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News Releases - 2010
Pacific Southwest Research Station/USDA Forest Service
Science that makes a difference. . .
U.S. Forest Service and El Dorado High School Team Up to Hold Third Annual Natural Resources Fair
PLACERVILLE, Calif.—El Dorado High School students and U.S. Forest Service employees from the Pacific Southwest Research Station (PSW) and Eldorado National Forest will continue to spark an interest in resource management among more than 600 middle school students expected at the third annual Natural Connections fair on October 15.
The natural resources fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Institute of Forest Genetics, located at 2480 Carson Road in Placerville. It is not open to the general public.
Sixth- through eighth-grade students from Placerville and Sacramento will visit 30 activity stations that will teach them about topics, such as biomes, food chains, water, wildlife, fire ecology and safety, insects, non-native invasive species, recreation, timber management, and genetics.
The activities will be led by about 90 El Dorado High School freshman, sophomore and junior students, along with Forest Service natural resources professionals from the Eldorado National Forest and Pacific Southwest Research Station, and partners from American River Conservancy, California State Department of Water Resources, UC Davis Extension and El Dorado County.
Student-led activities are part of the El Dorado High School Natural Resources Program, which encourages participants to become self-directed learners in environmental studies. Program students work in local ecosystems and the community through a curriculum that offers classes from their freshman through senior years.
El Dorado High School and Forest Service officials hope that this fair will give participants an appreciation for science and encourage them to participate in natural resources programs when they enter high school.
For more information about the Natural Connections event, contact the PSW Institute of Forest Genetics at (530) 622-1225.
The 596,724-acre Eldorado National Forest is located in the Central Sierra Nevada Mountains. Portions of El Dorado, Placer, Alpine and Amador counties lie within its boundary.
The Institute of Forest Genetics was originally founded in 1925 by James G. Eddy and has been operated by the PSW since 1935. It serves as the premier location for research in the areas of forestry and biology. The institute was listed on the National Register of Historic places in 1987.
The PSW is headquartered in Albany, Calif. The station develops and communicates science needed to sustain forest ecosystems and other benefits to society. It has laboratories and research centers in California, Hawaii, and the United States affiliated Pacific Islands. | <urn:uuid:8de73037-2207-4f32-81c5-ad87016242c1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fs.fed.us/psw/news/2010/101013_natural_connections.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940336 | 550 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Human Corruption, Conversion to God,
and the Way It Occurs
The Effect of the Fall on Human Nature
Man was originally created in the image of God and was furnished in his mind with a true and salutary knowledge of his Creator and things spiritual, in his will and heart with righteousness, and in all his emotions with purity; indeed, the whole man was holy. However, rebelling against God at the devil's instigation and by his own free will, he deprived himself of these outstanding gifts. Rather, in their place he brought upon himself blindness, terrible darkness, futility, and distortion of judgment in his mind; perversity, defiance, and hardness in his heart and will; and finally impurity in all his emotions.
The Spread of
Man brought forth children of the same nature as himself after the fall. That is to say, being corrupt he brought forth corrupt children. The corruption spread, by God's just judgment, from Adam to all his descendants-- except for Christ alone--not by way of imitation (as in former times the Pelagians would have it) but by way of the propagation of his perverted nature.
Therefore, all people are conceived in sin and are born children of wrath, unfit for any saving good, inclined to evil, dead in their sins, and slaves to sin; without the grace of the regenerating Holy Spirit they are neither willing nor able to return to God, to reform their distorted nature, or even to dispose themselves to such reform.
The Inadequacy of the Light of Nature
There is, to be sure, a certain light of nature remaining in man after the fall, by virtue of which he retains some notions about God, natural things, and the difference between what is moral and immoral, and demonstrates a certain eagerness for virtue and for good outward behavior. But this light of nature is far from enabling man to come to a saving knowledge of God and conversion to him--so far, in fact, that man does not use it rightly even in matters of nature and society. Instead, in various ways he completely distorts this light, whatever its precise character, and suppresses it in unrighteousness. In doing so he renders himself without excuse before God.
The Inadequacy of the Law
In this respect, what is true of the light of nature is true also of the Ten Commandments given by God through Moses specifically to the Jews. For man cannot obtain saving grace through the Decalogue, because, although it does expose the magnitude of his sin and increasingly convict him of his guilt, yet it does not offer a remedy or enable him to escape from his misery, and, indeed, weakened as it is by the flesh, leaves the offender under the curse.
The Saving Power of
What, therefore, neither the light of nature nor the law can do, God accomplishes by the power of the Holy Spirit, through the Word or the ministry of reconciliation. This is the gospel about the Messiah, through which it has pleased God to save believers, in both the Old and the New Testament.
God's Freedom in Revealing the Gospel
In the Old Testament, God revealed this secret of his will to a small number; in the New Testament (now without any distinction between peoples) he discloses it to a large number. The reason for this difference must not be ascribed to the greater worth of one nation over another, or to a better use of the light of nature, but to the free good pleasure and undeserved love of God. Therefore, those who receive so much grace, beyond and in spite of all they deserve, ought to acknowledge it with humble and thankful hearts; on the other hand, with the apostle they ought to adore (but certainly not inquisitively search into) the severity and justice of God's judgments on the others, who do not receive this grace.
The Serious Call of the Gospel
Nevertheless, all who are called through the gospel are called seriously. For seriously and most genuinely God makes known in his Word what is pleasing to him: that those who are called should come to him. Seriously he also promises rest for their souls and eternal life to all who come to him and believe.
Human Responsibility for Rejecting the Gospel
The fact that many who are called through the ministry of the gospel do not come and are not brought to conversion must not be blamed on the gospel, nor on Christ, who is offered through the gospel, nor on God, who calls them through the gospel and even bestows various gifts on them, but on the people themselves who are called. Some in self-assurance do not even entertain the Word of life; others do entertain it but do not take it to heart, and for that reason, after the fleeting joy of a temporary faith, they relapse; others choke the seed of the Word with the thorns of life's cares and with the pleasures of the world and bring forth no fruits. This our Savior teaches in the parable of the sower (Matt. 13).
Conversion as the Work of God
The fact that others who are called through the ministry of the gospel do come and are brought to conversion must not be credited to man, as though one distinguishes himself by free choice from others who are furnished with equal or sufficient grace for faith and conversion (as the proud heresy of Pelagius maintains). No, it must be credited to God: just as from eternity he chose his own in Christ, so within time he effectively calls them, grants them faith and repentance, and, having rescued them from the dominion of darkness, brings them into the kingdom of his Son, in order that they may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called them out of darkness into this marvelous light, and may boast not in themselves, but in the Lord, as apostolic words frequently testify in Scripture.
The Holy Spirit's Work in Conversion
Moreover, when God carries out this good pleasure in his chosen ones, or works true conversion in them, he not only sees to it that the gospel is proclaimed to them outwardly, and enlightens their minds powerfully by the Holy Spirit so that they may rightly understand and discern the things of the Spirit of God, but, by the effective operation of the same regenerating Spirit, he also penetrates into the inmost being of man, opens the closed heart, softens the hard heart, and circumcises the heart that is uncircumcised. He infuses new qualities into the will, making the dead will alive, the evil one good, the unwilling one willing, and the stubborn one compliant; he activates and strengthens the will so that, like a good tree, it may be enabled to produce the fruits of good deeds.
Regeneration a Supernatural Work
And this is the regeneration, the new creation, the raising from the dead, and the making alive so clearly proclaimed in the Scriptures, which God works in us without our help. But this certainly does not happen only by outward teaching, by moral persuasion, or by such a way of working that, after God has done his work, it remains in man's power whether or not to be reborn or converted. Rather, it is an entirely supernatural work, one that is at the same time most powerful and most pleasing, a marvelous, hidden, and inexpressible work, which is not lesser than or inferior in power to that of creation or of raising the dead, as Scripture (inspired by the author of this work) teaches. As a result, all those in whose hearts God works in this marvelous way are certainly, unfailingly, and effectively reborn and do actually believe. And then the will, now renewed, is not only activated and motivated by God but in being activated by God is also itself active. For this reason, man himself, by that grace which he has received, is also rightly said to believe and to repent.
The Incomprehensible Way of Regeneration
In this life believers cannot fully understand the way this work occurs; meanwhile, they rest content with knowing and experiencing that by this grace of God they do believe with the heart and love their Savior.
The Way God Gives Faith
In this way, therefore, faith is a gift of God, not in the sense that it is offered by God for man to choose, but that it is in actual fact bestowed on man, breathed and infused into him. Nor is it a gift in the sense that God bestows only the potential to believe, but then awaits assent--the act of believing--from man's choice; rather, it is a gift in the sense that he who works both willing and acting and, indeed, works all things in all people produces in man both the will to believe and the belief itself.
Responses to God's Grace
God does not owe this grace to anyone. For what could God owe to one who has nothing to give that can be paid back? Indeed, what could God owe to one who has nothing of his own to give but sin and falsehood? Therefore the person who receives this grace owes and gives eternal thanks to God alone; the person who does not receive it either does not care at all about these spiritual things and is satisfied with himself in his condition, or else in self-assurance foolishly boasts about having something which he lacks. Furthermore, following the example of the apostles, we are to think and to speak in the most favorable way about those who outwardly profess their faith and better their lives, for the inner chambers of the heart are unknown to us. But for others who have not yet been called, we are to pray to the God who calls things that do not exist as though they did. In no way, however, are we to pride ourselves as better than they, as though we had distinguished ourselves from them.
However, just as by the fall man did not cease to be man, endowed with intellect and will, and just as sin, which has spread through the whole human race, did not abolish the nature of the human race but distorted and spiritually killed it, so also this divine grace of regeneration does not act in people as if they were blocks and stones; nor does it abolish the will and its properties or coerce a reluctant will by force, but spiritually revives, heals, reforms, and--in a manner at once pleasing and powerful--bends it back. As a result, a ready and sincere obedience of the Spirit now begins to prevail where before the rebellion and resistance of the flesh were completely dominant. It is in this that the true and spiritual restoration and freedom of our will consists. Thus, if the marvelous Maker of every good thing were not dealing with us, man would have no hope of getting up from his fall by his free choice, by which he plunged himself into ruin when still standing upright.
God's Use of Means in Regeneration
Just as the almighty work of God by which he brings forth and sustains our natural life does not rule out but requires the use of means, by which God, according to his infinite wisdom and goodness, has wished to exercise his power, so also the aforementioned supernatural work of God by which he regenerates us in no way rules out or cancels the use of the gospel, which God in his great wisdom has appointed to be the seed of regeneration and the food of the soul. For this reason, the apostles and the teachers who followed them taught the people in a godly manner about this grace of God, to give him the glory and to humble all pride, and yet did not neglect meanwhile to keep the people, by means of the holy admonitions of the gospel, under the administration of the Word, the sacraments, and discipline. So even today it is out of the question that the teachers or those taught in the church should presume to test God by separating what he in his good pleasure has wished to be closely joined together. For grace is bestowed through admonitions, and the more readily we perform our duty, the more lustrous the benefit of God working in us usually is and the better his work advances. To him alone, both for the means and for their saving fruit and effectiveness, all glory is owed forever. Amen.
|Rejection of Errors||
Having set forth the orthodox teaching, the
Synod rejects the errors of those
Who teach that, properly speaking, it cannot be said that original sin in itself is enough to condemn the whole human race or to warrant temporal and eternal punishments.
For they contradict the apostle when he says: Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death passed on to all men because all sinned (Rom. 5:12); also: The guilt followed one sin and brought condemnation (Rom. 5:16); likewise: The wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23).
Who teach that the spiritual gifts or the good dispositions and virtues such as goodness, holiness, and righteousness could not have resided in man's will when he was first created, and therefore could not have been separated from the will at the fall.
For this conflicts with the apostle's description of the image of God in Ephesians 4:24, where he portrays the image in terms of righteousness and holiness, which definitely reside in the will.
Who teach that in spiritual death the spiritual gifts have not been separated from man's will, since the will in itself has never been corrupted but only hindered by the darkness of the mind and the unruliness of the emotions, and since the will is able to exercise its innate free capacity once these hindrances are removed, which is to say, it is able of itself to will or choose whatever good is set before it--or else not to will or choose it.
This is a novel idea and an error and has the effect of elevating the power of free choice, contrary to the words of Jeremiah the prophet: The heart itself is deceitful above all things and wicked (Jer. 17:9); and of the words of the apostle: All of us also lived among them (the sons of disobedience) at one time in the passions of our flesh, following the will of our flesh and thoughts (Eph. 2:3).
Who teach that unregenerate man is not strictly or totally dead in his sins or deprived of all capacity for spiritual good but is able to hunger and thirst for righteousness or life and to offer the sacrifice of a broken and contrite spirit which is pleasing to God.
For these views are opposed to the plain testimonies of Scripture: You were dead in your transgressions and sins (Eph. 2:1, 5); The imagination of the thoughts of man's heart is only evil all the time (Gen. 6:5; 8:21). Besides, to hunger and thirst for deliverance from misery and for life, and to offer God the sacrifice of a broken spirit is characteristic only of the regenerate and of those called blessed (Ps. 51:17; Matt. 5:6).
Who teach that corrupt and natural man can make such good use of common grace(by which they mean the light of nature)or of the gifts remaining after the fall that he is able thereby gradually to obtain a greater grace-- evangelical or saving grace--as well as salvation itself; and that in this way God, for his part, shows himself ready to reveal Christ to all people, since he provides to all, to a sufficient extent and in an effective manner, the means necessary for the revealing of Christ, for faith, and for repentance.
For Scripture, not to mention the experience of all ages, testifies that this is false: He makes known his words to Jacob, his statutes and his laws to Israel; he has done this for no other nation, and they do not know his laws (Ps. 147:19-20); In the past God let all nations go their own way (Acts 14:16); They(Paul and his companions)were kept by the Holy Spirit from speaking God's word in Asia; and When they had come to Mysia, they tried to go to Bithynia, but the Spirit would not allow them to(Acts 16:6-7).
Who teach that in the true conversion of man new qualities, dispositions, or gifts cannot be infused or poured into his will by God, and indeed that the faith [or believing] by which we first come to conversion and from which we receive the name "believers" is not a quality or gift infused by God, but only an act of man, and that it cannot be called a gift except in respect to the power of attaining faith.
For these views contradict the Holy Scriptures, which testify that God does infuse or pour into our hearts the new qualities of faith, obedience, and the experiencing of his love: I will put my law in their minds, and write it on their hearts (Jer. 31:33); I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring (Isa. 44:3); The love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us (Rom. 5:5). They also conflict with the continuous practice of the Church, which prays with the prophet: Convert me, Lord, and I shall be converted (Jer. 31:18).
For this teaching is entirely Pelagian and contrary to the whole of Scripture, which recognizes besides this persuasion also another, far more effective and divine way in which the Holy Spirit acts in man's conversion. As Ezekiel 36:26 puts it: I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; and I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh....
Who teach that God in regenerating man does not bring to bear that power of his omnipotence whereby he may powerfully and unfailingly bend man's will to faith and conversion, but that even when God has accomplished all the works of grace which he uses for man's conversion, man nevertheless can, and in actual fact often does, so resist God and the Spirit in their intent and will to regenerate him, that man completely thwarts his own rebirth; and, indeed, that it remains in his own power whether or not to be reborn.
For this does away with all effective functioning of God's grace in our conversion and subjects the activity of Almighty God to the will of man; it contrary to the apostles, who teach that we believe by virtue of thenb effective working of God's mighty strength (Eph. 1:19), and that Godsp fulfills the undeserved good will of his kindness and the work of faith in us with power (2 Thess. 1:11), and likewise that his divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3).
Who teach that grace and free choice are concurrent partial causes which cooperate to initiate conversion, and that grace does not precede--in the order of causality--the effective influence of the will;that is to say, that God does not effectively help man's will to come to conversion before man's will itself motivates and determines itself.
For the early church already condemned this doctrine long ago in the Pelagians, on the basis of the words of the apostle: It does not depend on man's willing or running but on God's mercy (Rom. 9:16); also: Who makes you different from anyone else? and What do you have that you did not receive?(1 Cor. 4:7); likewise: It is God who works in you to will and act according to his good pleasure (Phil. 2:13). | <urn:uuid:34ed9b14-9f61-4326-8ded-8fa5ccbf26ff> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.crca.org.au/AboutUs/WhatWeBelieve/CanonsOfDordt/HumanCorruptionConversiontoGodandtheWayItOccurs | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969013 | 4,046 | 2.40625 | 2 |
News tagged with terrorist attacks
(Medical Xpress)—Repeated exposure to violent images from the terrorist attacks of Sept ember 11 and the Iraq War led to an increase in physical and psychological ailments in a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults, ...
Psychology & Psychiatry Sep 04, 2012 | not rated yet | 0 |
Should the anthrax vaccine be tested in children? It will be a while longer before the government decides.
Medications Oct 29, 2011 | not rated yet | 1
Resistance to antibiotics is a 'catastrophic' global threat and should be ranked alongside terrorism as one of the biggest risks Britain faces, the government's chief medical officer said Monday.
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mar 11, 2013 | 5 / 5 (2) | 0
(Medical Xpress) -- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) develops in individuals who experience highly traumatizing situations such as terrorist attacks and car accidents, but symptoms can also come about ...
Psychology & Psychiatry Aug 08, 2012 | 5 / 5 (1) | 0
Significant investments over the past decade into disease surveillance and notification systems appear to have "paid off" and the systems "work remarkably well," says a Georgetown University Medical Center researcher who ...
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Apr 03, 2013 | not rated yet | 0
When faced with threat, people who grew up poor are more likely to make risky financial choices in search of a quick windfall, according to new research from the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management.
Psychology & Psychiatry Jul 06, 2011 | 5 / 5 (1) | 0 |
Meticulous forward planning, effective casualty assessment by a senior surgeon and efficient teamwork by medical and administrative staff are essential when handling injuries sustained in major terrorist incidents.
Other Feb 01, 2012 | not rated yet | 0
(Medical Xpress) -- With a growing number of terrorist attacks being committed by home-grown radicals, researchers at Queen Mary, University of London are proposing a totally new approach to preventing ...
Health Feb 14, 2012 | 5 / 5 (1) | 0
Starting just days after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, MIT neuroscientist John Gabrieli (who was then at Stanford University) and colleagues around the country undertook a large-scale survey of how ...
Psychology & Psychiatry Sep 09, 2011 | 5 / 5 (1) | 1
The events of Sept. 11, 2001, changed the way Americans travel and view the world. They may also have made us sicker and more likely to access healthcare services, according to a new UC Irvine study
Health Jul 29, 2011 | not rated yet | 0
Concerns about terrorist attacks, the prospect of a rogue nation using nuclear weapons and the Fukushima power plant accident in Japan are fostering efforts to develop a new family of drugs that everyone hopes will never ...
Other Jun 27, 2012 | not rated yet | 0
Junior doctors have no idea what they should be doing when a major incident, such as a terrorist attack or transport disaster, occurs, reveals research published in the online journal BMJ Open.
Health Jun 30, 2011 | not rated yet | 0 | <urn:uuid:83d279c4-a04a-42fb-9610-e6e2328a3da2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://medicalxpress.com/tags/terrorist+attacks/sort/liverank/all/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93719 | 662 | 1.984375 | 2 |
Funding Justice: Strategies and Messages for Restoring Court Funding contains important lessons, some of them counter-intuitive, about how people view the courts and their funding needs. It explains how to tell the story of the courts, and why they matter, in an era when the public is very focused on government austerity. It includes a section on working with budget policymakers, based on interviews conducted around the country.
Principles for Judicial Administration is intended to serve as a unifying document for all principles courts can follow to deal with budget cuts. It is clear that these principles are interdependent. The first two sets of principles, which address governance and decision-making and case administration, are foundations that courts need in place to manage their resources efficiently and effectively.
The ABA Task Force on Preservation of the Justice System was established to address the budget cuts to state courts. Throughout the past few years, the ABA Task force has held press conferences to discuss this significant issue. | <urn:uuid:d82e3197-e316-4f7f-ab6f-863415df4a10> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ncsc.org/Information-and-Resources/Budget-Resource-Center/Analysis_Strategy.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965938 | 195 | 2.125 | 2 |
Figure 2. Path of infection of influenza (H5N1), Pakistan, 2007. During October 22–30, patient 1 worked culling infected chickens; on November 2, he moved home and had contact with 4 brothers (patients 2–5) and possibly a cousin (patient 6). He was hospitalized on November 5 and transferred to an intensive care unit the next day. His cousin cared for him and became patient 6; his attending doctor became patient 7. On November 23, patient 3 was hospitalized and on November 28 was transferred to an intensive care unit; during this time, patient 8 frequently visited his wife in the same intensive care unit. | <urn:uuid:fe38f827-6a5d-4ab7-ba0f-53029c0705f7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/17/6/09-1652-f2.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00072-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.99322 | 131 | 1.992188 | 2 |
When is a documentary also a horror film? Look no further than the trailer for Leviathan, which opens at Toronto’s Lightbox on March 15, and at Pacific Cinematheque in Vancouver on April 26, after a premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last fall.
Leviathan should not be confused with the 1989 horror sci-fi about a deadly creature discovered on a sunken Soviet ship – although you could be forgiven for a little mix-up, given the tone of the more recent film.
The trailer opens with a cacophony of waves and wind, and one of those white-on-black title cards favoured by found-footage films. “Once the whaling capital of the world, today New Bedford is the country’s largest fishing port,” it says. “More than 500 ships sail from its harbor every month, often spending weeks at sea.”
You almost expect it to continue: “One of them never returned.” Instead, we cut to a series of visceral images designed to tug at our collective memory of horror films.
The camera shoots through waves at a huge flock of ravenous sea birds, like something out of a Hitchcock movie. Fish guts and fish heads are thrust at the camera. Fishermen stare at the lens, equally doleful and only slightly livelier. Blood (fish blood; at least I hope so) spills from a pipe on the side of the ship. There’s even a shower scene, as a hairy sailor tries to scrub away the smell you can almost sense wafting off the screen.
The film was made by Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Verena Paravel. Their last collaboration was a far more tame and typical documentary, 2009’s Sweetgrass, about the last long-distance sheep drive in America. This time, they brought dozens of cameras on a commercial fishing boat, and then let the equipment be tossed from film crew to boat crew, and even into the nets with the catch.
The result, at least in the two-and-a-half minute trailer, is a dizzying mélange of rough men, rougher sea and – was that a shark? I wouldn’t be at all surprised. | <urn:uuid:0b432736-a5e9-46eb-9e00-4ecb0e704232> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://arts.nationalpost.com/2013/02/08/trailer-tracker-leviathan/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95509 | 469 | 1.671875 | 2 |
As said in the introduction, this tutorial is to provide back-end functionality for our VIE portal that we are building in the WebCenter Tutorial.
Our online education agency requires some back-end system to manage subscriptions, students, teachers and so on. Some of these features require WebCenter but this tutorial will only focus on ADF which means that we are going to build a separate application and integrate this in WebCenter later on in the other tutorial. So don't expect to see much WebCenter in this tutorial. Business Components, Security, taskflows, managed beans and so on, this is what this tutorial is all about.
Let's start by giving a global overview of the requirements
As with a normal development cycle, requirements change. For the beginning of the tutorial, our requirements are quite simple. We need a management tool for subscriptions of courses. This means we need to have forms for several entities. In ADF we will divide the functionalities in following modules:
The base idea is to manage subscriptions but because we also need courses, teachers and students, we need to include these modules as well.
It speaks for itself that we need to include security to our application so only the appropriate people are able to manage the subscriptions. We will have different roles so a secretary can manage students and teachers and teachers can manage their courses.
The management application is not exactly rocket science but it gives an overview of a real world problem that you might encounter in some other projects. This applications will contain basic concepts that are very common in most projects.
When developing a transactional application, you almost always have to use data model of some sort. Whether you are using your own database or getting the information from services, you have to define a data model so it fits your needs. This is what we will do now.
Well, to be honest, I already made the data model for this tutorial. I have kept it very simple for the simple reason that we will change it later on. When I first started with ADF and Business Components I always found it very difficult to change the data model. There are so many steps to take into account and I always had lots of problems when I needed to change the data model.
Exactly for that reason we are going to start with a very basic model. In a later chapter we are going to change it and going over each step to add or move columns from one table to another.
Below is an overview of the model that I have created for this tutorial:
The model is self explanatory. If there are questions about it, just ask in the comments.
As you can see we have a table for the most important entities:
Student, teacher, course and subscriptions. Country and category are lookup tables to store reference data for the category of the course and country for an address.
Now that I have explained the model we can start creating our application and importing the model into our database.
An ADF Web Application is actually called a Fusion Web Application in JDeveloper. In order to create one we have to open the Create New gallery popup. Just press CTRL+N in JDeveloper.
Select Application in the General section and Fusion Web Application (ADF) in the right hand side. Press Ok to create the application.
In the next screen we have to specify a name for the application. Because this will be our back-end system for the VIE portal we are calling this VieApp. We are also going to specify the package prefix so everywhere in the application we this prefix will be used.
A Fusion Web Application contains out of two projects. The model project will contain the model assets like our business components. The ViewController project contains the actual web application.
In the next step of the wizard we need to specify the properties of these projects. The first project we need to specify is the model project.
We are going to change the name into viewModel:
In the next step we specify the java settings for the project like package. These settings are fine so just press next.
In the next step we have to specify the ViewController project. Again we are going to rename this to VieView.
In the next step we have to specify the java settings of the project. These settings are also fine so we can press Finish.
This will create the application as shown in the Application Navigator:
Now we can create a connection to the database.
Connections in JDeveloper are created and managed in the Application Resources section. By default this is just below the Application Navigator. Right click on the Connections folder and select New Connection. This opens a popup that allows you to select the type of new connection. We have to select Database from this menu because... Well... We are going to create a database connection. This opens a popup to specify the database connection.
In order for you to complete this tutorial, you either have to have a user in a database so we can add our tables there or you can either create a new user for this. In my case, I am working with a new user called DEV_VIE. Because this is an ADF tutorial and not DB Admin tutorial, I assume you know how to create such a user or at least have a proper user in the database.
In the popup specify the settings to connect to your database:
These are my settings:
When the database connection has been created you can right click on it and select Open in Database Navigator. This will connect to the DB and open a worksheet. I also created a script to create all of the tables and foreign keys. You can view it here.
Just copy paste the contents of that file into the worksheet and execute it. This will create all the tables as shown in the following image.
That's basically it for the first chapter. You have learned how to create a fusion web application and how to import the data model into a database.
In the next chapter we will start by creating some business components out of that model.
Hope you like it so far and in case of question, you know where to find me. | <urn:uuid:5819c44d-6531-4d63-b98f-f203d4f30912> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://yonaweb.be/adf_tutorial/chapter_1_introduction | 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 | 0.923746 | 1,249 | 2.28125 | 2 |
October 15, 2012
Inside the Grand Bazaar in Instanbul, Turkey. After the conquest of Istanbul by the Turks in 1453, the Grand Bazaar was built in 1461 to promote a more commercial life. The bazaar was an important center trading goods and gradually became a bank with a large depository of golden and silverware and money as well. The Grand Bazaar has 22 gates, 64 street, 3600 shops and is the center of trading for 97 different types of products. | <urn:uuid:0afb60bb-d582-48a3-8e4e-4fbc3e9804a1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://golfweek.com/photos/2012/oct/15/34659/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978462 | 101 | 2.296875 | 2 |
The villages of Pine and Strawberry, which are joined at the hip beneath the Mogollon Rim, are more than convenience stops where tourists can browse through quaint antique shops and grab a bite to eat at a 1950s-style caf
There's more to these close-knit communities than fine restaurants and quiet, cozy inns.
There's more than the oldest standing schoolhouse in Arizona, built in Strawberry in 1885 and the Pine museum with its pioneer displays. There's more than Pine's
old stone structures and farmhouses, community center, churches, library and fine, spacious school.
There's more than historic Strawberry Lodge and, across the Beeline Highway, Strawberry Market. There's more than the towering ponderosa pines, the hiking trails, the mountain streams, the snow in winter and wildflowers in spring. There's more than the Strawberry Festival in summer and the Northern Gila County Fair in September and a dozen other such events.
So much more.
As longtime resident Rose Harper, who owns MVP Realty, says, it's more about the people.
"It's like Norman Rockwell here, stepping back in time," she says. "People care about each other. You can dial any 476 number at random and get help."
She mentions people such as Fire Chief Paul Coe and "his boys," who are dedicated, well-trained and essential to saving lives and protecting homes and the forest they're built in. She talks about the business owners who engage in friendly competition, send customers to one another, and are currently forming an organization that meets monthly in a cooperative effort to improve the community.
Harper talks about newcomers who've bought established businesses and are trying exciting new ideas, such as Jeff and Sherry Machemer at the Strawberry Market who are pushing more winter activities. They brought in Santa Claus (employee Jody Johnson's husband, Shane), a Christmas angel tree for children's gifts, a turkey giveaway and other special events during the holidays.
It's people meeting together to make quilts, paint pottery and run the food bank. It's service clubs like Kiwanis and Rotary. It's people going about the business of serving each other from doctors and accountants to gas-station attendants.
It's people who make the Pine-Strawberry School more than a building people like Ray Pugel at Coldwell-Banker Bishop Reality who helped raise $57,000 for the Credit for Kids program in 2000. Pugel and his employees, along with Stockman Bank and Pioneer Title Co., sent out more than 7,000 letters asking Rim country taxpayers to help schools by participating in the three-year-old state program that allows them a $200 tax credit on their Arizona income tax when they donate that amount to public school projects (or $500 to a private school).
Principal Kathe Ketchem says Credit for Kids has helped the school's athletic programs, helped fund a $50,000 facility for football, soccer and softball, has assisted drama, art, and music programs and funded character and leadership programs.
"We were able to send 30 seventh- and eighth-grade students to Chapel Rock in Prescott to the Rope Challenge program, which builds teamwork and trust," Ketchem says.
People like fifth-grade teacher Art Hood make things happen in Pine and Strawberry. He dedicated 12 of the 16 years he's been at the school to building the music program.
"We had one drum and one saxophone when I came here," Hood says. "We collected cans, held auctions, sold popsicles at lunch and had a very successful magazine subscription sale to buy instruments. I kept them repaired to make them last. Now, we have everything even violins and electronic keyboards."
In this school of 240 students, the music program now includes a 35- to 40-piece band formed by students in the three upper grades; a fifth-grade band numbering 28; a jazz band with about 20 students; a recorder class for fourth-graders; a strings class for kindergartners; piano class; and a choir. Daria Mason has been the music teacher for the past three years.
Hood, who with his wife, Sharon, raised four daughters in Pine, says he discovered music in the third-grade when he began playing the saxophone, and decided to make it his career. He understands firsthand how important creative activities can be to a child.
The people of Pine and Strawberry, estimated to be about 8,000 in the summer and about 5,000 year-round, share a common problem along with the good life they enjoy in their mountain retreat a serious lack of water. Two citizen organizations are working diligently toward some solutions to the problem: The Pine-Strawberry Improvement Association and the Pine-Strawberry Water Improvement District. One project they pushed is Strawberry Pond, on two acres at Dan's Highway and Bob's Bend. It's now filled and landscaped, says Steve Scott, a member of the improvement association. Not only will the pond serve as a recreation area, it will provide the fire department with valuable water reserves for controlling residential and wildland fires.
Other projects the groups have promoted include a pipeline to bring excess water from Strawberry to more water-needy Pine and water exploration at a deeper level. Currently, the focus is on getting a feasibility study done with Brookes Utilities for a storage reservoir to relieve surge demand, Scott says.
"It would be an interim solution to a chronic problem. In the summer when there is peak demand, the community is put on level-five restrictions, and it's hard on people. There are lots of complaints," he says. The building of new subdivisions is putting even more strain on the water sources available. Developing the reservoir would take three to four years.
"The long-term solution will require new water sources," Scott says.
Another pressing problem is the overgrown forest that surrounds the towns. Fire Chief Coe is excited about a grant application in the works for all the Rim country towns, which would provide about $200,000 to develop a plan to thin out the wildlands and educate the public so people can see the need for it.
"What we have now is not a natural condition," he says. "The overgrowth is killing the forest. If that grant goes through, another huge grant is available to actually carry out the thinning."
Another old problem is disappearing getting sick and injured people to the hospital and giving them emergency care at the scene. Coe is proud of a new ambulance and new equipment such as cardiac monitors on both the department's ambulances. He's adding more people who will get intensive training in the near future. Living so far from a hospital the nearest one is in Payson 18 miles south isn't as risky for Pine-Strawberry folks as it used to be.
It takes all kinds of good people working together to tackle the problems and preserve the special quality of life that makes Pine-Strawberry residents want to stay, many of them for several generations. Some first traveled to the area as children on family vacations and now are building retirement homes. Some with lots of money are escaping the stress of the city for 7,000-square-foot dream homes with grand views. And some are like Jack Tripp. He arrived four or five years ago, he says. What brought him to Pine-Strawberry?
"Poverty," he says, with a sly grin. Tripp has done it all, lived all over the country, mostly in cities, and he thinks he's found the right place. Once a high school science teacher, he's now content in the role of the traditional mountain man, selling his chain-saw-carved bears on the porch of the Strawberry Market.
When his 10-year-old dog was killed by a car a while back, there was an outpouring of sympathy from his neighbors. Now he has Charlie, "a Strawberry mountain dog a mix of everything in the area," Tripp says. Charlie was given to him as a puppy by a local man who'd heard of his loss.
You can't beat people like that. | <urn:uuid:429967a2-d372-486a-aa66-0ac80acafb5b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.paysonroundup.com/news/2001/apr/06/progress_in_the/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976181 | 1,676 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Meaning of genetic markers? - (Nov/02/2006 )
Does the position of a mraker in a DNA sequence indicate the exact position of a gene locus or does a marker indicate that a gene locus is near that marker.
A marker is the means by which a gene or a locus is identified. The marker is dependent on an assay, which could, for example, be identification of a mutant phenotype or presence of an enzyme activity, protein band, or DNA fragment. The assay must show genetic variation of the marker to map the locus on a genetic map but not to place it on a physical map.
A locus is a point in the genome, identified by a marker, which can be mapped by some means. It does not necessarily correspond to a gene; it could, for example, be an anonymous non-coding DNA segment or a cytogenetic feature. A single gene may have several loci within it (each defined by different markers) and these markers may be separated in genetic or physical mapping experiments. In such cases, it is useful to define these different loci, but normally the gene name should be used to designate the gene itself, as this usually will convey the most information.
Hope that this explains it for you. | <urn:uuid:e5abd6b0-5b8c-4db4-9504-3ae20f1125ef> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.protocol-online.org/biology-forums/posts/21711.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927344 | 261 | 3.625 | 4 |
'Extinct' rodent turns up alive and well
A squirrel-like rodent found last year in Laos has been identified as belonging to a family of rodents thought to have died out 11 million years ago, scientists says.
A team of US, French and Chinese researchers compared the live animal's skeleton to the fossils of a family of rodents that lived in Asia in the early Oligocene to late Miocene eras.
They confirm, in the latest issue of the journal Science, that it belonged to the same mammalian family.
When the animal was discovered, it made the headlines as biologists thought it belonged to a new family of animals, rather than just a new species of an existing family.
They named it Laonastes aenigmamus, or Laotian rock rat.
In fact it belongs to the family Diatomyidae and resembles a small squirrel but is not a rat, says palaeontologist Dr Mary Dawson, of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Diatomyidae lived during the middle Tertiary period, 34 to 11 million years ago, in southern Asia, central China and Japan.
They were medium sized rodents and had characteristic molar teeth and jaw structure.
The researchers say the rodent is an example of the 'Lazarus effect', when an organism suddenly reappears after a long gap in the fossil record.
Finding an animal thought to be extinct is even more exciting than discovering a new species, says Dr George Schaller, the Wildlife Conservation Society biologist who stumbled across the new animal last year.
The rodent is a nocturnal mammal that inhabits a remote Laotian jungle, and is known to local ethnic groups who call it kha-nyou.
Scientist have been unable so far to see a live specimen. The only one found had been killed by hunters and was put on sale at a local market where it was spotted by conservation society researchers. | <urn:uuid:8c85dca5-bad7-4456-b965-1ed760f460da> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2006/03/13/1589955.htm?site=science&topic=latest | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953421 | 397 | 3.28125 | 3 |
Incident to a physician's professional Service
This may not be an exhaustive list of all applicable Medicare benefit categories for this item or service.
Obesity may be caused by medical conditions such as hypothyroidism, Cushing's disease, and hypothalamic lesions, or can aggravate a number of cardiac and respiratory diseases as well as diabetes and hypertension. Non-surgical services in connection with the treatment of obesity are covered when such services are an integral and necessary part of a course of treatment for one of these medical conditions. Certain designated surgical services for the treatment of obesity are covered for Medicare beneficiaries who have a BMI >35, have at least one co-morbidity related to obesity and have been previously unsuccessful with the medical treatment of obesity.
In addition, supplemented fasting is a type of very low calorie weight reduction regimen used to achieve rapid weight loss. The reduced calorie intake is supplemented by a mixture of protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. Serious questions exist about the safety of prolonged adherence for 2 months or more to a very low calorie weight reduction regimen as a general treatment for obesity, because of instances of cardiopathology and sudden death, as well as possible loss of body protein.
Indications and Limitations of Coverage
B. Nationally Covered Indications
Certain designated surgical services for the treatment of obesity are covered for Medicare beneficiaries who have a BMI >35, have at least one co-morbidity related to obesity and have been previously unsuccessful with the medical treatment of obesity. See §100.1.
C. Nationally Noncovered Indications
1. Treatments for obesity alone remain non-covered.
2. Supplemented fasting is not covered under the Medicare program as a general treatment for obesity (see section D. below for discretionary local coverage).
Where weight loss is necessary before surgery in order to ameliorate the complications posed by obesity when it coexists with pathological conditions such as cardiac and respiratory diseases, diabetes, or hypertension (and other more conservative techniques to achieve this end are not regarded as appropriate), supplemented fasting with adequate monitoring of the patient is eligible for coverage on a case-by-case basis or pursuant to a local coverage determination. The risks associated with the achievement of rapid weight loss must be carefully balanced against the risk posed by the condition requiring surgical treatment.
(This NCD last reviewed February 2006.)
See §§100.1, 100.8, and 100.11.
Claims Processing Instructions | <urn:uuid:f20f0798-b7bc-4dfa-8670-93be4d8b9e6c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/details/ncd-details.aspx?NCDId=38&ncdver=3&NCAId=57&NcaName=Obesity+as+an+Illness&TAId=23&IsPopup=y&bc=AAAAAAAAEAAA | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00055-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94504 | 504 | 1.921875 | 2 |
Changes from the 2002 guidelines include recommendations not to routinely screen people over 75 and not to screen people over 85 at all. Decisions about screening between 76 and 85 need to be made in light of individual health, prior screening, and life expectancy.
The recommendations have dropped barium enema as a screening option. They do not include either CT colonography (CTC or so-called virtual colonoscopy) or DNA stool tests, saying that there was not enough current evidence to judge the harms and benefits of the new technology. Read the rest of this entry » | <urn:uuid:3b1ee3d2-4b22-4346-b51b-7a3e3f8b119e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://fightcolorectalcancer.org/tag/colorectal_cancer_prevention/page/8 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956118 | 114 | 1.828125 | 2 |
Fri December 16, 2011
Citing Eurozone Crisis Fitch Threatens Downgrade Of 6 EU Countries
Fitch ratings agency, one of the big three, said today that it was considering downgrading the credit ratings of six Euro-zone countries. Italy, Spain, Ireland, Belgium, Slovenia and Cyprus could see their their rating cut by one or two notches.
"Fitch says that following last week's EU summit, it 'has concluded that a "comprehensive solution" to the eurozone crisis is technically and politically beyond reach.'
"It expects to complete the review of the countries' ratings by the end of January."
Fitch also kept France's rating intact, which as the AP reports is a big deal because it keeps the underpinning of the European bailout intact.
Fitch's decision, however, comes just after the EU received a rash of bad news:
-- Ireland said today that its economy had contracted 1.9 percent in the third quarter, worst than predicted. As The Guardian puts it, it signifies that "Ireland's problems are far from over." The Financial Times adds that the poor GDP numbers won't encourage other countries to take on austerity measures the way Ireland did. The FT says the news spoils "Ireland's emerging image as a 'poster boy' for other debt-laden peripheral eurozone economies."
-- The S&P downgraded six Portuguese banks to junk status. The AP reports that "the announcement cranked up the pressure on Portugal and the wider eurozone, which is scrambling to free itself from a debt crisis."
-- The AP adds: "Spain's central bank reported that debt levels for the country's 17 regions have soared 22 percent over the past year. EU officials in Brussels warned that private creditors were resisting EU efforts to write off euro100 billion ($130 billion) in Greek debts." | <urn:uuid:48c5eae2-6420-4d50-86f7-322ef5d41316> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kwgs.org/post/citing-eurozone-crisis-fitch-threatens-downgrade-6-eu-countries | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958977 | 376 | 1.734375 | 2 |
They said it couldn’t be done, so the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office wouldn’t allow anyone to try. But two weeks ago, after five years of applying, Sir Ranulph Fiennes finally got the permits to traverse the continent of Antarctica—in winter. Will advances in technology be enough to keep him and his crew alive? By KEVIN BLOOM.
In 2005, when Sir Ranulph Fiennes was 61 years old, he had a heart attack about 300 metres shy of the summit of Everest. Three years later, at the age of 64, he suffered exhaustion at the same distance from the peak, and was forced to turn back. But it all came together for the British explorer in 2009, when he was 65—in May of that year, he became the first man to scale the world’s highest mountain and cross both the north and south poles unaided.
There was, of course, a tidy haul of accomplishments before that; singular feats that would have rendered other men content with a quiet retirement in the country. In the mid-1960s, after joining the SAS, Fiennes became the youngest captain in the history of the British Army. In the late 1960s, he led the first hovercraft expedition up the Nile, the longest river in the world. He was the first to reach both poles (with Charles Burton), the first to cross the Arctic and Antarctic oceans (again with Charles Burton), and the first to circumnavigate the globe along its polar axis (a three-year odyssey that is yet to be repeated).
At 46 years of age, Fiennes once more got his name inscribed in the record books, for unsupported northerly polar travel. Two years later, after seven failed attempts by other expeditions, he led a team that discovered the lost city of Ubar, on the Yemeni border. He’d barely gotten home when he decided it was time to hit the ice again—in 1993 he completed, with Dr Mike Stroud, a crossing of the continent of Antarctica, the longest unsupported polar journey in history.
Come 2003, Fiennes lapsed into a three-day coma, the result of a massive heart attack. Less than four months after leaving his hospital bed, he recovered from the double bypass by becoming the first man, again along Dr Stroud, to complete the 7x7x7: seven marathons in seven consecutive days on all seven continents.
Then, as mentioned, there was the heart attack on Everest, the exhaustion on Everest, and the summit of Everest.
Sir Ranulph Fiennes is now 68. On 7 January, he and his crew left Cape Town aboard the South African polar vessel, the SA Agulhas. His destination is again Antarctica, and on 21 March he will begin yet another 4,000-kilometre trek across the frozen landmass. The difference this time? It will be winter.
"I usually look forward to expeditions, but there is such a big degree of uncertainty with this one that looking forward to it is probably not the exact right word," Fiennes told the SABC before embarking. "Some people will say it is irresponsible to go unless you know everything, in which case the Americans would never have gotten to the moon. If humans are going for something new, then unfortunately there are bound to be some grey areas."
Completely black areas might be more accurate. The sixth-month traverse, from Crown Bay via the South Pole to Captain Scott’s base at McMurdo Sound, will take place for the most part in total darkness. The average winter temperature at the South Pole is minus 60 degrees Celsius, which is also the temperature at which inhalation of air can cause irreparable damage to the lungs. If Fiennes or any member of his team should suffer such a fate, there is no possibility of evacuation: a search and rescue mission would be out of the question, due to the threat of the aircraft’s fuel freezing.
Up until this expedition, for obvious reasons, the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office refused to grant permission for such an endeavour. Their change of heart was brought about by a demonstration of advances in technology, which they feel can mitigate some of the major risks.
“Choosing the best equipment and clothing for a six-month polar expedition in near total darkness amid the harshest conditions on the planet is, not surprisingly, vital to success,” notes the official expedition website, www.thecoldestjourney.org, in tones bordering on the glib. But below the text are diagrams that show the extent of the preparations undertaken by the six-man team.
The base clothing layer includes high-tech thermal pullovers, boxers and socks. The second layer, which includes another pullover and stretch pants, was selected to house the “power loom”—an elaborate system of cables, batteries and distribution units that act as both a heating mechanism and source of power for the radios and torches. The mid layer comprises a smock and an item resembling a pair of dungarees, although with reinforced knees. For the outer layer there are two options: one featuring synthetic down, for “what would normally be considered very cold climates,” and the other featuring something known as PHDs, the “last layer of defence against the most extreme cold.”
The headgear, gloves and footwear all come with some form of heating device, and the communication equipment, for those familiar with the terms, include the following: Cobham Eagle radios, Cobham SAILOR Marine VHF radios, Indium modem and satellite phones, Godan HF back-up systems, ACR emergency beacons, Garmin GPS and RINO, and Powergorilla mobile recharging units.
As for the strategy mapped out for the journey itself, an average of 35 kilometres of travel a day is anticipated, with every one day in three allocated as a reserve “for rest or bad weather.” According to the website: “A two-man ski unit will lead the traverse, while the rest of the team follows closely behind in a Mobile Vehicle Landtrain (MVL). The MVL will be made up of two Caterpillar D6N track-type tractors which will pull two specially developed cabooses for scientific work, accommodation and storage, including fuel designed not to freeze.”
And yet, irrespective of all these preparations, the risks remain enormous. The coldest temperature ever recorded in an Antarctic winter is minus 92 degrees Celsius, with temperatures of minus 70 always likely. The coldest ice chamber the team could find to test the clothing and equipment was minus 40, although they did get 18 degrees colder than that to test human endurance. At minus 80 degrees C, with no prospect of rescue, how will the kit and the crew members shape up? Nobody knows.
Like Captain Scott before him, whose failure was marked by death on the ice, Fiennes is doing all of this to best the Norwegians. Where Roald Amundsen beat Scott to the South Pole in 1911, and was the first expedition leader to reach the North Pole in 1926, the current generation of Norwegians became the first to complete a winter traverse of the arctic. For Fiennes, a winter traverse of Antarctica places Britain back in what he sees as its rightful place. DM
- “The Coldest Journey”—official expedition website
- “The coldest journey: Sir Ranulph Fiennes launches Antarctic adventure,” in the Guardian
Photo: Explorer Ranulph Fiennes speaks during a news conference in London after returning from his successful attempt to reach the summit of Everest to raise money for the charity Marie Curie Cancer Care May 26, 2009. On his third attempt, and at 65, Fiennes is the oldest Briton to reach the summit. REUTERS/Stephen Hird | <urn:uuid:80fabf11-b251-4ac1-80b9-1f7b7daaa7c0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2013-01-09-the-return-of-sir-ranulph-a-winter-traverse-of-antarctica | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95722 | 1,626 | 2.640625 | 3 |
Life Without Hope
“Having no hope and without God in the world” (Eph. 2:12b).- Ephesians 2:12b
Ordinarily, most people today use the term atheist to refer to those who do not believe in a supreme being of any kind. Yet that is not how the word was used in the first-century Roman Empire. Many pagan apologists in that day labeled the early Christians atheists, not because they were unaware that the Christians believed in a Creator God but because the Christians did not worship the gods of the Roman Empire. According to these pagan apologists, true theists served the deified emperor and other gods in the Roman pantheon.
Most of the original readers of Ephesians originated from this pagan background, having once been considered pious by their neighbors for worshiping the Roman deities. Because such worship formed a part of what it meant to be a good Roman citizen, these same pagan neighbors would also have considered the Ephesian believers to be good patriots before they came to faith in Jesus. All that changed, however, upon the Ephesians’ conversion. These new followers of Christ were instantly seen as impious traitors in the minds of the general Roman populace, and these new disciples paid a high price to serve the Lord.
But this loss of esteem was worth it because, as today’s passage explains, the Gentile Christians in Ephesus actually lived without God before they believed in Jesus. As Matthew Henry comments, they were “atheists in the world; for, though they worshipped many gods, yet they were without the true God.” No matter how pious they appeared, life apart from Christ meant life without God, and the same principle applies today. No matter how good or satisfied our Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, and other non-Christian neighbors seem, they actually live, in a sense, as atheists, for they do not know the one true Lord of all.
Not knowing the Lord God Almighty not only makes people into functional atheists, it also renders them hopeless in this world (Eph. 2:12b). Only those who know Jesus have hope for the future — the sure expectation of eternal resurrected life, full purification from all sin, and unhindered fellowship with God (Jer. 29:11; Col. 1:3–5; 1 Thess. 4:13–18). This indeed shows us the greatness of our salvation — having once been hopeless, we now have a sure hope in Christ Jesus.
A generic confession of faith in God will not do for salvation but only belief in the one true living God, the covenant Lord of Israel and Father of Christ Jesus. Let us not fall into the cultural trap of believing that we all worship the same God, but rather remember always that we find hope only in the name of our Savior. May we confidently stand for the exclusivity of Christianity even if all those around us consider us fools.
Passages for Further Study
2 Thess. 2:16–17
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Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: From Ligonier Ministries, the teaching fellowship of R.C. Sproul. All rights reserved. Website: www.ligonier.org | Phone: 1-800-435-4343 | <urn:uuid:fc4397f1-c237-49fd-9ee9-3b50bea89293> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/life-without-hope/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939071 | 764 | 2.390625 | 2 |
Baby Boomers Confront Age Discrimination – Or Do They?
Age Discrimination. What an ugly phrase.
And anyway – what does it mean? Ever find yourself in a situation – job interview or whatever – in which you very strongly suspect that Age Discrimination is being applied towards you? But of course, you can’t prove it.
How does our society view older folks?
Now that Baby Boomers are entering retirement age in vast numbers in the next few years: will we be perceived as ‘cool’? Or as just terribly old and outmoded?
At present, Age Discrimination is thriving in the hiring processes of companies in a reeling economy.
Age Discrimination is the Silent Plague.
Like racial hiring discrimination in the 1950’s – at present – Age Discrimination cannot even be mentioned at without an insta-denial (!) from 20- or 30-somethings; or even Boomers themselves. How bad does the hiring economy need to get – and how far do some unlucky Boomers need to fall (becoming homeless, etc) – before even the IDEA of Age Discrimination occurring – CAN EVEN BE DISCUSSED OPENLY?!
Baby Boomers have, over the years, taken on huge causes. Causes such as: Pollution (the original Earth Day), crooked Presidents (’I mis-spoke myself!’), Social Injustice (integration, racial profiling, Gender Discrimination and Equal Work for Equal Pay) – and more in a list too long to list here.
Boomers in general are sticklers for the ideals of fairness, ethical behavior, development of renewal energy resources and affordable health care. That’s the ideal. But what is the reality? Boomers are actually too diverse a group to categorize in any particular way.
We are STILL cool
But we can all agree on one thing: Age Discrimination is not hip! And yes, we are STILL cool. But we ARE getting mad as hell regarding the lack of employment opportunities for the over-45 crowd. Most of us cannot afford to retire in 2009 anyway.
As long as we say nothing -
But – how long do we say nothing and silently take it? Do we all honestly believe that we are the only ones experiencing the ’shame’ of being continually passed over for hiring in favor of younger, more inexperienced (and possibly cheaper) workers? Or the humiliation of always being the first to be laid off or fired?
Many Boomers would just like a job right now | <urn:uuid:158a2793-d2d7-4df6-ae19-e6988ff57bd1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.boomerbardo.com/2012/01/01/age-discrimination/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.922469 | 522 | 1.945313 | 2 |
Class Fee $ $200 (student has to provide his own bike). This class does not qualify for the DMV riding test.
Los Angeles and Ventura County
In my (low stress) Street Bike class you will have fun and learn how to be more confident with your cornering and braking techniques.
You will also learn about safe Motorcycle Freeway practices, defensive Street riding and become more aware and able to deal with the unexpected.
Overall you will sharpen your knowledge and riding skills and become a better and safer motorcycle rider.
I will organize a full and intense class of riding instruction selecting the roads accordingly to the skill level of the participant.
You should bring your motorcycle in perfect riding conditions or arrange to rent one.
A waiver releasing from any liability will be required before the Ride.
You will learn all the basics on how to operate a bike (what to do and what "not to do" when riding) and lots of safety tips for the real world!
M.R.E. (Motorcycle Rider Education, required if you are 21 years old or younger).
If you are interested in the Motorcycle Rider Education training sponsored by the MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) , please
call 1-800-446-9227 and inquire for classes in your area. | <urn:uuid:e7623337-ec1c-4dfd-b112-b58df5a3646f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.motorvike.com/StreetBikeClasses.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00059-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939086 | 265 | 1.53125 | 2 |
About the Chamber and its History
This Chamber of Commerce was organized for the purpose of advancing the commercial, industrial, civic and general interests of the towns of Webster, Dudley and Oxford.
WDO Chamber has a new website, Their new website is http://www.wdochamberma.com/ .
This website is Informational Purposes only.
Oxford incorporated was formed in 1600 and was claimed as the first original township of their area. During 1732 Dudley founded as part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. A century later in 1832 Dudley was formed as parts of Dudley and Oxford. Portions of Oxford later were known as parts of Dudley during 1732 as well as Oxford South Gore which to this day is known as East Village were both made part of Webster later in 1812.
wdo chambers did alot of research and planning before launching their business. Like in any business it is always best to know about all the many facts, guides and advice that a well run business needs to know. Bizcoach.org can assist you with large amounts of information to starting a new business or building up an old one.
Being the original gome of both the Huguenot and Nipmuc Indian Tribes who met on Webster Lake shores. " The Boundary Fishing Place - The neutral Meeting Ground." Both followed the rule of interpretation of " You fish on your side, I'll fish on my side and nobody fishes in the middle. "
Towns have modern full time, round the clock, police protection accompanied by back-up of the Massachusetts State Police. Fire departments are volunteer in all towns and are rated highly as can be noted by their lower than average fire insurance rates. Each town has it's own volunteer ambulance and rescue squad and work together on a mutual aid basis. Hubbard Regional Hospital is the center area for most accidents or emergencies. Service is staffed on a 24-hour basis. | <urn:uuid:a0d18f74-dece-41c3-aaf7-568659462c53> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wdo-chamber.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978744 | 391 | 1.5625 | 2 |
1. Support local economies:
The River Market in Little Rock, Arkansas, a $4.4 million project that opened in 1996, has been a catalyst for over $500 million in new and proposed construction, including the Clinton Presidential Library. The market has doubled in size in three years, and is given credit for the downtown’s renaissance. PPS has been closely involved in the project.
2. Attract business investments:
In downtown Oak Park, Illinois, PPS recommended replacing a failed pedestrian mall with the original street. Even before the changes were fully implemented, there was a 100% increase in inquiries from potential tenants, and the vacancy rate eventually decreased from 30% to 5%.
3. Attract tourism:
After extensive user studies PPS recommended design improvements to the Channel Gardens at the Rockefeller Center. The changes, including increased seating, have allowed the gardens and world famous skating rink to become one of the most popular spaces in New York City and encouraged The Today Show, and other attractions, to locate there.
4. Provide cultural opportunities:
San Rafael, California, a city with a large Italian population, worked with PPS to create a vision for a neglected city park. The residents raised money to install bocce courts, which are managed by a local nonprofit. The park has since become a major source of civic pride: families come nightly from all over San Rafael, while media attention has attracted bocce enthusiasts from across the U.S. and Europe.
5. Encourage volunteerism:
In Corpus Christi, Texas, 1500 adults and children helped to make ceramic tiles decorating the benches, light poles, columns and central archway of Staples Street Station, a bus transfer center. PPS won a Federal Design Achievement Award for the project.
6. Reduce crime:
In the early 1980s, seven-acre Bryant Park in New York City was over-run by drug dealers – office employees and tourists didn’t dare venture in. With the changes recommended by PPS, the park now attracts 10,000 people on a sunny day, and presents a popular film festival on summer evenings.
7. Improve pedestrian safety:
PPS’s experimental diagonal parking initiative in San Bernardino, California resulted in 50% more pedestrians along the street while increasing parking spaces by 25%.
8. Increase use of public transportation:
The successful renovation of Netherwood train station in Plainfield, New Jersey, under guidance from PPS has resulted in a 40% increase in ridership.
9. Improve public health:
Research shows that in neighborhoods where people walk less, people are more likely to be overweight. In the last year, PPS have trained 600 New Jersey transportation professionals in Context Sensitive Design – a design process that responds to local needs and helps create more walkable neighborhoods.
10. Improve the environment:
Increased awareness of the importance of open spaces increases responsible use of these resources, and reclaims waterfronts, rivers and meadows. PPS’s Urban Parks Institute is a national resource center for efforts to restore urban parks. | <urn:uuid:661e7cd1-8411-4e42-b8c3-60ecf6219398> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pps.org/reference/10benefits/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938639 | 632 | 2.03125 | 2 |
LISBON - Angered by something she said he punched the bedroom door with his fist and spat out at her, "Aren't you glad that wasn't your face?"
"He punches her where it won't show and nobody will know."
"She hasn't been out of the house in a long while. She's been waiting for the bruises on her face to heal, I think."
"Emotional abuse is the worst because nobody sees the festering wounds."
October is Domestic Violence (DV) Awareness Month. DV is about beating up on someone you supposedly care about.
If you really cared about the person you are abusing, you wouldn't hurt her/him. DV is resorting to cruel, unkind words because you have to be in control somewhere. DV is battering.
"Battering is a pattern of behavior used to establish power and control over another person with whom an intimate relationship is or has been shared through fear and intimidation, often including the threat or use of violence," according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV). "Battering happens when one person believes that they are entitled to control another.
"Intimate partner violence" occurs everywhere and happens to those "society" oppresses: women and children, disabled persons who can't take care of themselves, elderly people, people of color, gays, lesbians, transgender, and other marginalized groups outside of "normal."
-?emotional or psychological abuse
-?abuse gets worse over time.
To learn more about "The Problem" of DV, visit online at www.ncadv.org/TheProblem.php.
"He's a jerk and he's teaching his son to be the same way," someone observes.
NCADV says, "Children witnessing DV and living in an environment where violence occurs may experience some degree of trauma as abused children,"
"My father wasn't very good to my mother. He never touched me, but I saw how he treated Mom. He may as well have done the same to me," says a daughter who learned to be like her mother, a victim. "Back then there were no shelters for women and their children to escape to. Back then women were told, 'You made your bed. Now lay in it.'"
NCADV reports that people with disabilities who require assisted living are battered. Older women "are nearly invisible" living with battering because they were taught they couldn't leave their abusive spouses. There are a lot of such women. Without a job, financial resources, they feel stuck.
They are isolated from everyone they know. And rural battered women are further victimized with accusations that she "is unfaithful in her role as a woman, wife and mother.
The act of leaving the home place, land and animals that could depend on her may be emotionally wrenching leaving the battered rural woman surrounded by walls of guilt and self-abasement."
Come back next week for a discussion about teen dating violence as October, Domestic Violence Awareness Month, arrives.
Family Recovery Center promotes the well being of individuals, families and communities with education, prevention and treatment programs for substance abuse and other mental health issues. For more information, contact the agency at 964 N. Market St., Lisbon; phone, 330-424-1468; or e-mail, firstname.lastname@example.org. | <urn:uuid:5c684a96-82db-4c9d-94a5-bf93f078736f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://salemnews.net/page/content.detail/id/558394/October-is-Domestic-Violence-Awa---.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976813 | 695 | 2.515625 | 3 |
"Acting Up Theatre Company" pics
Iosco-Arenac District Library's summer program — Be Creative
STANDISH CITY — The Acting Up Theatre Company performed a play to a crowd of over 30 children July 9 at the Mary Johnston Memorial Library on Cedar Street in downtown Standish.
The play revolved around fictional character Artiste Pate Brushe who was paid $110 million to paint a picture for a museum but instead spends time playing Guitar Hero. After a visit from Pate's imagination (or I.M. for short), a writer friend, an opera singer and a few audience volunteers, Pate learns she must "Be Creative" to finish her picture in time.
Below are a few snapshots of Pate arguing with I.M. | <urn:uuid:5e323e5d-9e07-4800-aac2-ab41384c7c79> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.arenacindependent.com/stories/Acting-Up-Theatre-Company-pics-,81314 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956827 | 156 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Most traditional ophthalmic OCT imaging systems suffer from the large aberrations within the eye and do not allow sufficient lateral resolution to provide cellular level images of the human retina in vivo. Adaptive optics can compensate for image aberrations, while optimizing the beam spot size at specific depths.
Adaptive optics (AO) cameras equipped with time-domain and Fourier domain optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT) have achieved unprecedented 3D imaging resolution in the human retina in-vivo. Spectrometer based FD-OCT has been gaining more attention due to its substantially higher acquisition speed without loss in sensitivity. However, new OCT system architectures, in particular swept source OCT (SS-OCT), may offer additional benefits that are attractive for retinal imaging. The long coherence length (>5mm) of the swept source supports a large depth measurement range and the balanced detection scheme allows high collection efficiency of sample signals. Recently a group of researchers at the University of Indiana, School of Optometry, constructed an AO SS-OCT system to compare with their existing AO FD-OCT system, in an attempt to achieve enhanced imaging resolution and evaluate imaging efficacy in human retinal in vivo.
A schematic of the AO SS-OCT camera is shown in Figure 1 below. The AO sub-system consisted of a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor and an AOptix mirror that dynamically corrects the ocular aberrations over a 6.6 mm human pupil at up to 25 Hz, while the large stroke of the AOptix mirror provides rapid focusing in the retina. The SS-OCT subsystem consisted of a Thorlabs swept source laser, a Michelson interferometer with balanced detection, and custom data acquisition and processing software. The laser has a center wavelength of 850 nm with a 35 nm bandwidth (at 3dB), and delivered 300 µW into the eye with 20,000 A-scans/s. Axial resolution in air and sensitivity of the AO swept source OCT were 9.4 µm and 96 dB, respectively.
Figure 1: Schematic of Adaptive Optic Swept Source OCT System
Thorlabs’ OCT system software provided 32 Hz real-time image display and data file management on the hard drive. 3D volume and B-scan images up to 1° in diameter were acquired at retinal eccentricities of 2° and 7° on two subjects with the focus ranging from the nerve fiber layer to the photoreceptors. Axial resolution and sensitivity measurements were performed on a model eye.
Measurement results are shown in Figure 2. Individual cone photoreceptors, nerve bundles and small blood vessels were visible at both 2° and 7°. These results show that the combination of AO and swept source OCT provides high-resolution images of the retina similar to AO FD-OCT. The SS-OCT system also offers advantages including low sensitive decay over a 3 mm imaging depth, turn key operation of the swept source, and user-friendly software.
Figure 2 shows the en-face images extracted from the OCT volume data recorded with the AO SS-OCT system. The images are acquired at 2° and 7° eccentricity, thus providing the definition needed to resolve individual cone photoreceptors. The images are displayed using a linear intensity scale.
Image Courtesy: Prof. Donald T. Miller, School of Optometry, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.
1. B. Cense, et al., “Retinal Imaging at 850nm with Swept Source Optical Coherence Tomography and Adaptive Optics,” ARVO 2007.
2. Y. Zhang, et al., Optics Express. 14, 4380 (2006) | <urn:uuid:ecde2126-395c-4e85-a3d1-d2243a2af4f1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thorlabs.com/laserimaging/index.cfm?pageref=31&page=OCT-Retina | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00051-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.901293 | 773 | 2.453125 | 2 |
Bin Laden Driver Sentenced to 66 Months in Prison
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 7, 2008 The first detainee at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to have his case brought to trial was sentenced today by a military panel there to 66 months in prison for providing material support to terrorism.
Salim Ahmed Hamdan, who served as Osama bin Laden’s driver, was tried and sentenced under the Military Commissions Act of 2006.
Following a two-week trial, a military jury yesterday found Hamdan guilty of providing material support to terrorism, but not of the more serious charge of conspiracy.
Navy Capt. Keith Allred, the military judge, sentenced him to 66 months confinement but offered an eight-day credit. Military prosecutors had urged 30 or more years imprisonment, claiming that a tough sentence would send a message to other al-Qaida supporters.
Hamdan’s case now will undergo an automatic review by the convening authority, which will evaluate findings and appropriateness of the sentence, officials said. He will have legal representation through the process and the opportunity to submit matters for consideration on his behalf. The Court of Military Commissions Review will then review the case.
After that process, Hamdan has the right to appeal to the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and the U.S. Supreme Court, officials said.
Despite his shorter sentence, defense officials said Hamdan is likely to remain in prison longer than 66 months. Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said during an Aug. 5 news conference he is still considered an enemy combatant and a danger.
Morrell called Hamdan’s trial “a fair and transparent process” that allowed journalists to observe and report on the proceedings. Hamdan “was offered a vigorous defense by his counsel, in which the prosecutor was able to make his case,” Morrell said.
The United States is “clearly trying to work to reduce the detainee population in Guantanamo” and bring more trials forward, Morrell said. In addition to bringing detainees to justice, the process will “at the same time provide a system that protects the American people from some very, very dangerous characters out there,” he said. | <urn:uuid:6e84a7b5-ea0d-4afc-8352-44e9658ef88f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.defense.gov/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=50732 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970207 | 461 | 1.515625 | 2 |
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has selected six health care sites to launch VA's new program focused on changing the way physicians, social workers, nurses and other caregivers approach end-of-life care.
The initiative, called ``VA Interprofessional Fellowship Program in Palliative Care,'' will develop health care professionals with vision, knowledge and compassion to lead end-of-life care into the 21st century. Although aimed at improving care for veterans, the program will affect how this care -- known as ``palliative care'' in medical circles -- is provided throughout the country.
The following VA health care sites were selected from among 21 that applied: the Bronx, N.Y.; Los Angeles; Milwaukee; Palo Alto, Calif.; Portland, Ore., and San Antonio. Each site will have four one-year fellowships or the equivalent part-time positions. Palo Alto will serve as the hub site and be responsible for coordinating curriculum, program evaluation, educational outreach and recruitment strategies.
``This program is one of the most important developments in the field of palliative care,'' said Dr. Susan Block, chief of adult psychosocial oncology, Dan-Farber Cancer Institute at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital. ``The fellowships will train a cadre of expert clinicians who will serve as beacons for others interested in improving care at the end of life throughout VA and the country.''
The new fellowship program has a large educational component. Trained clinicians are expected to serve as leaders promoting development and research. Selected training sites will be required to develop and implement an ``Education Dissemination Project'' to spread information beyond the training site through conferences, curricula for training programs, patient education materials and clinical demonstration projects.
And, of course, as resident doctors go out into the community, they take their training with them. More than 130 VA facilities have affiliations with 107 medical schools and 1,200 other schools across the country. More than half the physicians practicing in the United States have received part of their professional education in the VA health care system.
``VA's leadership comes at a critical time,'' said Dr. Charles F. von Gunten, medical director, Center for Palliative Studies, San Diego Hospice, and associate clinical professor of medicine at the University of California. ``Medical progress has led to more people living longer with illnesses which will ultimately be fatal. VA is laying the groundwork for making sure that progress in relieving suffering is made clinically available to its veterans and their families. With sustained funding, this initiative could change the face of health care.''
For more information about the program check the VA's Web page. | <urn:uuid:1a3ff5c5-7322-4002-b352-c62ac0abc91e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://meetingsnet.com/news/va-support-end-life-care-education-healthcare-professionals | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00046-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949632 | 542 | 1.984375 | 2 |
Court lets girl, 17, remove breasts
THE Family Court has allowed a 17-year-old girl to have her breasts removed so she can be more like a boy.
The teenager, code-named "Alex", was on court-ordered hormone medication from the age of 13 to prevent menstruation and breast development. She returned to the court in December 2007 asking for a double mastectomy to make it easier for her to pass as a boy.
The Chief Justice of the Family Court, Diana Bryant, decided it was in the teenager's best interests to have the surgery immediately rather than wait until turning 18.
The teenager had been diagnosed with "gender identity dysphoria", a psychological condition in which a person has the normal physical characteristics of one sex but longs to be the opposite sex.
Justice Bryant told The Age: "In the end, it wasn't a particularly difficult issue because the only real issue was, 'Would he (Alex) have it at 17 or once he's 18?' Then, he doesn't need permission.
"So the issue was, 'Was there any likelihood he would change his mind in the meantime, and was it in his best interests to have it at that time?'
"Overwhelmingly, the evidence was that it was in his interests. And I made that order. I wanted to make it quickly so that he could have the operation straightaway."
But ethicist Nick Tonti-Filippini said mainstream medicine did not recognise hormone treatments and surgery as treatment for gender dysphoria. He said it was a psychiatric disorder qualifying under American guidelines as a psychosis because "it's a belief out of accordance with reality".
"What you are trying to do is make a biological reality correspond to that false belief."
The Chief Justice said Alex had not had any urgent plans to proceed with further surgery when he turned 18. She did not make Alex wait for the mastectomies until of age because the teenager had been living as a boy since the age of 13.
"Everyone was absolutely adamant that he wasn't going to change his mind. He was very comfortable . . . that he was going to continue on this path."
The written judgement is due to be published soon.
Justice Bryant said it was better for the teenager to have the surgery at 17 because this was an age where she would qualify for support from state social services.
This was also a crucial time in her development: "It's a year when he's really cementing his friendships with peers that will stand him in good stead for moving into university and the wider world, and it was very important to him that he be able to do that confidently as a boy."
Justice Bryant said having breasts constrained Alex socially. She had to avoid being hugged by friends, could not go to the beach and had to wear binding. "So it was quite an impediment to his social development, which everyone thought was very important."
The decision was not irrevocable: "You can have prostheses and things. So if he changed his mind later on, it's reversible."
Justice Bryant said she heard evidence from medical experts and from Alex, her counsellor and an independent children's lawyer, and she called in the Office of the Public Advocate "because I wanted a contradictor". The evidence was overwhelmingly in favour of the surgery, she said.
Mr Tonti-Filippini said he was also concerned that in previous Family Court
cases involving gender dysphoria, the medical experts had been confined to a
small group of Melbourne doctors who work with sex changes.
Mr Tonti-Filippini said a Melbourne man who had had sex-change surgery at 22
was now suing his doctors because he regretted the decision and felt they had
not explored his doubts at the time.
The Family Court's 2004 ruling allowing Alex to take hormones provoked a debate about when children are old enough to make serious medical decisions.
There was another furore about a Family Court ruling in 2007 allowing a
12-year-old girl code-named "Brodie", who also wanted to be a boy, to begin a
course of puberty-suppressing hormones. The court was told
that Brodie had threatened self-harm at the prospect of her periods starting.
It was later claimed by a relative that Brodie's mother had had postnatal depression and had "brainwashed" the child by buying her boy's clothing from the time she was a baby and fostering boyish behaviour. Brodie's father had opposed the hormone move. | <urn:uuid:e1ec4a1e-4bc5-4bdc-8a27-86be03459f36> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theage.com.au/national/court-lets-girl-17-remove-breasts-20090503-arem.html?page=-1 | 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 | 0.990649 | 930 | 1.726563 | 2 |
By RON WINSLOW
News of the modest success of an AIDS vaccine is a "benchmark" in the 30-year-long battle against the devastating disease, said Barry Bloom, professor and former dean at the Harvard School of Public Health.
But whether it will be a landmark remains to be seen. That would depend on whether it leads to the development of a much more powerful vaccine that effectively prevents the transmission of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
Quest for a Vaccine
See a timeline of developments in the search for AIDS treatments.
Medical science's progress against AIDS has come in fits and starts since the first U.S. cases were diagnosed in Los Angeles and New York in 1981.
Six years later, AZT, developed by the former Burroughs Wellcome Co. of the U.K., was approved. It was followed by several similar drugs. Much like a cancer treatment, AZT knocked back the disease in many patients for a while. But the rapidly mutating human immunodeficiency virus, as HIV is officially known, quickly developed resistance to the treatment. That required patients to switch to other antiretroviral drugs.
A real breakthrough came in 1996 with the emergence of a class of drugs called protease inhibitors, whose development was spurred by an activist AIDS-patient community and led by such companies as Roche Holding AG, Abbott Laboratories and Merck & Co. The drugs proved especially effective when given in combination with two other AIDS drugs that were cousins of AZT. Desperately ill patients who started taking the cocktails were suddenly rescued from death's door and returned to good health.
In 1997, AIDS deaths in the U.S. and other developed countries began to decline for the first time since the epidemic began. The drug cocktail transformed AIDS from a lethal disease into a chronic ailment that has enabled millions of patients to live relatively normal lives.
But "treatment is an interim strategy," said Seth Berkley, president and chief executive officer of the nonprofit International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, a New York organization supporting development of a vaccine for HIV. "It saves lives, but it doesn't solve the problem." To prevent the disease, a vaccine is the best tool, he said.
Vaccine-development efforts have been disappointing, however. In 2003, researchers reported the first unsuccessful trial. In 2007, high hopes for a Merck candidate were dashed when the vaccine didn't have any effect against contracting the virus.
Then, early this month, vaccine hunters were energized by the report that an international team discovered a pair of new antibodies to HIV that experts said offered a promising new tack for vaccine research. The antibodies were "broadly neutralizing," which means they may be effective against most of the thousands of HIV strains. They were isolated from a person in Africa, where a vaccine is sorely needed.
Any vaccine based on the new antibodies is likely several years away.
Now the results of the Thai trial are also providing new hope. The rate of protection was 31%, not a lot in the vaccine world, but it was the first benefit ever detected for an AIDS vaccine in people. Harvard's Dr. Bloom said the discovery of the new antibodies and Thursday's announcement bode well for an important new milestone in the battle against the disease.
"When you have zero to work on, it's hard to do better," he said. "Once you have 30% and you figure out what's working and what isn't, you have a better shot at it."
Write to Ron Winslow at firstname.lastname@example.orgPrinted in The Wall Street Journal, page A5 | <urn:uuid:0bf3a268-fe5b-41a3-b2cf-22e66b1b6dca> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125384265618139781.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975522 | 745 | 3.046875 | 3 |
Regarding Kelly Erickson's June 19 letter: The sugar growers are trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the public yet again. The reference to a "no-cost" sugar policy comes from the fact that there is no line item in the federal budget for the program. This is partially true, but the Congressional Budget Office predicts taxpayer costs rising in the years ahead because of the sugar-to-ethanol program. To be crystal clear, the U.S. sugar program costs every consumer more money than would otherwise be the case in a free market—$3.5 billion a year, according to a study by Iowa State University economists.
Despite the claim of large candy companies expanding, federal statistics say 125,000 American workers lost their jobs in U.S. sugar-using industries between 1997 and 2010. A Commerce Department study stated a chief culprit in this job loss was the U.S.'s market-distorting sugar policy—three good manufacturing jobs are lost for every sugar job saved by the subsidy. I find it unconscionable that Congress is perpetuating an agricultural policy that costs American jobs. It is misguided policies, like the current sugar program, that benefit small special interests at the expense of hard-working Americans that need to end.
Rep. Robert J. Dold (R., Ill.)
Winnetka, Ill.Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page A12 | <urn:uuid:e5cb505b-764d-4512-b643-de36610e110e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052702303836404577476571981933622.html?ru=yahoo?mod=yahoo_itp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93421 | 287 | 1.554688 | 2 |
BasicQuery is a Java-based application used to access databases through JDBC. It features a Swing-based GUI and includes capabilities useful to developers when testing SQL statements against a database. BasicQuery also produces timing information, which is valuable during tuning exercises.
· Java Environment
What's New in This Release:
· Added menu option to Setup menu for controlling the splitting of SQL statements that include semicolons.
· Fixed a bug that caused SQL statement files to be truncated when an existing file was opened that did not contain the SQL statement last executed.
· Added utility method to split a string based on a pattern, but be sensitive to quoted sections of the string. The quoted sections are not split. | <urn:uuid:caa6ad95-2091-4ded-be82-bde665c47ef4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://linux.softpedia.com/get/Programming/Quality-Assurance-and-Testing/BasicQuery-11648.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00063-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93513 | 145 | 1.90625 | 2 |
Get A Job, Or: The Ethics of Library Internships
18/05/2012 § 31 Comments
Make your own card catalogues at blyberg.net
Well, it’s that time of year again…classes have wound down, we have (mostly) caught up on sleep after the bleary, stress-filled days of final exams and projects. And now, as we step blinking into the sunlight for the first time in months, our minds turn to the chirping of birds, the roar of road construction…and summer work.
But just as exams and projects are stressful, finding a way to occupy your summer brings its own concerns.
Many library school students will spend their summers doing internships, or as they are more commonly known in Canada, practicums. The School of Information Studies at McGill University, where I attend library school, offers such a summer practicum program. Participants spend ten hours a week during the summer doing unpaid work at a variety of institutions, including public libraries, university libraries, school libraries, hospitals, museums, corporations, and archives. When it was first announced, I was extremely interested in participating, but I soon began to have reservations. In fact, I find the whole idea of practicums/internships extremely problematic.
On the plus side, practicums provide library students with hands-on opportunities that they probably wouldn’t be able to get otherwise. You get a taste of a real working environment, you do a range of different things, and you actually get to apply the concepts you’ve been talking about in class all year. Practicums also provide valuable networking and mentoring opportunities. And since we live in the real world, we have to acknowledge that if organizations were required to pay their practicum students, these positions would not be nearly so plentiful. But as this article in The Atlantic points out, practicums/internships nonetheless have an element of exploitation: “Internships have become an inextricable part of the college experience and a pre-req for post-graduate employment. But this presents a Catch-22 for lower-income students who want to work in politics, research, journalism, non-profits, or other industries that traffic in unpaid internships.”
In short, students who can’t afford to work for free miss out.
Back in February, a mass e-mail was sent to everyone in my program about a summer library internship available with the United Nations in Vienna. I was able to think of several particularly sharp and knowledgeable classmates who would have made excellent candidates for it, and the opportunity could no doubt have launched a stellar career for each of them. But as the internship program does not reimburse students for travel expenses, living arrangements, or visa costs, none of us could afford to do it. By not providing any financial recompense for its interns, the UN is excluding many of the brightest and best in the field in favour of applicants who come from privileged socio-economic backgrounds. Admittedly, this is an extreme example, but I do find it ironic that an organization that spearheads international aid does not facilitate the induction of a more diverse range of people into its ranks.
As blogger named Lance at New Archivist states in this post: “I think most people will agree that diversity includes not only people of different racial and ethic backgrounds, but people of different economic backgrounds and experiences. However, at the same time we are giving a lot of lip service to diversity, we are also constructing roadblocks to achieving those goals.” People from all walks of life have a great deal to contribute to the library and archival communities and should have the opportunities to do so.
But not only may we be driving away those of lower socio-economic backgrounds, the willingness of volunteers to do the work that requires professional expertise undervalues our profession. This is the exact opposite of what we should be doing. Sadly, this is an age where most people don’t see the relevance of librarians and archivists anymore (including, sadly, the Canadian federal government, which recently made enormous cuts to Library and Archives Canada). The task falls to us to be tireless in our efforts to explain why our services are more necessary than ever.
The summer practicum is not an option for me. At thirty years of age, I am too old for parental assistance and because I was employed full time before starting library school, I am not eligible for student loans. I am funding my studies through a combination of personal savings and part-time work during the school year. Full-time summer employment is my only chance to counter the alarming depletion of my bank account. Of course, because the library field relies so much on student practicums, summer library positions for students are few and far between. I spent much of April grinding my teeth wondering how it would all pan out.
A potential solution, one that The Atlantic doesn’t mention, is government programs. I was hugely fortunate to find full-time summer employment in the library field through a government-subsidized program called Young Canada Works. It provides grants to public institutions such as libraries, museums, and NGOs to hire summer students. The program is hugely beneficial to both parties. The student is paid a fair wage and gains experience in his or her field, and the hiring institution gets a helping hand at no cost to them. At my job I get to do a bit of everything: circulation, cataloguing, home delivery, selection, weeding, and event planning. It will go far toward helping me find a professional position after graduation. I thank my lucky stars that the Canadian government funds this program. As it turns out, my employer has also hired practicum students through McGill’s program, and our job descriptions are basically identical. But because of Young Canada Works, I get paid. Not for a second do I take this for granted.
So for me, it worked out extremely well. However, given the cuts the Canadian government has recently made to both libraries and youth services, I cannot expect that this solution will benefit a wide range of library students. If anything, the number of beneficiaries is only likely to decline over the next few years. I understand why many feel that unpaid internships are their only option.
The thing is, I should not be too swift to condemn practicums, as they can be hugely beneficial. Especially since I do still hope to do one. But the circumstances in which students undertake them makes an enormous difference. In my case, McGill offers a winter practicum as well, when students do their ten hours a week in lieu of a fourth library school course. To me, this is key. I will still pay the same amount of tuition. The time I spend doing practicum work will be the same amount of time I would spend on coursework for a fourth class. It will not cut into my summer earning time, nor even the part-time job I hold during the school year. In situations where internships do not negatively impact a student’s financial position, I am all for them.
Have any of you had experience with practicums or internships, paid or unpaid? What effect have they had on your library career? Feel free to share your thoughts with me in the comments or you can tweet me at laurainthelib. | <urn:uuid:05e12c9b-6d79-4cfd-b8f3-b1f7fd009ca5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://hacklibschool.wordpress.com/2012/05/18/get-a-job-or-the-ethics-of-library-internships/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=d42062ed33 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965018 | 1,506 | 1.578125 | 2 |
WOONSOCKET – There may be hope yet for Alexander Kithes’ embattled backyard chickens.
City Councilman Marc Dubois says he’s seriously considering a proposal to lift the ban on keeping chickens, just as other cities and towns have done.
It may be time for the zoning ordinance to reflect modern sensibilities about food as more and more people, like the Kithes, seek to grow their own for environmental and health reasons, he says.
“It’s something that needs to be explored,” says Dubois. “I think it’s a trend where a lot of people are owning chickens for the farm fresh eggs or just for pets. As long as they’re well cared-for and not going on other people’s property and they’re properly contained, I think it’s something we need to discuss.”
On Jan. 16, Asst. Zoning Officer Leo Cote notified Kithes’ family that the three chickens they keep at their North End home are in violation of the city-wide prohibition on “farm animals,” which also covers goats, cows and pigs. The Kithes were told they had seven days to get rid of the chickens or the violation would be referred to Municipal Court.
Other chicken-keeping families have received similar notices during the last few months and have given up their fowl without a fight. But not Kithes.
After receiving the notice, the 2010 salutatorian from Woonsocket High School appeared before the City Council and told them the law should be changed. In an impassioned plea, he explained how his concerns about mass-produced, processed foods that dominate the marketplace prompted him to begin growing his own vegetables and how, eight months ago, he began raising chickens because he thought the eggs were better than store-bought for his sister, Ariana, who suffers from a chronic digestive disorder.
“I honestly consider it almost a right to produce my own food,” Kithes told The Call. “And the government is there to protect my rights.”
Kithes is no stranger to city officials, and most of them openly express admiration for his record of civic engagement, even as a teenager. Councilman Dubois first encountered him as a student advocate for preservation of advanced placement courses at Woonsocket High School several years ago, when Dubois was chairman of the School Committee. Mayor Leo T. Fontaine is also a Facebook friend of Kithes.
Now 20 and a junior at Boston University, Kithes lives with his parents and grandparents at 153 Winter St. During the week, while he’s away at college, other family members, including his father, George, take care of the chickens.
The elder Kithes doesn’t mind – they’re hardly any work at all. And he apparently shares his son’s passion for organic, homegrown food.
The native of Greece says he grew up collecting eggs from his grandmother’s coops and thought nothing of sucking down a raw one if the urge struck him.
“That’s not something you’d do with a supermarket egg,” he said during an interview at home.
Kithes says the cash-strapped city has better things to devote resources to than policing a hobby that can actually save people some money. He says the chickens don’t give off any odor or make any noise that’s potentially bothersome to neighbors and don’t attract nuisance pests, like insects or rodents.
In fact, it’s pretty hard to notice them at all. The chickens live in a small, neatly-kept coop that Kithes, a skilled woodworker, helped his son build. Not much bigger than a doghouse, the wood and wire enclosure is tucked snugly in the crook of the Kithes’ L-shaped ranch house, making it difficult to see from almost any angle.
Kithes said his son was mindful of the neighbors’ rights when he decided to raise chickens. He bought two Rhode Island Reds and two Golden Buffs as chicks last summer, but he ended up getting rid of one of them as soon as he could tell it was turning into a rooster. The remaining fowl are all hens, capable of little more noise-making than a soft cluck.
“A cat stinks worse than these chickens do,” he says. “There is no noise, completely; you can’t hear them at all.”
It’s no secret that some residents have been keeping chickens in Woonsocket for years, despite the explicit ban on the practice. City officials say the reason some, like Kithes, are given violation notices is because the chickens have caused someone to complain to the city, prompting an investigation; otherwise, the city doesn’t have the manpower to actively enforce the law.
If Woonsocket does open the door to chickens, it would join a growing list of communities that have relaxed their anti-fowl laws in response to a growing demand for homegrown produce and poultry. Toney Barrington – not the sort of place you’d expect to find a backyard coop – is among the latest converts, thanks to lobbying from some very organized pro-chicken citizens.
Alex Kithes says more than two dozen of the state’s 39 cities and towns now permit residents to keep chickens, including Providence and other urban areas.
In Cranston, a group calling itself People Encouraging Chicken Keeping, or PECK, helped persuade the City Council to adopt an ordinance permitting residents to keep chickens in November, but Mayor Allan Fung later vetoed the measure. The mayor said he was concerned that keeping chickens might adversely affect property values and exacerbate an existing problem with rodent infestations in some areas.
Woonsocket’s mayor says he’s has an open mind, but it’s hard to predict what he would do without seeing some specifics from the City Council.
“Enforcement becomes the issue depending on how the ordinance is structured,” says Fontaine. “But I would certainly consider it.”
Dubois says he would not propose a chicken ordinance without safeguards to protect neighbors. He says he plans on meeting with Kithes this weekend to look over some model ordinances and might introduce something before the end of February.
In the meantime, he says, he hopes the zoning office holds back on issuing Kithes a summons.
“If people know this is something that’s going to be discussed or amended, I would hope they’d hold off on citing the poor guy,” he says. | <urn:uuid:d65bcc30-7b2e-475c-9e60-c3b96eb84087> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.woonsocketcall.com/node/7318?quicktabs_2=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966524 | 1,490 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Identified individuals are represented by a biographical sketch, a list of connections to other signatures, and, in most cases, an artifact from the Ransom Centers collections. Help us identify more signatures by submitting your suggested identification.
The prolific novelist Jeanne Judson (d.1981) published dozens of romance novels from the 1950s through the 1970s under her own name and the pseudonyms Emily Thorne and Frances Dean Hancock. Her career in the book business started early. A 1919 issue of the Bookman quoted her brief autobiographical statement: "I have earned my own living since I was fifteen years of age--as a printer, a proof-reader, a reporter, a press agent, an advertising copy writer and advertising salesman, etc. I have lived in San Francisco, Chicago, Detroit, New York, Grand Rapids, St. Louis, and many smaller towns." She worked as an editor for the magazine Smart Set in the 1910s, and during World War I, Mother's magazine sent Judson to England to report on the war for the magazine's readership. While there she served as a nurse at a hospital and published poems and articles on the Red Cross in various magazines upon her return. For a time, Judson was married to the writer Gordon Stiles. Judson was a prolific novelist in her early career, publishing two novels in book form and others in serial form in magazines in the late 1910s and early 1920s. The 1919 novel The Beckoning Roads was made into a film the year it was published. After this early period of productivity, Judson did not return to novel-writing for more than two decades.
A letter from Jeanne Judson to Ernest Noddall Willett, annotated by Willett, August 14, 1919
With this letter, Judson started the process of contracting a British edition of her 1919 novel, The Beckoning Roads by contacting editor Ernest Noddall Willett at the publishing house of John Lane. At the bottom, Willett has noted "English Rights Offered." However, John Lane does not appear to have published an edition of the book. | <urn:uuid:ed4142a6-02a9-433e-964e-ac06cd1e98c9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://norman.hrc.utexas.edu/bookshopdoor/signature.cfm?item=31 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970881 | 428 | 2.015625 | 2 |
In 1997, the “Tournament Set for the Card Game” was published as the first Card Game expansion. My inspiration for this expansion came from “Magic, the Gathering,” during the mid-nineties a cult game in Germany. Although the rules of the two games are totally different, they do have one thing in common: both games can be expanded by means of new cards.
I liked the concept of Magic, where each player assembles his own deck from a selection of cards to compete against his opponent. I adopted this concept for the Tournament Set I wanted to develop especially for ambitious gamers: the players no longer replenish their hand with cards from shared stacks but from their own stacks, which they assemble from the cards of the Basic Game and the cards of the Tournament Set before the actual game begins.
Now, with one’s own card stacks, it was much more effective to pursue a certain strategy. However, each player needed a Basic Game and a Tournament Set to ensure a satisfactory selection of cards for the respective strategy.
I didn’t adopt Magic’s trading card concept. A player who – in Magic and in all other trading card games that came after it – wants to get new cards must buy so-called “booster packs,” which are small expansions containing randomly integrated cards. These small expansions include more common and less common cards. If a player wants less common cards, that is, good cards, he has no choice but to purchase some booster packs to get those cards.
Of course, a lot of money can be made with a trading card game, but I thought that the concept didn’t go well with Catan, and I also was a little afraid that I would be compelled to continuously invent more cards to fill the small booster packs with new cards.
Therefore, the Catan Card Game did not become a trading card game. The tournament fun didn’t come cheap, though – after all, each player needed his own Basic Game and his own Tournament Set. Although a corresponding note in big letters was showing on the back of the Tournament Set box, many buyers overlooked it and were understandably disappointed that the Tournament Set in combination with their Basic Game wasn’t enough.
Dissatisfied gamers are an anathema to every game author, and the publisher Kosmos wasn’t happy about the complaints arriving every day either. Therefore, I came up with a variant that allowed playing the Tournament Set with only one Basic Game: the expanded Basic Game was born. Already in the second edition, this variant was integrated into the rules of the Tournament Set. A third edition was not published because the Tournament Set paved the way for individual Theme Sets.
With each Theme Set, an expanded Basic Game – that is, a Basic Game with additional, theme-related cards – was possible. At the same time, each Theme Set offered ambitious Tournament Game players the possibility to use additional cards for developing new strategies or decks.
The Theme Sets appearing in October of 1998 were called Wizards and Dragons, Politics and Intrigue, Trade and Change, Science and Progress, and Knights and Merchants. They comprised the cards of the Tournament Set as well as new cards whose basic ideas people had sent to Kosmos in the context of an ideas competition.
This ideas competition developed into a giant project for me that kept me busy for almost nine months. Over a thousand letters came in, and some contained novel ideas. Now the task was to integrate those ideas with the already existent cards and my own ideas about the theme-related sets.
When the prototypes of the new Theme Sets were ready, I mainly tested them within the circle of my family and with members of the Kosmos staff. At the time, I also received support from Brigitte and Wolfgang Ditt who tested the new sets and provided valuable tips and suggestions. As is the case with tests, shortcomings came to light. Cards were rejected or modified and changed over to other Theme Sets. Then the testing, rejecting, and modifying continued, and later there was more testing…
When the Theme Sets finally were done, I heaved a sigh that probably could be heard beyond the walls of our house. I was relieved to have concluded the work, but I was also satisfied with the new Theme Sets and hoped the gamers would be too.
Since the Theme Sets sold very well, I assumed that people liked them. In 2001, the company USM published a PC version of the Card Game – including a small expansion called “Tournament Cards 2002″ – and simultaneously created an Internet platform that enabled players to compete in the Tournament Game online. Every once in a while, I also played there and soon found out that some cards were actually too strong, while other cards were almost never used in a game.
Originally, I hadn’t planned on developing another expansion for the Card Game, but somehow I couldn’t stop thinking about the shortcomings regarding the interplay of the cards when playing in Tournament mode.
In 2003, therefore, the sixth Theme Set was published. It was called Barbarians and Traders. On the one hand, with the theme of this set I wanted to seize the idea from the Board Game expansion “Cities & Knights,” where the players jointly defend themselves against the invading barbarians. On the other hand, there were – as mentioned before – some cards in the old sets that allowed for overly powerful decks and other cards that were irrelevant. In combination with a minor reform of the old cards, the new Theme Set was meant to reduce the potential of overly strong deck strategies and strengthen the variety of strategic directions of decks.
After I had created the first prototype, I asked some experienced Tournament players I had met when playing on the Internet or at the Catan weekends in Bilstein, Germany, to help me test the game. At this point – given the great variety of existing cards and their possible applications in the Tournament Game – I no longer thought myself capable of keeping track of all eventualities or recognizing all possible shortcomings of the cards.
After six months of intensive collaboration, my previous prototype had changed its appearance. The basic idea had survived, but some of my cards had been eliminated, and my fellow testers’ card ideas had found their way into the set instead – an example of this being the Scribes Offices, a card the card gamer community can hardly do without nowadays. The testing team had become a development team. (More information about the development team can be found here under “Barb. & Handelsherren” – German language only.)
In the meantime, the annual sales figures were declining considerably. Sebastian Rapp, meanwhile responsible for Catan at Kosmos, and I agreed that the Tournament Game was the culmination of the Card Game – but nevertheless reached only a relatively small number of gamers. Therefore, the next new set, titled “Artisans and Benefactors” and published in 2007, focused on the expanded Basic Game.
For this set too, I presented a prototype whose central theme was the satisfaction of the subjects to the well-tried development team established in 2003. Once more, a very constructive development phase ensued. The end result was a set mainly suitable for gamers who found the Tournament Game too elaborate and time-consuming and who wanted an exciting expansion for their Basic Game, but it also contained cards that were interesting for Tournament players. The set actually received very good reviews, and many gamers rated it the best Theme Set for the expanded Basic Game.
However, the new Theme Set unfortunately couldn’t stop the sales figures from declining. Unlike the Board Game, which year after year shows rather constant sales figures, the Card Game sales dropped considerably each year. It was foreseeable that Kosmos sooner or later would have to remove the Card Game from their game portfolio. So, at the end of 2008, the question was what to do next. Two possibilities were discussed: either to let the Card Game die or to revive it.
I agreed with Kosmos that a revival shouldn’t just concern the graphic art but should also include a revision of the game’s content. The fact that it was more and more difficult for the Card Game to win friends surely had its reasons.
In my next blog post I will specify those reasons and describe my thought process that laid the ground for the revision of the Card Game. | <urn:uuid:260fbe48-0290-4454-9224-c51028b29ec4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.catan.com/tag/expansion-packs/page/3/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980976 | 1,717 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Career management is most of the time not properly taken care of by many people. But, in order to be successful in your career, there should be some steps to be followed and be serious about them.
Here they are:
1. Career Vision
Before anything else, this is the first thing that you should do. It’s like going on a trip. You should know your destination. Driving without knowing where you’re going to is wasting time, gas, and even your sanity. Career is also like that. You should know where you want to end up. Career Management is visualizing where you’re going and the reason why you’re heading there. You may not know the exact way on how to get there but at least you know your destination. Make your family as your inspiration to have a better vision of your career.
2. Career Road Map
To start with this, you should do something to enhance what you already know to reach your ultimate goal. Be up to date on the things that are related to your skills/talent. For example, if you are a virtual assistant, don’t just stick on plain office work. Try to widen your horizons; research online what is new that will make your skills more valuable. If you are good at Facebook and you have friends, why not learn the ins and outs of it to make yourself an expert on this field so you can add more skills to your original skills. You can be a social media manager by assisting start-up companies with their social media accounts. This way, you’ll be a multitasking virtual assistant not just an administrative assistant. Career Management is following the road to your success by investing more effort and time to be great in your chosen field. Improving your life with every step you can take.
3. Update your Online Profile
As a freelance contractor, you should not let your online profile grow old and cold. This is your online resume, reflecting who you are and what you do. Make sure you add new finished projects to your portfolio and keep in touch with your clients so you can make them as your reference someday. If you update your online profile, you’ll not have a problem making it from scratch when a great opportunity comes. Your online profile speaks a lot in landing on a great project. This is your tool in selling your skills to your prospective client. Sound knowledgeable and confident in presenting yourself. If you’re not confident, how can you expect the client to be confident enough to trust you to work on his project if you are not sure yourself on what you’re going to do for him?
Career management is not just focusing on oneself. It’s also building a regular good working relationship with others and maintaining it on a long term basis for future purposes. This will help you in the future when you’ll be hunting for work at home jobs. Knowing the person is not enough; try to create a friendly environment and real relationship with like minded people because sooner or later this people will help you land on a job. Don’t be a ladder climber, don’t fake any relationship. Be open and true because these people will soon help you advance your career. Who knows? So, build a big network and be nice.
Career management is to be done wisely throughout your entire career to meet your goals and be successful. It’s not just looking for a job but staying in a job where you can share your passion through the rest of your working life to be successful.
We’ll write more tips about career management so, keep in touch.
Other Related Articles: | <urn:uuid:8309a92a-f2b3-4463-8411-dd700b689c61> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.globalvirtualcareers.net/career-management-steps-on-how-to-have-a-successful-career/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955852 | 755 | 2.046875 | 2 |
Frisco And Plano Gynecology
This page describes some of the gynecologic services we provide to our patients in the Frisco, Plano and surrounding areas. You may click on a topic, below, to jump to a specific part of this page:
Sexually Transmitted Infections and Vaccinations
A wide variety of diseases are attributable to bacterial and viral infections primarily acquired during sexual contact. These diseases are increasing in reported incidence at an alarming rate, undoubtedly because of increased sexual activity at younger ages, permissive sexual attitudes, the availability of effective contraception and abortion services, and increased physician awareness. Routine and sometimes specific testing is recommended to women who are sexually active. Increasing testing sensitivity and even prevention vaccinations are routinely recommended to certain individuals. We offer comprehensive screening and Human Papilloma Virus / HPV vaccinations to females who fit the recommended criteria supported by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Other commonly screened STD’s are Chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes, HIV, syphilis, and Hepatitis.
Nearly half of all pregnancies in the United States are unintended. Therefore, the challenge of preconception care lies not only in addressing pregnancy planning for women who seek medical care and consultation specifically in anticipation of a planned pregnancy but also in educating and screening all reproductively capable women on an ongoing basis to identify potential maternal and fetal risks and hazards to pregnancy before and between pregnancies.
Many forms of effective contraception are available. Discussion with your healthcare provider will determine what modality is best for you and your partner’s desires for pregnancy prevention. Emergency contraception is always an option, but having an effective contraceptive method that you feel confident and comfortable with is the better alternative for pregnancy planning.
Abnormal Vaginal Bleeding
Abnormal vaginal bleeding can frequently be evaluated and diagnosed with a thorough history and physical examination with minimal testing. Most ovulatory menstrual cycles are regular, cyclic and predictable. The typical interval is between 25-34 days apart and lasting 3-7 days in duration with an average blood loss of 30-80 cc. When there is a deviation of this pattern, there may be an abnormality that should be investigated. Common terminology to explain these abnormal variations are:
- menorrhagia (cyclic menstrual bleeding that is excessive in duration and/or amount);
- ligomenorrhea (bleeding or light spotting that occurs at intervals longer than 35 days);
- metrorrhagia (bleeding that occurs at irregular intervals);
- menometrorrhagia (excessive and prolonged bleeding at frequent and irregular intervals)
Most ovulatory women experience some form of dysmenorrhea or “menstrual cramps” each month. When these monthly discomforts affect the normal function of a woman’s daily routine, it is usually considered severe and warrants a gynecologic evaluation. Typical “cramps” are usually alleviated with timed use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs commonly known as NSAIDs. These are common medications found over the counter in the form of Ibuprofen or Naproxen. Sometimes these medications only partially or inadequately relieve the symptoms, of which further evaluation and gynecologic treatment is needed. Common gynecologic conditions related to dysmenorrhea include: uterine leiomyomata, endometriosis, adenomyosis, pelvic infection, and endometrial or cervical polyps.
Pelvic Organ Prolapse and Stress Urinary Incontinence
Pelvic organ prolapsed, a type of pelvic floor disorder, can affect many women. In fact, about 1/3
of all women can be affected by this condition in their lifetime. The pelvic floor consists of a group
of muscles supporting the pelvic area. This structure is important in keeping the uterus, vagina, bladder,
small bowel and rectum in its proper orientation. When there is a disruption or injury to this support,
such as through childbirth, relaxation or prolapse of these structures occurs. Common symptoms resulting
from such injuries include urinary incontinence (mostly with “stress” events such as coughing or sneezing),
difficulty with bowel movements, low back pain, pressure or fullness in the pelvic area, painful sexual
intercourse, the sensation of something “falling out” vaginally and even irregular vaginal bleeding.
Fortunately, these conditions can be treated with either or a combination of surgical and non-surgical
interventions that you can expect a gynecologist to provide.
Pelvic pain can be caused by a multitude of reasons. It can be related to the female reproductive organs
(vagina, cervix, uterus, ovaries and fallopian tubes), gastrointestinal in nature (appendicitis,
constipation, diverticulitis), from the urinary tract (bladder infections, kidney stones), musculoskeletal
in origin (hernias, pelvic fractures, nerve injuries) or even referred or psychogenic. A gynecologist is
specially trained to evaluate women with this condition, whether it is acute or chronic in nature. A
complete history and physical examination will usually determine the etiology of acute pelvic pain. When
the pain is of a chronic duration (mostly described as occurring for 6 months or longer), more intensive
evaluation is usually needed. This may include laboratory testing as well as radiographic imaging (such
as an ultrasound) and even diagnostic procedures (laparoscopy, colonoscopy, and cystoscopy). Determining
the etiology behind chronic pelvic pain can be a very challenging endeavor. Having a good relationship with
your gynecologist with allow him / her to develop the best plan of management for you.
Vaginal discharge is one of the three most common presenting complaints in gynecology. The most common causes
of lower genital tract inflammation are due to vulvovaginal candidiasis (yeast infections), bacterial
vaginosis, trichomonal infections, bacterial vaginitis and chemical vulvovaginitis. Fortunately, a
gynecologist can easily diagnose these conditions with a history, physical examination and office
laboratory tests which usually include a saline wet mount of the discharge and a measurement of the
vaginal acidity (pH level). Other conditions that may present with an abnormal vaginal discharge
include sexually transmitted infections (such as herpes, Chlamydia, gonorrhea) and retained foreign
bodies. A gynecologist is specially trained to diagnose and manage any conditions pertaining to the
Endometriosis is a benign condition in which endometrial glands (cells lining the uterine cavity) are found
in extra-uterine locations. It is estimated that 10-20% of all reproductive aged women are affected by this
condition that can range from having no symptoms to causing severe debilitating pain. Unfortunately, nothing
about endometriosis is simple. This condition usually presents itself with chronic pelvic pain (either
constant or intermittent), dyspareunia (pain with sexual intercourse), dysmenorrhea (painful menstrual
cramps) and infertility. The standard test to diagnose this condition is to obtain tissue samples confirming
endometrial tissue outside of the uterine cavity, usually done via laparoscopy. Since this condition is very
common, minimally invasive surgery with laparoscopy is often not needed to begin treatment for this
condition. Both medical and surgical options are used and often successful in treating endometriosis.
Management plans should be based on the patient’s desires and needs with the medical expertise of her | <urn:uuid:ec1334a6-71b9-47ee-8987-68ac6537f373> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://davidfongmd.com/frisco-plano-gynecology.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00051-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.919187 | 1,570 | 1.953125 | 2 |
A recent report by Thomson Reuters shows that discoveries and insights by University of Rochester researchers disproportionately shape the thinking of other scientists. The study places the University of Rochester on a short list of influential U.S. research institutions whose scholarly publications were referred to most frequently by colleagues.
"This report is further evidence of the exceptional and innovative work being done by our scientific faculty," said Joel Seligman, president of the University of Rochester. "It is also an affirmation that our researchers are global leaders and innovators in critical scientific fields such as medicine, engineering, optics, and energy."
The report compiled the number of times an institution's researchers were cited by other authors in peer-reviewed scientific journals over a five year period from 2005 to 2009. During that period the University of Rochester received $1.8 billion in external research funding. The frequency in which a scholar's work is referenced by another researcher is considered to be an indication of the importance and influence of the original work and is often used as a performance benchmark for individual scientists, institutions, and even entire fields of study.
The report uses a measure it calls "relative citation impact" which takes into account the number of citations, the prominence of the journals in which the citations appear, and field in which an individual institution specializes. This analysis is intended to measure the quality of an institution's scientific output, regardless of the quantity of published research. In the report, the University of Rochester ranked 17th in the nation in relative citation impact and its score has increased over the last 30 years even as average U.S. university performance essentially remained flat.
Examples of work by University of Rochester scientists that have been frequently cited in recent years include: research that has led to the creation of an new scientific discipline to examine the potential health risks of nanoparticles; work identifying cancer patients at risk for deadly blood clots; studies demonstrating how video games can improve vision and decision-making; studies establishing the effectiveness and safety of a new vaccine for pandemic influenza; the development of new imaging techniques that enable scientists to view objects on a nano and molecular scale; cardiac research on a rare family of heart arrhythmias and the effectiveness of a new class of cardiac defibrillators; the development of a class of ultra thin membranes that can filter molecular sized particles; and a novel approach to the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
"One of the true indicators of the importance of a scientific discovery is the degree to which it serves as a foundation of future knowledge," said Ralph Kuncl, Ph.D., M.D., provost of the University of Rochester. "The mission of research universities is to push the boundaries of science and contribute to our collective understanding. By this measure, our scientists are at the forefront of efforts to address some of the most complex scientific problems facing our society."
"The academic principle of disseminating scientific knowledge is essential to the process of translating discoveries into new treatments, innovation, and technologies," said Bradford C. Berk, M.D., Ph.D., CEO of the University of Rochester Medical Center. "The process of harnessing shared and accumulated knowledge to advance science and improve health is a vital component of U.S. global economic and scientific leadership. This report underscores the unique and central contribution that research universities make to the nation's economic vitality."
The full Thomson Reuters study – titled "Global Research Report: United States" – is available at: http://researchanalytics.thomsonreuters.com/grr/ | <urn:uuid:82372b85-0f25-40a3-9757-1c05f86d249e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rochester.edu/news/show.php?id=3735 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942773 | 709 | 2.46875 | 2 |
Paul McLane is U.S. editor in chief.
Kudos to the FCC Media Bureau, which has decided it will allow U.S. AM stations to use technologies that reduce transmitter power consumption — techniques that have been available to broadcasters elsewhere for years.
In the United States, Nautel and Harris offer such technology for AM use, and Nautel's Tim Hardy has been a vocal proponent in recent years. Radio World has reported on interest in the issue. Alaska Public Broadcasting Inc. Director of Engineering Chuck Lakaytis has been particularly active in exploring this and spoke about his experience at the spring NAB Show, so AM owners probably owe him a particular “thank you” right now (or maybe a penny for each dollar saved on their power bills!).
Stations will still need a waiver of rules to proceed, but the bureau has set up procedures to seek the waiver, and it indicated it would approve requests that use the Nautel and Harris options.
“Such technologies, known generally as Modulation-Dependent Carrier Level control technologies or algorithms, have long been used by international broadcasters operating high-powered AM transmitters,” the FCC staff wrote. “Easier implementation of MDCL algorithms and higher energy costs have recently made these techniques more attractive to domestic broadcasters.”
The amount of energy savings depends on various factors, but the FCC said that in typical cases, power consumption of an AM transmitter can be reduced by 20 to 40 percent. Tim Hardy at Nautel was quoted by RW’s Leslie Stimson earlier this year saying, “It would be fairly easy to save $20,000 a year if you have a 50 kW AM transmitter running 24/7, based on modest electricity rates of 10 cents per kilowatt hour.”
The Media Bureau in its announcement offered a short history, noting that in the 1980s, European entities like the BBC, AEG Telefunken and ABB Group developed algorithms to reduce power consumption by radio transmitters.
“These algorithms, known variously as Dynamic Amplitude Modulation, Amplitude Modulation Companding, Adaptive Carrier Control or Dynamic Carrier Control, decrease carrier power by amounts up to 6 dB, with the power reductions applied at different modulation levels depending on the algorithm.”
In the U.S., Harris offers Amplitude Modulation Companding (AMC) and Adaptive Carrier Control (ACC) features for its AM transmitters, and can add the feature to some older transmitters. Nautel includes an option, Dynamic Carrier Control (DCC), on NX series transmitters, and can install it on other models. The FCC said it will consider waiver requests for implementation using other transmitters, if any come forward.
The commission staff noted that the reduction in AM signal power at certain modulation levels “inevitably exacts some penalty upon audio quality. Depending on the content of the audio program, MDCL algorithms may introduce some audio distortion or may decrease the signal-to-noise ratio in the receiver.” They may also erode coverage slightly at the fringes of your protected service area. “Both the long experience of transmitter manufacturers and broadcasters abroad, and the initial reports from experimental operations in Alaska, however, indicate that such adverse effects are generally imperceptible.”
The FCC also noted that field strength readings could be affected, so it encouraged stations to disable the technology before doing field strength measurements. “We expect licensees to cooperate with field strength measurement programs by other stations.” It also said it would allow AM stations broadcasting IBOC to implement the technology if the hybrid signal continues to comply with spectral emissions mask requirements and the relative level of the analog signal to the digital signal remains constant.
AM stations that want to implement the technology should send a letter requesting a waiver of Section 73.1560(a) of the Rules, addressed to:
The FCC said applicants should also email a copy to Ann.Gallagher@fcc.gov.
The letter should spell out which technology you plan to use and how it will be implemented. If approved, the division will issue a modified station license indicating that a waiver has been granted to permit use of a specific MDCL technology, resulting in the variation of transmitter power to levels below 90 percent of the station’s nominal licensed power.
But note, the FCC will still require that your transmitter achieve full licensed power at some audio input level, or when the MDCL is disabled temporarily. “This requirement will permit stations to use energy-saving MDCL technologies, which preserve licensed coverage areas, while distinguishing between such operations and simple reductions in transmitter power, which do not.” It said it will also continue to authorize operations for stations that want to evaluate MDCL technology. Those requests require only an informal application, typically a letter.
Good job, FCC. Good job, Chuck Lakaytis, and the folks at the transmitter companies who have been pushing these ideas forward. (There's a side moral to this story: The private sector can in fact influence regulatory bodies to make productive changes, despite cynicism to the contrary about that -- especially if its ideas are put forward with persistence and technical care. Such activism is even more important in an era when the FCC and other regulators may have fewer technical resources on staff. )
For questions about the waiver requests, email Ann.Gallagher@fcc.gov. | <urn:uuid:603d36f5-6e71-43e5-948e-28e30d565275> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rwonline.com/printblog.aspx?EntryId=201 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941749 | 1,114 | 1.78125 | 2 |
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER CODE OF
Shared by: cot14472
ADDENDUM D CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER CODE OF PROFESSIONAL ETHICS December 15, 2003 Preface The Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer (the “Officers”) hold important and elevated roles in corporate governance. The Officers are vested with both the responsibility and authority to protect, balance and preserve the interests of all of the Company’s stakeholders, including shareholders, clients, employees, suppliers and citizens of the communities in which business is conducted. The Officers fulfill this responsibility by prescribing and enforcing the polices and procedures employed in the operation of the Company’s financial organization, and by demonstrating the following: I. Honest and Ethical Conduct The Officers will exhibit and promote the highest standards of honest and ethical conduct through the establishment and operation of policies and procedures that: • Encourage and reward professional integrity in all aspects of the financial organization, by eliminating inhibitions and barriers to responsible behavior, such as coercion, fear of reprisal, or alienation from the financial organization or the Company itself. • Prohibit and eliminate the appearance or occurrence of conflicts between what is in the best interest of the Company and what could result in material personal gain for the Officers. • Provide a mechanism for members of the finance organization to inform management of deviations in practice from policies and procedures governing honest and ethical behavior. • Demonstrate their personal support for such policies and procedures through periodic communication reinforcing these ethical standards throughout the organization. II. Financial Records and Periodic Reports Senior Officers will establish and manage the Company’s transaction and reporting systems and procedures to ensure that: • Business transactions are properly authorized and completely and accurately recorded on the Company’s books and records in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Procedures (“GAAP”) and established Company financial policy. • The retention or proper disposal of Company records shall be in accordance with established Company financial polices and applicable legal and regulatory requirements. • Periodic financial communications and reports will be delivered in a manner that facilitates the highest degree of clarity of content and meaning so that readers and users will quickly and accurately determine their significance and consequence. III. Compliance with Applicable Laws, Rules and Regulations The Officers will establish and maintain mechanisms to: • Educate members of the Company about any federal, state or local statute, regulation or administrative procedure that affects the operation of the finance organization and the Company generally. • Monitor the compliance of the finance organization with any applicable federal, state or local statute, regulation or administrative rule. • Identify, report and correct in a swift and certain manner, any detected deviations from applicable federal, state or local statute or regulation. | <urn:uuid:10f5e793-a1d3-4971-b1e4-2a4c519be501> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.docstoc.com/docs/46594331/CHIEF-EXECUTIVE-OFFICER-AND-CHIEF-FINANCIAL-OFFICER-CODE-OF | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.92429 | 571 | 2.109375 | 2 |
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|CONTACT:||Keith Riggs • firstname.lastname@example.org
P.O. Box 21628, Juneau AK 99802
|April 28, 2010|
|Forest Service Presents Ceremonial Staffs to Central Council|
JUNEAU, Alaska- At the annual General Assembly of the Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska in 2008, Alaska Regional Forester Dennis Bschor and Tongass National Forest Supervisor Forest Cole acknowledged the removal of Alaska Native fish camps, smokehouses, and cabins by the Forest Service in the mid-1900s.
“I am here today to stand before you and acknowledge that these things happened, that the Forest Service, in its efforts to manage uses of the Tongass National Forest, did burn and remove many fish camps, cabins, and smokehouses that once belonged to Alaska Native families and clans,” Bschor said at the time.
With the removal of fish camps and smokehouses, an essential aspect of the traditional pattern of life was lost. Opportunities for families to work together harvesting fish, to pass cultural knowledge from one generation to the next, and to learn respectful ways of harvesting and processing traditional foods were diminished. Alaska Native identity was seriously damaged with the loss of the seasonal camps.
By acknowledging the past, Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska and the Forest Service paved the way for respectful and honorable relationships, and continued partnerships.
On April 21, 2010, that acknowledgment was commemorated with the presentation of two ceremonial staffs from the Forest Service to the Central Council during the 75th Annual Tribal Assembly of the Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. The Central Council is the governing body for over 27,000 tribal citizens.
Lillian Petershoare, Tribal Government Relations Specialist for the Alaska Region coordinated the creation and presentation of the staffs. “To me, the staffs represented our integrity; a representation of our good will,” she said. “The acknowledgement ceremony (in 2008) was a beautiful thing to have happened. At that ceremony we heard, for the first time, tribal elders say, ‘this is the first time I’m using the word, ‘trust’ when working with the Forest Service.”
“We did a series of interviews after the acknowledgement ceremony (in 2008) and would get comments where people would say, ‘I would visit district ranger offices and I never really felt welcome but now I know that the Forest Service wants to work with the tribes.’ We had a huge paradigm shift take place,” Petershoare revealed. “You would talk to people about it and you could feel the anger, the pain, the hurt. In acknowledging this – that was pretty tremendous.”
Deputy Regional Forester Paul Brewster said, “I had the privilege of participating in the (2008) acknowledgement ceremony. The ceremony had a deep impact on me … By acknowledging the past, Central Council and the Forest Service have paved the way for respectful and honorable relationships, and continued partnerships. My hope is that these staffs will serve as a powerful symbol for our future relations.”
Forest Service Tribal Relations Liaison Donald Frank, his son Steven Frank and Angoon resident Jamie Daniels carved the staffs. One depicts a raven, the other depicts an eagle; the eagle and the raven are symbols of unity between the Tlingit and Haida people in Southeast Alaska. Each staff has a plaque commemorating the 2008 announcement. John Autrey, the Tribal Relations Specialist for the Tongass National Forest assisted in coordinating the creation of the staffs. | <urn:uuid:9de5f94c-8190-4f2c-92c6-a9112a0a6b5d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fs.fed.us/r10/ro/newsroom/releases/Forest_Service_Presents_Ceremonial_Staffs_to_Central_Council_100428.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944022 | 768 | 2.40625 | 2 |
At first sight, these new materials are simply odd: thin as a hair, transparent and full of holes. Like the optical fibers that are the mainstay of the telecommunications industry, they’re made of glass. But there the similarities with conventional materials come screeching to a halt.
The center of each of these novel fibers-which are made at the University of Bath, in England-is hollow. In existing optical fibers, light is transmitted through a glass core. In the fibers made at Bath, light travels unhindered through air. The light beam is confined to the hollow core by the holes in the surrounding glass material, which looks like a honeycomb in cross section and creates a strictly no-go region for light. The ability to confine light in air this way, says Philip Russell, a Bath physicist, “could completely revolutionize telecommunications.”
The reason for the excitement is that, in principle at least, sending light through air rather than through glass could greatly increase the efficiency and capacity of today’s high-speed telecom networks. These new materials, called photonic crystal fibers, should “leak” less light and carry more intense light pulses without distortion, reducing the need to constantly boost a signal-an expensive chore in today’s optical networks. Photonic crystal fibers should be able to convey much more information along fiber-optic networks while lowering installation and maintenance costs. They will be to existing fibers as a 10-lane freeway is to a country lane. Not only will they take more traffic, but the journey will be smoother and there will be less need for refueling.
It is still early in the development of this new generation of optical fibers. Even the most advanced of the new materials remain several years from widespread commercial use. But with so much at stake-optical telecommunications is a multibillion-dollar business-several industrial labs, including Corning and a handful of startups, are in hot pursuit of their own versions of photonic fibers. While it’s too soon to predict which will prevail, rival approaches developed at the University of Bath and at MIT are already competing head-to-head to become the optical fiber of tomorrow.
These efforts may bear fruit just in time for the telecommunications industry. The huge expansion of long-distance optical data transmission in recent years, fed by the growth of the Internet and its bandwidth-hogging applications, has led researchers to find ways to shoot more light and more complex signals through optical fibers (see “Wavelength Division Multiplexing,” TR March/April 1999). But many experts believe that in the coming decades it will become impossible to squeeze any more performance out of the current generation of glass fibers. Although it’s difficult to predict exactly when the roadblock will be reached, Jim West, a scientist at Corning’s research laboratories in New York, definitely believes “we’ll run into those limits.” And that’s when the next generation of fiber optics will become crucial in feeding the world’s apparently endless appetite for bandwidth. | <urn:uuid:f08a29f7-f26f-466d-bc31-06f131584310> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.technologyreview.com/featuredstory/400981/the-next-generation-of-optical-fibers/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94182 | 634 | 3.4375 | 3 |
This course covers the mandatory requirement for certification of ratings forming part of the navigational watch and navigational functions at the support level under Regulation II/4, Section A-II/4 of STCW 1995.
The trainee who successfully completes this course will understand the responsibilities of a look-out; how to take the approximate bearing of a sound signal, light, or other objects in degrees or points; and develop the ability to communicate with officers on matters relevant to watch keeping duties.
The Ships Organization
Steering and the Use of Compass
Keeping a Proper Look-out
Monitoring and Controlling a Safe Watch
Operation of Emergency Equipment and Application of Emergency Procedures
Chapter II, Section B-II/4
At least high school graduate, not less than 18y/o, physically fit & have served six months on board ship as Ordinary Seaman (OS) or General Purpose (GP).
Twice a month
Get up to date news from our training school.
MTC's Launch of the Integrated New Ship's Bridge and Engine Room Simulators | <urn:uuid:1470b57e-f6ba-4fa9-8551-838dc9549259> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.magsaysaytraining.com/index.php/mtc/courses/2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.905926 | 218 | 2 | 2 |
Vacuum Groom Your Pet
|Have you thought of vacuuming the hair off your pet before? We've all thought of it, the idea of a quick grooming without the hassle of brushing off hairs from your
shirt, however, most pets are outright terrified of the vacuum, and for a good reason. Imagine watching something bigger than you, with flashing headlights, beaming into your eyes while screaming frantically with no end in sight! (Yes, scary indeed!)
However, some lucky owners have fought their shedding battles with vacuums. Unfortunately a large percentage of these pets are partially or fully deaf, so the sound of vacuums do not startle them. You do not have to deafen your pet to like your vacuum, instead, try these tips:
Stationary vacuums, while turned off, are less intimidating than vacuums running about the home turned on. Introduce your pet to your vacuum. Leave it in their bedroom, or the living room, so that they can sniff it, smell it, look at it, and overcome their own fears of it.
||If pets are already agitated from their surroundings, vacuuming in the middle of it may simply reinforce their fears. Make sure your environment is peaceful before you attempt to vacuum, this will reassure them that vacuuming is a simple part of everyday life.
Treats can motivate an animal to withstand the noise emitted by a vacuum and realize that there is nothing to be afraid of! Give them treats before you groom them with a vacuum brush (while it is not on!) and give them a treat after grooming. This way, you can train your pet to expect a reward for enduring the loud vacuum noise.
Do not turn on the vacuum at their favorite spot. Instead, opt for a bathroom while the fan is turned on. Your pet may notice that the sound is simply like a bathroom fan (just an appliance). Do not lock the pet in the room until they are fully comfortable with the vacuum and the bathroom. Begin grooming them (with treats) without the vacuum on in the bathroom, since its hard surfaces can be useful for sweeping out hair later.
||Daily habits allow pets to notice that certain things are simply a daily chore. Vacuum several days a week, and if your schedule permits, every day. Make sure that your pet is around to witness the vacuum in action, but allow them areas where they can hide if they feel insecure. Do not run your vacuum at them! Instead, turn your back while vacuuming around your pet. This will allow them to realize that it is not facing them or attacking them in any manner.
HEPA vacuums and vacuums with carbon filters make excellent choices for homes with pets. HEPA filtration eliminates the dander stored in your floors and carbon filters eliminates pet odor.
Research more on
pet vacuums as well as other vacuums.
Disclaimer and Warnings
Be sure that the suction will not harm your pet. A great way to test the suction power is on yourself, simply on your palm.
Do not attempt to vacuum your pet's face, ears, or sensitive areas, as it can be extremely uncomfortable (and albeit traumatizing) for your furry friend.
Do not attempt to vacuum pets that are too small for the suction, such as gerbils or rats.
Discontinue vacuuming on your pet if you notice bruising or if the pet experiences any kind of pain or discomfort.
And remember, listen to your pet!
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Through Black Spruce
A haunting novel about identity, love, and loss by the author of Three Day Road
Will Bird is a legendary Cree bush pilot, now lying in a coma in a hospital in his hometown of Moose Factory, Ontario. His niece Annie Bird, beautiful and self-reliant, has returned from her own perilous journey to sit beside his bed. Broken in different ways, the two take silent communion in t...more
The CBA (Canadian Bestsellers Association) have handed out the 2009 Libris Awards. Joseph won Fiction of the Year for Through Black Spruce. He also won author of the year.
Joseph's skill in making the narrative ring true is remarkable: we learn Will’s story while he lies in a coma, and Annie’s, too, as she hopes that by “hearing” her story, her uncle will fight his way out of the coma. Marius Netmaker, grandson of Elijah, also has his strong role to play.
I read the short, first chapter tw...more
The setting is a Northern Ontario village whose primary inhabitants are Cree, many of whom still live with a toe in the hunting/gathering world of their ancestors. Although we spend most of our time in...more
As in his first book, Boyden uses intertwining voices to tell this dramatic tale. Will Bird lies in a coma in a northern hospital, where he is not expected to recover from a terrible beating; while his niece Annie, sits by his side. Both have stories to tell. Boyden's time is disjointed, merging slices o...more
Though about half the narration takes place northern Ontario in their Cree community, and half in New York City, the taiga forest is obviously a well-loved home for both narrators. But this is not a novel full of action.
What hooked me was the tone of the narrators, Will & Annie, reflective and measured, always reaching out to the other. The sentences...more
THROUGH BLACK SPRUCE is a family stor...more
Once again in “Through Black Spruce” we see the effects of trauma the Native People of Canada have suffered following their treatment in the hands of the settlers to Canada. Ther...more
Viking Canada 2008 Giller Book Prize Winner
I love Joseph Boyden’s stories. Through Black Spruce is a triumph well deserving of the Giller prize recently awarded to him.
Some of the main characters in this book’s group of Cree people living in and around James Bay are descended from the main character, Xavier Bird - the main character from Boyden’s previous work, Three Day Road. A good part of this story concerns Will Bird, grandson of Xavie...more
Annie’s story focuses on the search for her sister, Suzanne, who becomes a model in NYC, unfortunately becoming mixed up with drug gangs. Annie goes to NYC in search of her sister, and subsequently becomes a part-t...more
Annie, a young Cree woman liv...more
The “something” is a strange place in the road: the place between traditional ways of life and modernity, between nature and the insidious effects of the drug culture, between life and death. There are two stories that are expertly interwoven here: the story of W...more
The narrators and main characters in Through Black Spruce...more
This book has two main characters, an uncle and his niece, and they tell their entwined stories in alternating chapters. As I finished each chapter I wanted to continue with that narrator, but then I became engrossed wit...more
Through Black Spruce centres on family/small community loyalties and feuds. There's abit of the Hatfield/McCoy running through the story line. The main characters are Will and is niece Annie Bird who throughout seem to manage to bring a lot of pain down upon them for different reasons, but you care about them and sympathize with them. They may be human and flawed but also likeable. The story unfolds by alternating the narration between Will, then Annie. It takes the first couple of chapters to...more
The story is told in alternating chapters by Will Bird, bush pilot, sometimes trapper and widower, who happens to be in a coma and Annie Bird, his niece, who is searching for her missing sister, Suzanne, a successful model. The novel is set in Northern Ontario, with sc...more
This book came to me only because I liked the cover when I saw it in our little library; I then liked the slight description on the back cover.
Cut to the chase: I really, really liked this book. Alternating chapters from Uncle Will and Annie gave me such a three-dimensional world of each, and then beyond that. Not in a supernatural way, but in the way we experience our lives and the lives of others..
As it happened, I finished th...more
The voice Boyden’s uses is stark, simple, elegantly First Nations, and because of...more
He grew up in Willowdale, North York, Ontario and attended the Jesuit-run Brebeuf College School. Boyden's father Raymond Wilfrid Boyden was a medical officer renowned for his bravery, who was awarded the Distinguished Service Order and was the highest-decorated medical officer of World War II.
Boyden, of Irish, Scottish and Métis heritage...more | <urn:uuid:0456633a-3759-44ff-be12-16a60f431ed1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9392740-through-black-spruce | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964328 | 1,132 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Child friendly schools
The South African education system was ravaged by apartheid. Today its legacy is seen in the mass of impoverished and run-down rural and townships schools that cater to the majority of African children. Opportunities for better education are limited to a number of well-resourced former white state schools. Low exam pass rates, school dropout, violence and sexual abuse in schools as well as teenage pregnancy and HIV infection are tragic consequences of the deep inequalities in school communities.
Schools are an important personal and social space for children. Children are natural learners but their desire to learn can be easily undermined and destroyed by the many hardships they face on a day-to-day basis. For children to stay in school and successfully complete their education, schools must be physically safe, emotionally secure and child-focused places.
UNICEF is working closely with the National Department of Education and civil society to develop holistic models for dramatically improving schools. These models are part of the Safe and Caring Child Friendly Schools Framework—a set of six principles to transform schools by providing quality education, safety and access to education for girls, orphans and other vulnerable children.
UNICEF has been supporting the Safe and Caring Child Friendly Schools (SCCFS) programme in South Africa for several years and by 2010, 820 of the most disadvantaged schools were implementing it. A 2011 evaluation noted that child friendly principles have now been fully integrated into the national Caring and Support for Teaching and Learning framework, which will help to ensure the sustainability and scale up of the SCCFS concept nationwide. Plans are underway for full scale-up in three provinces with the lowest performance rates in the 2011 Annual National Assessment. More than 9,000 schools, with an estimated six million students, will be reached.
The CFS principles are also the core strategy for developing the Department of Basic Education’s Social Cohesion Toolkit and school functionality through the Education Sector Action Plan 2014 and the Schooling 2025 initiative.
A Child friendly school is:
Testimonies on Child Friendly Schools from the field | <urn:uuid:2a5150d6-84af-499d-9d74-fae66315c942> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.unicef.org/southafrica/education_6093.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965957 | 418 | 3.515625 | 4 |
- 21 December 2012
Winter Solstice Festival
The Winter Solstice Festival falls during the 11th lunar month. You can find the Western calendar date here.
The Winter Solstice Festival has its origins in the Chinese concept of yin and yang, which represents balance and harmony in life. It’s believed that the yin qualities of darkness and cold are at their most powerful on the shortest day of the year, but also at their turning point to give way to the light and warmth of yang. For this reason, the Winter Solstice Festival is a time for optimism.
Today, people mark the occasion in northern China by eating Chinese dumplings, while the southern part of the country puts on a much bigger celebration, second only to Chinese New Year for many families. This is because this was traditionally the time by which farmers and fishermen had to prepare for the coming colder months.
In Hong Kong, most people finish work early on the festival and go home for lavish meals with their families. They’ll usually include tangyuan on the menu (a sweet soup with balls of sticky rice) because its name sounds like ‘reunion’. | <urn:uuid:a635e5fc-732d-4ac4-b076-7b344d4e6c8a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/see-do/events-festivals/chinese-festivals/winter-solstice-festival.jsp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965319 | 240 | 3.125 | 3 |
Upland Research in Lao PDR:
Experiences with Participatory
In the Lao PDR uplands, population pressure, convergence of villages to roads, and formulation of new land allocation policies are reducing fallow periods in the traditional slash-and-burn rice-based systems. Short fallow periods render these upland systems unsustainable as soil erosion, weed pressure, and labor inputs have increased. Yield likewise declined, causing increase levels of poverty. This situation has created a demand from both farmers and government agencies for sustainable agricultural technologies to improve upland farmers’ livelihood.
A considerable amount of research has been conducted over the years to develop suitable upland technologies. However, adoption by farmers was limited. One of the reasons is the vast upland diversity including biophysical (as seen in differences in climate and soils), socioeconomic (such as ethnic and cultural diversity and large differences in opportunities and constraints between individual households), and market (particularly market opportunities and market access) factors in the uplands. With such diversity, technology recommendations need to be site-specific. Further, these diversities necessitate the use of participatory and adaptive research approaches through which researchers and farmers can develop technologies suited to their conditions.
Lao PDR is landlocked in the heart of
Southeast Asia, bordered by Yunnan
Province of China, Cambodia,
Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Seventy percent of Lao PDR is
covered with mountains and high
plateaus. The Annamite mountains
run the length of the country as does
the Mekong mountains. Lao PDR has
a population of about 5.5 million,
comprising 68 ethnic groups. Majority
of its population live in the uplands.
Questia, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning. www.questia.com
Publication information: Book title: Participatory Research and Development for Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management: A Sourcebook. Volume: 3. Contributors: Julian Gonsalves - Editor, Thomas Becker - Editor, Ann Braun - Editor, Dindo Campilan - Editor, Hidelisa De Chavez - Editor, Elizabeth Fajber - Editor, Monica Kapiriri - Editor, Joy Rivaca-Caminade - Editor, Ronnie Vernooy - Editor. Publisher: International Development Research Centre. Place of publication: Ottawa. Publication year: 2005. Page number: 58.
This material is protected by copyright and, with the exception of fair use, may not be further copied, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means. | <urn:uuid:6556dd95-beb1-4834-ad54-c6624b6b4346> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.questia.com/read/120505792/participatory-research-and-development-for-sustainable | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.908698 | 532 | 2.734375 | 3 |
1 February 2013 | EN | FR
The South African government prioritised mining in its 2010 economic growth plan.
Flickr/ Zadi Diaz
An ambitious strategy to create fuel cell products for export will need incentives and cross-government backing to bear fruit, says Radhika Perrot.
South Africa's Department of Science & Technology (DST) has been laboriously pushing for the development of hydrogen fuel-cell technology through an ambitious research and development (R&D) strategy since 2005. Fuel cells can convert the energy produced by a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen into electric power.
The strategy is ambitious becauseit aims to enable the export of high-value products into growing international hydrogen fuel-cell markets when there is currently almost no domestic industry or market.
The goal of dipping a toe in the waters of a fledgling and uncertain hydrogen fuel-cell technology baffled a great many sceptics. The technology is not yet commercially viable, and the prospect of hydrogen fuel cells becoming a technology of the future is still in doubt.
South Africa's R&D thrust was less about meeting environmental goals and more about meeting the national objective to move beyond an economic reliance on mining and mineral extraction. There is a potential payoff in investing in fuel-cell technology — but it is not without risk, and will require coordinated policies to succeed.
The South African government prioritised the mining industry as an economic growth trajectory in its 2010 New Growth Path , a move that it hopes will generate highly skilled jobs and a strong knowledge base through new industries, products and services.
The strategy has set a target of creating five million jobs by 2020 overall. And the DST has established research partnerships called centres of competences, all of which are focused on building technical know-how and a scientific base related to hydrogen fuel-cell technology.
Platinum is one of the minerals included in the strategy. It is used in catalytic converters installed to cut emissions from vehicles with internal combustion engines. South Africa is home to 75 per cent of the world's known reserves of platinum and five similar metals with which it is commonly found, and supplies around 59 per cent of the world's demand for these 'platinum group metals'. The country also boasts a complex supply chain of about 50 manufacturers that make up 14 per cent of the global catalytic converter industry's market share.
Providentially for South Africa, platinum is also used as a catalyst in hydrogen fuel cells. Platinum catalysts are a core component of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC), a widely used hydrogen fuel-cell type for powering cars and stationary applications such as lights and telecommunication towers.
Given this, the DST has set its sights on meeting a quarter of the global demand for platinum-based catalysts for fuel cells by 2020. Achieving this will require building hydrogen fuel cell manufacturing plants, and the department is currently looking for a foreign partner to do this.
But why would foreign companies want to manufacture hydrogen fuel-cells in South Africa? The country has yet to make any breakthroughs in this technology. The domestic market is weak, while regulations and policies to stimulate supply or drive demand — which fuelled growth in the country's catalytic converter industry — are insufficient.
Another disadvantage for South Africa, and notably for the PEMFC technology, is the absence of an indigenous automobile manufacturer, which, although not essential, would have offered benefits such as cutting the time needed to develop commercial products.
In addition, South African firms that make catalytic converters are gradually losing market share to those closer to European car manufacturers. The reasons behind this — such as declining government support and investor confidence — also apply to the hydrogen fuel-cell industry.
In the face of such sticky realities on the ground, it is a risky bet for industrialists and policymakers to remain optimistic about South Africa's future in the global automotive industry. But not taking a gamble on fuel cells would mean missing out on what could be another industrial success — as well as knowledge creation and new highly skilled jobs.
South African policymakers need to provide extensive policy support and subsidies to hydrogen fuel cell investors and manufacturers, and should nurture technology-specific programmes that will help to bring locally produced or even licensed fuel cell technologies to market.
They also need to create markets for such new energy technologies through regulations and incentives targeted at both residential and industrial energy users, such as mobile phone operators.
One policy could be to support small, local entrepreneurial firms across the future fuel-cell supply chain through tax benefits and low-interest loans.
The DST is encouraging local R&D companies to work with South African and foreign research institutions to exchange technical know-how about hydrogen fuel-cell catalysts and their components. Such industry-academic partnerships could speed up the time to commercialisation, creating further possibilities of spin-offs and job creation.
Moreover, hydrogen-based energy is not part of the Department of Energy's (DOE) recent 20-year energy plan. The DST's plan is focused on R&D and can do little to address issues around implementing such new technology.
This means that the DOE and the Department of Trade and Industry, whose role is to encourage competitive industries through regulation, must be equally involved to facilitate uptake. There must be agreement between government departments in the new energy technology choice and path, from R&D to commercialisation.
Radhika Perrot is a senior researcher in the Knowledge Economy and Scientific Advancement faculty at the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA), Johannesburg, South Africa. MISTRA is facilitating a dialogue between policymakers and departments for the uptake of hydrogen fuel cells in South Africa. Radhika can be contacted at firstname.lastname@example.org
The New Growth Path: The Framework (South African Government, 2010)
Didodet ( South Africa )
4 February 2013
This is an interesting article. South African government has a unique opportunity to drive the technology the most promising a unified solution and provide a breakthrough the global energy security and sustainability supply. By this time SA government must know that worldwide research institutions are also working for finding a substitute to platinum metal for fuel cells; this might not be a good news when looking at the potential reserves in platinum that the country is counting to boost its economy and develop the country.
All SciDev.Net material is free to reproduce providing that the source and author are appropriately credited. For further details see Creative Commons. | <urn:uuid:4224e769-2a1b-4d50-8b4b-d5daaec11c7e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.scidev.net/en/new-technologies/opinions/south-africa-s-fuel-cell-plan-risks-failure-without-support-.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00047-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943723 | 1,317 | 2.515625 | 3 |
Harish Khare presents a convincing case for moderation in our thoughts and suggests ways to keep “thought policing” at bay in his article “Why the intellectual is on the run” (Feb. 6). We have many problems, of which rising intolerance disables our capacity to address all others. While we always knew that the electronic media had great powers to shape informed public opinion, only recently are we becoming aware of its pernicious ability to dumb down the level of discourse and debate. Every evening, experts and charlatans, free thinkers and bigots, share TV studios to offer their 30-second panacea for all evils. Unfortunately, the very format of the so-called debate guarantees its failure. It usually turns out to be a crude exhibition of lung power and serves no one. Let us shun these charades and turn to a handful of newspapers and magazines for opinions.
Santanu Sinha Chaudhuri, Kolkata
The article is brilliant. But I fear that those who should be reading it have no time as they are full of themselves. It is difficult to see how the visual media will actually raise the quality of its reporting and ethical standards.
Nalini Nayak, Thiruvananthapuram | <urn:uuid:0043ff7a-f182-49ba-b117-638e8fb6ccc0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/letters/30second-experts/article4386634.ece?ref=sliderNews | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965876 | 257 | 1.601563 | 2 |
People tend to base the severity of their own depression on how depressed their friends and acquaintances feel.
Researchers from the psychology department at the University of Warwick found that individuals make faulty judgments about their depression and anxiety symptoms, possibly leading to missed or false diagnoses.
For example, people who are surrounded by others with mental health problems may choose not to seek out professional help because, compared to those around them, they perceive their suffering to be less severe than it actually is.
Furthermore, people surrounded by others who rarely feel depressed may incorrectly believe that their suffering is abnormal, simply because their symptoms appear to be more severe in comparison to others.
For the study, researchers conducted two experiments and discovered that a person’s judgment of his own depression or anxiety was not mainly predicted by severity of symptoms, but rather by how the person self-ranked himself in comparison with others’ symptoms.
The UK study showed that participants’ beliefs about depression and anxiety in the wider population varied greatly. For example, 10 percent of subjects thought that half of the population felt depressed on at least 15 days a month, and 10 percent thought they felt so on two days or fewer a month.
Ten percent of participants thought that half the population felt anxious on at least 26 days a month, whereas 10 percent thought they felt so on seven days or fewer.
“It is the patient that initiates most GP consultations about depression and anxiety, so that personal decision to see a doctor is a vital factor in determining a diagnosis,” said lead researcher Karen Melrose from the University of Warwick.
“Given that fact, our study may explain why there are such high rates of under- and over-detection of depression and anxiety.
“Worryingly, people who could be the most vulnerable to mental health disorders – for example, those from certain geographical areas of the country or demographic groups where depression and anxiety are high – could be the very ones who are at highest risk of missed diagnoses,” she said.
“This research could help health professionals better target information campaigns aimed at these groups,” said Melrose.
Source: University of Warwick | <urn:uuid:6a6d9fff-ff2e-4ed5-9499-df89165b961f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://psychcentral.com/news/2012/05/06/friends-influence-your-perception-of-depression/38281.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00048-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958919 | 439 | 3.046875 | 3 |
Growing Up With Elvis In Britain
Source: Nigel Goodall
June 4, 2010 - 5:05:03 AM
Goodall, an ardent fan since he was 12 years old, will present his book in the spirit of the excitement that was present just six months before he was a teenager from having to queue up to buy Elvis' latest record to bunking off school to go and see his latest movie, and from secretly swapping Elvis bubblegum cards in the school playground to sneaking Elvis Monthly into the classroom to read under his desk and in between lessons.
Spanning five years of Presley, the book will offer a chance for every Elvis fan and reader to reminisce or discover what it was like to be an Elvis fan in Britain in the 1960s - from both the fan perspective and that of Elvis' career. It will also offer up an insightful recounting of the British pop scene at the time, and how Elvis maintained his place as the top pop star in Britain with a string of movies that were mostly built around a largely archetype formula of exotic locations, songs and girls.
From the moment the author went to see Elvis' tenth film, Kid Galahad, and despite not knowing much about who Elvis really was, he left the cinema enough of a Presley fan to know when he grew up, that is who he wanted to be like. His enthusiasm remained at that level until 1967, when disillusioned and disenchanted by both the music and films that Elvis was churning out, and even more so, incensed that Elvis would appear in a movie set in Britain that he did not even come over to film, the author sold his original record collection at a price next to nothing. Little did he know that just one year later he would be rebuilding his collection as he and most other fans in Britain, reeled in the glory of Elvis' comeback. But back in 1962, after queuing up for over an hour to get in to see his first Elvis movie, and sitting through the film amidst hundreds of screaming and hysterical girls, he turned up his shirt collar like Elvis, rushed to the local record store to purchase the 45rpm EP of the films soundtrack, went home, played the disc over and over on his sisters Elizabethan mono record player, and announced to his horrified parents, that he wanted to go and work for Elvis when he left school.
Over the next five years the author continued with his obsession to never miss one of Elvis' movies, even if it meant traveling over 50 miles to see it, and never to miss purchasing any one of Elvis' latest records whether single, EP or album, no matter how good or bad they were. Neither did he miss scouting the New Musical Express each week to look for the latest news of Elvis' record and film releases, entering competitions to win some of Elvis' wardrobe from his movies, and the inevitable, impossible, headline that Elvis was coming to Britain to appear at the New Musical Express Poll Winners Concert at the Empire Pool in Wembley.
It was only when he watched Double Trouble alone in a cinema, and seeing Elvis sing Old MacDonald on the back of pickup truck loaded with chickens, that he knew he had seen and heard enough, and decided, there and then, it was time to catch up with the musical leanings of his peers, and indeed, the rest of Britain.
From a list that included the Stones, the Beach Boys and the Who, it was, of course, the Beatles, who had proved themselves to be the only realistic claimants to Elvis' crown just one year after Elvis scored four consecutive number ones, had three movies playing on more or less every screen in the country and had released almost 40 new songs on albums, EPs and singles.
Growing Up With Elvis In Britain will offer a personal account of how the author was swept along on a journey by the sounds and images of Elvis during the 1960s. Drenched in humour, passion and musical history, the book will also examine how Elvis rode the storm of Beatlemania - and survived the onslaught during a decade that threw up some of the biggest frustrations and pitfalls of Elvis' career.
The authors idea for this book will be to get away from the standard, run-of-the-mill, bog-standard biography of Elvis. This wont be just another re-telling of Elvis, but a story of Elvis that covers new ground, not before examined in such depth. Covering five years of Presleys career from 1962 onwards, the book will be the unique story of Elvis from the other side of the coin, the fans perspective, and for the first time, to intermingle a fans obsession for Elvis with Elvis's career, insomuch as they are related to the enormous influence that Elvis generated, even during a time when his career was described as having lost its sparkle.
It will be the first time a book on Elvis would offer an explanation on how a fans fanaticism paralleled Elvis' own fanatical frustrations towards the same films that were now packing teenagers into hundred of cinemas across Britain, and will reveal information about the 1963 abandoned tour, cancelled film and lost album.
Often regarded as one of the leanest periods of Presleys career, it was probably the most productive. With most of his time devoted to churning out three films and movie soundtracks a year, it is said that his recording career had become increasingly lacklustre, and yet, it was a period that turned out some of his biggest hits, and a period that is so often overlooked and dismissed, this book will set out to readdress that omission.
Set to premiere in the winter of 2010 at over 240 global retail outlets and libraries, this exclusive eBook and MP3 audiobook will illustrate the lasting impression Elvis left on the author and millions of other fans in Britain. It would also be the first to recapture the excitement of what it was really like to see Elvis on the big screen in the early 60s amidst complete and total frenzy inside a cinema, where girls were literally screaming, standing up and pulling their hair out every time Elvis was on screen, sang a song, or jiggled a little.
This book will be the authors labour of love interpretation of what it was like to be a fan at the time, and also to recapture what it was about vinyl that made owning a record so magical, especially an Elvis one, what cinema meant to the Elvis fan, how the pirate radio ships of the 60s helped Elvis through Beatlemania, and what Tin Pan Alley in Londons Denmark Street did for Elvis, from when the author worked for one of Elvis' music publishing companies in the same year that Love Letters was a top ten hit. The appeal of this book would be in its originality to examine a much overlooked period of Elvis Presley from a not yet written perspective. Part autobiographical, part critique, part history, part confessional, part ultimate book of Elvis' Hollywood years, Growing Up With Elvis In Britain would provide a timely reminder of what it was like to be a fan at the time, and for those not around between 1962 and 1967, it will serve as the perfect introduction to what they missed.
About the Author: Nigel Goodall is a British-born author with more than 20 books on the movie and pop world to his credit. He has written about some of the biggest names in showbusiness including Elton John, Kylie Minogue, Ray Winstone, Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder, which combined, have sold over a million copies and won him a literary prize nomination. Formerly a graphic designer with over 300 record sleeves to his name, a brief spell as a pop manager, voice-over artist and disc jockey, and the co-producer of the syndicated 1978 Elvis Gospel radio special, he has also contributed to various album, video and television projects for over a decade, including most recently, the A&E Biographies of Demi Moore and Christian Slater. Nigel, who first wrote about Elvis for a school essay soon after he had seen Kid Galahad in 1962, lives in Sussex, England, from where he travels occasionally to New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles for research and author interviews.
This article © Copyright Elvis Australia - No part of this article maybe re-printed for public display without permission. | <urn:uuid:d398cf68-090d-4151-a407-9ad3e7e17c60> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://news.elvispresley.com.au/growing_up_with_elvis_in_britain.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975775 | 1,694 | 1.5 | 2 |
|Origin:||, past participle of operari 'to work', from opus; OPUS|
op‧e‧rate S3 W2
to use and control a machine or equipment:
The Lewis family operated a number of boats on the canal.
Clive was experienced in operating the computers.
b) [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]
if a machine operates in a particular way, it works in that way
Check that the equipment is operating in a safe manner.
The bus is designed to operate in all weather conditions.
Most freezers operate at below -18°C.
if a business or organization operates in a particular place or way, it works in that place or way
a design company operating from offices in Seattle.
A playgroup operates on the campus.
They were trying to reduce operating costs.
to control a business or organization:
Nuns are operating an emergency hospital.
if a system, process, or service operates, or if you operate it, it works:
system/process/service[intransitive and transitive]
The whole tax system is now operating more efficiently.
The new law doesn't operate in our favour.
The car parks operate a pay-as-you-leave system.
The bus company operates a Monday to Saturday service.
to cut into someone's body in order to repair or remove a part that is damaged:
Doctors had to operate to remove the bullet.
operate on! A surgeon does not 'operate' a part of a person's body. He or she operates on it: They need to operate on her stomach (NOT operate her stomach).
the surgeon who operated on Taylor's knee
to do your job or try to achieve things in a particular way:
Most people just can't operate in noisy, crowded conditions.
Older children often like to operate independently.
if soldiers or police officers are operating in an area, they are working in that area
Security patrols now operate in some of the most dangerous parts of the city.
enemy submarines operating in the Mediterranean
to have a particular purpose:
The foam operates as a very effective filter.
The car's service manual is designed to operate as a guide for owners.
to have an effect on something:
the laws of evolution operating on each species | <urn:uuid:825a702a-46db-495f-96d0-fc7714787e90> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/operate | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93928 | 489 | 2.953125 | 3 |
Lights off. Heater on. What?
April 6, 2010 1:39 AM Subscribe
Why does turning off my lights sometimes cause my heater to turn on?
posted by 0xFCAF to science & nature (10 answers total)
Setup: I have an apartment with electric heat. Sometimes when I turn off the lights in the living room, the electric heater in the living room (whose thermostat is directly above the lightswitch) turns on instantly thereafter (literally as if the lightswitch itself were controlling the heater). What's going on here? Vibrations from me hitting the light panel? Changes in voltage that I don't understand? Ancient Indian burial grounds?
omgconfirmationbias math: In the absence of a causal relationship, these things should be completely independent. I toggle the lights in the living room 4 times a day, tops, and the heater turns on less than half a second later. Even if the heater cycled 100 times per day and I toggled the lights 16 times per day (both huge over-estimates), I'd still only have a ~1% chance of seeing this in any given day, and this usually happens at least once a week in the winter. | <urn:uuid:1b9bc7d9-76b8-4dde-bbe4-5b36cbb9ca5c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ask.metafilter.com/150412/Lights-off-Heater-on-What | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.928285 | 251 | 1.8125 | 2 |
In Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior Chögyam Trungpa offers an inspiring and practical guide to enlightened living based on the Shambhala journey of warriorship, a secular path taught internationally through the Shambhala Training program.
Great Eastern Sun: The Wisdom of Shambhala is a continuation of that path. Shambhala was an exploration of human goodness and its potential to create an enlightened society—a state that the author calls "nowness." And in that spirit of nowness, Great Eastern Sun —which is accessible to meditators and nonmeditators alike—centers on the question, "Since we're here, how are we going to live from now on?"
"As a loving and grateful student of Chögyam Trungpa, the Dorje Dradul of Mukpo, I am delighted that these wonderful teachings—which have so profoundly influenced and shaped my life—are now available to benefit others. May countless people have the good fortune to read this book."—Pema Chodrön, author of When Things Fall Apart
"With brilliance and good will, Chögyam Trungpa illuminates the dharma of wise society. He invites all of good heart to find a dignity in their human experience that joins together heaven and earth."—Jack Kornfield, author of After the Ecstasy, the Laundry | <urn:uuid:b1374195-eb94-4f1d-87b6-d503a0b1b2e1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.shambhala.com/great-eastern-sun.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.91563 | 292 | 1.609375 | 2 |
62 year old Linda Dorman had her hip replaced
A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds women who undergo total hip replacement surgery face a 29 percent higher risk of implant failure within the first three years than men. Researchers explain smaller implants involve a smaller ball in the socket, which can dislocate more easily.
The study also showed women who had metal on metal implants had almost twice as many problems as men.
More than 300,000 Americans undergo total hip replacement surgery every year. The overwhelming majority of these operations, up to 98 percent, are successful.
Still, experts say the food and drug administration should require more testing on hip implants to find out which ones work best with women's bodies and will last 15 to 20 years.
Linda had her surgery six weeks ago and already feels a big difference.
She's enjoying her newfound mobility and not worrying about the future.
The study looked at 35,140 patients who underwent total hip replacement surgery. 57-percent of the patients were women and the average age was almost 66 years old.
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All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 Media General Communications Holdings, LLC. A Media General Company. | <urn:uuid:11e28e0d-a664-45cb-b9d2-d280f255c0d9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wnct.com/story/21234937/female-hip-replacement-recipients | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00072-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954588 | 249 | 1.851563 | 2 |
Government departments can for the first time talk directly to businesses about their innovation needs. As a result of this, the ultimate innovations will be better matched to their specific needs.
Businesses are given the unique opportunity of collaborating directly with government departments on innovation. In due course, the projects shall also lead to new markets and promising niches for participating companies.
Citizens will be able to enjoy a more modern and efficient public service. Furthermore, societal challenges such as mobility and ageing will be tackled in an innovative manner.
Flanders will be given a boost as a knowledge region. In time, Procurement of Innovation must contribute towards achieving the Lisbon targets, which specify that 3% of GDP is spent on Research and Development.
Benefits for Business and Research Institutes
- Direct contact with the government. Procurement of Innovation brings you into direct contact with the government as a buyer of innovation. You are given the opportunity of working on innovative projects in close consultation with the relevant departments, in an open atmosphere and without the red tape that is often associated with a conventional public tendering procedure.
- New markets, promising niches. The projects that are eligible for Procurement of Innovation involve current societal themes such as smart pay-as-you-drive, the ageing population, energy-efficient housing, etc. Each of these projects will result in new markets and promising niches for innovative businesses.
- Visibility. Working with Procurement of Innovation means working on projects that have a high government priority and high visibility.
- Financial support. Procurement of Innovation has a budget of EUR 10 million for research and development by businesses.
Benefits for government departments
- Direct contact with the right partners. Procurement of Innovation makes it easier for government departments to come into contact with the right partners. Via our Innovation Platforms government departments can discuss their needs directly with the partners that possess the required know-how: businesses, research institutes and other subject specialists.
- Innovation that matches government departments' needs. The close consultation with the businesses and research institutes and the support provided by subject experts, guarantees solutions that perfectly match government departments' real needs.
- Financial resources. Procurement of Innovation has a budget of EUR 10 million for any research that may still be required for achieving a feasible and workable solution.
- Simpler tendering. A clearly defined solution makes it easier for government departments to prepare the public tender documents for the project.
- Government departments define their own needs. Each policy domain will be instructed to define its short-term and long-term challenges / requirements. What resources do government departments need to improve their service? What innovations can help government departments tackle the major societal challenges that government departments are facing within their policy domain?
- Innovation Platform brings partners together. Once government department project has been defined we set up an Innovation Platform which is open to all interested parties - businesses, research institutes and other subject specialists. In this way government departments are able to come up with innovative solutions that are customised to government departments needs.
The "Public Procurement of Innovation" pilot approved by the Flemish Government in July 2008 is the first implementation of the integrated approach to procurement of innovation. The pilot scheme has been introduced to all interested stakeholders in September 2008, followed by a positive response from all governmental departments. Rollout is planned in over the 2010-2014 period.
At the beginning of 2009 ten topics for procurement projects were defined. Innovation platforms are being set up for the selected projects. The first recently launched pilot came from the cultural sector with a digital book platform (e-book). Four others are in the pipeline: eye screener for young children, a leisure infrastructure and culture information system (ICIS), ICT in health care and a personal development plan for citizens.
The first Innovation Platform related to the e-book procurement project already had its first kick-off meeting 21 April 2010 and will finish end of this year when the e-book call for tender is expected to be published. The aim of the e-book project is the development of a digital platform for lasting and secure storage of digital works in function of a pluriform exploitation by different actors in the book profession: editors, book stores, libraries and content aggregators.
A second Innovation Platform related to the ICIS procurement project will have its first kickoff meeting 28 October 2010. The call to join the ICIS Innovation Platform was published in the Official European Journal. The aim of ICIS (Infrastructure and Culture Information System) is to create a public information service where users can find at any time relevant personalised information about the culture, leisure and infrastructure offer in Flanders. | <urn:uuid:d4a4b911-dc35-41d2-b31e-a91e5195fafb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.epractice.eu/en/cases/poi | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937737 | 954 | 1.726563 | 2 |
Editor, ONLINE Magazine
ONLINE, November 2001
How people meet crises differs greatly. Some panic; others are calm to the point of non-reaction. Some become angry; others counsel understanding and acceptance. Many interpret crises through their own individual filters. Physicians think about medical implications, teachers about educational implications, and information professionals about availability and accuracy of information.
Information Today, Inc. faced a crisis on September 11, 2001 at Web Search University. The vendor showcase and breakfast had run from 7:30 to just before 9 in the morning. The first two session tracks began promptly at 9 and were to run until 10:30. Attendees were seated, speakers were beginning their presentations, the doors to the rooms were closed. Only a few people remained outside the presentation rooms.
Then we heard the news. A plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. Minutes later we heard about the second plane. We were shocked, stupefied, stunned, and conscious that we had some crisis decisions to make. Should we panic, stop the show, and possibly cause harm? Should we not react, downplay the whole thing, and possibly cause harm? Most of the vendors still had live connections. We're information professionals; we ran to the vendors' laptops and asked them to find out anything they could about this tragic attack.
Search engines such as AltaVista and AlltheWeb had no news. Not surprising, since they spider, index, and present already-created Web pages, not breaking news. Major news sites, such as CNN and MSNBC, were already overloaded. Then we heard about the Pentagon attack. Switching to Washington Post's Web site indirectly confirmed the report: We couldn't get it to load either.
What worked? Just before 10, when I was thoroughly frustrated with the Web, I tried Factiva's Dow Jones Interactive service. As a subscription service, it responded immediately. Although it did not give complete coverage, the wire services that update quickly on DJI confirmed terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. By this time, the hotel had set up television sets in the lobby. CNN.com wasn't answering, but CNN live on TV was broadcasting.
Another technology kicked in. A few people exited the rooms because their mobile phones had rung. One gentleman came out staring at disbelief at his Blackberry. The sessions ended and we circulated with the news. Before the next sessions began, we made announcements about the events. We continued with Web Search University, although many local attendees left to return to their jobs. It was our very small act of defiance. We would not give in to terrorism.
As for the Web sites, access improved as the day wore on. Cutting out bandwidth-hogging features, sites slimmed themselves to accommodate more users. Personal accounts began to be posted on Weblogs. LexisNexis searched its archives for information and offered free access. BusinessWire waived its fee to post-crisis releases. Librarian discussion lists hummed with shared information, shared sources. Rumors and misinformation inevitably contribute to crisis atmospheres; information professionals debunked and corrected them. Our online community showed its professionalism in this very difficult time.
Letters to the Editor should be sent via email to firstname.lastname@example.org.
Copyright © 2001, Information Today, Inc. All rights reserved. | <urn:uuid:be5e902b-7f5d-4d84-ae63-e1fcb816ff17> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.infotoday.com/Online/OL2001/editorial11_01.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00048-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970436 | 687 | 1.9375 | 2 |
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is latest Obama administration official to support marriage equality
May 7, 2012
By Scottie Thomaston
For a short time yesterday, Vice President Joe Biden was the first sitting vice president to offer support for marriage rights for gays and lesbians. Today, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan becomes the latest to offer support:
A day after Vice President Joe Biden said he was “absolutely comfortable” with gay marriage, signalling the Obama administration’s evolving views on same-sex marriage, Sec. of Education Arne Duncan said on “Morning Joe” that he believes it should be legal.
“Yes, I do,” Duncan said when asked by MSNBC’s Mark Halperin if same-sex marriage should be legal in the United States.
Duncan said he’s never said that publicly because, “I don’t know if I’ve ever been asked.”
The interview happened earlier this morning, and as of this writing, this is still Secretary Duncan’s position on the issue.
It’s an interesting idea to hear on record comments from Obama administration cabinet officials. It’s hard to imagine many of them are opposed to marriage equality – Democrats and independents support it by wide margins nationally and in many swing states, and 54% of Americans are in favor. Marriage equality is not out of the mainstream, and it’s growing increasingly popular. This is especially evident as we see Republicans going almost completely silent on the issue. The voices speaking out on this on the national stage tend to be known hate groups like the Family Research Council or infamous race-baiters National Organization for Marriage.
The president’s position seems increasingly untenable. As we head into the 2012 election and several ballot initiatives on marriage equality – some affirmative ones, and some designed to ban it in state constitutions – it would be great to have the administration speaking with one voice on this. | <urn:uuid:ec8ffef7-76d3-4527-8f42-e33fa32824ab> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://equalityontrial.com/2012/05/07/secretary-of-education-arne-duncan-is-latest-obama-administration-official-to-support-marriage-equality/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00052-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958732 | 407 | 1.578125 | 2 |
WASHINGTON, DC—Today Rep. Henry A. Waxman released the following statement on McDonald’s announcement that it will post calories for all items on its menu boards and drive-thru menus in the U.S.:
“This is a great development for consumers. I commend McDonald’s for taking this important step forward to provide calorie information about its food and beverages. Accurate information helps consumers make informed choices for their diets. And it is especially important in our battle against the nation’s growing epidemic of childhood obesity. Other companies should follow McDonald’s lead and make nutrition information available to their customers.”
Rep. Waxman is one of the principal authors of the Affordable Care Act, which requires restaurants with 20 or more locations to list calorie content information for standard menu items on restaurant menus and menu boards, including drive-through menu boards. Other nutritional information, such as cholesterol, sodium, fiber, etc., would have to be made available in writing upon request. Currently, HHS is finalizing regulations related to restaurant calorie disclosure. In addition, Rep. Waxman was the author of the Nutritional Labeling and Education Act of 1990, which required the consumer-friendly nutrition labeling now found on packaged food. | <urn:uuid:d8f5f86a-b750-4a1a-b215-8fb56e675f38> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://waxman.house.gov/rep-waxman-statement-mcdonald%E2%80%99s-announcement-nutrition-labeling | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93585 | 253 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Pygame API is an extension of SDL in python. You can create games quickly and easily using this. I recently created a repository on github named as ‘Pygame-Examples-For-Learning’ to motivate the learning of this API. This repository consists of various small demos (from hello world to the sprite demo). You can try out those using your own logic and can apply the same into large programs. It also includes a small 3 level game ‘Hungry-Snake’ . Just a contribution from my side to all the enthusiast learners out there (open source too) Play with the code to explore more. I will keep updating the repo in future also. You can also contribute in the same. Link to the repo : http://github.com/ankur0890/Pygame-Examples-For-Learning Feedback and suggestions are always welcomed
Tag Archive: Pygame
I started writing for Linux For You Magazine in August 2010. Since Then I have written over 10 articles for this International Magazine. Today I am providing the readers with all the links to my articles. All the work done is under Creative Common License as described in the sidebar widget also.
1. Let’s Play With Emacs CLI : This teaches you the basics of the ‘Emacs’ Text Editor. This articles was published in the Aug 2010. I published it in two parts on my blog. Click on respective part numbers to read : Part 1 Part 2 .
2. Cut and Play With Pitivi Video Editor : A tutorial on how to use Pitivi video editor to play with videos in an experimental way. It was published in the Nov 2010 Edition. Click to Read
3. Let’s Play With Gnu Screen : Tutorial about one of the greatest utility provided by GNU also know as ‘virtual terminal manager’ . It was published in Feb 2011 Edition . Click To Read
4. Get Started With Pygame Part 1 : One of my favorite series It teaches you the basics about the pygame API of the python module. Pygame is the python extension of the SDL with some additional benifits. This article was published in May 2011. Click To Read
5. Get Started With Pygame Part 2 : Advance knowledge about the pygame API. Includes the color play and sprites usage tutorial . It was published in July 2011. Click To Read
6. Connection To Mysql With Python and Php : Simple tutorial on how you can successfully connect mysql to your program of python or php. It was published in Aug 2011 . Click To Read
7. Recovered Deleted Files In Linux : Different ways of recovering your deleted files using utilities like scalpel , foremost etc. It got published in Sep 2011 . Click To Read
8. Let’s Play With CodeIgniter Part 1 : Teaches you the basics of the PHP based framework ‘CodeIgniter’ . This frameworks is really useful and changes the way I used to code in PHP. It follows the MVC approach. It was published in the Oct Edition. Click To Read
There are certain articles like ‘Let’s Play With VirtualBox’,'Using Nessus and Metasploit’,'Play With GUI’s In Python’ that hasn’t been published online yet . I will publish them in future on this blog and will provide you the links. So click on the links and explore the stuff
I have been working on the pygame API of the python from the past one month and make a small and very basic game “Hungry Snake”. Till now experience with the pygame is superb and currently I am working on the sprite sheets. I made out this game within 2 days and thanks to the online tutorials and python and pygame community for helping me out. Improvements are still required . I am releasing this game under GNU GPL3 license. Its fully open source and if anybody is interested in working with me for further improvements contact me at firstname.lastname@example.org or email@example.com. You can Download the small game code from http://code.google.com/p/hungry-snakes/downloads/list | <urn:uuid:8e514581-235e-4d06-92d6-b289d5c7e9cc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://flossstuff.wordpress.com/tag/pygame/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.908538 | 867 | 2.296875 | 2 |
The Race Against Drug Resistance
A new report from the Center for Global Development says there is a need for urgent action to tackle the growing crisis of drug resistance.
The ability to cure a wide range of serious and common diseases is under threat from drug resistance. Resistance is inevitable, but careless practices in drug supply and use are hastening it unnecessarily. Without an immediate global effort to safeguard lasting treatment effectiveness, drug resistance will quickly become a widespread threat, claiming lives, raising the cost of curing patients, and making future generations increasingly vulnerable to deadly diseases that were easily cured in the past.
Already, drug resistance has slowed gains against the fatal ravages of childhood dysentery and pneumonia, drastically increased the costs of fighting tuberculosis and malaria, and imperiled efforts to effectively treat people living with HIV/AIDS. Millions of children die annually from drug resistant disease strains and since 2006 donors have spent more than $1.5 billion on advanced drugs to treat resistant diseases. Unless action is taken, the stage is set for both the death toll and the dollar cost to rise.
A new report and accompanying film from the Center for Global Development’s Drug Resistance Working Group says that drug resistance testing and surveillance capabilities are inadequate; weak points in the supply chain and inappropriate dispensing facilities help drug resistance; drug regulation is weak and uncertain.
The Race Against Drug Resistance says there is no simple solution to solve the crisis but there are achievable steps to slow its spread. It says the World Health Organization should play a leading role.
The report urges pharmaceutical companies, governments, donors, global health institutions, health providers, and patients to collectively and immediately tackle this global health threat by implementing four key recommendations:
- Collect and share drug resistance information across disease networks.
- Secure the drug supply chain to ensure quality products and practices.
- Strengthen national drug regulatory authorities in developing countries.
- Catalyse research and innovation to speed the development of resistance-fighting technologies.
The report was produced by a working group set up in 2007 and comprising representatives of governments, foundations, charities, health institutions, the pharmaceutical industry and academia to develop concrete, achievable steps that could make a difference.
Dr Paul Nunn, coordinator TB Operations and Coordination at WHO's Stop TB department was a member of the working group, as was TDR scientist Dr Andrew Ramsay, who provided guidance on laboratories and diagnostics and their roles in detecting and preventing resistance. TDR convened a seminar about the draft report at WHO in January.
The working group was chaired by Dr Rachel Nugent, deputy director of global health at the Center for Global Development, which is an independent, non-profit policy research organization dedicated to reducing global poverty and inequality and to making globalization work for the poor."
Dr Andrew Ramsay
Accessible quality-assured diagnostics | <urn:uuid:38733c1f-65b2-49d4-b599-f817b89bd3ee> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.who.int/tdr/news/2010/drug-resistance/en/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94222 | 570 | 3.015625 | 3 |
By Dan Gilgoff, God & Country
In issuing draft guidelines on federal dollars for embryonic stem cell research Friday, the National Institutes of Health let down a lot of scientists and patient advocates. That's because the guidelines limited funding to embryos that were left over from in vitro fertilization clinics and were already earmarked for destruction.
Announcing his executive order on embryonic stem cell research last month, President Obama conspicuously left the door open to funding research using stem cells derived through embryos created expressly for scientific research or through a process called somatic cell nuclear transfer, popularly known as therapeutic cloning. But the draft NIH guidelines explicitly outlaw federal dollars for stem cells derived through either of those methods.
"I am really, really startled," Susan L. Solomon, chief executive of the private New York Stem Cell Foundation, told the Washington Post after the NIH rules were issued. "This seems to be a political calculus when what we want in this country is a scientific research calculus." The Post quoted a second, unnamed scientist who was present when Obama signed the stem cell executive order last month. That soure said Friday's news was "much more political than we thought it would be. This is extremely limiting."
But conservative religious groups are hardly cheering. The most effusive praise I've heard from the right comes from Robby George, a professor of jurisprudence at Princeton: "It is possible that the restraint shown thus far by the NIH is in part the result of pro-life lobbying efforts, including efforts by pro-life supporters of President Obama. If so, all who have assisted in these efforts, including Obama's pro-life supporters, deserve recognition and thanks. We can pause only for a moment, however."
Many other conservative groups, including the Family Research Council and Americans United for Life, have been silent so far about the NIH action. I would hardly expect those groups to endorse the NIH guidelines—religious conservatives see all embryo destruction as murder and as the commoditization of human life, even if those embryos would be discarded anyway—but I did expect more celebrating over getting the best they could have hoped for from Obama on stem cells, and certainly more than they expected.
It was a only few short weeks ago, after all, that social conservatives were alleging that Obama left the door open to human cloning.
Far from cheering the NIH rules, the National Right to Life Committee discerns an Obama/Democratic Party conspiracy aimed at fooling the American people into funding the creation of embryos for research and human cloning with their tax dollars. Many on the left will say that religious conservatives' refusal to praise Obama betrays a partisan agenda. Religious conservatives will say there's a clear right and wrong on an issue as fundamental as human life and that compromise in this area is impossible.
The one place where praise for the NIH move has been forthcoming is from the religious center, as represented in this instance by Faith in Public Life. The group has assembled a list of endorsements from prominent religious figures, including social conservatives like Joel Hunter, Doug Kmiec, and Samuel Rodriguez.
- Take our poll: Do you approve of Obama lifting restrictions on federally funded embryonic stem cell research?
- Follow Dan Gilgoff on Twitter.
- Read more about religion. | <urn:uuid:81db74fd-f41e-4281-9217-a64f95819047> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/god-and-country/2009/04/20/new-stem-cell-guidelines-disappoint-both-scientists-and-religious-conservatives_print.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960889 | 661 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Luke Visconti’s Ask the White Guy column is a top draw on DiversityInc.com. Visconti, the founder and CEO of DiversityInc, is a nationally recognized leader in diversity management. In his popular column, readers who ask Visconti tough questions about race/culture, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability and age can expect smart, direct and disarmingly frank answers.
What do diversity and inclusion have to do with income distribution, such as in “The United States of Inequality” from Slate?
The broad subject of wealth disparities is a source of constant discussion in our office. What “diversity” in a business context means for most companies is maximizing the efficiency and effectiveness of talent development; you want the best and brightest of ALL groups and want them to equitably be developed—and it is of immense advantage to companies that do it well, especially if their competitors don’t.
However, where I think the subject truly makes money for companies (and societies) is that when you harness equitable talent development to the purposeful development of innovative and nimble corporate (and societal) cultures, you have a force multiplier that dramatically outpaces competition. That means taking diversity training beyond compliance and making a real business case for the four stages of diversity management.
In a country-size economy, it will maintain economic superiority, but the nature of economics is that when one group wins, all win because they have to produce the goods and services demanded by increased wealth. Winning in this context isn’t bad; it’s highly desirable.
A Distribution of Wealth
I’m not sure that we’re seeing anything more than a return to traditional distribution of wealth because very few people as a percentage are truly talented, and this has been consistent. What hasn’t been consistent is access for talent to express itself, and from time to time, markets expand to include more people than typical. For example, I think the post-war “middle class” was an artificial artifact of our not having to suffer massive strategic bombing and TWO generations of dead young men (our casualties in World War I were nothing compared to those of France, Germany and England).
The last 100 years have been a process of expanding workforce needs forcing expanding participation of workers; women haven’t had the vote for 100 years yet, and Jim Crow ended less than 50 years ago. When we needed more workers, the workforce market had to expand past Christian Anglo men. When the new groups to the table gained a modicum of power, they demanded their rights. Those rights increased wealth, and that wealth consumed more services and products—a virtuous circle. Good for America. Good for the world. [Click on the images below to view and enlarge the timelines.]
But I’d argue that economic growth didn’t come from labor, the labor came from innovation—and innovation created the economic growth that drove the demand for labor. Innovation is facilitated by a free society, and our society is more “free” than anywhere else (acknowledging our faults, but giving us our just credit). In other words, despite our faults, America gives access for talent to find means of success better than anywhere on Earth.
Recovery Through Education
So if we are returning to a traditional distribution of wealth (more wealth concentrated in the hands of fewer people), what is the answer to the discordant societal damage from inequitable distribution of wealth?
The article on slate.com touches on the one thing I think will save America’s pre-eminence: education.
In my opinion, only a certain percentage (a small percentage) of people have what it takes to be in the top 5 percent—or the top 1 percent. We need to maximize the ability for people to reach that level because they create the things that the rest of the people live on; their innovation creates wealth, which in turn creates economic (and labor) demand. We destroy our potential by limiting good education to a precious few. I believe that we do this because people intuitively feel that if “they” win, “I” lose.
There is also a cynical group of very wealthy people who will prey on the common human emotion of xenophobia to aggregate and restrict access. So we end up with crappy schools for Black and brown people, the prison-industrial complex and healthcare disparities. We kill off that small percentage of truly talented people out of the bigotry that, generally speaking, we mistakenly believe that “keeping ours” is dependent on “keeping them” in their place. Foolishness—and that’s being proven in today’s economy.
How to Bridge Gaps With Community Outreach
The question for America is: Can we keep the destructive forces lagging behind the constructive forces? I sure hope so, and that’s why all my philanthropy is dedicated to educational disparities, such as the DiversityInc Foundation and Rutgers Future Scholars.
For corporate America, the decision on managing this overtly must be made from the top. I’d say that most companies on a sustainable path are actively involved with managing diversity because the face of educated talent has become much more diverse, and that trend is increasing. Watch the video clip below to hear KPMG CEO John Veihmeyer discuss his best practices for communicating diversity goals throughout the organization.
Companies that are dragging their feet on this one aren’t on the right side of the demographic shift, and if you can say that for your place of employment, it’s a flashing red light that your future is not secure; get out if you can.
I think the larger and far more economically powerful discussion should be taking place around how diversity can build innovation—how the very culture that develops talent equitably has far more potential to have dramatically better innovation and nimbleness than competitors that do not. For cutting-edge best practices, watch our recent innovation web seminar from Capital One and McGraw-Hill, and read Our First Innovation Fest! 10 Companies Use Diversity to Drive Change.
Think about it this way: If “diversity and inclusion” programs can help you achieve a 5 percent improvement in productivity from better human-capital performance (higher engagement, lower turnover/regrettable loss, etc.), that’s wonderful. If “diversity and inclusion” programs can help you build the innovation that facilitates the next generation of pharmaceutical advances or transportation improvement or first-mover advantage in your marketplace, well, you’d be a fool not to pick a workplace that has a demonstrable advantage over one that does not—even if you’re a white, Christian, heterosexual man with no disabilities. Anyone with an evolved sense of survival knows that your chances of success are far better at the successful company. Especially if you’re talented.
Before you jump to sending me an email that I’m beating up on one side or another, please think about this: I am taking a side. I am an optimist and I believe that all people are created equally. If you aren’t or don’t, that’s fine, but there’s no parsing this basic truth: People are created equally; therefore, talent is distributed equitably. Anything less than equitable cultivation of talent is subtractive from optimum performance.
If you are an executive, you have a fiduciary responsibility to your investors. If you’re a worker at a company that operates with this ethos (and it is a matter of ethics and values), then you do NOT have the right to work contrary to your company’s stated interests. It’s that simple.
For more on corporate values, read Ask the White Guy: Decision Making, Clarity of Values & What to Do When It Goes Horribly Wrong | <urn:uuid:7fb043ac-6421-489e-ac25-ff6c97440e90> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.diversityinc.com/ask-the-white-guy/why-are-disparities-in-income-distribution-increasing/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943007 | 1,624 | 2.171875 | 2 |
Virgin Islands Tourist Arrivals Up, But Spending Down
…Tourist arrivals to the Caribbean actually increased in 2010, with 23.1 million more people choosing to stay “over-night” versus taking a cruise and spending a few hours at a port of call.
This has not, however, translated into a return to pre-2008 incremental spending by tourists.
The United States Virgin Islands (USVI) are a prime example of this.
Located close to fellow US territory, Puerto Rico, and one of the Leeward Islands, the USVI consists of three main islands. Saint Croix, St John and St Thomas, along with the much smaller Water Island and several other minor islands.
During the recent Caribbean Media Exchange (CMEx) conference in St Thomas, USVI Commissioner of Tourism Beverly Nicholson-Doty, said per visitor expenditure have decreased even as arrival numbers increased over the last year.
In addition, many of the people who do take a Caribbean vacation spend less time here than did prior to the global financial crisis. The drop in spending is likely due to the origin of USVI visitors and their new economic mind-set, with many now choosing to save rather than spend and others just not having the “extra” money to spend on souvenirs and special tours while on vacation… Read more
Extention of Maho Bay Camps Lease – Miami Herald
Maho Bay Camps on the island of St. John has received an extension of its lease through June of 2013, giving the eco-friendly resort at least two more winter seasons. Owner Stanley Selengut vows this will be the last short-term extension: “We will either get a long-term lease which will allow for some wonderful capital improvements and investment in new technologies or close at the end of the lease in June 2013,” – Read more | <urn:uuid:bbb4f35c-7fc8-4411-b590-b55effebd9a4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://seestjohn.com/st_john_life/life-on-st-john/st-john-and-virgin-islands-news/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949007 | 382 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Time: 11:30 am - 1:30 pm
Place: Duquesne Club
Private schools in Pittsburgh face similar challenges, but their uniqueness is preserved by the manner in which they address these obstacles.
The primary challenges include incorporating the latest technology into the classroom, attracting and retaining qualified teachers and administrators, securing adequate funding, keeping tuition down and enrollment up, and competing with other educational options.
Many schools have offered tuition assistance and relied on innovative thinking to weather the economic recession, which has intensified the competition among schools.
“Families have more choices than ever before for their children’s education,” said Gary Niels, head of school at Winchester Thurston School in Shadyside and Allison Park. “Public schools, parochial schools, charter schools, magnet schools and even cyber schools pose a competitive challenge to independent schools.”
Winchester Thurston’s “City as Our Campus” initiative enabled faculty to develop innovative academic programs through partnerships with educational, cultural and research institutions in the region.
Central Catholic High School in Oakland is responding to the demands of educating students in the 21st century by refurbishing classrooms with modern technology. During the past five years, the school has invested more than $300,000 to upgrade its technology infrastructure with new servers and switches, Wi-Fi access, library equipment, computer carts and laptops for teachers.
“We need to ensure the facilities and curriculum keep pace with the contemporary needs of secondary education,” said Brother Robert Schaefer, principal at the all-boys high school.
Tracy Carbasho is a freelance writer.
If you are commenting using a Facebook account, your profile information may be displayed with your comment depending on your privacy settings. By leaving the 'Post to Facebook' box selected, your comment will be published to your Facebook profile in addition to the space below. | <urn:uuid:b05e1d37-628d-426b-aa49-c329d2eb3fed> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/print-edition/2011/04/08/private-schools-innovate-meet-challenges.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95201 | 388 | 1.867188 | 2 |
The Associated Press (AP) is accustomed to writing headlines, but it recently made some of its own when it launched a new ad campaign on Twitter. The ads weren't designed to promote the AP, but Samsung. And both parties circumvented Twitter's ad service to buy and place them. Given that the @AP feed has over 1.5 million followers, it's an attractive advertising opportunity for a consumer brand. Still, some objected to the deal, saying it showed a lack of "journalism ethics" by blurring the line between editorial and advertising (AP did clearly label the post "Sponsored Tweet")....
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Only 18% of Top CEOs Are on Social Networks
January 15, 2013
Only 18 percent of the CEOs of the world's 50 biggest companies by revenue have one or more social networking accounts, according to a study released Tuesday by global PR firm Weber Shandwick. By comparison, the firm conducted a similar study in 2010 and found that 16 percent of the top CEOs had at least one social networking account, suggesting that not much has changed in the past three years. Social networks like Facebook and Twitter may be gaining users at a quick pace, but at least one group continues to be hesitant about joining: CEOs.
Losing Twitter Followers? How to Gain and Keep More
January 14, 2013
From Social Media Today
Have you noticed you've been losing Twitter followers and you don't know why? Did you work hard to gain your followers and find yourself struggling to keep them? Do you have numbers but a very small engagement ratio? If you're losing followers, then there is a good chance you need to adjust some Twitter techniques to stop this from happening. | <urn:uuid:d145055e-159b-4035-9711-08a00a4e1714> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.emarketingandcommerce.com/aggregatedcontent/beyond-buy-4-twitter-ad-essentials | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968772 | 346 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Prints, Drawings, and Photographs
Katherine StieglitzMade in United States, North and Central America
Alfred Stieglitz, American, 1864 - 1946
Gelatin silver print, toned
Currently not on view
1967-285-46From the Collection of Dorothy Norman, 1967
LabelStieglitz's earliest surviving photographic subjects tend toward travel views and scenes of rural life. These photographs of family members, here his daughter Katherine, suggest a transition to more personal subject matter around the turn of the century. Stieglitz considered these works of art as well as family pictures, exhibiting and publishing several photographs of his daughter. With these images Stieglitz conceived the idea of creating a portrait series made up of many different views taken over the subject's lifetime. | <urn:uuid:8567aa4a-9eaf-4197-aae1-880e205f773e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://philamuseum.org/collections/permanent/63101.html?mulR=26062%7C1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942316 | 167 | 1.851563 | 2 |
Apollo’s Technical Demonstration Teach You How to Minimize Maintenance Costs
Apollo tyres, the leader in tyre technology in India holds a demonstration of its latest technologies every year. These demonstrations are usually targeted towards the car makers as a part of the annual sales and marketing routine. However, this year, due to the increased sales of cars and the demand of better and cheaper after care of vehicles, car makers have started to come forward themselves in order to take a look at the new tyre technologies.
Apollo has always used these demonstrations as hands on sales pitch, aiming to promote their new technologies. Also, this is another opportunity for Apollo to introduce newer and more expensive products in the markets. Considering the numbers and volumes of cars that are sold in India, even a small price rise in tyres can actually translate into a huge price rise.
Apollo also tries to showcase during these demonstrations, how just a small investment in good quality tyres can help you take better care of your car and maintain the car better. Tyres can help your car achieve additional capabilities and therefore, having the right tyres for the car is extremely important.
In the recent times, the technical demonstrations have allowed Apollo to rake in big money. They have been able to convince car makers that using their technically sound and relatively inexpensive tyres, how companies and individuals can save on maintenance costs and fuel costs.
The company has been producing tyres at maximum capacity, producing about 45,000 tyres every month. In fact only later in the year, Apollo is also going to set up the largest tyre manufacturing facility in Chennai. Though an India based company, Apollo has been able to successfully expand business to parts of Europe. As part of the international marketing strategy, Apollo tyres have already placed its products in some of the most sought after tyre testing centers all over the world. The fact that these tyres are able to successfully tread the Indian roads, comes up as an interesting unique selling point for Apollo.
The research carried out at Apollo Tyres claims that by reducing the weight of the tyres, the disc brakes and the wheel, better handling and riding options can be given to the drivers. Right now, when all three of these are combined, the total weight stands around 23 kgs. The hypothesis was even tested in front of a live audience by using different kind of machinery and equipment. | <urn:uuid:e59fed93-f01a-454e-866c-cd8cb0ce996c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.indiafolks.com/autoworld/apollos-technical-demonstration-teach-you-how-to-minimize-maintenance-costs/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962878 | 473 | 1.796875 | 2 |
May 02, 2012
PASADENA, Calif. - Astronomers have gathered the most direct evidence yet of a supermassive black hole shredding a star that wandered too close. NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer, a space-based observatory, and the Pan-STARRS1 telescope on the summit of Haleakala in Hawaii were among the first to help identify the stellar remains.
Supermassive black holes, weighing millions to billions times more than the sun, lurk in the centers of most galaxies. These hefty monsters lie quietly until an unsuspecting victim, such as a star, wanders close enough to get ripped apart by their powerful gravitational clutches.
Astronomers had spotted these stellar homicides before, but this is the first time they have identified the victim. Using several ground- and space-based telescopes, a team of astronomers led by Suvi Gezari of the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md., identified the victim as a star rich in helium gas. The star resides in a galaxy 2.7 billion light-years away. The team's results appear in today's online edition of the journal Nature.
"When the star is ripped apart by the gravitational forces of the black hole, some part of the star's remains falls into the black hole, while the rest is ejected at high speeds," Gezari said. "We are seeing the glow from the stellar gas falling into the black hole over time. We're also witnessing the spectral signature of the ejected gas, which we find to be mostly helium. It is like we are gathering evidence from a crime scene. Because there is very little hydrogen and mostly helium in the gas, we detect from the carnage that the slaughtered star had to have been the helium-rich core of a stripped star."
This observation yields insights about the harsh environment around black holes and the types of stars swirling around them. It is not the first time the unlucky star had a brush with the behemoth black hole.
The team believes the star's hydrogen-filled envelope surrounding the core was lifted off a long time ago by the same black hole. The star may have been near the end of its life. After consuming most of its hydrogen fuel, it had probably ballooned in size, becoming a red giant. Astronomers think the bloated star was looping around the black hole in a highly elliptical orbit, similar to a comet's elongated orbit around the sun. On one of its close approaches, the star was stripped of its puffed-up atmosphere by the black hole's powerful gravity. The stellar remains continued its journey around the center, until it ventured even closer to the black hole to face its ultimate demise.
Astronomers predict stripped stars circle the central black hole of our Milky Way galaxy. These close encounters are rare, occurring roughly every 100,000 years. To find this event, Gezari's team monitored hundreds of thousands of galaxies in ultraviolet light with the Galaxy Evolution Explorer, and in visible light with Pan-STARRS1. Pan-STARRS, short for Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System, scans the entire night sky for all kinds of transient phenomena, including supernovae.
The team was looking for a bright flare in ultraviolet light from the nucleus of a galaxy with a previously dormant black hole. Both telescopes spotted one in June 2010. Astronomers continued to monitor the flare as it reached peak brightness a month later and slowly faded during the next 12 months. The brightening event was similar to the explosive energy unleashed by a supernova, but the rise to the peak was much slower, taking nearly one-and-a-half months.
"The longer the event lasted, the more excited we got, because we realized this is either a very unusual supernova or an entirely different type of event, such as a star being ripped apart by a black hole," said team member Armin Rest of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore.
By measuring the increase in brightness, the astronomers calculated the black hole's mass to be several million suns, which is comparable to the size of our Milky Way's black hole.
Spectroscopic observations with the Multiple Meter Telescope Observatory on Mount Hopkins in Arizona showed the black hole was swallowing lots of helium. Spectroscopy divides light into its rainbow colors, which yields an object's characteristics, such as its temperature and gaseous makeup.
To completely rule out the possibility of an active nucleus flaring up in the galaxy, the team used NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory to study the hot gas. Chandra showed that the characteristics of the gas didn't match those from an active galactic nucleus.
For images, video and more information about this study, visit: http://hubblesite.org/news/2012/18 .
Whitney Clavin 818-354-4673
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
J.D. Harrington 202-358-0321 | <urn:uuid:5070c146-1efc-4480-9535-3bc920cff3d8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2012-122 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942067 | 1,001 | 3.09375 | 3 |
I previously recalled my experience with the Atari ST and how that machine introduced me to Sierra's King's Quest (and other graphical adventure) games. It took a while for me to figure out that these games were, in fact, horrible because they often required you to make a correct decision at some point that, if done incorrectly, would make it impossible to later finish the game. But no matter. I wasted a decade on King's Quest, Larry, Police Quest, and a bunch of other games before I realized what a sucker I'd been. Obviously I wasn't alone: Adventure Classic Gaming has a nice look back on the history of King's Quest:
The advent of King’s Quest series in the early 80s heralded in a new era for graphical adventure games. The original King’s Quest was a true classic and arguably the best of its genre. Since its first release in 1984, the game had undergone no fewer than 10 re-releases or remakes by its original developer. The game had also been heavily redeveloped by a large community of enthusiastic fans who released their fan made remakes for free. In fact, the 18 years of developments of King’s Quest had overseen great advances in both software and hardware on which the game was built, with improved graphic engines, higher screen resolutions, and enhanced display colours. Despite all these changes, the core of what made King’s Quest a timeless masterpiece had basically remained the same.
I'm guessing that core had nothing to do with the quality of the graphics or, for that matter, the text parser. But maybe I'm just jaded. :) | <urn:uuid:73f9ecde-8739-4f03-b3ce-94c83da09caa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://winsupersite.com/news/history-kings-quest | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978322 | 332 | 1.5 | 2 |
Just outside Lexington, Ky., you can find Peaceful Valley Farm, the longtime Kiser family home. Joe Kiser bought the 162-acre farm in 1965. The farm has thrived since then—even during the current severe drought—thanks to Kiser’s conservation-minded land management.
Kiser operated the farm, which includes cattle and a large garden, for many years using water from a nearby stream.
With technical assistance from USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Kiser dug a well in the mid-‘90s, but continued to use the stream for supplemental water as needed. But when the stream ran dry in this summer’s drought, Kiser struggled to keep his livestock and garden watered and had to rely partly on city water.
With the 54 head of cattle and over 40 calves, Kiser estimates he needs about 1,500 gallons of water a day. Using city water cost him hundreds of dollars each month, which he could not sustain.
Luckily, with geological advice from NRCS, Kiser began drilling this summer and found water 25 feet down. That well is supplying water to his garden and his cattle, when they come in from the back pastures. The water is also piped into the family home. Once testing is complete, Kiser hopes to be completely independent of the city water supply.
Water quantity was not Kiser’s only concern on his farm. In addition to running his farm, Kiser also is the founder and CEO of Fayette Electrical Service, Inc.—a small electrical business—so he knows quite a bit about energy consumption. He studied the possibilities of solar energy and decided earlier this summer to install solar panels on one of his barns. The savings have been immediate.
In June, Kiser banked over 300 kilowatts of energy, which means he is powering his operation completely from the solar panels. He estimates that the panels will pay for themselves in about eight years.
So with some imagination and a little help from NRCS, Kiser has the water he needs, and he’s reducing carbon emissions, saving money and storing energy for the dark, cloudy winter months ahead.
Follow NRCS on Twitter.
Check out other conservation-related stories on the USDA blog. | <urn:uuid:659ec7dc-0b84-4e14-9e76-5ed6fb153b79> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.usda.gov/2012/10/04/conservation-minded-kentucky-farmer-saves-money-improves-the-environment/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977751 | 474 | 2.625 | 3 |
Science Daily — Cheating is a behavior not limited to humans, animals and plants. Even microscopically small, single-celled algae do it, a team of University of Arizona researchers has discovered.
Humans do it, chimpanzees do it, cuckoos do it -- cheating to score a free ride is a well-documented behavior by many animals, even plants. But microscopically small, single-celled algae? Yes, they do it too, biologists with the University of Arizona's department of ecology and evolutionary biology have discovered.
"There are cheaters out there that we didn't know of," said William Driscoll, lead author of a research report on the topic who studied an environmentally devastating toxic alga that is invading U.S. waters as part of his doctoral research in the lab of Jeremiah Hackett, an assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology.
Driscoll isolated several strains of the species, Prymnesium parvum, and noticed that some grew more quickly and do not produce any of the toxins that protect the algae against competition from other species of algae.
"When those 'cheaters' are cultured with their toxic counterparts, they can still benefit from the toxins produced by their cooperative neighbors -- they are true 'free riders,'" Driscoll explained.
The study, published in the journal Evolution, adds to the emerging view that microbes often have active social lives. Future research into the social side of toxic algae could open up new approaches to control or counteract toxic algal blooms, which can pose serious threats to human health and wipe out local fisheries, for example. | <urn:uuid:531d6665-444f-46a6-89c5-40d56c24c371> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://scinewsblog.blogspot.com/2013/01/microbes-have-social-lives.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955173 | 329 | 3.390625 | 3 |
|Adler, Mortimer J. Reading is a basic tool in the living of a good life. - Adler, |
Mortimer J. That is a good book which is opened with expectation, and closed
with delight and profit. - Alcott, Amos Bronson Beware of the person of one 1.
|I also hope that I have lived up to the words of Amos Bronson Alcot: "That is a |
good book which is opened with expectations, and closed with delight and profit."
SS Hiremath At the outset I express my sincere gratitude to all. PREFACE.
|Marie Pierce Weber. “That is a good book which is opened with expectation and |
closed with delight and profit.” – A. B. Alcott. ∆. Contents Prologue ...........................
.....................................................xiii Marooned 1: .
|again, read best who read for their own delight; of which George Gissing1 may |
be cited as a final and sufficient ... that is a good book which is opened with
expectation and closed with profit, provided we agree that profit may differ in kind
|Through his analysis of marginalia in extant copies of these booklets Smyth constructs a profile of miscellany readers and shows how their readings often differed from those prescribed by the texts.|
1994 - 224 pages
|Drawing on over thirty years of research for companies such as 3M, American Express, Chik-Fil-A, USAA, Coca-Cola, FedEx, GE, Cisco Systems, Neiman Marcus, and Toyota, author Goodman uses formal research, case studies, and patented practices ...|
|This feat once accomplished, we can recur to the book with the utmost delight, |
and, opening at random, bo secure of landing upon a chapter which will afford
most pleasing and profitable matter for perusal and after reflection. ... the good,
and the pure; when vanity is sublimed into fame — that earthly hereafter — which
, in taking the semblance of eternity, ... how much more so to exaggerated
expectation ? mortification succeeds, and vanity covers all as a garment, but a
poisoned one, ...
|Features forex market guidelines and sample trading plans The fun and easy way to get started in currency trading Want to capitalize on the growing forex market?| | <urn:uuid:dc6fc5bd-4b0d-4892-abb2-6d75a98c4ddf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.google.com/search?tbo=p&tbm=bks&q=That+is+a+good+book+which+is+opened+with+expectation,+and+closed+with+delight+and+profit | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927554 | 497 | 1.875 | 2 |
Patience seems to be running low these days. I’ve heard it from friends, seen facebook statuses stating it, and have felt it myself. So why are we all running out of patience? I think it’s a pretty normal feeling for parents. We all have those days when our kids are just driving us nuts but just because it’s normal doesn’t make it any easier to deal with. So what do you do when you’re at your wits end? Seriously, I want to know. I’ve been feeling at my wits ends a lot this week with little sleep, and a teething, whining toddler on my hands.
Here are some ideas I’ve found that help me:
Plan an activity for every day
– it doesn’t have to be some elaborate activity, just something that will keep the kids occupied for an hour or so. For example, have a bug hunt in the backyard, do some crafts, set up a picnic. It is something that will allow you to fade into the background for a little while.
Get out of the house
– it’s amazing what a change of scenery can do for a mood. For example, go to a play group, go to the park or a spray park if it’s hot out, hit story time at the library or just go for a nice long walk.
Speak in the positive
– this can be challenging but really does change your mood. For example, instead of saying no, use distraction by showing your child what they can do. Speaking in the positive takes the frustration of your child not listening out of the equation and lifts your mood because all the negative talk can be a real downer.
– if you have the luxury of having an hour or two to yourself when your child naps use that time to really pamper yourself. For example, take a bath, take a nap, curl up with a good book or veg out on the couch with your favourite sitcom. Forget about getting house work done or starting dinner it can all wait. Being in a better mood will make it all much less monotonous.
Call in reinforcements
– if you can, swap kids with a friend to have some time to yourself and allow your friend the same. Or if you have family nearby see if they can take the kids for a few hours. Then have a nap, go shopping, meet a friend for lunch or just enjoy having the house to yourself.
Hope some of these suggestions help you regain the patience you need to be the parent you want to be. Please send me any of your ideas cause you can never have too many techniques in your tool box to safe your sanity.
Labels: kids, mother, patience
This is my new favourite summertime grilling recipe. Give it a try!
Pork Souvlaki in a Pita with Tzatziki
1 ½ lbs boneless pork loin, 1 ½” cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup plain yogurt
½ cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon dill
Salt and ground pepper to taste
4 pita bread, halved
Prepare marinade by whisking together olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, thyme and garlic in a glass dish. Add cubed pork and marinate for 6 hours in refrigerator or overnight.
Meanwhile, prepare tzatziki by combining yogurt, cucumber, garlic, lemon juice, dill, salt and pepper. Chill at least 1 hour to blend the flavours.
Thread the pork onto metal skewers or bamboo skewers that have been soaked in water for 30 minutes.
Preheat barbecue on High and brush grids with vegetable oil to prevent sticking. Reduce the heat to Medium, and place the pork skewers on the grill. Cook 4-6 minutes per side, turning once.
Lightly grill each side of the pita bread, place the pork inside the pocket, and serve with the tzatziki sauce.
Sever with a Greek salad.
Labels: Pork Souvlaki in a Pita with Tzatziki, Recipe, Sarah | <urn:uuid:611b49fe-8281-4271-b9dc-a6982590b475> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.morethanavillageblog.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.912711 | 902 | 1.75 | 2 |
Wednesday Web Gems
Baseball Relays – Technique to Win Games
When I played major league baseball, along with hitting a triple, no play excited me more than making a baseball relay throw to attempt to nail the runner. This was especially so for the relay throw home when the game was on the line.
Correct technique on the baseball relay is crucial for getting the most on the throw, wasting no time, and having an accurate throw. This play may look simple when performed by professional, but it takes a good amount of concentration by the relay player.
- At the higher levels of ball, the first throw from the outfielder should be the longest throw. However, at the youth baseball level, when stronger armed players are often playing the infield, the opposite is important. Coaching infielders to go out the correct distance to receive the initial throw is the first thing to teach.
- Secondly, the infielder (relay person) must be directly in line with the base the throw is going to, which is usually the base where the lead runner is approaching. Infielder decides that by a quick glance back to the infield before the outfielder is to throw the ball or by listening to the infielders behind them.
- Relay person must concentrate on the flight of the ball, specifically as to its direction and speed, with the intent of catching the ball on their glove side of their body. Quick movement of the feet is often necessary to achieve that.
- With strong throws, the relay person should have their momentum moving towards the infield, catch the ball at their right shoulder with two hands, and deliver a strong throw to the base, on a line.
- On weak throws from the outfielder, players must move to the ball first, away from the infield, before catching the ball in the same location as above. On this play, players will not be able to get as strong a throw off, as they have little momentum towards the infield.
Other Key Baseball Relays Tips
- The only time players would turn opposite their glove side is on balls they have to reach across their body for, where it is quicker to let the momentum of this throw have them spin clockwise instead.
- At the higher levels of ball, a double cutoff play is necessary, with a backup infielder behind the first relay player. With this baseball relay technique, the initial player may let the ball go to the backup player, when the outfielder’s throw is too tough to handle.
- The player receiving the initial throw must stay attentive to instructions from the other infielders, as the throw direction may change depending on the location of the base runners.
As mentioned, the baseball relays play looks easy on TV, but requires a great amount of practice, so players have the correct technique for this crucial baseball play. | <urn:uuid:1b9c6d80-ee85-41d9-8637-5d2efbd24836> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.baseballcoachingtips.net/tools-resources/baseball-relays-technique-is-crucial-365-days-to-better-baseball/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00059-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972485 | 573 | 2.78125 | 3 |
Medicare Part C is known as Medicare Advantage. These are private plans run through Medicare that, by law, must at least be "equivalent" to regular Part A and B coverage. But there's lots of variation among Part C plans. Any given one may cover less of one thing and more of another than Part A and Part B do. (Confusing, right?)
Some Part C plans provide significant coverage beyond what you get in Parts A and B - including, in some cases, prescription drug coverage - but not all. The better ones basically function like Medigap policies, but are administered by Medicare rather than being wholly run by private insurance companies.
In fact, if you have a Medicare Advantage plan, any Medigap policy you may have is useless; Medigap won't pay if you are covered by Medicare Part C. | <urn:uuid:ea9cc08a-5771-48ce-82e9-2f0168a6ba40> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://money.cnn.com/retirement/guide/retirementliving_healthcare.moneymag/index6.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958682 | 172 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Google has been making Maps and Earth a bit more social these days, letting users create 3D buildings and using crowdsourcing to help update changes in terrain and on roads. Now Google Street View is hoping to engage users by letting them suggest spots where the “Trike” should venture.
Google Street View’s Trike is what Google uses when it can’t drive a car through the area its visually mapping. Some Google employee actually rides this contraption to make sure Street View has visuals on hard-to-reach spots around the world. At Google’s Trike homepage, you can suggest spots where the Trike should go within six categories: parks and trails, university campuses, pedestrian malls (e.g., outdoor shopping areas, boardwalks), theme parks and zoos, and landmarks and sports venues.
Google is letting users submit their votes over the next few weeks, and will choose a winner for each category for the Street View trike to visit. It’s certainly an interesting way to engage users with Street View, considering how popular the car sightings are. When Google opened up nominations in the U.K., Street View received more than 10,000 suggestions.
Personally, I think this is representative of Google wanting to have the best mapping data available, whether it be on Maps, Earth or Street View, and is now engaging U.S. users to help them get this. Google knows the power of crowdsourcing and using its loyal user base to help them improve and iterate their products.
Photo credit:Flickr/Current Events | <urn:uuid:953d4db9-6290-4e35-ac24-b5b096bdca29> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://techcrunch.com/2009/10/16/no-thats-not-the-ice-cream-man-its-the-google-trike-taking-street-view-off-road/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930862 | 322 | 1.929688 | 2 |
I could not resist and had to make a special lunch for Pi day (3/14) today! π (sometimes written pi) is a mathematical constant that is the ratio of any Euclidean circle's circumference to its diameter. π is approximately equal to 3.14. The area of a circle is equal to π times the square of the radius of the circle. ~ Wikipedia
I made an open faced waffle sandwich with Nutella (inspired by BentOnBetterLunches) representing a circle and topped it with cinnamon number cookies from Trader Joe's. I also packed strawberries and a Lime Jello topped with more cinnamon letters :)
For more Pi lunches come and check out BentoForKidlet, MommyandMeLunchbox, DianaRambles and BentOnBetterLunches.
Enjoy Pi Day! | <urn:uuid:6b695cfb-0b6b-44fa-a684-bae2a45f0e6e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mamabelly.com/2012/03/happy-pi-day.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.918074 | 173 | 1.875 | 2 |
Rocket launch should be a blast
April 25, 2012 4:32PM
Updated: May 28, 2012 8:46AM
This weekend will be the last chance until fall to attend an event that is, literally, a blast. Michigan Team-1, a model rocketry club, will hold its spring launch weekend in Three Oaks, Mich., starting in the afternoon Friday, April 27, and continuing throughout the day on Saturday, April 28, and Sunday, April 29.
Team-1 makes the claim of being Michigan’s oldest and largest model rocketry club. The club typically holds launches at a site near Ann Arbor, but makes the trek to Three Oaks, near New Buffalo, each spring and fall for their “major” launches, as this field can accommodate more powerful and higher flying rockets.
Michigan Team-1 is one of two model rocket clubs that uses the Three Oaks field for launches. Both groups enjoy demonstrating their hobby to the public, and welcome spectators and those that might be interested in learning more about model rocketry. And both clubs allow youth to launch rockets free of charge.
The other club using this field is Michiana Rocketry, www.michianarocketry.org, which uses this field for monthly launches beginning in the fall after the crops are out and through spring planting time. They held a launch last weekend. Michiana also has a “Rocket Den” with rockets and components that are free for youth to use at the launch site.
“It seems that everybody at some point in time, like in a school science class or in scouts, is exposed to small model rockets. The launch days have lots flights of those types of rockets interspersed with some bigger rockets,” said Dave Brunsting, prefect of Michiana Rocketry.
The model rockets are designed to remain intact and be recovered and reused. Some even have high-tech components to help locate them after they parachute back to the ground, which is especially helpful in windy conditions.
Brunsting said that one of the bigger rockets expected at their last launch would be about 11 feet tall, have multiple motors and fly up to about 10,000 feet.
“That would be an impressive flight — assuming it works — rocket science is not always easy,” said Brunsting, laughing.
To see the upcoming weekend’s launches in person, Brunsting recommends bringing your own lawn chair and whatever you need to survive in a field for the day, such as water, sunscreen and snacks or a lunch, and dressing for the weather. There is a portable toilet on site, and there is likely to be a chili vendor in addition to rocket supply vendors.
To get to the field, take Interstate 94 east to Michigan exit 4A. About two miles past the stoplight in Three Oaks, turn right onto Avery Road and follow the gravel road south.
For more details on the upcoming launch, including a map to the site, go to www.team1.org and click on launch info for Three Oaks. | <urn:uuid:3ebbc798-99b2-4274-91ed-ecfc90cda7b3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/neighbors/dittmann/12125630-452/rocket-launch-should-be-a-blast.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956207 | 631 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Scientific Name: Anas rubripes
Nest Type: Scrape
Nest Location: Ground, tree or stump
Clutch Size: 6-12; avg. 8-10
Food: Aquatic invertebrates, seeds, and tubers
Foraging Guild: Dabbler
The American Black Duck is a regular breeding species throughout northeastern Minnesota and an uncommon winter visitor in southeastern parts of the state,
particularly at Silver Lake and Black Dog Lake (Janssen 1987). Peak spring migration typically occurs in mid-April, and the bulk of fall migration takes place
throughout October (Janssen 1987). Minnesota is on the southwestern edge of the Black Duck's breeding range, which extends north to the shores of Hudson's Bay
and east to the Atlantic Coast from North Carolina to the southern edge of the tundra. Wintering birds may migrate to the southern Great Lakes States, or as far
south as northern Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana and northeastern Texas (National Geographic Society 1983).
Breeding habitat of the American Black Duck includes a wide variety of riparian forest types, wetlands, and water types free of human disturbance. Fall and winter
habitat preferences are similarly broad, including most types of unfrozen water. Larger bodies of water are preferred, however (Spencer 1986). In Minnesota, this
species requires wetland habitat which contains adequate emergent vegetation and aquatic invertebrates.
American Black Ducks are considered "dabblers," feeding primarily in shallow fresh and brackish water on invertebrates, small amphibians, seeds and other plant
material (Roberts 1932, Spencer 1986). Nestlings and breeding females rely more heavily on aquatic invertebrates than many other dabbling duck species to provide
needed protein. Upland feeding sites are used occasionally (Spencer 1986).
Nests are built on the ground, and are typically depressions lined with dry plant material and down. They are usually well hidden near small beaver ponds in grassy
areas, wooded wetlands, or the riparian zone of boreal forest (Ehrlich et al. 1988, Cadman et al. 1987). Most nests are within 75 m of water (Spencer 1986).
Abandoned nests of raptors and large corvids are occasionally used (Roberts 1932). Nesting in Minnesota occurs from mid-May through late July (Roberts 1932).
Eight to ten eggs are usually laid and incubated by the female for 23 to 33 days prior to hatching. The precocial young are ready to fledge 58 to 60 days after
hatching (Spencer 1986). Nest predation by American Crow, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull and Red fox have been reported in Ontario (Atlantic
Waterfowl Council 1968).
Population declines throughout the U.S. have been linked not only to habitat changes but also to lead poisoning, pesticide use for controlling spruce budworm, acid
rain, overhunting (a disproportionately large harvest of young female black ducks may be accelerating population declines), and competition and hybridization with
Mallards (Spencer 1986). Habitat alteration may be causing population decreases indirectly by facilitating the range expansion of Mallards which prefer less
forested habitats (Cadman et al. 1987). Concern over Black Duck population declines began as early as the middle of this century (Spencer 1986). One nationwide
survey indicates a 2% per year decline for the period 1955 to 1983, with present populations estimated at 40% of those at the beginning of the period (Grandy
1983). These population declines have led to listing the species on the Audubon Blue List (1980-1981), and identifying it as a Species of Special Concern in 1982
and 1986 (Ehrlich et al. 1988). In Minnesota, the species has increased by about 2% in the past 25 years (Janssen 1990). However, the sampling efficiency for this
species is quite low and it was only observed on 4 routes. | <urn:uuid:ec1065c2-7520-4628-8f8f-3e2af4f18f61> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nrri.umn.edu/mnbirds/accounts/ABDUa2.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00065-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.911744 | 828 | 3.625 | 4 |
Elementary botany, series A.
The leaves of wild carrot (Daucus carota), caraway (Carum carvi) and yarrow (Achillea millefolium) are quite different from one another. Check it out for yourself:
Pic: The leaves of carrot, caraway and yarrow - but which is which? And no, they're not in the mentioned order.
The yarrow has been used as a culinary herb, but frankly, if you can find anything else even remotely edible around, pick that instead.
The caraway leaf is delicious. Caraway is native to Finland, but I grow it in my garden; that way, I'm guaranteed an abundant supply of lush large green caraway leaf throughout the season. It tastes of parsley at first, but if you leave things (breadspreads, for instance) in the fridge overnight, it gets a hint of caraway, too.
Dunno if you can use the leaf of wild carrot. I know that some make a soup with the greens of normal carrots, but I haven't done that, myself, either. | <urn:uuid:af644cdd-3eee-4400-890b-449fe8fe780d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.henriettesherbal.com/blog/leaf-differences.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953274 | 231 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Ley de Economia Sostenible (Sustainable Economy Act) draws protests from music industry artists and workers trying to emphasize job losses as well as activists concerned the proposed legislation goes too far.
The copyright wars are heating up in Spain with news that the govt there is proposing legislation to increase protections for intellectual property on the Internet.
If you recall, it was back in 2006 that a judge ruled in a illegal downloading case that since there “no talk of money or any other compensation beyond the sharing of material available among various users [then] no offense meriting penal sanction has been committed.”
The courts made an even bolder move this past June when a judge ruled that illegal distribution requires something “tangible” to exist, like a website, and on which the actual sharing must occur. He said he recognized the possibility that unauthorized public communication, or distribution, of copyrighted material may have occurred, but that it’s difficult to prove being that it “may well be possible that the file-sharing was with one person.”
The Ley de Economia Sostenible (Sustainable Economy Act) would amend the Services of the Information Society and Royal Decree Law of 1996 by adding the revised text “protect intellectual property against Internet piracy. ”
According to the law’s text, the Culture Ministry will have the power to close websites accused of copyright infringement without a court order.
Article 158. Commission on Intellectual Property.
Is created in the Ministry of Culture, the Commission on Intellectual Property as a body at national level, to exercise the functions of mediation and arbitration and safeguarding intellectual property rights assigned to this Law
ISPs would also be required to divulge the names and information of accused file-sharers, also without court order.
A group of activists is taking the text establishing an intellectual property commission particularly seriously, afraid it could silence speech and thought without benefit of trial.
“We’re left in legal uncertainty, if anyone can come and close your page for supposedly copyrighted photos uploaded by a third party, you are left very unprotected,” said Jesus Encinar, founder of Idealista.com.
Culture Minister Ángeles González-Sinde, a scriptwriter, film director, and former president of the Spanish Academy of Arts and Cinematographic Sciences, insists the average Internet user will be fine.
She said it “only aims at addressing the problem of illegal supply, and not the use that can make citizens of their freedom of this great medium of communication and Internet discussion is. The intellectual property committee proposed by the new law will act only upon request of a party who alleges that his copyright is being exploited by a page without permission.”
But, that still means power will reside with the govt by default and it will be up to individuals to prove their innocence rather than the govt to first prove guilt. For again, the process will be conducted via committee and not via the courts.
Opposition is growing to the legislation and has led a group of journalists, bloggers, Internet users, professionals and developers to express their concern that the law will affect the free exercise of freedom of expression, information, and the right of access to culture on the Internet
From their manifesto “In Defense of Fundamental Rights on the Internet“:
- Copyright should not be placed above citizens’ fundamental rights to privacy, security, presumption of innocence, effective judicial protection and freedom of expression.
- Suspension of fundamental rights is and must remain an exclusive competence of judges. This blueprint, contrary to the provisions of Article 20.5 of the Spanish Constitution, places in the hands of the executive the power to keep Spanish citizens from accessing certain websites.
- The proposed laws would create legal uncertainty across Spanish IT companies, damaging one of the few areas of development and future of our economy, hindering the creation of startups, introducing barriers to competition and slowing down its international projection.
- The proposed laws threaten creativity and hinder cultural development. The Internet and new technologies have democratized the creation and publication of all types of content, which no longer depends on an old small industry but on multiple and different sources.
- Authors, like all workers, are entitled to live out of their creative ideas, business models and activities linked to their creations. Trying to hold an obsolete industry with legislative changes is neither fair nor realistic. If their business model was based on controlling copies of any creation and this is not possible any more on the Internet, they should look for a new business model.
- We believe that cultural industries need modern, effective, credible and affordable alternatives to survive. They also need to adapt to new social practices.
- The Internet should be free and not have any interference from groups that seek to perpetuate obsolete business models and stop the free flow of human knowledge.
- We ask the Government to guarantee net neutrality in Spain, as it will act as a framework in which a sustainable economy may develop.
- We propose a real reform of intellectual property rights in order to ensure a society of knowledge, promote the public domain and limit abuses from copyright organizations.
- In a democracy, laws and their amendments should only be adopted after a timely public debate and consultation with all involved parties. Legislative changes affecting fundamental rights can only be made in a Constitutional law.
A group of these same people was able to hold court with González-Sinde yesterday where they asked her to explain the proposal a bit more in an effort to alleviate some of their fears. However, rather than finding comfort they left “disappointed” and “even more concerned than before.”
Journalist Ignacio Escolar even quipped “are you going to do Spain what’s happened in China?”
González-Sinde simply repeated her understanding that the law was intended to target suppliers of copyrighted material and not individual users, but many still left the meeting unconvinced.
Though not having endorsed the Sustainable Economy Act, members of Spain’s music sector took pains to demand greater copyright protection a few days ago in protests over their their industry’s job losses at the hands of piracy and illegal P2P.
“We have already lost too many thousands of jobs in the music sector while successive governments have looked on with indifference,” said Antonio Guisasola, president music label association Promusicae. “Now is the time to demand, through this industry ministry, that [this government] acts with decision and legislates adequately.”
He spoke of the need for a “peaceful revolution” in which music artists defend what it is theirs.
One rather naive singer/songwriter by the name of Aute even went so far as to claim that without such a draconian crackdown on P2P that in “five years this will all disappear,” that “there will be no songs nor music.”
Guess nobody’s told him that since the advent of P2P in 2000 the number of albums produced has more than doubled.
The truly sad thing is that the music industry will find this not to be the silver bullet they’ve been idly waiting for. Instead they will find people sharing content as they always have it will just take on different shapes and forms. | <urn:uuid:94e5ccfb-8ad1-40a9-8331-66c27f0992a9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.zeropaid.com/news/87324/battle-over-copyright-law-reform-heats-up-in-spain/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00050-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948274 | 1,513 | 2.140625 | 2 |
given the equation for fireworks: f(x) = 24.5t - 4.9t^2
what velocity does the rocket travel at its maximum height?
what time would the fuse timer need to be set at to have the rocket explode at maximum height?
at what height would the rocket explode at with the minimum fuse timer setting?
I solved for x=a and found that m=24.5 - 9.8a
I think that this is the velocity at the maximum height where a = the max height but I am lost as to how to finish the second part of the question.
This is very confused, but let us assume that f(t) represents the height
Originally Posted by conman
at time t, and we are discussing 1 dimensional motion.
When the rocket is at its maximum height its velocity is 0.
The velocity is obtained by differentiating the equation for the height, so
the velocity is:
df/dt = 24.5 - 9.8t.
At the maximum height df/dt=0, so this occurs when:
24.5 - 9.8t = 0,
t = 24.5/9.8 ~= 2.5 seconds
So the fuse would have to be set to 2.5 seconds to have the rocket explode
at its maximum height.
The height at which the rocket explodes is:
f(2.5) = 24.5*2.5 - 4.9*2.5^2 = 30.625 metres. | <urn:uuid:61dcf98a-72d3-46ae-84c8-a8c6c48bacbe> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mathhelpforum.com/calculus/6672-trajectory-flight-print.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939061 | 320 | 3.25 | 3 |
Class of First-Time Freshmen Not a White Majority This Fall Semester at The University of Texas at Austin
Sept. 14, 2010
AUSTIN, Texas — For the first time in the history of The University of Texas at Austin, fewer than half of the fall semester's first-time freshmen are white students, according to a preliminary analysis.
The report, provided by Kristi Fisher, associate vice provost and director of the Office of Information Management and Analysis, shows the number of first-time freshmen who identified their ethnicity/race as "white" on admissions information total 47.6 percent. The university's overall total white student population, including graduate, Pharmacy Doctorate and law students, is 52.1 percent.
The figures reflect changes in the demographics of Texas. The Office of the State Demographer, Texas State Data Center, estimates the state's ethnicity in 2010 to be 45.1 percent Anglo (white), 38.8 percent Hispanic, 11.5 percent black and 4.6 percent other. The state's ethnic/race distribution by 2020 is projected to change to 37.6 percent Anglo (white), 45.2 percent Hispanic, 11.2 percent black and 6 percent other.
Fisher said the figures are based on 12th class day numbers. Final enrollment figures will be available in October, but there usually is little variation from the preliminary figures, she said.
Total enrollment at The University of Texas at Austin increased for the 2010 fall semester by 238 students (0.5 percent) from 50,995 last fall to 51,233 in fall 2010, according to the enrollment report, which uses new federally mandated ethnic and race reporting categories and provisions for students and employees to specify more than one race/ethnicity in identifying themselves.
The report shows undergraduate enrollment increased by 282 students (0.7 percent). Graduate enrollment (including Pharmacy Doctorate) decreased by 26 students (-0.2 percent) and law school enrollment by 18 students (-1.5 percent). The undergraduate one-year retention rate (91.7 percent) and six-year graduation rate (80.2 percent) remained relatively stable for fall 2010. There was an increase in the two-year retention rate, from 87 percent in 2009 to 88.5 percent in 2010.
Fisher said that starting this fall, ethnic/racial categories are being reported in accordance with newly implemented federal and state guidelines. Reporting categories are consistent with those adopted by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) for the fall 2010 reporting cycle. Reporting changes include the introduction of two new race-reporting categories, "Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander" and "Two or More." Students identifying themselves in more than one category with one being Hispanic are reported in the "Hispanic" category only, in accordance with federal guidelines. Students identifying themselves as black, or in more than one category with one being black (and not Hispanic), are reported in the "total black" category. All other students identifying themselves in more than one category (neither Hispanic nor black) are reported in the "Two or More" category. Information describing the process of adopting new race and ethnic categories for students, faculty and staff members was described in an Oct. 15, 2009 university press release that may be viewed online.
Based on this reporting system, a preliminary analysis shows first-time freshmen enrollment figures increased for Hispanic and total black ethnic/race groups, as well as for foreign students. The ethnic/racial distribution of fall 2010 first-time freshmen enrollment is as follows:
- The white only category is 47.6 percent (3,464 students) compared to 51.1 percent (3,700 students) in fall 2009.
- The Hispanic (any combination) category is 23.1 percent (1,680 students) compared to 20.8 percent (1,503 students) in fall 2009.
- The black total category is 5.1 percent (372 students) compared to 4.9 percent (354 students) in fall 2009.
- The Asian only category is 17.3 percent (1,260 students) compared to 19.6 percent (1,423 students) in fall 2009.
- The American Indian only category is 0.2 percent (15 students) compared to 0.4 percent (29 students) in 2009.
- The Native Hawaiian category is 0.1 percent (four students); this is a new reporting category for fall 2010.
- The two or more — not Hispanic or black — category is 2.6 percent (190 students); this is a new reporting category for fall 2010.
- The foreign student category is 3.9 percent (282 students) compared to 3.2 percent (230 students) in fall 2009.
- The "unknown" category is 0.1 percent (10 students) compared to 0.1 percent (four students) in fall 2009.
Fisher said her office compiles 10-year trends for ethnic/racial distributions of first-time freshmen (fall and summer combined). They show that since fall 2000, the proportional representation of Hispanic first-time freshmen has increased by 11.9 percent, total black freshmen by 1.8 percent and Asian freshmen by 4.9 percent. The proportional representation of white first-time freshmen has decreased by 12.8 percent, from 60.4 percent in fall 2000 to 47.6 percent in 2010.
Of the 14,583 first-time freshmen (fall and summer combined) offered admission for fall 2010, 7,275 (50 percent) enrolled. According to data provided by the Office of Admissions, 76 percent of all entering freshmen were automatically admitted under HB 588 (the Top 10 Percent Law). Of the entering freshmen from Texas high schools, 85 percent were admitted under HB 588.
The average ACT score for the entering class was 27 and the average Scholastic Aptitude Test composite score (mathematics, writing and critical reading) was 1819.
The preliminary analysis of graduate students shows enrollment (excluding law school) decreased by 26 students (-0.2 percent) to 11,589. Total law school enrollment decreased by 18 students (-1.5 percent) but new law enrollment increased by 10 students ((2.2 percent). The decrease in total law enrollment figures spans all ethnic groups.
Undergraduate enrollment increased for Undergraduate Studies by 801 (104.2 percent), Natural Sciences by 271 (3.1 percent), and Education by 201 (10.2 percent). Undergraduate enrollment in all other colleges decreased or remained stable, although a 793-student decrease in undergraduate enrollment in Liberal Arts was offset by a comparable increase in Undergraduate Studies.
Graduate enrollment increased for Engineering by 54 (2.7 percent), Geosciences by 27 (11.1 percent), Nursing by 17 (5.9 percent), Information by 15 (5.3 percent), Social Work by 7 (1.6 percent), Architecture by 6 (1.6 percent) and Public Affairs by 3 (1 percent). Graduate enrollment in all other colleges decreased or remained stable.
The university's total enrollment increased for the Hispanic and black ethnic groups. The ethnic/racial distribution of the total fall 2010 enrollment is as follows:
- The white only category is 52.1 percent (26,671 students) compared to 53.5 percent (27,263 students) in fall 2009. It reflects a 2.2 percent decrease in the number of white only students.
- The Hispanic (any combination) category is 17 percent (8,725 students) compared to 16.2 percent (8,265 students) in fall 2009. It reflects a 5.6 percent increase in the number of Hispanic students.
- The black total category is 4.5 percent (2,315 students) compared to 4.5 percent (2,276 students) in fall 2009. It reflects a 1.7 percent increase in the number of black total students.
- The Asian only category is 15.2 percent (7,794 students) compared to 15.5 percent (7,910 students) in fall 2009. It reflects a 1.5 percent decrease in the number of Asian only students.
- The American Indian only category is 0.4 percent (187 students) compared to 0.4 percent (215 students) in fall 2009. It reflects a 13.0 percent decrease in the number of American Indian only students.
- The Native Hawaiian only category is 0.0 percent (19 students); this is a new reporting category for fall 2010.
- The category for two or more ethnicities — not Hispanic or black — is 0.8 percent (394 students) this is a new reporting category for fall 2010.
- The foreign students category is 9.0 percent (4,635 students) compared to 9.1 percent (4,656 students) in fall 2009. It reflects a 0.5 percent decrease in the number of foreign students.
- The "unknown" category is 1.0 percent (493 students) compared to 0.8 percent (410 students) in fall 2009. It reflects a 20.2 percent increase in the number of students who listed ethnicity as unknown.
Fisher said this fall semester marks the implementation of new federally mandated ethnic and race reporting categories and provisions for students and employees to specify more than one race/ethnicity in identifying themselves. These changes were required of all colleges and universities, as well as primary and secondary schools throughout the United States, by the fall semester of 2010.
"To ensure that reported shifts in the ethnic/racial mix of our student population are not merely artifacts of these changes to reporting methodology, the Office of Information Management and Analysis has carefully analyzed the impact of these changes with respect to categorization of multi-racial students," Fisher said. "We performed six-year and 10-year regression analyses on the ethnic/racial percentage distribution trends of total and freshman enrollments and found the THECB reporting methodology to very closely follow the projected distributions for 2010. While we know of cases where, for example, black students identifying themselves as 'black and Hispanic' are now being reported as 'Hispanic' only, the upward trend in minority enrollment percentages holds true and is not significantly affected by the reporting changes."
For more information, contact: Robert D. Meckel, Office of the President, 512 475 7847. | <urn:uuid:fa6c57db-49cc-48b4-b017-f0eebe7f6ba5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.utexas.edu/news/2010/09/14/student_enrollment2010/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935353 | 2,113 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Unlike his fellow members of the inner circle of French Impressionism, who largely eschewed drawing for the more immediate direct application of paint, Edgar Degas put great emphasis on drawing.
He was, to my mind, one of the greatest proponents of draftsmanship of the late 19th Century, creating a great many striking drawings in pastel, graphite and crayon. Of course, it’s always a matter of discussion whether works in pastel can be considered drawings or paintings, but many of Degas’ pastel pieces definitely fall into the former classification.
The Morgan Library and Museum in New York, one of the few major art venues in the U.S. that consistently pays attention to drawings, is hosting an exhibition of Degas Drawings and Sketchbooks that features 20 beautiful drawings and two sketchbooks. The exhibition is on view until January 23, 2011.
I mentioned it back in September in my general post on Edgar Degas, but I don’t think I put enough emphasis on the online exhibition.
It’s always a delight when the Morgan posts art images that are Zoomable. Unlike many museums that feel compelled to confine Zoomable works to a tiny window (lest we art image thieves and brigands abscond with a large image), the Morgan provides a “Full Screen” option, at the bottom right of the controls, that lets you fill your entire monitor with Degas’ drawings in glorious high resolution. | <urn:uuid:e863f3e9-3722-4a1d-9752-99d7f37c1e3b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.linesandcolors.com/2010/12/14/degas-drawings-at-the-morgan-library-and-museum/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00051-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943184 | 303 | 2.25 | 2 |
07-Dec-2003 -- After the successful visit (with greater accuracy than the previous visit) to 30S 30E on 6 December, I set out bright and early, determined to bag 29S 31E, which was at incomplete status. I knew that the area was tricky, being very mountainous, with few good roads. This was probably the reason for this one remaining uncompleted.
I approached the Confluence from the SE, travelling via the Coastal Road to Stanger, and then heading northwest through Mapumulo towards Kranskop. When the GPS indicated that I was about 10 km from the Confluence, I looked for a right turn and soon found myself in the thick of a wattle plantation, owned by a national paper manufacturer. Unable to find anyone to give me permission to enter the plantation, I hauled out my DCP letter, ready for presentation if I was stopped and pressed on.
The countryside in this area is at an altitude of 1000 m and consists of spurs, all reaching northwards towards the Tugela River, and ending in very steep drops to the river which is at about 300 m altitude. I unsuccessfully tried 5 spurs, working from SE to NW, and eventually got to within about 2.5 km of the Confluence, better than the 5 km of the previous attempt. But it became increasingly obvious that the Confluence was located on the slopes of the valley below and that an approach from the south was not possible without a great deal of sweat and hiking. The previous attempt had stated that the best approach was from the north, and although that visit was unsuccessful it appeared that the approach direction was in fact the correct one.
Almost ready to give up, I left the plantation and headed for Kranskop for a lunch break. There I downloaded and overlaid the GPS track onto the local map and confirmed that the Confluence may indeed be possible from the north. After lunch I headed north from Kranskop into the Tugela Valley, and then turned eastwards along the river road. About 5 km from the Confluence I spotted a track, seemingly used by mini-bus taxis, which appeared to be heading in the right direction. Engaging 4WD, I followed the track southwards, branching off and continually making my way closer to the Confluence. The roads (?), or more accurately goat tracks, were extremely rough, rutted and almost the worst I had ever travelled.
Subsistence farmers populate this area. Many cattle and goats were to be seen, and small patches of maize (corn), which is the staple crop in the area. When I was about 1 km from the Confluence, I was forced to backtrack as the track disappeared into a wash away gully (donga) and further progress by vehicle was impossible. Taking the next likely road, I became excited, as the road seemed to aim directly for the Confluence. The GPS distance-to-go counted down steadily and when it reached 0.5 km I knew the Confluence was in the bag! The track eventually petered out just 50 m from the Confluence, with the Confluence being dead ahead slap bang in front of an acacia tree at an altitude of 410 m, 600 m below where I had stood an hour or two earlier. The area was characterised by scrub, as the cardinal point photos show.
Close by was the home of one of the local farmers and the entire family soon arrived to wonder what this strange man was doing, almost in their backyard. I tried my best to explain, but didn't manage to really get anything across. They didn't even want their picture taken at the Confluence!
After documenting the Confluence and taking the necessary photographs of the area and the GPS (4 m EPE), I waved goodbye to my still mystified farmer friends, and backtracked. About 1.4 km from the Confluence I photographed a panorama south and north of the general area to show how rugged this area is.
I arrived back at the Tugela river road, back out of the valley towards Kranskop, Greytown, Pietermaritzburg and then to my home in Durban. A long day, but rewarded in the end with my second successful confluence visit, and my first previously unvisited Confluence. | <urn:uuid:06c60d65-7b0b-47d4-8f81-60d69d5c8a8a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.confluence.org/confluence.php?visitid=7572 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978044 | 879 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Ach! ES beat me to it with the fogbow pic. I was looking back through the archive 'cause I remembered having seen it recently, only to find it'd already been posted. Oh well, here's another sun pillar like the ones in the op:
One interesting thing about lenticular clouds is that they stay in the same place over the ground, even when a strong wind is blowing! The air has to be stable and flowing in a smooth laminar manner without much vertical mixing for these clouds to form.
When the wind is deflected upwards by a mountain range, or sometimes by a weather front, standing waves form in the air downwind of the obstruction. It's a bit like the 'stationary' ripples you sometimes see in a river, downstream of a rock - but because the air is an elastic medium the waves are much higher than the mountains that form them - sometimes up to ten times higher.
If the air is moist then droplets of water condense as the air rises and cools, then the drops evaporate again as the air falls and warms - so the clouds sit on the top of the atmospheric waves. The wind is blowing straight through the clouds at perhaps 50mph or more - the cloud is constantly forming at the leading edge and evaporating at the trailing one. As long as the wind conditions remain constant, then the waves stay in the same place relative to the mountains that formed them - hence the 'standing cloud' effect.
Glider pilots who are aiming to fly high love these wave conditions - I've soared in gliders along the edges of these clouds, sometimes with one wing slicing through cloud and the other out in bright sunlight! Up close they look magnificent.
Glider pilots have soared to over 40,000 feet using this wave lift! I've never been that high though - even in the fifteen to twenty thousand feet height range we are able to reliably reach here in the UK (with our relatively small mountains), it's bloody cold, and you have to take bottles of oxygen with you! At over 40,000 feet, breathing pure oxygen isn't sufficient - you really need a pressure suit if you want to avoid injury and/or death.
This striking aurora image was taken during a geomagnetic storm that was most likely caused by a coronal mass ejection from the Sun on May 24, 2010. The ISS was located over the Southern Indian Ocean at an altitude of 350 kilometers (220 miles), with the astronaut observer most likely looking towards Antarctica (not visible) and the South Pole.
The aurora has a sinuous ribbon shape that separates into discrete spots near the lower right corner of the image. While the dominant coloration of the aurora is green, there are faint suggestions of red left of image center. Dense cloud cover is dimly visible below the aurora. The curvature of the Earth’s horizon (the limb) is clearly visible, as is the faint blue line of the upper atmosphere directly above it (at image top center). Several stars appear as bright pinpoints against the blackness of space at image top right.
Hovering in the sky, this rainbow cloud over Mount Everest took an astonished astronomer by surprise. Oleg Bartunov, 51, caught the spectacle on camera during a Himalayas expedition in Nepal. [840x962] (i.imgur.com)
Caption is copy-pasted directly from reddit. I have no idea about its veracity.
It looks legit (or at least, possible) to me. Cirrus clouds have been known to contain rainbow colors in the form of a halo, if their position with respect to the sun is right. Usually this creates more regular arcs, like the more familiar rainbow in liquid water droplets; I suppose the swirling colors in this picture may be due to the cloud having a wave-like shape, which isn't all that crazy near a big mountain range like the Himalayas.
It's a beautiful picture in any case.
ETA: This page has some more information on this kind of phenomenon. Eyeballing it, I'd say we have a particularly stunning iridescent cloud on our hands.
ETA2: Or perhaps a nacreous cloud. Sheesh, you'd think that after a couple of years of working on the radiative transfer of solar radiation by clouds I'd know this shit. Apparently not.
People who have my sig on ignore:
Last edited by Pan Narrans; 10-13-2011 at 04:04 PM.
An Iridescent Cloud in Himalaya, I observed early morning on October 18, 2009 from path to Khumjung, just 500 meters from road fork to Gokyo and Tengboche. I was ahead of my friends, so when I met my Annapurna buddy, who was going to Khunjung (to see Yeti scalp) I decided to go with him for a while. We sat on stones to talk and drink my green tea and suddenly I saw this spectacular phenomena . It was my first time I saw this phenomena and luckily I had my Nikon D90, so I was able to capture it. I called other people's attention (english wimin) to this, but not sure if they succeeded to capture it with their soap-camera. I was lucky also, because my friends didn't see anything. Turbulence, ice crystals in the low cloud and wonderful Himalaya produce this great picture. The mountain is Thamserku (6623 m).
I am intrigued by english wimin with soap-camera.
Free thought! Please take one!
Despite all my rage ♦ I am still just a sig on a page
After saying in the OP that sundogs are more common than rainbows, I've been keeping a look out for them!
Okay, I'm outside more on showery days (good for rainbows) than I am just after sunrise on cold sunny mornings (good for sundogs) but I'm going to admit that my OP claim was wrong (for the UK anyway) as I'd not seen a good sundog since the OP until this week.
But on Tuesday morning, driving down the M40 to London at about 6:45 am, there was a beauty! Only on one side of the sun, but it was really clear. I didn't risk trying to photograph it while I was driving though, and by the time I got to the motorway service station where I could stop, it had gone. | <urn:uuid:48c111fd-09eb-4ad4-b6e7-d5a3061fa970> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13669&page=3 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965838 | 1,342 | 2.625 | 3 |
Utilizing the accuracy and precision of the excimer laser, LASIK changes the shape of the cornea to improve the way light is focused or “refracted” by the eye. By adjusting the pattern of the laser beam through its computer, it is possible to treat high levels of nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. LASIK surgery is performed as an outpatient procedure in the comfort and convenience of the excimer laser surgical suite. The entire vision correction procedure takes less than 20 minutes and both eyes are done the same day. The procedure is performed using topical anesthesia (eye drops). Post the procedure, some patients feels a burning sensation and a foreign body sensation, along with watering of the eyes. These symptoms can generally be relieved with eye drops, and go away in a few hours. Patients can feel a remarkable improvement in their vision within a day. Most patients return to their normal activities within a day.
LASIK Step by Step
The LASIK procedure takes a few minutes to complete, and the procedure is relatively painless. Patients are often amazed at the speed, comfort and ease of the LASIK procedure. Only topical anesthetic drops are used to numb the eye for the procedure. An eyelid holder is inserted to prevent blinking while the drops eliminate the reflex to blink.
A suction ring is placed on the eye to secure the eye and maintain pressure within the eye while the corneal flap is created. A microkeratome, an automated microsurgical instrument similar in design to a carpenter’s plane, is used to create a thin corneal flap which remains hinged beneath the upper eyelid.
The corneal flap is 160 to 180 microns thick, about 30% the corneal thickness which is typically about 550 microns. Patients do not feel or see
the cutting of the corneal flap, which takes only a few seconds. Corneal “flap making” has been researched and developed for 40 years, providing us with a long history of safety and stability.
The corneal flap is then laid back and the inner stromal layers of the cornea lasered with the patient’s prescription. An ultraviolet light from the excimer laser reshapes the internal cornea with an accuracy of 1/2000th of a milimetre.
For reshaping the cornea, the corneal surface is polished with the help of a pre-programmed excimer laser. This changes the refractive power of the cornea thus eliminating the refractive error of the eye.
The corneal flap is then repositioned and the flap and interface rinsed. Once the procedure is completed, the surgeon will wait 2 to 3 minutes to ensure the corneal flap has fully re-adhered.At this point, patients can blink normally and the corneal flap remains secured in position by the natural adherence within the cornea. While it is possible to dislodge the corneal flap during the first day or two by physically rubbing the eye, this event is actually quite rare.
After the first week, LASIK patients can resume their full exercise activities. No bandage or bandage contact lens is required after the LASIK procedure. However, sun glasses are usually recommended for constant wear during the first post procedure day, LASIK patients are placed on an antibiotic and anti-inflammatory drop regimen for around 5-7 days. Artificial tears are recommended for a few weeks after the LASIK procedure. Patients are able to travel by car or air after the first day.
LASIK is generally considered the method of choice for using the Excimer Laser for correcting refractive errors. Another popular technique is Photo Refractive Keratectomy or PRK. LASIK is generally the method of choice because it allows faster post-operative recovery of vision, requires less follow-up, and allows the patient to be more comfortable faster. However, there are circumstances under which it is more appropriate to use PRK in some patients. Your New Vision eye surgeon will advise you appropriately.
In more recent years, Step 1 in LASIK is increasingly performed using a femtosecond laser, in which case, the procedure is called Bladeless LASIK or Femto LASIK or iLasik. There is another, even more recent technique, ReLEx smile, which is done completely with the femtosecond laser.
For more details on the actual LASIK treatment procedure, pls see | <urn:uuid:50595ed0-9503-45a0-9fd5-fbe650075664> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newvisionindia.com/lasik/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927751 | 937 | 1.960938 | 2 |
If you're one of the thousands of consumers who carry credit card debt from month to month and whose credit card interest rates were hiked last year, you know how important those rates can be to your financial status.
Although new federal credit card regulations provide some consumer protections, it's still vital that you understand how credit card interest rates work. It's a little more complicated than you think. Here are six points to know:
1. Variable Versus Fixed Credit Card Rates
A growing number of credit cards have variable interest rates, which are tied to an index, such as the prime rate. The credit card company adds a margin, and the rate you pay equals the index plus the margin. Your rate goes up as the index rises, so plan carefully.
2. More Than One Credit Card Interest Rate
When shopping for credit cards, most consumers zero in on the interest rate on new purchases, and many don't realize there are different rates on balance transfers and cash advances. Moreover, most credit card companies don't offer a grace period for cash advances, so interest starts accruing as soon as you swipe your credit card through the ATM.
3. Interest Rates Depend on Credit Score
That low rate advertised prominently might not be the one you get if you have a mediocre credit score. You might end up getting approved for the card, but at a higher interest rate.
4. Higher Credit Card Interest if You're Late
Credit card companies can't hike interest rates on existing balances unless you're more than 60 days late with a payment. Then penalty interest kicks in, not to mention a late fee. Pay your bills on time to avoid outrageous interest rates.
5. Don't Like a Proposed Interest Rate? Opt Out
New credit card rules require credit card companies to give you 45 days notice before they increase interest rates on new purchases. They must also give you a chance to opt out of the account if you think it's a bum deal.
6. No Interest Rate Hike in the First Year
Your credit card issuer can't increase the interest rate on new purchases during the first year of an account, unless an advertised introductory rate has expired or you're late on payments.
Interest rates are a central feature of credit card deals. Keep these facts in mind as you shop for credit cards and manage your financial life.
The original article can be found at IndexCreditCards.com:
Credit Card Rates: Six Things to Know About Interest | <urn:uuid:5cb3034c-4522-45a2-9ad8-87a3cd27dcc9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2011/05/03/credit-card-rates-things-know/?intcmp=related | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00063-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954349 | 501 | 2 | 2 |
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) May 20, 2007
A Mormon President, the first documentary film to explore the Mormon Prophet, Joseph Smith's campaign for the US Presidency and its implications for the candidacy of another Mormon, Mitt Romney, has begun production and is slated for a fall 2007 release.
Produced and directed by filmmaker Adam Christing, the film will be released in the heat of a presidential campaign that includes Romney and is part of a movie-making trend of examining the history of the Mormon religion, which includes the forthcoming September Dawn, the story of the Mountain Meadows Massacre of 1857, and PBS's The Mormons.
Christing, who grew up in the Reorganized Latter Day Saint Church and is a member of the Mormon History Association, says he is not producing a "hit" piece or a "puff" piece about the Mormon Prophet. "This film may be upsetting to "anti-Mormons" because it shows what a generous man and visionary leader Joseph Smith was," he noted. "It may shock some Mormons because it documents the untold story of Smith's secret marriages to more than 30 women and his campaign for President which led directly to his murder in 1844."
Christing who studied theology at Biola University in Los Angeles says his movies tend to focus on the intersection of faith and power. His most recent film Change Your Life! is a mockumentary about the wacky world of multi-level marketing, and is now in post production.
Romney's candidacy has heightened interest in issues related to Mormons and politics and created what Christing calls a "focus moment." "Focus moments are when events and ideas connect to create interest in a particular topic that may have been previously neglected," commented Christing. "We experienced similar moments about Catholicism and Judaism when Kennedy and Lieberman ran for office. Because of Romney we are now in a focus moment about Mormonism. People are becoming very interested in the history of the Mormon church and its connection to the political culture of our nation."
Christing promises to deliver a film that will be both educational and entertaining: "This is a serious piece, but it will be very engaging," he noted. "I've been fascinated by Joseph Smith's story ever since I was a kid. Here's a man who started a religion, built a city bigger than Chicago in its day, became a Master Mason, and ran for President. He packed more adventure into 3 years than most people experience in a lifetime."
For more information about A Mormon President or to schedule an interview with Adam Christing, please contact Lisa Marie Franco at 310-478-8700 | <urn:uuid:c5dcd52b-5a17-4f30-bddb-8745c7fc4185> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/05/prweb527626.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969428 | 529 | 1.671875 | 2 |
POSTED: 07:26 a.m. HST, Feb 27, 2011
LAST UPDATED: 07:42 a.m. HST, Feb 27, 2011
SEOUL, South Korea >> North Korea threatened Sunday to enlarge its nuclear arsenal and "mercilessly" attack South Korea and the United States, as the allies prepared for joint military drills which the North considers a rehearsal for invasion.
North Korea routinely issues threats over the annual joint military drills, but its latest warning could rekindle tensions that rose sharply after two recent deadly incidents blamed on the North.
North Korea fired artillery at a front-line South Korean island in November, killing four people. Forty-six sailors died when a South Korean warship sank eight months earlier. North Korea has denied firing a torpedo at the ship.
North Korea called the South Korea-U.S. drills, which begin Monday, a "dangerous military scheme."
"The army and people of (North Korea) will return bolstered nuclear deterrent of our own style for the continued nuclear threat by the aggressors," North Korea's military said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.
It accused South Korea and the U.S. of plotting to topple the North's communist government. It said if provoked, North Korea would start a "full-scale" war, take "merciless counteraction" and turn Seoul into a "sea of flames."
North Korea also warned it would take "our own missile striking action" against what it called moves by the U.S. and South Korea to eliminate the North's missiles. The statement didn't elaborate.
Earlier Sunday, the North's military warned that it would destroy South Korean border towns if Seoul continues to allow activists to launch propaganda leaflets toward the communist country.
In a separate statement carried by KCNA, it accused South Korean activists and lawmakers of flying balloons carrying hundreds of thousands of leaflets and DVDs critical of North Korea's government on the North's most important national holiday, an apparent reference to leader Kim Jong Il's 69th birthday, which was Feb. 16.
It was unclear whether activists have launched more balloons since then.
A South Korean Defense Ministry official said his ministry was aware of the North's warning and was keeping a close watch on its military movements. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, citing ministry rules.
Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin told parliament Friday that North Korea may launch new attacks this spring and that South Korea's military is ready to cope with any hostilities.
Kim Yong-hyun, a North Korea expert at Seoul's Dongguk University, said he believes any new provocation by the North is unlikely to involve human casualties because of the increased confrontation with the outside world that would result.
The joint South Korean-U.S. drills will rehearse responses to any potential emergency on the Korean peninsula.
About 12,800 U.S. troops and some 200,000 South Korean soldiers and reservists are to take part in the drills, which will last 11 days and involve computer war games, live-firing exercises and other field training, according to the U.S. and South Korean militaries.
North Korea has called the drills a preparation for an invasion, although South Korean and U.S. officials have repeatedly said they are purely defensive.
After weeks of high tension following its November bombardment of the island, North Korea pushed for dialogue with South Korea and expressed a desire to return to stalled international talks on its nuclear program.
Military officers from the two Koreas met earlier this month but failed to make progress, with both sides accusing the other of rupturing the dialogue. North Korea later threatened not to hold any more military talks with Seoul.
The two Koreas are still technically at war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea to help deter potential aggression by the North. | <urn:uuid:b8a3c741-181f-4882-803a-e213b8d9f139> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/117010433.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953935 | 816 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Stonewall has launched a new poster campaign, funded by the Department of Health, to encourage lesbian and bisexual women to take better care of themselves. Love your inner lesbian is the slogan which accompanies the campaign, aimed at surgeries and healthcare centres.
The campaign is in response to Stonewall research with over 6,000 lesbian and bisexual women, released last year, which found deeply disturbing levels of self-harm, substance abuse and exclusion from routine testing for cervical cancer. The survey revealed that lesbian and bisexual women are reluctant to be honest about their sexual orientation when talking to doctors, and often don’t talk frankly about their health needs. Prescription for Change, the first major survey ever conducted into lesbian and bisexual women’s health in Britain, also revealed that half of Britain’s 1.8 million lesbians report a recent negative NHS experience. This deters women from visiting their GP, or coming out to them, making it less likely they’ll be treated early and appropriately with inevitably higher costs for the NHS when accurate diagnosis finally takes place.
Recommendations included in the research focused on increasing lesbian visibility so that women felt more comfortable discussing their specific health needs with a healthcare worker. One respondent, Tola, 40, said that ‘simple things like gay-friendly posters and leaflets in hospitals and GP surgeries and information on lesbian, gay and bisexual specific services’ would make her feel more comfortable. A series of posters is available for healthcare centres depicting the slogan, as well as key statistics from the report – including smear testing, lesbian parenting, mental health issues and drink and drug habits. The posters encourage lesbian and bisexual women to be open with their doctor about their healthcare needs in order to receive better care.
Ruth Hunt, Stonewall’s Head of Policy and Research, said: ‘At Stonewall we recognise that, even though our extensive programme of work benefits women as well as men, lesbians face unique challenges and encounter issues that men don’t – especially in terms of healthcare. This poster campaign continues Stonewall’s commitment to act upon our research to improve the lives of lesbian, gay and bisexual people – at home, at school and at work.’
To order copies of the Love your inner lesbian posters please call our free infoline on 08000 50 20 20
For Media enquiries please contact Gary Nunn, Communications Officer, 020 7593 1856 / 07985 439 660
During office hours please call: 020 7593 1856 / 1857 or outside office hours on 07985 439 660.
If you are a journalist and wish to be added to Stonewall's media contacts list, please contact email@example.com | <urn:uuid:3b321c69-9b0c-4ca7-9b2c-c0f680031225> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.stonewall.org.uk/media/current_releases/3532.asp?fontsize=large | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948647 | 567 | 1.882813 | 2 |
Total Skin Irradiation
Total Skin Irradiation (TSI), and also referred to as Total Skin Electron Irradiation (TSEI) or Total Skin Electron Beam (TSEB), is an External Beam Radiotherapy (EBRT). This treatment therapy uses electrons directed at the entire surface of the body. The radiation penetrates the outer layers of the skin, but does not go deeper into tissues and organs below the skin. It is often used to treat cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. If detected early, it can result in the disappearance of any signs or symptoms of the disease.
- Physicians – click here to learn more about radiation oncologists who treat cancers using TSI. | <urn:uuid:a84edc39-40cf-49e1-bb58-6bb9b35789e6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.uabmedicine.org/conditions-and-services/total-skin-irradiation | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00072-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.918768 | 146 | 2.65625 | 3 |
2011 Climate Events: A time of troubles
2011 Climate Events: A time of troubles
I was asked last week what I thought the greatest science breakthrough of the year was. I’m not so good at those questions, and I know that the potential Higgs Boson glimpse will be at the top of most lists. Fundamental, perhaps, but it is definitely not at the top of the list in my little world. If I were to speculate on most important, I would look at fields that are more biological than physical – or maybe in routine energy production rather than high energy particle physics. But, I am old, slow and uninteresting, and I really don’t understand the significance of the Higgs Boson – so I will talk about a few of the breakthroughs or realizations that have influenced how I think about the climate problem.
At the top of my list is a synthesis which was published in 2011, though the results of that synthesis came at the end of 2010. This is the report Climate Stabilization Targets: Emissions, Concentrations, and Impacts over Decades to Millennia. This report is a collection and evaluation of knowledge that has been around for a while. The message from this report is that once released from its geological reservoirs, i.e. fossil fuels, carbon dioxide hangs around in the atmosphere for millennia.
I think it is safe to say that many people in the field of climate science and climate policy have anchored their thinking around the idea that carbon dioxide has a lifetime in the atmosphere that is on the order of a century or so. Therefore, our policy options, including the idea of stabilizing the amount of carbon dioxide at some value, relied upon this potential self-healing that relied on carbon dioxide going back into the oceans and soil. I remember reading in a magazine in 1968 about carbon dioxide and global warming, and many scientists at that time felt that the ocean would safely absorb both heat and carbon dioxide. As we have taken more data and increased our understanding of the processes that govern the exchange of carbon dioxide between the atmosphere and ocean, we can now state with high confidence that the carbon dioxide we release today will be around for a very long time.
The consequence of this synthesis is that we have a certain amount of carbon dioxide we can release if we want to stabilize the atmosphere at a value that we might imagine limiting the global-average surface warming to approximate 2 degrees Celsius. The amount posed in the report was 1 trillion tons, and we are pretty much there. (Rood blog on a trillion tons, collection of Rood blogs on stabilization) Broader conclusions that I draw from this report are that we have to prepare for more than 2 degrees Celsius warming, and that if we want to stabilize carbon dioxide at levels that limit warming to, say, something less than 4 degrees, then we are going to have to figure out how to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
As I wrote in my last entry we are currently accelerating our emissions. In the last couple of weeks we have seen Canada withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol. Canada is probably more typical than atypical, adherence to the Kyoto Protocol would require Canada to reduce their emissions 6% below 1990 emissions and they are currently 30% above that level. Canada has large tar sands resources, and looks to developing these resources as fuel. The current Keystone Pipeline controversy is about a pipeline to get crude oil products from Canada to refineries in the U.S. If this form of oil energy is opened for broad commercial exploitation, then it will be opening up a form of energy that, carbon dioxide emission wise, is more polluting than coal. But the pressure for energy, for jobs, for a growing economy, for wealth is high. The Keystone Pipeline has been tied into recent U.S. federal budget and tax bills. The climate advocacy group 350.org is organizing protests against the pipeline. (Here’s how to join the protest.)
This brings me to the final piece of news that rises to most important for 2011; namely, the effective politicization of climate change in the U.S. The Keystone Pipeline entanglement with unemployment and extension of the payroll tax reduction is forcing a decision that strongly impacts climate policy with short-term political and economical issues. There remains an attack in congress on the development of climate services. Like the Keystone Pipeline short-term budget bills are entangled with a prohibition on climate services, which prohibits the emergence of climate services and imperils current capabilities. In Texas we see censorship and suits to prohibit the mention of climate change in a report that discusses sea level rise in Galveston Bay. This placing of climate change in tension with short-term economic priorities motivates a series of decisions that assure continued rising emissions. This attack on climate science and other bodies of scientific knowledge that are in conflict with what people want to believe or need to believe in order to support some other behavior is a fundamental threat to U.S. leadership in science and technology.
Troubles: Some years ago my youngest sister and I went to a small village in France where some relatives had come from in the early 1800s. We were able to find civil records and departure of people from this village to the U.S. There were letters of reference written by the mayor assuring anonymous people in the U.S. that the person referenced in the letter was of good character and a good worker. People left during times of “the troubles.” The current times are very troubling for those concerned about carbon dioxide emissions and global warming. I will again teach my class on climate change problem solving in winter 2012. And I will focus on the world four degrees warmer – and what that will mean.
A couple of personal vanity links.
SETI Tribute to Bob Rood
Rood 2005 piece Christmas at the 7-11 | <urn:uuid:6b5102b4-8095-4410-9545-cdb245397c0d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://french.wunderground.com/blog/RickyRood/comment.html?entrynum=213 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00057-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962308 | 1,189 | 1.992188 | 2 |
Health risk questionnaires and other wellness programs are becoming a popular way for employers to encourage employee health and, ultimately, reduce health care costs.
Health risk questionnaires and other wellness programs are becoming a popular way for employers to encourage employee health and, ultimately, reduce health care costs. grandaded/iStockphoto.com
If you feel like your employer is more interested in your health lately, you're probably right.
The Affordable Care Act encourages more employers to offer health insurance plans to their employees. But poor health habits and preventable illnesses are adding to the expense of these plans for employers. A recent survey suggests that, increasingly, employers are seeking to cut healthcare costs from the bottom up — by directly addressing the health habits of their employees.
"[Improving employee health] is the only meaningful way to reduce healthcare costs ... and the first step in the process is to motivate employees and their families to participate in health and wellness programs," says Jim Winkler, chief innovation officer of health and benefits at Aon Hewitt, the consultancy that did the survey.
Aon Hewitt asked 1,800 employers in the United States about the health programs they currently offer, and those that they plan to offer in the future. They found that health risk questionnaires, which are surveys meant to raise awareness of health issues among employees, were the most common health program, offered by 68 percent of employers in 2012.
Quite unsurprisingly, cash and reduced premiums seem to be the best motivators for health program participation. Companies that offer financial incentives for employees to take part in the questionnaires see an average of 84 percent participation, the study reports.
However, filling out a questionnaire doesn't necessarily translate to improved health habits, and many employers want to go a step further, Winkler says. "Employers are beginning to move beyond incentives associated with a specific action to 'I really want to award you for taking initial action in improving your health and achieving results,'" he says.
Charting weight loss and assigning health coaches seem a bit intrusive, but Winkler says that it pays for employers to be involved. "Employers are really beginning to focus on the fact that employee health or the lack of employee health is really a big issue for the success of the business," he says. "[They're] spending a lot of money on health care and health-related absenteeism. We need to change that dynamic."
The study reports that employers are also offering more diverse health-related initiatives in 2012; sponsored fitness challenges, stress reduction techniques, and smoking cessation programs are all growing trends for employers.
Some companies may even deny insurance discounts to employees who make bad health choices, but Winkler says that incentives are meant to be available for any employee, regardless of health status. "It's about rewarding people who take their own health seriously; it's not about punishing people who are sick," he says.
And until healthcare costs subside, employers will keep trying to boost their bottom line through improving employee health habits. "Employers are rapidly looking at an array of tactics ... [finding] what's the right mix of carrots and sticks to get the right behavior they need," Winkler says. | <urn:uuid:c2f613d9-4eba-457a-b5ac-82f151577492> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/08/10/158506049/yoga-on-commission-more-employers-pay-for-good-health-habits?ft=1&f=1001 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00055-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971109 | 644 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Rita Dove's poem "Persephone, Falling" takes mommy issues to a mythological level. But that's only fitting, because she published the poem in 1996 as part of her collection Mother Love, which is about the often messy, rarely simple relationships between mothers and daughters.
In "Persephone, Falling," Dove draws on the Greek goddesses Demeter and Persephone (lots more on those two later), a rather famous mother-daughter pair, to channel her thoughts and feelings on the sticky subject. She uses the story of this mother-daughter duo to examine every child's longing to be free, and every parent's fear of the dangers that freedom could lead to.
To be fair, one of the dangers is becoming awesome (there are others). Yep, it turns out when you're free to do what you want, you're free to write spectacular poetry, and that's definitely true of Rita Dove. In fact, she published "Persephone, Falling" during her time as Poet Laureate of the United States. Being the Poet Laureate is sort of like being the president, just without the oval office and instead of running a country, you know, you write poems. Seriously, though, it's one of the highest honors a poet can receive.
Rita Dove knows a lot about high honors; her poetry has earned her a Pulitzer Prize, among a ton of other awards. Like Nikki Giovanni and Maya Angelou, she's been one of the most important African-American female voices of the late twentieth century.
So listen up.
We aren't sure what vegetable it was for you when you were a kid, but for us at Shmoop, it was cooked carrots. Hated those little mushy orange devils. We would sit up in a standoff with Mom, who wouldn't let us up from the table until we'd eaten every last one. And she had a million reasons why we should: "They'll make you big and strong!" "They'll give you super eyesight!" "They'll help your brain!" Okay, how could something that looked so much like little slivers of monkey brain be good for our brains?
Where do adults come up with this stuff? A thousand ridiculous little pieces of advice. It's so easy for us to roll our eyes at them, watching them sweat when we take two stairs at a time. It's like they wish they could wrap us in bubble wrap until we're old enough and smart enough to be on our own.
That's "Persephone, Falling." Persephone, a headstrong young goddess, is abducted by Hades, the king of the underworld, because of her recklessness, because she didn't listen to her mother's advice. Rita Dove contrasts the fancypants allusion to Greek mythology with the common, intimate concerns of every parent. In the process of the poem, we get the chance to understand why parents say the things they do, why they worry in the first place.
And finally, we learn why they were so desperate for us to eat our cooked carrots (even if they still taste like feet). | <urn:uuid:886591c1-ea4b-49cb-8b42-bcf0a9f80d77> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.shmoop.com/persephone-falling/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97662 | 639 | 2.390625 | 2 |
Awaye! presents six Aboriginal dreaming stories. These stories are told to children to teach them about their ancestors, the spirit world and their place in that world. These six stories from Northern Australia tell of creatures such as mermaids, devil-devils, whistle ducks and blue-tongue lizards. Each story is both sung in a song cycle and spoken by traditional storytellers and in some stories associated song cycles are shared.
Listen to the stories in the audio versions and see photos of the communities and the children’s illustrations in the on-line features.
The Devil Devil Story
This story comes from Jilkminggan community on the riverbanks of the Roper River, South East of Katherine. Jilkminggan means Beginini Dreaming or 'children dreaming', which is one of the main dreaming stories of the area. The story’s traditionally told in the Mangarrayi language and is shared here by storytellers and sisters Jessie Roberts and Sheila Conway, who were taught the story by their father.
The Woonyoomboo Story
Nyikina is the traditional language of Jarlmadangah community in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. It’s used by Annie Milgin to tell parts of the Woonyoomboo story, you’ll also hear her father Darby singing some of the story’s song cycle. One evening at twilight all the children gathered and the elders painted the animals associated with the story onto the bodies of the children. Darby sang the song cycle and the children were led in the dance that’s passed from one generation to the next.
The Mermaid and Serpent story
This story is about the mermaids and the bolung or serpent and how the mermaids put the baby dreaming into the waterholes. It’s from Wugularr community in Beswick Land Trust in the Northern Territory, near Katherine. It was traditionally told in the Dalabon language and is shared here by the djungkay or guardians of this story Jimmy Balk Balk Wesan and Victor Wood. They tell of how the mermaids are still alive today, living in Beswick Falls waterhole. At night if you listen you can hear them laughing.
The Sunbird story
This is about a maparntjarra, a magic man and the story comes from Warburton in the Ngaanyatjarra lands in the Gibson desert in Western Australia. It’s told here by the traditional storyteller Gerald Porter. It was originally told by storyteller Gerald Porter and is spoken by Dulcie Watson.
The Frog and the Brolga Story
This is a creation story about how all the people, animals and country came to be. It comes from Purnululu Community and is told here by storyteller Shirley Drill in the Kija language. Purnululu Community live at Frog Hollow in the East Kimberley in Western Australia.
The Turtle Dreaming Story
This story is about singing, dancing and hunting and comes from Maningrida in Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. Traditionally stories are spoken and also sung, as a song cycle, so this telling weaves together the spoken and sung versions of the story. It’s told in the local language, Ndjebbana, by Alistair Djalolba James, Joseph Diddo and Stephen Gawulku, Jimmy Bungurru is the song man.
Producer & Photographer - Liz Thompson
Performers - Liz Maza and Isaac Drandich
Sound Design - David Bridie
Audio Production - Timothy Nicastri
Visual Editing - Kevin Klehr
Sharing Our Stories is an educational book series published by Pearson Rigby. Each story has been illustrated beautifully by children from the community that the story comes from. The project is a collaboration between the communities and producer Liz Thompson.
Sharing Our Stories: The Books - Overall winner of the 2009 Australian Educational Publishing Award
Life Matters - an interview with Liz Thompson, creative director of the project | <urn:uuid:6f218a40-d2f5-493f-9721-2e88fd4fec7b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.abc.net.au/rn/legacy/features/sharingourstories/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931394 | 839 | 2.671875 | 3 |
Who so benevolently superintended the interment of the bodies of the crew of the brig Caledonia, of Arbroath, lost on the coast of Cornwall.
Deem it not rude – a stranger dares to send
These lines to thee, who are the stranger’s friend.
Feebly indeed, by words, can I impart
The humble tribute of a grateful heart;
A tribute due to him who strove to save
The sons of Scotland from the angry wave.
What though thine arm was impotent to wage
Th’unequal contest with the ocean’s rage?
If Heav’n decreed that death should be their doom,
Thy pious care provided them a tomb.
To thee the ruthless sea gave up her dead,
That thou migh’st lay them in their lowly bed.
HAWKER! to thee a pitying heart is giv’n,
Worthy, indeed, a delegate of Heav’n.
No kindred came to pay the tribute due,
To the cold ashes of the shipwreck’d crew;
No mourning widow’s burning tears were shed
O’er him whom she deemed living – who was dead;
No mother gaz’d on him who was her joy;
But now, alas! her dead – her sailor boy.
No – and no train of kindred mourners come
The bear their kinsman to their last sad home.
‘Twas thine to shed the sympathetic tear,
In pity bending o’er the strangers’ bier -
Thine to fulfil the self-imposed trust,
To lay their bones in consecrated dust.
Thou need’st no thanks from me, a grateful bard;
Thy virtuous action finds its own reward.
What though on earth thou ne’er shall cease to share
The mother’s, widow’s, and the orphan’s prayer!
Such deeds as thine are register’d in Heav’n,
And there alone can due reward be giv’n.
* * * * *
This poem was originally published in the Arbroath Guide, 15 October 1842, and appears in the appendix to The Wreck at Sharpnose Point, by Jeremy Seal, along with ‘Lines on the Crew of the Caledonia’ by John Adams. | <urn:uuid:5312a530-0bc5-49ac-8780-a4375c5b9bb5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.robertstephenhawker.co.uk/?page_id=1979 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00063-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927493 | 523 | 2.078125 | 2 |
Akgulian Trains Doctors in Armenia
by John Mielke
Dr. Nick Akgulian (’82) wanted to do more with his medical training than just build a successful practice at St. Catherine’s Hospital in Kenosha, Wis. So, in September 2001, he went to Armenia – a small country in the southwest corner of the former Soviet Union and part of his ancestors’ homeland. His mission: help doctors there learn more about modern western medicine.
A man is treated at a medical
clinic in Armenia
Akgulian graduated from UW-Parkside with a bachelor of science degree in 1982. He attended medical school at UW-Madison and did his residency at St. Catherine’s before starting his own practice.
When he arrived in Armenia, he found many of the primary care doctors had far less classical training than he expected and far fewer resources with which to work.
"Armenia is a struggling country,” Akgulian said. “Being there for 15 months broadened my perspective on what medicine is like outside the urban United States. I was used to having everything available. In the entire country (Armenia) there are just a few CAT scan machines. On highway 50 in Kenosha there are several in the space of a couple of blocks."
Medical supplies are hard to come by and Armenian doctors are forced to ration medication.
“They don’t have all the tests, and they don’t have all the drugs,” Akgulian said. “You do the best you can with what you have.”
Dr. Nick Akgulian (center)
Akgulian recalled a man who brought his 9-year-old daughter to the clinic where he was working. The young girl was diagnosed with a form of cancer. “We told the father to take his daughter to the capital (Yerevan) for treatment,” Akgulian said.
The father chose not follow that advice because spending the money needed for treatment would have meant taking food away from the other children in the family. The young girl eventually died.
While the living and working conditions sometimes can be difficult to deal with, Akgulian said he enjoys the challenge of helping doctors improve their skills. In addition to teaching in Armenia he’s taught in Belize, a country at the southern tip of Mexico and similar to Armenia in terms of medical resources. Akgulian plans to return to Belize later in April and from there he hopes to go back to Armenia sometime in May.
“The time spent overseas has provided great insight into what life is like for many outside the borders of our country,” he said. | <urn:uuid:625e7bab-51f9-49c2-8cde-0c1678499dbc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.uwp.edu/news/perspective/Plus/doctors040403.cfm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979208 | 574 | 2.03125 | 2 |
Davis, author of the trademarked series of Don't Know Much About primers, seeks to dispel public boredom and ignorance about history and correct mistakes about various historical events in this update of his bestselling survey of American history. He arranges the book around a series of short essays on questions ranging from the basic (e.g.,""Why did the southern states secede from the United States?"") to the esoteric (""What was Teddy Roosevelt's grandson doing in Iran?""), intended to crystallize larger themes in our country's past. Davis's engaging treatment is spicy but judicious. He notes sex scandals from Alexander Hamilton's to Bill Clinton's, tamps out JFK conspiracy theories and speculation about J. Edgar Hoover's cross-dressing, and debunks myths like the legend of Betsy Ross and the movie Mississippi Burning. He provides sharply drawn, even-handed accounts of controversies, and his verdicts are generally well considered. Unfortunately, because discussions are usually tied to colorful personalities, heroic movements and dramatic crises, processes that are quiet but profound, such as the post-war rise of suburbia and the decline of unions, tend to get slighted. There's lots of history to browse through here, but little historiography to tie it together; while the book is far superior to standard high-school treatments, and a valuable reference for students young and old, it still leaves the impression that history is just one damn thing after another. | <urn:uuid:49c63ba3-0e70-4d8d-9ee0-d72a38b5f436> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.publishersweekly.com/9780060083816 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948016 | 292 | 2.28125 | 2 |
Since September 2007 renewed fighting in North Kivu has caused massive displacement in the region. A ceasefire agreement signed in January 2008 was not respected, and by the end of August large-scale fighting had broken out again in the region between various armed groups and the Congolese armed forces (FARDC), despite the presence of the world’s largest UN peacekeeping force, MONUC.
Hundreds of thousands of people fled in all directions throughout the region, desperately in search of safety. The displaced, many of whom have been forced to flee multiple times, have little or no access to health care, food, water or basic shelter. They find shelter in camps or with host families, or hide in the forest where they are under threat of attack from all armed groups. Few aid agencies have established humanitarian programs with a continued presence outside the provincial capital, Goma.
Despite its UN mandate, MONUC has not been able to protect civilians from violence and forced displacement. In November, after rebel forces took control of Rutshuru, where MSF runs a surgical hospital, MONUC lead an armed “humanitarian relief” convoy into this town, a move that threatens to further blur the lines between military and humanitarian action in the region.
The displaced are also extremely vulnerable to easily treatable conditions and diseases such as measles, malnutrition, respiratory infections, diarrhea, and obstetrical complications. In addition, cholera cases are reported in different areas including places where this diarrheal disease is not usually a major health threat. Risk factors for contracting cholera include poor sanitation, lack of clean water, the constant movement of populations, and crowded conditions in displaced camps.
MSF is running projects throughout North and South Kivu provinces, providing emergency medical assistance, as well as primary and secondary health care, water and sanitation assistance, and distribution of essential items such as shelter materials and blankets. In particular, MSF is operating the hospital in Rutshuru and in November the MSF team did not stop working when fighting broke out in the city and in the nearby town of Kiwanja. MSF increased its emergency response in the region to cope with the deteriorating situation. As one of the few humanitarian organizations with teams based and working outside of Goma, MSF is exploring ways to increase its response to the crisis to meet the needs of the population. But due to insecurity and fighting, some areas remain inaccessible and people remain removed from any access to health care. Local families, who often take in those forced to flee, are bearing a huge burden to assist their displaced neighbors.
While media attention has focused on the fighting in North and South Kivu province, civilians living in Haut-Uele district have fallen prey to a series of cross-border raids by the rebel group, Lord’s Resistance Army, since October. Fighting in September forced some 50,000 people to flee their homes. And the Congolese population in other regions of the country endures a perpetual lack of access to health care and recurring epidemics, such as the cholera outbreak that sickened more than 4,000 people in Lubumbashi and Likasi in Katanga province, and a measles outbreak to which MSF responded with a vaccination campaign reaching more than 225,000 children between 6 months and 15 years old.
“Year after year everyone waits, and waits, to see if the latest round of violence will bring a period of calm that will last long enough for them to resume a normal life. Year after year people are disappointed. I stayed long enough to live through two of these cycles. The already displaced are displaced again, and then again. Another agricultural season missed. Another school year missed. Another relative lost to violence or preventable illness.”
MSF Logistics Coordinator, North Kivu | <urn:uuid:0066caf0-9491-4b22-8ac7-2fa3ce11e2bc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/publications/topten/2008/story.cfm?id=3235 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961629 | 778 | 2.375 | 2 |