable contribution to the museum field. The Menokin Foundation also considers the careful management of Menokin's 500 acres to be an
OUR VISION: To provide at Menokin an internationally recognized learning center for heritage and natural resource conservation through innovative | <urn:uuid:0a500d9f-d204-4e65-a206-9fa7978b26f2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://menokin.org/Menokin%20Project%20Vision.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934986 | 165 | 1.976563 | 2 |
Midway Games by Mary Jane and Eliza
We head to the Minnesota State Fair every summer. We check out the animals, eat lots of snacks and try to go on every ride possible. We play all the games, but we never seem to win. How can we win at those carnival games?
What did we do?
To figure it out, we took some notes and measurements at the State Fair and then headed back home to make our own versions. We picked two of the carnival games to practice: knock the blocks off the table, and break the plates. We started by testing which kind of ball is best for knocking things over, and which is best for breaking things. We used different kinds of balls and threw them at a large box. If the box ripped or dented, that ball was good for breaking; if the box fell off the table, that ball is good for knocking things over. Then we tried those balls on the two games we made.
What did we find out?
We found that just because a ball is good for knocking things over doesn't mean it always will. When we studied our notes carefully, we realized the carnival game operators set the blocks diagonally. This meant the energy of the ball doesn't go to all the blocks, and one block always seems to stay on the table. When we tried our own break-the-plates game, we found that if plates were leaning forward in the rack, they were harder to break, because they could absorb the ball's energy. If the plates were leaning back in the rack, we could break them almost every time!
- Midway games often use science to make the game challenging. Come up with a carnival game of your own, and investigate how changes in the game set-up make it easier or harder. What are the science principles the game uses?
- Some carnival games, like toss the ball into the milk can, are more easily won when you use the right throwing technique. Toss a ball at a bucket, and try putting no spin, top spin, and back spin on it. Does one type of spin seem to increase your chances of winning? How does spin affect the way the ball bounces?
- Design an experiment to determine if the age of the player is an important factor in winning a carnival game. Do older players have an advantage? Why or why not?
- Use this phsyics investigation as a science fair project idea for your elementary or middle school science fair! Then tell us about it! | <urn:uuid:1a690b3b-06ec-4c5f-8c36-91ddf0b08858> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://pbskids.org/dragonflytv/show/midwaygames.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97053 | 520 | 3.609375 | 4 |
Separated sutures are large gaps in the skull of an infant that are not typical. A young child’s head is composed of six bony plates that fuse together as the child ages. The edges of the plates are connected and form what is known as a suture.
Sutures are very strong, flexible tissues that hold the cranial bones together. When two sutures join, they form a membrane known as a “soft spot” or fontanelle. Sutures help protect an infant’s brain, while allowing for growth. If sutures separate, there may be an obvious plate separation along with an indented or bulging space, which is most notable on the top of an infant’s head.
Seek immediate medical attention if you notice a separation of the sutures, because this may be a sign of a life-threatening medical condition.
The separation of sutures can be caused by different variables. A common, non-threatening cause is childbirth. The plates of a newborn may overlap and form a ridge. However, the ridge goes away in a few days and takes on a common shape. Other causes are more serious and deserve immediate attention. Some main causes of suture separation are:
Some vitamin and mineral deficiencies can cause a separation of sutures. If your infant is malnourished, he or she is not receiving the proper nutrients to keep the connective tissues and bone plates healthy. In addition, dehydration (a lack of fluid) can cause sunken fontanelles that resemble suture separation.
Trauma, such as non-accidental child abuse, can cause separation of the sutures, as well as a bulging “soft spot.” A blow to the head can cause internal bleeding in the brain or a collection of blood on the brain’s surface, known as a subdural hematoma. Head trauma in an infant is an emergency and needs immediate medical assistance.
Diseases and Conditions
Diseases and conditions that cause increased pressure in the skull may raise an infant’s risk of suture separation. Some conditions and diseases linked to increased intracranial pressure include:
- brain tumors
- infections present at birth
- Down syndrome
- Dandy-Walker malformation
Contact your doctor immediately if you notice a separation of the brain plates or a bulging “soft spot” on your infant. If you notice any swelling, inflammation, or release of fluid from the suture areas, seek prompt medical assistance. Many causes of suture separation are life-threatening, and prompt treatment is important for a successful outcome.
Few home health options can help an infant with separated sutures because this is a serious condition that needs to be addressed by a doctor.
Home Health Options
“Soft spots” may bulge when your infant is throwing up, lying on his or her back, or crying. After your child becomes calm, sits upright, or stops vomiting, the “soft spot” should return to a normal position, a slight inward curve. If the “soft spot” continues to protrude, seek medical assistance.
Keep a detailed record of your child’s developmental milestones and medical history to help medical professionals understand your child’s condition and symptoms. This will be important if the underlying cause is determined to be chronic.
Your healthcare provider will likely evaluate your child by giving him or her physical exam. The exam may prompt the physician to view the scalp and feel for gaps between the plates to determine the distance between the sutures. Additionally, the doctor may look at your child’s “soft spots” and veins in the head.
A medical history may be conducted to evaluate the symptoms. The doctor may ask you about your child’s appetite, activity level, the duration and progression of the presenting symptom, and other factors related to your child’s physical development.
Your physician may want to view the bone structure and inside of your infant’s head by running different diagnostic tests, such as a CT scan, an MRI, or an ultrasound. Additionally, blood tests and a potential spinal tap may be warranted. An eye exam may be conducted to determine whether your child has any sight problems.
Most underlying conditions causing suture separation are very serious and even life-threatening. Seeking immediate medical assistance is critical for a successful prognosis.
There is no one definitive method for preventing suture separation. However, you can take some steps to reduce the risk of this happening.
- Stay up-to-date on your child’s vaccines, such as those that protect against certain strands of meningitis.
- Avoid taking your child around individuals who have or have recently had meningitis.
- Protect your child from an accidental trauma to the head by placing bumper pads in the crib, properly installing car seats, and eliminating unstable objects from the child’s environment.
- Provide the daily-recommended allowance of nutrients and fluids for your child, as recommended by your physician.
- Seek immediate medical care for unusual symptoms to prevent suture separation. | <urn:uuid:411b9bc7-be23-45b1-8e92-b04519c1aa71> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.healthline.com/health/sutures-separated | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.926533 | 1,068 | 3.875 | 4 |
Lecturer in Information Systems,
In the early stages of the dot com boom, drawing on her extensive IT
experience, Professor Zheng in 1998 developed the graduate course "Internet
Commerce" for professional MBA students, and then in 1999, by integrating
IBM commerce software, and collaborating with local companies, she designed
two "Internet Business Design" courses. She also taught "Internet Marketing"
and "Business Information Systems."
Before joining the School of Management, Professor Zheng was an MIS manager
for a mid-size service organization for eight years, where she implemented
several enterprise resource planning systems, and built IT infrastructures
and an MIS department.
Professor Zheng is an IBM certified e-Business Solution Advisor, and an IBM
certified WebSphere Commerce Suite Implementation specialist. Working with
IBM, she has been the major facilitator in bringing IBM scholarships and
grants to the Isenberg School of Management for the last ten years. She
has an MBA degree with a major in Information Management from the University
Based on her extensive interviews and research, Professor Zheng published in
Chinese the book ¡°Wars in American Soldiers¡¯ Eyes: WWII, Korea, and
Vietnam¡± in 2008, in which she brings previous enemy perspectives to
Chinese readers. She has also published articles about Ernest Hemingway's
China trip in 1941. | <urn:uuid:d67df162-1eac-42b1-bac4-ecf1116ba4ce> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.isenberg.umass.edu/accounting/Faculty/Profiles/Kaimei_Zheng/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.90335 | 287 | 2.09375 | 2 |
Diabetic Wound Healing Has A New Fighter In Its Corner – Sweat Glands
Connie K. Ho for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online
Researchers from the University of Michigan recently discovered that sweat glands can impact how human wounds heal, thus paving the way for new, effective therapies that can deal with diabetic ulcers and other conditions.
To begin, the human skin has millions of eccrine sweat glands that allow the body to cool down. Individuals can notice the reduction in heat in places like the gym, where the body will gradually change from hot to cold during a workout. Interesting enough, while sweat glands are found in primates like humans, they are not found in laboratory animals such as pigs, rabbits, and rodents. The scientists believe that the glands can also help provide needed cells to recover from wounds like burns, ulcers or scrapes.
“Skin ulcers – including those caused by diabetes or bed sores – and other non-healing wounds remain a tremendous burden on health services and communities around the world,” remarked the study’s lead author Laure Rittié, a research assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Michigan Medical School, in a prepared statement. “Treating chronic wounds costs tens of billions of dollars annually in the United States alone, and this price tag just keeps rising. Something isn’t working.”
With the findings, the team of investigators stated that the glands could possibly be used to develop treatments to heal wounds.
“By identifying a key process of wound closure, we can examine drug therapies with a new target in mind: sweat glands, which are very under-studied,” explained Rittié in the statement. “We’re hoping this will stimulate research in a promising, new direction.”
In addition, the study showed that sweat glands can produce keratinocyte outgrowths that can create new epidermis.
“It may be surprising that it’s taken until now to discover the sweat glands’ vital role in wound repair,” continued Rittié in the statement. “But there’s a good reason why these specific glands are under-studied – eccrine sweat glands are unique to humans and absent in the body skin of laboratory animals that are commonly used for wound healing research.”
Furthermore, the results showed that the rate at which keratinocyte outgrowth expands from eccrine sweat glands is similar to the rate of reepithelialization, otherwise known as wound healing.
“We have discovered that humans heal their skin in a very unique way, different from other mammals,” concluded Rittié in the statement. “The regenerative potential of sweat glands has been one of our body’s best-kept secrets. Our findings certainly advance our understanding of the normal healing process and will hopefully pave the way for designing better, targeted therapies.”
The new research comes at a particular important time as health providers continue to investigate the prevention of and treatment of ulcers related to diabetes. According to the Cleveland Clinic, an ulcer appears when there has been a breakdown in the skin and lesions are common results of ulcers. Ulcers can be serious as infections of an ulcer can lead to negative outcomes and need to be dealt with local and system therapy. An estimated 15 percent of people suffering from diabetes will develop foot ulceration sometime during their life.
The results of the study were recently published in the American Journal of Pathology. | <urn:uuid:a6368bf0-95e1-422a-9bd9-576843ecc4b6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1112735351/wound-healing-diabetes-sweat-glands-ulcers-112112/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950623 | 729 | 3.25 | 3 |
- Clinical Trials
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- Health Care Reform
New FDA Task Force Supports Development of Antibacterial Drugs
Number of agency-approved antibacterials has been declining since 1980s (Sept. 24)
The FDA announced on September 24 that it has formed a new internal task force that will support the development of antibacterial drugs — a critical public healthcare goal and a priority for the agency.
As part of its work, the Antibacterial Drug Development Task Force will assist in developing and revising guidance related to antibacterial drug development, as required by the Generating Antibiotic Incentives Now (GAIN) title of the FDA Safety and Innovation Act (FDASIA), signed into law on July 9, 2012.
Research and development for new antibacterial drugs has been in decline in recent decades, and the number of new FDA-approved antibacterial agents has been declining steadily since the 1980s, the agency says. More than 70% percent of the bacteria that cause hospital-associated infections (HAIs) are resistant to at least one type of antibacterial drug most commonly used to treat these infections. In the U.S., nearly 2 million Americans developed HAIs in 2002, resulting in approximately 99,000 deaths.
The task force consists of a multidisciplinary group of 19 scientists and clinicians who will use existing partnerships and collaborations to work with other experts in the field, including from academia, industry, professional societies, patient advocacy groups, and government agencies, to identify priority areas and to develop and implement possible solutions to the challenges of antibacterial drug development.
For more information, visit the FDA Web site. | <urn:uuid:ba6b7bf1-078f-4eac-98b1-19c334275df0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ptcommunity.com/news/DailyDetail.cfm?chosen=66620 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937366 | 358 | 2.203125 | 2 |
A US senator wants to develop new technology which would remotely destroy the computers of people who illegally download music tracks.
Senator Hatch said destroyed computers would show the government was serious
Senator Orrin Hatch, a Republican representing Utah, asked technology chiefs at a hearing in Washington about whether they could develop ways to damage or destroy the computers.
Legal experts have said any attack on people's computers would contravene the US's anti-hacking laws.
Mr Hatch said damaging computers "may be the only way you can teach someone about copyright".
"No-one is interested in destroying anyone's computer," said Randy Saaf from MediaDefender, a company which develops ways to disrupt illegal music downloads.
"If we can find some way to do this without destroying their machines, we'd be interested in hearing about that," Mr Hatch said.
There's no excuse for anyone violating copyright laws
"If that's the only way, then I'm all for destroying their machines."
He said if a few hundred thousand people suffered damage to their computers, the online community would realise the clampdown was serious.
He advocated sending two warnings to computer users about illegal downloads. On the third transgression, their computer would be destroyed or damaged.
"There's no excuse for anyone violating copyright laws," Mr Hatch added.
Mr Hatch is a composer himself, having earned some $18,000 (£11,125) from his music in the last year.
Senator Patrick Leahy, the committee's senior Democrat member, later said he thought Mr Hatch's plan was too drastic.
"The rights of copyright holders need to be protected, but some draconian remedies that have been suggested would create more problems than they would solve," Mr Leahy said.
"We need to work together to find the right answers, and this is not one of them."
A spokesman for the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) said Mr Hatch was making a point that if networks did not clamp down on copyright infringement "Congress may be forced to consider stronger measures".
Last year, Democratic senator Howard Berman drew up a bill that would allow artists to carry out "hack-attacks" on the computers of people who had downloaded tracks illegitimately. | <urn:uuid:f3540200-ffa7-40f7-848e-4e19857646cc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2999780.stm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976543 | 455 | 2.03125 | 2 |
Vegetables cannot go dormant in times of drought like your typical lawn does, says Extension Horticulture Educator, Candice Miller. Therefore additional watering is necessary to sustain a productive vegetable garden in these times of drought.
In the vegetable garden, there are certain periods of growth in particular where having moisture is especially important. As a rule of thumb, water is most critical during the first few weeks of development, immediately after transplanting, and during flowering and fruit production.
Anytime there are fruits (squash, cucumber, eggplant, tomatoes for example) or pods being filled (peas, snap beans), water needs to be uniformly available. In addition, sweet corn requires even moisture from the time flowers (silks) are pollenated through kernel fill. Therefore, gardeners should be monitoring their garden right now to see what is producing fruit at all times in order to properly water.
Fortunately, there are a couple of practices gardeners can implement to help reduce the amount of watering needed in their gardens. Here are a couple of helpful watering tips that may be useful for vegetable gardeners in reducing their water use:
• Water early in the morning to prevent water loss to evaporation and to avoid diseases.
• Water where the roots are. Use a soaker hose to apply water directly at the base of the plant.
• Water heavily and less often, as opposed to light, frequent waterings. This will encourage deep root growth.
• Consider mulching to keep the soil moist and to eliminate evaporation.
• Add compost to your soil to increase the soils’ ability to hold in moisture.
• Plant vegetables closer together to maximize space and water use.
• Utilize a rain barrel to collect water for use in the garden (see our website for an upcoming Rain Barrel Workshop).
University of Illinois Extension will be offering a program on ‘Dealing with Drought in the Home Landscape’ on August 13 from 6:00-7:00 PM in Winnebago County. See our website listed below for specific location information.
Miller will give recommendations on what homeowner’s should be watering right now and actions that need to be taken right away. The latest news on the drought situation will also be given, followed by a question and answer session. There is no cost for attending this program and everyone is welcome.
To register, please contact the Winnebago County Extension office at 815-986-435 or visit http://web.extension.illinois.edu/jsw/.
To stay up to date on the most recent drought information in this area, follow our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/northwestillinoishorticulture and/or visit http://web.extension.illinois.edu/drought/.
For further questions, contact the Winnebago County Extension office or email Candice Miller, Extension Horticulture Educator at email@example.com. | <urn:uuid:69935bf0-ea03-4c0b-b723-c8af0243d0ba> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.e-rockford.com/gogreen/2012/07/26/drought-in-the-vegetable-garden/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00057-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.903209 | 614 | 3.140625 | 3 |
James Maurice Thompson (b. September 9 1844, Fairfield, Indiana – d. February 15 1901) was an American novelist.
- When Spring is old, and dewy winds
Blow from the south, with odors sweet,
I see my love, in shadowy groves,
Speed down dark aisles on shining feet.
- She throws a kiss, and bids me run
In whispers sweet as roses’ breath;
I know I can not win the race,
And at the end, I know, is death.
- Bubble, bubble, flows the stream
Like an old tune through a dream.
- In Haunts of Bass and Bream.
Last modified on 18 July 2010, at 22:29 | <urn:uuid:dc0e1000-2d4d-41ba-a68c-e7a1c81118cd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://en.m.wikiquote.org/wiki/Maurice_Thompson | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.91256 | 156 | 1.828125 | 2 |
In Their Own Words – Getting From There to Here
My wife and I have struggled to obtain educational services that would allow him to go onto higher learning and/or independent living to the fullest extent possible. An ongoing denial of a Free and Appropriate Public Education resulted in the public school paying for a private school placement for my son’s junior and senior years of high school.
We recently got my son’s high school transcript and his class ranking is #9 out of 424 seniors in the public high school that he is administratively enrolled in.
My son is a living reminder to parents of kids on the spectrum that you can get there from here.
This “In Their Own Words” is written by David B. Cockrell.
If you have a story you wish to share about your personal experience with autism, please send it to email@example.com. Autism Speaks reserves the right to edit contributions for space, style and content. Because of the volume of submissions, not all can be published on the site. | <urn:uuid:6fb32322-7a6e-4b27-9968-673a2db1ec27> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.autismspeaks.org/2010/01/27/in-their-own-words-getting-from-there-to-here/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=4e28c04ab9 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953333 | 216 | 1.976563 | 2 |
We’ve known for ages that far more females than males suffer from depression and anxiety disorders, but it is frequently hypothesised that this is not the true state of things. This is because, in Western industrialised cultures, it is more acceptable to admit vulnerability especially psychological vulnerability if one is female, not male. The macho nature of these cultures is, if you like, a confounding variable. However, there could be more to this than social and cultural relativism.
A recent interesting finding in rats shows that females are definitely more sensitive to stress. Their brain cells respond far more strongly to the precursor to corticosteroid stress hormones, a neurochemical called corticotropin-releasing factor, CRF. Female rat neurons are activated by CRF, male rat neurons adapt to it and less stress hormones are produced.
But does this rat behaviour also happen in humans? Well, we don’t know; but we do know that CRF regulation gets disrupted in human stress-related psychological disorders, so there could be a similarity, although one needs always to be very careful in generalising between species. | <urn:uuid:4b55a946-4154-4c56-9e2b-34d9bdebe3be> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.oxfordschoolblogs.co.uk/psychcompanion/blog/tag/crf/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953939 | 228 | 3.3125 | 3 |
Understanding the evolution and domestication of maize has been a holy grail for many researchers. As one of the most important crops worldwide and as a crop that appears very different from its wild relatives as a result of domestication, understanding exactly how maize has evolved has many practical benefits and may help to improve crop yields.
In the October issue of the American Journal of Botany (www.amjbot.org/cgi/content/full/96/10/1798), Dr. Marina Dermastia and colleagues published their research comparing corn kernel development to its closest wild relative: teosinte. This research overturns some commonly held beliefs on the domestication of maize because, unexpectedly, many traits seen in the cellular development of maize kernels that were previously attributed to the process of domestication were observed in the development of the teosinte kernels by Dermastia and her colleagues. "Although the teosinte kernels are morphologically so different from that of maize, their inside is not, Dermastia said. "Although we did not expect fundamental differences between maize and teosinte, the similarities were striking."
Some of the traits thought to be unique to maize but now also found in teosinte include an early programmed cell death for cells in part of the kernel and accumulation of phenolic and flavonoid compounds in the walls of these cells. These developmental changes strengthen the cells, protect them against decay and disease, and increase water conductance. According to Dermastia, "We suggested previously that this process was important for the establishment of the water and assimilate flow to the developing maize kernel…in the teosinte kernel, we not only detected programmed cell death…but also all other phenomena described as related to the transport into the maize kernel." The presence of these traits in teosinte kernels suggests that they are not a consequence of maize domestication.
Other developmental traits they observed in the teosinte kernels included the presence of an enzyme that controls the flow of sugar in the developing seed, which appears to be a common mechanism for sugar uptake in both maize and teosinte.
Dermastia and her colleagues did observe one difference between seed development in teosinte and maize. Endoreduplication, the process of a cell duplicating its DNA without subsequent cell division, is a phenomenon that occurs in the endosperm of cereals, which is the nutritious part of the seed. An increasing rate of endoreduplication results in cells with greater DNA content and, subsequently, increased gene expression and greater sink capacity for the developing seed. Dermastia and her colleagues observed that the distribution of cells with high DNA content in maize differs from that of teosinte. In maize, these cells are found in the upper part of the endosperm, while in teosinte they are distributed throughout the endosperm. The researchers hypothesize that this difference may be related to more efficient starch deposition in maize as a result of domestication.
"Our study indicates that the main differences, beside the teosinte fruitcase and its absence in maize, might lay in the process of endoreduplication in endosperm, Dermastia said. "Knowing the process in more depth might be an important step in improving a most important crop."
The full article in the link mentioned is available for no charge for 30 days following the date of this summary at www.amjbot.org/cgi/content/full/96/10/1798. After this date, reporters may contact Richard Hund at firstname.lastname@example.org for a copy of the article.
The Botanical Society of America (www.botany.org) is a non-profit membership society with a mission to promote botany, the field of basic science dealing with the study and inquiry into the form, function, development, diversity, reproduction, evolution, and uses of plants and their interactions within the biosphere. It has published the American Journal of Botany (www.amjbot.org) for nearly 100 years. In 2009, the Special Libraries Association named the American Journal of Botany one of the Top 10 Most Influential Journals of the Century in the field of Biology and Medicine.
For further information, please contact the AJB staff at email@example.com.
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system. | <urn:uuid:1dc5189c-9d8e-4d5d-b558-6b0a7261aeb4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-10/ajob-tam100209.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942661 | 945 | 3.875 | 4 |
Building Alliances Among Women of Color and White Women: Be an Ally, Not a Friend
By Kathleen Wong (Lau), assistant professor of communications, Western Michigan University
Becoming a “friend” is not equivalent to becoming an “ally.” Friends may be sympathetic and genuinely supportive, but alliances require more than sympathy and support: they require action. Conversely, friends can engage in action without forming alliances. Friends can build houses, clean neighborhoods, volunteer in underprivileged communities, donate money--but if they don’t spend intensive, well-planned time learning about their relationships with others and pursuing systemic change of the conditions that create inequities, they aren’t truly acting as allies.
In interviews I conducted with faculty members at research-extensive universities, women of color reported their frustrations with white women’s frequent inability to act as allies in their struggles. Women of color described their white women colleagues as well-intentioned and pleasant, yet expressed sadness and anger at the irony of feeling isolated while surrounded by so many friendly white women. They indicated that white women allies were cherished, precious, and few. Many women of color reported having only one or no white allies. Paralleling a framework that has also been used to describe LGBT/straight alliance building, these women of color described two groups of white women: those who were friendly, and those who were strategic allies.
Alliances require people to move beyond empathetic grief, rage, and anger to develop cognitive communication and affective skills, to assess the structural conditions that perpetuate injustice, and to strategize action for systemic change. Allies are proactive rather than reactive. They are intentional, overt, vocal, consistent, and public about being an ally. Although there is no such thing as a “silent ally,” allies do not have to be sign-waving activists.
The following guidelines map possible distinctions between friendships and alliances. This list is not meant to imply that a friend cannot be an ally or vice versa; rather, it is intended to prompt thoughtful examination of one’s role as a change agent.
A Friend is Someone Who:
- Is a sympathetic listener
- Offers support privately and personally
- Wants to be supportive but is not always sure how
- Is receptive to conversation/discussion of issues
- Takes a reactive stance by responding to inappropriate comments, behaviors, actions, etc. as they arise
- Is aware that differences affect people, yet is more comfortable focusing on “common humanity”
- Offers suggestions or advice for ways to deal with an issue or incident
- Is optimistic/helps cheer up the target group members when incidents occur
An Ally is Someone Who:
- Addresses issues, not just incidents
- Mobilizes and organizes to respond to issues without being prompted by a target group member
- Is willing to take risks that may affect her own place, position, and authority within her (dominant) group
- Is willing to make public mistakes in front of both target groups and her own agent group(s)
- Is visible, active, vigilant, and public (even when the target person is not in the room)
- Is willing to recognize the inherent privilege and power of being a member of the dominant group
- Views membership in the dominant group as an opportunity to bring about change | <urn:uuid:334e0016-27de-438f-b49e-ea010e893506> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.aacu.org/ocww/volume36_1/feature.cfm?section=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00057-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952107 | 691 | 2.921875 | 3 |
Chepstow, located in Monmouthsire, is situated in Wales and is near the English border. The town is located on the M48 motorway and can be easily accessed from other areas. Due to its location near the border, it is an excellent base for visitors who wish to explore the border area. The town is perhaps most well known for its local castle, which is the oldest surviving stone castle in the country. There are also other attractions to enjoy in the area, including the Chepstow Racecourse, which is well known for hosting the Welsh Grand National.
Book Chepstow hotels, Chepstow Bed and Breakfasts or other Chepstow accommodation below.
Chepstow is a heaven for castle lovers and this Welsh town is situated quite close to the English borders. Chepstow Castle attracts thousands of tourists to this accessible town. Tourists tend to visit the town and castle in the summer and a good service of local guides ensure that visitors take back with them the sweet memories of the place along with loads of information.
The distinguishing feature of the castle is its proximity with the river. The spectacular views it provides from its balconies are truly matchless. Local guides suggest taking a walk around the castle as the adjacent gardens provide a blissful experience. Throughout the year tourists try to discover different parts of this magnificent castle.
The other remarkable man made structure is Tintern Abbey. Although the place has now turned into ruins it still offers hints of the cultural heritage of the town. The roofless church still offers introductory notes to the dominance of other religious buildings in Europe.
Systematic signs have been erected to convey the actual architecture of the Abbey and one can easily interpret them without the need of guides. Interesting facts about how people used to live in these religious buildings are also placed along the ruins. The place offers many thought provoking experiences and kids can learn a lot by exploring the centuries of history that this building carries with itself.
We hope you enjoy your stay in one of our cheap Chepstow hotels, mid range or luxury Chepstow hotels. | <urn:uuid:e5e4f106-e5b7-42a1-9d83-fa0875ce44fe> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.smoothhound.co.uk/chepstow.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969524 | 432 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Virtualization within storage arrays is an evolution of server-based storage virtualization. While it’s required for the operation of modular, scale-out architectures, virtualization has also become an essential feature for the efficient provisioning and management of most array-based storage implementations, from the enterprise on down.
Storage virtualization was at one point a major selling feature of enterprise disk arrays, providing the ability to easily provision, expand and reallocate storage. Storage consolidation was one of the primary value propositions put forth by the first SAN vendors, and it was enabled to a large extent by the virtualization software these systems included.
The technology has become a common feature on most arrays, either as a charged-for option or, increasingly, as a standard part of their storage management software suite. Indeed, it would be hard to imagine using any kind of shared, consolidated storage infrastructure without a good virtualization capability.
Storage virtualization is also an essential part of scale-out storage and similar grid-based, clustered architectures. These modular products typically include a controller within each node, allowing them to scale processing power as they expand storage capacity. They rely on virtualization to present these physically separate storage nodes as a unified pool.
Array-level storage virtualization software is also required for the automated storage tiering that many currently available arrays are featuring. These products leverage strong front-end virtualization to parse and scatter data blocks across the various tiers they have set up and move it around based upon policies established by the user.
A majority of storage arrays include some kind of virtualization technology, usually as a primary feature for storage provisioning but also as part of the storage services they offer. When considering virtualization as a tool to enable multivendor (heterogeneous) storage consolidation, array-based systems aren’t as common as network-based systems. That said, there are certainly heterogeneous array-based virtualization solutions available. Two of these are from Hitachi Data Systems and NetApp.
Hitachi was the first major disk array vendor to break from the industry’s homogeneous tradition with its Universal Storage Platform (USP) several years ago. HDS put a powerful virtualization engine into the storage controller and allowed companies in the Tier 1 space to consolidate the disparate arrays that were accumulating in their data centers, although these external arrays were connected as essentially “dumb” storage. Hitachi’s VSP systems support up to 247 PB of storage and includes the kinds of features one would expect from a Tier 1 solution, including thin provisioning of internal and externally attached storage.
NetApp V-Series Open Storage Controller
NetApp’s V-Series Open Storage Controller is essentially a NetApp storage controller that’s been configured to support third-party storage arrays. This in-band solution connects to a Fibre Channel SAN on the back end, consolidating storage volumes from existing LUNs that are available. LUNs from existing storage arrays can be left as provisioned to existing hosts if needed. The Open Storage Controller pools them into NetApp LUNs for block or file provisioning as would a regular NetApp filer, providing NetApp storage services such as snapshots, replication, etc.
When to use and how to choose
If the driver for virtualization is consolidating existing arrays and overall provisioning and management, an array-based storage virtualization software solution may be a good option. Obviously, you would need to be in the market for a storage system. Prospective companies would probably also need to be in the upper echelon of the market, and it wouldn’t hurt if they already had a relationship with a vendor offering one of the products in this space.
If the reason to look at virtualization is to support something like off-site replication, data migration or a storage tiering project, a network-based virtualization solution can be more flexible and probably more affordable for companies closer to the midmarket. We’ll cover this in our next tip.
Eric Slack is a senior analyst with Storage Switzerland.
This was first published in February 2012 | <urn:uuid:27e42ab0-18f8-4de5-bff3-df402059fb34> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://searchvirtualstorage.techtarget.com/tip/Array-based-storage-virtualization-software-How-it-works-and-what-its-used-for | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950469 | 843 | 2.0625 | 2 |
Critics of Islam tend to avoid the main question about Islam in favor of secondary questions. The main question is, “Did Muhammad actually receive a revelation from God?” The secondary questions are: “Is Islam a religion of peace?” “Is Islam compatible with modern values?” “Are women treated fairly under Sharia law?” And so on. These are useful questions to ask if you are trying to wake up your fellow citizens to the utterly alien nature of Islam, but they won’t carry much weight with a believing Muslim. Warlike religion? Incompatible with modern values? So what? If that’s the way God wants it, who are we to question his ways?
That’s why the main question needs to be raised. Did God deliver a message to Muhammad, or did Muhammad make it up? It’s a good bet that most Americans believe the latter but are too polite or too prudent to say so. We keep our thoughts on the matter to ourselves, not just out of fear of offending Muslims, but also because the cult of cultural relativism requires us to give lip service to the proposition that all religions are equally valid. Nevertheless, the question about the authenticity of Muhammad’s claim is still the heart of the matter. As long as Muslims believe that Muhammad received his marching orders from God, the threat of Islamic jihad will continue to grow. But take that away and you take away the rationale for Islam’s war against the world.
So it makes sense to lay out the case that Muhammad’s claims are highly improbable. One way to do this is to apply to Islam the same tests of critical reason and historical evidence that we apply to the Christian revelation. Over the centuries, both Christian critics and Christian scholars have subjected the Gospel revelations to a rigorous examination. While this had the effect of shaking up some people’s faith, it also had the effect of strengthening the rational/factual case for Christianity. But when this method of inquiry is applied to the Islamic revelation things fall apart.
For example, take the depiction of Jesus in the Koran and compare it to the depiction of Jesus in the Gospels. Since they flatly contradict each other on essential matters, normal curiosity invites the comparison. Which is the real Jesus? Or better, which of the two accounts seems to describe an actual historical figure?
Jesus is considered a great prophet by Muslims, but one has to wonder why, seeing as he has almost nothing to do or say in the pages of the Koran. He only speaks on six or seven occasions and then, very briefly, and primarily to deny that he ever claimed to be God. But then, the whole point of introducing Jesus into the Koran is to discredit the Christian claim that he is divine—a claim that, if true, invalidates Muhammad’s entire mission. Thus, whenever Jesus is mentioned in the Koran, it’s almost always for the purpose of whittling him down in size. For example, “He was but a mortal whom we favoured and made an example to the Israelites.” (43: 60).
The Jesus of the Koran appears mainly in the role of a counter to the Jesus of the Gospels, but “appears” is really too strong a word. This Jesus doesn’t attend weddings, or go fishing with his disciples, or gather children around him. He has practically no human interactions, and what he has to say is formulaic and repetitive. He is more like a disembodied voice than a person. And, to put it bluntly, he lacks personality. The Jesus of the New Testament is a recognizable human being; the Jesus of the Koran is more like a phantom. When did he carry out his ministry? There’s not a hint. Where did he live? Again, there’s no indication. Where was he born? Under a palm tree. That’s about as specific as it gets in the Koran. Next to the unanswered questions about the Jesus of the Koran, President Obama’s problems over establishing his birthplace seem minor by comparison. In short, Muhammad’s Jesus is a nebulous figure. He seems to exist neither in time nor space. On the one hand you have Jesus of Nazareth, and on the other, someone who can best be described as Jesus of Neverland.
One thing you find in the Gospels which you don’t find in the Koran is a solid geographical and historical context. If the story of Christ was set in some mythical location, long before the age of recorded history, it would be easier to pass it off as…well, a myth. But the story takes place not in some vague neverland but in places that can still be visited today—Bethlehem, Nazareth, Jerusalem. Christ doesn’t just go to some indeterminate wedding feast, he goes to the wedding feast at Cana; in his parable about the good Samaritan, he mentions a specific road, the one going from Jerusalem to Jericho. He converses with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well in the town of Sychar. He cures one man at the pool of Siloam, and another at the pool with five porticos. Sidon Tyre, Capernaum, the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan River, the Mount of Olives, the Praetorium, Herod’s court, Golgotha—there is a specificity and facticity that you won’t find in mythology.
…Or in the Koran. Take, for example, the differing accounts of the crucifixion. Here is what the Koran has to say: “They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but they thought they did.” (4:157). Well, that’s an interesting take on the crucifixion. Tell us more. Dan Brown has a similar theory about the crucifixion but at least he concocts a story to support it. But inquiring minds who hope to gain some further insight in the Koran will be disappointed. “They did not kill him…but they thought they did?” Why did they think that? And who were “they”? Answer: Muhammad didn’t seem to know who “they” were. Or, if he did know, he didn’t want his followers to know that there existed an entirely different and far more detailed story of the life of Christ than the one he presents. In the Koran account there are no chief priests, no Sadducees, no crowds, no Romans, no Pilate, no Herod, no Peter, James, and John, no Golgotha, no Garden of Gethsemane, no upper room, no Jerusalem, no Nazareth, no Galilee, no preaching in the temple, no sermon on the mount, no calming of the tempest, no last supper, no trial before the Sanhedrin. For that matter, there’s no historical context, no geography, no kind of setting at all. Someone once said of Los Angeles that “there’s no there there.” That’s the feeling you get when you encounter Jesus in the Koran.
The Jesus of the Koran really does exist in a neverland. Set against the Gospel story with all its vivid detail and close attention to persons and events, the Koranic account is vague and vapid in the extreme. And amazingly brief. If you omit the repetitions, the whole of what the Koran has to say about Jesus can be fit on about two or three pages of Bible text. And of that, about half is devoted to denying that he was God’s son.
You don’t have to be a Christian to see that the New Testament looks much more like a historical document than the Koran. It’s curious when you think about it. With all of his audacious claims to be equal with God, the Jesus of the Gospels is far more believable than the Jesus of the Koran. Not only is it difficult to believe in the few claims that are made for Muhammad’s Jesus, it’s difficult to believe in his existence. There’s just no convincing detail.
Which is more likely the true account of Jesus? On the one hand, you have the Koran’s sketchy version; on the other you have a highly detailed narrative with numerous references to historical facts and geographical locations. Which is more believable? An account composed in Arabia some six hundred years after the life of Jesus, or one composed by his contemporaries with the help of numerous witnesses who were on the spot?
Whatever you may think of the claims of Christ, it’s hard not to believe in his existence. As Dinesh D’Souza puts it in What’s So Great about Christianity, “Do you believe in the existence of Socrates? Alexander the Great? Julius Caesar? If historicity is established by written records in multiple copies that date originally from near contemporaneous sources, there is far more proof for Christ’s existence than for any of theirs.” Historical reliability? F.E. Peters in his book Harvest of Hellinism writes that “the works that make up the New Testament were the most frequently copied and widely circulated books of antiquity.” What does that mean? It means that the New Testament survives in some 5,656 partial and complete manuscripts that were copied by hand. And that’s in Greek alone. If you add in the Latin-vulgate and other early versions, there are more than 25,000 manuscript copies of the New Testament in existence. How does that compare with other early histories? Well, there are seven copies of Pliny the younger’s Natural History, twenty copies of the Annals of Tacitus, and ten copies of Caesar’s Gallic Wars. Score: Christianity, 25,000, Caesar, 10. When you render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s in manuscript terms, it doesn’t seem to amount to much.
It’s a little more difficult to check up on the authenticity of the other Jesus, however, since there is no record of anyone in the ancient world declaring himself not to be the Son of God, while simultaneously heralding the coming of a prophet named “Muhammad.” Muslim apologists insist that there is an original, long-lost version of the Gospel which corroborates the account of Jesus that appears in the Koran. Christians, they say, tampered with the original, and manufactured a corrupted version which turned Jesus into God, and left Muhammad out of the story—in effect, the Muslim equivalent of the Da Vinci Code theory. But it’s a general rule of scholarship that you have to work with the records you have, not the hypothetical ones. And in the record we have—the Koran—Jesus seems more like a mythological person than a real one. Subjecting him to the historical/critical method of inquiry would be akin to subjecting Perseus or Achilles to the historical/critical method.
In the Koran, Jesus’ longest monologue is delivered from the cradle when he is only a few days old. In view of the air of unreality surrounding him, it’s worth asking again why he is in the Koran at all, or why he is accorded the status of a great prophet. The answer is that in claiming him as a Muslim prophet, Muhammad is giving Jesus a demotion, not a promotion. John the Baptist said of Jesus, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” Muhammad preferred it the other way around. For him to increase, it was necessary that Jesus decrease.
So, although Jesus is supposed to be a great prophet, he does not really come across that way in the Koran. He comes across more like a shadowy government witness at a show trial who has been given some statements to memorize. At one point he is actually interrogated by God:
Then God will say: “Jesus, son of Mary, did you ever say to mankind: ‘Worship me and my mother as gods besides God?’”
“Glory be to You,” he will answer, “I could never have claimed what I have no right to. If I had ever said so, You would have surely known it…I told them only what you bade me.” (5:116-117)
Well, that settles it, then. You see, he never said it. Admits it himself.
Muhammad seems to have realized early on that if Christ is who Christians say he is—the Son of God and the fulfillment of all prophecy—then there is no need for another prophet and another revelation. In one sense, Muhammad’s handing of the Jesus problem is very clever: keep him in the narrative but demote him; and use him to rebut the Christians’ central beliefs. In another sense it was not so clever, because the stage-managed Jesus Muhammad presents is almost totally lacking in substance, and is clearly meant to be nothing more than a prop to the Prophet’s own claims. Christian scholars and Christian critics often talk about the search for the “historical Jesus.” Here’s a time-saving hint: don’t bother looking for him in the Koran.
William Kilpatrick’s articles have appeared in FrontPage Magazine, First Things, Catholic World Report, National Catholic Register, Jihad Watch, World, and Investor’s Business Daily. | <urn:uuid:48af2fde-cdfe-4c36-b71f-51edc49a22ac> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://frontpagemag.com/2010/william-kilpatrick/jesus-of-nazareth-vs-jesus-of-neverland/comment-page-1/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95766 | 2,821 | 2.375 | 2 |
Sightseeing & Attractions - Things to Do in Edinburgh - Festivals, Castles
There are plenty of things to do in Edinburgh, the Scottish capital city that drips with history, culture and medieval charm (and let's not forget tartan). Here are some essential sites you simply cannot miss:
If you're looking for things to do in Edinburgh in late summer, the Edinburgh International Festival runs from mid August to the beginning of September. This three week festival draws over 400,000 visitors from far and wide to celebrate the best in dance, music, theatre and opera. Performances take place in venues across the city; past programmes include Rameau's Zoroastre and Messiaen's St Francois d'Assise. Tickets from £6 to £60; reserve ahead of time at www.eif.co.uk.
A visit to Edinburgh Castle tops the list of things to do in Edinburgh. Over 1,000 years old, the castle is a constant reminder of a time when the Scottish and English fought for control. Located high on Castle Rock in the middle of the city, Edinburgh Castle looks forbidding and dominant; everything a castle should be. Visit the military museum, view the Crown Jewels of Scotland and pay your respects at the National Scottish War Memorial. Tickets are available at the castle; £9.80 per adult and £3.50 per child. Located on Castlehill; call 0131 225 9846 or visit www.historic-scotland.gov.uk for more information.
The early 17th century Greyfriars Church or Greyfriars Kirk is an important site in Scottish history; this is where the National Covenant, the document confirming the Scottish Church's independence from England, was signed in 1638. Sadly, the Covenanters (those in support of the Scottish Reform movement) were terribly persecuted; in 1679 over 1,200 Covenanters were confined in the kirkyard to await trial. Today the enclosure is known the 'Covenanters' Prison.' Greyfriars is where Greyfriars Bobby, the famous terrier who guarded his master's grave from 1858 to 1872, is buried. Today the church hosts regular lectures, concerts and programmes. Located where Candlemaker Row meets the George IV Bridge ; call 0131 225 1900 for a schedule of events.
Filled with history since its humble beginnings as a market in 1477, today the area known as Grassmarket is a centre for the city's nightlife as well as other things to do in Edinburgh. What was once a common place for hangings and riots now overflows with pubs, bars and restaurants. Over 100 executed Covenanters are remembered with a memorial cross in the east end. In 1827 the murdering duo Burke and Hare suffocated at least 18 people here and sold their bodies to medical schools; today you're more likely to encounter roving bands of hen and stag parties. To get there: follow Victoria Street or Candlemaker Row to the George IV Bridge into Old Town.
Holyrood Park is Edinburgh's hint of true Scottish wilderness. With over 650 acres (263 hectares) of moors, lochs and hills, Holyrood is the largest un-groomed public park of any European city. Climb up Arthur's Seat, the elevated remains of a 325 million year old lava flow, for outstanding views of the city far below. Three lochs are scattered throughout the park, the Salisbury Crags rise up as cliffs and the ruins of St Anthony's Chapel stand alongside the petrified lava flows. Holyrood Park is located east of the city centre; follow Queen's Drive by bike or car to get there.
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According to the American Cancer Society, how many new cases of breast cancer are there every year?
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Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States, other than skin cancer. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, after lung cancer.*
As National Breast Cancer Awareness Month approaches (October), we aim to raise awareness about Breast Cancer.
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Saeed Abedini is an Iranian-American who has been held in an Iranian prison since September, ostensibly for sharing the Gospel with Muslims. He is an American citizen who makes his home in Idaho; he returned to Iran to visit family and friends. In recent days, he is reported to have been tortured.
Asia Bibi is a Pakistani mother of five who is being imprisoned for her Christian faith. That’s her crime: Sharing the good news about Jesus Christ.
Alimujiang Yimiti has been in a Chinese prison since September 2007 for “preaching Christianity among people of Uyghur ethnicity.” Formerly a Muslim himself, Alimujiang talked about his faith with other Uyghurs, a people-group in China that is overwhelmingly Muslim.
There are two common themes in these stories: First, across the world, men and women are being imprisoned simply for talking about Jesus. And second, they frequently are imprisoned because those with whom they speak about their Savior are Muslims.
In societies where Sharia law is regnant, or where Islamists hold sway in the government, religious liberty is seen as a form of blasphemy: Anyone not bowing toward Mecca is an infidel, and must be converted or forced to submit to Islam – or killed.
It should be noted that the overwhelming majority of Muslims are not terrorists and that many Muslims, here and abroad, are offended by the persecution of Christians. Furthermore, in nations like North Korea, exercising Christian faith is viewed as a crime against the state, regardless of Islam.
As American Christians prepare to celebrate the birth of the Son of God with family and friends, safe from the threat of physical persecution and ensconced in our national cocoon of religious liberty and security, let us not fail to “remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body [of Christ]” (Hebrews 13:3).
Does this mean we cannot rejoice with loved ones, have a “feast day” where presents and food overflow, and honor Christ with glad hearts? Should we hang our heads and mourn without respite, eschewing merriment and worship?
No; remembering the prisoners doesn’t mean forgetting the joy of the newborn King or the closeness of family. Remembering the prisoners is to pray for them, and for their persecutors; to write their captor governments urging their release; to write to the prisoners themselves, letting them know they are not forgotten; and writing our own government to request appropriate American diplomatic action to help them.
There are some wonderful ministries with which we can partner to stand with, and advocate for, our brothers and sisters in the One Who came to Bethlehem. They provide opportunities to help in real, tangible ways. Among them are:
For a primer in international Christian persecution, a good place to start is to view FRC’s Webcast, “The Cry of the Martyrs,” in which FRC president Tony Perkins joins with Voice of the Martyrs’ Todd Nettleton and interviews some of the leading advocates for the persecuted church. They also outline practical steps we can take to help.
Let’s remember the prisoners this Christmas, even as the Savior Himself does: “For the Lord hears the needy and does not despise his own people who are prisoners” (Psalm 69:33).
Robert Schwarzwalder is senior vice president of the Family Research Council.
Publication date: December 21, 2012 | <urn:uuid:84ee8fe5-9191-4786-950b-5afde04d7a73> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.religiontoday.com/articles/this-christmas-remember-the-prisoners.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970075 | 735 | 1.976563 | 2 |
Former US president Bill Clinton says he could run for president of Ireland or France if he so desires provided he took some steps to satisfy the laws of the country of his choice to legitimize his candidacy.
Clinton said his Irish heritage allows him to run for public office in Ireland and, because he was born in Arkansas which was part of the Louisiana Purchase from France, he also qualifies to run for president of France.
“The only two countries I’m eligible to run for the leadership position is if I move to Ireland and buy a house, I can run for president of Ireland because of my Irish heritage,” Clinton told Piers Morgan of CNN.
"And because I was born in Arkansas, which is part of the Louisiana Purchase, any person anywhere in the world that was born in a place that ever was part of the French empire, if you move to - if you live in France for six months and speak French, you can run for president."
In an interview at the United Nations General Assembly during the Clinton Global Initiative conference, Clinton said, he did well in a theoretical presidential poll in France but because of his broken French with a southern accent, he'll surely drop quickly in the ranking.
“And I said, you know, ‘This is great.’ But that’s the best I’d ever do because once they heard my broken French with a southern accent I would drop into single digits within a week and I’d be toast.”
The two-term former US president has been campaigning for President Barack Obama's reelection as he called on the electorate to vote for Obama and his team in the coming November elections.
Clinton has remained a global political and economic figure as he continues to contribute and turn his ideas into action with his annual Global Initiative Conference in collaboration with world economic leaders. | <urn:uuid:b663a218-9045-477e-9769-29903ef1bd51> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://digitaljournal.com/article/333729 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985063 | 378 | 1.710938 | 2 |