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Should children drink milk? The answer depends on two things: which children, what kind of milk. For children drinking mother's milk, the answer, universally and unequivocally, is yes. For any age children drinking cow's milk, the answer depends on the culture, the family, and the child. And in our society, more often than not, it is no. The Physicians Committee on Responsible Medicine, headed by Dr. Neil Barnard, cautions against the near universal custom of giving children pasteurized homogenized cow's milk, as it is associated with juvenile diabetes, allergies, and mucus conditions. Frank Oski, MD, a member of that group and the author of Don't Drink Your Milk (Syracuse: Mollica Press, 1983), points out that many cultures normally lose the lactase enzyme that helps digest lactose, or milk sugar, around the age of weaning. Therefore, people of Asian, African, Malay, Filipino, and Native American descent are often lactose intolerant and respond to milk products with digestive distress.
What is the role of milk? As you know, the females of the mammalian species produce it to feed their newborns until the young ones can eat regular food. Thus milk is the perfect food for infants. With all mammals, the infants are weaned at the appropriate age and never again partake of milk. The exceptions are certain groups of humans, such as Hindus, Europeans, and their American descendants, who consume the milk of cows or other animals throughout their lives. A sizable majority of traditional cultures in the world do not drink milk, including most Asian and African populations. Europeans brought the consumption of milk and its derivatives (cheese, yogurt, ice cream, and the skim products) to the US; here, this dietary custom has been relentlessly promoted by the dairy industry, whose influence has reached the entire nutrition education establishment as well as the government. As a result, peoples whose tradition does not include milk have been using it, with the predictable result of an increase of the diseases of "civilization," such as heart disease, obesity, and diabetes.
What about children? Isn't milk the most nutritious food for them? The fact is that milk is a whole food: it is designed to nourish an infant/baby calf completely until the infant is ready to partake of other nourishment. Therefore, technically nothing else is needed in the diet when milk is consumed. Obviously, we cannot feed growing children nothing but milk; yet adding milk to an otherwise well-balanced diet simply overloads the meal. As a result, children who drink milk or eat cheeses and ice cream often do not have much of an appetite for other foods. Many parents complain that their children will not eat vegetables, so they at least try to get them to drink milk or eat ice cream. But children do not like vegetables because they eat dairy foods. They are actually making a very reasonable nutritional choice, because milk is vegetables that went through the cow, so why should they eat them twice? I have found that children who do not consume milk products generally eat vegetables with gusto.
What are some of the problems with milk?
Production: Most milk nowadays is extracted from cows that are kept producing milk with the help of hormones, long after they need it for their calves. The cows are fed commercially created feeds that may include hay, grain, cardboard, and wood shavings; they are regularly plied with antibiotics; and they are often sick and below par. The injection of genetically engineered (recombinant) Bovine Growth Hormone (rbgh) into dairy cows promises to increase milk production from 15 to 25 percent. This is good for the farmers but bad for the drugged cows, which are more prone to infections when under that drug. These infections are then treated with large amounts of antibiotics, which then find their way into the milk. We don't know yet if milk from cows treated with rbgh is good for people, but surely it won't be any better than it is now. Do we really need more milk production when there already is a surplus?
Processing: Milk is naturally sterile when it comes out of the nipple, but as soon as it comes in contact with the air, bacteria begin to grow rapidly. Cow's milk is pasteurized, a process that kills the bacteria present up to that point; what most of us forget is that all those dead bacteria are still floating in the milk. New live bacteria continue to proliferate shortly afterwards.
Pasteurization also destroys up to 50 percent of the vitamin C present in the milk. Homogenization breaks up the milk fat globules so that the fat mixes throughout; this process has been associated with hardening of the arteries, a problem that in some cases begins at birth. The addition of vitamins A and D can cause the problems associated with hypervitaminosis; it is well known that these two fat soluble vitamins produce toxic reactions when used in excess. In fact, vitamin D promotes calcification and in milk it may cause serious damage to the kidneys. There have been hundreds of scientific papers showing the damaging effects of added vitamin D; among these effects are kidney stones and urinary calculi, hypercholesterolemia, and damage to the eyes.
Idiopathic hypercalcemia of infants-a condition that emerged in the 1950s after milk began to be fortified with irradiated ergosterol-is characterized by extremely high levels of blood calcium, often accompanied by increased levels of cholesterol in the blood. Its consequences may be severe mental retardation due to abnormal development of the bones of the head and face; irreversible damage to the heart and circulatory system due to deposition of bone matter in these tissues; and generalized arteriosclerosis of infancy, which may result in mild or severe mental retardation later in life. There is evidence that this condition may develop in utero because of maternal supplementation with D2.
All these problems have been recognized for years, yet we keep plying our children with this substance in a food that naturally does not have it in such large quantities. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine investigating eight cases of vitamin D intoxication in children studied the milk from one dairy and found that the amount of vitamin D in the milk there varied "from undetectable to 232,565 IU per quart." The RDA is 400 IU per day, which is the amount allowed per quart. Another study in the same issue of that journal found that seven of ten samples of infant formula contained more than 200 percent of the amount of added vitamin D stated on the label; the sample with the highest concentration contained 419 percent of the labeled amount.
Health conditions and effects: Allergies to milk and its products are extremely common and result often in fatigue or behavioral problems. Dairy consumption is related to runny noses, frequent colds, bronchitis, ear infections, being overweight, digestive distress, intestinal upsets, and skin outbreaks. In addition, it worsens asthma and breathing disorders. The culprit is not the fat but the protein, so low-fat or skim products are not any better. In fact, a higher content of butterfat in the diet may be helpful for children with neurological problems (as the 80 percent fat ketogenic diet is helpful for those with seizures). Where, then, do we get our calcium? The answer to that question is quite simple: from the same place that cows, horses, and elephants get theirs-the vegetable kingdom. Leafy and dark green vegetables are an excellent source, and we don't have to eat the amounts suggested by the RDA's; the World Health Organization finds that most populations on calcium levels as low as 400 mg per day have no calcium deficiencies, as long as they get it from natural animal and vegetable sources. Other dietary sources of calcium, as well as additional minerals, include beans, nuts, sea vegetables, and sesame seeds. For those who are not vegetarians, calcium is found in whole fish with bones such as sardines and smelts, and soft shell crabs; stock made with bones and a bit of vinegar or wine, which draws the calcium out of the bones into the stock, is an excellent and very traditional source of calcium and other minerals.
Thus, for good nutrition without milk products put some fresh chopped parsley on one dish per meal; always have something dark green, including broccoli, kale, mustard greens, collards, arugula, or watercress; use beans regularly; use chicken, beef, or fish bones to make stocks; eat the bones of fish such as sardines, canned salmon, and fresh anchovies; give older kids crisp, well-cooked chicken bones to chew on; add sea vegetables, like kombu, to soup or stock; and sprinkle roasted and ground sesame seeds on your rice or barley, a condiment that is a superior calcium source. Let your kids snack on it anytime they want.
1 ounce dry wakame seaweed, baked at 350 degrees for 10 minutes
1 cup toasted unhulled sesame seeds
Grind the wakame in a mortar or bowl until powdered; discard the tough inner ribs. Measure out 2 tablespoons. In a suribachi or mortar, grind the sesame seeds a bit, add the wakame, and continue grinding by hand until well mixed. Use as a condiment or snack.
Written by: Annemarie Colbin. Annemarie Colbin, MA, CCP, CHES, is the founder of the Natural Gourmet Cookery School/Institute for Food and Health in New York City. She is a regular columnist for Free Spirit Magazine and the author of The Book of Whole Meals, The Natural Gourmet, and Food and Healing (all from Ballantine Books). Her next book, Food and Our Bones: The Natural Way to Ward Off Osteoporosis, will be published by Dutton in 1998.
Article excerpted with permission from Mothering Magazine.
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Cummins Filtration, a division of Cummins, has officially launched its Fleetguard filter recycling management program - Filtering Change.
As the first filter manufacturer to initiate an internal recycling management program that empowers customers to be environmentally responsible, this program is aimed at partnering with service centers and fleet locations throughout the United States and eventually globally to reduce the number of metal filter cans and used media elements being dumped into landfills.
Within the past three months alone, the program has seen more than 50 metric tons of previously landfilled metal now being recycled, which in turn creates an avoidance of 40 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions (CO2e) in the environment.
"As service providers, our customers are already required by government regulations to manage waste oil and filters," said Matthew R. Tullai, executive director, marketing and sales, Cummins Filtration.
"This program is built around helping them take it to the next level, to rethink how they manage that waste for the future. Proper filter recycling not only makes their customers feel good about where they do business, but it also keeps our customers ahead of changing government waste management requirements."
Filtering Change is designed to provide customers with the resources and support necessary to successfully integrate filter recycling into their daily operations.
Program participants new to recycling can utilize an extensive directory of qualified recycling management companies to find one that fits the needs for their region, he said. Those already recycling can use the program's validation process to ensure that their existing company meets the program requirements for being a responsible recycler.
A key requirement is that the recycling management company has an audit trail and guarantees that filters and used oil are recycled, not landfilled.
"By the end of the year, we expect to see more than 100 metric tons of previously landfilled steel be recycled - and in doing so, avoid the addition of nearly 80 metric tons of Greenhouse Gas Emissions (CO2e) to our environment," Tullai said. "We expect to extend the program beyond the U.S. to global regions in the coming years.
"This program is yet another example of unleashing the power of Cummins by ensuring that everything we do leads to a cleaner, healthier and safer environment."
Study done by AAIA confirms shops play a key role in protecting the environment | <urn:uuid:87c78364-f4df-43ab-9717-081fd17d5531> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.vehicleservicepros.com/news/10688593/cummins-filtration-announces-launch-of-fleetguard-filtering-change | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945392 | 472 | 1.890625 | 2 |
This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only.
It is not entirely surprising that Amos Gilad, an Israeli general who once sued his own government for “irreversible mental damage” caused by his role in the 1982 invasion of Lebanon, has publicly courted controversy again.
On Monday, Ehud Olmert, Israel’s outgoing prime minister, suspended Mr Gilad as his envoy to Egypt, responsible for negotiating a ceasefire with Hamas, after Mr Gilad called the prime minister’s truce conditions “insane”.
The move threatened to unleash a political storm in Israel. Ehud Barak, the defence minister and a longtime ally of Mr Gilad, rushed to denounce Mr Olmert’s decision. He insisted that Mr Gilad, a defence ministry official in charge of diplomatic and security issues, would continue with his other duties.
Mr Gilad’s fingerprints are to be found on most of the hawkish policies approved by the political leadership since the start of the intifada in 2000, including the emasculation of the Palestinian Authority, the “disengagement” from Gaza, and the promotion of civil war between Hamas and Fatah.
In a sign of Mr Gilad’s indispensability, Mr Olmert was forced to make an embarrassing climbdown two days later and reinstate the wayward official after Mr Gilad submitted a written apology.
Israeli commentators have noted that Mr Gilad has sought over the years to erode the distinction between military and political influence. Writing in Haaretz newspaper, Akiva Eldar has accused Mr Gilad of being “a mephisto in and out of uniform” who has turned his department “into one of the most important power centres in the country”.
Popularly known as the “National Explainer”, Mr Gilad opened the rift with Mr Olmert last week when he gave an interview to Maariv, another daily newspaper, over his role in negotiating a renewed ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza.
Mr Gilad, who brokered the six-month truce that preceded Israel’s recent three-week Gaza offensive, is said to have believed an agreement was at hand in which Hamas would end both arms smuggling into and rocket fire out of Gaza in return for the opening of border crossings.
Angered that Mr Olmert effectively stalled the talks at the last minute by also linking the ceasefire to the release of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier captured in 2006, Mr Gilad told the paper: “I don’t understand what they are trying to do. Insult the Egyptians? … This is insanity, simply insanity.”
When Mr Gilad refused to apologise, Mr Olmert suspended him as envoy and lodged a complaint with the Civil Service Commission. Mr Olmert’s move, in the last days before he leaves office, threatened to set him on a collision course with defence officials, who appear keen to agree to a long-term ceasefire with Hamas.
Mr Barak’s staff issued a stern rebuke of the prime minister, warning that Israel would “suffer the consequences”. Mr Barak himself called the decision “shameful” and described Mr Gilad as “a dedicated and outstanding civil servant”.
Mr Barak’s close ties to Mr Gilad date to his premiership, when Mr Gilad briefed him as head of military intelligence’s research department.
Contrary to the pragmatic, almost dovish, image he has now acquired inside Israel, Mr Gilad has traditionally been regarded as an ultra-hawk.
It was his briefings at the time of Camp David in 2000, in which he claimed that the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, was determined to use the second intifada to destroy Israel, that gave weight to Mr Barak’s slogan “There is no partner for peace”.
Four years later, in June 2004, a series of military officials revealed that Mr Gilad had doctored intelligence reports and presented a false picture to the politicians.
In reality, according to the director of military intelligence, Amos Malka, the evidence showed that Arafat wanted to reach a deal with Israel and had been taken by surprise by the ferocity of the popular Palestinian uprising.
In response, Mr Gilad defended his briefings, calling Arafat “incredibly dangerous” and comparing him to Adolf Hitler.
At the same time, he won a disability allowance from the defence ministry for developing diabetes following what he called “heavy emotional pressure” during the 1982 Lebanon war, which had left him psychologically scarred.
Mr Gilad is blamed by some Israeli analysts for fuelling Israel’s hawkish policies throughout the second intifada.
Commenting in 2004, Roni Ben Efrat noted that Mr Gilad’s false intelligence had provided the political justification “for isolating Arafat and attempting to replace him with Abu Mazen [Mahmoud Abbas]. It lies today at the root of the plan to disengage unilaterally from Gaza.”
However, the false intelligence revelations, as well as claims of mental impairment, did little to dent Mr Gilad’s subsequent influence. He went on to become the army’s co-ordinator in the occupied territories and helped Mr Barak’s successor, Ariel Sharon, engineer the reoccupation of the West Bank and crush the Palestinian Authority.
He also promoted the view that Israel was on the front line in the “war on terror”. In Feb 2003, a month before the US invasion of Iraq, he stated that Mr Arafat and Iraq’s dictator, Saddam Hussein, “believe in the same path, the path of terror meant to break Israel”.
When he took over diplomatic and security issues at the defence ministry in May 2003, Reuven Pedatzur, a military analyst, warned that the appointment marked “another step in the process of militarisation [of] Israeli society”. He added: “Civilians – and civil worldviews – have been totally excluded from any involvement or influence in the diplomatic process.”
Since Mr Olmert’s effective resignation in September over corruption allegations, and as Israel still waits for a new prime minister to emerge, government officials have complained that, despite being unelected, Mr Gilad is as good as “running the country”.
JONATHAN COOK is a writer and journalist based in Nazareth, Israel. His latest books are “Israel and the Clash of Civilisations: Iraq, Iran and the Plan to Remake the Middle East” (Pluto Press) and “Disappearing Palestine: Israel’s Experiments in Human Despair” (Zed Books). His website is www.jkcook.net.
A version of this article originally appeared in The National (www.thenational.ae), published in Abu Dhabi. | <urn:uuid:7a182f22-1a29-418d-b208-210548c753ec> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.counterpunch.org/2009/02/26/israel-s-military-mephistopheles/print | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969694 | 1,465 | 1.789063 | 2 |
The sequel to "LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT: The Mayan Adventure" is nearing completion... I've got one more (of 5) robot and challenge to complete and writeup for "LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0: The King's Treasure."
All in all, TKT follows the same format as TMA with 21 chapters. The book is broken into 5 sections - each section has four chapters: a fiction chapter, a theory chapter, a building instructions chapter (CAD this time!) and a programming chapter. Each section focuses on one part of the storyline and sets up a challenge for the reader to try and solve using an NXT robot.
Here's some teaser photos and images for you... more details to come. | <urn:uuid:78b7d583-8cc2-42ec-9493-7589351d8380> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thenxtstep.blogspot.com/2009/08/update-kings-treasure.html?showComment=1250717592118 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00057-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.902939 | 155 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Friday, 13 August 2010 | AP | Shabat
3 Elul haMerusa 5770 – Aug. 12, 2010. – Perashat Shofetim Shabat Shalom!
NEW Youtube :
* Piyutim of the Yamim Noraim
* Moroccan Seli’hot – Peta’h Tikva, Toronto
* Seli’hot – LeDavid Ado-nai Ori veYich’i (Moroccan and Spanish) – nz”y David Kadoch
* Seli’hot – Various Piyutim – Ribi Haim Louk and Others
* Rosh haShana – Qadishim of the 1st (‘Hizqu veGilu) & 2nd (‘Hon Ta’hon) Nights – Spa.
Perashat Shofetime”H Ribi Kfir Dadon s”t
Translated by : Zachary Lubat s”t
“Vehaya keshibto ‘al kisé mamlakhto”
“And it shall be that when he sits down on the throne of his Kingdom”
What is the first thing a king does immediately after he rises to power? He does what he views as most important. One king will worry about the security of his nation and land, another will worry about the livelihoods of his people, and yet another will worry about himself and fortify his palace or give his relatives high positions. However, our Tora in its great holiness, teaches us that the first thing a Jewish king must do when he comes into power is write two Sifré Tora. One he places in his treasure storage and the other he carries with him at all times and reads from it all his life. This is the way of a king of Israel: right from the start of his ruler he begins with Tora, as it is of most importance to every Jew.
The Ramban asks: the next pasuq begins “vehaita ‘imo” (“and it [the Tora] shall be with him”) which is in the feminine form, and continues “Veqara bo” (“and he shall read from it”) which is in the masculine form. Why did the Tora make this change? The Ramban explains that it is not the Sefer Tora that “shall be with him”, but the Tora (feminine) itself should be with him, engraved in the depths of his heart. “And he should read from it”; he (masculine) should read it in his heart, and from there he will draw his springs of spirit because the Tora is inside his heart.
One can also explain that the word “bo” refers to his throne; that when the king will sit on his throne and write the Sifré Tora, then “it shall be with him and he shall read from it” – he should read the Sifré Tora on his throne. This is teaching us that a Jewish king is not like kings of other nations who waste their time indulging in all the pleasures of the world on their thrones. Rather, the King of Israel sits on his throne and savours every second to learn the holy Tora.
The Gemara in Masekhet Shabat says: Ribi Shim’on says all of Israel are like the sons of kings; and just as a king begins his ruler ship by strengthening and fortifying himself with the Tora, so should every child begin his kingship with Tora. So too the beginning of every day for a Jew should be with Tora.
We find ourselves now at the end of a year and the beginning of a new year. We must begin with the studying of Tora and fulfilling of Misvot and adding on more and more from what we were not able to accomplish in the previous year. Then it will be fulfilled in us what it says about a king “Lema’an ya-arikh yamim ‘al mamlakhto hu ubanav veqereb yisrael” (“So that he will prolong his years over the kingdom, he and his sons amid Israel”).
Netibot haMa’arab – e”H Ribi Mordekhai Lebhar s”t
155. At the end of Shaharit of Shabat we say the piyut Adon ‘Olam in a special tune. Some have the custom that the children congregate and sing this together. We sing this piyut because within it there is a lot of faith in Hashem and Shabat testifies to the faith of Hakadosh Barukh Hu who created the world. These two reasons together cause us to increase our faith in Hashem. It is brought down by the Shla in the name of the Qadmonim that one who says this piyut with the proper intentions, his tefila will be heard and the Satan cannot have any negative affect on his tefila. See Noheg beHokhma p. 212, Leqet haQesirp. 48, Qobes Minhagim (Shabat). | <urn:uuid:9c85e2d1-96a5-43af-941c-669a9472f969> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.darkeabotenou.com/blog/2010/08/perashat-shofetim-singing-yimlokh-ado-nai-adon-olam-at-the-end-of-shaharit/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965482 | 1,121 | 1.960938 | 2 |
BP questioned over safety at Alaskan oilfield (7/10)
July 10, 2007
BP is under the safety microscope again, this time for alleged lapses in its Alaskan oilfield.
The Financial Times reports that Congressman George Miller, chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Education and Labor, is demanding BP's immediate response to charges of safety lapses in the oilfield, including putting non-essential workers inside blast zones.
Miller is also raising charges by Chuck Hamel, a long-time advocate for BP workers in Alaska, that the company's Central Gas Facility, which was designed and built to operate safely with no more than 5bn cubic feet of gas under pressure, is functioning at 9.2bn cubic feet.
Miller also said there were charges that the field had a dysfunctional flare system and had turned off its antiquated fire-suppression system during work to monitor corrosion.
Locating non-essential workers in the blast zone and keeping an outdated, dysfunctional flare system were factors in the deadly explosion at BP's Texas refinery in 2005 — an incident that has put BP’s safety practices under heavy scrutiny.
That accident coupled with a spill and severe corrosion at BP's Alaskan field have led Congress to hold repeated hearings on the UK oil company as they investigate its U.S. operations, according to the Times.
"This committee continues to be concerned about workplace safety conditions at this nation's refineries and other facilities,'' Miller wrote to Bob Malone, president of BP's American operations, in a letter June 30. | <urn:uuid:0a218ec6-1ba8-4d10-bab9-142a99a03ad2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ishn.com/articles/print/bp-questioned-over-safety-at-alaskan-oilfield-7-10 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97376 | 328 | 1.671875 | 2 |
(5.57) In the middle of the following summer, the Lacedaemonians, seeing that their Epidaurian allies were in great distress, and that several cities of Peloponnesus had seceded from them, while others were disaffected, and knowing that if they did not quickly take measures of precaution the evil would spread, made war on Argos with their whole forces, including the Helots, under the command of Agis the son of Archidamus, the Lacedaemonian king. The Tegeans and the other Arcadian allies of the Lacedaemonians took part in the expedition. The rest of their allies, both from within and without the Peloponnesus, mustered at Phlius. Among the other contingents there came from Boeotia five thousand heavy-armed, and as many light-armed, five hundred cavalry, and attached to each horseman a foot-soldier; and from Corinth two thousand heavy-armed, while the Phliasians joined with their whole force, because the army was to assemble in their country.
(5.58) The Argives, having had previous notice of the Lacedaemonian preparations, and seeing that they were actually on their march to join the rest of the army at Phlius, now took the field themselves. The Mantineans and their allies and three thousand Elean hoplites came to their aid. They advanced to the territory of Methydrium in Arcadia, where they fell in with the Lacedaemonians. The two armies each occupied a hill, and the Argives, thinking that they now had the Lacedaemonians alone, prepared for action. But in the night Agis removed his forces unknown to them and went to join the allies at Phlius. At dawn the Argives became aware of his departure, and moved first towards Argos, then to the Nemean road, by which they expected the Lacedaemonians and their allies to descend into the plain. But Agis, instead of taking the road by which he was expected, led the Lacedaemonians, Arcadians, and Epidaurians by a more difficult path, and so made his way down; the Corinthians, Pellenians, and Phliasians went by another steep pass; the Boeotians, Megarians, and Sicyonians he commanded to descend by the Nemean road, where the Argives had taken up their position, in order that, if the Argives should return and attack his own division of the army in the plain, they might be pursued and harassed by their cavalry. Having made these dispositions, and having come down into the plain, he began to devastate Saminthus and the neighbourhood.
(5.59) It was now daylight, and the Argives, who had become aware of his movements, quitted Nemea and went in search of the enemy. Encountering the Phliasian and Corinthian forces, they killed a few of the Phliasians, and had rather more of their own troops killed by the Corinthians. The Boeotians, Megarians, and Sicyonians marched as they were ordered towards Nemea, but found the Argives no longer there, for by this time they had descended from the high ground, and seeing their lands ravaged were drawing up their troops in order of battle. The Lacedaemonians prepared to meet them. The Argives were now surrounded by their enemies; for on the side of the plain the Lacedaemonians and their division of the army cut them off from the city; from the hills above they were hemmed in by the Corinthians, Phliasians and Pellenians, towards Nemea by the Boeotians, Sicyonians, and Megarians, and in the absence of the Athenians, who alone of their allies had not arrived, they had no cavalry. The main body of the Argives and their allies had no conception of their danger. They thought that their position was a favourable one, and that they had cut off the Lacedaemonians in their own country and close to the city of Argos. But two of the Argives, Thrasyllus one of the five generals, and Alciphron the proxenus of the Lacedaemonians, came to Agis when the armies were on the point of engaging and urged him privately not to fight; the Argives were ready to offer and accept a fair arbitration, if the Lacedaemonians had any complaint to make of them; they would gladly conclude a treaty, and be at peace for the future.
(5.60) These Argives spoke of their own motion; they had no authority from the people; and Agis, likewise on his own authority, accepted their proposals, not conferring with his countrymen at large, but only with one of the Lacedaemonian magistrates who accompanied the expedition. He made a treaty with the Argives for four months, within which they were to execute their agreement, and then, without saying a word to any of the allies, he at once withdrew his army. The Lacedaemonians and their allies followed Agis out of respect for the law, but they blamed him severely among themselves. For they believed that they had lost a glorious opportunity; their enemies had been surrounded on every side both by horse and foot; and yet they were returning home having done nothing worthy of their great effort.--No finer Hellenic army had ever up to that day been collected; its appearance was most striking at Nemea while the host was still one; the Lacedaemonians were there in their full strength; arrayed by their side were Arcadians, Boeotians, Corinthians, Sicyonians, Pellenians, Phliasians, and Megarians, from each state chosen men--they might have been thought a match not only for the Argive confederacy, but for another as large.--So the army returned and dispersed to their homes, much out of humour with Agis.
The Argives on their part found still greater fault with those who had made the peace, unauthorised by the people; they too thought that such an opportunity would never recur, and that it was the Lacedaemonians who had escaped, for the combat would have taken place close to their own city, and they had numerous and brave allies. And so, as they were retreating and had reached the bed of the Charadrus, where they hold military trials before they enter the city, they began to stone Thrasyllus. He saved his life by flying to the altar, but they confiscated his property.
(5.61) Soon afterwards there arrived an Athenian reinforcement of a thousand hoplites and three hundred horse, under the command of Laches and Nicostratus. The Argives, although dissatisfied with the truce, were reluctant to break it, so they bade them depart; and, when they desired to treat, they would not present them to the assembly until they were compelled by the importunity of their Mantinean and Elean allies, who had not yet left Argos. The Athenians then, speaking by the mouth of their ambassador Alcibiades, told the Argives in the presence of the rest that they had no right to make the truce at all independently of their allies, and that, the Athenians having arrived at the opportune moment, they should fight at once. The allies were convinced, and they all, with the exception of the Argives, immediately marched against Orchomenus in Arcadia; the Argives, though consenting, did not join them at first, but they came afterwards. The united forces then sat down before Orchomenus, which they assailed repeatedly; they were especially anxious to get the place into their hands, because certain Arcadian hostages had been deposited there by the Lacedaemonians. The Orchomenians, considering the weakness of their fortifications and the numbers of the enemy, and beginning to fear that they might perish before any one came to their assistance, agreed to join the alliance: they were to give hostages of their own to the Mantineans, and to deliver up those whom the Lacedaemonians had deposited with them. | <urn:uuid:754ab420-17fc-4f7a-9a03-381ade0cd63a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.classicpersuasion.org/pw/thucydides/thucydides-passages.php?pleaseget=5.57-61 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.990067 | 1,719 | 2.859375 | 3 |
---Lifted from an post somewhere else on the forum ... couldn't find it. ;(
The quality (both audio and video) of the various AT screens available can be easily determined with objective measurements. Certainly, any vendor is going to pick a spec or two which would improve their product's marketing over a competitor. (I like Toyota's recent market campaign ... if everyone is comparing their car to a Camry, why not just buy the Camry.)
The more difficult is the AT vs non-AT discussion (and often the unfounded or entrenched POV's in some quarters). On the one hand it's "AT screws with my VQ" and on the other "AT screws with my audio quality". Great glittering generalities designed (IMHO) to instill FUD, rather than deal with the issues. Let's look at some of these (I am not starting a debate, just laying the matter on the table):
But first, I want you all to try this experiment. Insert the BluRay of Winton Marcellis playing in concert. The amps, speakers are OFF. You are watching on a perfect screen, with a perfect projector (or even just a Meridian 810). You must watch the entire performance. Next, replay the entire performance but turn on the sound system and turn off the projector. Which of the two sessions resulted in the greatest satisfaction? Repeat the same experiment with any good action film. It each case, was the experience audio driven or video driven?
-- Audio Quality
Comb filtering. There's just a gob of arm waving here. Can there be comb filtering? Yup. However, there are several components here (just saying "comb filter" is nothing more than a deliberate FUD factor designed only as a scare tactic). We we look to the recent research on comb filtering (Floyd Toole and others), we can find that (1) comb filtering can actually improve spatial qualities; (2) there are very, very few circumstances where it is audible (usually modal or SBIR problems are being heard, not comb filtering); and, (3) the frequencies where comb filtering can occur due to an AT screen, that filtering is not audible nor measureable at seating distances appropriate to the screen.
Other Audio Distortions. While it is free game to suggest something between you and your speakers is going to distroy your sound experience, what is being ignored is the adverse impact of a big piece of solid vinyl on the front wall of your room behind your speakers. Where's the concern about SBIR and early reflections in this case (carefully forgotten, I'd guess). If audio quality is such a primary concern, then how is it the very same individual would tolerate a timbre mismatch between the L/R and center speakers when the center must be a horizontal cabinet, at a different height and not in line of sight of the second (or greater) row of seating? These are truly very audible distortions.
HF Roll Off. In one sense this is sad that it has become an issue. I cannot tell you how many times I've seen someone install the Cinematic processor (to compensate for the HF roll off) and then turn on THX Re-EQ. What does THX Re-EQ do? Roll off the high frequency content to compensate for the acoustic differences between large spaces (mix stages) and small rooms. The real problem here is until you actually measure the room, you really, really don't know if it needs to be restored or not. The near field measurement of your speakers will provide a clue ... oh, you don't do near field measurements? Oops. (By-the-way, Stewart provides three of the cinematic processors if you specify all three speakers will be behind the screen at no additional charge.)
We have a room with three Aerial 20Ts behind the screen. We've had some very anal pros comment on the great audio quality of the space. It helps that the noise criteria (measured by a third party) is 18NC.
In the end, there are a host of bigger fish to fry in order to obtain extreme audio playback quality then what an AT screen might do and that's iqnoring the acoustic benefits an AT screen imparts to the overall result.
-- Video Quality
Light loss. MicroPerf is approximately 10%...woven screens are much greater some are more than double that. To put this in perspective, if a solid screen/projector combination provides 22 ft lamberts, the microperf will provide just under 20 ft lamberts. The human eye cannot perceive a 10% difference in illumination (part of the "green" function of whole house lighting systems...lights when fully on are really dimmed to 90% if your lighting designer has done his/her job properly). SMPTE standard is 16 ft lamberts...today the preference by users is between 18 and 22 ft lamberts. For many, 20 ft lamberts is too bright in a light controlled room (going much beyond that, you'll destroy your ANSI CR).
Distortion artifacts/loss of resolution. No discernable loss. Let's attack this logically assuming 20/20 vision. At 20/20 vision your visual acuity (resolution of your eyes) is 1/20 degree of arc. MicroPerf is designed deliberately such that at distances greater than 8', the perforations will be less than 1/20 degree of arc. Any loss of resolution, as a result of the MicroPerfs, will also fall below 1/20 degree of arc and hence will not be detectable by 20/20 vision. Moiré is no longer an issue and hasn't been for several years. SMPTE reference viewing rooms (AMPAS screening rooms for example) use either CinePerf or MicroPerf screens for judging film and video quality (CinePerf is bigger holes but, the rooms are bigger and seating distances are greater and outside 1/20th degree of arc.) Obviously, we know that SMPTE and AMPAS don't care or know a twit about audio and video quality. Woven screens? Let's just say that they don't provide a flat surface and most manufacturers of woven screens have a problem with coatings. | <urn:uuid:bd4f836b-6470-4b0f-bf2a-b818584a6e4c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.avsforum.com/t/1157579/false-wall | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954609 | 1,284 | 1.546875 | 2 |
PA can avoid cuts that will hurt families, children and seniors without raising taxes
“Close the loopholes, grow the revenue pie, and make our tax system fair for all,” said Stephen Drachler, executive director of United Methodist Advocacy in Pennsylvania and co-chair of Better Choices for Pennsylvania. “That way we can meet the needs of all our citizens and improve their lives."
Better Choices for Pennsylvania, a coalition of organizations working for a responsible state budget, organized the “grow the revenue pie” event Monday, along with the faith community, and advocates for women, school children, college students, and people with disabilities.
Volunteer pie deliverers stopped by each lawmaker’s office to drop off a pie and a handout that contrasts existing tax loopholes with funding cuts that could be restored by closing the loophole. In each case, additional revenue could help fund vital services without raising taxes.
The handout shows, for example, that funding could be restored for education, colleges, General Assistance, and other health and human services by closing the Delaware loophole, delaying the planned phase-out of the capital stock and franchise tax, and closing other tax loopholes.
View the full table here.
After delivering the pies to lawmakers, several citizens gathered in the Capitol Rotunda to share their stories. One of them was Jake Fleming of Philadelphia, who said the small General Assistance benefit he received a few years ago saved his life. Fleming was homeless and sick in 2008. After 30 years of addiction, he decided it was time to get help.
“I’ve been clean and sober for four years now,” he said. “I’m employed, I’m paying taxes, I’m supporting myself, I’m supporting my 14-year-old daughter.”
Fleming said the Governor’s budget, which eliminates the General Assistance program, would be devastating for communities across the state.
“Homelessness will skyrocket,” he said. “People seeking treatment in recovery houses and treatment programs will have nowhere to go.”
Joseph Martin of Cumberland County found himself homeless last year. Thankfully, a friend gave him shelter while he got back on his feet, but even today his housing costs are close to half his income.
“The citizens of the commonwealth need affordable housing available in their communities,” Martin said. “Without a safe and affordable place to live, recovery is hard to find.” More people will end up being hospitalized or incarcerated at higher costs, he added.
Schuylkill Haven School District Superintendent Loraine Felker outlined the dramatic impact that state budget cuts for schools have had on her rural Schuylkill County district.
“If the state doesn’t change its support for education right now, within three, if we’re lucky four, years, we will be totally bankrupt,” she said.
“Education is our future, our students are our future. If we want to have a thriving state 20 years form now, we need to do right by our children now. And that means we have to educate them well.”
Dr. Steve Hicks, President of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties, raised concerns about budget cuts putting affordable college out of reach for more and more Pennsylvanians.
Peg Dierkers, executive director of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence and co-chair of Better Choices for Pennsylvania, summed up the coalition’s message: “We are here today asking our governor and our state legislature to increase the size of the funding pie. After five years of cuts, families can no longer afford education, get supports they need to go to work every day, to take care of their elderly parents.”
Drachler added that it was important that Pennsylvania meet its moral obligation to the hungry and homeless, to people who are sick or disabled, to children and seniors by closing loopholes and funding the services that struggling families need.
Better Choices for Pennsylvania is a coalition working for a responsible state budget. The coalition is built on the principle that before making deep service cuts that hurt Pennsylvania families and the economy, policymakers should close tax loopholes and end special interest tax breaks. Learn more at http://betterchoicesforpa.com. | <urn:uuid:1019c7e3-a64e-4053-a76b-f6e78c8c8b02> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://keystoneprogress.blogspot.com/2012/03/citizens-deliver-pie-to-lawmakers-with.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960451 | 904 | 1.90625 | 2 |
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Written by Robbin
(10/17/2008 2:13 a.m.)
in consequence of the missive, Indeed a mouse, penned by Martina
When Anne and Frederick meet in Ch. 7 you imagine Anne looking at the ground the entire time but that is not proof Anne is cringing like a scared mouse. I can imagine Anne busying herself with tea—I don’t see any reason to assume she stares dumbly at the floor. His manners set the tone of their relationship and notice that Frederick does not address Anne—he talks to Mary and he talks to the Miss Musgroves “enough to mark an easy footing” but he does not talk to Anne. Anne thinks his comment about her being altered is about her appearance and I agree. I don’t see how Frederick could determine much from Anne’s demeanor in just a few highly embarrassing minutes when his attention is focused on Mary and then the Miss Musgroves and never on Anne after he bowed to her.
You criticize Anne for “making herself small” but also for staying when Frederick sat on the sofa with her and Mrs. Musgrove in Chapter 8? It seems contradictory criticism to me. What exactly do you suggest Anne do to make Frederick remember how she used to be? He has made it plain he is not interested in her. It seems to me the least dignified thing Anne could do at this time is try to gain his attention away from the ladies he has chosen to shower it on.
I don’t think Anne lost her politeness after Frederick silently removed little Walter from her neck—Ch. 9. The text says at first she was speechless at this kindness and progressed to “most disordered feelings” and then she is convinced he does not want to hear her thanks or desire her conservation because of “the noise he was studiously making with the child.” Anne wanted to say thanks but he made is clear he did not want to hear her.
Anne had “some feelings of interest and curiosity” for the long walk in Ch. 10 but the text also says Anne thought it would be rude to refuse to continue on with the party, “she fancied now that it was too late to retract.” I guess the mouse-like behavior here is Anne deciding to go on the walk but then being too “scared” to say anything to Frederick? I don’t think her intention in walking was to attend Frederick; it is still up to him to change their relationship. He attaches himself to the Miss Musgroves and does not invite Anne or suggest by sentiment or action she would be welcome to join them. When Anne accidentally found herself near Frederick in Ch. 8 he made it clear he did not desire it. That being the case making it her object “not to be in the way of anybody” is a sensible course or said another way, ensuring she does not go where she is not wanted.
Anne has withdrawn into herself. She has lost her youthful spirits and she protects herself by hardening herself against expectation but she still has the same elegant mind she has always had. Frederick might see that if he was willing to meet her on a level of friendship but he is not willing to do that. I do see quiet strength and dignity in how Anne goes about her business. Facing Frederick after their last parting when he felt so ill-used by her, knowing what he thinks of her appearance, continuing in his company after enduring all his resentful digs and cold ceremonial politeness to witness his foolish attentions to both the Miss Musgroves and especially his idiotic dwelling on Louisa’s firmness of mind all took a great deal of inner strength and dignity to endure.
Groupread is maintained by Myretta with WebBBS 3.21. | <urn:uuid:2ced79c2-e75d-40e2-b332-b539a229145c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pemberley.com/bin/library/persuasion2008.cgi?read=35400 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985013 | 801 | 1.851563 | 2 |
The Army's Loss Is Politics' Gain as Pete Dawkins, Football Star and War Hero, Moves On
Six decades ago, describing another young Midwesterner, a character in The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote that, as a football hero, he had become "a national figure in a way, one of those men who reach such an acute limited excellence at 21 that everything afterwards savors of anticlimax." The description fits Pete Dawkins—if you ignore the "limited" and forget the part about the anticlimax.
It is easier to remember Dawkins' stunning undergraduate achievements than to recapture the innocence and promise of those years. The late 1950s was a time when the surviving military leaders of World War II were still routinely called "great." At their head was Dwight D. Eisenhower, then in his second term in the White House. Nobel laureate George C. Marshall, magisterial and aloof, was in retirement in North Carolina. And Douglas MacArthur, the Army's most controversial and eloquent hero, had yet to make his famous farewell address at West Point. It was a time when the country still had heroes, and many of them were soldiers. It was a time when many of the best and brightest young men could still go to West Point without half the neighborhood wondering what the hell had gotten into them. It was a time, in the curt phrase one hears from military men in 1983, "before Vietnam."
Pete Dawkins was the golden boy of that generation, the best-known college student in this country since Frank Merriwell. Above Dawkins' picture in the 1959 West Point yearbook appeared this simple testimonial: "We stood in awe of this man." His list of achievements at the Academy was unprecedented. Dawkins was Cadet First Captain, commander of the 2,496-man Brigade, president of his class, wearer of coveted academic stars (for excellence in a singularly nasty curriculum bristling with required subjects like differential equations, fluid mechanics and thermodynamics), captain of a Brave Old Army football team that was ranked third in the nation, All-America at halfback, winner of the Heisman.
But the thing was, he never seemed to be shaking the tree. The fruit just landed at his feet. He worked hard, but not for fame. His mother remembers his boyhood in Highland Park, Mich. mainly for "his determination and self-discipline," qualities perhaps stimulated by polio contracted—and conquered—when Pete was 11. But what remains in the memory of his classmates was an easy selflessness and a habitual kindliness that—to quote an Englishman's judgment of General Marshall—"seemed to put ambition out of countenance." Col. Peter Stromberg, a classmate and now a professor of English at West Point, recalls Cadet Dawkins vividly, from the perspective of a fellow 1955 squad member in the notorious Beast Barracks, where new plebes spent two months in frenzied summertime indoctrination. "Pete made everyone feel he was a friend," says Stromberg. "He had an amazing ability to size people up and inspire them."
Dawkins' four years at West Point were impossibly full. "He really never had much time to study," Stromberg recalls, "but he could absorb things rapidly. We'd be walking to class in Yearling English, and sometimes he hadn't even read the assignment. I'd tell him a little about it, and he'd participate in discussions as though he'd absorbed everything. He was the prototypically predestined man."
When Dawkins was a cow (the equivalent of a junior), a friend who was to have been a blind date for Judith Wright suddenly got engaged. Pete took his place. Judi, a sophomore at the University of Maryland, "fell madly in love with him." By Easter 1960, when Dawkins was finishing his first year at Oxford's Brasenose College, they were engaged. A year later they were married. The marriage—one is obliged to report—remains an idyll. There are now two children: Sean, 19, a student at Radford University in Virginia, and daughter Noël, 15, a sophomore at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Va. and a Senate summer page. Judi, who is 44 but could pass for 32, is a realtor with Samuel P. Pardoe, Inc. in Georgetown, selling everything from condos to $1.2 million villas.
At Oxford, Dawkins did not fade from view. His academic achievements in the demanding P.P.E. curriculum (politics, philosophy and economics) remained a private matter. But his rugby feats, notably a surprising American-style pass in a victory against Cambridge (something like beating Notre Dame in football), were dutifully recorded in the U.S. press. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED later ran a picture of Peter with his hands around the throat of a distinguished rugby player. "Instead of resenting the lapse," the magazine wrote, "British fans seemed to welcome it as a sign that the young American was...human after all."
Not everyone was amused. Rep. H.R. Gross (R.-lowa), criticizing a bill to allow military men to accept nongovernment scholarships to study abroad, singled out Lieutenant Dawkins as an officer who was taking no military courses at Oxford. Gross felt that subsidizing an Army officer who was spending his time "playing cricket" was not a responsible use of the taxpayers' money. But by then Pete had already begun the last of his three years at Oxford.
Over the next two decades, until he became, in 1981, the youngest of the Army's 400 generals (he was 43), Dawkins served successively in command, advisory and staff jobs. His assignments kept his visibility high. More important, they were of such variety and consequence that they absorbed him utterly: from command of a paratroop company in the fabled 82nd Airborne Division to assignment (as a White House Fellow) as Military Assistant to Deputy Secretary of Defense William P. Clements Jr. There was a battalion command in Korea in 1972, a year at the Army War College, a short stint at Princeton in 1979 to complete a doctorate in political science, and command duties at Fort Ord, Calif. and in the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Ky.
In 1981 he was assigned to the office of the Army's Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans, the very heart of our strategy-making technocracy. Working for one of its brilliant officers, Maj. Gen. John Seigle, now a senior executive with United Technologies, Dawkins—serene, confident, inclined to bemusement—established himself as a gifted bureaucrat with an enormous capacity for hard work.
Though his life was an unrelenting succession of 90-hour weeks in a brutally unforgiving atmosphere of pressure, competing ambitions and demanding superiors, General Dawkins seemed almost immune to such things. "He had that very rare combination of recognized abilities in the Army and continuing appeal outside it—qualities that made the Army proud of him and jealous of him at the same time," says Seigle. Another general put it almost poetically: "Pete was like the face on the bowsprit of a sail ship, out front, slicing through the waves."
But then something—literally—snapped, in an instant so trivial, and so unusual for an athlete and a fitness buff, that Dawkins ignored it. He hurt his back playing mixed doubles.
Within a week he was in terrible pain. General Seigle found him conducting a meeting lying on the floor on his back. An operation for removal of a disc followed last summer, and for the first time in his professional life, Dawkins had time to think. He concluded he should leave the Army. "He realized that he simply had the opportunity to make a much bigger contribution outside the service," a colleague explains.
The decision was made with the reluctance of a duty-bound officer who, his wife says, "loved every day of his life in the Army." But once his mind was made up, he held firm. During his two decades of service, Dawkins had remained in contact with the worlds of commerce, academia and politics. Apparently those worlds liked what they saw, because they all wanted a piece of the all-American boy.
A private university courted him for its presidency. He was offered a job as CEO of a national service organization. Major league baseball wondered if he might be interested in succeeding Bowie Kuhn as commissioner. (Upon hearing this, Pete Rozelle told Dawkins, "Don't get any ideas about being NFL commissioner, because I'm not ready to retire yet.") Perhaps the most alluring of all offers came last June, when members of Michigan's Republican Congressional delegation asked him point-blank to return to his native state to seek the nomination to run in 1984 against incumbent Democratic Sen. Carl Levin. Dawkins turned them down.
Why? Well, it would be easy to impute a lack of canniness and the absence of an aptitude for cold calculation to a man as idealistic, affable and "open" as Dawkins. It would be easy, but it would be wrong. Dawkins appears to be a classic case of the man of action who is also an implacably objective and patient observer; a man who knows the deficiencies of his own experience and is aware of his limitations, such as they are. A more plausible explanation for Dawkins' coyness is provided by a Washington friend. Though Dawkins will have an Army pension of $32,400 a year, "he knows that he has to make some money first, so what he'd like to do is be CEO of a large corporation for four or five years, and then make his move into politics," explains the friend.
At 45, Dawkins remains a most formidable presence: 6'2", 205 pounds, slim-waisted, relaxed, loose-jointed. He would be recognized anywhere in the world as an American. In a conversation at his Alexandria house, bone-weary from his last days on the job, Dawkins discussed his uncertain plans. He chose his words with a craftsman's deliberateness and precision, effortlessly and without pretension.
"You have a moral responsibility to select a kind of life that will permit direct engagement with the issues you think most important to your society," he said. "I've come to understand there are challenges that are very compelling to me, involving the resolution to some of the great problems of our times—those of education, for example, of a penal system that desperately needs an overhaul, of the qualities of American justice, of nuclear war. The threat conditions the times we live in. Nuclear war is neither inevitable nor unthinkable. Every age has its challenges, and ours is to resolve the terrible specter of that conflict. There is no simple solution. But I am an incurable optimist about our prospects for success."
Dawkins' heroes, whom he quotes like a fountain, are Lincoln, Jefferson and Churchill. He wonders whether the current values and preoccupations of American society would permit the emergence and recognition of political leaders of such stature. Scrupulously nonpartisan in his military career, he believes he will be a Republican in his citizen's life. He may find this anchorage somewhat rocky. "I am a fiscal conservative, but progressive on social issues and an internationalist," he says, offering a political self-description likely to cause current Republican ideologues to wince. His best friend in Washington is Republican Sen. William S. Cohen of Maine, a moderate of decisively independent stamp.
Had Dawkins stayed with the colors, in store lay a promotion within a year, eventual command of a division, possibly the superintendency of West Point, and perhaps—in four or five years—four stars and appointment as Army Chief of Staff. This is what he left behind forever on the hot, muggy day last month at Fort Myer. After an 11-cannon-blast salute, Dawkins reviewed the ceremonial troops of the 3rd Infantry (the Old Guard, they are called) for the last time, while a military band played Screaming Eagles and American Soldier.
Following the review, Dawkins was presented with the Distinguished Service Medal, as a citation from Secretary of the Army John O. Marsh Jr. was read over the public address system. Dawkins' final remarks were brief and self-confident. He spoke mainly of the future, of the "new learning and opportunities that lie ahead."
He also quoted Buckminster Fuller, who, he said, "personified in so many ways the American dream: 'Every time man makes a new experiment, he always learns more.' Today I begin a new experiment."
Afterward, at a short news conference, someone said that Dawkins was shaking hands "like a candidate." But Dawkins insisted he had "no plans for political office," a denial that did not seem to impress the gentlemen from the fourth estate in the slightest.
Ah, well. It is a new game. But Dawkins looks like a player. There is a recurrent pattern in Presidential politics, one in which decades of ideological skirmishing leave voters with a yearning for strong pragmatic leaders who are not ideological. Pete Dawkins' genius is for leadership and experimentation, not ideology. "Prototypically predestined," he will probably succeed in business and politics as richly as he has in the Army. For there are people who can dominate in any profession by sheer force of character, intellect and integrity. If you add to those things optimism, a sunny temperament, patience and avid curiosity, you have a most formidable set of assets to bring to American politics. A glittering record in another profession doesn't hurt—especially one that provides opportunities for heroism and visibility like the Army. As one observer of the political wars put it, "Pete Dawkins has got everything John Glenn doesn't have, especially a twinkle." | <urn:uuid:327d2c33-8ffc-4a58-a766-f379bcdbc881> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20085697,00.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979377 | 2,861 | 1.859375 | 2 |
Your primary care doctor has requested that you be cared for by a Hospital Medicine Physician (Hospitalist) during your hospital stay. The following information will help you become familiar with the Hospitalist Team and what you can expect during your stay.
What is a Hospitalist?
A Hospitalist is a physician who specializes in the care of patients while they are in the hospital. Your Primary Care Physician is responsible for managing your care in his/her office when you are no longer in the hospital. Since Hospitalists typically work one week on, one week off, you may see more than one Hospitalist during your hospital stay.
Will I see my own doctor?
Your Primary Care Physician will resume your care when you are discharged from the hospital. While you are hospitalized, the Hospitalist will keep your doctor informed of your progress and any special needs you may have after being discharged from the hospital.
What will the Hospitalist do for me?
While you are hospitalized, the Hospitalist will:
- Provide and manage any necessary medical services
- Work with consulting specialists, hospital staff and your doctor to arrange medical services specific to your medical needs
Who can I talk to if I have questions?
In addition to your Hospitalist and nurse, an RN Case Manager will be available to you and your family. The RN Case Manager will assist you with your discharge needs, which may include home health visits, special medical equipment or other support services.
How do I contact the Hospitalist?
A Hospitalist will see you every day while you are in the hospital. If you or one family member of your choosing needs to speak to the Hospitalist, ask your nurse to page them for you. The Hospitalist will get back to you, or the one family member you selected, in person or by phone as quickly as they can.
What will the Hospitalist do when I leave the hospital?
The Hospitalist will:
- Notify your doctor of your discharge and send a dictated summary of your hospital care and medications
- Let your doctor know if you need follow-up care
- Prescribe the medications you need to take after you leave the hospital. Your doctor will take care of any refills and will continue your care, if needed, after you leave the hospital
You can find more information about our Hospitalists in the Find a Doctor section of this Web site. Select "Hospitalist" from the Specialty pull-down menu. | <urn:uuid:6bdcedad-1cfb-4afa-8c87-15af6b3251d2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.methodistsacramento.org/Medical_Services/199376 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958017 | 503 | 1.679688 | 2 |
University of Florida (UF) researchers report that they identified a set of proteins in urine that signal the presence of bladder cancer using a technique that allowed them to sample a smaller quantity of urine than previously possible.
Working with colleagues at the University of Michigan, the scientists searched for glycoproteins in urine samples from 10 individuals, five of whom had bladder cancer. The technique they used allowed them to examine samples up to just 30 mL, they say.
Of the 186 proteins identified in the study, five were present only in the patients with cancer. The findings also added to the urinary proteome database, which until now, only contained 146 proteins.
“Even though our study involved a small number of patients so far, this was really a proof of principle that we can use these new techniques to detect proteins in the urine,” says Steve Goodison, Ph.D., an associate professor of surgery at the UF College of Medicine, Jacksonville. “Nobody could do that at this degree of sensitivity until now.”
The findings were published in the July 6 edition of the Journal of Proteome Research. | <urn:uuid:954ac935-b409-4d27-9a31-a1279b278df0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://genengnews.com/gen-news-highlights/noninvasive-urine-test-used-to-find-proteins-in-bladder-cancer-patients/20009624/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967161 | 229 | 3.015625 | 3 |
Robots are very good at doing the same thing over and over again, with ridiculous precision. They don't get bored and, as long as you keep the power on, they don't get tired, either. Still, it's pretty startling to watch the industrial arm in this clip toss in mid-range jump shots with such ease.
The arm, manufactured by a company called ABB and normally used on auto assembly lines, has been touring the country's science museums for more than ten years. Modified and programmed by a group at the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh, PA, the robotic arm scoops up each basketball with two long metal rods, or tines. Then it executes one of a few pre-programmed motions—a scoop shot, a hook and a standard jumper—rolling the ball off those artificial fingers and tossing it skillfully through the rim.
But Tom Flaherty, the Director of Exhibits, Facilities and Operations at the Carnegie Center, spearheaded the development, says the robot isn't 100 percent accurate. Not because of a mechanical or software glitch. The robot runs through the same steps with each shot, but the ball itself can change. The robot is programmed to sink shots using a ball with certain specifications. If one of the balls is deflated slightly, its flight pattern might be different, and it might not slip through the net. Which really doesn't seem all that different than those NBA players complaining about the league's new basketballs at the start of last season.
Apparently all good shooters, men or machines, are picky.—Gregory Mone
Five amazing, clean technologies that will set us free, in this month's energy-focused issue. Also: how to build a better bomb detector, the robotic toys that are raising your children, a human catapult, the world's smallest arcade, and much more. | <urn:uuid:04f0bf1e-56b7-493b-9856-2fe2e042f5a5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.popsci.com/video/2007-09/breakdown-robot-perfect-jumper?page=3 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956796 | 375 | 2.296875 | 2 |
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki announced late Tuesday they would forgo plans to build a new health records system to be used jointly by the departments and instead pursue less expensive technologies to make their respective systems more interoperable.
The new approach will significantly cut costs and ultimately deliver better service to patients and medical professionals much sooner than originally planned, they said, although they didn’t provide any savings estimates.
“As you know, our two departments have been moving toward a plan to build a single customized, integrated electronic health record system from the ground up to meet the president’s directive and modernize our legacy IT systems,” Panetta said. But cost concerns pushed the two secretaries to look for a solution “for much less money than had been budgeted,” he said.
“Ric and I agreed to make a series of important changes to simplify this program, cut costs and to get our veterans the key benefits of this system much sooner. Rather than building a single integrated system from scratch, we will focus our immediate efforts on integrating VA and DoD health data as quickly as possible, by focusing on interoperability and using existing solutions,” he said.
By this summer, the departments will field test a common interface for doctors at seven joint rehabilitation centers across the country and expand its use at two additional sites. “All of these facilities will be interoperable by the end of July 2013, so [it’s a] fast time track, but we think we can get it done,” Panetta said.
Initially, Defense and VA planned to deploy the common integrated electronic health record by 2017, but in December, Shinseki and Panetta announced they would accelerate that schedule and deploy the iEHR in 2014, although they offered no details of how they would do so. Tuesday’s meeting hammered out some of those details.
Among the key milestones this year Panetta and Shinseki announced:
- March: The departments will select a core set of iEHR capabilities.
- May: Patients in both departments will be able to download their medical records in what is known as the Blue Button initiative.
- September: The departments will have a common authoritative source for health data.
- July: The Janus graphical user interface will be deployed at seven rehab sites.
- December: Health care data will be standardized and the graphical user interface will be upgraded, enabling the real-time exchange of data between the two departments.
“We have more work to do,” Shinseki said, noting, “we have brought our two departments closer together than ever before, and that’s good for our people.”
Integrating the departments’ health records has proved to be enormously complex.
“This is a struggle,” Panetta said. “Some have argued that we should build a perfect system. Some argued that we’ll never be able to do this. But for the first time, both DoD and VA have come together to say we can get this done, we can get it done in an effective way that does the job and does it in an expeditious way.” | <urn:uuid:6717f4ae-bd88-4f0b-bf23-1b9e7895d333> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nextgov.com/health/2013/02/cut-costs-defense-and-va-scrap-plans-new-electronic-health-record/61120/?oref=ng-dropdown | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00055-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964188 | 665 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Who's Buying Foreclosed Homes and Why It's a Problem
Foreclosed homes tend to be problems for cities. They sit there, empty, unkempt, just asking for someone to break in. What they need and what governments at basically every level want is someone to buy them. Own them. Love them. Live in them.
So when a foreclosed property gets sold, the problem’s solved, right? Well, not exactly. According to a new study published in the Journal of Planning Education and Research, property sales don’t lead to solutions because often the people buying foreclosed properties from banks are also investors looking to resell the property. But these predominantly small-time investors typically have fewer resources to spend on maintaining their homes as they sit on the market and wait for new buyers.
“A lot of them are being sold to an investor and staying vacant,” says Dan Immergluck, an urban planning professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the author of the study. “You have the same problem as before.”
Immergluck’s study focuses on Atlanta and Fulton County, looking specifically at what happened after a foreclosed property was sold. Immergluck analyzed all the property transfers recorded in Fulton County between January 2005 and April 2009, and by searching through the names of the entities buying properties he’s been able to determine that a large amount of foreclosures were bought up by small-time investors a handful at a time.
Of the 78,000 property sales in his study period, Immergluck’s report shows that more than 21,000 were foreclosures, often referred to as real-estate-owned or REO properties. Immergluck estimates that in each of the years of his study, small investors were responsible for between 39.4 percent and 43.6 percent of all REO sales.
The amount of REO sales also skyrocketed in 2008 with the implementation of the 2008 Housing and Economic Recovery Act and its Neighborhood Stabilization Program, which put $3.9 billion into the hands of local and state governments to help lenders clear REOs from their then-overloaded portfolios of foreclosures. As a result, 7,700 REO sales were recorded in Fulton County, more than a third of all REOs tracked in the study. But as Immergluck explains, the Neighborhood Stabilization Program vastly decreased what banks and lenders were willing to accept for their foreclosures, which allowed smaller investors to snatch up property at low prices. About 30 percent of the REO sales in 2008 sold for less than $30,000. This lowered the barrier to entry of homeownership, but also put homes needing maintenance in the hands of individual investors or small firms.
“It may actually be better for a bank to own these homes because it might be easier to force them to take care of them than small-time investors with fewer resources,” Immergluck says.
As a result, many of the vacant and foreclosed homes in Fulton County have simply shifted from one investor-owner – often major banks – to another, smaller investor-owner. This has left the same homes sitting empty on the same streets. Immergluck’s study only captured the story in Fulton County up to April 2009 but he says the situation is largely the same today. Many vacant houses, but fewer bank “For Sale” signs.
“If you just drive through the neighborhoods you see it going on. The windows are still boarded up,” Immergluck says.
The Neighborhood Stabilization Program didn’t anticipate this happening. Immergluck says the program was crafted under the assumption that banks were having trouble selling their REOs. But in reality the banks were always able to sell REOs. The Neighborhood Stabilization Program merely expanded their ability to do so.
“They need to turn that on its head,” says Immergluck. The focus should be on getting homes occupied or demolished, he says, rather than letting them sit on the market indefinitely. He argues that this study should convince cities that they need to take the lead.
“The sooner they gear up their tax foreclosure process and land banking process, the sooner they can clean things up and reduce the blight these homes create,” Immergluck says.
Land banking has been successfully adopted in various cities, including Cleveland, Baltimore and Atlanta, though Immergluck says Atlanta’s program didn’t really have any teeth until recently. As cities acquire foreclosures and gradually sell them off, they can fund the further acquisition of other problem properties – or pay for their demolition.
But is there a danger in cities buying up and bearing the financial brunt of all these foreclosed homes?
“What’s the alternative? I don’t see an alternative. If it’s abandoned, what do you do?” asks Immergluck. “There’s a cost to not intervening.” | <urn:uuid:4900f556-7965-49fe-ba60-0b35a37887be> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theatlanticcities.com/housing/2011/10/whos-buying-foreclosures-and-why-its-problem/288/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972904 | 1,054 | 1.929688 | 2 |
US 6572937 B2
Fluorinated, diamond-like carbon (F-DLC) films are produced by a pulsed, glow-discharge plasma immersion ion processing procedure. The pulsed, glow-discharge plasma was generated at a pressure of 1 Pa from an acetylene (C2H2) and hexafluoroethane (C2F6) gas mixture, and the fluorinated, diamond-like carbon films were deposited on silicon <100>substrates. The film hardness and wear resistance were found to be strongly dependent on the fluorine content incorporated into the coatings. The hardness of the F-DLC films was found to decrease considerably when the fluorine content in the coatings reached about 20%. The contact angle of water on the F-DLC coatings was found to increase with increasing film fluorine content and to saturate at a level characteristic of polytetrafluoroethylene.
1. A method for producing a fluorinated, diamond-like carbon coating on a substrate which comprises the steps of:
(a) applying a negative-pulsed bias to said substrate; and
(b) immersing the biased substrate in a plasma containing ions simultaneously bearing carbon and hydrogen and carbon and fluorine, whereby the ions are projected onto the surface of said substrate and form a fluorinated, diamond-like coating on the surface thereof, wherein the plasma is formed in a gas mixture of acetylene and hexafluoroethane having a ratio of about 1:1.
2. The method for producing a fluorinated, diamond-like carbon coating on a substrate as described in
This application claims the benefit of provisional application 60/168,218, filed Nov. 30, 1999.
This invention was made with government support under Contract No. W-7405-ENG-36 awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy to The Regents of The University of California. The government has certain rights in the invention.
The present invention relates generally to the deposition of diamond-like coatings on substrates and, more particularly, to the deposition of fluorinated diamond-like coatings on substrates using plasma immersion ion processing.
Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films are known for their high hardness, wear resistance and low friction. Many applications have been developed for these coatings and their modified counterparts. A scratch resistant and extremely hard coating with excellent hydrophobic (un-wetting) properties has numerous practical applications ranging from non-stick kitchenware to protective coatings for optics. Since DLC is itself only mildly hydrophobic, different elements such as F, N, O or Si, have often been incorporated into it by using a variety of techniques (see e.g., M. Grischke et al., Surf. Coat. Technol. 74, 739 (1995)). The fluorination of thin films and surfaces can be achieved using both etching and deposition treatments. However, the fluorine incorporation in surfaces after the widely used C2F4 plasma etching process is only a few nanometers deep (see, e.g., Y. Lin and L. J. Overzet, Appl. Phys. Left. 62, 675 (1993) and C. Vivensang et al., Diamond Relat. Mater. 3, 645 (1994)), thereby limiting the applications of the treated surfaces. The deposition of different types of fluorinated films such as fluoropolymer films by sputtering of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) onto targets or by using plasma-assisted deposition has been well established (see, e.g., D. Fleisch et al., J. Membrane Sci. 73, 163 (1992) and F. Quaranta et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 63, 10 (1993)). For the plasma deposition of F-DLC films fluorocarbon-hydrocarbon mixtures have been mostly used (see, e.g., D. Fleisch et al., J. Membrane Sci. 73, 163 (1992), R. S. Butter et al., Thin Solid Films, 107 (1997), and J. Seth and S. V. Babu, Thin Solid Films 230, 90 (1993)). The results from various studies by different groups have shown that the un-wetting properties of F-DLC films can reach the performance of PTFE and the hardness and wear resistance have been kept relatively high (see, e.g., M. Grischke et al., Diam. Relet. Mater. 7, 454 (1998) and C. Donnet et al., Surf. Coat. Technol. 94-95, 531 (1997)). Earlier studies have also shown that the contact angle behavior of the F-DLC films produced with plasma techniques from fluorocarbon-hydrocarbon gas mixtures depends on the incorporation of CF2 and CF3 groups rather than CF group (see, e.g., D. Fleisch et al., supra, H. Kasai et al., J. Phys. D19, L225 (1986), and J. Seth and S. V. Babu, supra). This incorporation then depends on the composition of source gases, deposition technique and parameters and plasma chemistry that take place during the deposition.
In order to attain widespread utilization, a method for deposition of thin films must be readily scalable to a production scale. This also applies to F-DLC films. To date, all plasma deposition techniques that have been used to produce hard F-DLC with good un-wetting properties have been line-of-sight processes. Thus, complex-shaped objects are difficult to uniformly coat. Plasma Immersion Ion Processing (PIIP) for the deposition of F-DLC coatings differs from the Plasma Source Ion Implantation (PSII) process by employing a low pulsed-bias voltage, typically less than 10 kV, and enables the deposition of thin films on various substrate materials (see, e.g., K. C. Walter et al., Surf. Coat Technol. 93, 287 (1997) and S. M. Malik et al., J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A15, 2875 (1997)). Additionally, PIIP enables conformal deposition over large areas (see, e.g., J. R. Conrad et al., J. Appl. Phys. 62, 4591 (1987)).
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for depositing fluorinated, diamond-like coatings on chosen substrates using a non-line-of-sight process.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for depositing fluorinated, diamond-like coatings on chosen substrates using plasma immersion ion processing.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
To achieve the foregoing and other objects, and in accordance with the purposes of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the method for depositing a fluorinated, diamond-like carbon coating on a selected substrates includes the steps of: applying a negative-pulsed bias to the substrate, and immersing the biased substrate in a plasma containing ions simultaneously bearing carbon and hydrogen and carbon and fluorine, whereby the ions are projected onto the surface of said substrate and form a fluorinated, diamond-like coating on the surface thereof.
Preferably, the plasma is formed in a gas mixture including acetylene and hexafluoroethane.
It is also preferred that the substrate includes silicon.
Benefits and advantages of the present invention include conformal deposition of fluorinated, diamond-like carbon coatings over large areas.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of the specification, illustrate the embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a graph showing the wetting angle against water as a function of the fluorine content (fluorine weight percent) of fluorinated, diamond-like coatings deposited on silicon substrates. Data for pure diamond-like coatings and Teflon are presented for comparison.
FIG. 2 is a graph showing the hydrogen content and hardness as a function of fluorine content (fluorine weigh percent) of fluorinated, diamond-like coatings deposited on silicon substrates.
FIG. 3 is a graph showing the deposition rate of a fluorinated, diamond-like coating onto a silicon substrate as a function of C2H2/(C2F6+C2H2) ratio in the plasma gas mixture.
FIG. 4 shows the optical band gap for fluorinated diamond-like coatings on glass (a) and PMMA (b) generated using different C2F6:C2H2-gas ratios.
Briefly, the present invention includes a method for depositing durable fluorinated, diamond-like (F-DLC) coatings on chosen substrates using plasma immersion ion processing (PIIP). Gas mixture of hexafluoroethane (C2F6) and acetylene (C2H2) were used for generation of the pulsed, glow-discharge plasma. The composition, hardness, modulus and un-wetting properties of the F-DLC coatings were measured as a function of gas composition. A gas ratio of acetylene to hexafluoroethane of unity (C2H2:C2F6=1) was found to yield an optimized combination of good un-wetting properties and high coating hardness. At higher C2F6 concentrations, the hardness, modulus and wear resistance of the F-DLC coatings became less desirable, while the un-wetting properties of the films did not improve. This deterioration of diamond-like properties for F-DLC films deposited using higher C2F6 concentrations in the gas mixture can be attributed to the increased etching behavior of the fluorocarbon plasma. The deposition rate for F-DLC coatings was found reach a minimum value when a gas ratio of C2H2: C2F6=½ was employed, and with a gas ratio C2H2: C2F6=⅓, significant etching of the substrate was observed.
Having generally described the present invention, the following EXAMPLE provides greater detail as to the operation thereof.
To illustrate the method of the present invention, Si <100> was used as the substrate. Before deposition of the F-DLC, substrates were ultrasonically cleaned first in acetone, then in methanol, and subsequently sputter cleaned using an argon plasma. The initial pressure in the vacuum chamber was about 10−4 Pa. The argon plasma was generated using two inductively coupled 0.46 MHz RF power sources at about 0.04 Pa pressure (see, e.g., “Inductive Plasma Sources for Plasma Implantation and Deposition” by M. Tuszewski, et al., IEEE Transactions of Plasma Science 26, 1653 (1998), and “Diamond-Like Carbon Deposition on Silicon Using Radio-frequency Inductive Plasma of Ar and C2H2 Gas Mixture in Plasma Immersion Ion Deposition” by D. H. Lee et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 73, 2423 (1998)). In order to generate a uniform ion distribution, both sources were positioned mirror-symmetrically with respect to the sample stage. The pulsed bias voltage during the sputter cleaning process was 1 kV, and the pulse frequency and pulse length were 10 kHz and 20 μs, respectively. The total sputtering time was 10 minutes for all substrates.
Pulsed glow discharge plasmas were used for the F-DLC depositions. Acetylene (C2H2) and hexafluoroethane (C2F6) gases were introduced into the chamber at various gas ratios, and a pulsed bias voltage of 4 kV was applied to the substrate. The pressure was maintained at approximately 1 Pa by adjusting the mass flow of the plasma gases. The pulse frequency was 4 kHz and the pulse length was 30 μs. The deposition rate was found to vary for different gas ratios. The following gas ratios were used for the deposition of the F-DLC coatings: C2H2:C2F6 (10:1), C2H2:C 2F6 (5:1), C2H2:C2F6 (2:1), C2H2:C2F6 (1:1), C2H2:C 2F6 (1:2) and C2H2:C2F6 (1:3). A Residual Gas Analyzer (RGA) was used to analyze the plasma composition.
The thickness of the coatings were measured using a profilometer and were found to vary between about 150 nm and 1.3 μm, while the roughness value of all coatings was about 10 nm. Hardness measurements were performed using a nanoindentor having a continuous stiffness mode. Hardness data were averaged for 10 indents and data from depths of about 10% of the total film thickness was selected. The compositions of the F-DLC films were measured using Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS) and Elastic Recoil Detection (ERD) spectrometry with a 75° beam-incidence angle to the surface normal (see, e.g., Handbook of Modern Ion Beam Materials Analysis, edited by J. R. Tesmer and M. Nastasi, (MRS, Pittsburg, 1995), p. 37-139). Friction and wear measurements were performed using a conventional pin-on-disk measurement system having an optical wear rate measurement capability. Contact angle measurements were performed by applying droplets of distilled water on the coating surface using a pipette and recording the contact angle using a digital camera. Three droplet sizes were used and six different contact angle measurements were averaged. As a comparison, contact angles against water for other materials were measured. For PTFE (Teflon®) the contact angle was 88°, 46° for DLC (produced using the PIIP technique on neat C2H2 gas), and 24° for uncoated Si (<100>polished wafer). Before measurements were performed the samples were cleaned in an ultrasonic bath first with acetone and then with methanol.
Turning now to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a graph showing the wetting angle against water as a function of the fluorine content (fluorine weight percent) of fluorinated, diamond-like coatings deposited on silicon substrates. Data for pure diamond-like coatings and Teflon are presented for comparison. The unwetting properties improve exponentially, saturating at the level characteristic for PTFE (Teflon®). The data are shown in the TABLE which sets forth the composition, contact angle, hardness and modulus data as a function of C2H2:C2F6 gas ratio.
Since the coating produced using the gas ratio C2H2:C2F6=½ was too soft for pin-on-disk measurements, friction data is not presented. A gas ratio of ⅓ did not produce a coating.
FIG. 2 is a graph showing the hydrogen content and hardness as a function of fluorine content (fluorine weigh percent) of fluorinated, diamond-like coatings deposited on silicon substrates. It is seen that both the hydrogen content and hardness decrease with increasing fluorine concentration. FIG. 3 is a graph showing the deposition rate of a fluorinated, diamond-like coating onto a silicon substrate as a function of C2H2/(C2F6+C2H2) ratio in the plasma gas mixture. The etching property of the fluorocarbon plasma becomes more dominant after a certain threshold in the gas composition, since the deposition rate of the F-DLC coating is seen to decrease with increasing C2F6 content in the gas mixture. This may explain the difference in the hardness for the coatings that were produced with gas ratio C2H2:C2F6=1 compared to coatings produced with ratio C2H2:C2F6=½. Thus, present inventors believe that the harsh etching on the film surface transforms the sp3 bonding in the DLC bonding network into sp2 bonding, which lowers the hardness and the modulus of the coating. As stated, at a gas ratio C2H2:C2F6=⅓, etching became dominant and no deposition occurred. The low hydrogen content in the deposited F-DLC coatings is likely explained by the lowered partial pressure of hydrogen in the C2H2:C2F6-gas mixtures employed.
The calculated optical band gap, as a function of incorporated fluorine content in the films, is shown in FIG. 4 for F-DLC coatings on glass (a) and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) (b) generated using different C2F6:C2H2-gas ratios. Associating the hydrogen concentration in the Table with the data in FIG. 4, it is seen that increasing the fluorine content suppresses the incorporation of H and increases the optical band gap energy. This is different from the general a-C:H DLC films where optical properties are closely correlated to the amount of hydrogen incorporated in the films (See, e.g., J. Robertson, Surf. Coat. Technol. 50, 185 (1992)). The increase in the optical band gap energy may indicate that the incorporated fluorine in the DLC has modified the chemical structure of the film towards higher sp3 bonding fraction.
The foregoing description of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto.
Citat från patent
Hänvisningar finns i följande patent | <urn:uuid:508a83bd-f988-4a52-a5de-392cb77ebdef> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.google.se/patents/US6572937 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.929516 | 3,909 | 2.75 | 3 |
"Names make news." Last week these names made this news:
In Lake Placid, N. Y., at a celebration of his 97th birthday, Negro Lyman Epps stood up, quavered "Blow Ye the Trumpets, Blow.'' Nonagenarian Epps remembered that he had sung the same song at John Brown's funeral in 1859.
On a muggy London day, Sir Patrick Hastings, distinguished British barrister, was arguing a case before a House of Lords committee. Urged by the chairman to remove his uncomfortable wig, he declined with dignity, explained: "It gives me confidence."
Helen ("Piddle") and Cornelia ("Tobe") Storm, believed... | <urn:uuid:27896b4a-534b-4f5e-a6f8-b7cafdab0255> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,759958,00.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940432 | 145 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Summer 2012 Edition
By Aileen Buckley, Esri Mapping Center Lead
This article as a PDF.
Web maps have characteristics that make them different from print maps or other on-screen maps. This article will help you take those differences into account and create more effective web maps.
When designing a web map, as with any map you make, the first thing to ask is, "What is the purpose for this map?" The answer will disclose the map's audience and how it will be used by that audience.
Typically, web users have relatively short attention spans and high expectations. They do not focus long on content or tasks before becoming distracted, so not only should a web map display quickly, its functions should respond rapidly and its purpose should be immediately understood. Users also expect what they are viewing to be of immediate and personal use to them. These characteristics challenge web mapmakers to design maps that possess high levels of graphic and information clarity.
Since the web environment is well suited for interaction, more information can be immediately shared using mouse-overs, ToolTips, information boxes, labels, and hyperlinks. It is possible to show less on the map itself (e.g., labels or detailed features) and still convey information. The map can be linked to databases that report attribute information, display images, play sounds when users click related map features, or perform analyses by accessing geoprocessing functionality. Web maps can also be portals for downloading or uploading content.
Users will likely also have certain expectations for web map content. They expect current data and sometimes continuously updated data (e.g., maps that show monitoring sites). They also expect interactive maps that support zooming at a minimum but also potentially support query, analysis, and customization. For larger-scale maps, users expect detail and realism. They may even expect the data used to make the map to be downloadable and free. As with print maps, data should be complete, consistent, and authoritative.
The workflow for making web maps encompasses four primary activities: designing the information to be shown on the map, designing the map, designing the user experience, and promoting the finished web map.
When designing the information to be shown on the map, consider not only how the data is modeled but also its completeness, timeliness, and authority. Determine if there are aspects of the data that must be added when compiling the map. When designing the map, consider how the web interface can be used to communicate the map's message and make it appealing to its intended audience. When designing the user experience, consider how users will interact with the map and its related information. Once the map is finished, promote the map not only to its intended audience but also other potential audiences to maximize its value.
Before compiling a web map, you have to determine a few things. What size will it be and what geographic extent will it show? Given those parameters, the map scale and resolution can be determined. Next decide which map projection is best. Choose the colors, fonts, and symbols and decide what to show in the map margins. General guidelines will be given for each of these areas. While this is not an exhaustive set of recommendations, it should help you get started.
Although web maps are usually designed for a 17- or 19-inch LCD monitors—because that is what most people have on their desktops—web maps can also be viewed on other devices such as Tablet PCs, smartphones, or iPads. Design for the primary delivery mode. Sometimes a map design will work well on devices other than the primary delivery mode. Sometimes it won't.
Because users can pan and zoom, the geographic extent of the map can be greater than what is shown on the screen initially. Sometimes it is useful—and necessary—to restrict the map extent. Other times, it makes more sense to provide a global view. It will depend on the map's purpose.
If readers can zoom in and out, the map scale will be variable. This means that a separate map should be compiled for each map scale to ensure that the zooming experience appears seamless. Learn more about how to do this in ArcMap by reading the Esri Mapping Center blogs "Creating a web map service" and "Working with layers and scale ranges: Tips for organizing the Table of Contents."
The map projection you use depends on whether the map will be mashed up with other web maps. For example, if you want your map to overlay with maps on ArcGIS Online, Bing, or Google, you'll use the web Mercator projection.
If you use a different projection, anyone who wants to use your map in a mashup will have to use that same projection. If you do not think anyone will use your map in a mashup, consider alternate projections such as modified Winkel Tripel projection.
This table shows color contrast metrics for combinations of colors for symbols and their backgrounds. Combinations that have higher values result in better legibility. (from sitepoint.com/anatomy-web-fonts)
Today, computers can display millions of colors, so using web-safe colors is a moot issue. Almost every web map is in color. However, color on the web is different than color in print. This will have an impact on your maps' appearance.
In print, colors are comprised of ink pigments. Using the subtractive color system, these colors are perceived by the viewer as the reflection of light by the pigment on the page. On a computer monitor, colors are made up of colored light. Using the additive color system, colors are created by combining red, green, and blue light in different proportions and intensities. The color white is produced by combining red, green, and blue light at full intensity.
One consequence of using an additive color system is that light colors viewed on a computer monitor are overly luminous and too harsh on the eye for extended viewing. Also, the intensity of the light radiating from a screen displaying pure white can affect the clarity of fine detail in type, point symbols, and line symbols as well as intricate patterns, such as rasters used to show hillshades or elevation tints.
To be legible, symbols and text must be large enough to be seen and distinguished from the background. Although the height of a text character varies from font to font, a rule of thumb is that text and symbols should be at least 10 pixels high. That means using fonts 7 points or larger on a PC and 9 points or larger on a Mac.
The ability to distinguish a symbol from its background is called contrast. A table of color contrast metrics is a good guide for color selection that will promote contrast.
When possible, use fonts designed for the web. A recent study identified Arial (or Helvetica on Macintosh), Verdana, Georgia, Trebuchet, and Century Gothic (all installed on Windows systems), and Lucinda Grande and Palatino (installed on most systems) as the most popular fonts for web design. Good web fonts have a generous amount of space between characters and within characters (i.e., punch width). A tall x-height also opens up the space within a character. These properties make fonts legible on screen.
With the exception of Georgia and Palatino, these are sans-serif fonts. Serifs are the small lines or decorations added to the ends of the main strokes of the character that theoretically help the letters flow and lead the eye across text during reading. Serif fonts are very popular in print. However, many designers and cartographers believe that sans-serif fonts are more suitable for web map design because serifs compromise the space between characters. This holds true for small blocks of text (e.g., labels on maps, titles, legend text), but for large blocks of text, serif fonts are still easier to read.
Computer display resolution is low when compared to print maps. For desktop computers, it is common to design for a resolution of 96 dpi (dots per inch) because all LCD monitors support this resolution. Newer LCDs typically have a native pixel density of 120 dpi and 144 dpi. Choose resolution based on the type of computer your target audience will mostly likely use.
This low resolution, coupled with the color projection issue, will impact the cartographic design of a web map. Because screen displays are pixels, nonorthogonal lines and sharp edges appear jagged. These jagged edges can be softened by adding pixels of intermediate color between the object and the background (antialiasing), which fools the eye into seeing a jagged edge as a smooth one.
Maps have two basic components: the map itself and information about the map, commonly called marginalia (additional information outside the edge of the map displayed in the margins). Map marginalia includes titles, legends, scale bars, scale text, and north arrows, as well as information about the data used, map projection, author, and publication date. With web maps, it makes sense to include some of these items, but not all.
Characteristics of good web fonts (from sitepoint.com/ anatomy-web-fonts)
All maps should have a title. For symbology that may be unclear or confusing, include a legend, especially if the map is for an international audience. Cartographic conventions vary. Whether to include a map scale depends on how much area is shown on the map. If your map covers a large area or is 3D (i.e., is in a perspective rather than planimetric view), scale will vary across the map, and a scale bar or scale text would be inaccurate for all mapped locations. For 3D maps and maps that use a projection other than web Mercator, you may not want to include a north arrow because orientation may vary across the map. Instead, including a graticule (latitude and longitude lines) or other grid is a good alternative that helps address the scale issue as well.
For web maps, it is very useful to include the author and publication date and information on the data. Users of web maps expect data to be current and accurate and sometimes expect to be able to access the data. Knowing who made the map, when it was published, and what data was used to make it helps users assess the validity of the information on or linked to the map.
The web makes it easier for your maps to reach far more people, but knowing how to design maps specifically for the web will help you create maps with immediate and wide appeal that readers will find useful, interesting, and notable.
Aileen Buckley is the lead of the Esri Mapping Center, an Esri website dedicated to helping users make professional-quality maps with ArcGIS. She has more than 25 years of experience in cartography and holds a doctorate in geography from Oregon State University. She has written and presented widely on cartography and GIS and is one of the authors of Map Use, Seventh Edition, published by Esri Press. | <urn:uuid:b965f39f-82c6-48f6-8f17-db312080bdd0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.esri.com/news/arcuser/0612/designing-great-web-maps.html?WT.mc_id=EmailCampaign14549 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.915479 | 2,254 | 3.296875 | 3 |
The Phoenix Scholar Program, a residential program at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay designed to promote the academic success of African American eighth-grade boys, is in full swing.
Twelve eighth-graders from Franklin and Washington Green Bay Area Public Schools were nominated by a teacher, social worker, guidance counselor, administrator or a Boys & Girls Club staff member to attend the program, which runs from June 24 to June 29.
There is evidence that African American males in the greater Green Bay area are underachieving academically as compared to other students. This mirrors national statistics. The Phoenix Scholar Program is an attempt to intervene at a local level and is meant to complement pre-existing programs such as the Phuture Phoenix, Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID), Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Pre-College, and federally funded TRIO programs.
Phoenix Scholars see and live the college experience and work with African American mentors in both their academic and personal skills. One of the goals of the program is to have the participants envision themselves as scholars who can and will successfully matriculate to college and graduate.
During the Monday through Friday workshops, students have interactive lessons in study skills, creative writing, math, digital media, literacy, visual arts and more. They also learn about culturally centered concepts and hear about a wide variety of careers, experiences and high expectations from mentors such as University personnel and community volunteers (Michael Brown, Officer Solomon Ayres, Quasan Shaw, Harry Sydney, Vince Lowery and Shawn Robertson).
The program has two elements: summer residential camp and yearlong follow-up experiences. During the academic year, participants will continue to receive academic, social and interpersonal support from professionals and volunteers. In addition, the scholars will be encouraged to participate in pre-existing local programs at the Boys & Girls Club, Brown County Parks and Recreation, and prepare to enter a local TRIO-funded precollege program such as Upward Bound.
The Phoenix Scholar Program is a collaborative initiative among Green Bay Area Public Schools, UW-Green Bay, Green Bay Boys & Girls Club and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. The program is funded by Wisconsin’s Advanced Placement Incentive Program grant, UW-Green Bay, Shopko Community Charitable Grant program, the Green Bay Packers and the generous donations of African American professionals from the greater Green Bay area.
Click images to enter slideshow. | <urn:uuid:fa02709e-0bda-47d1-a0d3-520b0ce0458c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://news.uwgb.edu/featured/close-ups/06/27/phoenix-scholar-program/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93864 | 488 | 1.820313 | 2 |
"Artists' Books" designed by 17 Hope art students are being featured in a display in the Van Wylen Library at Hope College through Saturday, March 5.
The public is invited to see the display. Admission is free.
The books offer an imaginative reinterpretation of the way that books traditionally relate language and images, each reflecting the vision of the individual artist. As the exhibition's statement notes, "Artists' books are produced by a single creator who wears many hats: writer, painter, printer, graphic designer, binder, photographer, illustrator and publisher. Artists' books can be all words, all images or a combination of both while exploring alternative forms, materials and production techniques."
The books were created by students in the college's "Applied Design II" class. One of the volumes will be selected to become the first in the library's new "Artists' Book Collection."
The students with work in the display, which opened on Tuesday, Feb. 8, are: sophomore Katy Carlson of Glen Ellyn, Ill.
° junior Chris Cox of Grand Rapids
° junior Kathren Cutshall of Warsaw, Ind.
° senior Amy DeVrou of Hopkins
° sophomore Kathleen Doud of Kalamazoo
° senior Melissa Gayles of Chicago, Ill.
° sophomore Amy Joy Greenlee of Spring Lake
° junior Laura Hobson of Flushing
° sophomore Justin Korver of Sioux Center, Iowa
° junior Nic Leonard of New Providence, N.J.
° senior Julia Peterson of Grand Rapids
° senior Laurenn Rudd of Lake Ann
° senior Samantha Shank of Oak Forest, Ill.
° senior Anne Short of Holland
° senior Lyndsey Vanderveld of Wood Dale, Ill.
° junior Rachel Walton of Columbus, Ohio
° junior Karly Welke of Benton Harbor.
In addition, Justin Korver designed the poster that accompanies the exhibit.
The Van Wylen Library is regularly open Mondays through Thursdays from 8 a.m. to midnight, Fridays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. to midnight.
In conjunction with the college's Winter Break, which begins the evening of Friday, Feb. 11, and continues through Tuesday, Feb. 15, the library will be open on Friday, Feb. 11, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 12-13; open on Monday, Feb. 14, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and open on Tuesday, Feb. 15, from 8 a.m. to midnight.
The Van Wylen Library is located at 53 Graves Place (11th Street), between 10th and 12th streets on College Avenue. | <urn:uuid:962c5fc0-e6c1-4335-a8ce-5b6cab0bf8f8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://hope.edu/2011/02/08/library-displaying-student-artists-books-through-march-5 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931386 | 586 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Following is a brief overview of the history of the Crookston Campus of the University of Minnesota.
The Minnesota Territorial Laws of 1851 establish the University of Minnesota at what is now the Minneapolis campus and vest its government in a Board of Regents. This statute is approved on February 25, 1851.
On May 11, 1858, Minnesota becomes the thirty-second state admitted to the Union of the United States of America.
The city of Crookston is incorporated. The city is named in honor of Colonel William Crooks, a soldier and railroad builder.
The Minnesota legislature appropriates $30,000 to procure equipment and to construct two experimental research farms, one at Morris and one at Crookston. The Great Northern Railway, under the guidance of James J. Hill , donates 476.61 acres. The Northwest Experiment Station is established.
The Minnesota legislature appropriates $15,000 to establish the Northwest School of Agriculture (NWSA), a regional residential high school with a focus on agriculture.
The NWSA opens its doors to students in the fall of 1906. Thirty-one students are enrolled that first year. The school provides training in "the technical and practical business of agriculture and in the art of homemaking." The term of schooling begins in October and ends in March to accommodate farm students.
At left, the first building on campus (known simply as the "School Building") was built in 1905-06. The first floor held the school's dining hall, cooks' quarters, and heating plant; the second floor, the assembly room, which was also used as a classroom, a second classroom, and offices; third floor featured nine dormitory rooms and a bathroom. The girls' dormitory was located at the farm house, at right in the photo. The School Building was later named the Home Economics Building. Dowell Hall now stands where the School Building was located. Note: the photo is taken looking west from roughly where Owen Hall currently stands.
Owen Hall is completed. Agricultural laboratories occupy the first floor of the building. Classrooms and labs for business training, farm engineering, and carpentry are located on the second floor.
Eight students comprise the first graduating class of the Northwest School of Agriculture.
Kiehle Building is constructed. The building houses administrative offices, the library, and, on the second level, a gymnasium.
History is made in 1932 when the first student of the second generation enrolls at the Northwest School of Agriculture. Dayton Hanson, ’34, of Fertile, Minnesota, is the first of many sons and daughters of alumni to attend. He is the son of Henry Hanson, who attended from 1908 to 1910. Enrollment continues to increase, and the NWSA is dubbed the "School of Service," equipping graduates for careers in agriculture, home economics, home nursing, and business training related to agriculture.
The Campus in 1933
click image to see a larger version
With the changing demands of the region and in the agriculture industry, it becomes apparent to state officials that a college-level technical educational institution is urgently needed. A study by the University of Minnesota Bureau of Field Studies begins an examination of new roles for the Northwest School of Agriculture. University Regents discuss launching a college-level technical institute.
On May 26, 1965, the Minnesota Legislature approves the creation and education appropriations funding for "the support of an Agricultural and Technical Institute - Crookston" to be located on the campus of the Northwest School of Agriculture in Crookston.
On September 17, 1965, Stanley D. Sahlstrom , Ph.D., is appointed director of the University of Minnesota Technical Institute. He is charged with the development of curricular and administrative affairs for the new collegiate program that will begin classes in the fall of 1966. His title as director and chief executive officer is subsequently changed to provost in 1970. Sahstrom becomes known as the founding provost of the campus.
Classes begin at the University of Minnesota Technical Institute in September 1966. Associate in Applied Science degrees are offered in three academic divisions: Agriculture, Business, and General Studies. Dedication ceremonies for the new college are held on November 30, 1966. That fall 187 students officially register, learning to adjust to the new college atmosphere and learning from a faculty of 26. Students of the Northwest School of Agriculture and the U of M "Tech" share the campus through the spring of 1968.
On March 22, 1968, the 60th and final commencementexercises for the Northwest School of Agriculture are held in Kiehle auditorium. Forty-two seniors receive their diplomas from Dr. B. E. Youngquist, superintendent of the Northwest School and Experiment Station. In the photo at right, the "Torch of Education" is passed from NWSA representative David Bohnsack to Ron Tobkin, Technical Institute student, as Director Stanley Sahlstrom (far right) looks on. This ceremony marks the passing of educational mission and duties to the new institution. Over its 63-year history, 5,433 graduates completed their high school education at the NWSA.
On Friday, June 7, 1968, commencement ceremonies are held for the first graduating class of the University of Minnesota Technical Institute. Seventy-two “tech” students earn associate’s degrees.
The University of Minnesota Technical Institute is renamed the University of Minnesota Technical College.
Donald G. Sargeant, Ph.D., is appointed provost of the Crookston campus on May 16, 1985. Sargeant first came to campus in 1970 as an assistant professor and worked his way from faculty to administration. The title for all coordinate campus chief executive officers is subsequently changed from provost to chancellor. Inauguration ceremonies for UMC's second leader are held on December 20, 1985.
University of Minnesota Regents officially change the name of the Crookston campus to the University of Minnesota, Crookston.
At its June meeting the U of M Board of Regents gives UMC approval to offer baccalaureate degree programs.
UMC's baccalaureate degree programs are approved by the Minnesota Higher Education Coordinating Board and accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Three academic divisions support a new polytechnic concept: Agricultural Management, Management, and Technical Studies. Classes for the baccalaureate degrees begin that fall.
UMC's technology component is initiated, providing each full-time student and faculty member with a notebook computer and preinstalled software--a first in the nation. UMC becomes known as the original “Laptop U.” Over the next few years, more than 100 colleges and universities visit the campus to learn more about this innovation. Some of these adopt programs modeled closely after UMC’s.
UMC's first Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degrees are awarded at commencement ceremonies. A small group of students had been working on a "3 + 1" degree agreement before UMC had been authorized to offer four-year degrees. In the spring of 1994, twenty-four students receive their B.S. degrees at UMC.
The Campus in 1994
click image to see a larger version
On November 27, 1995, at the Teambackers Banquet, UMC announces that a new name had been chosen for its athletics teams: the Golden Eagles. The name change is meant to help signify UMC’s change in mission from a two-year college to a four-year university.
UMC is ranked among the top four Best Midwest Regional Public Colleges by US News & World Report for the first time.
UMC is accepted into the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) for Division II athletics. UMC is among three newly admitted members, which bring the NSIC to a conference of ten members.
Yahoo! Internet Life Magazine Online ranks UMC the "#1 Most Wired College" in its category (Baccalaureate II) for 2000.
UMC is honored with the Pioneer Award at the Fourth Annual Conference on Ubiquitous Computing, held January 4-6, 2001, at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey.
In its Monday, March 12, 2001, edition, The Wall Street Journal calls UMC "The College of the Future--Today" in a full-page feature appearing in a special section on technology and education.
At commencement ceremonies in May, the U of M, Crookston awards its first bachelor’s degree for a program completed entirely online. The Crookston campus is the first campus within the University of Minnesota system to offer degree programs fully online.
Velmer S. Burton, Jr., Ph.D., is named UMC's third chancellor. Inauguration is held on October 17, 2003.
The Crookston campus receives approval from the Board of Regents of the University of Minnesota to offer new bachelor‘s degree programs in three areas: communication, computer software technology, and health sciences (pre-professional).
Joseph G. Massey, Ph.D., comes to the U of M, Crookston in July to serve as vice chancellor for academic affairs. He is appointed chief executive officer in November 2004, when Velmer Burton leaves.
Along with Charles Muscoplat, Ph.D., dean at the College of Agricultural, Food, & Environmental Science at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Massey chairs the strategic positioning task force that will help shape the future of the U of M, Crookston.
On September 12, 2005, Charles H. Casey, D.V.M., begins his appointment as chancellor at the University of Minnesota, Crookston. Dr. Casey is a distinguished veterinarian and administrator with a strong rural background and an understanding of the challenges facing rural Minnesota.
The new Student Center, built on the site formerly occupied by Bede Hall, is dedicated in September followed by a campus and community picnic in front of the two-story, 37,550-square-foot building.
In late 2005, the U of M, Crookston formalizes an international partnership with Zhejiang Economic and Trade Polytechnic (ZETP) in Hangzaou, China, to enhance opportunities for students to study and faculty to work collaboratively.
Agronomy and horticulture become two separate stand-alone bachelor‘s programs. The programs had previously been emphases within the plant industries management program.
The University of Minnesota, Crookston begins its centennial, a year-long celebration of 100 years of education, outreach, and service on the site of the campus.
Centennial Hall is dedicated during the University of Minnesota Board of Regents meeting held on campus in October. The building compliments both the historical architecture of the campus and follows a nationwide trend to apartment-style campus living. With the completion of the new Centennial Hall complex, Lee Hall, an older campus apartment building, is demolished.
The Crookston campus receives approval from the Board of Regents to offer new bachelor of science programs in two areas: biology and organizational psychology. Equine science and animal science become two separate stand-alone bachelor’s programs. The programs were previously emphases within the animal industries management program. The Board of Regents also approves a program option in pre-veterinary medicine for the equine and animal science degree programs.
A growing reputation for excellence places the University of Minnesota, Crookston in the top 161 “Best Midwestern Colleges” selected by The Princeton Review.
The U of M, Crookston earns its tenth consecutive appearance as U.S. News and World Report “Best College.”
Robertson Hall is demolished in the summer of 2007. The former residence hall, built in 1910, had also provided temporary office space during the renovation of Kiehle Building and the construction of the new Student Center.
In February the U of M, Crookston receives institutional approval from the Minnesota Board of Teaching to prepare students for state teacher licensure. In addition, the Board also approves delivery of early childhood education degrees by the Crookston campus. Designed to qualify students to be effective teachers of young children (birth through age 8) and to manage high-quality early childhood programs, licensure preparation was previously a cooperative endeavor.
The Crookston campus receives approval from the Board of Regents to offer a new bachelor’s degree program in criminal justice.
The University of Minnesota, Crookston hits record undergraduate enrollment with 1207 degree-seeking students.
A grant awarded to the U of M, Crookston makes the campus a focal point statewide as the new Economic Development Administration (EDA) University Center for the state of Minnesota. The campus, along with its partner, University of Minnesota Extension, provides technical assistance and applied research for economic development intermediaries at the local, county, and regional levels throughout the state.
The Student Center, which opened in 2006, is officially named Sargeant Student Center in honor of Chancellor Emeritus Donald G. Sargeant, Ph.D. A ceremony held during homecoming marks the occasion.
To accommodate increasing enrollment, the campus gains approval from the Board of Regents to design and build a new apartment-style residence hall. The project involves a great deal of student input, especially with regard to issues of sustainability. Students lead the charge to seek Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. Groundbreaking ceremonies take place on October 15.
Centennial Hall (upper left) and the newly constructed Evergreen Hall (bottom) October 2009.
Members of the one-hundred-and-first graduating class on the Crookston campus take part in commencement ceremonies held May 9. To acknowledge this new century mark, the newly-created Centennial Torch is passed from the outgoing to the incoming student body president.
The University of Minnesota, Crookston marks a second year of record undergraduate enrollment with 1310 degree-seeking students for fall semester.
With the new on-campus apartment complex nearly complete, Brink Hall, an older campus apartment building, is demolished.
Otter Tail Power Company selects the U of M, Crookston as its first collaborator in the Campus Energy Challenge. This first-of-its-kind program offers rebates and low-interest financing for energy-efficient technologies; encourages students, faculty, and staff to redirect behaviors to enhance energy conservation efforts; and provides in-depth energy education.
Evergreen Hall, the new 128-bed apartment-style residence hall, opens its doors to students as they arrive on campus for fall semester. The official building dedication takes place on Friday, October 2. U of M President Robert Bruininks is on hand for the ceremony. During the dedication, Otter Tail Power Company CEO Chuck MacFarland officially kicks off the Campus Energy Challenge.
The Crookston campus receives approval from the Board of Regents to offer new bachelor’s programs in two areas: marketing (B.S.) and quality management (B.M.M.). Both programs are also offered online.
The Board of Regents approves a new bachelor’s degree program in environmental sciences (B.S.) and a name change for the computer software technology program to software engineering (B.S.).
The University of Minnesota, Crookston marks a third year of record undergraduate enrollment with 1462 degree-seeking students for fall semester. This represents a nearly 40% increase in degree-seeking students compared to the fall of 2006.
The Crookston campus receives a grant from the U.S. Dept. of Education to establish the Center for Rural Entrepreneurial Studies. Its mission is to provide leadership to advance entrepreneurship and to conduct applied research and engage faculty and students with regional entrepreneurs.
Federal stimulus funds help establish an immersive visualization and informatics lab at the U of M,Crookston – one of only two in the Upper Midwest. The lab is leading-edge featuring technology that creates 3-D simulations with applications across many disciplines.
The Higher Learning Commission approves the U of M, Crookston’s request to move to the Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) as the evaluation process for its accreditation. AQIP makes accreditation a continuous process with an emphasis on analytics and evidence-based decision making to help the campus improve quality and showcase effectiveness.
The New Century Learning Consortium admits the U of M, Crookston as its 10th member. The Consortium assists universities in implementing high quality, large-scale online and blended learning programs and the sharing of best practices of e-learning.
Three additional degree programs offered on campus are approved by the Board of Regents to be offered online: communication, health management, and information technology management. This brings the total of online degrees offered to ten.
The University of Minnesota, Crookston's online degree in business management is ranked among the "Top 10 Online Bachelor of Business Administration Degree Programs of 2011" by The Best Colleges, an online college search resource based in San Antonio, Texas.
Renovation of two 1950s-era science labs in Hill Hall transform them into team-based collaborative learning labs to support animal science, biology, organic chemistry, soil science, and water quality courses.
In January Chancellor Charles H. Casey announces his plans to retire on June 30, 2012. A national search takes place leading to the appointment of Fred E. Wood as chancellor. Wood, who holds a Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry, comes to the U of M from the University of California, Davis, where he had most recently served as vice chancellor of student affairs during his 26-year career there. Chancellor Wood takes the helm of the Crookston campus on July 2, 2012.
The Princeton Review and USA Today name UMC among their list of “Best Value Colleges: 2012 Edition.” Four Minnesota colleges make the list of 150: University of Minnesota, Crookston; University of Minnesota, Twin Cities; Carleton College; and Macalester College.
In February UMC is granted full-continuing approval from the Minnesota Board of Teaching to prepare individuals for Minnesota teacher licensure through June 30, 2019. The Board takes the action during their February meeting and also commends campus leaders for their expeditious response to the findings report and for evidencing full compliance to the required standards.
Three new emphases are added to the bachelor’s degree program in communication: communication studies, organizational communication/public relations, and writing.
Construction begins in May for a new campus residence hall, located west of Centennial Hall. The 43,000 square foot, two story building accommodates 140 residents in 35 two-bedroom suites, with additional single rooms for four community assistants (CAs) and one community area coordinator staff member.
Note: some information presented here is taken from Cycle, A Chronicle of the Northwest School of Agriculture and Experiment Station (PDF - 19 MB). | <urn:uuid:c178f717-44ba-448e-b996-c6464df1d97b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www3.crk.umn.edu/info/UMCHistory/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948246 | 3,897 | 2.90625 | 3 |
By JUMAN KEVIN TINDO
“This is the manifesto of Mother Monster. On G.O.A.T., a Government Owned Alien Territory in space, a birth of magnificent and magical proportions took place. But the birth was not finite. It was infinite. As the wombs numbered and the mitosis of the future began, it was perceived that this infamous moment in life is not temporal, it is eternal. And thus began the beginning of the new race, a race within the race of humanity, a race which bares no prejudice, no judgment but boundless freedom,” so goes Lady Gaga’s opening words in her song “Born This Way.”
This song gave birth to the professed ‘little monsters,’ a group of people rooting and recognizing the message Lady Gaga is conceiving to the world. She is a queen, a warrior, a goddess, a sex symbol, and the so-called Mother Monster. However, her concert here in the Philippines raised many eyebrows from our Christian friends. They perceived her as immoral, satanic, and unethical. These harsh words were in every Filipino’s mouth as the concert of ‘Mother Monster’ approached.
Text messages encouraging everyone to boycott her concert went viral. It stated that Lady Gaga is a devil worshipper and mocks Jesus through her song Judas.
I myself became intrigued by this matter. I think that all those cruel words thrown at her are just a product of closed-mindedness, of people who do not have the appreciation of new art. For art’s sake, Lady Gaga is a symbol of positivity and individuality for all those out-of-the-norm people.
Even Lea Salonga wrote that Judas is a metaphor for people who seem to always find themselves attracted to what is clearly not good for them. And I agree with her. I also sometimes find myself in sync with those kinds of situation. That is the reason why I understand the way Lady Gaga dresses and interprets her songs, a reason why I understand her art.
I believe that every artist, whatever rubbish or jewel he or she produces, has the right to express his or her art- however outrageous or appealing it may be, and for whatever motive it may serve. The artist maintains his or her right to express his or her work, just like writing.
There’s an adage that always reminds us that art is in the “eye of the beholder.” How something registers artistically to us distinctly differs in so many ways. Whether it’s a painting, a dance, a song, or a live performance, one person could regard it as intellectual while another as a failed endeavor of art. Art is subjective.
If we remember last year, an art by Mideo Cruz was condemned by the Catholics. One of his works, Poleteismo, showed a giant wooden crucifix with a moveable bright red male organ. This artwork divided the opinion of Filipinos. Some applauded it; some condemned it.
The Philippines is still regarded as a conservative nation because majority of Filipinos are Catholics. Lady Gaga’s concert dealt with the same themes but not as critical as Mideo Cruz’s artwork. It tackled freedom of expression, right to be shallow, art, religion, and the modernizing global standards.
Lady Gaga stands for more than “grossly blasphemous, immoral, lewd and carrying demonic and occultist overtones.” These people said that Lady Gaga and her music have no place in this morally upright and Christian-oriented society. She is more than that. She stands for the equality of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, and Transgenders (LGBTs) with the rest of the population. She advocates anti-bullying and, she campaigns for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) awareness. She stands for advocacies which “Christians” sometimes do not give attention to.
What people perceive about her is their own business. They also have their right to express their own thoughts. You can love her or hate her. You can take pleasure in her music or not. You can even desire to protest her work if you don’t agree with it so as long as it doesn’t impede anyone else from liking her art.
Let us not suffocate artists, their inventiveness, and their privilege to convey themselves. Our country has a multitude of artists that we should be proud of. But, we must also welcome other artists from different nations to be a part of our happiness and pleasure of all things beautiful.
Of course, artists must be responsible for the art that he or she expresses. Yes, though we are in a democratic country, freedom of expression has a limitation. There are all types of audiences. There are those who can tolerate lewdness, those who are conservatives, and many more. But the point here is, we must give a chance for all artists, writers, painters, and everyone else the benefit of the doubt.
I think that despite all the differences in culture, religion, or how we perceive art, all must be open-minded. Lady Gaga has opened the doors of a world where people can be the same even with outrageous clothes and outfits through her songs.
“It’s not about the music, it’s about being yourself!” she exclaimed during her concert.
Through her, I became a ‘”little monster.” A member of a race which bares no prejudice, no judgment but boundless freedom. And I am happy that I am blessed with the understanding that art has its own beauty despite the theme it poses. # nordis.net | <urn:uuid:b3039e85-17f5-4b73-b3d9-d5e192cbc629> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nordis.net/?p=13072 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970312 | 1,187 | 1.757813 | 2 |
McDUFFIE COLUMN: Make every month Heart Awareness Month
Doretha Walker says when she and other members of Black Girls Run! went for a jog on the Ravenel Bridge, people told her they'd never seen that many black women running.
Being active truly is a matter of life and death for black women. Heart disease is the number one killer of women, and African-American women are the most at risk because of a history of obesity and diabetes.
Walker, of Mount Pleasant, is an avid runner and the founder of the Charleston chapter of Black Girls Run! She said many black women don't exercise because they don't know where to start.
“They want to start, but they don't know how. We have groups that take you from walking to running,” Walker said. There are about 850 members in the Charleston chapter who form several running groups to accommodate preferences and schedules.
Other factors that hinder black women from exercise may not seem important as health issues, but shouldn't be dismissed as trivial. Worries about hair, not knowing what to wear and not wanting to do it alone are serious concerns that my friend, third-year Medical University of South Carolina student Lindsey Johnson, said are “more mental than anything else.”
Women with relaxed or straightened hair have to worry about sweat ruining their hairstyles. And I'll be honest. I've used the excuse “I don't want to ruin my hair” for not doing something physical.
But after speaking to Johnson, I realized that I have to make short-term sacrifices for long-term benefits.
“I knew I could always schedule another hair appointment. I couldn't see myself putting off working out for something as frivolous as my hairstyle,” Johnson said.
Getting your hair done every week can be expensive, but Johnson said her hairstylist charged less because she was coming in so often. Getting your hair braided is another option or going natural like Walker, who has dreadlocks.
Johnson added that having the proper gym wear does more than make you look good, too. Stores such as Ross, T.J.Maxx or Marshalls carry inexpensive active wear.
“Something as simple as a cute gym outfit can make you feel like you belong and make you want to go back.”
Johnson started her routine with group classes because the “positive peer pressure” motivated her. When she got comfortable she was able to make a routine of her own.
And in organizations like Black Girls Run! no one has to do it alone. Walker said her morning runs are a time to catch up with friends and have “become social as well as physical.”
In order to beat heart disease we also have to change our diets, which is hard in the land of fried everything.
Johnson said stereotypes like the Southern black woman in the kitchen frying chicken and not working out don't have to be true.
“Break the mold for yourself. Don't let hair or being alone stop you. At the end of the day, it's going to be you in that hospital bed,” Johnson said.
As National Heart Awareness Month winds down, African- American women need to take this information and run with it. Literally.
For more information or to join, visit Black Girls Run! Charleston on Facebook.Reach Jade McDuffie at 937-5560 or firstname.lastname@example.org. | <urn:uuid:7c4836ce-e70a-47ff-ac1e-143cc2300bcc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20130225/PC16/130229502/1020/mcduffie-column-make-every-month-heart-awareness-month | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00047-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974808 | 721 | 2.125 | 2 |
I'LL BE up front with you here: I know of only one 50-year-old gibbon.
However, I think gibbons are best dealt with one at a time. Don't you agree?
The lar gibbon known as "Granny" Jane lives at Twycross Zoo, in the English Midlands. She arrived there — not entirely of her own volition — at the age of four in 1966. In case anyone needs reminding, that was the year Scotland didn't win the World Cup.
Jane is still going strong, doing what gibbons do: swinging aboot the place. She's been doing this for longer than would gibbons in the wild, which shows how great we humans are at helping the animals.
Keepers at Twycross attribute Jane's longevity to being "chilled out and wise", though they add that she is also "often stubborn".
Chilled out: I don't know how you achieve that. It seems to be the key to everything, from Buddhism to immortality. Every time I try to act chilled out I get frustrated and end up throwing things aboot the room.
Jane was so chilled out she let herself be impregnated 13 times, and her gibbonlings — if that's the term — can be found at six different European zoos. But she's past all that nonsense now and can just sit aboot watching her arms grow longer.
Jane remains surprisingly agile for her age, though she doesn't say much, at least compared to the yodelling black-crested gibbons of Wuliangshan (not making that up; if you know anyone with a computer, ask them to check it out for you).
Needless to say, the lar gibbon is on the critically endangered species list, though Jane is probably unaware of this as, like all animals, she's a bit dense.
However, we're delighted to send birthday greetings and to wish her many happy returns.
We moderate all comments on HeraldScotland on either a pre-moderated or post-moderated basis. If you're a relatively new user then your comments will be reviewed before publication and if we know you well then your comments will be subject to moderation only if other users or the moderators believe you've broken the rules, which are available here.
Moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours. Please be patient if your posts are not approved instantly. | <urn:uuid:0b979d4e-be42-46b8-9b77-71fd1cbac3c1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/in-praise-of/in-praise-of-50-year-old-gibbons.18210078 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969049 | 519 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Lee pays respects to fallen sailors in N‘s 2010 sinking of Cheonan
President Lee Myung-bak paid his respects Friday to the fallen sailors killed in North Korea's 2010 sinking of a South Korean warship, ahead of the second anniversary of the deadly attack that still weighs heavily on inter-Korean ties.
The warship Cheonan mysteriously sank in waters near the tense western sea border with North Korea on the evening of March 26, 2010, killing 46 sailors aboard. A South Korean-led international investigation later concluded that a North Korean submarine torpedoed the vessel.
The attack, along with the North's shelling of the western border island of Yeonpyeong in November that year, plunged the already-frayed relations between the two sides to their lowest levels in decades. Pyongyang has refused to apologize for the Cheonan's sinking, denying any involvement.
Amid drizzling rain Friday, Lee visited the national cemetery in the central city of Daejeon and paid his respects to the fallen sailors buried there, wiping rain water off the framed photos of some fallen soldiers placed in front of their gravestones.
"I heard he had a dream of becoming a train driver, but ended up like this while serving in the military at such a young age," a solemn-face Lee said in front of the gravestone of Chang Cheol-hee, a sailor killed in the attack at age 19.
Lee said he paid a visit to the cemetery days earlier than the March 26 anniversary because he has to host world leaders attending the Nuclear Security Summit scheduled for March 26-27. U.S. President Barack Obama and dozens of other global leaders are scheduled to attend the conference.
Lee said the participating countries in the summit represent 95 percent of the world's entire gross domestic product and the conference is expected to produce a commitment to do away with enough fissile material to build about 20,000 nuclear weapons.
"Fifty-eight world leaders are coming. They are gathering to make a world without nuclear weapons," Lee told reporters during a train ride on the way back to Seoul. (Yonhap) | <urn:uuid:5147d1dc-dd39-41d3-8d1a-b702dca70c0c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2012/05/116_107512.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959022 | 437 | 1.664063 | 2 |
"at C6/7 left lateral recess disc herniation flattens the cord causing potential exiting left C7 nerve root impingement."
The lateral recess is an area, sort of like a groove, where the nerve root exits the spinal canal. There is a lateral recess on each side of the vertebra. After traveling through the recess the nerve root goes through the neural foramina to finally exit the spine. The word foramina just means hole.
So, on the left side, at the C6-7 disc, there is a herniation that sits in the lateral recess pressing up against the thecal sac (the covering of the spinal cord) causing the usually rounded edge of the spinal cord to be flattened.
The radiologist also thinks that the C7 nerve root might have some pressure on it, as it travels through the lateral recess. He/she can't be sure, but where the herniation is, there is the possibility that it could be, so it is stated as having the potential for impingement.
You need to discuss the findings with your physician. The study will have to be correlated with your history, symptoms, and physical exam. | <urn:uuid:2e3e4d85-8a4d-49d2-a84d-d6c3cce1f5a7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ehealthforum.com/health/herniated-disc-mri-report-t321728.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935204 | 242 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Kosovo has a number of conditions making it an attractive destination for investments.
Kosovo is located at the heart of the Balkan Peninsula, bordering Serbia in the North and East, Macedonia in the South, Albania in the Southwest and Montenegro in the Northwest. Kosovos strategic location is supported by a number of highways linking the country to the region and the rest of Europe, in addition to providing access to major ports on the Adriatic and Black Sea coasts.
Free access to a 520 million consumer market
Kosovo has a liberal regime of free market trade as it enjoys duty-free access to the EU market based on the EU Autonomous Trade Preference (ATP) regime. Under this Agreement, quantitative and qualitative restrictions remain the force only for a very limited number of goods. In addition, Kosovo has a free trade agreement with Central European countries, under CEFTA. These free trade agreements give Kosovo duty-free access to more than 520 million consumers.
Young and motivated population
Kosovo has population of 2.2 million, 70% of which are under the age of 35, making it the youngest population in Europe. Due to the long international presence in Kosovo, English is just short of an official language, whereas thousands of Kosovars, graduating in Kosovo or returning from their studies abroad, guarantee a sufficient stream of highly educated labor. Kosovars speaking German and other European languages are also numerous due to a very large Kosovar Diaspora.
Abundant natural resources
There is abundance of natural resources across the country, with rich reserves of lignite, lead, zinc, ferronickel and fertile agricultural land. Kosovo has a number of sectors offering prolific investment opportunities, including: food processing, mining and energy, wood processing, decorative stone, metals and metal processing, clothing and textiles, information and communications technology, tourism, construction etc.
During the last decade Kosovo has built its legal system in complete compatibility with EU legislation, which maintains the same legal regime for both foreign and domestic investments. Applicable legislation provides prohibitions of favoritism and discrimination, guarantees for unrestricted use of income, as well as protection against expropriations. Among others, Kosovo has also installed the International Standards for Financial Reporting and it offers national treatment for foreign investors.
Euro is the currency in use in Kosovo, thus eliminating currency and exchange rate risks. The Euro gave Kosovo a considerable advantage over its competitors in the region by bringing financial and macroeconomic stability. It also enabled Kosovo to offer the lowest transaction costs in the region, to strengthen financial discipline and to sustain a very low inflation.
Competitive, flexible and skilled labor force
Average gross wage in Kosovo is less than 240 EUR. Wages in Kosovo are unburdened by costly social contributions, unlike those in the countries of the region. Through engaging in smaller workshops and private businesses during the 1990s and through vocational training programs established in the last 9 years, Kosovars have gained skills which are highly appreciated by foreign investors.
Sound banking system
Kosovos new financial sector has been built upon modern foundations. The Banking and Payments Authority of Kosovo (BPK), in charge for regulating banking and insurance sector, has recently transformed into Kosovos Central Bank. Central Bank has so far licensed eight banks, two pension funds, 16 other financial intermediaries, 27 financial auxiliaries and nine insurance companies in Kosovo. Six out of eight banks in Kosovo are foreign-owned.
Simple and low tax regime.
Kosovo has a simple and straightforward tax system and the tax burden is very low. In 2009 Kosovo halved its corporate tax from 20% to 10%, offering thus one of the lowest corporate tax rates in the region. Personal incomes taxes are also very low ranging from 0-10% - with income taxex on average gross salary being approximately 5%. Custom duties on imports generally stand at 10%, yet there is no import duty on capital goods and agricultural inputs. The standard VAT is at the level of 16%
Kosovo offers modern telecommunication systems, with three fixed and two mobile telephony operators. Telecommunication system in Kosovo provides for the latest and most modern technologies, including VoIP, GPRS, etc. Three main internet service providers offer stable and broadband Internet, including DSL, Wireless, and Cable, with lower prices than in any other European country.
Stimulating rules on foreign investments
National treatment investment regime guarantees unrestricted use of income. Favoritism and discrimination and prohibited whereas a number of investment guarantees are in place (such as Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, US Overseas Private Investment Corporation etc. ).
For more information on applicable legislation and investment opportunities visit web-sites of Kosovo Privatisation Agency (hiperlink - http://www.pak-ks.org), Kosovo Investment Promotion Agency (hiperlink -http://www.invest-ks.org) and Economic Initiative for Kosovo (hiperlink- http://www.eciks.org/english/index.php) | <urn:uuid:d7399ca5-c646-4106-a253-6a037ea6d10b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ambasada-ks.net/at/?page=1,48 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00065-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935783 | 1,022 | 2.140625 | 2 |
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
IE7 Beta 2 is out!
Over the next few weeks, the IE team will roll out German, Finnish, Japanese and Arabic versions too.
Tags: Internet Explorer Microsoft
Michael Wallent on how Avalon came to be
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Proposal for cross-site extensions to XmlHttpRequest
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Things Every Designer Should Know...
How can you design for the web if you can’t code? How can you direct photography if you’ve never worked in a darkroom? How can you design text if you’re not a careful reader?
Allen follows up with some pearls of wisdom in the form of An Entirely Incomplete List of Things a Non–Illiterate Designer Should Know Before Being a Designer:
- That text will inevitably be read before it is looked at
- That words themselves make remarkably effective clip art
- That the self-conscious layering of messages usually subtracts more value than it adds
- That the practical value of white space towers over its value as a design element
- That the deep symbolism of a design decision, referring perhaps to a treasured memory of the designer, is irrelevant to the person attempting to glean something from the work
- That print designers who gauge their work on the screen, and web designers who gauge their work exclusively on their own machines, are arrogant in their disregard
- That the physiobiology of reading is one that demands easy points of exit and entry
- That simply paying attention to the design of type, or distinguishing it as "fine" or "invisible" or "classical" is like making a big deal about putting salt on a boiled egg
- That letters are not pictures of things, but things
- That words are not things, but pictures of things
- That arbitrarily altering (or allowing software to alter) the shapes of letters, and the spacing between letters and words, is done at one's own
- That emphasis comes at a cost
- That overstating the obvious can be effective, but not all the time
- The precise point at which a quantity of information no longer requires assistance to be differentiated from another
- The knowledge to back up design decisions clearly without falling into a fog of hidden meaning, or so-called "creativity"
Tags: Typography User Interface Design
Thursday, April 13, 2006
XmlHttpRequest working draft, sans Microsoft
Saturday, April 01, 2006
Interested in .NET internals?
You can now see how the compilers are built, how GC works and how the .NET Framework is laid out. All in all, I think this is a good trend.
There are some who believe that source code is the best documentation. Others would like to have access to source code as one of several tools in their development toolbox. And others still, just don't care about the guts of the platform -- public APIs are good enough for them.
I'm curious about how you have used or intend to use this CLI source. Please drop a comment. | <urn:uuid:25d0509b-fa1b-4332-8abb-c40e61fb521e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://nerddawg.blogspot.com/2006_04_01_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927116 | 647 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Kickstarter and the New Era of Arts Funding | Open Thread
Which is why I've been watching to see how Kickstarter is doing. As an idea, it borrows from the micro-lending organizations that have made a huge difference in the lives of people in poverty-stricken countries and apparently not the worse place you can invest your money either. But Kickstarter is focused on creative projects. From their website:
The beauty of Kickstarter is that, being about creative projects, the more creative your appeal is (rather than the more exact or bureaucratically complete, as seems to be one of the keys to successful grant applications), the greater your chances of success will be.
Kickstarter is a new way to fund creative ideas and ambitious endeavors.
We believe that:
- A good idea, communicated well, can spread fast and wide.
- A large group of people can be a tremendous source of money and encouragement.
Kickstarter is powered by a unique all-or-nothing funding method where projects must be fully-funded or no money changes hands.
I first started paying closer attention to Kickstarter when Laura Isaac used it to fund her hysterical project for #rank. At first I thought that was a wonderful, but certainly too-time-consuming video to produce just to raise the money. Then I realized, that funding hopefuls need to creatively attract not only those willing to part with cash to support them, but also the Kickstarter editorial staff in order to have to highlight/recommend their project over the others on the site:
What gets featured on Kickstarter is an editorial decision by our staff. We pay particularly close attention to fun projects that use the system creatively, have compelling videos and rewards, and have a nice head of momentum behind them.So it's still highly competitive, but not with regards to who you know on the grant committee or how precisely you can complete the application. You want people to fund your creative project? Show them how creative you are.
Here is a quick cross-section of interesting fine art projects currently up on Kickstarter. Consider which of them you might support. Did I mention, your support always comes with REWARDS?
- Nature In Nature: Sculpture at the Audubon Center Boat House; Project by Robert Lobe
- #140hBerlin - A 6-day Performance; Project by Man Bartlett
- Soda Tooth Presents SMart Box: Art Education for Kids! ; Project by Soda Tooth | <urn:uuid:63ca130f-423d-4d90-99bb-7983aa79c58e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.edwardwinkleman.com/2011/01/kickstarter-and-new-era-of-arts-funding.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953114 | 500 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Dovetail maestro Rob Cosman again makes us all feel inadequate with his latest video in which he cuts a half-blind dovetail joint in 6 minutes and 52 seconds.
Cosman uses Northern white pine, which you might think is cheating , he can cut the tail in one stroke. However, his pins are so skinny (just a saw kerf) that the joint is actually more difficult to do in pine because the wood is fragile.
Also worth noting: Cosman uses his new dovetail saw in this video, which I am reviewing in the April 2010 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine. It’s an interesting saw on many counts. The teeth at the toe are filed fine to make the saw easy to start. The saw has a very heavy brass back. And the handle is made from Swanstone, a synthetic solid-surface material. I can’t say much more , I don’t want to give it away.
The video above is definitely worth the watch.
- Christopher Schwarz | <urn:uuid:75509f6b-e3dc-4705-92de-62e784e08614> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.popularwoodworking.com/techniques/joinery/eye-candy-half-blind-dovetails-in-651 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972366 | 209 | 1.890625 | 2 |
Hengyang has a very good transportation conditions in railway and highway. However, there's no airport in this city. You have to go to Changsha, the capital city to take a flight.
There is no airport in Hengyang. To take plane, one has to go to Huanghua Airport in Changsha or Hehua Airport in Zhangjiajie .
One can take a train to Changsha or take intercity bus from the east or west bus station to Zhangjiajie or Changsha.
Hengyang railway station is located at Zhuhui Area of Hengyang city. One can take bus NO 1, 16, 18 and city loop bus NO 2. Everyday, there are trains depart for Changsha , Zhangjiajie and some other cities in and out of Hunan province.
Ticket information call: 0734-2522222
Railway information call: 0734-8323252
There are two big long distance bus stations in Hengyang: the East Bus Station and West Bus Station.
The West Bus Station is located at Jiefangxi Road, can be reached by bus NO 1 and city loop bus B. Most of the intercity buses to other cities in Hunan , Jiangxi Province and Fujian Provinces depart from here.
The East Bus Station is located at Minghan Road, focusing on long distance passenger transport to cities and towns near Hengyang. In the urban area, Bus NO 7 can travel to the station.
Information call: 0734-8218742
There are 40-plus lines of city buses in Hengyang city, among which several lines are air-conditioning buses with a price of RMB2/passenger. City buses cover most of the rural area of Hengyang city. Transportation inside the city is very convenient.
There are many taxis in the rural area, which stop at beck. The flag-fall price is RMB 5, RMB 1.6 per kilometer. Taking taxi from railway station to any spot in urban area won’t be more than RMB 20. For example, the cost from railway station to Changshengdong road is RMB 12. | <urn:uuid:a32c590d-1aa6-416a-b476-ae29f114de5f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.chinatravel.com/hengyang-travel/transport.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952857 | 458 | 1.664063 | 2 |
- Capgras' delusion
- Capgras' illusion
- Capgras' paranoia
The patient’s – a psychotic subject – delusion that a close relative or friend has been replaced by an impostor, an exact double, despite recognition of familiarity in appearance and behaviour. The «impostor» is a key figure for the patient at time of onset of symptoms; if married, always the husband or wife accordingly. The patient may also see himself as his own double. As a variant of this syndrome the patient believes that inanimate objects, such as furniture, a letter, a watch, spectacles, have been replaced by an exact double. The syndrome typically accompanies other functional psychoses (such as schizophrenia or affective disorders), although it tends to be the dominating feature. It is also seen in concert with some organic disorders, where it is characterized by more confusion about the misidentification.
Occurs particularly in schizophrenic diseased conditions (paranoid-hallucinatory schizophrenia), but also in affective and organic-psychic disturbances. Both sexes, but prevalent in women. Aetiology unknown.
According to one author, the same condition was described as early as 1893.
- Jack (originally Walter Braden) Finney (1911-1995):
The Body Snatchers. 1955. 2nd edition as The Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
- Fyodor Dostoyevsky:
The Possessed. 1871.
- J. M. J. Capgras, Jean Reboul-Lachaux:
L'illusion des "sosies" dans un délire systématisé chronique.
Bulletin de la Société clinique de médecine mentale, 1923, 11: 6-16. | <urn:uuid:11ad44d0-d493-4817-9410-8d9ec746f4aa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.whonamedit.com/synd.cfm/2535.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.903646 | 378 | 2.3125 | 2 |
By Michalis Firillas
It is not a good omen when a national flag is dominated by the actual outline of the geographic territory the state covers. It's probably a sign that there has been so much disagreement over the very decision to create the state, that drawing the shape of the country on the flag is meant to remind us all of its existence, manifesting the reality of being. Of course, it could always be that some foreign mediator, exhausted by the bickering of the natives, gave up trying to find shared national symbols and decided to state the most obvious common denominator. Thankfully, there have been only two such cases since 1945: Cyprus in 1960, and now Kosovo.
Of course, there are fundamental differences between them. Cyprus was recognized as an independent, sovereign state by the United Nations following the signing of detailed accords to govern the relationship between the Greek and Turkish communities on the island and the roles of external "guarantors," all meant to ensure that the fledgling republic would work. Kosovo has so far been recognized by fewer than two dozen of the UN's 192 members; it was created not by accord but by force; and while there is a great deal of enthusiasm among its majority ethnic-Albanian population, it is more the presence of an army of European Union and UN officials, as well as lots of NATO troops, that has gotten it this far. Another major difference is that while Kosovo is a breakaway state from within the recognized territory of another, Cyprus has its own breakaway state in the north, which was created - not unlike Kosovo - by outside intervention.
But the differences are not what is important to understand about Kosovo and Cyprus. What's important are the fundamentals, which are the reason that so many states expressed either direct opposition or skepticism about Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence earlier this month. The fundamentals are simple because they are the building blocks of the international system by which the world has been organized and coordinated since the introduction of the UN and its charter in 1945. These are based on the concepts of statehood, inviolable sovereign borders, consensus and international agreements. Most important, it is a system that stipulates that UN member states decide who the new members in this club will be; on the basis of their decision, Israel was given the legal right to exist, as was Cyprus. Not so Kosovo.
On the other hand, if there is something to be learned from history, it is that conditions are in constant flux. As such, Kosovo may be a watershed, ushering in a new era of international arrangements. Nonetheless, whether we decide to chuck out everything else that preceded it, in one juvenile swoop, or not, is up to us. Indeed, the most worrisome thing is that Kosovo may turn into an international precedent - something that clearly also worries its most fervent supporters, who emphasize at every turn that this is not the case. These assertions do not seem to assuage most UN members. Officials from Beijing to Buenos Aires, from Manila to Mexico City, are shaking their heads in disbelief. "Is it possible," they wonder, "that we might find ourselves in Serbia's shoes in a few years?" Perhaps.
If indeed the international system, as we have known it since 1945, is undergoing a devolution, with the UN becoming increasingly emasculated and its rule book sidelined, it is important to begin working on a new system. Certainly, international order has been undergoing radical changes since the breakup of the Soviet Union, the start of accelerated globalization and the emergence of nearly unfettered access to information. It is only natural that national minorities, disgruntled groups and oppressed communities will become more vocal and go as far as actively pursuing separatist policies. This is a trend that will likely intensify and is guaranteed to lead to bloodshed. Will it also lead to major international conflict between states?
With the advent of the era of nationalism, more than two centuries ago, the world has had to rebuild the system governing relations between states three times, starting with the end of the Napoleonic Wars. All three times, the rebuilding followed catastrophic fighting on a global scale. Neither war nor peace are inevitable, nor are they acts of nature. Mankind has sought to regulate both, through law, shared rules and consensus. Kosovo suggests that it is time for major readjustments, of the kind that are likely to challenge the sanctity we have so far attributed to the main building blocks of international systems: states and their sovereign rights. If Albanians in Kosovo deserve an independent state, then maybe so do Kurds, Turkish Cypriots, Druze, Romany, Basques - the list can be endless. The European Union may offer an interim model for a way forward - and indeed it is the promise of EU membership that is meant to sweeten the pill for the Serbs and curb Albanian enthusiasm. But first, maybe a decision needs to be made that fighting and dying for a piece of cloth with a colorful design, or just a plain old outline of a territory, is simply not worth it.
Michalis Firillas is on the editorial staff of Haaretz English Edition. | <urn:uuid:5913b415-f78c-44bd-9b71-58a9e2b73f21> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://savekosovo.org/default.asp?p=10&sp=472 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970458 | 1,041 | 2.953125 | 3 |
John Edwards was so much better than Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama because he championed the theme of Two Americas, with the second America being the 37 million Americans who live in poverty. Edwards was the only one of the 17 major Democrats and Republicans who treated ending poverty as a really high priority. Unfortunately Edwards never really articulated a comprehensive plan to end poverty in America. But with Edwards gone, who will seriously champion America’s Forgotten Poor?
But wait! There is only one remaining candidate who has chosen ending poverty as a priority. In fact, he has ending poverty as such a high priority that he set forth a Presidential strategy for America that is unique in that it is the only platform among the candidates that will truly end poverty. Frank’s Top Ten List at http://www.franklynch.org is both a long term and a short term solution to poverty, it is also a short and long term solution to ending our current recession!
Frank Lynch will create 20 million new high paying jobs overnight with his tax on imports, by building 20 new green cities, and by building a two thousand mile long windfarm to power America. This is in contrast to the morons who today announced they are building two new coal fired electric generators to make electricity to produce corn ethanol. Maroones!
But wait again! It gets even better. Here is another way that Frank Lynch is better than all the other Presidential candidates. Frank Lynch feels so strongly about poverty in America that last year he created the Frank Lynch Foundation at http://www.franklynchfoundation.org for the purpose of fighting poverty in America.
Especially, the Frank Lynch Foundation is dedicated to “America’s Forgotten Poor.”
Who better to carry the torch after John Edwards? Barack Obama just made a pandering speech in which he said he would carry on John Edwards dedication to fighting poverty, but the fact is Barack does not have a comprehensive plan to end poverty, but Frank Lynch’s Top Ten List will eliminate poverty in America quickly, effectively, and forever!
If you want to help fight poverty donate at http://www.franklynchfoundation.org | <urn:uuid:4efee7b8-609f-42c4-accc-3b1f3160b9ec> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.franklynch.org/2008/01/ | 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 | 0.948626 | 440 | 1.851563 | 2 |
Drought conditions in 2012 expedited the growth of soybean plants, resulting in fewer seed pods and larger seeds for the 2013 season.
Early drought can produce bigger soybean seeds, which impacts planter prep
The effects of the historical drought of 2012 continue to cause issues for farmers. "Soybean seeds are bigger than normal this year because drought conditions sped up the growth of soybean plants," says Shawn Conley, University of Wisconsin soybean Extension specialist. "The plants stopped producing seed pods about two weeks early, and rains in late July and late August helped expand existing seeds."
"Compared with last year, soybean seed sizes that will be planted in 2013 are definitely larger than average," says Tony White, soybean systems product development manager for Monsanto Company. "However, seed size can vary depending on seed product and the specific environment it was grown in. Monsanto seed brands, including Asgrow, are faced with seed size differences every year, with this season being no exception."
For most planters, minimal adjustments will be needed
Planter provisions. There are logistical implications, such as planter performance, for larger seed sizes, Conley notes. Farmers can prepare by reviewing the tote tag, which should include the seed size, measured in seeds per pound. Seeds normally sold in 50-unit totes might only contain 40 units this year, Conley says. So growers might need 20% more warehouse capacity to store seeds to plant the desired stand.
Virgil Schmitt, Iowa State University field agronomist, says it’s common for 2,500 to 2,700 seeds per pound to result in a 47-lb. bag. But this year, he believes farmers might only get 2,000 seeds to the pound, bulking bags to 70 lb.
Before you head to the field, make sure your planter can handle larger seeds. Talk with your equipment dealers as soon as possible, Conley advises, to allow prep time before the planting window.
DuPont Pioneer is working with planter manufacturers Kinze, AGCO White, John Deere and Case IH to identify best practices for handling larger seeds, says Jeff Daniels, seed technology manager for the company’s production operations division. One in four farmers might use larger-than-normal seed this year, he predicts.
For most planters, minimal adjustments will be needed. Vacuum pressures might need to be slightly higher than normal for accurate planting, Daniels says.
Planter lubricants can also help improve the flow of seeds through the machine.
"Graphite or talc can be used regardless of seed size to help consistently release seed from disks or planting mechanisms," White said.
Other adjustments might be needed for specific planters. Farmers who use Kinze’s Brush-Type Seed Meters, for example, might need to use a dark blue 48-cell plate instead of the traditional black 60-cell plate, Daniels notes. Those with Case IH seed meters might find a 80- or 100-cell disk will place seeds more accurately than a 130-cell disk.
Producers should also expect to stop more often to fill up during planting, Conley says. Make sure seed delivery to the field is timely.
Check the germ. Lastly, check the percent germination of purchased seed, and adjust planters accordingly, Conley says. Because of the rapid seed drydown this past fall, some elite seed might have reduced germ. Soybean seeds might be sold at an 85% rate this year. While it’s not a big deal, Conley says, growers are reducing seeding rates each year to compensate for increased seed cost. As a result, they’re quickly approaching stand levels where yield loss might occur.
Farmers should also know there’s no evidence suggesting bigger soybean seeds result in better emergence, Schmitt says. The quantity of seed planted, genetics and other factors matter. Above all, follow good agronomic practices.
"Stay with what works because if you get that population too low and we do end up with good growing conditions, you’re limiting yourself," he says.
You can e-mail Nate Birt at firstname.lastname@example.org.
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Likely to be placed highly in any competition judging the most obscure game title out there, Prof. Kawashima's Brain Training is another of Nintendo's genre-busting DS titles, right up there with Trauma Centre.
The Japanese have been going mad for the game, which is based on research from a leading professor of neuroscience at Tohoku University in Japan. Which essentially seems to be that if you use your brain it makes it work better - we hope he didn't spend too long working that one out.
The 'game' begins by testing your current brain age. Around the 20 year old mark is what you're aiming for. The test we were given involved working out simple sums as quickly as possible, although there are other tests.
Once your brain age has been determined, you're assigned a daily brain workout designed to improve on that age. Re-tests will then show how your brain is improving. You write the answers to sums using the stylus and voice recognition is used for some things like naming colours.
But it's not all serious tests - you can compete against your friends. We're looking forward to proving our intellectual superiority this April.
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Beyond Judy Blume: Which Young Adults are They Courting?
We've spent the first couple weeks of this series talking about the need for YA lit that explores teen identity and sexuality, and remembering books that changed the way we thought about ourselves, our identity, and our worlds. Teens and adults continue to embrace YA lit, and characters with diverse identities continue to make their way onto the pages of YA books. This is great, of course, but it's important that we look at the stories that feature these characters as well. Because it's not enough to simply publish a few coming out stories and call it good.
McSweeney's released several articles last year on the state of the publishing industry, including one from Hannah Withers and Lauren Ross called "Young People Are Reading More Than You." In it, Withers and Ross quote Booklist magazine critic Michael Cart, who stated, “Kids are buying books in quantities we’ve never seen before… And publishers are courting young adults in ways we haven’t seen since the 1940s… We are right smack-dab in the new golden age of young adult literature.”
But which young adults are publishers catering to? Whose stories are popular YA books telling? And when YA lit featuring characters with diverse gender and sexual identities gets published, what messages do those books send?
It's crucial that teens be able to find books with characters like themselves, but it's also important they be able to find books with relatable characters who are part of diverse plot lines—whether that be a story about the ups and downs of a teenage romance or a book full of adventures and dragon-slaying. In "Yes to Gay YA–But Don’t Stick It In the Issue Books Corner," s.e. smith discusses the importance of queer and other minority characters in YA books that are not billed as "issue" books:
There’s a tendency to believe that books with minorities belong in a special section. They aren’t ‘regular’ books, because the characters aren’t ‘normal.’ Whic h is not such a great thing, when you’re a young person looking for people who look like you. Some folks really love issue books, and I have a soft sport in my heart for them myself, but I also love it when minority characters are allowed to just be and it’s a natural part of the story, rather than the focal point. The reality is that we don’t go around being walking issues; we have lives, we do things, our minority identities are part of us but they aren’t the focal point, and with YA in particular I think it’s critical to make sure that representation includes not just a centring of issues, but also a showing of us in our natural habitat, so to speak.
As s.e. mentions, Karen Healey's The Shattering is a YA book that features a lesbian character, but the plot is not centered around that character being a lesbian. Eon: Dragoneye Rebord by Alison Goodman is a YA book with a trans characters whose trans identity does not create the arc of the story (read more about Eon in this post about trans teens in YA lit). Tamora Pierce is also hailed for creating diverse characters whose identities are not necessarily what create her stories. We should be asking for more books like these, that feature identity and sexuality in honest and complex ways while still working on another storyline.
Have you read YA books that include teens with diverse identities and sexualities that don't rely on those identities to tell the story? Let us know in the comments!
This program was made possible in part by a grant from Oregon Humanities (OH), a statewide nonprofit organization and an independent affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, which funds OH’s grant program. Any views, findings, and conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of Oregon Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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I read a shocking piece today in The Daily Telegraph titled ‘Brits’ sense of humour fails at the age of 52, study finds.(It’s slightly subjective but I’m glad I still have at least 2 decades to go lol!!!).
The research carried out by scientists at the University of Glamorgan suggests that both men and women begin to suffer a sharp decline in their sense of humour and get increasingly grumpy.
Dr Lesley Harbidge stated: “The Lifetime of Laughter Scale” shows that there really is a law of diminishing returns when it comes to laughter and the following facts emerged from the study:
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- An infant can laugh aloud as many as 300 times every day.
- When teenagers are the age group most likely to laugh at other people’s misfortunes, they laugh on average just six times a day.
- People in their twenties laugh four times a day.
- There’s a slight increase to five times a day throughout your thirties and having children is cited as a major factor in restoring a sense of humour.
- At 50, Brits are laughing just three times a day, while the average 60-year-old manages a hearty guffaw just 2.5 times in the same period.
- We laugh twice as much in our teens as we do in our fifties.
- The art of telling jokes is fast disappearing with most Brits only able to tell two jokes but more than 600 of the 2,000 questioned cannot remember telling a joke in the last twelve months.
Although the research is exclusive to the United Kingdom but kindly pause for a moment with a view to do a bit of soul searching and ask ‘Do You Have A Good Sense Of Humour?’
What is humour?
Humour is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to stimulate laughter and provide amusement.
The Free Online Dictionary describes a sense of humour as the ability to appreciate or express that which is funny.
James Thurber also states, “Humour is emotional chaos remembered in tranquillity.” It could be the understanding of something we didn’t comprehend initially and this occurs every day in misunderstandings at which we laugh.
Humour consists of 3 components:
- The cognitive experience
- The emotional experience.
- The physiological experience (laughter)
There are several events such as emotional difficulties, tube strikes, the failing economy, budget cuts… which make all of us upset and worked up but my challenge today is ‘Get back your sense of humour.’
Mahatma Gandhi said ‘If I had no sense of humour, I would long ago have committed suicide.”
This post attempts to give a sneak peek into what tickles me and highlight the benefits of humour.
In my world, I find the following humorous:
- Practical or funny jokes.
- The whole family (wife and kids) playing together.
- Hearing others laugh.
- Watching my wife change a light bulb.
- Taking pictures.
- Wearing funny caps, masks…
- Dancing or singing sheepishly.
- Comedians, comedy shows, movies….
- Funny incidents.
- My friends’ dog wagging its tail.
- Burps and farts. (Hey!! I must point out not mine because I’m a gentleman and has good habits lol!! but when people let themselves loose through no fault of theirs, it stirs up loads of laughter)
Henry Ward Beecher states “A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It’s jolted by every pebble on the road.”
The benefits of humour are as follows:
- It relieves physical tension and stress.
- It helps you connect with others and strengthens various relationships you’ve established.
- It helps to create a world full of hopes, dreams and curiosity.
- Humour teaches meaning by interpreting the words, voice pitch, facial expressions, body language….
- Humour teaches social skills.
- It promotes likeability among individuals.
- Humour changes how you behave, when youexperience humour you talk more, make more eye contact, touch others
- It makes people feel/get attracted to you as a person.
- Humour quashes conflicts or arguments that could spring up.
- It promotes bonding between individuals.
- Humour improves your mood and reduces anxiety.
- According to medical research, it boosts your immune system and energy levels.
- It instills a form of calmness.
- It enhances optimism in different areas of your life.
- It could make complex situations appear less threatening.
- It allows you express your true feelings.
- It lowers your blood pressure.
- It creates fun and makes you feel great
- At times it helps to increase your creativity.
- It lightens burdens.
- It gives room for self expression and promotes a positive attitude.
- It promotes self acceptance.
- It is therapeutic.
When do you use humour safely?
Well, when another person uses humour with you.
When there’s a close relationship existing between you and the other individuals.
When the event is appropriate.
When the humour is aimed at you.
Do you still have your sense of humour?
It would be great to have your comments and suggestions. | <urn:uuid:84a3bcf9-b098-430c-b474-bc9486193d70> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://discoveringpurpose.co.uk/do-you-have-a-good-sense-of-humour/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.922021 | 1,141 | 2.328125 | 2 |
This is Passport to Texas
Venison is quality protein; and hunters help get it onto the tables of deserving families when they donate deer to Hunters for the Hungry.
09—Once it’s donated, the meat is used by food pantries, food banks, and other food assistance providers that serve their local communities.
Anitra Hendricks oversees the program. Hunters donate their legally tagged, field-dressed deer at participating meat processors across the state, which you can find on the Hunters for the Hungry website.
24—Once they locate a processor, then basically it’s just a matter of harvesting the deer, making sure that they get it cleaned out. The processor will handle everything else. There is a reduced processing fee for those who donate to the program. They pay the fee, they do receive a receipt for a possible tax deduction. The meat processor will grind the meat, package it, and then from there it goes to the food assistance provider.
The Panhandle, far west Texas and the Rio Grande Valley have the fewest donations because of low processor participation. Without nearby participating processors, hunters don’t have an easy way to donate. Anitra is always on the lookout for more processors.
08— The have to be willing to keep some minimal book-keeping as far as tracking donations and reporting that to us at the end of the season.
The Wildlife and Sport Fish restoration program supports our series and celebrates 75 years of funding diverse conservation projects throughout Texas…
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AWARD GUIDE (pdf)
financial aid award,
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
The FSEOG is a grant for undergraduates with exceptional financial need; that is, students with a zero EFC (Expected Family Contribution) as determined by the FAFSA. FSEOG funding is very limited. Therefore, it is important to submit a FAFSA or renewal FAFSA by the March 2 priority filing date. FSEOG awards are generally $800 per year, and usually awarded in combination with the Educational Opportunity Grant. | <urn:uuid:1be35c93-83ae-4064-9756-2a4ffd3a2516> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.csuchico.edu/fa/typesOfAid/grants/types/fseog.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.928147 | 117 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Black Body Physics
We know that blackbody radiation produces an
intensity-frequency curve that is dependent on temperature. The idea of
course is that you are looking into the cavity through a hole. Why isn't
the outside of the blackbody also the same color as the inside (for a
given temperature)? And what it we had a blackbody made of sodium.
Wouldn't there be a peak in frequencies emitted that corresponds to the
traditional sodium spectrum? Is then the blackbody curve "material-specific"?
The blackbody curve itself is theoretical. Some materials come close to it.
In practice, the radiation emitted from a cavity through a small hole
("cavity radiation") is very close to the theoretical blackbody curve for
the same temperature. In the cavity, the radiation is essentially in
equilibrium with the material - most of the radiation stays inside the
cavity, being continually emitted and re-absorbed by the walls. Radiation
emitted from the outer surface of a material will not necessarily be fully
thermalized - some frequencies corresponding to certain transitions of the
material, such as the sodium D line you mentioned, may be emitted
preferentially. So, the blackbody curve is not material-specific, but the
actual emission from an object will be. Cavity radiation will depend less
on the material, and the smaller the hole, the closer it will correspond to
the theoretical blackbody curve.
Richard E. Barrans Jr., Ph.D.
PG Research Foundation, Darien, Illinois
A couple of comments:
A "Blackbody" is a theoretical construct which has a emissivity of
at all wavelengths. This means that it absorbs all the energy that reaches
also means that its temperature is reflected in its emission spectrum (a
curve). The theoretical blackbody emission depends only on the
temperature, not on
the material. No material is a perfect blackbody.
Laboratory blackbody emitters are approximations of a true blackbody that
consist of a heated chamber with a small hole to view the interior temperature.
This configuration is used because it is much easier to control the
the inside of an object than it is to control the temperature of its
the interior of the chamber is at thermal equilibrium then absorption and
of photons are at equilibrium for every wavelength. A small amount of energy
escapes through the viewing hole and must be replenished by providing
to heat the chamber. The escaping energy (light) has the same spectral
characteristics as the light inside the chamber -- which is a pretty good
approximation of the blackbody radiation. The material of construction
vaporize easily. Otherwise you will have cooler gas molecules around the
the chamber and they will superimpose characteristic absorption lines onto the
The blackbody is built as you say, a cavity with a hole. The cavity is
so as to let it hold a high temperature (200 C to 1000 C, perhaps). This
can be a
small hole, maybe just the size of a quarter. If the hole is too big, the
gets cooled by air, or whatever, and doesn't do exactly what its supposed
Spectral lines such as you mention are in the visible range, sodium is yellow
light. The black body is mainly used as a source of infrared
radiatiion. It is
not typically used for visible light, as there are other sources
there. Plus the
black body would have to be very hot to emit in much in the visible. If it
that hot I don't think you would get much absorption right at the spectral
anyway, because the thing you describe would be made of solid sodium, not
The black body curve itself is not material specfic, but if there is some gas
between you and the black body then this would absorb.
but people make these things out of common metals. Its just a big hot box.
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GP International, the new Formula 1 magazine from Bright Publishing, is using Aurasma technology to bring the print edition to life.
Posted on: 11 October 2012 06:35
GP International is the UK’s first F1 magazine to feature Aurasma technology in the print edition and also has a fully interactive app. Featured video includes an exclusive look at the Caterham factory, a lap of Austin on F1 2012 with commentary from Codemasters Game Director Paul Jeal, and a look at the inner workings of an F1 wheel gun. Adverts are also given the interactive treatment on the app, with extra video content.
To access the Aurasma content, readers will have to download the free Aurasma Lite app onto their smartphone or tablet and hold their device over the Aurasma logo. The GP International app is available to download for free from the Apple Newsstand; readers can then choose whether to purchase a single issue or a subscription – savings of up to 50% are available.
Hans Seeberg, Editor-in-chief said: “It’s been a number of years since the UK had more than one magazine catering solely for the F1 audience. However, after several months of extensive research we are in no doubt that there is a gap in the market for a high-end magazine that fully reflects the values of the sport we are all so passionate about. As such, GP International will always be full of stunning photography and great writing, with the aim of providing F1 fans with information, entertainment and behind-the-scenes access.”
Matt Mills, Head of Partnerships at Aurasma said: “We’re thrilled to be working with Bright Publishing to bring the inaugural edition of GP International to augmented life. Formula One racing is a perfect fit for our technology, allowing static images of the cars to instantly transform into high-octane video. It’s great to see a new magazine get off the starting line with our technology integrated as standard and we look forward to working with the Bright Publishing team on many more projects.”
These are the most read stories on the InPublishing website over the last 14 days, in order from the top.
This list is based on data from Google Analytics, and is refreshed every 24 hours. (Last updated: 23/05/2013 07:01) | <urn:uuid:9d3fcb7e-c442-4149-9206-6c1a669e71b5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.inpublishing.co.uk/news/articles/new_f1_magazine_goes_interactive_with_aurasma.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00048-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932927 | 481 | 1.523438 | 2 |
If you've spied Pan Am's familiar blue globe on a big white jet at Hartsfield-Jackson airport, you're not seeing a ghost --- at least not exactly.
Those Boeing 727s belong to Pan Am Clipper Connection, which recently launched three round-trips a week between Atlanta and Tunica, Miss., a casino town near Memphis.
The Portsmouth, N.H.-based airline is a distant echo of the famous globe-trotting airline that was started nearly 80 years ago by Juan Trippe, the cunning entrepreneur who figured prominently as Howard Hughes' archrival in the movie, "The Aviator."
Pan American World Airways went out of business in 1991, and many of its employees moved to Delta Air Lines after the Atlanta carrier bought Pan Am's European network. The name was later revived by a former executive, but that version went bankrupt in 1998.
The name was pulled out of bankruptcy by Guilford Transportation Industries, a railroad company majority-owned by Timothy Mellon, an heir to the Mellon family banking fortune. Mellon and the carrier's other owner, President Dave Fink, still saw value in the golden name.
"Pan Am, as you know, has name recognition," said Stacy Beck, a spokeswoman for the owners.
Today, the unusual airline operates with a split personality. Pan Am operates as a commuter carrier making weekday hops on turbo-prop aircraft between the Boston area and Trenton, N.J.
In the South, Pan Am flies as a vacation and charter carrier. From a hub in Orlando, three 727s make scheduled flights to Puerto Rico, Atlanta and Tunica, and it operates charters to other resort destinations.
The new Pan Am carries some baggage.
The airline has posted big losses. Four of its seven 727s have been parked since federal regulators last year began a probe of the company's financial condition, and a former executive admitted filing fraudulent financial reports to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
When jet fuel prices soared last fall, Pan Am temporarily shut down its big-jet operation entirely, though it kept the smaller commuter planes flying.
Last year, the airline lost almost $19 million on revenue of $19.5 million, according to an audit report filed with the DOT. The carrier ended the year with $25 million in liabilities and less than $7.6 million in assets, but also received $16.2 million in "dividends" from Guilford Transportation Industries.
Beck said high fuel prices continue to hurt the carrier but that it has been able to weather the challenge better than some airlines.
"We do have the ability to park our aircraft ... because we don't have huge lease payments," said Beck.
She declined to comment on the federal investigation but said the airline hopes to grow if the DOT allows it to fly four additional jets after the probe is done.
DOT spokesman Bill Mosley said the agency's review of the airline is "ongoing," and that the DOT's inspector general is also conducting an inquiry.
Pan Am's route between Tunica and Atlanta came about almost by accident.
Beck said the airline originally planned flights between Orlando and another gaming resort, Gulfport and Biloxi, Miss.
"In the middle of us looking at that, Hurricane Katrina hit Mississippi," she said, shutting down casinos and the Gulfport-Biloxi airport.
A Pan Am employee suggested Tunica, which had recently opened a new airport.
The city's casino operators were eager to bring in regular direct flights from Atlanta and agreed to buy seats on Pan Am's aircraft to subsidize the service and reduce the carrier's risk.
It has turned out to be "a nice alternative," said Beck.
News stories provided by third parties are not edited by "Site Publication" staff. For suggestions and comments, please click the Contact link at the bottom of this page.
The Pan Am name was pulled out of bankruptcy by Guilford Transportation Industries, a railroad company majority-owned by Timothy Mellon, an heir to the Mellon family banking fortune.
Beginning Jan. 1, Allegiant Air will operate two jets from Tunica Air Center in a two-year contract with a subsidiary of Harrah's Entertainment. The flights will serve Biloxi, Miss., New...
ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AAI), today announced plans to resume scheduled service from Gulfport/Biloxi, Miss...
Boston-Maine Airways stopped its thrice-weekly service this month after losing key routes out of Atlanta | <urn:uuid:e800b149-54d8-43d9-8e94-2004e624a6fc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.aviationpros.com/news/10399713/long-dead-pan-am-comes-back-again | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961558 | 963 | 1.578125 | 2 |
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The most effective and safest way to avoid /fix Runtime error 27 is to run Registry Repair Toolkit on regular basic. If you are troubled with Runtime error 27 or other kinds of runtime error messages right now, do not hesitate to run this powerful registry cleaner immediately. | <urn:uuid:2de42e6f-be8b-496a-aabe-fdd58ecc64bc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bestregistrycare.com/runtime-errors/Runtime-error-27.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.90598 | 488 | 2.46875 | 2 |
n the fourth day of school, in the cavernous sunlit lunchroom of the High School for Public Service, about 450 teenagers converge on lunch tables scattered here and there. The seniors and underclassmen jockey for the most coveted tables; the confident prance and flirt; and the adolescent girls giggle and gossip. Amid the din and commotion, a shy, roughly 6-foot-tall young black male named Jean approaches principal Ben Shuldiner to have an exchange that commonly occurs at the school. Averting his eyes, the young man comes to report news of his academic growth. He just demonstrated college readiness on one of his Regents exams. “I brought my score up to an 80,” Jean says. Shuldiner praises and affirms him, in a quiet, terse manner appropriate to the boy’s personality. “Good job,” Shuldiner says, patting him on the back.
In too many majority black New York City public schools, academic achievement competes for the faculty’s attention with distractions like discipline problems. Not at the High School for Public Service. The Crown Heights Brooklyn school is one of 7 majority black New York City schools graded quadruple-A in its 2009-10 progress report. For the past few years, 100 percent of each graduating class of the High School for Public Service has been admitted to college. Their 4-year-graduation rate is 98 percent. Those who don’t graduate return for a fifth-year. And the school-wide attendance rate is 93 percent. More than 50 percent of the parents come to the school’s bi-annual parent-teacher conferences.
What’s really remarkable about the school’s academic performance, is not just that the school is 86 percent black. Of its 450 students, only one might call himself white and he’s from the central Asian country Uzbekistan. Seventy-six percent of the school’s students receive free or reduced price lunches. And when the students arrive as freshman, many are performing far below grade level in reading and math.
In seventh grade, 17-year-old Ahmed Elsayed was a C-plus student. The African-American male didn’t know how to study, was quiet and never participated in after-school activities. Yet by his junior year at the High School for Public Service, he was so motivated to succeed in pre-calculus that he started getting tutoring after school and during lunch. Because he was also the captain of the wrestling team and involved in other extra-curricular activities — such as drama and spoken word — he often stayed up until 1 AM finishing his homework. Now he is an A-student, the president of the student of body, and a future applicant to the Ivy League Brown University. “Joining the wrestling team taught me how to work hard and be committed,” says Elsayed, whose parents are Sudanese immigrants. “It translated into my books, translated into my classes … This school opened me up to all those different windows like wrestling, poetry. All of these things the school offers.”
Khadeem McLeoud, a junior at the High School for Public Service has a similar story of academic and social growth. After earning “B”s and “C”s in sixth grade, he got serious about school in 7th grade, but feels that if he weren’t attending High School for Public Service, he wouldn’t be as active on campus as he is now. He’s the vice president of the school and through participating in Coro – a leadership development program — he’s discovered social justice activism. His GPA is about 3.7 and he’s thinking of applying to The Juilliard School, where he can pursue his interest in drama, voice, and dance, and then to Harvard Law School. “I’ve learned more about policies that happen in New York and that happen around the world period and I just want to be a part of having my own opinions set in what goes on. I believe in peace. And I think lawyers have a big role in achieving peace,” McLeoud says. “I think being a lawyer I can help people.”
A Tour of the High School for Public Service
High School for Public Service is on the ground floor of the old George W. Wingate High School at 600 Kingston Avenue. It is clean, orderly, and welcoming. In the main hallway and in the office, samples of student work, including their art, line the pastel blue walls. Each door of the main corridor is painted with the portrait or quote of a notable person, ranging from Ezra Pound to Maya Angelou and Chief Joseph. A quote attributed to Roman poet Virgil reads, “They can … because they think they can.” A small lending library consisting of two-tall bookcases sits in the hallway too, raising the visibility of books and offering opportunities for independent intellectual exploration. No dust bunnies tumble across the floor. No stockpiles of old equipment and inventory pile up in heaps, signalling that this is a wasteland. | <urn:uuid:71b246ad-7543-4657-9d4e-20b6a32e1398> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dominionofnewyork.com/2011/09/15/76-poor-86-black-100-percent-admitted-to-college/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969494 | 1,076 | 1.867188 | 2 |
By studying criminology you develop your understanding of the social and personal aspects of crime, victimisation and responses to crime and deviance. You also develop skills in generating and evaluating evidence, making reasoned arguments and ethical judgments and analysing and interpreting data. You build up subject-specific knowledge and skills including:
- theoretical approaches relating to crime, victimisation and responses to crime;
- the basic principles of social research applicable to criminology topics;
- processes of criminalisation and victimisation;
- the causes and organisation of crime and deviance;
- processes of preventing and managing crime and victimisation;
- official and unofficial responses to crime, deviance and social harm, including policing and the various stages of the criminal justice process;
- representations of crime, offenders, victims and agencies of control (as found in reports, mass media and public opinion);
- local, national, and international contexts of crime, security and human rights.
Criminology draws on the range of human and social science disciplines, and it can be studied jointly with other subjects. If you study other subjects alongside criminology, you should also consider the complementary skills they provide you with. For example, you may have increased awareness of psychology or politics related to criminology topics.
You develop core transferable skills which are attractive to a variety of employers. These include research skills, written and oral communication, time management and planning, working to deadlines, IT skills and the ability to work productively both in a group and autonomously.
Consider the skills developed on your course as well as through your other activities, such as paid work, volunteering, family responsibilities, sport, membership of societies, leadership roles, etc. Think about how these can be used as evidence of your skills and personal attributes. Then you can start to market and sell who you really are, identify what you may be lacking and consider how to improve your profile. Take a look at applications, CVs and interviews for some useful tips. | <urn:uuid:325a2922-13d0-4dfd-949f-9dba59d2a945> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ww2.prospects.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/Options_with_your_subject/Your_degree_in_criminology/p!eLafgbF | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00051-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939438 | 409 | 3.21875 | 3 |
Executive Education Center Creates "Business of Health Care"
ANN ARBOR, MI - It isn't often that a billion-dollar organization can send 39 top leaders for executive development at the same time. The University of Michigan Health System's new Health Care Leadership Institute is doing just that. The hospital, medical school and health maintenance organization executives are using the 10-month 'business of health care' program to advance their skills in health care management and leadership in order to improve the way medicine is delivered at the U-M Health System.
The design, development and delivery of the program were directed by the Executive Education Center of the U-M Business School in collaboration with the U-M Medical School. According to Business Week, the Executive Education Center is ranked among the top two executive education programs in the world. The U-M School of Public Health is also a program contributor.
Because each participant at the Health Care Leadership Institute is part of the same organization, the Institute presents a unique opportunity to create a shared vision, vocabulary and understanding of the business of medicine at the U-M Health System. As each succeeding class graduates, the U-M Health System expects to see an overall improvement in the business management of health care, as well as the ability to deliver quality products and outcomes to consumers, payers and other business partners in this 15,400-employee organization.
"We have leaders from all parts of the organization - department chairs and their administrators, medical school deans, leaders in the hospital, M-CARE and faculty group practice - and we are learning together, discussing the concepts and their practical applications to the way we operate as an organization. The Institute allows us to cross barriers and sit together as a health system leadership team," says Allen S. Lichter, M.D., dean, U-M Medical School and Newman Family Professor of Radiation Oncology.
The innovative program is a multi-disciplinary learning experience and involves preparatory assignments, class sessions, and "action learning" projects, in which participants analyze and recommend solutions to current U-M Health System leadership or management issues. Participants learn and apply concepts and tools in the areas of strategy, financial management, change management, managerial leadership, marketing strategy and positioning, operations management, information and business process, research and development, innovation, negotiation and decision-making, and strategic human resource management.
"Because academic medical centers have a three-part mission of clinical care, education and research, the business of managing health care in an academic setting is especially complex. Currently, there are few places in the country where executives from institutions such as ours can find a program geared to these unique needs. The Health Care Leadership Institute seeks to fill this gap," says Paul Taheri, M.D., M.B.A., assistant dean for academic business development in the Medical School.
The full-day class sessions take place one day a month for 10 months. Between sessions, participants divide into work groups to take on action learning projects.
"The action learning projects create an outstanding learning experience in which the participants apply the specific concepts and tools learned in the course to the current leadership/management issues/initiatives participants face in their roles as senior leaders," says Raymond Reilly, M.B.A., Ph.D., associate dean of executive education and professor of business administration at the U-Michigan Business School.
In the current Class of 2003, examples of the projects include:
Managing the Supply Chain: The Case of High-Cost Intermediate Products
Obstetrics/Gynecology: Short-Term Capacity versus Long-Term Planning
Blue Cross/Blue Shield: The Value Proposition
Clinical Simulation: The Impact on Education and Care
"The world has gotten increasingly complex, and especially so in the health care business management. We've been fortunate at the U-M Health System to have a wealth of talented leaders in all areas of the organization. Collectively, it's part of their leadership style to embrace the opportunity to stay ahead of the curve in health care business knowledge," says Larry Warren, chief executive officer of U-M Hospitals & Health Centers.
Essential to each project is the work group's cross-disciplinary composition, which creates a collaborative experience so that participants gain a clearer understanding of other disciplines and can build more effective relationships across these boundaries. Work groups will spend approximately six hours a month on the project, which culminates in an oral presentation and written report.
"The multidisciplinary composition of both faculty and participants assures that the program will be both challenging and stimulating. Since the graduates of the Class of 2003 hold positions on our own campus, I am excited to see how the next several years unfold as they apply what they have learned at the Institute to the challenges of managing a health system as complex as University of Michigan Health System," says William Weissert, Ph.D., professor and chair, Health Management and Policy, School of Public Health.
"In developing the Institute's curriculum, our colleagues from the other U-M schools recognize this isn't just an academic exercise in how to make a business better. If we can become more efficient and more capable, it will help every other industry with their health care costs and it will also help consumers get better value out of their health care expenditures," Lichter says.
The Health Care Leadership Institute is a new, year-long skills development program for academic health care executives that has been designed in collaboration with the U-M Business School and School of Public Health. For the time being, it is open only to internal candidates. However, future plans for the Institute involve opening up the non-degreed program to health care executives from outside the U-M sphere.
For more information, contact:
Phone: 734.647.1847 or 734.936.1015 | <urn:uuid:78a861c6-26a4-48b2-943a-d69506d149ee> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bus.umich.edu/NewsRoom/ArticleDisplay.asp?news_id=209 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950034 | 1,192 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Here are yet more forgotten links - this time by one Alfred Mitchell-Innes, and one Arthur Kitson. They both make many shockingly modern points about monetary operations - shocking only because they were ignored and/or actively suppressed for so long. Some points they obviously miss, but what they caught 100 years ago are still unknown to most citizens today.
Still shocking to see how much of this was known that long ago, yet NOT widely disseminated - or at least not widely acknowledged or accepted.
The work from the same period of Fischer, Rutherford, Curie, Pavlov, Koch, Cajal, Ehrlich, Röntgen, Thomson, Michelson, van der Waals, Bragg, Kipling, Maeterlinck, Teddy Roosevelt, Poincaré, Planck, Kelvin, Boltzmann, Einstein, etc is taught in most highschools. Why aren't analyses of MONETARY OPERATIONS equally highlighted?
There's nothing more limiting to an economy, electorate and nation than to remain ignorant about the nature of "coin, credit and circulation."
'The Credit Theory of Money' (1914)
Arthur Kitson, 1860-1937
Unemployment : the cause and a remedy / by Arthur Kitson. (London : C. Palmer, )
Kitson economics articles in Popular Science, 1890-1892
Thomas Edison Questions Arthur Kitson
"The Bank of England inflicts more trade damage on British industry than all the trade tariffs of the world combined."
(hat tip to "Paul", from comments to a recent post)
After reading these, an analogy comes to mind.
Monetary operations is to economics as engineering is to physics or chemistry?
If so, we need a separate academic field devoted to monetary operations. It's clearly lacking, and that ignorance is chronically debilitating our economy. Not many physicists can build a bridge or power plant, no matter how much theoretical knowledge they have. Yet they're all we talk to when setting fiscal policy.
If this were physiology, monetary ignorance would be considered as terrifying as drug-resistant tuberculosis, malaria or smallpox - regardless of how much we knew about genetics or cellular biology or biochemistry. In response, we'd be vaccinating students before age 10 and draining every swamp of ignorance in sight. We'd also be quarantining virulent pathogens (e.g., ignoring the quacks, & prosecuting the frauds propagating criminogenic contexts).
Together, these provide very interesting commentary. Makes one wonder how to define an operational field dedicated to regulating Control Fraud. We're lacking that too. In regards to incompetent or fraudulent monetary operations, there seems to be a pattern.
1903 - Trust Busting, onset of Dept Commerce, etc
.....(the Empire gradually strikes back, goes back to gold std)
1933 - Leaving the Gold Standard (again)
....(the Empire gradually strikes back; reinstating a quasi gold std)
1973 - Closing the last Inter-Gov Gold Window
.....(the Empire gradually strikes back, significantly de-regulating everything coordinated since 1903)
20?? - Downsizing the Financial Sector to Automatic Stabilizer status ?
.....(we better hope so)
30?? - A fully OpenSource electorate finally realizes that everything invented harms as much as helps until it is regulated ASAP to Public Purpose and policy of competing nation states.
40?? Our born-Open-Source electorate further realizes that every fully-provisioned electorate generates far more innovations and options than it has means to quickly & wisely select from? At that point, we'll pass an inflection point. We'll go from simply generating innovations & hoping some fraction get noticed - to investing in catalysts specifically for improving the fraction of our innovations that actually get tested. Even then, we only realize that our Output Gap is infinite, and practically defined only as what the majority can already see we could but aren't achieving.
While there are many details to sift through, there are a few, key concepts that can be described, visualized and taught through simplified models & neural-net visualizations. The few things we need to do are not complex, only subtle. | <urn:uuid:0a2021d8-09a3-4be3-9ea9-63c7f1610a96> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mikenormaneconomics.blogspot.com/2012/06/older-essays-on-nature-of-coin-credit.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00062-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931747 | 860 | 1.90625 | 2 |
Wikiquote no longer allows unsourced quotations, and they are in process of being removed from our pages (see Wikiquote:Limits on quotations); but if you can provide a reliable and precise source for any quote on this list please move it to Ty Cobb.
- Baseball is a red-blooded sport for red-blooded men. It's no pink tea, and molly coddles had better stay out. It's a struggle for supremacy: a survival of the fittest.
- Baseball is something like a war.
- If I had my life to live over, I'd have done things a little different...I'd have had more friends
- Said in his last few years, a time when he was alienated from his entire family, and most others.
- Sure, I fought I had to fight all my life just to survive. They were all against me. Tried every dirty trick to cut me down, but I beat the bastards and left them in the ditch.
- Every rookie gets a little hazing, but most of them just take it and laugh. Cobb took it the wrong way. He came up with an antagonistic attitude, which in his mind turned any little razzing into a life-and-death struggle. He always figured everybody was ganging up on him. He came up from the South and he was still fighting the Civil War. As far as he was concerned, we were all damn Yankees before he even met us.
- Sam Crawford
- Well he ran well for a fat man.
- Ty's thoughts on Babe Ruth. | <urn:uuid:c3a4a607-4344-46f9-9f64-9479cbbe2f71> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Talk:Ty_Cobb | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.987692 | 329 | 2.1875 | 2 |
Formula 1 teams have agreed to a new rule that will see all the qualifyers in Q3 (top ten) be forced to start the race on the tyres they set their fastest lap in Q3 with.
It is understood that the majority of teams present voted in favour of a rule that will require the top 10 cars that make it through to the final session of qualifying to start the race on the same tyres that they set their fastest Q3 time on.
This has not yet been introduced to the 2010 rules and regulations, but it has been understood that the Sporting Working Group have agreed already. The Formula 1 Commission and the World Motor Sport Council will now vote on this change, before it is added as a regulation.
The Overtaking Working Group says that this is being done to “improve the show”. If it is introduced, teams will have to decide between a tyre that is slower but more consistent, and a quicker but faster-wearing tyre. The idea is that there will be a mix of tactics, and lead to more exciting races.
When asked about the new proposals, Martin Whitmarsh, chairman of FOTA, said:
“Inevitably, when you make a change, there are pros and cons,” he said. “Regarding the pros, it arguably makes qualifying purer because the fastest car/driver combination will be setting the fastest times, and the public can understand that.”
“Secondly, in the race itself, overtaking was often being planned and implemented to occur as a consequence of strategy, and therefore happening in the pit lane and not the circuit.”
“In the absence of that effect, drivers will have a greater incentive to overtake. There have been occasions in the past where a driver hasn’t had that incentive because he knows he will be running longer and can get past the car ahead strategically through the pit stops.”
“Additionally, the fact that drivers will qualify on low-fuel, and then the next time they drive the car in anger into the first corner will be after a standing start with cold tyres and cold brakes and 160kg of fuel.”
“That will be very challenging for them, not just in terms of getting round that first corner, but in terms of how they look after their tyres and how the balance of the car will alter as a consequence of that. And there will be drivers who are able to deal with those changes better than others.”
“Those are all the positives. On the negative side, it’s possible that if all of the above is managed equally well by every driver, then we’ll have lost one of the strategic campaign interests that the more avid fans enjoyed in the sport. Hopefully the former points will outweigh the latter.”
How stupid can they get? There is a distinctive line between “improving the show” and “racing”. These constant rule changes are confusing the fans that this sport is trying to attract. Even if we end up with an overtake-fest, it’s not real racing, because we artificially created it.
Real racing is allowing the teams to use whatever technology and methods they want, with only a few regulations involved for safety reasons, and throw them on track with the best drivers in the world.
But, of course, this is never going to happen. At some point, we will see Formula 1 become filled with overtaking and exciting incidents, and the sport will be empty inside. | <urn:uuid:faf8c13a-c830-4466-af40-77aaf926d91a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://gforcef1.wordpress.com/2010/01/26/teams-agree-on-new-tyre-rule-for-2010-qualifying/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=57db9114c5 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971851 | 728 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Issue 96 July 2004
World Conference on Disaster Reduction - Kobe, JapanVulnerability reduction depends on many factors and sectors. Although completely reducing a country’s overall vulnerability is not feasible by 2015, efforts and funds should be directed to improving critical social...Read More >> Special Supplement New Publications and Instructional Material on Emergencies and DisastersFor more than two decades, PAHO has coupled the production and publication of its print and audiovisual material on disasters with an ongoing campaign to ensure that this material is...Read More >> Partnerships to Strengthen Disaster Reduction Activities in the AmericasPAHO/WHO has forged partnerships with three organizations—CARE, UNICEF, and the University of Geneva—for collaborative activities related to disaster reduction in the health sector.
PAHO/WHO has forged partnerships with three organizations—CARE,...Read More >> “Water and Disasters” October 2 to Mark Inter-American Water DayEach October since 1992, Latin America and the Caribbean have celebrated the Inter-American Water Day. This year, on October 2, the Region will borrow from the 2004 World Water Day,...Read More >> What’s New at CRID?If you haven’t visited the Regional Disaster Information Center (CRID) lately, some new features are waiting for you.
If you haven’t visited the Regional Disaster Information Center (CRID) lately, some...Read More >> University Commission for Disasters Sets Two-year Work PlanThe Central American University Commission for Disaster Education is made up of representatives from universities in all Central American countries. This group has been working for many years to strengthen...Read More >> Peru Approves Health Disaster PlanThe President of Peru has enacted into law a national Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response Plan for the Health Sector, which establishes policies, strategic objectives and activities that the Ministry...Read More >> Flooding in NicaraguaDuring the last week of June, a tropical wave produced heavy rains in Nicaragua, causing floods and extensive damage, particularly in the Autonomous Departments of the North and South along...Read More >> Mobile Emergency Care Service in BrazilThe president of Brazil has signed a decree creating a Mobile Emergency Care Service, known as SAMU/192. SAMU/192 is a Ministry of Health service that forms part of the Brazilian...Read More >> Serious Flooding Impacts Haiti and the Dominican RepublicBeginning in late May, heavy rains and flooding affected an estimated 25,000 people in southeastern Haiti who were already living in dire conditions following the recent political crisis. The same...Read More >> Return to Happiness: Psychoaffective Recovery of Children Affected by Disasters and Armed ConflictThis manual, produced by UNICEF Colombia, provides a methodology for the psychosocial recovery of boys and girls who are or have been the victim of displacement due to violence.
This...Read More >> El Salvador Recovers — Health Sector Actions after Hurricane MitchEl Salvador was one of the Central American countries affected by Hurricane Mitch and over the last four years, has undertaken a significant number and variety of activities to reduce...Read More >> Manual on Risk Management System for Chemical EmergenciesCETESB, Brazil’s Institute for Science and Technology for Environmental Health and a WHO Collaborating Center, has prepared organizational development guidelines, including the structure necessary to design strategies to prevent, prepare...Read More >> Selected BibliographyThe articles listed in this section come from the collection of the Regional Disaster Information Center (CRID). Request copies from CRID, citing the numerical reference code included with the...Read More >>
Issue 96 July 2004 | <urn:uuid:e735eb79-5b5f-4a41-9938-d8949230fee7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://new.paho.org/disasters/newsletter/index.php?option=com_magazine&func=show_edition&id=17&Itemid=61&lang=en | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.928561 | 724 | 1.914063 | 2 |
Photoelectrochemical cells. -
�� 2001 Macmillan Magazines Ltd insight review articles 338 NATURE | VOL 414 | 15 NOVEMBER 2001 | www.nature.com Echemicalthethehave ver since French scientist Edmond Becquerel1 discovered photoelectric effect, researchers and engineers been infatuated with the idea of converting light into electric power or fuels. Their common dream is to capture the energy that is freely available from sunlight and turn it into the valuable and strategically important asset that is electric power, or use it to generate fuels such as hydrogen. Photovoltaics takes advantage of the fact that photons falling on a semiconductor can create electron���hole pairs, and at a junction between two different materials, this effect can set up an electric potential difference across the interface. So far, the science of solar cells has been dominated by devices in which the junction is between inorganic solid-state materials, usually doped forms of crystalline or amorphous silicon, and profiting from the experience and material availability resulting from the semiconductor industry. Recently, we have seen more use of devices made from compound semiconductors ��� the III/V compounds for high-efficiency aerospace components and the copper���indium���sulphide/selenide materials for thin-film, low-cost terrestrial cells. But the dominance of the field by inorganic solid-state junction devices faces new challenges in the coming years. Increasingly, there is an awareness of the possible advantages of nanocrystalline and conducting polymer devices, for example, which are relatively cheap to fabricate (the expensive and energy-intensive high-temperature and high-vacuum processes needed for the traditional devices can be avoided), can be used on flexible substrates, and can be shaped or tinted to suit domestic devices or architectural or decorative applications. It is now even possible to depart completely from the classical solid-state junction device, by replacing the phase in contact with the semiconductor by an electrolyte (liquid, gel or organic solid), thereby forming a photoelectrochemical device. The development of these new types of solar cells is pro- moted by increasing public awareness that the Earth���s oil reserves could run out during this century. As the energy needs of the planet are likely to double within the next 50 years, the stage is set for a major energy shortage, unless renewable energy can cover the substantial deficit left by fossil fuels. Public concern has been heightened by the disastrous environmental pollution arising from all-too-frequent oil spills and the frightening climatic consequences of the green- house effect caused by fossil fuel combustion. Fortunately the supply of energy from the Sun to the Earth is gigantic: 321024 joules a year, or about 10,000 times more than the global population currently consumes. In other words, covering 0.1% of the Earth���s surface with solar cells with an efficiency of 10% would satisfy our present needs. But to tap into this huge energy reservoir remains an enormous challenge. Historical background Becquerel���s pioneering photoelectric experiments in 1839 were done with liquid not solid-state devices ��� a fact that is often ignored. His research, in which illumination of Photoelectrochemical cells Michael Gr��tzel Institute of Photonics and Interfaces, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland (e-mail firstname.lastname@example.org) Until now, photovoltaics ��� the conversion of sunlight to electrical power ��� has been dominated by solid- state junction devices, often made of silicon. But this dominance is now being challenged by the emergence of a new generation of photovoltaic cells, based, for example, on nanocrystalline materials and conducting polymer films. These offer the prospect of cheap fabrication together with other attractive features, such as flexibility. The phenomenal recent progress in fabricating and characterizing nanocrystalline materials has opened up whole new vistas of opportunity. Contrary to expectation, some of the new devices have strikingly high conversion efficiencies, which compete with those of conventional devices. Here I look into the historical background, and present status and development prospects for this new generation of photoelectrochemical cells. Semiconductor electrode Counter- electrode Semiconductor electrode Counter- electrode Valence band Valence band Ec Conduction band Ox Red h�� h+ e- e- e- Ev h+ H2 H2O O2 e - a b Conduction band e- - Ec h�� Ev Figure 1 Principle of operation of photoelectrochemical cells based on n-type semiconductors. a, Regenerative-type cell producing electric current from sunlight b, a cell that generates a chemical fuel, hydrogen, through the photo-cleavage of water.
�� 2001 Macmillan Magazines Ltd are unstable against photocorrosion. The width of the band gap is a measure of the chemical bond strength. Semiconductors stable under illumination, typically oxides of metals such as titanium or niobium, therefore have a wide band gap, an absorption edge towards the ultra- violet and consequently an insensitivity to the visible spectrum. The resolution of this dilemma came in the separation of the opti- cal absorption and charge-generating functions, using an electron transfer sensitizer absorbing in the visible to inject charge carriers across the semiconductor���electrolyte junction into a substrate with a wide band gap, and therefore stable. Figure 3 shows the operational principle of such a device. Nanocrystalline junctions and interpenetrating networks The need for dye-sensitized solar cells to absorb far more of the incident light was the driving force for the development of mesoscopic semiconductor materials16 ��� minutely structured materials with an enormous internal surface area ��� which have attracted great attention during recent years. Mesoporous oxide films are made up of arrays of tiny crystals measuring a few nanometres across. Oxides such as TiO2, ZnO, SnO2 and Nb2O5, or chalcogenides such as CdSe, are the preferred compounds. These are interconnected to allow electronic conduction to take place. Between the particles are mesoscopic pores filled with a semicon- ducting or a conducting medium, such as a p-type semiconductor, a polymer, a hole transmitter or an electrolyte. The net result is a junc- tion of extremely large contact area between two interpenetrating, individually continuous networks. Particularly intriguing is the ease with which charge carriers percolate across the mesoscopic particle network, making the huge internal surface area electronically addressable. Charge transport in such mesoporous insight review articles 340 NATURE | VOL 414 | 15 NOVEMBER 2001 | www.nature.com When a semiconductor is placed in contact with an electrolyte, electric current initially flows across the junction until electronic equilibrium is reached, where the Fermi energy of the electrons in the solid (EF) is equal to the redox potential of the electrolyte (Eredox), as shown in the figure. The transfer of electric charge produces a region on each side of the junction where the charge distribution differs from the bulk material, and this is known as the space-charge layer. On the electrolyte side, this corresponds to the familiar electrolytic double layer, that is, the compact (Helmholtz) layer followed by the diffuse (Gouy���Chapman) layer. On the semiconductor side of the junction the nature of the band bending depends on the position of the Fermi level in the solid. If the Fermi level of the electrode is equal to the flat band potential, there is no excess charge on either side of the junction and the bands are flat. If electrons accumulate at the semiconductor side one obtains an accumulation layer. If, however, they deplete from the solid into the solution, a depletion layer is formed, leaving behind a positive excess charge formed by immobile ionized donor states. Finally, electron depletion can go so far that their concentration at the interface falls below the intrinsic level. As a consequence, the semiconductor is p-type at the surface and n-type in the bulk, corresponding to an inversion layer. The illustration in the figure refers to n-type materials where electrons are the mobile charge carriers. For p-type semiconductors, analogous considerations apply. Positive holes are the mobile charge carriers and the immobile negatively charged states of the acceptor dopant form the excess space charge within the depletion layer. The flat band potential is a very useful quantity in photoelectrochemistry as it facilitates location of the energetic position of the valence and conduction band edge of a given semiconductor material. It is obtained by measuring the capacity of the semiconductor���electrolyte junction. The semiconductor is subjected to reverse bias ��� that is, a voltage is applied to increase the potential step across the junction ��� and the differential capacity is determined as a function of the applied potential, V. The space- charge capacity of the semiconductor (Csc) is in series with that of the Helmholtz layer (CH) present at the electrolyte side of the interface. In the depletion regime the condition CH���Csc applies, so the measured capacity is that of the space-charge layer. This depends on the applied bias voltage according to the Mott���Schottky equation: 1/(Csc)242 (DfscRT/F )/( o 1 N), where Dfsc4V1Vfb is the voltage drop in the space-charge layer, R is the gas constant, F the Faraday number, the dielectric constant of the semiconductor, o the permittivity of vacuum and 1N the ionized donor dopant concentration. A plot of the square of the reciprocal capacity against the applied voltage gives a straight line and this is extrapolated to 1/(Csc)240 to derive the flat band potential Vfb. Flat band potentials have been determined for a large number of materials49 and some representative examples are shown in Fig. 2. Apart from the type of semiconductor they depend on the nature and composition of the electrolyte. In aqueous solution the flat band potentials of most oxide semiconductors shifts by 0.059 V when the pH is changed by one unit. This is a consequence of the fact that protons are potential-determining ions for these solids. Box 1 The semiconductor���electrolyte interface Conduction band Conduction band E E Ef Ec Ev Ef Ec Ev Eredox Eredox Valence band Valence band Semiconductor Electrolyte + + + + + + + ��� ��� ��� ��� ��� ��� + Conduction band electrons Positive charge carriers Electrolyte anions + + + + + + + ��� ��� ��� ��� ��� ��� Conduction band Conduction band E E Ef Ec Ef Ec Ev Eredox Eredox Valence band Valence band + + + + + + + ��� ��� ��� ��� ��� ��� ��� ��� + + + + + + + ��� ��� ��� ��� ��� ��� a b c d Box 1 Figure Schematic showing the electronic energy levels at the interface between an n-type semiconductor and an electrolyte containing a redox couple. The four cases indicated are: a, flat band potential, where no space-charge layer exists in the semiconductor b, accumulation layer, where excess electrons have been injected into the solid producing a downward bending of the conduction and valence band towards the interface c, depletion layer, where electrons have moved from the semiconductor to the electrolyte, producing an upward bending of the bands and d, inversion layer where the electrons have been depleted below their intrinsic level, enhancing the upward band bending and rendering the semiconductor p-type at the surface. | <urn:uuid:35b4770c-527d-490f-93f5-dad6db26b5d2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mendeley.com/catalog/photoelectrochemical-cells-3/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.901832 | 2,457 | 3.15625 | 3 |
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA has decided to press on with plans to launch the space shuttle Discovery on its final mission Thursday after evaluating a last-minute electrical glitch on the spacecraft, but a dismal weather forecast looms ahead.
Teams here at NASA's Kennedy Space Center reviewed the data from the anomaly overnight and concluded that the problem was likely the result of residual contamination on a circuit breaker connection, rather than a problem with the engine controller itself.
Engineers "scrubbed" the connectors by plugging them in and out, which cleans the metallic surfaces of the residue. Mission managers are confident the issue has now been resolved.
"We talked overnight, the team brought us a very nice, cohesive flow through the data," Mike Moses, NASA's shuttle integration manager, said in a news briefing. "We had a unanimous poll out of the [mission management team], and everyone was very comfortable with the story that came together today."
Space news from NBCNews.com
Discovery is slated to blast off from a seaside launch pad here at the Kennedy Space Center at 3:29 p.m. EDT (1929 GMT) tomorrow (Nov. 4). The decision came after an hours-long discussion by top mission managers to clear Discovery of any concerns related to an electrical glitch in a backup main engine computer controller.
Weather, however, still poses a dire threat for Discovery's launch chances. Current forecasts show an 80 percent chance that foul weather could cause yet another delay, though conditions improve for later attempts on Friday.
Managers will reconvene early tomorrow morning before tanking to assess the weather situation.
The glitch was detected yesterday and forced NASA to halt launch preparations for Discovery. The shuttle was initially slated to launch Monday (Nov. 1), but was postponed due to unrelated gas leaks that have since been repaired.[GRAPHIC: NASA's Space Shuttle – From Top to Bottom]
During the orbiter's engine checkouts yesterday (Nov. 2), the backup controller for Discovery's Main Engine No. 3 did not turn on as expected. When it powered on about an hour and a half later, engineering teams subsequently observed an irregular voltage drop.
Discovery is slated to fly an 11-day mission to the International Space Station to deliver a new storage module and a humanoid robot for the orbiting lab's crew. It will be the 39th and last flight for space shuttle Discovery, which is the first of NASA's three shuttles to be retired as the agency winds down its orbiter program next year.
If NASA cannot launch Discovery by Sunday, Nov. 7, it will miss the current window and have to stand down until Dec. 1 to try again.
- GRAPHIC: NASA's Space Shuttle – From Top to Bottom
- Gallery: Building Space Shuttle Discovery
- Video – Space Shuttle Discovery: A Retrospective, Part 2, Part 3
Follow SPACE.com Staff Writer Denise Chow on Twitter @denisechow as she covers Discovery's final space voyage from Cape Canaveral, Fla.
© 2013 Space.com. All rights reserved. More from Space.com. | <urn:uuid:49a7d580-1da3-4f6d-8c84-ee75f78606fb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.today.com/id/39992787/ns/technology_and_science-space/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938282 | 637 | 2.40625 | 2 |
BY: Todd A. Peterson - Young kids are learning how to play video games and work smartphones before they can bike or even tie their shoelaces, according to a new study.
Though Im fairly sure I learned to play Super Mario Bros.
before I learned to ride a bike without training wheels, it appears my childhood was ahead of the curve. According to a study by AVG
, young children are more into technology than some basic life skills. In a poll of 2,200 mothers with Internet access and children between 2 and 5 years old, more children knew how to play video games (58 percent) than knew how to ride a bike (43 percent). If riding a bike seems too hard, how about this: more kids know how to play with a smartphone app (19 percent) than tie their own shoelaces (9 percent) or make breakfast.The study showed that more young children can open a Web Browser (25 percent) than swim unaided (20 percent). There is no gender divide either: boys and girls ranked equally in their skills at playing computer games (58 percent boys, 59 percent girls) and making mobile phone calls (28 percent boys, 29 percent girls). The only divide came when comparing U.S. children to other countries. For example, 67 percent of U.S. kids age 2-5 can operate a computer mouse while more than 78 percent of young French children are capable of the same act. The same goes when comparing other activities like mobile phone calling and playing video games. Some countries have the U.S. handily beat, though no complete statistics were shared.It seems younger mothers may be putting a greater focus on technology. The study shows that children with mothers age 35 or older tend to be better at most life skills like writing their own name. Young ones with mothers 34 or under tend to rank higher in tech skills.This study is a part of AVGs efforts to show how important early tech education is for children. In October, the company released its first batch of information, showing that many babies have online Facebook and other profiles by the time they are six months old.If these findings are true, I blame the robots. To our readers who have kids: did your children learn tech skills faster than some important life skills? Do you put a bigger emphasis on learning technology? | <urn:uuid:a0148bb1-a230-4c87-bdc5-5e25ae2d243e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.eldergadget.com/health-products/study-has-found-children-learn-how-to-use-the-web-before-they-can-tie-their-shoe-laces-32581.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963143 | 474 | 3.1875 | 3 |
Mexican Redknee (Brachypelma smithi)
The Mexican Redknee Tarantula is probably the most popular of all pet tarantulas. Native to the Pacific desert of Mexico, it is known to be one of the longest living tarantula species, with females living up to 30 years in captivity. Whether you're a beginner or an advanced hobbyist, you can't go wrong with a Mexican Redknee Tarantula. Due to this spider's gentle nature, colorful appearance, large body size, and long life, it is easy to see why the Mexican Redknee Tarantula is such a desired animal in the hobby.
Range: Pacific desert scrubland of Mexico
Diet: Spiderlings will eat pinhead crickets, and other small insects. Adults eat crickets, other large insects such as lobster roaches.
Size: 5 to 5.5 inches when fully grown.
Growth: Slow Growth
Temperature: 75° to 80° Fahrenheit
Humidity/Water Requirements: 50 to 60%. All tarantulas that have at least a 3" legspan may drink from a shallow, wide water dish. Spiderlings will require light misting to drink droplets of water.
Temperament: Docile and easy to handle. May flick urticating hairs when disturbed.
Housing: Spiderlings can live in a small clear plastic deli-container with air holes poked with a pin. Use a small amount of substrate such as vermiculite, peat moss or coco fiber. Adults will live in a Large Terrestrial Cage Floor space is more important than height. No decorations are really needed, but you can add a log, or cork bark. Always house tarantulas seperately. | <urn:uuid:03254788-7e3f-4a95-88c8-53afdc48173a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://tarantulacages.com/bsmithicare.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.90689 | 362 | 2.640625 | 3 |
DPRK - North Korea group and individual tours
Tours to North Korea to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)
North Korea (DPRK - Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea) or in Korean "Chosŏn Minjujuŭi Inmin Konghwaguk" is one of the most isolated countries in the world. Since the Korea War of 1951, the DPRK is still in war with South Korea and travels to the DPRK were very difficult, especially for US citizens. Only in the recent years there was a slow opening of the country and nowadays also US citizens are allowed to travel to North Korea. Currently there are around 15'000 to 20'000 people traveling every year to the DPRK. Compared to the 80 Mio and more arrivals only at Terminal 3 of Beijing airport, this is still an extremely low number and up to date not many people have visited North Korea.
The goal of Hiddenchina.net is to offer our clients unique and special tours in China. North Korea has shown to be a logical diversification of our tour offers, especially since there are only few travel companies in the world offering tours to the DPRK. Our tours are directly orgnaised with the Korea International Travel Company (KITC) and not through another western or Chinese travel agency. However, due to an exclusive agreement with a travel company in China, we are not allowed to organise tours for people residing in China, but for all other countries.
North Korea has made the headlines a few times in 2011, mainly due to a military conflict with South Korea and esepcially due to the dead of its leader Kim Jong-Il on December 17, 2011 and the succession of his precedessor and son Kim Jong-Un, who went to boarding school in
Switzerland. Due to the isolated and political situation and the fact that not many people know that one can travel to North Korea, tours to the DPRK are definitely unique and recommended to experience something completely different from the Western World. Below you will find further information about North Korea and in our sub pages you will find tour samples which we will add over time.
It is no problem to organise an individual tour in North Korea, however, there will be at all time during the excursions a tour guide with you. It's also allowed to take pictures apart from sensitive areas, which you will be informed of by the guide. Please strictly follow the instructions of the guide, as otherwise he will get in serious trouble if you don't. Please contact us for individual tour offers.
Do you have a question? Use our online support system! Simply click on the "live chat" icon, fill in the required fields and choose an available operator.
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Address in China
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+86 18600121273 (mobile) | <urn:uuid:1fa54630-f9c7-42b6-90fc-6c6ffb105147> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hiddenchina.net/web/eng/dprk_north_korea_tours.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938236 | 605 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Casearia is a plant genus in the family Salicaceae. The genus was included in the Flacourtiaceae under the Cronquist system of angiosperm classification, and earlier in the Samydaceae. Recent research indicates that the latter group might be reinstated as a valid family.
They are sometimes employed as honey plants, notably C. decandra and C. sylvestris. The latter species is occasionally used as food by the caterpillars of the Two-barred Flasher (Astraptes fulgerator). Several species are becoming rare due to deforestation. Some appear close to extinction, and C. quinduensis of Colombia and C. tinifolia from Mauritius seem to be extinct since some time in the 20th entury and about 1976, respectively.
A synopsis of Casearia Jacq. (Samydeae - Salicaceae) in West and Central Africa with a description of a new species from Eastern Congo (Kinshasa)
Jan 01, 2008; Summary. Sleumer's (1971) revision of Casearia (formerly Flacourtiaceae, now Salicaceae) is reviewed to correct the...
Inhibition of NTPDase, 5'-nucleotidase, [Na.sup.+]/ [K.sup.+]-ATPase and acetylcholinesterase activities by subchronic treatment with Casearia sylvestris.
Jul 01, 2006; Abstract The aqueous extract of Casearia sylvestris was tested in cortical membrane preparations. C. sylvestris was... | <urn:uuid:0d98ebdd-10c7-4723-9fa3-6cf6938f3b41> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.reference.com/browse/Casearia | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.90175 | 333 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Imagine your home catches fire but the local fire department won’t respond. You stand by, watching it burn.
In September 2010, an Obion County, Tenn., family watched their home burn to the ground when South Fulton firefighters refused to respond. The homeowner said she offered to pay whatever it would take for firefighters to put out the flames, but was told it was too late.
Each year, residents there must pay $75 if they want fire protection from the city of South Fulton. This time the homeowner didn’t pay. She said her failure to pay was an oversight. The family had paid in previous years. She just didn’t get around to it, she said.
After hearing this story, I was reminded of the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37).
“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
“But a certain Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him.
“The next day, when he departed, he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers? Jesus told him, ‘Go and do likewise’.”
The priest and the Levite were guilty of the sin of omission when they passed by the wounded man and did nothing. But the Good Samaritan was faithful. He cared for the less fortunate.
We think of sin as something we do wrong, against God or another human being. I have a mental list of things that I know are wrong. I know I shouldn’t do certain things: don’t lie, don’t steal, don’t kill, the list goes on and on. This list exemplifies sins of commission … things that are intentionally done, that people know are wrong but do them anyway. If I don’t do these, then everything is alright? Maybe?
I think the greater sin often comes from failing to do things I know I ought to do. These are sins of omission. These are the greater sins we all commit every day.
Failing to notice and respond to the needs of the poor, not noticing or caring for the neighbor who lost his job, or the single parent having a difficult time, or the elderly who seem a little confused or are having trouble walking to their car.
We can’t just walk by. Our neighbors are everyone we come in contact with. You can’t walk by on the other side anymore.
The Rev. A. Michael Singer is rector of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Kinston. Reach him at email@example.com | <urn:uuid:74fd72c6-32c5-4fe8-b832-1c44fc99f6c9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kinston.com/life/lifestyle/column-would-a-could-a-should-a-consider-your-sins-of-omission-1.19637 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983605 | 724 | 1.921875 | 2 |
Representing experts across various fields, University of Houston sources have expertise in an array of topics related to storms – before, during and after.
'Made in Houston' Showcasing Products Created By UH StudentsWallets, Beverage Holders, iPad Cases Displayed, Sold at PH Design Shop
Santa’s elves have nothing on University of Houston Cougars. This month, Houstonians can score some unique holiday presents designed by UH architecture students.
The exhibition “Made in Houston” at PH Design Shop (2414 Rice Blvd.) will spotlight products created in UH’s Architecture and the Object course. Throughout the semester, student teams designed practical items and accessories, and oversaw the manufacturing process. Now, these goods are available for purchase at PH Design Shop and will be on view through early January.
Cord Bowen, adjunct assistant professor of architecture, launched this course two years ago and guides students as they explore new designs and research production methods. The class is in its second year at UH’s Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture.
“For this class, students aren’t designing for the teacher. They’re designing for the consumer,” Bowen said. “This project goes far beyond the classroom. It’s interesting because each team carries the risk of a project not being sold. For these designs, they focus and organize their ideas very differently than we normally see in the classroom.”
Products to be showcased in “Made in Houston” include:
- Beer Sling: A leather pouch with adjustable straps that can be used for carrying beverages. When not in use, the Beer Sling is easy to roll up and store. (Created by students Dillon Phillips, Mike Rhodes and Michael Viviano)
- Pencil Roll: Perfect for carrying art and office supplies, the Pencil Roll is a canvas pouch with pockets. The Pencil Roll can be used to organize art supplies, pens, loose change and even cellular phones. It easily rolls up to fit in purses or backpacks. A leather strap with snaps keeps items snug. (Created by students Dana Trammel, Stephanie Balbin and Adam Nguyen)
- Leather Fold-up Hand Bag: A compact, flat handbag that easily fits into pockets. It can accommodate loose cash, cellular phones, credit and identification cards and a pen. Once folded back up, a snap keeps all of its contents in place. (Created by students Amy Vo, Cindy Bang and Erin Ferguson)
- Min Containter: Wool felt receptacle for use at home or the office. The stylish bowl can be used as a place to stash everyday necessities – wallets, watches, keys, phones, receipts and other items. (Created by students Mirna Santillan, Irving Gomez, Negar Nikouei)
- Wallet: A leather wallet that’s appropriate for those who travel light. It accommodates credit and identification cards and cash. Its simple design allows for little waste or excess materials during the manufacturing process. (Created by students Ivan Lopez, Luis Baena and Ignacio Perezanta)
- Sketchbook Sleeve: This leather folder with a single pocket offers a stylish, protective covering for sketchbooks or note pads. (Created by students Juan Ponce, Adan Razo and Joshua Caluag)
- Looseleaf: This soft gray felt folder – “padfolio” -- holds notes, documents, iPads and other tablets. It comes with a pad of paper. (Created by students Devlin Tan, Katie Lance and Rachel Lee)
- Pebble: The Pebble is a small, decorative concrete multi-use receptacle. It can hold plants, office supplies or other items. (Created by students Hung Pham, Ricardo Sepulveda, Manuel Mandujano and Bradly Hirdes)
Teams were required to produce a minimum of 10 units of each product. Team members also conducted market research to determine production costs and pricing.
“The first thing I notice in this class is that students remove their layers of fear,” Bowen said. “They’re not afraid of putting their ideas on the market and hearing whether people like them or not. It also empowers them as entrepreneurs. The class teaches them about finance, business structure and leadership and they emerge more confident and knowledgeable about setting up a small business.”
For images of "Made in Houston" products, visit its Flickr site.
The Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees in a variety of disciplines, including architecture, space architecture, interior architecture and industrial design. Faculty members include esteemed professionals in the architectural community, as well as award-winning academic veterans. Facilities include studio spaces, the new Materials Research Collaborative, computer labs and the Burdette Keeland Jr. Design Exploration Center. To learn more about the college, visit http://www.arch.uh.edu/. | <urn:uuid:606e9bfc-a300-4f18-b583-87efde6e0ba6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.uh.edu/news-events/stories/2012/december/1213MadeInHouston.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00057-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931417 | 1,024 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Most people look at the Internet like they do public speaking. They are afraid of it. The technology is overwhelming. The advances are constant and come at you from every direction.
Even if you are not scared, you may be confused and not even be aware of what you need to succeed on the Internet. One thing is for certain.
You Cannot Ignore The Internet.
Think of the Internet as another form of media, like newspapers, radio or television. The real differences are that the Internet is faster, cheaper, always available, and very personal.
Here are some tips to help make your Internet experience less frightening and
Choose a hosting company that will provide personalized service and that has the clout to get you help when you need it, such as when your e-mail goes down.
Register your own domain name, which is your territory and title on the Internet. Use it to advertise and brand your own name, not the identity of your provider like AOL, MSN, Yahoo or others (e.g., mail@YourDomainName.com vs. email@example.com).
Make sure you know the domain registrar, your user name and password. It’s your domain, so make certain you own it and have direct access to it. Don’t let a service provider hold you hostage.
Make sure your website is optimized with strategically placed keywords and tags for the search engines to find you. It is an effective way to draw prospects to you.
Register your website locally to improve your chances of being on the first page of a search engine, eliminating competition with businesses outside of your area.
Make certain your website is user friendly with menus and links that are simple to use and look the same on all pages.
Keep the site fresh on an ongoing basis by adding company or product news, links to other sites, photographs or other artwork, videos, blogs, etc. that demonstrate your professionalism and provide valuable information to your visitors. Content updates are also attractive to search engines and move you up on their pages.
With the proper support, the Internet needn’t be a scary proposition. It should be a productive adjunct to your other marketing efforts.
If we can help make you more successful, contact us at siteme.com. | <urn:uuid:0b7a2b69-a311-4303-8202-7536d682f8f8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.vcstar.com/blogs/aviel-feuer/2009/dec/21/internet/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930331 | 466 | 1.617188 | 2 |
A recent groundbreaking study concluded that there are at least 1,210 megachurches in the United States today, but the large scale participation of African Americans in the 2,000+ congregations has escaped notice, according to a newly released research on black churches.
Pulpit & Pew published a report on trends among black churches and black pastoral leadership, revealing a resiliency and strength that previous studies had stated otherwise. In the research, carried out by Lawrence Mamiya, a veteran student of the black church in America, African American Christians were cited to have been disproportionately attracted to megachurch congregations.
African Americans constitute about 25 percent of the participants in megachurch congregations, both black and white, according to scholar Cheryl Gilkes in the study.
Sociologist Scott Thumma of the Hartford Institute for Religion Research noted that "twelve percent of churches without a black majority have a significant black presence among their regular attenders."
The report disputes earlier studies conducted by evangelical researcher George Barna who cited a decline in the African American church community. According to to the recent study, the last quarter of the 20th century saw an explosive growth of black megachurches.
Within the growing megachurch movement, "Prosperity Gospel" has taken on an increasing trend. The report accounted the spread of the prosperity message to the rise of a black middle class in the Civil Rights era. Not all of the pastors of black megachurches, however, agree with the prosperity gospel. The study stated that some pastors, including the Rev. Dr. Calvin Butts of Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, have been critical of the injustices of American capitalism and the prosperity message.
Dr. Cain Hope Felder, professor at Howard University School of Divinity, had stated the need for a more holistic approach to scripture. He told The Christian Post in a past interview that the rise of megachurches and their corporate executive model could be potentially dangerous.
Criticisms of black megachurches were noted in the Pulpit & Pew study.
Bishop John Hurst Adams of the A.M.E. Church said that both black and white megachurches lack emphasis on justice, a trend that Felder had also brought attention to. While the large congregations fail to engage the critical issues of justice and focus more on "praise worship," as some church leaders say, media attention has largely been on megachurches. On the other end, smaller churches, which carry the daily burden of the struggle for justice in most black communities, according to the study, have been largely ignored by media.
Felder mentioned an example of the one-way media coverage. Megafest 2005 with Bishop T.D. Jakes, pastor of the megachurch The Potter's House, drew over 100,000 people along with wide media attention. Meanwhile, civil rights activist the Rev. Jesse Jackson held a Voting Rights Act march in the same city and month, and media coverage was not as large.
Despite several aspects of "institutional weakness," the report paints a hopeful portrait of black churches and their pastors.
The studies "reveal a loyalty and depth of commitment to this institutional area that is not found in other sectors of society, even among white churches," stated Mamiya.
The report is the final one in a series of research reports that have been published during the first phase of Pulpit & Pew. The project, with generous support from Lilly Endowment, has sought to bring together a wide body of research to gain purchase on the state of pastoral leadership in Christian churches in the United States. | <urn:uuid:7a55443c-5f03-4f07-ba18-ad78d8ae018b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.christianpost.com/news/new-report-contradicts-past-claims-of-black-church-decline-4059/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963443 | 736 | 2.1875 | 2 |
The credit union he worked with gave him several options – a 36 month loan at 6.75%, a 48 month loan at 6.875%, a 60 month loan at 7%, and a 72 month loan at 7.125%.
He took the 72 month loan.
Afterwards, he bragged to me about his deal. “I’m only paying $549 a month for that ride,” he told me, believing that I’d be impressed at how cheap he got a very nice brand new Cadillac.
I went home later, though, and ran the numbers. If he had taken that three year loan, he would have paid $988.11 a month. Ouch.
But here’s the kicker. Here’s what he would have paid total on each of those loans.
The 36 month loan would have cost him a total of $35,568.
The 48 month loan would have cost him a total of $36,833.
The 60 month loan would have cost him a total of $38,160.
The 72 month loan, the one he took, will cost him a total of $39,562.
His “sweet deal” is going to cost him an extra $4,004.
Here’s the problem. He led with the wrong question. He focused heavily on the monthly payments without even considering the bigger picture, and for that focus, he’s being rewarded with an extra $4,000 in payments.
Here’s a better plan.
First, don’t buy something that you can only afford with a suboptimal payment plan. Because my friend wanted more car than his wallet should be able to really handle, he’s paying a $4,000 surcharge for the option. If he had waited and saved up a bigger down payment or simply settled for a bit less of a car than a Cadillac CTS, he wouldn’t be watching $4,000 walk directly out of his pocket for nothing in return.
Second, always calculate the total cost of your purchase. That’s the number you should be working with, not the monthly payment. The lowest total cost is the deal that will keep the most money in your pocket.
Third, if you can’t get what you want for that lowest total price, keep shopping. You don’t have to buy today. If you need wheels for the short term, buy a low-end used car that can just serve to get you from point A to point B and wait on the long-term purchase until you have an appropriate down payment so that you can swing the best total payment plan.
Or, best of all, save, save, save and buy with cash. With the 36 month loan, his payments would have been $988. But if he started saving $850 a month right now (yes, $138 less than his payment) and saved that each month for 36 months in a 3% savings account, he’d have enough to pay cash for the car he wanted. That plan would cost him only $30,600 – a savings of $4,968 over even the best payment plan.
What’s the take home message? Looking at just the monthly payment when you go to take out a car loan – or any kind of installment loan, including mortgages – will almost always hurt you in the end. Instead, look at how much you’ll pay in total – that’s the number you want to be low. If you can’t afford those monthly payments, then you’re buying something more expensive than you can really afford, anyway. | <urn:uuid:56459ac9-aa22-44df-90f8-bc689bf0b53d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/09/30/if-you-ask-whats-the-monthly-payment-youre-asking-the-wrong-question/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980316 | 766 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Take Lisa Simpson and combine her with Gordon Gekko and the obnoxious child-android from “Small Wonder,” and you get the perfect Rand hero.
By **Brad Reed**
The year is 2016. Eight years of Obammunism have transformed the former capitalist paradise known as “America” into a socialistic hellhole where the Dow Jones Industrial average has plummeted to under 4,000 and where oppressed banking CEOs have to walk around with signs reading, “Will trade credit derivatives for food.” America has gotten so desperate that its only hope for salvation lies in the creation of a (shudder) high-speed rail line.
A sane person would not find this a realistic projection of where America is heading—after all, corporate profits are at record highs, the Dow is back comfortably in the 12,000 range and a Republican congress is insisting we shower the wealthy with still more tax cuts. But then again, the film Atlas Shrugged, Part I is not marketed toward the sane. Rather, it is being pitched to the disciples of Ayn Rand, the sociopathic champion of capitalism who penned three-billion-page novels dedicated to the proposition that selfishness was the world’s greatest virtue.
For the uninitiated, Atlas Shrugged tells the story of a future oppressive liberal government that chokes off the productivity of strong-headed individualists in the name of equality and fairness. The story’s two protagonists, Dagny Taggart and Henry Reardon, are respectively heads of railroad and steel companies who find their grand ambitions thwarted by the paws of Big Gubmint. Eventually the poor rich people decide to go on strike and retreat to a small-government greedtopia headed up by a reclusive billionaire named John Galt. Without these super-productive rich people keeping the world moving, society proceeds to completely collapse.
You may be wondering what it was that Dagny and Henry were doing prior to the strike that was just so goshed-darned awful that Big Gubmint had to stop them. The answer is they were building the world’s fastest high-speed rail line. Yes, rail. The mode of transportation that has been championed by liberal commie Nazis and that has become the bane of good salt-of-the-earth conservatives everywhere. In reality, of course, a liberal government would be tossing bundles of subsidies at any entrepreneurs building high-speed rail lines in the Western United States but in Randality, these noble entrepreneurs were crushed by the rent-seeking big businesses who used their Washington ties to extinguish the flames of competitive markets.
So okay, we’ve already established that the story has a ludicrous premise, but have the film’s creators managed to make this ludicrous premise into a compelling and entertaining narrative?
In three words: “Oh, hell no.”
Indeed, the film’s major problem is that it adheres too tightly to its source material, making it impossible to create compelling characters. This is because all of Rand’s heroes and heroines are soulless greedbots whose only goals in life are to make great innovations and then profit like crazy off them. In and of itself this isn’t a bad thing since a lot of people like creating things and being rewarded for them. But in the case of Rand’s characters, their desire for money and achievement supersedes all empathy, family relationships, and basic human decency. Take Lisa Simpson and combine her with Gordon Gekko and the obnoxious child-android from “Small Wonder,” and you get the perfect Rand hero.
[L]et’s be honest, would any of us really shed a tear if Donald Trump, Lloyd Blankfein, or the Koch brothers decided tomorrow to pull up their stakes and head to the Cayman Islands?
Given this, I was initially prepared to be lenient on lead actors Taylor Schilling and Grant Bowler, who respectively portray Dagny Taggart and Henry Reardon. After all, no actor can give a convincing and emotionally compelling portrayal of a Rand character any more than they can give a convincing and emotionally compelling portrayal of a stop sign or a potted plant. You can imagine all the times director Paul Johansson had to yell “Cut!” at Schilling and Bowler because they had errantly expressed a feeling.
Even so, one of the very first things that competent directors and actors do with any material is to establish the stakes involved. In other words, when a character says a line such as “There is so much at stake, we have to make it,” it should be delivered with more urgency and intensity than the guy in stoner comedies who asks, “Dude, you got any chips?” Needless to say, the actors failed even this simple test, creating unintentionally hilarious scenes like the one where Bowler tells his lonely socialite wife that “I didn’t come here for sex” in the robotic same tone that the Terminator says, “I’ll be back” to his enemies.
And speaking of sex, Taggart and Reardon’s sex scene is unusually awful because we’re watching two characters who haven’t shown any emotions for the film’s first 70 minutes suddenly try to be tender with one another. It’s the equivalent of Emperor Palpatine ambling over to Darth Vader after the two of them just finished slaughtering a room full of Jedi and asking meekly for a hug. The scene isn’t at all helped by the schmaltzy piano-and-strings soundtrack that’s meant to conjure up romantic passion but that seems wildly out of place in a Rand story. In fact, the scene could have come across as more believable if the directors had just decided to play some German industrial metal in the background to let us know that Dagny and Reardon were approaching copulation with the same level of unsentimental brutality that’s helped them succeed in the business world.
Poorly written characters can’t totally doom a film if they’re at least given something interesting to do—after all, Star Wars fans who suffered through Jar-Jar Binks in The Phantom Meance were at least rewarded with a kick-ass light-saber fight at the end of the film. Unfortunately, the most thrilling conflicts in Atlas Shrugged revolve around disputes over ore shortages and the quality of assorted railroad metals.
And this is the most telling aspect of the film’s greatest failure: That I jumped for joy whenever one of its greedheads decided to drop out of society and head to Galt’s Gulch. Because let’s be honest, would any of us really shed a tear if Donald Trump, Lloyd Blankfein or the Koch brothers decided tomorrow to pull up their stakes and head to the Cayman Islands? If my time here on Earth has shown me anything it’s that even when some greedy assholes drop out of the game there will always be other greedy assholes eager to replace them. Any threats they make on leaving us swarthy looters to our own devices should cause us to collectively shrug.
Copyright 2011 Brad Reed
This essay originally appeared at AlterNet.Org.
Brad Reed is a writer living in Boston. His work has previously appeared in the American Prospect Online, and he blogs frequently at Sadly, No!. | <urn:uuid:bb22f9e1-af71-4be8-bc11-962fea6e97b8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.guernicamag.com/daily/post_11/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954481 | 1,542 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Topicsshowing only Metacognition Show all Topics
Recently my "Teaching & Learning Concepts In Earth Sciences" students and I renovated one of my old data-using lab activities, from the days when I used to teach "Planet Earth" to non-science majors. The old version of the activity led students step-by-step through a series of manipulations of an on-line global data base, using a professional data visualization tool. The old directions provided a lot of scaffolding for how to make data displays of ocean salinity in and around the Mediterranean Sea, but little support for how to extract insights about earth processes from those displays. The new version assumes that students are already pretty adept at getting computer apps to do what they want, and refocuses the scaffolding on how to think like a geoscientist, how to think about the meaning of the data. More
Two years ago in this space, I wrote about "Turning Nature into Numbers," humanity's accomplishment of developing instruments and methodologies that can turn the fleeting qualitative impressions that we have of our surroundings into quantitative values--numbers--which can be readily stored, shared, transmitted and compared.
Numbers are great, but it seems to me that for developing an opinion or making a decision, humans often want categories rather than numbers. More
The most interesting thing I learned over Thanksgiving arrived during a pre-dinner walk along a rural Massachusetts road heavily impacted by the Halloween storm. Many tree limbs were shattered, fallen to the ground or dangling from their parent trees. My cousin's daughter's friend Mike pointed out that the broken limbs still had their leaves, browned and stiff but still connected, while the healthy trees had lost all their leaves. The rest of us looked more carefully, and sure enough, his observation was correct, tree after tree. More
In contrast, many of my colleagues concerned with the quality of science education in other disciplines moan and groan about how hard it is to get college faculty to pay attention to research on learning or to change their teaching practice. So how--by what mechanism--does the Cutting Edge approach work? Here's an idea. More
First, Dana discovered a fabulous cartoon, the exactly speaks to the topic of the post. Wonderously, the cartoon is published under a creative commons license, so I can reproduce it here for you: More | <urn:uuid:e91f0ccb-9892-4011-908b-a78f02cf7b48> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://serc.carleton.edu/earthandmind/index.html?q1=sercvocabs__118%3A13 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959949 | 481 | 2.53125 | 3 |
It's just about the easiest thing you can do in a kitchen, but now preparing an egg has been made even simpler.
Farmers have come up with a new product aimed at home chefs who are too lazy to crack – liquid eggs.
Cartons of Egg In An Instant contain 10 whole eggs per half litre, and will be available in both free-range and non free-range versions.
Elwyn Griffiths from Oaklands Farm Eggs, the company behind the product, said that he expected it to be popular with shoppers who are "massively lazy, massively into convenience." He said: "We want to make it easier for people to eat in."
The pasteurised egg liquid can last 21 days unopened, and three more days in the fridge after use.
It will be launched at the International Food and Drink Event at London's ExCeL centre next week, and the producers hope supermarkets will soon stock the cartons in their chiller cabinets alongside fresh milk. | <urn:uuid:1398ab23-c218-4a93-8585-39349e8bb38b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://arbroath.blogspot.com/2009/03/liquid-eggs-for-people-too-lazy-to.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00056-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948818 | 203 | 1.65625 | 2 |
It doesn't make any difference who accelerated away from who initially, it's only acceleration after the two clocks depart that determines which one will be behind when they meet again. The perspective of a frame where the earth is initially moving at 0.99c, and the clock that accelerates away from it is actually slowing down
initially, is every bit as valid as the perspective of the earth's frame.
No, the way you are using "reference state", basically to mean using the initial conditions to determine which frame's answer is more "correct" than the others, is not an idea that any physicists would find useful, and you haven't given any justification for why
the initial conditions should cause us to prefer one frame over another. It's totally arbitrary, as far as I can see (and note my comments earlier about the choice of which state to label the 'initial' one as being equally arbitrary).
I don't think pervect understood what you meant by "reference state", since he seemed to think it just meant the same thing as "reference frame", when actually you are using it to mean an initial state which you use to determine a preferred frame. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't agree with this notion of yours that the initial state tells us that one frame's perspective is more valid than others. | <urn:uuid:8edfacbc-ea59-4689-8339-4d722286b72e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.physicsforums.com/showpost.php?p=782249&postcount=60 | 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 | 0.973805 | 268 | 2.59375 | 3 |
Boys Sewing Projects
You'll find here a summary of boys sewing projects.
It is a misunderstanding to think that only girls sew or have an
interest in sewing. Give them something "boyish" or fun to sew and
they make great sewers. Give boys a project like a purse or
headband and they may never be interested again.
Sometimes simple sewing projects can be changed entirely by the
fabric you use. There is a wide range of interesting boy designed
fabric with themes such as sports, hunting, characters, animals,
even a plain color fabric in their favorite color can make a
project more in tune for a boy.
Go ahead and take your boy shopping at the fabric store let him
pick out a yard or two of his favorite fabric. (He might even be
surprised what type of fabric is available.) Then try one of these
sewing projects that can easily interest your boy.
Don't forget simple sewing techniques to teach
them as well including sewing on buttons and mending.
10 Boys Sewing Projects
- ipod holder. This is a great
project that kids can design and create exactly how they'd like.
- Treasure stick bag-
This project is great for a beginning sewer to hand sew. My son
made one for one of his first projects with red felt and a red
robin patch. He still has it hanging in his room.
- Pencil case- You can
create a zipper bag and use it as a pencil case, pokemon card
holder or to hold whatever treasure they'd like. You can also
change the size if you'd like a smaller case like to hold money.
Again changing the fabric will really bring personality to the
- Pillowcase- Every
kid has to sleep and how better to personalize their room by
making a pillowcase out of a themed fabric.
- Applique a shirt- This is a
simple idea that can turn a plain shirt into something fun. This
is one of those boys sewing projects they can personalize
- Stuffed Balls- Create a
stuffed ball or animal from this project.
- T-shirt drawstring bag-
Do they have a favorite shirt they don't want to part with? This
is a good project to recycle a shirt and make a bag at the same
- Binder Cover- Make school
work more fun or organize their paperwork at home with a binder
- Bed Caddy- Organize all those
boys bedtime books, toys or cards with a simple bed or couch
- Lap Desk. An easy project to use
when doing homework or drawing.
Okay I couldn't stop at 10 free sewing projects for boys! Here's
- How about a basic flannel pajama pants from an easy to sew
pattern and applique a t-shirt
to go with.
- Fabric Organizer. Perfect
for kids who love to draw. Organize your colored pencils in this
Quilt. This project takes some collecting of old jeans but
it is a great boys quilt to put on their bed.
- Sew a throw pillow for their
- Letter pillows - Trace the letters in their name on
poster board or heavy paper. Cut out two layers of material and
sew as you would pillows.
another perfect project for boys to personalize their room
and use their favorite material.
- Sew a Pair of shorts
Do you have a Sewing Projects for Boys?
Your Kids Sewing Project
Share your kids sewing project, instructions or pictures.
Reader's Submitted Projects
Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...
Runway made from fabric
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Just sew two long strips of fabric together, right sides together, leaving a hole to turn it the right way out. Turn right way out, edgestitch. Draw the...
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Boys like to wear wrist bands. Super simple and can be made for personal or groups ID. (as in a Team) They need to be made of stretch type material....
Would you like our sewing lessons and projects in an ad free, easy to
Our curriculum ebook has over 100 projects to teach kids (or
adults) to sew.
Perfect for teaching! | <urn:uuid:1c2a998d-f54b-4cf0-bed6-5b16fa4fc37c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kids-sewing-projects.com/boys-sewing-projects.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.913506 | 894 | 2.421875 | 2 |
PET/CT Imaging at the Swedish Cancer Institute offers Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Computed Tomography (CT) at the First Hill location – 1221 Madison Street, 1st Floor location. The center’s 16-slice PET/CT Scanner is one of the most powerful imaging tools that physicians can use to help diagnose and treat patients with cancer.
Services at the center include:
- PET/CT: Positron emission tomography and computerized tomography
- 4-D respiratory gating
- Positron emission mammography (PEM)
- Lap lasers for radiation therapy planning
- Integration with the Swedish Cancer Institute's radiation therapy treatment planning software
One of the most important recent advances in imaging has been the fusion of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Computed Tomography (CT) scanning. Using a PET/CT scanner physicians can view images in three different planes – axial, coronal, and sagittal with high-quality resolution that they can see where disease tissue ends and healthy tissue begins. The scanner also shows the metabolic activity of cells, which helps physicians better understand changes at the cellular level that could be early indications of cancer.
Fused PET/CT scans have proven invaluable in helping oncologists make more accurate diagnosis and staging assessments, choosing the most appropriate therapies, and determining whether or not a therapy is effective against a cancer.
Physicians are using the PET/CT scanner to help diagnose and treat a variety of cancers, including breast, cervical, colorectal, esophageal, head and neck, lung, lymphoma, melanoma and thyroid. Swedish was one of the first in the nation to offer computer-aided advanced lung nodule detection and analysis, a state-of-the-art set of imaging and analysis tools that can benefit patients with lung cancer. Additionally, at Swedish, PET/CT helps radiation oncologists during the treatment-planning phase. The PET/CT scanner helps them target the exact location of the tumor for radiation treatment, determine appropriate dosage levels and minimize damage to healthy tissue in the process.
About PET/CT Imaging @ Swedish Cancer Institute
The PET/CT Imaging Center at the Swedish Cancer Institute was developed through a partnership between the Swedish Cancer Institute, Seattle Nuclear Medicine and the Tumor Institute Radiation Oncology Group.
Appointments & Referrals
You must have a referral from your physician to have a PET/CT exam.
To schedule an exam please call our scheduling line at 206-215-6487.
If you have any questions, please contact the PET/CT coordinator at 206-215-6487 or
For Patients- Preparing for your PET/CT Exam
PET/CT Imaging at Swedish Cancer Institute1221 Madison Street
Seattle, WA 98104
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Stories of Hope | <urn:uuid:3fa7df75-4532-4fc4-bce3-006b96192db9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://swedish.org/Services/Cancer-Institute/Services/PET-CT-Imaging | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.907721 | 620 | 1.960938 | 2 |
Robots are now performing heart surgery — at least closed-chest laparoscopic procedures. With a surgeon operating a com-puter console in another room, the movements of the doctor are interpreted by the robot and then scaled down to precise motions. “We’re eliminating surgeons’ unwanted hand tremors,” says Dr. Jai H. Lee, Summa Health System cardiothoracic sur-geon. “We can see three-dimensional images on the computer to accurately assess the depth of the tissues we’re dealing with.”
While there have only been 12 robotic laser heart surgeries in the last 16 months, results have been positive. The proce-dure is slowly building in popularity in the Midwest as a last resort for those patients who are not candidates for stents or bypass surgery and have no other medical options. | <urn:uuid:65614a82-badc-49ed-ab29-e3c10bf168db> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.clevelandmagazine.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?nm=Arts+%26+Entertainemnt&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=1578600D80804596A222593669321019&tier=4&id=61468B5AB6FD40FCBF745AD8C70FD62F | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.919884 | 178 | 2.1875 | 2 |
Telecoms Hacking is Communication Fraud and can be defined as the use of telecommunications products or services with no intention of payment. This industry-wide problem has increased in recent years, impacting businesses that own or operate PABX's, Voice Mail Systems or Hosted Phone systems. Fraudsters gain access undetected and make outbound calls both domestically and internationally resulting in substantial unauthorised costs being incurred by your company.
How Does It Happen?
Hackers gain unauthorised access to a customer's PABX's, Voice Mail Systems or Hosted Phone systems. A hacker can compromise unprotected telecommunication equipment by dialling or logging in remotely to gain access to your communications system. Hackers usually exploit poorly secured remote access options such as Voicemail, or DISA (Direct Inward System Access) and once having gained access, redirect calls to anywhere in the world. The fraudster may then masquerade as a service provider offering international access, or often generate large volumes of calls to their own Premium services. The hacker generates revenue using your assets, resulting in substantial charges to your company.
As the Service Owner, you are responsible for the administration and security of your Phone System. This includes both physical security of PABX and Handsets, as well as Passwords and PINs used for remote access premise based equipment of Hosted Phone Systems.
In some circumstances, Primus may become aware of possible Systems hacking or fraud, and as a matter of courtesy, provide you with notification, however we will only become aware after the fraud has been committed.
No responsibility will be taken by Primus where your systems security has been breached. You will be required to pay for any charges generated as a result.
Reduce Your Risk
Protecting your business assets from fraudulent use is best determined in consultation with your systems maintainer or administrator.
Primus recommends that your systems security regime includes the following measures.
- Change default codes and passwords immediately once a service is activated.
- Don't choose obvious passwords i.e. extension number, 1234, Company name.
- Educate your staff on the importance of keeping codes and passwords confidential.
- Enforce company policy to regularly change PINs and passwords.
- Limit the number of employees with authorisation to set up new codes and passwords.
- When a member of staff leaves the company cancel their access rights.
- The External Call Forwarding feature for the Voice Mail System should be disabled, unless specifically required by a staff member.
- Disable any feature not in use that may be accessed remotely
- Delete any voice mailbox services that are not required.
- Only authorised personnel should have access to the phone system equipment.
- Keep phone system hardware in a secure place with restricted access.
- Ensure you have adequate barring levels placed on your phone system, for example bar 1900 calls or international calls.
- If your PABX has DISA enabled (Direct Inward System Access), then only limited specific staff should have access to that feature.
- Unused extensions should have their access rights deactivated.
- Check your phone bill for any unusual call traffic
What to look for?
Some of the warning signs that your systems security has been compromised include:
- Large call volumes at night, weekends or public holidays;
- IDD calls to destinations you usually don't dial;
- An unusually high number of short duration calls;
- Difficulties (Busy or delays) with retrieving Voicemail messages.
Hacking and fraudulent use results in unauthorised call charges billing directly to your account, as a business you are responsible for maintaining the security of your hardware. You will be liable for all charges incurred on your account. For further assistance contact your phone system maintainer or administrator to help minimise the risk of hacking
Anyone with a communications system, either premise based PABX or a Hosted Phone System is at risk. The following examples highlight the need to improve your systems security.
Case Study 1:
A large business facilities provider with a PABX was attacked by fraudsters. Lack of password security provided the hackers with free access to channel IDD calls through their PABX. The system maintainer was called when voicemail messages could not be retrieved. By that time the fraudsters had made over $80,000 worth of International traffic in little less than a week.
Case Study 2:
A medium sized consulting firm with a Hosted Phone System was recently a hacking victim. The provider noticed an abnormally large number of international calls and notified the customer. Security measures were put in place to prevent further calls, however, over $30,000 worth of IDD calls to Sierra Leone had already been made.
Its your responsibility to ensure the security of your communications system, failure to take security precautions could cost you a large amount.
For further information on PABX fraud call Primus on 1300 85 66 88. | <urn:uuid:78c24dbb-80ed-4915-b62d-832528144b95> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.iprimus.com.au/PrimusWeb/Support/CustomerServiceCharter/TelecomsHacking.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00065-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93134 | 1,013 | 2.1875 | 2 |
being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:3 NASB
Bond – Syndesmos is the Greek combination of words that mean “together” and “band or shackle.” We might think of this word with the imagery of a chain. Each link is welded together with the next. The “bond” is only as strong as its weakest link. This all seems quite ordinary.
Until we connect this idea to two others: peace and yoke.
First we must recognize that Paul’s concept of peace is tied to chains, not freedom. To preserve the unity of the Spirit, we must be chained together. Those seeking freedom from obligation are not suitable for unity of the Spirit. They are, in fact, opposed to God’s exhibition of unity, found in the community that embraces the Spirit of the Lord. In the Bible, freedom is a function of voluntary obligation, not individual liberty. The biblical concept stands in utter opposition to our culture of indulgence even if that indulgence is laced with spirituality.
Once we realize that freedom comes in chains, then we are prepared to understand Yeshua’s statement about the zygos, the yoke. A yoke not only ties us to Him, it shackles us to each other. The yoke is the implement of peace, the equipment of the saints. Just as Yeshua exhorts us to take His yoke and find rest, Paul reminds us that the bond of true fellowship is the unity of mutual obligation. And, of course, this is one of the meanings of that great Hebrew word hesed.
Do you think of chains when you think of peace? Do you see yourself as handcuffed to the Spirit, shackled to the truth? Do you rejoice in your obligations toward others? Do you know what it means to be bound to the Lord? Does your desire to serve Him result in yoking yourself to another?
Unless you can answer these questions with affirmation, you probably haven’t left the world of Greek “freedom” behind. There is no unity without the clank of metal or the feeling of restraints.
Topical Index: bond, syndesmos, yoke, zygos, peace, freedom, Ephesians 4:3 | <urn:uuid:2a264fb7-54d6-497e-952d-572c7351a1ed> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://skipmoen.com/2012/07/29/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944001 | 481 | 2.375 | 2 |
|Uploaded:||November 17, 2010|
|Updated:||November 17, 2010|
Like I said before with my other lesson that I submitted the other day on Mumble, there is a new Happy Feet film coming out in the year 2011. Today I will be giving you a lesson on Mumble's love interest Gloria. She was one of my favorite characters in part one, and I think it's because she had an open mind when it came to understanding someones flaws. Learning "how to draw Gloria" is going to be wicked fun because she looks exactly like she does in part one. I know some of you wanted me to draw the older version of Mumble, but I figured most people would appreciate the younger version of him since that is the image most folks are familiar with. Anyways, Gloria is a penguin with a lot of qualities that other male penguins are looking for in a mate. Unfortunately she is looking for a companion that is sweet, caring, and who is into her for her instead of her looks or what family she comes from. The only down side to her new character for Happy Feet 2, is the fact that Brittany Murphy is not going to be her voice actress. Instead Pink will be taking her place, and this is as you know due to the fact that the young talented actress died last year from cardiac arrest. She was only thirty two year old, and one of the likable actresses on my list. I think Pink will fill her shoes just fine as the new voice talent for Gloria. I think the movie may be a hit, but then again I have been wrong in the past as to what will be a hit and what wouldn't. The one thing I am certain of, is the fact that you will be able to "draw Gloria from Happy Feet" once you are done with this lesson. I will be back with one more tutorial for you guys, and yes it is another Marvel character from the new X-Men movie for 2011. Peace people! | <urn:uuid:390bcf40-e8d5-4336-be27-f3aee7b5b5c0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dragoart.com/tuts/6533/2/1/easy-step-by-step-drawing-instructions-for-how-to-draw-gloria.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978842 | 408 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Thousands of Southern California residents participated in the 22nd annual Coastal Clean-Up Day at more than 60 locations Saturday. Armed with nothing more than their gloved hands and a grabbing tool, volunteers—who ranged in age from the very young to the more mature—collected tons of trash. Not all of these people were at the beach; many cleaned up their favorite lake, stream or pond.
"We've collected over seven tons of trash on average each year," he said Saturday. "So far today, we've collected everything from cans and plastic bottle to a hypodermic needle."
The first Coastal Clean-Up was organized in October 1984 when Oregonian Judie Neilson gathered 2,800 volunteers to clean up the beach. One year later, the concept spread down to California, where the California Coastal Commission's 1985 event featured 2,500 participants.
Heal the Bay took over the clean-up days in 1990.
Larry Moore from Fish Talk Radio with Philip Friedman Outdoors said it was a good day.
"It's just good to be out here helping," said Moore. "I'm just hoping we can do this kind of thing every weekend as opposed to every year." | <urn:uuid:1284c22b-11be-4f69-b0ae-5b18062e491f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://redondobeach.patch.com/groups/sports/p/video-thousands-clean-up-beaches | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00054-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976785 | 244 | 2.125 | 2 |
In this elegant new book, Salvatore Settis traces the ways in which we have related to our ‘classical’ past, starting with post-modern American skyscrapers and working his way back through our cultural history to the attitudes of the Greeks and Romans themselves.
Settis argues that this obsession with cultural decay, ruins and a ‘classical’ past is specifically European and the product of a collective cultural trauma following the collapse of the Roman Empire. This situation differed from that of the Aztec and Inca empires whose collapse was more sudden and more complete, and from the Chinese Empire which always enjoyed a high degree of continuity. He demonstrates how the idea of the ‘classical’ has changed over the centuries through an unrelenting decay of ‘classicism’ and its equally unrelenting rebirth in an altered form.
In the Modern Era this emulation of the ‘ancients’ by the ‘moderns’ was accompanied by new trends: the increasing belief that the former had now been surpassed by the latter, and an increasing preference for the Greek over the Roman. These conflicting interpretations were as much about the future as they were about the past. No civilization can invent itself if it does not have other societies in other times and other places to act as benchmarks.
Settis argues that we will be better equipped to mould new generations for the future once we understand that the ‘classical’ is not a dead culture we inherited and for which we can take no credit, but something startling that has to be re-created every day and is a powerful spur to understanding the ‘other’.
* Exam copies only available to lecturers for whom the book may be suitable as a course text.
Please note: Sales representation and distribution for Polity titles is provided by John Wiley and Sons Ltd.
James Porter, Journal of Roman Studies
"A thought-provoking and very readable book, especially in light of the recent debate regarding the future of the Ancient History A-Level."
Anastasia Bakogianni, Journal of Classics Teaching
"This is a terrific book – the fundamental statement we have long been hoping for, that confronts the European Classical heritage with the full complexity of its resonance in the age of globalization and postmodernity. It is brief, punchy and bright – very learned, but wearing its learning lightly, engaged, committed, always enthusiastic. Settis writes as a great authority immersed in the living Classical tradition, yet very sensitive to its swathe of receptions (art historical, architectural, poetic and historiographic, as well as literary). He leads us through a dazzling and hugely stimulating confrontation with the deep pasts and the futures of the Western tradition."
John Elsner, University of Oxford
"Salvatore Settis seeks a contemporary answer to Arnaldo Momigliano’s question: why study ancient history? In this dynamic and urgent series of chapters, Settis considers the classical in a global setting. European culture is seen to be demarcated by its rhythmic returns to classical civilization as an “elsewhere” of both time and space. Settis places classicism under scrutiny as a cultural project, rather than revering it as an icon, and argues that, through the classical, myth is absorbed into history. The deep tradition of cycles of death and rebirth unique to European history offers rich opportunities for viewing the past as alien, and therefore capable of providing a wider understanding of “otherness.” This provocative text takes nothing for granted."
Elizabeth Cropper, National Gallery of Art | <urn:uuid:4941dea2-03b7-4c56-a74b-b5c0476fc737> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.polity.co.uk/book.asp?ref=9780745635989 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950763 | 739 | 1.953125 | 2 |
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For decades, St. Jude researchers and clinicians have been making progress against HIV/AIDS. That work continues today.
Sharmain Mayes has vivid memories of the day St. Jude doctors and her aunt explained the impact that three letters—H, I and V—would have on her life. Her clinicians underscored the importance of taking her medications regularly and making frequent clinic visits; her aunt emphasized that her family’s unconditional love would prevail.
Still, the more Sharmain learned about the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) she had acquired at birth, the more she grappled with resentment about the stigma that society attached to the virus. “I was encouraged to keep it a secret, because it would make my life extremely tough if people knew,” she says.
Sure enough, the teen was ostracized when she revealed her “secret” to trusted friends. She began taking her medications at times when her peers wouldn’t notice. Sharmain watched as the plates she had used at one meal were surreptitiously discarded. Her fellow college students brazenly whispered and stared upon discovering her status. Those were tough moments.
“People were unaware of HIV/AIDS and were scared of it,” she says. “My life was so negative, and I wanted so badly to see the opposite—the positive side of life.”
Sharmain escaped her reality through dance, music and inspirational novels that featured heroes, happy endings and healing. She also began competing in beauty pageants to boost her confidence.
Now living life on the positive side, Sharmain strives to inspire others who live with HIV/AIDS. Thanks to St. Jude research advances, she is celebrating 22 years of longevity against a disease that was once considered a death sentence.
“Growing up, I thought every city had a St. Jude,” Sharmain says. “How blessed am I to have been born in Memphis—in the epicenter of research for children with HIV/AIDS?”
The hospital’s roots in HIV/AIDS research began long before the U.S. reported its first case in 1981. In the early 1970s, a St. Jude pioneer had found a cure for the Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia that threatened the lives of immune-compromised leukemia patients.
Walter Hughes, MD, St. Jude emeritus faculty, screened more than 30 compounds before discovering the right drug combination to treat the deadly infection.
“We found several drugs that reduced the infection from 100 percent to 50 percent. That showed the drug had some activity, but we wanted to reduce that number to zero,” Hughes says. “So we kept going and finally got trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole.”
The drug was 100 percent effective in treating and preventing Pneumocystis in laboratory models, as well as in patients with cancer. Later studies by Hughes showed the drug had the same effect in individuals with HIV/AIDS, for whom Pneumocystis was the most frequent cause of death. Today, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole is the drug of choice when treating pneumonia in the approximately 33 million people worldwide with HIV/AIDS.
Hughes and his team of St. Jude researchers later developed the drugs dapsone and atovaquone, also standard treatments for preventing Pneumocystis in patients with HIV/AIDS. Recent data show that about 4.5 million HIV/AIDS patients are receiving one of the St. Jude drugs to prevent Pneumocystis pneumonia, in addition to the individuals who receive those drugs for cancer, organ transplants and congenital immunodeficiency.
Shortly after St. Jude founder Danny Thomas’ 1987 declaration that HIV/AIDS was a catastrophic disease of children, the hospital established a pediatric HIV/AIDS clinical program. Hughes recruited Patricia Flynn, MD, to help develop it.
“From the beginning, Dr. Hughes had the incredible insight to look at how treatment modalities similar to the ‘Total therapies’ that were being used for leukemia interventions would likely be necessary to combat HIV infection,” says Flynn, director of Clinical Research in the hospital’s Department of Infectious Diseases.
St. Jude began treating hemophilia patients who developed HIV and later expanded the program to focus on infants born to HIV-infected mothers. In 1992, the hospital received a federal grant to establish St. Jude as a National Institutes of Health Pediatric AIDS Clinical Trials Unit. The funding allowed St. Jude to participate in the first national, landmark study to reduce the transmission of HIV from mother to infant.
“It was a tremendous advancement,” says Flynn, who holds the Arthur Ashe Chair in Pediatric AIDS Research at St. Jude. “We had a few drugs that could be used to treat HIV infection, but we had no idea whether or not those drugs were safe to give to pregnant women. Would they be able to tolerate their potential toxicity? If so, did the drugs have any chance at successfully preventing the transmission of infection?”
The results were astonishing. The ACTG-076 study showed that HIV transmission was reduced by two-thirds when the antiretroviral drug zidovudine, or AZT, was given to infected women during pregnancy and to babies shortly after birth.
Mother-to-child transmission rates continued to decline nationally, with St. Jude helping reduce the numbers locally. In the past nine years, fewer than 20 babies have been born with HIV in the Memphis area. In 2010, only one baby was born to an HIV-infected mother. That number dwindled to zero in 2011.
Current research at St. Jude continues to monitor the long-term effects of therapy in infants who were exposed to HIV and the drugs to treat and prevent HIV infection but who do not have the virus themselves.
As prevention improved in infants, a spike in HIV infection rates among teens and young adults in the late 1990s led St. Jude to shift its focus and expand research and prevention programs targeting teens and adolescents. These included the Reaching for Excellence in Adolescent Care and Health (REACH) behavioral study and the Adolescent Trials Group, which is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Through the latter, St. Jude and a network of community partners provide HIV education and intervention programs that target general and high-risk populations, encourage testing and help to de-stigmatize HIV/AIDS.
“We’ve moved away from the old days when patients had to take handfuls of pills three times a day,” says Christine Sinnock, a longtime social worker in the St. Jude HIV/AIDS program. “Research has made it possible to treat the disease without the pill burden, with less frequency and minimal side effects. Yet, people are still dying of HIV because of the stigma and the secrecy.”
Sinnock says myths and ignorance about the disease continue to create barriers for patients trying to access care. Helping patients overcome their social struggles will continue to be just as critical to their survival as providing medications to prolong their lives.
“We have a holistic team of clinicians in our program to treat the whole person—not just the diagnosis,” Sinnock says. “Many of our patients are inner-city youth who come into treatment with a host of challenges, and we get an opportunity to try to turn things around for them.”
That’s where Sharmain steps in—frequently speaking to peer groups at St. Jude and in the community about how she overcame her past struggles and the burden of living with HIV/AIDS.
“From a negative situation came my positive outlook on life,” Sharmain says. “Who I am is not defined by my illness; it’s defined by my attitude. The people at St. Jude have shown me that I have options, and that I don’t have to sit in a corner and cry and think my life is over.
“My life is far from over.”
Reprinted from Promise Autumn 2012 | <urn:uuid:a4311952-e4bb-41df-a30e-b7566b9b5012> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.stjude.org/stjude/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=bbafb6e0a5fd9310VgnVCM100000290115acRCRD&vgnextchannel=283437268b4d9310VgnVCM100000290115acRCRD | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96984 | 1,750 | 2.171875 | 2 |
BIO 222 Biology of the Invertebrates
A course designed to provide students with an introduction to the diversity of invertebrate organisms through lectures, reading and discussion of primary literature, student presentations, and laboratory work. Emphasis is placed on structure, functional morphology, physiology, ecology, and evolution. A field trip to a marine field station has been included in the past few years. This course is offered in the spring semester, 2006-2007 and alternate years.
Prerequisite: Biology 101 or 112. | <urn:uuid:faad7920-c12f-45ef-943a-1ab80de7eada> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wabash.edu/bulletin/home.cfm?this_year=2006&course_id=1354 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.928297 | 104 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Adopt a Library: One Young World Nigeria Launches First ProjectPosted on Thursday, November 11th, 2010 at 9:42 AM
In line with its focus, One Young World Nigeria is launching its first project “Adopt a Library”. The aim of this project is to facilitate refurbishment and creation of libraries in public secondary school. This is informed by the recognition of the malaise in the Nigerian education system. By liaising with the general public, volunteers and alliance partners, One Young World Nigeria seeks to organise collections of reference books, textbooks, storybooks and all forms of literary works to be donated for use in these school libraries.
One Young World Nigeria (OYWON) is a movement that was birthed from the One Young World global youth summit held in London from February 8 to 10, 2010. The summit, conceived in 2009, brought together young people from over 100 countries around the world to engage in discussions with forerunners from all walks of life, including Mr. Kofi Annan, Bob Geldof, Muhammad Yunus, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu on issues confronted by present and future generations. As an outcome, a consciousness was raised amongst delegates at the summit to play active roles in addressing pressing issues faced globally and within their respective countries.
According to a statement issued by Miss Kaidi Eddie-Obiakor, the group’s coordinator, OYWON is a joint initiative of the Nigerian delegates to the summit and other young, intelligent and progressive-thinking individuals passionate about social justice and development. It is a platform that seeks to promote change through projects that integrate principles of creativity, resourcefulness, measurable impact and sustainability at the core. According to her, “the group seeks to create an avenue where everyone – young and old – can be involved in the process of positive change for Nigeria by sharing ideas of projects that are targeted towards improving lives and livelihood. These ideas are built upon and dissected into simple, practical and actionable activities that are easy to carry out in collaboration with OYWON volunteers, organizations with common goals and the general public”. OYWON seeks to engender and promote the culture of “less talk, more action”. “We all know the issues, so let us join efforts to confront and overcome even if one step at a time”, she said.
Further details on the “Adopt a Library” project and other initiatives of OYWON may be found on the group’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/oywon. Be a part of the wave…One Young World Nigeria.
To get involved in current and future OYWON projects, share your ideas or find out more, you can contact us via www.oneyoungworldnigeria.com or through the following numbers: + 234 80 23 32 65 13, +234 80 5557 7642, +234 80 7409 0212, +234 80 37 32 95 29, +234 80 5600 4586, +234 80 60 07 80 28, +234 80 89 59 85 26. | <urn:uuid:089d68de-b23c-4079-9898-9c6b0afece54> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bellanaija.com/2010/11/11/adopt-a-library-one-young-world-nigeria-launches-first-project/ | 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 | 0.926584 | 639 | 2.046875 | 2 |
Cascade Elementary in Marysville raises $3,220 for leukemia care, research
By KIRK BOXLEITNER
Marysville Globe Reporter
April 2, 2010 · 12:38 PM
MARYSVILLE — In just three weeks, the students of Cascade Elementary raised $3,220.73 through a penny drive for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, which they presented to the group, complete with an oversized check, at an assembly on March 18.
"Last year, we raised almost $600 for the society," said Tammie Hogan, TOSA and Title I coordinator for the school. "This school is hurting, but its heart isn't broken."
Hogan and Therese Randall, the school's student council coordinator, speculated that this year's increased haul, which was generated from Feb. 22 through March 12, might be attributable in part to the "briefcases" that students received — cardboard boxes with string handles, each the size of a box of animal crackers — to fill with their daily collections of coins.
"It helped them remember, I think," Randall said. "They loved shaking the money out."
"We hear that's the case a lot in elementary schools," said Katie Dahl, school and youth campaign coordinator for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Hogan described the students as committed to filling up their briefcases every day, so much that none of them even mentioned the pizza party that was promised to the highest earners. Second-grader David Hernandez sat outside a bowling alley to help collect his $122 toward the cause, while fourth-grader Trevor Fisher went a long way toward generating his $250 for the society by setting up a table outside of a gun show in Puyallup. The two raised more money than any other individual students at the school.
"They all loved the competition," Randall said. "You could see them talking about it in the halls."
"The kick-off assembly got them into it too," Hogan said. "The kids acted out the part of red and white blood cells. They've been pillars of responsibility."
Dahl elaborated that the assembly educated students on how their funds would go toward medical research and providing care for patients and their families.
"Cascade is a place you come to for its atmosphere, not its aesthetics," Hogan said. "We have good kids with good hearts here."Contact Marysville Globe Reporter Kirk Boxleitner at email@example.com or 360-659-1300 Ext. 5052. | <urn:uuid:a43851be-6d0f-4aa9-98ac-d04a2f9b8a83> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.marysvilleglobe.com/community/89791737.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96827 | 535 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Google Maps is good, much better than Apple Maps. We all know that. But in his write-up of the new app, New York Times reviewer David Pogue said that even Google thought its new design was superior to the same app on Android.
Maybe that unnamed Google employee was just playing a sales-and-marketing role, talking the app up to generate interest, but it's still a shocking statement.
Product ecosystems are one of the most fiercely competitive areas of tech right now. Companies like Amazon, Google and Microsoft generally keep the best features of their products for themselves and deliver merely adequate iterations for other platforms.
So is the Google Maps app for Apple's iOS really better than Google's baked-in, native version for Android?
It depends on what it's used for. Those who expected the Apple app to be a lesser version of Android's software are wrong -- but those expecting a carbon copy of the Android experience are also sorely mistaken.
The basic, core experience is essentially identical. Maps are the same, as are search results.. Both provide walking directions, public transit routes and voice-guided, turn-by-turn navigation. Street view and 3-D maps are included. There's no critical flaw in either app that makes one significantly better or worse than the other.
But make no mistake: these are different apps.
The Apple iOS version quickly and cleanly delivers the needed navigation data. From the very first screen, the experience is simply more intuitive. Instead of a search button in the bottom corner of the screen, the iOS app has a search bar along the top, instantly guiding people to the most frequently used feature of a maps app.
Next to that is a button taking users to a menu where they can choose among preset locations for home, work and other saved locations. That saves you from repeatedly entering the same addresses. The Android version has this feature, but it's buried in a layer under the app's home screen, obscuring it from the sight of less savvy smartphone users.
And then's the info cards. When a user searches for a point of interest and taps on a pin, the information pops up in a bar at the bottom, instead of as an overlayed box on the map. Tap that box and it moves up, occupying 2/3 of the screen (leaving the last 1/3 for the existing map). You can swipe left and right to move between different search results, and can dig into business info, Zagat ratings and navigation options. When you're finished, you simply swipe down and you're back at the home screen. | <urn:uuid:7ff0d379-fd8b-4e75-83a4-2fb553c50467> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kcra.com/news/money/Google-thinks-maps-app-better-on-iPhone/-/11797182/17767538/-/79r3rrz/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946544 | 531 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Biology | Vascular Plants
B300 | 0573 | Gastony, G
Course Format: Lectures 11:15-12:05 MW, JH124 plus one laboratory session
per week on M or T.
Prerequisites: An introductory biology course.
Course Description: This is a remarkably well organized and informative
course with excellent and caring AIs. The professor received the 2001
Senior Class Award for Teaching Excellence in Biology and Dedication to
Undergraduates. Vascular plants are commonly known as the "higher plants"
and are the dominant plants in the world today, those that we constantly
see around us in the natural world and those that we cultivate and use for
landscaping, house plants and food. Course focuses on the major kinds or
groups of extant vascular plants and studies in detail and from an
evolutionary perspective the morphologies, life cycles, identification,
classification, and economic importance of these groups. Laboratory
sessions and one spring field trip provide hands-on experience in analyzing
plant structures, using identification keys, preparing and working with
herbarium specimens, and reconstructing phylogenetic relationships among
plant groups with and without computer assistance. In a semester-long lab
project, the life cycle of a fern is examined from the sowing of spores to
fertilization in gametophytes and the early development of sporophytes.
The course progresses from groups most like the earliest evolved land
plants to the most recently evolved major group, the angiosperms or
flowering plants that dominate most of the earth's land surface today.
Approximately the first third of the course deals with the more primitive
vascular plants (the whisk ferns, clubmosses, spike mosses, quillworts,
horsetails, and ferns), concluding with he more primitive seed-producing
plants (the gymnosperms such as the cycads, Ginkgo, and pines). The final
two thirds of the course is devoted to the flowering plants, with lectures
covering their reproductive biology and other shared characteristics as
well as the taxonomy, identification, economic importance, and other
features of some of their most important and commonly encountered families.
Required text: ClassPac of selected textbook chapters. Selected journal
articles will also be assigned. Laboratory manual consists of bound
xeroxed lab exercises designed for this course.
Weekly assignments: Read relevant pages from the text and study lecture notes.
Exams/Papers: Occasional pop quizzes with lowest quiz score dropped; three
lecture exams; three laboratory practical exams; all exams count. | <urn:uuid:95551c41-017e-4bfe-8218-2deab849b589> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.indiana.edu/~deanfac/blspr02/biol/biol_b300_0573.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.901618 | 559 | 2.703125 | 3 |
• Canada Geese - Permits
• Canada Geese - Problem Wildlife Page
• Commercial Hunting Guides Application and Permit for Commercial Hunting Guides to Use State Land, list of commercial hunting guides authorized to use state lands, and more information about guiding on state-owned lands.
• Deer Damage Permits These permits are issued by your local field office for crop damage. If you are experiencing crop damage by deer contact your local office for assistance (click on "Field Offices" on the left tool bar). An assessment is completed to determine if the damage being inflicted is severe enough to warrant issuing permits. The permits are of no charge, and are used only to address crop damage at the time it is occuring.
More info coming soon.
• Deer Management Permits These permits are also known as "Block Permits." They are allotted to landowners who need more licenses than they can legally buy. These licenses can only be used during the hunting seasons, and are purchased by the landowner. The permit is issued to a landowner for antlerless deer only. A DMAP may be re-issued to someone else by the landowner. The hunter must have an appropriate deer hunting license (Archery, Firearm, Combination, or Antlerless) for the season to receive a DMAP.
• Dog Training Fox Hound Training Permit and Special Dog Training Area Permit
• Falconry Information about how to get started in falconry.
• Field Dog Trials A permit is required to conduct a field dog trial - defined as a trial or meet, advertised as such and open to entry by persons whose dogs qualify, in which not less than four participants, with dogs, are permitted to dog-train in competition or contest.
• Game Bird Hunting Preserves Pheasants, bobwhite quail, Hungarian partridge, mallard ducks and exotic game birds may be raised and released for
hunting for an extended season on hunting preserves licensed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
• Game Bird Release Permits Licensed hunting preserve operators possessing pheasants, bobwhite quail, or Hungarian partridge are authorized to issue Game Bird Release Permits to their customers wishing to purchase more than 12 of these birds live (or their eggs) for release or personal consumption.
• Permit Application for Non-Residents to Use Dogs for Hunting Black Bear in Michigan
• Permits to Hold Wildlife in Captivity Permits to authorize the possession of animals reared in captivity only. They do not authorize the possession of animals taken from the wild. Only licensed wildlife rehabilitators can possess injured or orphaned animals from the wild.
• Project Control Application and Permit A permit for use of pesticides outside of buildings in Michigan to control the depredations of pigeons, starlings, or English sparrows.
• Scientific Collector's Permits A Scientific Collector's Permit is issued by the DNR Wildlife Division permit specialist for the collection, possession/handling, transportation, or disposing of wild birds or wild mammals (living or dead or parts thereof) or the nests or eggs of wild birds, for scientific or educational purposes in the state of Michigan.
• Taxidermy A taxidermy permit is required of any person to conduct a taxidermy business or to engage in preparing or mounting the skins, plumage or parts thereof from any regulated birds or mammals for a fee.
• Threatened/Endangered Species
• Wildlife Damage and Nuisance Control Permits An approved permit is required for all Wildlife Damage and
Nuisance Control Commercial Operators
• Wildlife Rehabilitation Permit Information Information about becoming a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, and related forms. | <urn:uuid:8e139659-dc7f-4ef1-96a0-4f964428524b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://rick.snyder@michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-31574_31580---,00.html | 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 | 0.922673 | 751 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Gay Jews Connect Their Experience To Story of Purim
By Nicole Neroulias
As a child, Idit Klein celebrated Purim by wearing homemade gowns and tiaras to play the beautiful Queen Esther. She fantasized about how she, like the heroine who bravely confessed her faith to save her fellow Jews in ancient Persia, could have somehow rescued her relatives from the Holocaust.
Thirty years later, Klein, the director of Keshet, a Boston-based advocacy group for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Jews, likens Esther’s fearful revelation of her religious faith to the experience of coming out of the closet.
"Purim is really a quintessential coming-out story," said Klein, now 34. "When I came out, I immediately felt the parallels between the experience and the Esther story. There are wonderful and exciting and obvious parallels to the experience of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people."
The raucous costume parties associated with Purim (which begins at sundown March 3 this year) commemorate the 2,500-year-old triumph of the Jews over Haman, the prime minister who had ordered them killed. Salvation came only after Esther told the lovestruck king that she also was Jewish.
Many gay Jews see the story as an allegory for coming out sexually as well as spiritually. Some, including Klein, would like to see Purim become "National Jewish Coming Out Day."
Purim celebrations, during which even traditional Jews embrace cross-dressing and debauchery, serve as unofficial gay pride events, said Scott Gansl, past president of the World Congress of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Jews.
"Purim is gay Jewish Halloween," he said. "Everyone has put on a drag Purim festival, including most straight organizations. It’s a very gender-bending holiday."
If Purim became widely known as National Jewish Coming Out Day, Gansl said, more synagogues might take the opportunity to welcome gay members, both out and closeted.
Another fan of the idea is Abe Rybeck, co-creator of "Pure PolyEsther," a burlesque show last performed by The Theater Offensive at the Boston Center for the Arts in 1999; it’s tentatively scheduled for a revival in 2009. In the production, Esther’s guardians are a gay couple, and her defiant predecessor, Vashti, is a very different kind of queen -- think drag queen.
Rybeck said he wrote the musical as a way to humorously create dialogue about the importance of being true to yourself, whether that means being openly Jewish, openly gay or both.
"Me coming out as queer, as gay, part of the power of being able to do that comes from the Book of Esther," he said. "It really helps people understand oppression and what it looks like to fight for liberation . . . from the threat of death or slavery or the closet."
Although Orthodox Judaism remains opposed to all aspects of homosexuality, the other Jewish movements have made great strides in gay rights in the last decade, Gansl said. Gay rabbis and same-sex marriage ceremonies are permitted in the Reconstructionist and Reform movements, and recently in some segments of the Conservative movement.
As acceptance becomes more widespread and their congregations become more diverse, some historically gay synagogues have begun focusing on other aspects of Purim, beyond the "coming out" interpretation.
Rabbi Lisa Edwards of Los Angeles’ Beth Chayim Chadashim, which calls itself the world’s first gay and lesbian synagogue, said her congregation has no need for a National Jewish Coming Out Day. The 35-year-old community holds religious "coming out services" throughout the year, she said, as commonly as bar and bat mitzvahs.
Instead, the synagogue will mark Purim this year as a day to embrace various cultures. The Megillah -- the Scroll of Esther -- will be read in different languages, and a Ugandan musician will teach Jewish songs from his country.
"In past years, there’s been more focus on dressing in drag and things like that, but that’s kind of less the official focus now," Edwards said. "Now, it’s the ethnic diversity piece, embracing all of who we are."
© 2007 The Washington Post Company | <urn:uuid:6e507d43-c7e5-4bf9-9643-7d5a209068ae> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.glbtjews.org/article.php3?id_article=379 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00067-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963138 | 902 | 2.015625 | 2 |
Bare-Faced Messiah: The true story of L. Ron Hubbard
390pp. Michael Joseph. £12.95.
L. Ron Hubbard was an enigmatic and complex figure, an American guru in the tradition of Joseph Smith, Mary Baker Eddy, Ellen G. White and others less well known. To his followers in the Church of Scientology he was the bearer of a new revelation, a "science of the mind" that would transform the human condition, causing the blind to see, the lame to walk, the ill to recover, the "insane become sane and the sane become saner" - as Hubbard put it in one of his books. To his detractors, which included the FBI, the CIA, the American, British and Australian medical establishments, as well as government, press and media in all three countries, he was either a madman or "one of the most successful and colourful confidence tricksters of the twentieth century", a totalitarian despot who surrounded himself with brainwashed zombies and made millions by exploiting human gullibility and personal distress.
It is both a strength and a limitation of Russell Miller's biography of Hubbard, Bare-Faced Messiah, that he forces no thesis on his readers, allowing them to draw their own conclusion from the facts he uncovers. He contents himself with pointing out the obvious discrepancies between the canonized version of Hubbard's career contained in Church of Scientology publications and those revealed by his own research. Like other preachers and experts in the field of self-promotion, Hubbard lied about his early career or engaged in radical "image enhancement" to impress his auditors. His pre-war explorations and wartime exploits were mostly invented. Far from being a war hero he was sacked from the only command he led in the Navy for sheer incompetence; in one episode he fought a two-day "battle" with a magnetic deposit on the seabed, wasting hundreds of depth charges; in another, he shelled an uninhabited island off the coast of Mexico, almost causing an international incident. He was soon declared unfit for command and relegated to humble desk duties. After the war, however, he would hold his listeners spellbound with tales of heroism "told with perfect aplomb and in complete paragraphs", and claim he had been highly decorated, going to the length of having photographs made of medals he did not possess. In later years when the religion he created had made him a multi-millionaire, he returned to sea as commodore of a private navy consisting mainly of teenage girls, who were trained like robots to relay his expletive-ridden orders using his exact tone of voice.
Con-man or fantasist? Manipulator or victim of delusions of grandeur? The facts presented by Miller be taken either way. But there are clues, in Hubbard's childhood, in his career as a writer of science-fiction and in the increasing Howard Hughes-style reclusiveness in which he spent the final years before his death in 1986, that suggest the second alternative. His is the type, not of fraud, but of imposture. The conflicts of his life developed, not from a perceived difference between truth and falsehood, but (as Fawn Brodie remarked of Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon Church) "between what he really was and what he most desperately wanted to be". The con-man deliberately lies to deceive, deriving money or satisfaction from the gullibility of his victim. The impostor lies, or embellishes the truth in order to sustain his fantasy. For this he must have an audience, preferably one that will reflect and enhance his false self-image, making it real. Hubbard's penchant for science fiction and his prodigious feats of writing (he would type manically all night, never revising or even looking at his scripts before sending them to the pulp magazines which published them) suggest, an exceptional need to escape the mundane realities of ordinary living. His genius lay in embracing his followers in his fantasies of a modern, secularized version of the millenium. In particular, he seems to have had, like Joseph Smith, uncanny powers of suggestion, inducing visions or "out of body experiences" in his subjects, or enabling them to recall the traumas attendant on birth. Miller is to be congratulated for his meticulous research in separating fact from fiction, reality from myth in Hubbard's remarkable and ultimately tragic life. It is a pity, however, that he is so reticent in offering explanations, either of Hubbard's unusual powers or the reasons why so many bright and able young people allowed themselves to be ensnared by the cult he created, with its totalitarian power structure, spiritual junk-food and nonsensical quasi-theology. | <urn:uuid:abf4c969-2459-428b-81ed-d805e7cb880d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Library/Shelf/miller/rvwruth.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00054-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977842 | 957 | 1.609375 | 2 |
The taxi problem
A witness sees a crime involving a taxi in Carborough. The witness says that the taxi is blue. It is known from previous research that witnesses are correct 80% of the time when making such statements. The police also know that 85% of the taxis in Carborough are blue, the other 15% being green. What is the probability that a blue taxi was involved in the crime?
Thanks to Steve Kallenborn from Switzerland for correcting the originally published version of this problem. | <urn:uuid:796badab-2530-430c-b671-ba610eecd950> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://plus.maths.org/content/taxi-problem | 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 | 0.978549 | 102 | 2.03125 | 2 |
Are you a descendant of the House of David? If you have ever wondered if blue
blood flows through your veins, you might consider visiting the King David
Private Museum and Research Center, which reopened on Monday in its new location
in central Tel Aviv.
Better yet, run your name through the museum’s
online database that curators vow will accurately tell you whether you are
related to the monarch from the 10th century BCE
The museum, which was founded by
Jewish-American philanthropist Susan Roth, is dedicated to telling the story of
the ginger shepherd from Bethlehem who became the leader of the Jewish
“We want to show who King David was not only here – but also in
America and other countries – and especially here because right now the younger
generation consider themselves simply Israeli, not Jews,” Roth said in an
interview after the museum’s rededication.
The small exhibition, which
was previously housed in the Old City of Jerusalem, provides various depictions
of the Hebrew king from throughout history including famous paintings and
sculptures by the likes of Michelangelo and others. In addition, it displays a
few archeological artifacts related to his life including ancient slingshots and
pebbles, similar to the ones David is said to have used to slay the mighty
Philistine giant Goliath.
“This museum is proof that we would are not a
nation of 63 years as some would like us to believe, but in fact we are a nation
[that is] 3,000 years old – and that we didn’t take this country from anybody,”
said Roth. “In fact, it was taken from us several times.”
Don’t try to
ascribe a political agenda to the museum, Roth said, sensing the next question,
as you won’t find it.
She is, however, proud of her support of the Tomb
of the Patriarchs in Hebron and of Rachel’s Tomb near Bethlehem.
said she influenced the government during the early ’90s under prime ministers
Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres and funded protests to keep Rachel’s Tomb in
“The government realized that they can’t give it away, and
that’s how it was saved,” she said.
Roth, who claims to be a direct
descent of David, is royalty in another sense. She is the daughter of Pesach and
Lilian Burstein, and the twin sister of Mike Burstein.
family made up the Four Bursteins, the internationally famous Yiddish theater
troupe. She is proud of her pedigree but said her interest in Judaism as a
religious way of life and in Kabbala did not stem from her upbringing. Rather,
it came much later, only as an adult.
“There was no religion connected to
it,” she said. “My parents and my brother and I were actors. In a way it was the
forerunner of what I’m doing now, since we were entertaining the survivors who
needed to hear a Jewish word because they lost everything.”
But if you’re one for science you might not be impressed by the replicas, artifacts and other tchotchkes on display. The only non-biblical evidence that refers to the House of David is the Tel Dan Stele, a replica of which is shown at the entrance to the exhibition. And its authenticity is disputed by some scholars.
“There’s no doubt a historical King David
existed, because the scribes of the Bible give us detailed accounts that fit in
with other sources of the time,” noted archaeologist Israel Finkelstein said
over the phone on Monday. “But the Bible itself is ambiguous in describing the
kingdom in various ways and with various boundaries – one time it says [the
kingdom] straddled Dan to Beersheba, and another time the Euphrates to
Finkelstein said David may have been a leader of great import in
the history of the Kingdom of Judea but that archeological evidence directly
related to him was extremely scarce. Furthermore, what does exist suggests he
ruled over much less of the land than what was credited to him in the biblical
narrative. Finkelstein suggested we think of David as a chieftain of a small but
ambitious tribe rather than a mighty king lording over distant lands.
founder of a 10th-century BCE dynasty in the Judean Hills existed, but it
doesn’t mean he had the power later attributed to him,” Finkelstein
For most believers, however, including Roth, the Holy Scriptures do
not allow such a minimalist interpretation.
She is a staunch believer in
David the Great. And if more people learned about him and even discovered that
they were his direct descendants – which she believes can be scientifically
proven – then the Jewish people would truly fulfill its destiny of being a light
upon the nations.
“Come to the museum,” she implores the
“Come and you will see that David wasn’t a myth.” | <urn:uuid:92a2b4fa-c37d-4b12-a949-8cfc38d5ad71> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jpost.com/JewishWorld/JewishFeatures/Article.aspx?id=252903 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963877 | 1,103 | 2.171875 | 2 |
Re-posted as part of “Best of Chicago Art Magazine” Originally published October, 2009
It is a strange relationship that exists between artists and critics, with critics reliant upon artists for their prima materia, while artists begrudgingly covet the praise and recognition of the critics. With the rising popularity of art blogs, however, full-time critics are no longer the sole purveyors of this attention, and some of their duties are being assumed by art bloggers and fellow artists.
Some art blogs, like Art Fag City, are run by full-time writers. Many art bloggers, however, are themselves artists: Bad At Sports resident blogger Meg Onli is herself a practicing artist, whose work I recently reviewed on The Gallery Crawl And So Much More… The Gallery Crawl is itself run by my wife Stephanie Burke, herself a photographer. Stephanie and I both also write for Art Talk Chicago and the Chicago Art Map, both run by Kathryn Born, who is a writer of poetry and fiction as well as of art criticism. Whether or not this chain eventually leads to Kevin Bacon, I’m not sure.
When artists write art criticism, an apparent paradox occurs, as the artist and the critic, widely believed to be natural enemies, become one. It could be argued that the skills necessary to criticize art (a mixture of philosophy, rhetoric, critical theory, and writing) are different from those necessary in its making. This may be true in terms of inclinations and predispositions to aptitude, but just about every artist since Warhol has been expected to execute and defend his or her own work within a critical framework. If an artist today finds a critical apparatus necessary to the making of his or her own work, why should that apparatus not be applied to the work of others?
Just as Roosevelt says it is the critic “who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better,” it is the artist “who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause, who at best knows achievement and who at the worst if he fails at least fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
An artist’s criticism of another artist’s work is held in tension between camaraderie and competition, between “I know what it’s like” and “I could do better.” All artists share a bond, as we have passed through the same fire. This experience makes us admire skilled and intelligent solutions but makes us skeptical of easy answers and obvious shortcuts. A full-time critic can learn these distinctions, and the best of them do, but there is always something different between knowing a thing to be true (because you have learned it) and understanding the thing (because you have done it).
There is the concern of whether an artist might be reluctant to criticize harshly an exhibition at a gallery with whom he or she might want to show in the future. My solution is simple: I don’t write about bad work. This may sound at first like a bit of a cop-out, but I don’t think so. As much fun as it would be to write a review of something terrible, there really isn’t much point beyond the gratification of talking shit. When writing for Art Talk Chicago, this is a non-issue; ATC doesn’t publish straight-up negative reviews. But when writing elsewhere, I could trash bad work if I wanted to. I choose not to, and for two reasons. The first is that, yes, I would be reluctant to say something harsh about a show at a gallery with whom I might want to show. Secondly, however, and far more importantly, is that I think that the best response to bad work is to ignore it. There is enough good work out there, especially in a city like Chicago, deserving of far more attention than it receives, that a writer should have no need to review mediocre work.
Attention, after all, is a commodity: that free booze the galleries hand out every Friday night isn’t really free; they’re buying your attention. As an artist, I want exposure, I want attention. Don’t we all? As a viewer, and even more so as a critic, I am on the opposite side of that equation. As a viewer and reader, so are you. Our attention, our eyes, are the commodity that galleries, and artists, covet. It is our attention that gives good artists the semi-celebrity status that allows them (and their galleries) to sell work for thousands or even millions. Critics’ praise and viewers’ attention is what creates the market; we trade our attention for free booze and a free art-viewing experience.
Unlike reviews of products or of popular culture such as music and film, where the reviewer acts to advise the reader whether a given product is worth the reader’s money or not, reviews of art serve to get more people out there looking at art, and giving those people a better understanding of what they’re seeing. Full-time critics might do well to dissect and in some cases dismiss mediocre work, but artists writing about the work of their peers might do best to simply draw attention to work that deserves it.
Full-time critics still have a role to play, and letting us know when shows are overrated is part of that role. It should not typically be regarded, however, like a review in any other field, where we are advised to avoid a piece of film, music, or literature. When Jerry Saltz describes Daniel Birnbaum’s curatorial choices at the Venice Biennale as being basically conservative and as-expected for a biennial these days, I can’t imagine that he’s suggesting that anyone otherwise considering attending the Venice Biennale cancel their travel plans. Rather, it takes the pulse of things, offers guidance for artists (and curators) contemplating their next move, and gives viewers some context for understanding what they’re seeing.
Artists writing criticism can do much the same thing. We can express our admiration for our peers who are doing good work, and we can question decisions of which we are skeptical. I don’t think of myself as a critic; I go out, I look at art, and I report on what I see that I like. My main motive is to make people aware of what’s out there, and to motivate them to get out there and see it; any actual criticism that occurs is incidental to this goal. Other artist-critics in Chicago do more real criticism: Bert Stabler and Steve Kush Ruiz come to mind. I’ve seen Stabler’s work at Home Gallery and recently at Antena, and I also reviewed his curatorial project Salad-Church-Exercise. I’ve only recently become aware of Ruiz’s work, through his website and his criticism blog. Both are good examples of artists who fit comfortably into the critic’s hat as well, and they are a welcome addition to Chicago’s local criticism scene. | <urn:uuid:50f743b8-64a2-4b77-a45e-5728a95bd0b9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://chicagoartmagazine.com/2010/08/nut-up-or-shut-up-the-artist-as-critic/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967763 | 1,541 | 1.53125 | 2 |
The term round-robin
was originally used to describe a document signed by multiple parties in a circle to make it more difficult to determine the order in which it was signed, thus preventing a ringleader from being identified. The term has evolved to account for any activity in which a group of resources is interacted with singularly and in a circular order.
may also refer to a letter with a single author copied and sent to multiple recipients, as when one sends out family news on holidays; this is also called a circular
Circular is a basic geometric shape such as a Circle.Circular may also refer to:-Documents:*Circular note, a document request by a bank to its foreign correspondents to pay a specified sum of money to a named person...
. Gatherings among friends or neighbors where each course is held in a different house, commonly during the holiday season, may also be called a round-robin. This is more commonly referred to as a progressive dinner/supper
A progressive dinner or safari supper is a dinner party in which each successive course is prepared and eaten at the residence of a different host. Alternatively, each course may be eaten at a different dining area within a single large establishment. It is essentially a variant on a potluck...
The modern use of the term dates from the 17th Century French
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
A ribbon or riband is a thin band of material, typically cloth but also plastic or sometimes metal, used primarily for binding and tying. Cloth ribbons, most commonly silk, are often used in connection with clothing, but are also applied for innumerable useful, ornamental and symbolic purposes...
). This described the practice of signatories to petitions against authority (usually Government officials petitioning the Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
) appending their names on a document in a non-hierarchical circle or ribbon pattern (and so disguising the order in which they have signed) so that none may be identified as a ringleader.
This practice was adopted by sailors petitioning officers in the Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
(first recorded 1731).
In aviation, a round-robin flight is a cross-country flight that starts at one airport, travels to several other points for fly-over or touch-and-goes, and returns to the airport of origin. Such flights are often flown for cross-country training purposes.
In computing, "round-robin" describes a method of choosing a resource for a task from a list of available ones, usually for the purposes of load balancing
Load balancing is a computer networking methodology to distribute workload across multiple computers or a computer cluster, network links, central processing units, disk drives, or other resources, to achieve optimal resource utilization, maximize throughput, minimize response time, and avoid...
. Such may be distribution of incoming requests to a number of processors, worker threads or servers. As the basic algorithm, the scheduler selects a resource pointed to by a counter from a list, after which the counter is incremented and if the end is reached, returned to the beginning of the list. Round-robin selection has a positive characteristic of preventing starvation
In computer science, starvation is a multitasking-related problem, where a process is perpetually denied necessary resources. Without those resources, the program can never finish its task....
, as every resource will be eventually chosen by the scheduler, but may be unsuitable for some applications where affinity is desirable, for example when assigning a process to a CPU
Processor affinity is a modification of the native central queue scheduling algorithm in a symmetric multiprocessing operating system. Each task in the queue has a tag indicating its preferred / kin processor...
or in link aggregation
Link aggregation or trunking or link bundling or Ethernet/network/NIC bonding or NIC teaming are computer networking umbrella terms to describe various methods of combining multiple network connections in parallel to increase throughput beyond what a single connection could sustain, and to provide...
In sports, round-robin refers to every player or team in a group
taking turns to play one another a set number of times. This may be called the group stage
) of a tournament, prior to the knock-out stage
. (See Round-robin tournament
A round-robin tournament is a competition "in which each contestant meets all other contestants in turn".-Terminology:...
for more information).
In fan fiction
Fan fiction is a broadly-defined term for fan labor regarding stories about characters or settings written by fans of the original work, rather than by the original creator...
, the term commonly denotes a literary work which is written by multiple authors who continually exchange the manuscript. | <urn:uuid:c2e79d6d-c6c0-45c3-a5ff-4ced614b553e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Round-robin | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939875 | 1,088 | 3.59375 | 4 |
Restrictions of freedom
Internment in Psychiatric Hospitals or Wards
Under the 155 th Federal Law of 1 March 1990 on the Internment of Mentally Ill Patients in Hospitals/clinics (Internment Law) , a person who is suffering from a mental illness can be involuntarily interned in a psychiatric hospital, clinic or psychiatric ward if s/he presents a serious and considerable risk to his/her own life or health or that of other people. Another provision for internment is that a person cannot be medically treated or cared for in any other way, particularly outside of an institution. In legal terms "internment" includes the holding of a person in a closed area or subjecting the person to any other form of restriction of movement. A closed area includes a ward where the exit is locked, but also any ward where a person has to ask for permission and to be helped by another person such as a nurse to leave.
Voluntary and involuntary internment
Internment can take place with or without the consent of the person concerned. A personal request for internment can only be accepted if the person is able to understand the reason for and significance of internment and can determine his/her will on the basis of this understanding. The request must be in writing and be made in person before admission.
A person can be interned against his/her will if a doctor in the public health service or a police doctor examines the person and certifies that the conditions for internment have been fulfilled. In practice, a hospital specialist re-examines whether the conditions for internment have been fulfilled. The justification for internment must be given in the certificate. At the request of the patient, of his/her legal representative (e.g. patient advocate or guardian) or the attending doctor a further specialist (i.e. psychiatrist) must issue a certificate to confirm that the requirements for internment have been met. Only when both medical certificates make the same statement may the internment be pursued.
Public security services agents can bring a person before a doctor for examination if they feel that internment would be justified. In case of emergency, the person can be interned without prior examination and certification. This can be done on arrival and duly recorded. As soon as a person has been involuntarily interned, the ward manager must notify the Court immediately and provide copies of the relevant medical reports.
The procedure for internment
Although doctors are responsible for the decision to intern a person in a psychiatric institution, judges are responsible for determining in the course of the court proceedings whether or not the decision was legal. The regulations governing the proceedings are as follows.
Within a period of four days a district court judge must hear the patient in person and review the admissibility of internment for the first time. If the internment requirements are met (i.e. mental illness, danger to oneself or others, no other treatment available), admissibility of internment is declared. Fourteen days later a further court review is held. The court summons experts (at least one psychiatrist who is not affiliated with the hospital) who examine the patient and draw up an assessment. In addition, the patient, the patient's advocate, the medical head of the ward and in some instances family members are interviewed. On the basis of the information obtained, the court again decides whether the internment requirements have been met and whether internment is admissible or not. If the mentally ill patient has to stay in a psychiatric institution, the decision is reviewed in court after 3 months, then after half a year and again after one year. The patient's advocate has to be informed about all procedural steps and all parties have the right to appeal against the court decision.
The first paragraph of the Internment Law states that the rights of mentally ill patients who have been admitted to a hospital/clinic must be especially protected. It is further stated that the human dignity of mentally ill patients must be observed and maintained in all circumstances. The Federal Law of Organised Guardians, Patients’ Advocates, Residential Advocacy [BGBl I 2006/92] is designed to provide the means to protect these rights and the dignity of people who are involuntarily interned.
The patient is represented by the association that is in charge of naming patient advocates. This association is supposed to name patient advocates that it has trained to the responsible court and the responsible psychiatric ward. These patient advocates have been granted the power of representation. The ward manager must inform this person of the identity of the patient's advocate and provide him/her with the opportunity to meet the latter. A person who has been voluntarily interned can also request a patient's advocate.
The patient's advocate must inform the person of intended actions to be taken on his/her behalf and of any other important matters or measures. S/he should also comply with the person's wishes if this would not be detrimental to his/her wellbeing and if it would be reasonable to expect this.
Apart from this mandatory representation each patient also has the possibility of availing him/herself of general patient representation:
Paragraph 11e of the Federal Hospital Establishment Law (KAKuG) of 1957 and subsequent amendments stipulates that the legislation of each "Land" must,
"lay down that independent bodies representing patients shall be available to examine any complaints and on request to look after the interests of patients (patients' spokesmen, ombudsman institutions or similar representation)".
Internment in Residential Homes and General Hospitals
Many mentally ill and mentally handicapped people, who lived in nursing homes or similar institutions, where there was no legal basis for using coercion, nevertheless suffered restrictions of freedom of movement or other coercive measures as part of the daily routine in most of these institutions. As a consequence, on 1 July 2005 a new law came into force, the Residential Stay Law (Heimaufenthaltsgesetz) ). The new law has two central objectives: The protection of residents in nursing homes or other institutions for handicapped persons against restrictions of free movement as well as the support of staff in these institutions when faced with difficult decisions for or against such restrictive measures by providing them with straightforward legal provisions. This law also pertains to restrictive measures that may be taken in outpatient facilities (day clinics or day care facilities, vocational therapy and workshops for people with mental disabilities).
Residential Advocacy in Austria
To secure the implementation of the law a new profession has been created, that of residential advocates. Currently 53 such residential advocates work within the framework of the associations for Guardianship. Their representation encompasses 1,880 homes with 132,151 residential places (31.12.2009). The residential advocates are social workers, professional nurses, but also psychologists, special pedagogues or lawyers. Within the association they underwent special training and have ongoing continuing education. To make the best use of their various professional backgrounds they work together in multi-professional teams. They represent people whose freedom of movement has been restricted. All measures restricting a person’s freedom of movement have to be brought to the attention of the residential advocate. The residential advocate has to follow up this information, visit the residents in the homes and engage in talks. If they consider it necessary they can call in the court to review whether the measure taken is appropriate.
In addition to representing the rights of residents, the residential advocates attempt to engage in close cooperation with the staff of residential homes. In this way, they can serve as focus for the exchange of experience between institutions. In cooperation between residents and all other persons concerned, residential advocates aim at finding alternative solutions to prevent restrictions of free movement.
Admission into a care establishment or home
No one likes to leave their previous home for a care facility. Those affected often react with depression and confusion when they have to yield to their relatives’ pressure or that of doctors and care personnel and express their consent to being admitted to a care home. The provisions of the Law on Guardianship, which have been in force since 2007, also stipulate in §284a of the General Civil Code that an individual or guardian be appointed and that the person affected decides about his/her residence as long as s/he is capable of understanding and making judgements. This means that an individual must be capable of assessing his/her own life situation independent from an existing guardianship measure (e.g. how much care s/he needs and whether there are sufficient financial and personal resources available). Usually, people in need of assistance also require care in a home and their will is thus “diminished”. Apart from these practical requirements that also exist for mentally healthy people, a guardian can decide on the place of residence (and thus also about admission into a care home) if for psychological reasons a person is not (or no longer) capable of assessing the pros and cons of the matter. The guardian’s decision requires preliminary approval from the responsible guardianship court if the proposed change of place of residence is to be permanent. If, however, the person affected still refuses to leave his/her home and if there is also a danger (as defined by the law on involuntary internment), this person may be brought by force to a psychiatric ward but not to a care facility (see 126.96.36.199). Often it is necessary to spend a long time dealing with the affected person’s case. These long periods of time may, however, as the legislator has stated in the amended law on guardianship, also be of great therapeutic importance as otherwise the legitimacy of coercive measures might result in less effort being made to try to persuade someone to accept the proposed measure.
Search to find a missing person
According to § 24 (3) of the Law on Security Police, the security authorities are responsible for carrying out a search for a person who is unable to help him/herself or if s/he constitutes a serious and considerable risk to the life and health of others due to a mental handicap. According to Margarete Blaha , the existence of a mental handicap must be substantiated, e.g. by proof that the person is subject to trusteeship or by a medical certificate. Although mental handicap is specified in § 24 (3) equal importance is given to the inability to help oneself and the possibility of risk. Consequently, it applies to people with dementia.
Restriction of personal liberty
Unlawfully depriving a person of his/her freedom or restricting his/her personal freedom in any way constitutes a crime according to § 99 of the Penal Code. The prison sentence can be for up to three years. If, however, the deprivation of freedom lasts for longer than one month, if it is carried out in such a way as to entail particular suffering or in conditions which could be linked to extreme suffering, the prison sentence can be from one to ten years.
The Internment Law also addresses the issue of restriction of freedom or movement in any way. Paragraph 32 states that the nature, extent and duration of the restrictive measure (including medication and care) must be proportionate to the need and is in any case only permissible insofar as it is necessary to prevent danger to the life or health of the person restrained or to another person. A person should not be confined to one room. Without special notification of the patient advocate, s/he can only be restricted to several rooms or to particular spatial areas.
More drastic measures such as restricting the freedom of movement to one room or within a room must be specially ordered by the treating doctor, recorded along with reasons and notified immediately to the patient's representative. Restriction of movement within a room includes confining a person to a safety bed, to a straightjacket, fastening or tying a person to a chair or bed and/or administering strong sedatives to prevent a person from moving about. Such measures can only be used as a last resort. In all cases, both the patient's advocate and the person concerned are entitled to take legal action in order to review a restrictive measure.
According to the Residential Stay Law, in nursing homes and similar institutions, all measures ofwhich involve restricting people in their free movement have to be brought to the attention of the residential advocate, who is entitled to take legal action to review all restrictive measures .
If a doctor suspects that someone's actions have brought about the death of another or caused grievous bodily harm or if a person who is incapable of looking after his/her interests is mistreated, tortured, abandoned or sexually abused, s/he is obliged to communicate this to whoever is personally affected or to the relevant authorities (§ 54 (4) of the Physicians Law of 1998). In the case of abuse, neglect, torture or abuse of a legally incompetent adult, the doctor should also report his/her findings to the Court. This obligation does not conflict with the doctor's duty to maintain professional secrecy, provided that the potential benefit to the patient in reporting the facts outweighs that of maintaining secrecy. This obligation to make a report also applies if the perpetrator of the abuse is another doctor.
Paragraph 83 of the Penal Code states that it is an offence to cause bodily injury or to damage a person's health, even if this occurs as a result of negligence. Damage to a person's health or injury caused by neglect and as a result of mistreatment would be equally punishable.
The Second Protection against Violence Act of 2009 has a section on persistent perpetration of violence (Paragraph 107b of the Penal Code concerning continued use of violence) which results in the examination of acts of violence in their entirety over a prolonged period of time (rather than in terms of each isolated act) and also covers various forms of maltreatment not resulting in bodily injury such as slaps in the face (United Division for the Advancement of Women, 2011).
Under the same act, a person who is the victim of violence in his/her own home can apply for a court injunction to order the perpetrator to leave the home and not return and this is not restricted to family members. The violent act could be in the form of physical assault, threat or behaviour which threatens the mental health of the victim (Paragraph 382b of the Enforcement Order).
A diagnosis of dementia does not automatically lead to the withdrawal of a person's driving licence . Section 5 (§ 24 and 25) of the 120 th Federal Law of 1997 on the Driving Licence deals with the withdrawal of, restrictions on and termination of the entitlement to drive.
According to this law, if a person is found to be lacking the capability which was previously a precondition for entitlement to a driving licence or is found to be unreliable when driving, his/her driving licence can be withdrawn. Alternatively, the validity of the licence can be limited by time and by temporal, spatial or material restrictions. This means that a person could be limited to only drive on certain roads, in a particular area, for a certain amount of time or between certain times.
Before a licence can be withdrawn or restricted on the grounds of insufficient suitability for health reasons, a specialist report issued by an official doctor must be obtained. If it is decided to withdraw or restrict a licence, the period of time for which the measure is to apply must be pronounced. If the withdrawal is due to unreliability in traffic, the period should not be less than three months.
The UN Secretary-General’s database on violence against women (2011), Summary of the Second Protection against Violence Act 2009. Accessed on 9 February 2011 at:
Barth/Ganner (Hrsg),Handbuch des Sachwalterrechts², Wien (2008)
Barth/Engel,Heimrecht, Wien (2004)
Kopetzki,Grundriss des Unterbringungsrechts², Wien (2005)
Strickmann,Heimaufenthaltsrecht, Wien (2008)
Federal Law Gazette 1990/155 in the version FLG 2010/18 = BGBl 1990/155 idF (in der Fassung)BGBl I 2010/18
Federal Law Gazette 1 2004/11 in the version of FLG 1 2010/18=BGBL I 2004/11 idF BGBl I 2010/18
Regierungsvorlage zum Sachwalterrechts-Änderungsgesetz 2006 1420 BlgNR XXII GP.
Information provided in connection with the Lawnet conference on 11 May 1999
155 th Federal Law of 1 March 1990 on the Internment of Mentally Ill Patients in Psychiatric Hospitals, Federal Law Gazette 1 2004/11 in the version of FLG 1 2010/18=BGBl 1990/155 idF BGBl I 2010/18
Residential Stay Law, Federal Law Gazette 1 2004/11 in the version of FLG 1 2010/18=BGBl I 2004/11 idF BGBl I 2010/18
Information provided by Margarete Blaha in connection with the Lawnet conference on 11 May 1999
Last Updated: mercredi 14 mars 2012 | <urn:uuid:c9284c89-8ea5-422a-b18d-6df42c09134a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.alzheimer-europe.org/FR%E9%8D%9F%E6%AD%8C%E4%BC%A3%E7%91%9C%EF%BF%BD%E7%90%9A%D1%83%E6%9A%A9%E9%91%B1%EF%BF%BD/Policy-in-Practice2/Country-comparisons/Restrictions-of-freedom/Austria | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943752 | 3,499 | 2.25 | 2 |
A DRAMATIST’S TALE: Living Life and Writing BIG by Sally J. Walker
The majority of people, young and older alike, begin creating tentatively, insecure in the “worthiness” of the creation. The young know they will be “judged” by their teachers; the older folks feel they will be judged by their peers, family, friends. Some unleash a hunger for “how this artistic discipline works” and go on to study and diligently practice. The lucky few find mentors who give them permission to explore and grow into unchartered realms. A select number of these Creatives then become the icons who go where their predecessors could not imagine or attempt. In turn, the elite of these can open their souls to become the mentors of those who come to them hungry for knowledge and advice. This is the cycle of the creative life. And it begins with the niggling desire to create what glimmers to life in the mind, the concept that nags until the person brings it into the light and makes it real. The true creative soul lurks in the person who cannot ignore the “calling” to begin.
Is merely the DESIRE to create a cinematic story enough? For some just getting it into words is enough, but for others (like me) there is the whispering in the mind that wants more, more of everything If you thought “Well, of course. The screenwriter wants to see the story on the screen.” You would be wrong.
FROM LIFE TO STORY
Even the very young can make up stories. I can vividly remember when I was two and imagined my dolls, farm animals and even people in my mind having conversations and experiences that were fun adventures. As I expanded my life experience the imagining grew exponentially. My mind had more material to incorporate. I learned to read at three and was reading far above my level by the time I entered school. I remember being chastised by my Kindergarten teacher for verbally taking the “Dick, Jane, Sally and Spot” characters beyond their simplistic sentences. My mother perpetually warned me “to get your head out of the clouds.” I just learned how to keep my imagining to myself and write them down. As a story hoarder, I have some of that early scribbling in a trunk full of memorabilia.
Books, TV and film added more ammunition to my imagination. I borrowed because I had no idea what plagiarism even meant. Yet, I was aware that I could tweak and twist stories and characters to fit MY imaginings. About that same time in my elementary school life I began to “correct” dreams I did not like and even remembered that I had done it. Stories and vividly different characters drifted into my dreams. I believe that was because my education was expanding into social problems and history. My mind resonated with empathy for what others had experienced or were enduring. I remember thinking in Sixth Grade I needed to control that part of my imagination because it was emotionally exhausting. At that point I discovered the need to describe the emotions of experience. I practiced on my own emotions then gradually became arrogant enough to describe the emotions of characters in my stories.
In the turmoil and tenuous balancing act of puberty I committed myself to two things, experiencing as much of life in this world as I could and writing about it. I came to those conclusions gradually yet purposefully. I accepted that I had to focus on getting everything I could out of life and learning how to describe my conclusions. Ultimately, that awareness propelled me through the rest of my life as I charged every door and fought every enemy or obstacle.
Initially, learners simply have to practice the rules of grammar so their thoughts can be understood. Awkward sentence construction, misplaced modifiers, misspellings and erroneous punctuation create a chaos the reader cannot interpret. In our elementary and secondary education we are urged to expand our vocabulary and writing increasingly more complex sentences. It is a stunning discovery as an adult to discover we must then become highly selective and practice “less is more.” Why on earth did we have to go to all that work of learning vocabulary and the rules of grammar if good writing relies on the simplest expression? Ah, because education and a memory of a vast range gives us choices. Yep, it is as simple, yet as complex as that. Writers are wordsmiths who require vast resources to create new characters, new worlds, new experiences.
Anyone can joyfully stride down the road of the imagination, regardless of age, gender, education or experience. A writer—especially a good or exceptional one—merely documents the imaginings so others can share the experience. Writers HAVE to pay attention to both reality and imaginings so nuances of each can be melded to create a credible story another person will appreciate. Lack of imagination and the story is flat and boring, lack of reality’s flavoring and the reader is not mentally engaged.
Writers who cannot engage in self-examination are, in fact, cheating the audience. Such writers are skimming the surface of both life experience and the mind’s attempt to interpret meaning and consequence. I consider these writers essentially cowards. They lack the courage to pull angst, agony, anger to the surface of their own consciousness and put the thoughts into words. Instead, they describe “The happy people of the happy village” because that does not require their own emotional traumas to be described to the world.
I challenge you to abandon the easy or predictable story for the angst, agony and anger buried in yourself. Give a voice to your own emotional issues, your own life turmoil, your own questions. Great writing is lurking in YOU. All you need to do is have the courage to give your reality a voice through your imagination with exaggerated characters living suspense-filled plots. Be fearless, not protective. Expose YOUR life experience, consequences and conclusions. Those BIG stories from your own life experience are the uniquely powerful stories Hollywood and the buying public want to share! | <urn:uuid:fdbf0596-6a54-4605-b715-ab4ce3252a58> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.savvyauthors.com/vb/content.php?1998-A-DRAMATIST%E2%80%99S-TALE-Living-Life-and-Writing-BIG-by-Sally-J.-Walker | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966603 | 1,237 | 1.914063 | 2 |
From Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia
Joshua Fry (ca. 1700-1754) was a surveyor, pioneer, and professor of mathematics and natural philosophy at the College of William and Mary. Born in Somersetshire, England, he studied at Oxford and emigrated to Virginia by 1720. After heading the grammar school connected with the College of William and Mary and later holding a professorship at the College itself during the 1730s, he moved with his wife and children to an area of Goochland County which shortly became part of the newly-created Albemarle County. Fry was named first presiding Justice of the new county and surveyor.
In 1749, they worked together again in mapping the colony for Governor Lewis Burwell, producing a "Map of the Inhabited Parts of Virginia" (1751), more widely known as the Fry-Jefferson Map of Virginia.
Fry was one of the negotiators of the treaty of Logstown (1752) that allowed for white settlement southeast of the Ohio River. In March of 1754, as hostilities between the French and English were coming to a head, Fry was commissioned commander-in-chief of the Virginia militia. Fry was mortally injured in a fall from his horse in May, 1754; his second-in-command, George Washington, subsequently assumed command of the militia.
- ANB, 8:48-49. | <urn:uuid:230cb650-f01e-46b1-9869-c158b67f658f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wiki.monticello.org/mediawiki/index.php/Joshua_Fry | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00062-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979938 | 286 | 2.734375 | 3 |
Untitled (City Sunrise)
25 ¼ x 16 in.; 64.1 x 40.6 cm.
Gift of Charles Lisanby
This painting is a set design from Charles’ early career in New York, probably made during his tenure at CBS. Charles began working for CBS in 1954, when the production company offered him a job on The Jane Froman Show, pledging to pay him twice what he had been making. Over the next four decades, Charles worked on and off designing sets and for a variety of CBS shows and special broadcasts. Among the shows that Charles’ regularly designed sets for were the $64,000 Question, Camera Three, and the Garry Moore Show. In 1974, Charles was asked to design the sets for a mini-series about Ben Franklin—the first mini-series ever produced for television. Ben Franklin would also win Charles his first Emmy in 1975 for “Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction or Scenic Design” alongside set decorator Robert Checchi.
Throughout his career, Charles constantly sought creative and innovative means to enhance his sets and was responsible for pioneering several key features of modern television. When he first began working for CBS, color television was in its infancy and its potential was still largely unknown. Through his colorful scenes and costumes, like this painted set, Charles continually pushed the envelope, illuminating the aesthetic possibilities that color provided. One of Charles’ more direct contributions to modern television was his invention of a means to incorporate neon lights. | <urn:uuid:1ef4e591-b385-44fb-a94d-467a04568118> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jmu.edu/madisonart/skyline/mentor/untitled.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00065-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98248 | 303 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Regionally, energy remains a significant issue in the development thrust of the Caribbean. CARICOM countries, with the exception of Trinidad and Tobago are net energy importers and as such are extremely vulnerable to extended periods of high prices for energy. Several policy initiatives have been undertaken by Government to help the countries in the region.
The Government established the CARICOM Oil Facility Fund’ which now has an annual allocation of TT$420 Million, and supported the creation of the Regional Development Fund (RDF) to assist countries in the region in times of high-energy prices.
Trinidad and Tobago also chaired a Task Force, which prepared a Draft Regional Energy Policy document addressing the following issues:
Further Trinidad and Tobago continues to play a pivotal support role in the development and implementation of the Eastern Caribbean Gas Pipeline as one of the initiatives that can reduce the cost of energy in the Eastern Caribbean region.
All of these policy initiatives are positive actions by the Government to lend assistance to CARICOM.
Regarding our relations with Venezuela, the Government’s policy has been one of seeking avenues to further deepen the relationship between the two countries. In this context an MOU was signed in August 2003 for the unitisation of hydrocarbon reservoirs that extend across the Delimitation line between the two countries. Further a framework treaty was signed between the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela was signed by the President of Venezuela and the Hon. Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago on March 20, 2007.
Trinidad and Tobago is not a signatory to the Petro Caribe Agreement, which is a Caribbean Oil Alliance with Venezuela. However, Trinidad and Tobago respects the sovereign right of CARICOM States to participate in the Alliance. Additionally Trinidad and Tobago is willing to process Venezuelan crude oil for the benefit of CARICOM States, which are parties to Agreement.
The Government recognises that Trinidad and Tobago’s relationship with other international energy players is necessary for growth in “global business”. Therefore, it is government’s policy to foster healthy relationships with key players within the industry, so that we would be able to learn and continue to keep abreast of new developments in the global energy sector. Therefore On the extra-regional front Trinidad and Tobago has continued with a policy of sharing expertise and has offered technical assistance to several countries. Several delegations from countries such as Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, Brazil, and El Salvador have visited Trinidad and Tobago. In addition, a Trinidad and Tobago delegation in April 2007 made a visit to four West African countries in the first instance: Chad, Gabon, Nigeria and Benin sharing our expertise in the sector and offering technical assistance. This initiative is ongoing.
In 2007, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago extended an offer of assistance to countries of the West African region, free of charge. There was also the proposal in 2007 for Trinidad and Tobago to host a meeting of ministers with responsibility for energy which was eventually postponed to a date to be finalised.
Since that time, there have been several visits from countries in that region seeking various types of assistance/advice on matters affecting the development of their respective industries. These visits have been coordinated by the Ministry of Energy and Energy Affairs with assistance from the National Energy Corporation. However, the question as to the exact form that the assistance Trinidad and Tobago is able to provide and the resources that can be dedicated to this effort has yet to be fully clarified. | <urn:uuid:d6372fc0-e050-4d60-80a5-2f5ce2662a0e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.energy.gov.tt/energy_industry.php?mid=118 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957114 | 723 | 2.5625 | 3 |
ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Army Corps of Engineers said Friday it was finalizing how soon crews could begin urgently clearing submerged rock formations that are hindering Mississippi River barges as concerns linger that the drought-plagued waterway soon may be closed to shipping.
The corps has hired Newt Marine Service of Dubuque, Iowa, and Kokosing Construction Co. of Fredericktown, Ohio, to rid a six-mile stretch of the river of rock pinnacles south of St. Louis near Thebes, Ill. — an effort some U.S. lawmakers suggested in recent days could begin as early as next week.
But the corps again held off on confirming any time frame, saying Friday it was sorting out with the contractors how swiftly they can get to the work site, prep it and begin blasting away the granite. Underscoring the project's pressing nature, the corps — at the behest of federal lawmakers from Mississippi River states — has moved up the work from what had been a projected February start.
"We expect work to begin very soon, but we don't have a definite date," said Mike Petersen, a corps spokesman in St. Louis. "It's hard to work down until we have (the contractors') work plan."
Months of drought have left water levels up to 20 feet below normal along a 180-mile stretch of the river from St. Louis to Cairo, Ill. The problem worsened last month when the corps cut the outflow from an upper Missouri River dam by two-thirds, meaning far less water from the Missouri River flows into the Mississippi.
Barges on the Mississippi already are carrying lighter and more frequent loads, and some operators say they'll halt shipping if they face more restrictions from reduced water levels.
National Weather Service hydrologists forecast that the river, barring significant rainfall, at St. Louis could fall by the end of this month to about 9 feet deep — the point at which the Coast Guard has said further restrictions on barge traffic are likely. The river depth in St. Louis as of Friday was about 11 feet.
Barge industry trade groups say a prolonged stoppage of shipping on the Mississippi could have an economic impact reaching into the billions of dollars, with the movement of agricultural products, coal, petroleum and other goods reliant on river for transit.
Bob Anderson, a corps spokesman in Vicksburg, Miss., said the blasting involves removing 890 cubic yards of very dense granite — roughly enough to fill 50 dump trucks — that typically would be beneath sand on the river bottom but has been exposed by the corps' dredging efforts to keep the channel open.
"We've dredged so far and so deep," taking out 6 million cubic yards of sand and sediment between St. Louis and Cairo, that the rock formations now come into play, Anderson said.
The blasting and rock removal, tentatively expected to cost about $8 million, could bottleneck barge traffic in and near the work zone. That stretch of river would be closed for as many as 16 hours a day to ensure the safety of the shippers, Anderson said. | <urn:uuid:53d3c802-b01e-43bd-9432-0edf527fe0ef> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/dec/14/corps-ridding-miss-river-of-rock-pinnacles-close/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967969 | 635 | 2.03125 | 2 |
March 17th 2008 02:28:16 PM
George Jonas, author of Vengeance, the reputable book that Steven Spielberg’s movie “Munich” perverted, recently had an article titled “Bill Clinton got it wrong on Albania.” Though he was actually writing about Kosovo, using “Albania” is an apropos Freudian slip, since we know it’s all one and the same Greater Albania. The piece was stunning, all the more since this is the man who wrote the definitive book about what happened in Munich in 1972, and he makes the clear connection between Kosovo and what happened in Munich in 1938:
As the last century was drawing to a close, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization actually went to war for the first time in the alliance’s 50-year history…[A]s a result of NATO’s war, the province of Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia.
Did NATO achieve its war aim? Well, no — at least, not NATO’s ostensible aim: To stop ethnic cleansing and make the world safer for multicultural democracy.
If NATO’s aim was to have the Albanian Muslim side win a historic ethnic-religious conflict with Serbian Orthodox Christians, it succeeded. But why was this in NATO’s interest?
A little more than eight years ago (how time flies) CNN broadcast the last Memorial Day celebration of the 20th century.
It all sounded fine, until America’s least martial and most libidinous president mounted the podium.
Bill “Make Love, Not War” Clinton used the opportunity to pitch, not his celebrated liaison with Monica Lewinsky, but his and Tony Blair’s war in the Balkans. He declared that the allies of NATO were bombing Yugoslavia to put an end to regimes that persecute people on the basis of “how they worship or who their parents were.”
The only problem with this, as with so many of Clinton’s remarks uttered during his presidency, was that it wasn’t true.
Ethnic Albanians in Kosovo were never being oppressed or cleansed because of how they worshipped or who their parents were. Whenever examples of atrocities against ethnic Albanians occurred, they occurred because they’ve been fighting the Serbs for the mastery of a region.
The conflict in that unhappy land was always sparked by the resolve of one group, the Albanians, to be masters in what they view as their own house, colliding with the resolve of another group, the Serbians, to be masters in the same house — which they also regard as their own.
Eight years ago, Clinton addressed the morality of multiculturalism. So did many other Western politicians…Bombing a country into a multicultural democracy would be a dubious enterprise even if it could be done. It would be dubious even if the people ostensibly conducting such an enterprise really meant it.
But the Yugoslav conflict was worse. Whether NATO’s leaders realized it or not, saving Kosovo for multiculturalism was never on the agenda.
The hole in NATO’s logic was large enough for the proverbial truck…[T]o first say that countries shouldn’t be organized along ethnic lines, and then demand self-government for one group within a nation on the sole basis of ethnicity, is an exercise in self-contradiction.
This was endorsing one ethnic group at the expense of another. It was saying that Albanians may use their ethnic majority in Kosovo to assert their political identity, but Serbs in Yugoslavia may not.
So NATO’s war aim wasn’t even multiculturalism (questionable as such a goal may be, especially if imposed at the point of cruise missiles) but ethnic separatism, the very opposite of the declared ideal of Clinton and Company.
This is what Hitler forced on Czechoslovakia at Munich, using the ethnic nationalism of the Sudeten Germans to dismantle a sovereign state.
At least the Nazis were ethnic nationalists. What they did was logical in their terms. What possible logic compelled multicultural democracies to wage a war for Kosovo’s secession? | <urn:uuid:ab0a1737-6e46-424f-b5b0-9e2197e12f36> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.juliagorin.com/wordpress/?p=1490 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969748 | 854 | 1.570313 | 2 |
The Community of Disc Golfers and About All Things Disc Golf
I want to hear others' thoughts on this subject to help prove to someone esle what par should be on a given hole.
This such person claims that a Par 3 doesn't have to be reachable for a putt at birdie (assume an "average" amateur playing from the am pads or the "average" pro from the pro pads). Well....I asked how then, are you supposed to birdie that Par 3??? (my opinion is that if a hole isn't able to be birdied, then the Par is wrong and should be adjusted) Their response is "a Par 3 doesn't have to be birdie-able to be a Par 3". Does that even make sense???
PDGA's definition of Par is: "As determined by the director, the score an expert disc golfer would be expected to make on a given hole. Par means errorless play under ordinary weather conditions, allowing two close range throws to hole-out."
As on the PGA Tour,
Most Par 3s are reachable by the "average" pro in 1 shot, giving a chance for a birdie with a successful putt ("a close range shot").
Most Par 4s are reachable by the "average" pro in 2 shots, giving a chance for a birdie with a successful putt ("a close range shot").
Most Par 5s are reachable by the "average" pro in 3 shots, giving a chance for a birdie with a successful putt ("a close range shot").
I would assume that a "close range throw" is a PUTT. So according to their definition, a Par 3 for example would mean that that given hole should take 1 shot to get into putting distance and two "close range throws" to hole-out (get a PAR). If you make the first putt, you are awarded with a BIRDIE. Am I right in my thinking? Or am I wrong in assuming a "close range throw" is a PUTT?
Another reason for this discussion is that our course here in Tally, FL has some questionable Pars for some people (mainly alot of Par 3.5s). If alot of our holes aren't even close to being reachable for the "average" amateur from the short pads (am pads), why should it be a Par 3 for them if a birdie (2) is a rare occurrence? (I also have to say the course design wasn't the greatest but that was a while back) It should be a Par 4 then or lengthened some to make it more of a true Par 4.
Please give me your thoughts on this subject
Amen brother, I'm in with your train of thought. I too believe that a hole should be birdie-able, and if it's not, the par should be raised. A really good drive should be rewarded with a chance at a birdie, not with another 200ft to the basket, or some other insanely skilled shot through the trees! Raise the par and start handing out Eagles to the truly exceptional shots.
Par is a concept that applies better to a course than an individual hole. The USGA has defined par as the score shot by the average golfer in the top half of the field at the premiere amateur invitational. Applying that definition to disc golf, par is what the 960 to 970 rated players are shooting on an average day.
If a hole requires a really excellent drive to set up a chip shot for a drop in 3, I think that can be a par three even though there is not a route for a birdie. If that hole punishes a bad drive with a 4 almost every time, you cannot call it a par 4 because par is not what you get when you get punished. Circle R Meadows, number 8 I think, is like this if the creek bed is played as o.b. A good drive gets you out of the trees with a pitch across the creek and a drop in 3. The low ceiling makes it nearly impossible to drive the basket for a two. But an advanced amateur only gets a four or worse if he gets a bad shot.
Hole par only matters if you're late to tee on a shotgun start. Lowest score wins, regardless of what you decide to call par on any hole (unless you're playing some weird game designed by Chuck Kennedy).
I do not agree.. if this were true..then all 200 ft holes would be par 2..
Most of them should be. When good ams go play ball golf they aren't playing for birdie they are happy to get par and they have to work to get it. Par in golf is not average it is what good players score with mistake free play. The ball golf concept of par is very close to the calculation of SSA in disc golf. If you have an 18 hole course with an SSA les than 54 some of the holes on that course are in effect par 2 whether you call them that on an individual basis or not.
When I get a 3 on a simple 200 foot hole I think of it as a bogey. If my score loses a stroke to the field, that's a bogey for all practical purposes. Disc golf has plenty of par 2 holes.
There is one hole (number 8 at Cottonwood) where the shortest pin position is just a chip shot. If you don't birdie the hole it feels like a bogey. And in fact if you don't birdie it in competition you will surely be losing a stroke to the field. It is definitely a par 2 by all accounts. I really don't like playing that position for more than a week because it is just too easy.
A 200 ft. hole should be a par 2.
How is a birdie a reward or a bogey a punishment anyways? Your score is still the same vs. my score at the end of the round, the fact that hole #12 is a par 4 not a par 3 wouldn't change that.
It's easier to say "I got 6 birdies in a row", rather than explaining "I got 3 birdies than a three on a hole that basically plays as a par four, then 2 more birdies"
I basically agree with everything par 3, but I think this is a valid point
Some holes are obviously more birdie-able than other holes.
The main course that I play has only par 3s on it. So in competition (doubles or singles) the goal is obviously to get as many birdies as possible and avoid getting a bogey. Having a par for a hole makes it easier to keep score especially when it is always par 3.
If you watch professional ball golf you will see that the par assigned to any hole doesn't always reflect what the score will be consistently on that hole. Certain holes have design features that make the risk vs. reward curve either easier or harder. This results in some holes averaging an under par score while the more difficult holes average over par.
In my opinion, if the course is challenging it will bring out the best players in a competition. It shouldn't be so easy that someone shoots 18 under par every time they play but a good player should be able to get to maybe 5 or 6 under on a round. And then you change the setup and see what happens. We do that all of the time with our course, changing pin positions fairly regularly so that each time you play there will be something new to challenge you.
And of course in competition the par really doesn't matter that much since it is the score at the end of the day that matters. You do want a good score to be an under par score though. It wouldn't make a whole lot of sense if a player won a tournament and the score was 25 over par (unless conditions were insane).
Par is irrelevant. If you call a hole a par 2 or a par 5 does not change what your score is on the hole.
If you shot 20 over par for the round but had the lowest score then you won. If you shot 20 under but had the highest score then you lost. Congratulations or condolences have nothing to do with the purely theoretical concept of par.
If you want an indication of how well you played then look at your handicap rating for the round. Or just look at the players you beat or lost to. If you are not beating good players then you did not play well (based on the standards of good players).
^^This is how I always think of par. I also use par 3 for all holes because it's easy math. | <urn:uuid:208c3962-e1e4-4a76-a149-07d9a1d20c8a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://discgolfer.ning.com/forum/topics/how-to-determine-par?xg_source=activity | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945415 | 1,783 | 1.5 | 2 |
When we think of imagination, Albert Einstein usually pops into mind, because he had much to say on the topic. I have always admired his out-of-the-box, inspired approach to success and I'm sure glad he wrote about such a wide range of subjects. Einstein has inspired me to consider the relativity in everything. His teachings inevitably led me to desire a honing of my own creative ability, with imagination being the cornerstone.
He said, "I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution."
The greatest minds of all time have had the ability to go from logical to random, left to right, from abstract to concrete, encompassing a wide range of disciplines in an integrated, wholistic way. They themselves are a function of evolution, which is and has always been a function of Creativity.
My favourite quote, which I made into a painting for my office wall, is an ancient eastern Indian proverb: "God sleeps in stones, breathes in plants, dreams in animals and awakens in Man."
The book I am writing with my husband, 'Conscious Evolution: Co-Creating an Empowered Legacy' is the product of the realization that there is no 'creation VS evolution' and theory has very little to do with anything. We are indeed busting into a new paradigm and I hope you'll join us.
The process of imagination leads us to profound truths, which cannot be attained through mere intellect. We must open ourselves up to our full potential.
How does one use imagination to arrive at these profound truths?
Einstein said, "If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales."
Why is this? It seems to me, fairy tales open us up to the endless variety of ways we can explore our own archetypal themes. We partake in life lessons vicariously, through unlimited characters acting in epic stories. The allegorical medium of the fairy tale is expansive and unbounded, lending itself infinitely to writers apt to the challenge.
We also learned epic stories in Sunday school. Even for those families who want to stay home on Sundays, illustrated children's bibles are filled with amazing stories that provide a sensibility for the bigger picture. My son's buddy actually gave him a Manga comic that tells bible stories!
It's important not only that a baby have cross-brain exercises in order to develop the wiring for being readers and creative thinkers, it is also extremely important to read to them and to talk with them about everything as they grow and explore the world.
As a child, I would keep myself up late imagining all of the ways I could be murdered in my bed, including by those not-so-handsome vampires that wanted to bite the little virgin me!
My true creative ability now is my wholistic perception of reality. I see everything as part of a greater expression, a process of learning love, through relativity and infinity. I now see 'vampires' as a necessary part of the process of awakening.
The most powerful things I've ever read in my life have been those things that put the power back into my hands. Through reading, I've realized that I have always got a choice in how I respond to circumstances and how I move through obstacles. I have also learned many tools of boundless creative consciousness.
Imagine what we could create together if more people focused their thoughts, with agreed-upon co-creative goals, with pure intentions to make a real difference. We'd not only make great changes, but we could make them in ways that we currently, collectively, could not even conceive of at this time.
We must correct our own deficiencies and fortify ourselves for the changing times.
Let's use our creative abilities to do something other than lie awake at night like scared little girls! Dream big, for your family, for your own life. Speak about your dreams as though they are already so! Don't speak your fears out loud, speak your strengths!
Remember, you're part of something bigger and it's your job to imagine how. | <urn:uuid:49bc0ee5-eaf1-437e-bafd-48f86590fc9f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.weyburnthisweek.com/article/20120608/WEYTHISWEEK0302/306089998/-1/weythisweek/imagination | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970645 | 873 | 2.15625 | 2 |
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As far as I can tell, few people are complaining out loud about the early arrival of spring in 2012.
Since 2009 it’s almost felt like we’d skipped a season, or replaced spring with “flood” season.
This year, it started to feel like spring in February and March and it’s almost as if fall never left.
Regardless, the early spring has been welcomed by humans, fish and wildlife alike.
As a biologist, I understand it’s often multiple factors that influence wildlife behavior. The snow geese arrived earlier this year with many hunters able to find high numbers in early March, almost a month earlier than last year than these birds arrived last year. That’s a solid indicator that the birds don’t look at the calendar to decide when their northern migration should begin.
In 2011 many hunters reported the best numbers of birds spread across North Dakota in April. Heavy snowpack held birds farther south until the snow line receded and geese could continue north.
This year, whatever snow line existed was essentially gone by early March and the bird migration advanced north with little hindrance. It was a good reminder for hunters and even those of us with a wildlife management degree how a combination of factors can influence when and where snow goose will migrate.
The lack of sheet water in eastern North Dakota, as opposed to past years, shifted at least some of the migration more into central North Dakota. Many snow goose hunters jotting down a day of leave from work, tend to target April more than March, but all the planning in the world can wind up a bust as the birds have their own agenda. It’s a reality check, and a good reminder to always have a “plan B.”
Fortunately, this year that plan B could have been a day of open water fishing.Â
In terms of fish, I’ve always kept one eye on our fisheries crews and another on the calendar, as their pressing spring work is a moving target for getting the pike and walleye eggs needed to supplement stocking needs for North Dakota fisheries. While taxes are due April 15, give or take a day depending on where it lands on the calendar, North Dakota Game and Fish Department fisheries crews simply can’t designate a date to begin setting nets.
Pike spawning typically takes place in early to mid-April. Last year, extensive snow and lake ice kept fish and our crews at bay until almost May, putting pressure to get the job done even more rapidly.
This year, crews for the first time took pike eggs in March.
In the end, fisheries and wildlife biologists are left to react to varying sets of circumstances. Habitat, atmospheric temperature and field conditions all have an influence.
Some wildlife or fish may even benefit from early nesting or spawning. While deer fawns will be born in May or June just like always, regardless of the spring weather, young fish may have their first growing season extended by a few weeks, and resident birds hatched from early nests may be a bit more mature when winter comes, which would be a good thing if winter 2012 looks more like 2010 than 2011.
 Leier is a biologist with the Game and Fish Department. He can be reached by email: firstname.lastname@example.org | <urn:uuid:b1383897-03b8-4212-8fbc-820f85dc8f55> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.times-online.com/content/nd-outdoors-outlook-good-local-wildlife-2012?quicktabs_2=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957577 | 706 | 2.1875 | 2 |
Many students do a lot of testing but not enough preparation. The problem with tests is that you don't learn anything new. You don't improve.
"To train for a marathon, you don't run a full marathon every day!"
The solution is to spend more time preparing. Don't test yourself on a new topic that you have no idea about. Spend some time researching the topic to find good ideas and vocabulary. Then try to write a 'perfect' essay using your research, a dictionary, your teacher to help you etc. Type the essay on a computer, check for spelling and grammar mistakes, re-read it, look at how the paragraphs are organised, highlight the 'band 7 vocabulary'. If I've covered the topic on this website, use my ideas to make 'perfect' paragraphs and ask a teacher to check them.
When you have written a 'perfect' essay, wait for a few days and then test yourself on that topic. Imagine the difference! | <urn:uuid:161576cd-96ab-4208-b6f4-27e84073b987> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/students-questions/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00054-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94037 | 198 | 2.53125 | 3 |
Colleges don’t exactly come in one size that fits all. There are schools as small as a few dozen students and others that have the populations of small countries. Various student body sizes produce drastically different college experiences, so it is important to figure out what size suits you according to your personality and academic ambitions. Use this handy sizing guide to find your perfect fit, because when it comes to picking a college, size matters.
Who you are: You are a huge sports fan who wants the experience of cheering for a national sports team. When you’re not next-to-naked in the end zone sporting body paint and a cape of school colors, you want to hoot and holler at your team during televised games on national networks.
Your fit: Big school. Large universities generally have well-funded athletic programs, and as a result, school spirit and crazed fandom abound. Students and locals rally in pride at all sporting events and you will be among thousands of other shrieking, belly-painted enthusiasts. Since secure spots on varsity teams are reserved for the athletic spawn of Apollo, large schools offer intramural programs to keep the common folk in shape.
Continue reading for more great examples.the original article from Unigo.com, written by Valerie Willis | <urn:uuid:f8299dc1-b8d4-4755-b1d0-479cac39bfd5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.highschoogle.com/finding-the-perfect-fit-a-college-sizing-guide/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948371 | 263 | 1.625 | 2 |