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It might perhaps be a fatal to fideism to notice that if one really believes that God cannot be known by reason, he can build a rather impressive and extensive natural theology from that principle. For example, if we were in earnest that God is “he who the human mind cannot know” we can immediately prove he is not a body, for we certainly know what a body is. We can also immediately prove that God is not in a genus, for genera are tools by which human beings come to know (we need to know in this way because our intellect comes to know from imperfect concepts). If we know God is not in a genus, we could prove that he is one, for if there were two of his nature there would be a genus. Similar considerations wold prove his total simplicity. Further, we could prove that we must speak about God analogously: for if we spoke of him univocally, he would be in a genus; and if we spoke of him equivocally, we would know nothing of him- but we know he is what the human mind cannot know, etc.
In other words, one could reproduce most of what St. Thomas proves in his natural theology from a fidesitic principle. Fideism might make thomism even easier, since you wouldn’t have to bother proving God’s existence (in fideism, the existence of God is simply a given). Fideism is stuck with having to defend why it, along with natural theology, concludes to a being with identical attribuites as God- and even with the same name- but somehow is still speaking of a distinct being. | <urn:uuid:0e475894-d9f3-451c-8d33-1138878d41de> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thomism.wordpress.com/2008/05/28/thought-on-fideism/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.987161 | 338 | 2.421875 | 2 |
THE 103 Seminars in Theater: The Epic Theater of Bertolt Brecht
Among the most inventive and influential playwrights and directors of the modern era, Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956) has left a legacy of important plays and dramatic theories. Brecht believed the theater should be a platform on which political and social issues should be debated. As an alternative to the traditional Aristotelian drama, he developed “epic theater” in which alienating theatrical devices were employed to keep his audience emotionally detached and intellectually alert. This seminar will focus on Brecht’s ideas on “epic theater” and the dialectical and sometimes alienated relationship he achieved with his dramas. Texts for the seminar will include Mother Courage and Her Children, Galileo , The Good Women of Setzuan, and The Caucasian Chalk Circle. This course is offered in the spring semester. | <urn:uuid:fe6c8153-cf4b-41ad-bd1b-bfb7abbb2346> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wabash.edu/bulletin/home.cfm?this_year=2005&course_id=439 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937282 | 184 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Moed Katan 18 - 24
This issue was sponsored in merit for the complete recovery of Moshe Zalman ben Rivka
Even on Tisha B'Av!
Even though weddings cannot take place during Chol Hamo'ed (the intermediate days of a Festival), it is permitted to make airusin (the formal union of man and woman which forbids her to anyone else, and requires a divorce to dissolve this union, but does not allow the pair to live together until the nissuin at the time of the chupah). The Sage Shmuel explained that the reason the Sages permitted this transaction to take place despite their ban on other transactions is that there is an urgency involved - someone else may marry the woman before he does.
But how could Shmuel advocate such a concern, asks the gemara, when he is the author of the statement that each day a Heavenly voice announces which woman will be married to which man?
The answer given is that Shmuel's concern was not over a competitor beating him out by natural means, but rather that the competitor might invoke the power of prayer to win this woman.
An illustration of such a threat is provided in an incident in which the Sage Rava overheard a man praying that he win the hand of a particular woman. Rava reprimanded him for such prayer, because if she was destined for him there was no need for prayer; and if she was destined for another, then his unfulfilled prayer would lead him to a loss of faith. Rava subsequently overheard this same fellow, already resigned to the possibility that the woman he sought might not be destined for him, pray that if she indeed would not be his, that either she die before marrying another or that he himself die before she gets married. Rava reprimanded him for this prayer as well. This incident serves as evidence that there is danger that a competitor's prayer can cause a man to lose his intended and destined mate. Making airusin on Chol Hamo'ed, therefore, becomes an urgency to assure that she will not become the victim of such a prayer.
This is the explanation of the gemara offered by Rashi, and it seems to revolve around the assumption that prayer cannot win a woman for a man for whom she was not predestined, but can prevent her marriage to another. Maharsha already points out that this runs counter to the literal understanding of Shmuel's words which indicate that prayer can result even in a competitor actually gaining the woman not predestined for him.
Ritva has another approach. Prayer, he contends, has the power to change what has been predestined, and this is why the Sages allowed airusin even on Chol Hamo'ed. Why then did Rava reprimand the fellow who was simply trying to use the power of prayer? Because Rava's wisdom told him that this woman was not really suited for the praying fellow, and that he would eventually regret marrying her. This is why he told him in his second reprimand not to pray for this woman because it is not for his benefit.
Learning From the Forefathers
Can we learn a halacha from an event in the Torah which took place before the Torah was given? We seem to get conflicting signals on this issue from statements in the Jerusalem Talmud which Tosefot cites in our mesechta. Regarding the source for a seven-day period of mourning, our gemara cites a passage in the prophecy of Amos (8:10) equating festival with mourning. Why, asks Tosefot, don't we learn this from the seven-day period of mourning which Yosef observed for his father (Bereishet 50:10). The Jerusalem Talmud's explanation, answers Tosefot, is that we don't learn laws from what took place before the Torah was given.
Yet, regarding a previous gemara (Mo'ed Katan 8b) which bans getting married during the intermediate days of a Festival, as it is wrong to mix one simcha with another, Tosefot cites the Jerusalem Talmud offering as a source the incident with Yaakov and Lavan: Lavan insisted that Yaakov complete the seven days of celebration with Leah before being allowed to marry Rachel (Bereishet 29:27).
Rabbi Zvi Hirsh Chayot, in his commentary printed at the back of the Vilna Shas, calls attention to this contradiction regarding learning from events that happened before the Torah was given. He refers us to his "Torat Hanevi'im" in which he discusses this issue at length. In his comprehensive review of all the rules we do or do not learn from pre-Torah days, his basic point is that only when there is something which logic dictates as proper behavior do we cite a source from pre-Torah times as scriptural support for doing so. Not mixing simchas, so that proper focus can be given to each, is a logical point, as Tosefot himself notes, so we can rely on the example of Lavan and Yaakov as support. The length of time for mourning, however, is more a matter of law than logic, and can therefore not be deduced from what Yosef did for his father in pre-Torah times. | <urn:uuid:f8ed205f-bb06-49fc-b592-18156fbc3438> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ohr.edu/342/print | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979931 | 1,099 | 2.390625 | 2 |
Sunday School Material 5-27-12: The Way, The Truth, and The Life
(John 14:1-14; 5/27/12)
Introduction: A key idea in today’s Sunday School material is Jesus urges His disciples to focus on spreading the Gospel with the blessed assurance that God will take care of His own. Prayerfully, we will be challenged to work on spreading the Gospel with blessed assurance.
Read John 14:1-4
I. Promised Place. In this section of the Sunday School material Jesus tells His disciples not to be troubled. They are to trust in God the Father and Jesus. He tells them about His preparing a place for them.
- Controlling our hearts. Notice in vs. 1 of the Sunday School material the idea of controlling our hearts with our faith. As believers, we can choose to let our hearts and emotional centers be troubled because of our circumstances or perceptions.
Or we can choose to keep our hearts and emotional centers in balance, by focusing on how we trust the promises of God (e.g., a prepared place). Let’s work on controlling our hearts with faith, instead of letting them be troubled by fear.
The more we prayerfully study the Word with a mind to obey, the more we see that we can trust God to work things out for the good of His people.
- Checking in. Notice in vs. 4 that Jesus is actually checking in to make sure His students understand what He is saying. In this case, it was clear that His students did not understand which triggers further clarification and explanation.
Let’s work on checking in and responding appropriately with those who we are ministering to. If you are talking about point four in your presentation and the person you are talking to doesn’t understand point two, everything you say after point two is almost a waste of time and energy.
This is true in witnessing, discipleship encouragement, and all communications with people – family, friends, job, and community.
Read John 14:5-11
II. Promised Way. In the Sunday School material Thomas says that they don’t know where Jesus is going and don’t know the way. Jesus teaches that He is the way, truth, and life.
He urges His disciples to understand what He is talking about. Philip shows his lack of understanding as well. Jesus talks about how when people see Him, they are actually seeing the Father, because He and the Father are one.
- Jesus the way, truth, and life. Notice in vs. 6 that Jesus is the way, truth, and life. Believers hold that Jesus is the only true way to be right with God the Father. Jesus shows us how to live a godly life.
As much as community work may call for collaborating with people who are not Christians, we must be careful to remember that Jesus is the only way to the Father.
Let’s live like we really understand that Jesus is the way, truth, and life. Such living should include making sure we have accepted Jesus as our savior by faith and striving to live a life known for loving God and others, as we love ourselves.
- Doing our part and trusting God with the rest. Notice in vs. 11 of the Sunday School material that even when you have done miraculous things, some of those who should understand better than anyone else may not really understand.
On one hand, we should live and minister in such a way that people will have reason to believe that God has His hand on us. We should have a track record of faithful service and obedience.
But on the other hand, people can be unpredictable. Those who we think should understand may not. And those who we think will never understand may understand. Let’s work on doing our parts and trusting God with the rest.
Read John 14:12-14
III. Promised Work. Jesus talks about how those who have faith in Him will do even greater works than He has done. He is going to the Father. There is the promise of answered prayer at the end of the text.
- Doing greater works. Notice in vs. 12 of the Sunday School material that those with faith will do greater works in the mission of spreading the Gospel than Jesus did.
When you look at the number of people who have become saved and disciples of Christ after the death and resurrection of Jesus compared to those before His death and resurrection, it should be obvious that more came after.
To assume that we would do greater miracles would be an indication that we did not understand the purpose of the miracles. The miracles were designed to get people to believe and grow. Let’s work on doing the great work that God is calling us to do – evangelizing and edifying God’s way.
- Praying for effective ministry. Notice in vss. 13-14 that the promises regarding prayer are based on the context. In the context, the person praying is a believer, is focused on the mission of spreading the Gospel, and is praying according to God’s will (i.e., in the name of Jesus).
This text should not be used to support a “name it and claim it” theology that makes the “it” health, wealth, and stress free living. Let’s work on praying for God to help us do greater works in spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Conclusion: Let’s work on spreading the Gospel with blessed assurance. God has much for those who obey His will.
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If you've found this website helpful, please click the Donate button. I'm grateful for your support. | <urn:uuid:5ec87748-14ea-4306-992c-7f18b5349ef4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.christian-living-site.com/Sunday-School-Material-5-27-12.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9607 | 1,220 | 2.171875 | 2 |
Today I want to tell you about baths. The reason for this is that baths are fantastic! Not all people have baths (some have showers), so I should quickly explain what a bath is. Me and Teddy find a good way to understand baths is to think of them like a small swimming pool, or a large sink. If you need any more help you could go to your local DIY store and ask them to explain how baths work (Otter Keeper had to ask about different types of paint for the shed the other week and the man was very helpful – we liked him)
Bathtimes are not an everyday thing (like dinnertime or brushing your teeth) – but you do often have more than one a week. Sometimes if you get dirty you HAVE to have a bath (even if you’ve only just had one). Me and Teddy get dirty quite a bit… but as I point out to Otter Keeper, me and Teddy are much closer to the ground than he is… so staying clean is much more of a challenge for us.
Like most fun things, baths do have rules. Like don’t get soap in your eyes or don’t splash too much water out of the bath (bath water should stay in the bath where it belongs and not be splashed over the side – Otter Keeper is very strict on this rule)
One of the most annoying rules is bubble bath limits. Yes that’s right, Otter Keeper actually puts a limit on the amount of bubble bath allowed in any one bath and unfortunately this has a direct impact on mine and Teddy’s bubble making efforts. We used to play a particularly good game called ‘bubble factory’ where me and Teddy would produce bubbles .. but with Otter Keeper actively cutting our supply chain, this game now has its limitations.
But anyway, this isn’t as bad as it sounds, as there are so many other things to do in the bath, like play with bath toys. Bath toys are a special type of toy that you’re only really are meant to play with whilst in the bath (Otter Keeper’s mobile phone is NOT a bath toy .. but that’s another story – it was Teddy’s fault and we don’t talk about it)
Bath toys are great and help maximise bathtime fun. Me and Teddy have been trying to work out the best ratio of bath toys to have in the bath at any one time – it’s possible to have too many you see. If anyone wants to know, the facts are that for every 1 Otter in a bath there should be exactly 34.5 bath toys. You can use this as a starting point to improve your own bath space to toy ratio, we hope it helps
I had better go now. yesterday me and Teddy noticed the ‘bath butter’.. we have an important toast experiment we need to try. | <urn:uuid:39407aee-6d79-4787-b932-89562a985624> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.iamotter.co.uk/2012/02/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973761 | 608 | 2.125 | 2 |
Index of all articles, click here
By Serge Kreutz (2006)
When your average pharmaceutical product gets into the headlines because of side effects, than it's almost always because of some unwanted effects that have been discovered "later on".
With tongkat ali, it's a different story. The more research is done into tongkat ali, the more surprising positive side effects, or medical applications, are discovered for it. Not that this would be news to Southeast Asian shamans who have been using the root for centuries. In Vietnam, for example, the local name of tongkat ali translates as "the plant that cures a hundred diseases". Or was it a thousand?
The latest lab reports indicate, for example, that tongkat ali (Eurycoma longifolia by its Latin, scientific name) may be a powerful weapon against lung cancer and breast cancer.
The following is the abstract of a scientific article that has recently been included at the Medline database. You can read the abstract here:
Index of articles, click here
Copyright Serge Kreutz | <urn:uuid:672f1fd9-ccbd-4aca-a2d8-ea0ab17886de> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://targetngo.com/studiedcancer34789.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.915964 | 216 | 2.0625 | 2 |
It's on, Wisconsin: Expect campaigns to ramp up efforts now that state is in playWisconsin just couldn't stay out of the national political spotlight.
By: By Mary Spicuzza, The Wisconsin State Journal, Superior Telegram
Wisconsin just couldn't stay out of the national political spotlight.
Following the pick of U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Janesville to join the GOP ticket as Mitt Romney's running mate, the presidential race has tightened to the point that Wisconsin now is widely considered a key battleground state.
That means television advertisements by candidates and outside groups soon will flood the airwaves, robocalls will pour into phone lines, and candidates and their surrogates will pick up their visits to the state in a sprint to the Nov. 6 election.
A Republican hasn't won Wisconsin's electoral votes since 1984, when Ronald Reagan beat Walter Mondale. But the Ryan pick has boosted Romney to within a few points of President Barack Obama, recent polling shows.
"It's very close to a tie between the two parties," said Charles Franklin, director of the Marquette Law School Poll. "Both campaigns are much more likely to treat it like a battleground."
Some commercials are expected to begin airing Sunday. Both the Romney campaign and a pro-Obama PAC announced plans to start advertising in Wisconsin as soon as Sunday. Vice President Joe Biden also will be campaigning Thursday in western Wisconsin , although the destination was not revealed Saturday.
Madison-based Democratic pollster Paul Maslin, who is currently doing polling work in Wisconsin's U.S. Senate race, said while many people assume the driving force of the Ryan pick was not geography, he suspects the Romney campaign was aiming to fight for Wisconsin's 10 electoral votes.
"He put 10 into play that weren't before," Maslin said. "Ryan was the only guy who could definitely add a state into the mix."
Romney pollster Neil Newhouse told CNN during the GOP convention last month that Wisconsin is Romney's "hidden secret."
"Wisconsin could put us over the top," Newhouse said.
The seven other generally accepted toss-ups are Florida, Ohio, Virginia, Iowa, Nevada, Colorado and New Hampshire. If Romney cannot win Wisconsin, he would need to win most of the others.
"Without Wisconsin, Romney's path to 270 votes is extremely difficult," Maslin said.
Franklin said his recent Marquette poll shows independents could tip Wisconsin for Obama, but they also could hurt his chances of winning here.
"A fairly small percentage could go for either candidate, flipping the state by one or two percentage points," Franklin said.
Presidential races in Wisconsin were extremely close in both 2000 and 2004, with President George W. Bush losing by less than half of a percentage point each of those years. But Obama cruised to victory in Wisconsin four years ago by about 14 percentage points.
Still, Republicans have been emboldened by the recent wave of GOP victories here.
"There's something going on in Wisconsin. The grass-roots army that we have built in Wisconsin, they're crushing it out there," said Rick Wiley, political director of the Republican National Committee and former executive director of the state GOP. "It's a state that has truly turned a corner. It's ripe."
The work Gov. Scott Walker and his supporters did during the recall could benefit the GOP ground game -- political shorthand for the volunteers who help turn out voters and promote a candidacy -- during the next two months.
"Walker showed that the GOP can come with a ground game, it's going to help Romney," said Joe Heim, UW-La Crosse political science professor. "It has added to the enthusiasm among Republican voters."
But Democrats insist they are optimistic about Obama's prospects here. They point to his double-digit victory four years ago. And they say the Walker recall motivated supporters and helped the Obama campaign build its volunteer network, too.
"The truth is the recall has had a motivating effect on our side as well," Obama spokesman Ben LaBolt said.
LaBolt added that the more Wisconsinites learn about Ryan's policies -- such as tax cuts for the wealthy and plans to turn Medicare into a voucher system -- the less they will like them.
And the Obama campaign is planning frequent visits in the coming two months. Obama has made several stops in Wisconsin in recent years, during his campaign and after taking office: in Green Bay, Madison, Racine, Milwaukee and Manitowoc. His last visit was in February in Milwaukee.
"It's fair to assume there will be multiple high-profile visits over the next 60 days," said Gillian Morris, spokeswoman for Obama for America Wisconsin.
Asked about potential GOP visits, Romney spokesman Ben Sparks said, "It's all hands on deck."
With just two months left in a close presidential race, each campaign's ground game is expected to play a key role in winning Wisconsin.
Franklin said the Green Bay and Fox Valley areas will be key. Obama did well there in 2008, but Bush won there in 2000 and 2004. He said Wausau and the area north of it, and the southwest corner of the state, also will be important.
"A Democrat cannot win the state by winning Madison and Milwaukee, and losing Milwaukee suburbs and Green Bay, Wausau, Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls," Franklin said. "When Wisconsin Democrats have won statewide, they've won those areas."
(c)2012 The Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, Wis.)
Visit The Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, Wis.) at www.wisconsinstatejournal.com
Distributed by MCT Information Services | <urn:uuid:11ffe847-60e8-49a6-8917-3997f95906b5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.superiortelegram.com/event/article/id/69881/publisher_ID/37/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00067-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973925 | 1,159 | 1.648438 | 2 |
What is hard water?
Water is considered "hard" when it has relatively high levels of calcium (above, left) and magnesium (above, right) and other metals. The more minerals that are present the harder the water is. It is referred to as "hard" water because it requires more soap for a good lather, making it harder to clean with than soft water. There are both benefits and drawbacks to having hard water, depending on what the water is being used for.
Why care about the hardness of your water?
|Benefits of hard water:||Problems that hard water may cause:|
How do I find out how hard my water is?
To test the hardness level of your water contact a certified testing lab near you. For more information click here.
How should I treat hard water?
Softening water is the most common treatment for hard water. This can be done by installing a water softener on washing machines or dishwashers. Some new dish washers may already come with a water softener. To treat an entire house for hard water a water softening system can be installed. These systems exchange calcium and magnesium ions with other ions that do not cause hard water (like sodium or potassium). In some cases people bypass the water softener system by having a separate drinking water tap. This way they are able to receive the health benefits of drinking hard water, without the negative effects of hard water on hot water heaters, washing machines, and plumbing. Another option to avoid drinking high levels of sodium from soft water would be to install a reverse osmosis filter at the drinking water tap. Reverse osmosis can filter out sodium and alleviate health concerns related to high sodium intake. | <urn:uuid:7b4b0e16-0344-4799-9db6-02c5c90bf685> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://extension.usu.edu/waterquality/htm/whats-in-your-water/hardwater | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938752 | 352 | 2.890625 | 3 |
Related Posts: China
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A bowl of rice, vegetables, and tofu is a meal that has been eaten for hundreds of years throughout Asia. It is a meal that requires approximately 571.5 liters of water to produce. And, it is a meal that is, slowly but surely, being replaced. Throughout the region, people are increasingly…
March 7, 2012
March 8 marks the 101st celebration of International Women’s Day. A century of history has seen this global occasion imbued with varying levels of political, economic, social, and cultural significance in diverse cultures around the globe. The United Nations has declared this year’s International Women’s Day theme, “Empower Rural Women – End Hunger and Poverty.” According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, 578 of the world’s 925 million chronically hungry people live in the Asia-Pacific region.
January 25, 2012
From January 25-29, the world’s most powerful leaders from the public and private sectors gather in the Swiss town of Davos to try to agree on measures that will eventually impact billions of people across the world. The event is being held against an unprecedentedly gloomy global economic picture. The World Bank
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January 4, 2012
In 2011, Asia grappled with a host of devastating shocks, both natural and man-made. As challenging and economically harsh as they have been, they have provided an opportunity for Asia’s emerging economies to dramatically assert their economic resilience and regional influence.
November 30, 2011
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On November 19, leaders of the 18 nations that comprise the East Asia Summit (EAS) will meet in Bali, Indonesia, to discuss a broad array of political, security, and economic issues. For the first time, the United States will participate as a full-fledged member. For much of the post-Cold War period, the U.S. approach to institution-building in Asia…
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President Barack Obama will be the first U.S. president ever to attend an East Asia Summit (EAS), to be chaired by Indonesia in Bali on November 19. This summit comes at the end of a major Asia-Pacific tour for President Obama, beginning with APEC in Honolulu,a visit to Australia, and continuing on with the 19thASEAN Summit and EAS in Bali…
November 9, 2011
As world population reached 7 billion last week, stories about the implications of population growth saturated the media. While total population counts offer broad “sound bite” appeal, the underlying structure of population has far greater socio-economic, political, and environmental implications. Population composition by sex, age, ethnicity, educational attainment, political orientation, or geography matters for everything from school planning to environmental management and even to political stability.
November 2, 2011
Cannes, a medieval city on the French Riviera internationally renowned for its luxurious hotels, seafront “promenade,” and International Film Festival, is used to welcoming the rich and famous. It is, however, another type of festival that will take place in Cannes this week. The city is gearing up for the sixth annual Group of Twenty (G-20) Summit where heads of state, finance ministers, and Central Bank governors from 20 industrialized and developing economies (19 countries plus the European Union) will converge to discuss financial markets and the world economy. The G-20, whose member countries account for over 80 percent of the global output and two-thirds of the world’s population, is the premier forum for industrialized and developing countries to discuss key issues in the global economy and monitor international economic cooperation.
November 2, 2011
According to the United Nations, a baby born this week became the world’s 7 billionth person. As four babies are born somewhere around the world each second, no one knows for sure exactly which baby was the 7 billionth, or where he or she was born. However, it is probable this person was born somewhere in Asia… | <urn:uuid:914793e1-86ae-4d0e-b52d-59625d12bbe3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://asiafoundation.org/in-asia/country/china/page/4/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943018 | 938 | 2 | 2 |
GPS software for Linux?
With Windows, I like Topofusion but I'm giving Ubuntu Linux a shot. There are some programs out there but I figured this would be the best place to find some useful critiques.
What I want ideally my software to do:
Edit, merge, split tracks.
Display elevation profile
Display in 3D
Correct elevation profile using DEM
Climbing analysis ( a logical algorithm for elevation gain that gives realistic results).
Downloads free maps from the internet (no need to load separate maps).
Playback of track with elevation display, or multiple tracks simultaneously.
You get the picture (I'm describing Topofusion )
I saw this program called Viking that works with Linux. Anyone know anything about it? Any others?
GPS and GIS are the reasons why I still use Windows. I'll admit it's been awhile since I looked at Linux GPS software, but the last time I did, I couldn't find squat. I used to run a dual boot system because Linux is a nice OS with a lot of options, but because of the GPS/GIS limitations, I found myself finding better options in Windows.
All I know for Linux is QGIS, which can do just about everything you want in conjunction with the command line GRASS tools. But you won't like it. It's very technical. Getting it to download maps from online requires you to find the WMS (web mapping service) servers and set them up individually and manually. Topofusion lets you do this, but has a bunch already set up for you so you don't have to worry about setting more up if you don't want to.
My latest version of Ubuntu (12,10) has a "software center" app with several GPS options to download, but its tough (and boring) to look at descriptions to figure out if you will like the software or not. I guess I'll have to do some experimenting.
I'm doing the dual boot thing also. Its my second attempt at trying to like Linux. As with my first try, I find it to be very cool, but then some simple little task comes up which takes forever to solve, when in windows you could simply do what you need to do in a few seconds. But Iknow I need to get past the learning curve. | <urn:uuid:c7a39110-2e5a-4b83-bead-f052c2c2b9a0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://forums.mtbr.com/gps-hrm-bike-computer/gps-software-linux-824820.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944796 | 480 | 1.640625 | 2 |
The World Health Organization (WHO) defined health as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
We Indians, have major issues in understanding this definition let alone apply it. Somehow, we have come to terms with the physical well being part of it but the other two, still an alien thought. We can easily follow all sorts of Babas and Soothsayers but will never accept the need to look after our Mental Health.
Almost every day the newspaper is full of reports about people ending their lives or going on a destructive path for reasons which could be easily dealt with, if taken proper care of. In our country, we are happy to be doomed but no one should call us crazy. We live with our problems, stress, difficulties, issues, in our self-made façade. Even our relatives and friends help us in covering our so-called weaknesses. It’s a pathetic state which is seeking awareness and help.
When do we know we need to take care of our mental health and how do we do it?
I would like to ask you a question in response to the above one:
How do you know you are physically not well? Your answers could be anything like; lethargy, tiredness, feeling sick, headache etc. Your next step usually is to take care of it by yourself and if it is something beyond your expertise, you find a doctor to help you, so that you can lead a healthy life.
The same signals are sent by our brain , when we need to take care of our mental health. We go through an inability to be happy or experience positive emotions. Our lives become difficult and we carry it like a baggage.
Now, there is a difference between what should we do about this problem and what we do? We should, in this case also, seek an expert for help to make us healthier but generally we don’t do it. We keep on dealing with it ourselves making it worse with each passing day.
I wouldn’t blame the people of my country entirely for the negligence in this field but there are a lot of other reasons for the stigma attached to seeking mental health care:
1. Lack of Awareness: Till today, everyone thinks if you are not on the streets with torn clothes, staring at space, you have perfect mental state. No one ( that includes all the literate people) will ever recommend counseling for a friend. If you are a good friend, you’ll help him/her by helping them hide their problems not dealing with them.
I’ll recommend you to start seeking answers. If there is something bothering you look out for solutions. Until you ask, you aren’t going to get answers.
2. No one could help me: This is a feeling which stops most of us from seeking help. Sometimes we are not able to decide whether we even need help or not.
It is always better to get a second opinion because if you are in a situation it becomes impossible to take it objectively.
3. An Outside help for my problem is a taboo: It is difficult to admit that there are problems which need to be sorted and for that we need help.
What we don’t understand here is counseling works on the strengths rather than the weaknesses. It equips you with the skills to deal with your issues making you stronger and more independent than ever.
4. Lack of Mental Health Professionals: Even if you decide you need help, where do you suppose to go after that? Our country lacks good credible professionals in the mental health area. People are scared to go to a person and be exploited with their innermost feelings.
I’ll recommend checking and finding the right kind of specialist. Do your homework. There is a shortage of reliable professionals but that doesn’t mean there are none. It may take more work. Only go to a person, you can trust. It may mean you have to do some trial and error.
Thanks to technology now we have the amazing world of online counseling . You need not come out and announce it to the whole world but discreetly could seek help. We, Indians are born IT savvy. I have seen the participation of small, remote cities on social networking sites.
It is high time to build the courage to ask for help. It is in our hands to suffer till we want to. There is a huge misconception in our country, that you only visit a mental health practitioner, if you have major issues. It is not true!
I would like to take an example, which I often use, life is like a road and it is normal to get road bumps in it. It could be in the form of relationship issues, adjustment problems, stress etc. You need to slow down and sort it before speeding up again on the track, otherwise your vehicle of life will topple down.
Come out of the taboo and take care of yourself in the real sense. You need to nurture what is given to you. Take the step, if there is a need…Reach out. You need not make a scene or announce it to the whole world. Find a person, who could help.
Nothing is going to stop you in finding a way, if you make it your priority to take care of yourself! | <urn:uuid:3a92046b-b9f0-42fc-9800-f55d27bffc54> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://unwrappingminds.wordpress.com/tag/health/ | 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 | 0.962143 | 1,102 | 2.78125 | 3 |
Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.
I continue transcribing the tape my grandfather, Martin Deutsch, and his brother, Ted Deutsch, recorded in 1977. The Deutsch family immigrated to America in 1913, and the brothers are recalling their youth in the Transylvanian town of Almasu or Varalmas - depending upon whether you chose the Hungarian or Romanian language.
[Anything in brackets are my own notes]
Martin: Well I just wasn’t sure how big the house was, but it did have a fairly good roof I imagine
Ted: It had shingles, and didn’t leak. We never had trouble with leakage.
Martin: It was all one room. We did have a barnyard or something I’m sure to house the horse and buggy.
Ted: Well the horse and wagon was in the barn, and we had goats in the barn
Martin: We did raise chickens, I’m sure of that
Ted: Up in the loft we had hay stored for the animals
Martin: I think we raised chickens
Ted: Chicken coop right next to the barn
Martin: That was a big deal there I think for eggs
Ted: That’s right. Coming back to the room, it was a pretty large room and it had what you would call one room where we kept some utilities you might say. A little room added to the one room where we lived.
Martin: You saved the holiday dishes, the Pesach dishes, I’m satisfied. That had to be saved somewhere. We would take out once in a year.
Ted: It was more of a utility room – we kept things in there. Supplies, like flour and wheat.
Martin: When it came time to go to bed, of course you didn’t have electric lights
Ted: No we had gas lamps.
Martin: Oil lamps of some kind
Ted: We would burn lamps with kerosene.
Martin: But the kids…here you had about six seven kids, not older than 10, 11 years old.
Ted: That’s right, they didn’t all have beds either, they had to sleep down on the floor or alongside the floor.
Martin: Seven in a row.
Ted: That’s right we didn’t have seven beds or things like that. Two or three of us would sleep together in one.
Martin: Cot like things I suppose, we did have some padding of some kind I imagine
Ted: We had some kind of padding, I don’t recall what they were. We slept near the stove where it was warm. And there was one bed in the room for the parents. That’s about it.
Martin: That’s something. That’s really talking about a hard life. Talking about the parents being pioneers. Think about the pioneers in the new country. They didn’t have anything more difficult than that.
Ted: I’ll tell you, we weren’t the only ones living like that, everybody lived about the same way.
Martin: We occasionally had to struggle with the local population who didn’t have a high regard for Jews.
Ted: Well, there wasn’t very much of that at that time.
Martin: Well, that would go and come, because the background was there.
Ted: During the reign of Franz Joseph there was very little of that
Martin: It quieted down
Martin: Yeah, but, were we far away from Romania border
Ted: No, we were right on the border
Martin: Yeah, that’s what I thought too. And the river was probably the border.
Ted: No, that wasn’t he border. The section where we lived there were a lot of Romanians also living there with the Hungarians. They had their own school. They had the Romanian school. The Hungarians had a Hungarian school. And the Jews had a Jewish school.
Martin: Now, I know that we all could speak or spoke Romanian almost just like the native tongue. Because we were right there.
Ted: Well we were neighbors to the Romanians. On one side our neighbors were Romanians and the other side were Hungarians. We had to talk Hungarian and Romanian both.
Martin: And you had to talk Austrian which was German, which resembled Jewish [Yiddish] in any case, fortunately.
Ted: We talked Jewish to Jews in town. There were many Jews there.
Martin: Almost without any difference you might say you talked Hungarian and Romanian as if it were the native language.
Ted: Dad talked Hungarian. He talked Romanian just as fluently.
Martin: I would think so. You probably at one time knew Romanian just as fluently.
Ted: I do remember a few words
Martin: I remember a few words myself, but I sure can’t remember any ones I can repeat, but I think that what stayed in my mind were swear words like dunya bata zo [?] that’s god damn you, isn’t that. And that’s all I can remember. Laughter.
[break in tape]
Martin: You were saying, I’m on the record again, you were saying something about knowing a song you can sing which was half Hungarian and half Romanian. Go ahead and repeat that.
Ted: That’s the way they did when you went into conversation, sometimes you used both terms in a conversation, Hungarian and Romanian. Even songs were written and some of them went like this half Hungarian and half Romanian. For instance this song [link to mp3].
My grandfather mentioned frequently to me that his family had to know four languages: Romanian, Hungarian, German and Yiddish. I've tried to use Google Translate to figure out the curse he said. 'Zeu' is one of the Romanian words for 'god', so that might fit. I can't figure out the rest. Perhaps I'll have a reader with some understanding of Romanian who can help. I'd also love to get the half-Romanian/half-Hungarian song Ted sings translated.
My grandfather was six when they left for America - just about the right age to be learning the curse words from the older kids. I find it funny he says that none of the words he remembers he can repeat, and then he goes ahead and repeats it on a tape he meant to be preserved for the family.
My grandfather told me more than once they left Europe for economic, not religious reasons. I suspect my great grandfather, Samuel Deutsch, may have been proud to serve in Franz Joseph's army. However, while Emperor Franz Joseph granted the Austrian Jewish community equality of rights in 1867, the Deutsch family did live on the border of Austria-Hungary and Romania, and there was greater anti-semitism at that time on the Romanian side.
If you choose to join me in Amanuensis Monday and post your transcriptions, feel free to add a link to your post below, or in the comments. | <urn:uuid:a93759aa-44d5-4964-8181-ae4985fd41be> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.transylvaniandutch.com/2009/06/amanuensis-monday-of-pioneers-languages.html?showComment=1245726911688 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984371 | 1,503 | 1.882813 | 2 |
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT)-- If you replaced an old appliance with a new "Energy Star" appliance within the last year; then you might have some cash waiting for you from the City of Knoxville.
It's a rebate program through a Federal Grant that was given to Knoxville to use on promoting conservation in the city. The city decided to use the money as a rebate program to give homeowners a break who replaced old appliances with new Energy Star appliances.
You can qualify as long as you meet these requirements; you replaced an old appliance with an Energy Star between August 3, 2011 and April 2, 2012, live in the city of Knoxville limits, and are up-to-date on all city taxes.
The appliances include; televisions, computers, refrigerators, dish washing machines, washing machines, tank-less water heaters and toilets.
The deadline for all applications is April 2, 2012 and the money from the grant is going quickly.
Visit the websites below for an application and to answer any questions.
For the Green Rebates Program Guidelines:
For a Green Rebates Application: | <urn:uuid:af7df27d-c38b-4ac9-97a6-0cf09ca0d85f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.local8now.com/news/thismorning/headlines/The_City_of_Knoxville_rewards_you_for_going_green_144224695.html?site=mobile | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.914996 | 232 | 1.539063 | 2 |
had been sworn in as president after the assassination of Lincoln in April 1865.
He was in favor of a very lenient reconstruction policy in South following the
Civil War, which won him many enemies in the Republican dominated Senate.
stood accused of violating the controversial Tenure of Office Act which had been
passed by the Senate to curb Jackson's powers to remove cabinet members appointed
the fall of 1867, Johnson attempted to test the constitutionality of the act by
replacing Edwin M. Stanton with General Ulysses S. Grant as secretary of war.
The Supreme Court refused to rule on the case, however, and Grant turned the office
back to Stanton after the Senate passed a measure in protest of his appointment.
February 21, 1868, Johnson decided to challenge the Senate: he
appointed General Lorenzo Thomas, an individual far less favorable to the Congress
than Grant, as secretary of war. Stanton refused to give up his post, he barricaded
himself into his office. The House of Representatives, which had already discussed
impeachment after Johnson's first dismissal of Stanton, initiated formal impeachment
proceedings against the president.
opponents were unable to get the two-thirds majority required to impeach him (by | <urn:uuid:8e8e68b5-c99d-4765-b3eb-0e198c7f4d61> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thevoiceofreason.com/OnThisDay/March/13.htm | 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 | 0.974673 | 256 | 3.609375 | 4 |
(Includes instructions and aids in Spanish. For adults and children ages 4 and above.)
Play it at home or in the classroom Make a face that shows frustration or happiness. Tell about a time you felt calm or scared. What color would your heart be if it were a color? Those are just a few of the challenges players face in HeartMath’s new Wild Ride to the Heart™ game, where the first player to reach the heart at the center of the board, wins. But win or lose, the whole family will soon learn the true fun in playing Wild Ride – again and again – is because it makes you feel good in your heart.
Emotional Awareness and Balance Wild Ride is especially designed to teach children about recognizing, expressing and balancing their emotions. The game incorporates HeartMath’s nearly two decades of scientific research and field studies into the physiology of emotions and the intelligence of the heart. For those who are lucky, the journey to the finish will be smooth, but chances are they’ll have a Wild Ride as they make funny faces, tell stories and have lots of fun. It’s good for the heart.
Colorful, illustrated game board
Markers for moving around the board
Surprise Cards that challenge players to perform various tasks, including:
Make faces of different emotions.
Describe what makes you feel certain emotions: frustration, disappointment, courage.
Practice a simple, but powerful HeartMath emotion-regulation tool called Go to the Heart™.†
Emotions Definition Cards that explain the meaning of the most common emotions: love, sadness, happiness, anger, calm, and fear.
Two dice: Instead of the spinner, one die may be rolled for moves (The other die is a spare.)
Can be played at home or in the classroom.
Incorporates scientific research of emotions and heart intelligence.
Helps children begin to identify and understand their emotions.
Helps children in their relationships with family and friends at home, school and play.
Can aide in bringing family and friends closer.
† The Go to the Heart™ tool is adapted from HeartMath’s HeartSmarts® and Early HeartSmarts® education and home programs for pre-kindergartners through fifth-graders.
Customers who purchased Wild Ride to the Heart frequently purchase:
IHM is dedicated to providing high-value services and products for heart-based living | <urn:uuid:f6d69e11-18d7-474e-b562-a49d0db0cb13> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://store.heartmath.org/s.nl/c.582612/it.A/id.414/.f | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940142 | 500 | 2.953125 | 3 |
Date of this Version
Living windbreaks and shelterbelts are important assets in rural areas of the Great Plains that protect homes, crops and domestic animals from wind throughout the year. They offer a safe haven for wildlife and provide attractive visual barriers. Windbreaks and shelterbelts can have measurable monetary value, and if they are damaged or destroyed, a professional appraisal may be necessary to determine their value. This publication is designed for professionals who are involved in windbreak and shelterbelt appraisal. It is also meant to show the complexity of appraisal work and the need to have professional help. | <urn:uuid:2d2f8be8-9d41-4092-9920-dd19d1480980> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/nebforestpubs/76/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955665 | 116 | 2.34375 | 2 |
"Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion, shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem! See, your king shall come to you; a just savior is he, Meek, and riding on an ass, on a colt, the foal of an ass".
The Old Testament Prophecy comes to life every year as the Catholic Church commemorates Holy Week beginning with the Lord's triumphant Entry into Jerusalem. Matthew 21:1-11 States, "When they drew near Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find an ass tethered, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them here to me. And if anyone should say anything to you, reply, The master has need of them. Then he will send them at once. This happened so that what had been spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled:
Say to the daughter Zion, behold, your king comes to you, meek and riding on an ass, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.
The disciples went and did as Jesus had ordered them. They brought the ass and the colt and laid their cloaks over them, and he sat upon them. The very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and strewed them on the road. The crowds preceding him and those following kept crying out and saying:
Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest.
And when he entered Jerusalem the whole city was shaken and asked, who is this? And the crowds replied, This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee".
As we grow in our knowledge and wisdom of our Faith, may we allow the King of Kings to enter into the gates of our hearts.
The one who stands knocking says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me. I will give the victor the right to sit with me on my throne, as I myself first won the victory and sit with my Father on his Throne " (Revelation 3:20-21). | <urn:uuid:e8eba048-f29f-4dda-9230-0997e90c343d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://deepertruthblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/catholic-defender-gate-of-your-heart.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976371 | 490 | 2.0625 | 2 |
As electricity prices continue to rise across the nation, South Australians from Adelaide to Andamooka are looking toward generating their own power from rooftop solar panel systems in order to reduce or even eliminate their bills.
Known as a 'feed in tariff', you will be paid a generous 25.8 cents per kilowatt hour for any excess solar energy you produce that can be fed back into the grid. This includes a retailer contribution.
South Australia has some of the most attractive feed in tariffs in Australia. This means with the right system and energy efficiency measures in your home, you could be earning money, not just saving it. Couple this with Energy Matters’ lowest ever prices on world-leading brands and NOW is the best time to install solar and reap the benefits of a substantially reduced electricity bill.
Electricity prices may be on the rise, but savvy South Australians are wiping out their electricity bills and in many cases earning an income through installing solar panels and taking advantage of the attractive feed in tariff offered in the state. With a 5kw system, requiring only 40 square meters of north facing roof space, you could save around $1,800 per year on your electricity costs!*
Check out our latest solar specials for Adelaide and South Australia - systems start from very low prices - or try our no-obligation instant online solar quote tool to calculate which system is right for you.
We live and work in South Australia. After having installed over 2000 systems in the state, Tom Gahan and the Energy Matters team understand the needs of South Australians. Whether you’re in Adelaide, Kapunda or Cooper Pedy, we have a solar solution for you.
Tom and Energy Matters’ thorough understanding of government policy and rebates ensures we only offer systems that best suit your needs under the current state legislations. Tom’s team are also Clean Energy Council accredited.
Furthermore, the industry benchmark solar panel mounting system, SunLock, is designed by Energy Matters and manufactured right here in Australia to handle the toughest South Australian weather conditions. All other system components such as panels and inverters are sourced from the world’s most reputable suppliers.
Give our friendly Adelaide team a call on 08 8276 4111 or 133SUN today to discuss your options or get an instant online solar quote.
Our Adelaide branch and warehouse is located at: 43 Weaver St Edwardstown, Adelaide South Australia 5039 - Map directions
Join the 2000+ houses in Adelaide and South Australia already saving
money with a solar power system from Energy Matters! | <urn:uuid:4842c47c-e0e1-436c-bd94-98f1161f9466> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.energymatters.com.au/australia/solar-adelaide-sa.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.929641 | 519 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Gig Harbor is steeped in maritime history with boat building and commercial fishing playing a major role in the development of the area. But Gig Harbor was more - an agricultural center, logging and lumber area and Native American fishing grounds.
Throughout our region we cherish and preserve much of this history for our residents and our visitors to remember and enjoy!
Upcoming exhibits include the 13th Annual Juried Maritime Art Exhibit from August 4th - September 2, 2012 and NW X SE: A Collection of Small Tapestry Project of Northwest and Southeast Weavers from September 15 to January 20, 2013. Don't miss this wonderful display of intricate small tapestries created by leading weavers from the Northwest and Southeast. Videos show step-by-step process for creating the weavings along with on-site demonstrations and hands-on activities. The exhibit is a collaboration between the groups Tapestry Weavers South and Tapestry Artists of Puget Sound.
In addition to the Harbor History Museum, the greater Gig Harbor Peninsula is home to other museums and historical sites listed here (in left column). | <urn:uuid:72cf9227-12c9-4095-b230-bc968b934fa7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cityofgigharbor.net/page.php?id=833 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953553 | 222 | 2.28125 | 2 |
Whoever said there are no second acts in American lives (F.Scott Fitzgerald, you know who you are) obviously didn’t live long enough to see Polly Hill in action. A legendary horticulturalist and botanical marvel, she singlehandedly started Martha’s Vineyard’s first and only arboretum from a single seed… at the age of 50. Because she felt the existing island vegetation was kind of scrubby and boring (she used the elegant term “horticulturally impoverished”), Polly introduced hundreds of plants, seed by seed, eventually bringing 20 acres under rich and gorgeous cultivation, while preserving 40 additional acres as native woodland (10 more acres were added in 2002).
Anybody who has ever seriously gardened knows that it’s no activity for the faint-of-heart, poor-in-spirit, or weak-of-back. But Polly didn’t shrink from hard physical labor, throwing herself with vigor into growing her famous North Tisbury azaleas, a national stewartia collection, camellias, magnolias (including a glorious cultivar she named after her husband, Julian Hill), crabapples, kousa dogwoods, and flowers galore.
Polly took the long view (always a good idea in gardening and raising children) and mostly planted from seed, knowing her plants would be stronger and more vigorous if she waited patiently for them to come into their own. And luckily, she stayed around for another 50 years to see them flourish, living to the richly mature age of 100.
“Fifty is a great age to try something new,” she said– which sounds about right to me.
Today, Polly Hill Aboretum is simply a gorgeous place to visit, relax, and enjoy the public gardens, with 80 cultivars, open meadows, stone walls, and rare plants that Polly coaxed into being. My family made the trip there 10 years ago, and we had the best time ever.
I’m celebrating Polly today by donating $100 to the garden, and yesterday I let my Garden Geek flag fly–taking the Edgartown Tree Tour, led by Polly Hill Grounds and Collections Manager, Tom Clark. You can join me in supporting Polly’s precious legacy by clicking here | <urn:uuid:02b7b6a2-564f-49a3-ad22-89ac04648450> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://whatgives365.wordpress.com/tag/magnolias/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955279 | 477 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Individual differences |
Methods | Statistics | Clinical | Educational | Industrial | Professional items | World psychology |
Product Design is defined as the idea generation, concept development, testing and manufacturing or implementation of a physical object or service. It is possibly the evolution of former discipline name - Industrial Design. Product Designers conceptualise and evaluate ideas, making them tangible through products. As with most of the design fields the idea for the design of a product arises from a need and has a use.It follows certain method and can sometimes be attribute to more complex factors such as association and [telesis]. Aesthetics is a part of the idea but which is debatable as an object found pleasing by someone can be utterly senseless to another. Designers deal with aspects of technology, ergonomics, usability, human factors, material technology and qualities.
Product designers are equipped with the skills neaded to bring products from conception to market. They should also have the ability to manage design projects, and subcontract areas to other sectors of the design industry. | <urn:uuid:762dbd1e-8e83-42b7-988c-4cf6946ab49c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://psychology.wikia.com/wiki/Product_design?diff=prev&oldid=97697 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941139 | 208 | 3.1875 | 3 |
George Barber (1958, Guyana, lives and works in London), rose to prominence in the 1980s as a pioneer of the Scratch Video movement, with works like Yes Frank No Smoke, 1985, which sampled clips from Hollywood films, using the untried sampling technology of the day, creating an unprecedented orchestration of sound, vision, repeat edits and rhythm. Barber’s videos, in which the maker is forever using quotes from others, became celebrated as classic examples of Postmodernism.
Barber has developed a large and varied body of work, incorporating found footage, performative monologues, narrative essay films (e.g. Taxi Driver II, 1987, Reality Check, 2012) and conceptual works (Automotive Action Painting, 2007, and New Orleans Shouting Match, 2011). Barber’s original contribution to video art results in many short, precise works that are both thoughtful and entertaining, a quality that sets him apart and has earned him much loyal support amongst a younger generation.
Barber’s works have been shown in festivals, galleries and broadcast on television throughout the world and awarded major prizes at many international festivals.
His recent solo exhibitions include a retrospective at Dundee Contemporary Arts, 2010, and his works have been shown at Tate Britain and at the Royal Academy. Barber is Professor of Art & Media at the University for the Creative Arts.
Automotive Action Painting, 2007
Observed from an overhead camera, a man stops by the roadside one morning and empties the contents of a number of large cans of paint over the tarmac. As the light rises, along with the level of traffic, the cars spread the paint along the surface of the road, creating an abstract smear of vibrant colour. Fundamentally, the piece is a painting done by traffic. Automotive Action Painting is an ironic comment on Abstract Expressionism and shows that a work containing emotion and passion can be created by people driving to work. Nobody has ever thought this. Rational beings driving cars engage with colour and become the brushes producing a very lush ‘action’ canvas by the end.
Automotive action painting won First Prize at the 24th Hamburg International Short Film Festival and has been shown at Tate Britain in London.
2001 Colours Andy Never Thought of, 1996
Barber’s appropriation of Andy Warhol’s appropriation of an icon of popular cinema. Barber takes on Warhol’s famous Marilyn paintings and screenprints, but brings the (then) new technology of video dissolves of colour and adds new layers of deconstruction to the image. Curtain Trip resulted from the artist simply hanging three pieces of coloured silk from a ceiling, lying on the ground and looking up at them as they moved in the breeze. Then, he hit on the idea of doubling it all up to create a kaleidoscopic effect. The fabric itself was shot on film; the rest is video editing. Kite is a mesmerising journey through a saturated field of colour.
Gibberish attempts to interrupt and convey meaning using nonsense language. Gibberish seems to be sense, yet most of the recognisable language spoken is ludicrous and spontaneously thought up. The work starts in a garden with a discussion about lost suitcases at an airport, and over 5 minutes develops through various scenarios into being about a loved kitten and the end of the world.
Gibberish is fundamentally about the voice as an object and as a presence. Once sense has been taken away, and the performers merely make sounds that we apprehend and make familiar to ourselves as 'foreign language'. Without sense we are left with mannerisms, tone, hand and eye movements and, of course, our physical reaction to the speaker's voice quality and tone. Language is a logical structure, generating meaning in building blocks. Here we sense building blocks but have to improvise and generate our own sense to get by. Like listening to someone speaking a foreign language, we have to 'insert' bits, fill the gaps. We struggle to predict what the problems might be that the speaker is telling us about, we look for hints in the voice.
Absence of Satan, 1985
A beautiful woman screams at something unseen off camera. Paul Newman appears eating salad and soon the famous sequence of Paul Newman closing a car door cut with a helicopter takes place. Absence of Satan is probably one of George Barber's best Scratch works and is a deft reworking of cinematic narrative and clichè. George Barber is one of the pioneers of Scratch Video which emerged in the UK during the mid-1980s. Scratch video makes use of found images from films and television, cutting seemingly incongruous imagery together to make a new meaning.
The idea for Branson came from seeing the great entrepreneur interviewed and his alarming habit of constantly breaking his speech with 'hums'. The artist set about seeing if he could make a beat from these hums; rhythmic speech impediments. The whole sequence features various 80's people saying 'er' rather a lot.
Following Your Heart, 2008
Selected from Barber’s recent found footage work, Following Your Heart uses off-air adverts and TV films. The central conceit is to take found footage and manipulate it into a new artistic experience. The adverts and dramas all essentially present clichéd dialogue but by the use of repetition, music, the works rise away from being humdrum television into something more effecting.
Shouting Match, 2004
The first Shouting Match is a well-known work that has been shown as a single screen work at the Tate Modern, DCA and Miami Basel. The piece is a conceptual work and is different every time it is staged. So far the artist has made three versions - in London, Bangalore and Tel Aviv. The next one is likely to be Dallas or New Orleans. It was conceived as a multi-screen gallery piece and once all four versions are complete it will be ready to be shown.
A variety of participants, due to the power of their voices, determine the length of their presence on screen. In order for our culture to feel that something is worth watching or good, all the volume and parameters have to be turned 'full up'. Similarly so to express yourself in daily life. Nothing is quiet.
India Shouting Match, 2010
India Shouting Match is a version of George Barber’s well-known Shouting Match but newly shot in India. Barber sees it as an infinitely repeatable conceptual idea and benefits from being different every time it is staged. Take two seated people facing each other. At the given signal they begin shouting. They have to put everything into a short contest. The harder they shout the more they are in the frame, the quieter they are, the more they are withdrawn. If you fall silent – you will be out of frame – out of history. India Shout Match consists of pure shouting.
Visually, India Shouting Match is made up of the actual vocal combat and insight into characters, how they behave, their faces in pain, anger, struggle, insanity, defeat and victory. The sheer sound of the piece is impressive; especially as a multi-screen in galleries and consists of men and women using their voice in a totally irrational, pre-cultural fashion. The howl of madness.
Passing ship, 1994
As in earlier tapes, George Barber appropriates popular film culture and engages with it on his own terms. He reclines in his bath narrating, in a loosely constructed monologue, an account of how he survived a plane crash over water and the events which led up to it. A montage of 1970s American disaster films accompany and interact with his tongue-in-cheek account.Passing ship is concerned with ambiguity in the representation of events. Is he concocting a story inspired by watching too much television? Is he contrasting personal experience against the mass media as a critique of the latter? There is no single answer as the tape works at many levels.
Walking Off Court, 2003
"Walking Off Court concerns a story I saw in the Times about a tennis coach called James Goodman who had a nervous breakdown around about the time that a motorway was built right outside his house. He spent a lot of time aimlessly walking in circles around new roads and road works. I contacted him and even ended up playing tennis with him. The video is loosely the story around his experience and his changing relationship to his normal circumstances." - G.B. | <urn:uuid:fda30f8d-e324-488e-834b-5f3133d51075> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.waterside-contemporary.com/artists/george-barber/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960062 | 1,732 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Anti-Cancer Vaccine with Roots in Rochester Moves Forward
February 24, 2005
A vaccine to prevent a type of cancer that kills more than 250,000 women around the globe every year is expected to become available within a year or two, thanks in large part to technology developed by scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center.
Vaccines that prevent cervical cancer are in the final stages of testing in studies by two companies, Merck and Co. and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). Earlier this month the two pharmaceutical giants agreed on a settlement involving patents and royalties related to the vaccines, clearing the way for continued development of their products.
The vaccine targets a group of viruses known as human papillomaviruses (HPV), which cause 12,000 cases of cervical cancer in women in the United States annually. About 4,500 women in the nation die of the disease every year. The toll is much worse in other parts of the world, where Pap smears to detect the disease in its earliest stages are not widely available. In some parts of the world, cervical cancer is the leading cause of death by cancer in women.
Research done more than a decade ago by a trio of University virologists – Richard Reichman, M.D., William Bonnez, M.D., and Robert Rose, Ph.D. – is integral to the technology, which takes aim at a portion of a class of viruses that also cause all warts. A patent application was filed, and the rights to the technology were licensed to the biotechnology company MedImmune, which then sold the license to SmithKline (which later became GSK). Now, the research is poised to save lives and become part of one of the first vaccines to prevent a form of cancer. (The hepatitis B vaccine can also prevent liver cancer.)
“The public health impact of this work – which has the potential to prevent a condition that causes significant morbidity and mortality in women – is enormous, both nationally and internationally,” says David Guzick, M.D., Ph.D., dean of the School of Medicine and Dentistry and professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Pretty much everyone has encountered an HPV in one form or another. There are more than 100 types of HPV. Some cause common warts on the hands or plantar warts on the feet. At least 40 types of HPV infect the genital tract, causing warts in some people and a variety of other conditions, most notably cervical cancer and other cancers in women, anal cancer in men and women, and occasionally penile cancer in men.
In the United States, more than 15,000 people every day, or about 5.5 million people a year, get sexually transmitted HPV infections from their partners. About three out of every four sexually active people will get an HPV infection at some point during their lifetime; in some age groups, such as sexually active men and women under the age of 30, doctors estimate that 40 percent of people are currently infected.
Most people fight off the virus and never even know they were infected. Others have warts. In the most serious cases, in about 1 percent of women with the virus, it progresses to abnormal cell growth known as dysplasia and sometimes to cervical cancer. Two types of HPV, type 16 and type 18, cause about 70 percent of cervical cancers, and those are the types that the two current vaccines in development are designed to prevent.
Scientists have published results in the Lancet and New England Journal of Medicine that show that both vaccines protect against those two types of HPV, and now both vaccines are being studied in larger studies involving tens of thousands of women. The vaccines are given as a series of three shots given a few months apart. Scientists and public health officials are discussing who should receive the vaccine, and when; most doctors say the vaccine would need to be given before a person becomes sexually active to do the most good. Women have the most to gain from protection against HPV, while men who were protected may be much less likely to spread the disease.
The key to the technology is VLPs, or virus-like particles, which have become VIPs in the world of infectious disease. Twenty years ago the team set out on a basic research study to look at how a person’s immune system fights HPV infection. The team soon focused on the actual viral particle that causes the disease.
After discovering that the body produces antibodies that could neutralize the virus, they figured out how to make harmless virus-like particles to trigger the same immune response. They did this by putting an HPV gene into insect cells using a virus called baculovirus, which infects insects; the HPV gene then produces particles that mimic the shape of real HPV particles.
Each member found his way to Rochester and the field of HPV for his own reasons. Reichman, director of the Infectious Diseases Unit, was an expert on sexually transmitted viral diseases and took the advice of a visiting senior colleague that human papillomaviruses offered a good research opportunity. Bonnez, a classically trained virologist, came to the United States from France largely for the opportunity to do research on viruses while still treating patients. And as a graduate student, Rose sought an opportunity to study viruses and their structure in a way that would have an impact on human health.
“The medical center was able to bring together individuals from disparate backgrounds who have this common link, an interest in science as a vehicle to improve the health of populations. This extraordinary achievement, in which basic science discoveries are translated into clinical and public health practice, is the essence of what an academic medical center is all about,” says Guzick.
With VLPs in hand, the team promptly filed for a patent and in early 1997 began one of the world’s first tests in humans of a vaccine to prevent HPV infection. That study of 65 people found that the vaccine was safe and provokes an immune response in people and prompted further studies, culminating in a promising product for GSK. Like any vaccine, the products are designed to trigger an immune response, so that if the person encounters the disease, the body is primed to fight it off.
Marjorie Hunter, director of the medical center’s Office of Technology Transfer, led recent negotiations that have helped iron out the intellectual property agreements. A previous technology transfer director, Robert Goodwin, helped link the researchers with MedImmune in 1995, a key step in keeping the technology alive. Also important was the consistent support and dogged determination of Michael Goldman of the Rochester law firm Nixon Peabody, who filed the initial patent.
Reichman, Rose and Bonnez continue to do research on HPV and other diseases. Reichman is investigating cervical HPV disease in women infected with HIV; Rose focuses on development of needle-free methods for delivery of the vaccine in developing countries; and Bonnez pursues his interests in defining exactly how the virus causes disease. In addition, Rose and Bonnez are members of a large team of investigators led by Tim Mosmann, Ph.D., director of the Center for Vaccine Biology and Immunology, who are looking at how and why the immune system naturally fights off HPV in some people but not in others. | <urn:uuid:dd747039-0efd-48d2-a57a-c7b2bfcfffc8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/news/story/index.cfm?id=736 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965414 | 1,496 | 2.90625 | 3 |
If the fan is blowing, but no hot air is coming out that means that no hot water is making it into the heater core.
I can think of 3 reasons for this, each with a different solution.
First, and easiest to check: make sure that there's enough coolant in the car. If it's low, there may not be enough fluid to circulate through the core.
Second, the valve that opens to allow hot water into the core could be blocked (or the core itself could be blocked). You may be able to check this by undoing the intake and return lines from the core and seeing if you can get water flowing, perhaps by putting a hose on the intake. Be careful about applying too much water pressure, though - you don't want to blow up the core and end up with a very wet interior and a very expensive repair.
Finally, if you have an automatic climate control system, it could be a sensor that thinks there's too much heat going though the system, so is cutting off the flow of how water into the heater core. If it's an old mechanical system, the actuator may have come loose, so it's no longer operating the valve. If it's a sensor or other electrical gremlin, you'll probably need to take it to the dealer, but if it's a mechanical system you can probably trace the link & see if the valve is operating properly. | <urn:uuid:079a5f66-a778-4680-ba41-d98864c79e22> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mechanics.stackexchange.com/questions/2354/car-heater-stopped-working-kind-of?answertab=oldest | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972313 | 288 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Home Buying and Selling Tips
The top 10 things you need to know when buying a house. source: www.cnnmoney.com
1. Don't buy if you can't stay put.
If you can't commit to remaining in one place for at least a few years, then owning is probably not for you, at least not yet. With the transaction costs of buying and selling a home, you may end up losing money if you sell any sooner - even in a rising market. When prices are falling, it's an even worse proposition.
2. Start by shoring up your credit.
Since you most likely will need to get a mortgage to buy a house, you must make sure your credit history is as clean as possible. A few months before you start house hunting, get copies of your credit report. Make sure the facts are correct, and fix any problems you discover.
3. Aim for a home you can really afford.
The rule of thumb is that you can buy housing that runs about two-and-one-half times your annual salary. But you'll do better to use one of many calculators available online to get a better handle on how your income, debts, and expenses affect what you can afford.
4. If you can't put down the usual 20 percent, you may still qualify for
There are a variety of public and private lenders who, if you qualify, offer low-interest mortgages that require a down payment as small as 3 percent of the purchase price.
5. Buy in a district with good schools.
In most areas, this advice applies even if you don't have school-age children. Reason: When it comes time to sell, you'll learn that strong school districts are a top priority for many home buyers, thus helping to boost property values.
6. Get professional help.
Even though the Internet gives buyers unprecedented access to home listings, most new buyers (and many more experienced ones) are better off using a professional agent. Look for an exclusive buyer agent, if possible, who will have your interests at heart and can help you with strategies during the bidding process.
7. Choose carefully between points and rate.
When picking a mortgage, you usually have the option of paying additional points — a portion of the interest that you pay at closing — in exchange for a lower interest rate. If you stay in the house for a long time — say three to five years or more — it's usually a better deal to take the points. The lower interest rate will save you more in the long run.
8. Before house hunting, get pre-approved.
Getting pre-approved will you save yourself the grief of looking at houses you can't afford and put you in a better position to make a serious offer when you do find the right house. Not to be confused with pre-qualification, which is based on a cursory review of your finances, pre-approval from a lender is based on your actual income, debt and credit history.
9. Do your homework before bidding.
Your opening bid should be based on the sales trend of similar homes in the neighborhood. So before making it, consider sales of similar homes in the last three months. If homes have recently sold at 5 percent less than the asking price, you should make a bid that's about eight to 10 percent lower than what the seller is asking.
10. Hire a home inspector.
Sure, your lender will require a home appraisal anyway. But that's just the bank's way of determining whether the house is worth the price you've agreed to pay. Separately, you should hire your own home inspector, preferably an engineer with experience in doing home surveys in the area where you are buying. His or her job will be to point out potential problems that could require costly repairs down the road.
10 Best-Kept Secrets for Selling Your Home Source: www.hgtv.com
1. Pricing it right
Find out what your home is worth, then shave 15 to 20 percent off the price. You’ll be stampeded by buyers with multiple bids — even in the worst markets — and they’ll bid up the price over what it’s worth. It takes real courage and most sellers just don’t want to risk it, but it’s the single best strategy to sell a home in today’s market.
2. Half-empty closets
Storage is something every buyer is looking for and can never have enough of. Take half the stuff out of your closets then neatly organize what’s left in there. Buyers will snoop, so be sure to keep all your closets and cabinets clean and tidy.
3. Light it up
Maximize the light in your home. After location, good light is the one thing that every buyer cites that they want in a home. Take down the drapes, clean the windows, change the lampshades, increase the wattage of your light bulbs and cut the bushes outside to let in sunshine. Do what you have to do make your house bright and cheery – it will make it more sellable.
4. Play the agent field
A secret sale killer is hiring the wrong broker. Make sure you have a broker who is totally informed. They must constantly monitor the multiple listing service (MLS), know what properties are going on the market and know the comps in your neighborhood. Find a broker who embraces technology – a tech-savvy one has many tools to get your house sold.
5. Conceal the critters
You might think a cuddly dog would warm the hearts of potential buyers, but you’d be wrong. Not everybody is a dog- or cat-lover. Buyers don’t want to walk in your home and see a bowl full of dog food, smell the kitty litter box or have tufts of pet hair stuck to their clothes. It will give buyers the impression that your house is not clean. If you’re planning an open house, send the critters to a pet hotel for the day.
6. Don’t over-upgrade
Quick fixes before selling always pay off. Mammoth makeovers, not so much. You probably won’t get your money back if you do a huge improvement project before you put your house on the market. Instead, do updates that will pay off and get you top dollar. Get a new fresh coat of paint on the walls. Clean the curtains or go buy some inexpensive new ones. Replace door handles, cabinet hardware, make sure closet doors are on track, fix leaky faucets and clean the grout.
7. Take the home out of your house
One of the most important things to do when selling your house is to de-personalize it. The more personal stuff in your house, the less potential buyers can imagine themselves living there. Get rid of a third of your stuff – put it in storage. This includes family photos, memorabilia collections and personal keepsakes. Consider hiring a home stager to maximize the full potential of your home. Staging simply means arranging your furniture to best showcase the floor plan and maximize the use of space.
8. The kitchen comes first
You’re not actually selling your house, you’re selling your kitchen – that’s how important it is. The benefits of remodeling your kitchen are endless, and the best part of it is that you’ll probably get 85% of your money back. It may be a few thousand dollars to replace countertops where a buyer may knock $10,000 off the asking price if your kitchen looks dated. The fastest, most inexpensive kitchen updates include painting and new cabinet hardware. Use a neutral-color paint so you can present buyers with a blank canvas where they can start envisioning their own style. If you have a little money to spend, buy one fancy stainless steel appliance. Why one? Because when people see one high-end appliance they think all the rest are expensive too and it updates the kitchen.
9. Always be ready to show
Your house needs to be "show-ready" at all times – you never know when your buyer is going to walk through the door. You have to be available whenever they want to come see the place and it has to be in tip-top shape. Don’t leave dishes in the sink, keep the dishwasher cleaned out, the bathrooms sparkling and make sure there are no dust bunnies in the corners. It’s a little inconvenient, but it will get your house sold.
10. The first impression is the only impression
No matter how good the interior of your home looks, buyers have already judged your home before they walk through the door. You never have a second chance to make a first impression. It’s important to make people feel warm, welcome and safe as they approach the house. Spruce up your home’s exterior with inexpensive shrubs and brightly colored flowers. You can typically get a 100-percent return on the money you put into your home’s curb appeal. Entryways are also important. You use it as a utility space for your coat and keys. But, when you’re selling, make it welcoming by putting in a small bench, a vase of fresh-cut flowers or even some cookies. | <urn:uuid:46c2756c-60d5-439f-a148-47ebeb7842ab> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://hutchareahomes.com/page.php?id=4 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950885 | 1,939 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Thinking Green: Blogs
Everyday Chores Get Greener
Story Updated: Jul 6, 2012
Green Goes Simple: Conservation at Home
Everyday Chores Get Greener
By Amy Levin-Epstein for Green Goes Simple
Ready to make some eco-friendly changes, but not sure where to begin? Start with the things you do each day: chores!
Yes, even small shifts in your daily cleaning routines can have positive effects on the planet -- no extra elbow grease required. “People have a sense that with green cleaning there is more scrubbing, or it is more expensive, or it doesn’t work. These are all myths,” says green-cleaning expert Annie B. Bond, author of Clean and Green and Better Basics for the Home.
Add these simple tips to your daily chore toolbox and you’ll be a green, clean, dirt-fighting machine in no time: “Going green takes some time to figure out, but once you get it, you’re set for life,” says Bond.
Go Green: Use a detergent designed for cold water. Choosing cold water for each load saves energy (good for the planet) and money (good for your wallet). Cold-friendly detergents are formulated to fight dirt and stains just as well as their warm-water counterparts.
Go Greener: Ditch your bleach for a better brightener, like sodium percarbonate, found in many common laundry products. While bleach pollutes our water systems and is a lung irritant, sodium percarbonate is a natural mineral that’s just as effective at getting out stains.
Go Green: Save water by using a dishwasher instead of sudsing your plates by hand. If washing by hand is the only option, look for foam-based soaps that use less water.
Go Greener: If you’re buying a new machine, go for one with the ENERGY STAR rating. Then, run it only when full and skip the pre-rinse cycle. For energy-free drying, simply open the door!
Go Green: Place a stylish and sturdy welcome mat at your door. You and your guests will track less dirt into the house, which means less vacuuming later. Taking your shoes off at the door also helps control dust and dirt.
Go Greener: Try a steam cleaner. Cleaning with steam kills bacteria and dust mites, and it makes your floors sparkle without the use of additional cleaning agents.
Go Green: Bring your own reusable totes to the store. There are many cute options these days, and most grocery stores also sell them near the register. Leave a few in your trunk and stash one in your purse for unexpected trips.
Go Greener: Buy in the bulk section of your favorite store. You’ll get the same great products without all that waste.
Photo Credit: @iStockphoto.com/Cimmerian
Amy Levin-Epstein is a freelance writer who’s been published in magazines like Glamour, Self and Prevention, on websites like AOL, Babble and Details.com and in newspapers like the New York Post and the Boston Globe. You can read more of her writing at AmyLevinEpstein.com. Her articles have previously appeared on Green Goes Simple. | <urn:uuid:11000d0e-d847-4538-befb-f9b31973cff8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wkbw.com/lifestyle/green/?feed=bim&id=161600025 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.925058 | 692 | 2.53125 | 3 |
Patrick and Nancy Galloway see lots of wildlife at their 10-acre farm in the Steelmanville section of Upper Township.
They're familiar with deer, foxes, wild turkeys - "There's even a white wild turkey that lives here," Patrick Galloway said - and the tracks of the elusive coyotes.
But they recently encountered a strange little mammal with oversized eyes like an alien, one that remains alien to most people even though it lives among us: the southern flying squirrel.
The Galloways happened to be outside when an old birdhouse fell out of a tree.
"We saw what looked like two young squirrels and their mother scurrying away and up a tree. We didn't think much about it," Patrick Galloway said.
A week later, while Galloway was putting a new roof on his house, a neighbor pointed out a squirrel had fallen out of a nearby ceramic, acorn-shaped nest and was now perched atop it.
"We stared at it and it looked like some mythological creature," Galloway said. "It had a bat-like face and loose skin on its sides like a basset hound."
Gray and red squirrels rule the trees during the day, but when the sun sets, the night shift of southern flying squirrels takes over.
Flying squirrels are tiny - just 7 to 10 inches long, including their tails. Their large black eyes allow them to see in the dark.
They don't actually fly, despite the cartoon antics of Rocket J. Squirrel, but are accomplished gliders.
Spreading their loose skin with their four limbs and steering with their flat tails, they can glide as far as 80 yards from the top of one tree to the bottom of another. They land softly, using their tail as a brake and arching their skin like a parachute, then scramble around the tree in case a predator has seen them.
Now that Galloway, who is the executive chef at Cape Regional Medical Center in Cape May Court House, has located one, he's been enjoying its aerial antics.
"It comes out at dusk and looks like a strange bird flying. It launches straight out 10 to 15 feet and glides down to a small tree," he said. "I've cleaned up my binoculars for a clearer look."
Flying squirrels have a diet similar to their daytime counterparts, mainly acorns and other tree nuts, seeds and fruits. But they're a little more likely to eat bird eggs, birds and carrion.
Since flying squirrels are active at night, their main natural predators are owls, along with foxes, raccoons and other mammals. Wherever people live, house cats probably are the principal threat.
If you're in the woods at night, you may catch a glimpse of a flying squirrel on its downward glide. Good sightings almost all result from their habit of nesting in birdhouses.
My best - and worst - view of flying squirrels was as they chewed on the ropes of my hammock as I tried to sleep on a steep hillside in a deep Pennsylvania forest years ago.
Flying squirrels typically nest in former woodpecker holes, but you can buy or make a house for them. The key is that the entrance hole should be exactly 1¼-inch in diameter.
One caution, however, if you also maintain bird feeders: Ordinary squirrel baffles are no impediment for squirrels that can fly.
Contact Kevin Post: | <urn:uuid:202f7d6a-7142-4f10-95a3-2c7d216d2192> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/communities/upper_capemay/squirrel-s-in-the-air-over-farm-in-upper-township/article_ff2e7caa-5099-53ef-8ec5-86621985c280.html?mode=story | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00054-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97708 | 717 | 2.421875 | 2 |
Get Schooled Virtual Summer Book Club
The Virtual Summer Book Club is a national, two month reading challenge across public library teen groups and individual teens. During the challenge, teens will log on to the Get Schooled website weekly for inspiration and engage in point-earning activities all focused around reading activities.
These include online games, polls, trivia, discussion boards, check-in opportunities, and more.
Activities will focus on two books - The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie and Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card - and cover many other reading-focused topics. | <urn:uuid:d5caa358-6abb-45fc-ae48-1e11b1d7ba7a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.webjunction.org/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.929172 | 124 | 1.789063 | 2 |
December 19, 2011
MELBOURNE, FL – Wuesthoff Health System announced today that its Melbourne hospital is once again the first in Brevard County to offer an innovative robotic surgical option. This time it’s with MAKOplasty® Hip, total hip replacement surgery performed using the RIO® system, a highly advanced, surgeon-controlled robotic arm that enables the accurate alignment and positioning of implants. The surgery was performed on Friday Dec 16, at Wuesthoff Medical Center – Melbourne by orthopedic surgeon Daniel L. King, M.D.
“We were the first hospital to bring MAKOplasty® partial knee resurfacing to Brevard County in May of this year,” Administrator Susan Takacs said. “This is the next step in our efforts to continue offering new technology and surgical options to the community.”
The goal of using robotic arm technology to perform hip replacement is to attain consistent precision in surgery. Accurate placement and alignment of implant components are a critical factor in hip replacement. MAKOplasty Hip is designed to assist surgeons in attaining a new level of reproducible precision, to restore patients’ confidence in their mobility and help them return to active lifestyles.
“Getting implants positioned correctly is an important aspect in improving surgical outcomes and the lifespan of the implants used for hip replacement,” Dr. King said. “The robotic arm technology enables us to more accurately achieve the biomechanical alignments that are planned to fit the patient’s unique anatomy.”
Accurate alignment and positioning of implants using traditional manual total hip replacement techniques can be challenging. Massachusetts General Hospital recently reported in Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research that of 1,823 hip replacement patients treated over a sustained period of study, about half had acetabular cups positioned in the desired zone of proper inclination and version.
Here’s how MAKOplasty Hip works:
Like other total hip replacement procedures, MAKOplasty Hip may be a treatment option for people who suffer from either non-inflammatory or inflammatory degenerative joint disease.
For more information about MAKOplasty® please call – (800) 522-6363. | <urn:uuid:cec18fe5-96b4-4946-9fa2-63fd372431eb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wuesthoff.com/about/press-releases/wuesthoff-hosts-brevards-first-orthopedic-robotic-arm-total-hip-surgery | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.909965 | 455 | 1.867188 | 2 |
A great way to strengthen your résumé is to do an internship, but the benefits don’t stop there. By interning, you can gain professional skills, insight into a particular industry or organizational culture, and connections that might lead to a full-time job. Internships can also be a testing ground for potential new employees. Companies are spending more time and resources developing internship programs because they provide an efficient way to identify excellent full-time candidates. There is a lot of competition for internships. The following suggestions may help you secure a rewarding internship where you can learn about the field you are pursuing.
Start Early. Companies advertise their summer internships during the Fall and Spring Career Fairs. BCS can also connect you with internship opportunities through I-Link Business. You can network with employers throughout the fall by meeting them at the Career Fair, workshops, employer forums and company information sessions. You may get a jump start by participating in the Job Shadow Program. When recruiters are ready to hire interns, you will be top-of-mind.
Prepare. Make sure your résumé highlights your skills and accomplishments. Although an effective résumé will get you an interview, a successful interview will get you a job or internship. Take advantage of BCS employer workshops on résumé writing and résumé critiques and participate in a mock interview to hone your interviewing skills
Network. Making contacts is instrumental in your search for an internship. Talk with alumni, friends, parents, neighbors, relatives, friends of your parents, parents of your friends, and anyone who is in the company or industry that you are interested in working. Attend company information sessions, workshops, career fairs, and talk with recruiters, even if they are not currently seeking interns. Learn more about networking.
Be Creative. Because there are more students than there are internships, it can be difficult to find a productive internship. Be proactive and creative. Talk with companies and professionals in the area you are interested in working in and develop an opportunity for yourself. Consider volunteering, offering to help on a part-time or project-by-project basis. If an organization has not hired interns in the past, they may be willing to take a chance on an assertive, intelligent student. Although working without pay doesn’t sound appealing, it can pay off in the long run by helping you build your résumé and make professional connections that can be used for the full-time job search.
Paid vs. Unpaid. The majority of paid internships are offered by large companies. Consulting, investment banking, commercial banking, accounting, information technology, and marketing offer paying internships. However, unpaid internships still offer opportunities to gain valuable work experience and can have a pay-off when you are looking for full-time work. In addition to making connections, you can also get training and an understanding of the industry
Credit vs. Not-for-Credit. Depending on your major and the internship description, you may be able to earn credit for your internship. In some situations, employers may require interns to be registered for a university class as a condition of employment. Class registration requires payment of tuition and/or fees. Talk with your academic department about internship credit, and meet with a BCS adviser regarding options for eaning credit
Summer vs. During School Term. The majority of internships are available in the summertime. However, more opportunities are becoming available for undergraduates who are willing to take a semester (or longer) off from school and participate in a winter or spring semester internship or co-op. These types of experiences can be extremely rewarding and can provide a break from the academic setting. Some employers are willing to extend internships over the academic year on a part-time basis. Part-time may not provide as clear a picture of what the daily demands are in a given profession, but you’ll learn enough to assess whether or not you enjoy a particular job or industry | <urn:uuid:8aa26f7e-7835-4dcb-ae40-6a02a748155f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://business.illinois.edu/bcs/students/internships.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94674 | 811 | 1.890625 | 2 |
Boundary Scan and JTAG Emulation Combine for Advanced Structural Test and Diagnostics
Publication: EE Times Embedded
November 10, 2009 -- While continuously improving IC and SOC technologies, higher clock rates, and more powerful processors are music to the design engineers' ears, the headaches of test engineers are getting worse and worse. The ever decreasing test access was the worrying factor in the past, but a new problem arose in recent years with the dramatically increasing speed of the signal transmission.
The resulting failure phenomena and test access limitations have an inevitable impact on the efficiency and practicality of test strategies.
It is apparent that structural tests for detecting connectivity faults (opens and shorts) have huge advantages regarding test automation, diagnosis, and deterministic fault coverage. However, test coverage for dynamic failure phenomena demands higher test speed in order to carry out at-speed tests.
For this, functional tests are more suitable, although test development effort is enormous and failure diagnosis is rather limited. A single test technique that meets all requirements is neither existent nor on the horizon. Instead a suitable mix of techniques is the way to go. The combination of boundary scan and emulation test can be considered as a particularly interesting approach.
By Heiko Ehrenberg and Thomas Wenzel. (Ehrenberg is president of GOEPEL electronic GmbH and Wenzel is Managing Director of the JTAG/coundary Scan division at GOEPEL.)
Reprinted from SOCcentral.com, your first stop for ASIC, FPGA, EDA, and IP news and design information. | <urn:uuid:0da21f84-6e33-4029-b566-6617f1c6fec5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://soccentral.com/PrintPage.asp?PassedEntryID=30171 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.900483 | 320 | 1.78125 | 2 |
One story related by Peter L. Bernstein in “Against the Gods: the remarkable story of risk” was the experience of Kenneth Joseph Arrow, an American economist and joint winner of the 1972 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics.
Some officers had been assigned the task of forecasting weather a month ahead, but Arrow and his statisticians found that their long-range forecasts were no better than numbers pulled out of a hat. The forecasters agreed and asked their superiors to be relieved of this duty. The reply was: “The Commanding General is well aware that the forecasts are no good. However, he needs them for planning purposes.”1
Philip Tetlock, a psychologist at the University of California, Berkeley, has literally spent a lifetime looking at how well experts in their field do with respect to their professions. Over a period of 20 years he collected the predictions of 284 people who made their living “commenting or offering advice on political and economic trends,” including journalists, foreign policy specialists, economists and intelligence analysts. By the end of the study, Mr. Tetlock had quantified 82,361 predictions. How did the experts do? The vast majority of the predictions were worse than random chance. Post graduate degrees offered no advantage. Famous experts tended to do the worst.
Where did these individuals go wrong? According to Mr. Tetlock the main reason was overconfidence. Convinced that they were right, the experts ignored evidence suggesting they might be wrong. Another important bias is that most experts find it very difficult to make a negative prediction. Fear of “crying wolf” may be part of the reason, but there is also a desire to please the audience and be re-elected, or asked to speak again. Another important cognitive bias, Mr. Tetlock points out, is that most of us find it very difficult to change our minds.
Overconfidence and “confirmation bias,” where experts ignore evidence suggesting they are wrong, are of particular concern to investment advisers. With the financial security of our clients at risk, we can’t afford to become “prisoners of our preconceptions,” as Mr. Tetlock puts it. This is one reason why active management relies heavily on non-emotional, technical and quantitative analysis and mathematical relationships within the financial markets. Our goal is objectivity and discipline, checking our ego and emotions at the door. The most important information for an active manager is not where the market has been or where we believe it is going, but where it is today.
By setting very specific investment rules as to when an asset will be purchased or sold, or when it is safe to be invested in equities or bonds or a specific sector, or when a defensive posture is better, our goal is to avoid letting our biases and emotions influence our decisions. I may be right in my belief that the market will recover from its current malaise, but to base a client’s portfolio on that belief ignores the consequences of being wrong. What if I am right on the market’s direction but completely wrong on the duration of the problem?
Active management is risk management. As with all tools to limit risk, it can also result in lost opportunities if conditions change quickly. But without risk management, without basing investment decisions on where the market is today, the risk of a major drawdown impacting the client’s future increases.
1 Against the Gods, Peter J. Bernstein, page 203. | <urn:uuid:79e54e4c-065c-4e08-8792-4588e294eb68> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://investfortomorrowblog.com/archives/tag/expert-predictions | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964881 | 714 | 2.125 | 2 |
Collaborative media production usually means two things: several people sharing a large number of media assets, and a deep folder hierarchy to keep everything organized. Let’s say I’m editing voiceover recordings from someone else. I like to move from the source folder of the recording engineer’s files to my folder of edited soundfiles. Invariably there will be other locations for tracking documents, scripts, etc. This kind of workflow is useful for photography, video game production, film production and other kinds of media.
On a PC, getting all of the windows open to the appropriate folders can take time. And if you are switching back and forth between folder sets for different projects, the time spent managing windows increases. My co-worker D. Shinji Furuya got me hip to Q-Dir, a free quad explorer for the PC.
Click to enlarge
Launch Q-Dir and you’ve got 4 windows open. Once you click your way inside to the folders of assets, you can save your “Work Area” view settings. That means you can return to the same set of files/folders by simply opening your saved Work Area. This has been an enormous time saver for me. Switching back and forth between projects is a breeze. There are other features like filtering for quick access to the stuff you need.
The price is right; Q-Dir is free! Download here. Let me know what you think.
Check out more info like this on my Game Audio board.
Want to add this page to your Pinterest board about Game Audio, Film Sound, Asset Management, Audio Production or Voiceover? Pin It | <urn:uuid:11b9d3a1-4922-493f-bd90-b7ab2b424b2b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://randycoppinger.com/2012/03/01/q-dir/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.919804 | 341 | 1.515625 | 2 |
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Factual error: The show takes place in 1960 and a calendar shows it to be March. At one point, Don Draper chews out Pete Campbell for stealing a discarded health report regarding cigarettes. Don tells him that there is nothing out there that will magically make copies of something (eluding that photocopiers hadn't been invented yet). In 1959, Xerox introduced the Xerox 914, the world's first plain paper photocopier. By the end of 1961, the 914 had generated almost $60 million in revenue. The series takes place in the biggest and best ad agency of New York City. If they didn't own one, surely they would know about the ad campaign surrounding it.
Factual error: When the new secretary is being shown around the office, the cover is slipped off an IBM Selectric typewriter. She is told not to be afraid of the new technology, it was made easy enough for a woman to use. The episode takes place in March 1960 (a calendar is shown) and the IBM Selectric wasn't introduced until 1961.
Factual error: The ad team is trying to come up with a new campaign for Lucky Strike cigarettes, since all health claims must be removed. With a stroke of genius, the slogan "It's toasted" is created and approved. "It's toasted" was the ad campaign that debuted in 1917. In the early 60s, it was "Lucky Strike separates the men from the boys, but not from the girls". | <urn:uuid:f7d9003b-3282-43c6-af18-397cbe5ed35a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.moviemistakes.com/tv6880 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00047-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961971 | 316 | 1.992188 | 2 |
Prime Minister Tony Blair of England has urged members of the black community to speak out against the gang culture in their areas. He said, “The black community — the vast majority of whom in these communities are decent, law-abiding people are horrified at what is happening — they need to be mobilised in denunciation of this gang culture that is killing innocent young black kids. But, we won’t stop this by pretending it isn’t black kids doing it.” At least seventeen teenagers, the majority of them black, have been shot or stabbed to death in the past six months. A spokesperson for the Commission for Racial Equality commented, “Unfortunately, it comes as no surprise that some young black men are becoming involved in gang cultures and criminal activities. They do so because they feel they have no choice and no future.”
Blame is one thing, action is another. Modern society provides fewer entry level job positions which enable a young person to raise a family and buy a house. England, like America, has to confront gang culture in a twofold manner – protect the innocent, but also offer new career opportunities for young men and women that enable them to gain self respect. | <urn:uuid:5380c31d-b24b-4fec-acec-57b9ee2985ac> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://theimpudentobserver.com/multicultural/tony-blair-blames-black-youth/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00061-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967565 | 245 | 2.265625 | 2 |
Researchers reviewed published and unpublished studies conducted from 1966 through 2005 and identified 12 clinically controlled trials involving 266 people that measured the effects of oral creatine supplements on those with hereditary muscle diseases. The minimum dosage in all the studies was 30 mg of creatine per kilogram of body weight or about 1,500 mg of creatine per day for a person weighing 110 pounds. Researchers found in trials involving 138 participants with muscular dystrophies, those who had taken a creatine supplement had a maximum voluntary muscle contraction 8.5% greater than those who had taken a placebo. Doctors also found that during the treatment period, those in the creatine groups gained an average of 1.4 pounds more lean body mass than did those who had taken a placebo. None of the trials reported any clinically relevant side effects.
The scientists noted in creatine trials including 33 participants with a certain class of muscular dystrophies (metabolic myopathies), there was no significant difference in strength between treatment and placebo groups. In one trial using a high dose of creatine (150 mg of creatine per kilogram of body weight), participants who—because of metabolic myopathies—were unable to convert stored energy (glycogen) into usable energy (glucose) reported a significant increase in muscle pain during the treatment period. The researchers concluded that short- and medium-term treatment with creatine improves muscle strength in people with muscular dystrophies without side effects. | <urn:uuid:58773c55-4082-43c2-ac01-189df36bdd9f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nutritionexpress.com/article+index/health+conditions/muscle/showarticle.aspx?id=831 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956288 | 286 | 2.9375 | 3 |
Fall 2013 and Winter 2014 quarters
- Harumi Moruzzi cultural studies, film studies, literature , Tomoko Hirai Ulmer
- Fields of Study
- cultural studies, history, international studies, language studies, literature and moving image
- Preparatory for studies or careers in
- Japanese literature and culture, film studies, cultural studies and international relations.
Japan is a vital, energetic and dynamic country which has been constantly reinventing and revitalizing itself even in the midst of gargantuan natural disasters, while struggling to maintain a sense of cultural and social continuity from the long lost past. Meanwhile, the conception and image of Japan, both in Japan and throughout the West, has varied widely over time, mostly due to Japan’s changing political and economic situation in the world. In the late 19th century, when Japan re-emerged into Western consciousness, Lafcadio Hearn, the Greek-Irish-American writer who later became Japanese, thought of Japanese society and its people as quaintly charming and adorable. In contrast, Americans in the 1940s viewed Japan as frighteningly militaristic and irrational. The French philosopher/semiotician Roland Barthes was bewitched and liberated by Japan’s charmingly mystifying otherness during his visit in 1966, when Japan began to show its first sign of recovery from the devastation of the WWII. The Dutch journalist Karel Van Wolferen was disturbed by the intractable and irresponsible system of Japanese power in 1989, when the Japanese economy was viewed as threatening to existing international power relations. These examples show how Japan has been viewed by Westerners in the past. The idea and image of Japan is highly dependent on the point of view that an observer assumes and that history makes possible.
This full-time interdisciplinary program is devoted to understanding contemporary Japan, its culture and its people, from a historical point of view. We will study Japanese history, literature, cinema, culture and society through lectures, books, films, seminars and workshops, including study of Japanese language embedded in the program. Three levels of language study (1st-, 2nd- and 3rd-year Japanese) will be offered for 4 credits each during the fall and winter quarters.
In the fall quarter, we will explore the cultural roots of Japan in its history. In the winter quarter, we will examine Japan after 1952, when the Allied occupation ended. Special emphasis will be placed on the examination of contemporary Japanese popular culture and its position in economic and cultural globalization.
Students who are interested in experiencing Japan in person can take Japanese language classes in Tokyo through Harumi Moruzzi’s Individual Study: Japanese Culture, Literature, Film, Society, and Study Abroad in spring quarter.
- Campus Location
- Online Learning
- Enhanced Online Learning
- Greener Store
- Required Fees
- $30 per quarter for entrance fees.
- Offered During
- Day and Evening | <urn:uuid:a6f11ad7-d744-4020-b0dc-2dcc2045d390> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://evergreen.edu/catalog/2013-14/programs/japantodaystudiesofjapanesehistoryliteraturecinemaculturesocietyandlanguage-9222 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943609 | 597 | 1.757813 | 2 |
When we sat down with the Google Maps team a few months ago, we got an inside look at how Google makes its Maps product the best, most authoritative and reliable service in the world. Google says over one billion people use maps each month.
The tools that are used internally to build the maps that we see are a mix of Google’s own data and infrastructure, as well as data from other sources and updates from the community all passed through its internal Ground Truth initiative. At the time, I described the project as using Photoshop, with layers, but for mapping.
It’s really fun to watch someone work on it in person as they drag and drop links and connections to new roads and ‘shut down’ roads and routes that no longer exist. These changes can be made internally anywhere in the world, at any time, completely on the fly. That’s how Google Maps stays so accurate.
Today, the Maps team announced an update for 10 areas in Europe:
We’ve just released updated maps for 10 countries and regions in Europe: Andorra, Bulgaria, Estonia, Gibraltar, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain.
Today’s update is part of a project called Ground Truth that began in 2008. Through this initiative, we acquire high-quality map data from authoritative sources around the world and then apply a mix of advanced algorithms, supplemental data (including satellite, aerial and Street View imagery), and human input to create a map that corresponds as closely as possible to the real-world facts that you’d find if you were to visit that location.
It’s not just driving directions that are important for Google Maps users, it’s walking paths, bus and train lines, as well as in-depth campus views for students at colleges and universities. Google is also expanding to indoor mapping as well, so this infrastructure that it has built over the years will be applied to all of our surroundings in the future.
Our new map of Spain, for example, not only shows the famous Museo del Prado and Parque del Retiro in Madrid, but also includes additional building models in surrounding neighborhoods, the well-known “Estanque” (or pond) in the center of the park, and detailed walking paths throughout both the park and the nearby Royal Botanical Gardens.
Basically, we’ll never get lost again if it’s up to Google.
The nice thing about Google Maps is that it points out important monuments and buildings that you should visit when you travel, so it truly is universal.
Check out this quick infographic on how deep Google has gone with Maps:
This product has facilitated 1,120 trips around the Earth. That’s something. There are more areas of the world to go, but there are people working away right now in offices everywhere making sure that it happens. Also, you’d be interested in knowing that many people have moved to Android just for its native navigation experience. If only there was an iOS native Google Maps app. Maybe one day.
[Photo credit: Flickr]
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Postage Rates Bots go here | <urn:uuid:3a78e325-ebc7-4a43-8680-98ddda7bcdb8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wnd.com/markets/news/read/22936249/google_updates_maps_for_10_countries_and_regions_in_europe | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00052-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947461 | 709 | 2.484375 | 2 |
“It does no harm to the romance of the sunset to know a little bit about it.” -Carl Sagan
I would argue the exact opposite, in fact: the beauty of a sunset, in all of its varieties and variations, is only enhanced the more you know about it.
The next time you watch the Sun descend through the sky, towards the horizon, you might marvel at how the Sun remains the same size all the way down. At just slightly over half-a-degree, the Sun appears to drop at a constant rate throughout the afternoon and into early evening.
But there are some small changes that are extremely important if you want to understand the beauty behind the sunset.
The first and most obvious is the change in coloration of the Sun, as well as a severe drop in the Sun’s brightness. On an airless world like the Moon, the Sun at sunset would look no different than at any other time. But it’s the Earth’s atmosphere that makes sunsets so special.
When the Sun appears progressively lower and lower on the horizon, its light needs to pass through more and more of the atmosphere to reach our eyes. You might not think of the atmosphere as being a very good prism, but when you pass through around 1000 miles of it just before the Sun dips below the horizon, it starts to add up.
The bluer wavelengths of light get scattered away, leaving only the reddest wavelengths that reach your eye. As the sun drops towards the horizon, it progressively loses violets and blues, then greens and yellows, and finally even the oranges, leaving only the reds behind.
You may not even realize it, but by time you’d see a sunset like the picture above, the Sun has already technically set, it’s only due to the fact that the atmosphere bends light that we’re still seeing it like this.
This is why, if you time a sunset, it will take longer than the expected 120 seconds to go from the moment it touches the horizon to the moment it dips below, even during the equinox at the equator, where it rises and sets as close to completely vertical to the horizon as possible. The Sun appears to linger due to the refraction of our atmosphere.
Also, despite its red appearance, there really still is blue and green light coming from the Sun, of course, while this is going on. But these shorter (i.e., bluer) wavelengths refract slightly more than the lower frequency ones, meaning that the reds come in at a different, shallower angle than the greens and blues, that come in at a slightly steeper angle.
Given a clear path to the horizon — such as over the ocean — this means that there’s a slight region of space just above the reddened Sun where only the shorter wavelength light is visible!
And when that happens, in addition to the normal color gradient that comes with a sunset, you can also get a small, separate region above the disk of the Sun that appears yellow, green, or even blue!
This optical phenomena is always most clearly visible over a flat area in pollution-free skies, and is known as the green flash. It occurs in many different stages, sometimes appearing at the limb of the Sun or just above it, but most it commonly appears just after the disk of the Sun has set, in a literal “flash” lasting just a few seconds, just barely above the horizon.
Although there’s a lot of green light in the Sun, the bluest wavelengths refract even more than the green ones do. In principle, you could get a “flash” of any wavelength — yellow, green, blue, or even violet — if the atmosphere cooperated. Although green and yellow flashes are the most common, under just the right atmospheric conditions, you can see even blue colors flashing at a high angle above the top of the Sun!
This applies to any very bright, white-light object that encounters our atmosphere as seen just barely above the horizon. So that means the Moon, which reflects sunlight back at us, should also exhibit a green flash under the right atmospheric conditions. And although I’ve never seen it with my own eyes, some diligent astrophotographers have captured the sight to share with us all.
You may be wondering, if greens and blues appear slightly above the disk of the Sun (or Moon), could we ever see a red flash slightly below the disk?
Under just the right, favorable atmospheric conditions, that’s exactly what happens!
Way back on the old blog (some four years ago), I posted a short explanation of the green flash, and little did I know that years later, I would receive the following message from Don Arnold of Chattanooga, TN:
I thought this was a hoax every time I visit Costa Mesa..so last week we were on the costa mesa pier and had my good Nikon set the motor drive to max and took 30 frames right at sunset. So I think I have a good one. You will have to zoom in but it looks good…thanks for the great explanation on this!
Here was the image he enclosed.
And here is the zoomed-in-version (my apologies for my lousy image processing skills):
The sunset is beautiful to anyone’s eyes, and the clarity or dustiness of the horizon, the quality and turbulence of the atmosphere, and position of the Sun give us a great diversity of beautiful sights.
But when you see a color gradient on the Sun, a red lip at the bottom, or a yellow, green, or blue rim at or above the top, will you see less beauty or more for having read and understood this? To me, at least, everything is more beautiful the more you know. Thanks for sharing the beautiful physics of sunsets with me! | <urn:uuid:f4cfb033-322a-4e8b-9680-989ba2de26ca> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://scienceblogs.com/startswithabang/2013/02/13/the-physics-of-sunsets/ | 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 | 0.950864 | 1,215 | 3.125 | 3 |
MOUNT VERNON — It wasn’t March Madness but a small group of west side residents worked Tuesday in bracket fashion to narrow down a list of 25 possible grant projects to help the city prepare for a $300,000 Community Development Block Grant application due this summer.
The group went through a list developed over the course of two Brown Bag Chats at the Public Library of Mount Vernon and Knox County to determine which projects residents would like to see in their neighborhoods.
Overwhelmingly, the small group agreed that paving and drainage upgrades on West High Street should be the top priority. Following heavy rains, deep water wells accumulate where some side streets intersect with High Street because the state highway sits much lower.
“This would really benefit everyone,” said one resident.
Alley maintenance was another hot topic for residents. Mount Vernon Mayor Richard Mavis explained the city is waiting for the ground to dry out before it can bring out its maintainer to level out the potholes.
“The water holes look like small lakes,” Mavis said. “It wouldn’t do any good to move the mud around.”
Residents would like to see some kind of top coating placed on the alleys like gravel or even recycled milling from paving projects to create a nice driving surface that keeps mud build-up down.
Adding water shut-off valves is also on the priority list. The older sections of the city have fewer shut-off valves which mean more residents would lose water service in the event water would need to be turned off in order to do repairs, Mavis said.
A new shelter house at Riverside Park make it to the final round of projects. The proposed idea for the park came about after city officials realized the pavilion at Riverside Park was the most requested shelter in the city. Adding an additional shelter, as well as more handicap accessible parking at the site of the old horseshoe pits would provide another venue for family functions.
Adding a community garden to Arch Park as well as new signage was also on the priority list. Residents said upgrades to the park will make it more attractive and they hope city residents will realize what a gem the small park could be.
Continued efforts to clean up the west side of dilapidated and neglected structures rounded out the top six possible candidates. Although this is a continued function of the Dilapidated Buildings Commission in the city, residents felt it is important to continue to clean up the neighborhood to bring more pride in ownership to the area.
The meeting was facilitated by Whitaker Wright, a representative of CDC of Ohio which is assisting the city with gathering information from residents. Wright helped residents prioritize options in four categories: parks and recreation, sidewalks, streets and area wide. Because there was very little interest in sidewalk upgrades, that category was eliminated from contention.
“Here is a group of residents who went back and forth sorting the options by pairs,” Wright said. “Now we have six projects the city can look at.
The city will now work to create cost estimates for the proposed projects. | <urn:uuid:390ab9a1-e521-4642-9abb-9c7d6a8d068f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mountvernonnews.com/local/11/05/11/city-residents-narrow-list-of-possible-projects | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967651 | 635 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Feb. 24, 2009 A new risk management tool can help software developers identify security vulnerabilities in their programs early in the planning process, effectively solving problems before they exist, simply by having the developers lay their cards on the table. The system, called "Protection Poker," was developed by computer security experts at North Carolina State University and is already being used in a pilot project to identify security problems.
In Protection Poker, lead researcher Dr. Laurie Williams explains, software development managers are asked to present ideas for new software features or applications to their team of programmers. Members of the software development team are then asked to vote on two questions: how valuable is the data that the new feature will be using? And how easy will it be to attack the new feature?
The development team members use a special deck of cards to vote that allows them to rank the value and ease of attacking the new feature on a scale of 1 to 100. Everyone on the team flips over his or her cards simultaneously. Members who voted with the highest and lowest cards are asked to explain their votes. If one member of the team has ranked the vulnerability as a 40, while the rest of the team ranked it as a three, that member may know something the others don't, Williams says. This process takes advantage of the diversity of knowledge and perspective within the development team.
This process, while simple and inexpensive, is effective – particularly if it takes place during the planning stage, so that potential problems can be addressed before any coding has taken place. For example, Williams and her research team launched a Protection Poker pilot project with Red Hat IT in October 2008 – and have already identified vulnerabilities and prevented them from being included in software projects at that company.
Williams is currently in discussions with other private companies and government agencies about the possibility of launching additional pilot projects to test the Protection Poker system. Williams is an associate professor of computer science at NC State. The Protection Poker research team includes two NC State doctoral candidates in computer science: Michael Gegick and Andrew Meneely.
In addition to identifying security flaws, Protection Poker is also a valuable training tool. Having an individual explain his or her vote results in that person's security knowledge being shared with the entire software development team, Williams explains.
The Protection Poker research, "Protection Poker: Structuring Software Security Risk Assessment and Knowledge Transfer," was presented at the first-ever Engineering Secure Software and Systems (ESSoS) Conference in Leuven, Belgium, earlier this month.
Gegick and Williams have also co-authored research, with Pete Rotella of Cisco Systems, that effectively allows software developers to identify the elements of their software that are most likely to have security vulnerabilities. While the program does not identify the vulnerabilities, it does evaluate reports of non-security problems with a program (or "bugs") to determine which elements of the program should be prioritized as possibly having security flaws. This research, "Toward Non-security Failures as a Predictor of Security Faults and Failures," was also presented at the ESSoS conference.
Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead. | <urn:uuid:08478e9a-7802-48db-92bf-eaac2b80452d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090224133010.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00055-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964329 | 646 | 2.5625 | 3 |
July 29, 2011 By Jessica Mulholland
Last month, Ocala, Fla., started a voluntary pilot program for residential utility customers to prepay for their electricity — a set up that empowers citizens and saves money for the city utility and its customers.
The service is likened to buying gas at the pump: You buy what you need when you need it.
The idea stems from a story that Larry Novak, assistant city manager of utilities, read in a trade publication. “The customer of the utility had come home and realized her lights were out, and she pulled out her laptop because it was battery powered,” he said. “She went online with her utility and put another $200 on her account. Within another 10 minutes, her lights were on — and she never had to contact the utility. That fascinated us.”
Ocala can offer the new service because smart meters recently were installed throughout the city. Unlike traditional meters, smart meters support two-way communication between the city utility and its customers, and a portion of the meters can automatically disconnect and reconnect electric service — an essential feature for the plan to work.
“About 12,000 of our 76,000 meters carry a feature called automatic disconnect, where the mainframe can tell the meter when to shut off service and turn it back on.”
The prepaid service will be available to select customers, like apartment complexes where there’s frequent turnover. “We installed a lot of the automatic meters there to prevent the need to send a [utility] truck out,” Novak said. “Then it occurred to us that for people with bad billing problems who are getting cut and reconnected a lot, it would cut down the cost of [reconnect fees].”
Ocala Utility Services uses Exceleron Software’s Prepaid Account Management System to administer the program. “Exceleron was given access to our database for the smart meters and as a customer pays even just to start service, they can send an instruction through the meter to turn on service,” Novak said. The company also monitors customer usage, and when the money runs out, either the customer adds more money, or the service disconnects.
The pilot was slated to start in May, but was postponed due to issues with department’s old customer information system (its billing system), said Project Manager Chad Lynch. The department will upgrade to a new system in another year, but it didn’t want to wait for the new one to start the service. “We’re kind of having to do two systems at once,” he said, “so it’s taking a little longer than we thought it was going to.”
The current customer information system from PeopleSoft hasn’t been upgraded in years, Lynch said, so the department lacks Web services, among other things. The new system, from Cogsdale Corp., will support Web transactions and make other improvements.
Both Novak and Gary Wilson, manager of Strategic Initiatives for Ocala Utility Services, say the pilot won’t start until they’re sure the customer information system is functioning properly.
On the whole, Residents seem interested in the prepay option. “We’re getting a lot of interest, especially out of high-school kids getting ready to graduate,” Wilson said. “I think the younger kids can grasp the concept of not waiting until the end of the month, and then having to struggle with a big bill, or even worse having the power shut off because they can’t make the payment, then compounding that with reconnect and disconnect fees.”
Thanks to the pilot, participating residents who need to replenish their account can do so online, over the phone or in person at the utilities’ office, or at local payment centers.
“This has the potential to really change the way we do business — at least for the set of customers who will find this convenient,” Novak said. “Customers want choices. They want to be able to sculpt things to the major comfort of their lifestyle, and this is another big step in that direction.”
You may use or reference this story with attribution and a link to | <urn:uuid:0409880f-39ed-4b6c-8e81-77d28d240622> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.govtech.com/technology/Smart-Meters-Enable-Residents-to-Prepay-for-Electricity.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962016 | 893 | 2.140625 | 2 |
Tue 05 Apr 2011
Counterfeiting is on the increase and we are all paying the price, experts say
The global economic and social impacts of counterfeiting and piracy will reach $1.7 trillion by the year 2015 and will put 2.5 million jobs at risk every year, warns a recent report from the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).
The ICC report states that the total global economic and social impacts of counterfeit and pirated products are as high as $775 billion every year. This includes lost tax revenue and higher government spending on law enforcement and healthcare.
It also concludes that international trade in fakes currently accounts for more than half of all counterfeiting and piracy, and could reach $960 billion by 2015. Domestic production and consumption of fakes will account for between $370 billion and $570 billion.
More fakes in economic downturn
Brand protection consultant Lisa Lovell of Brand Enforcement UK (BEUK) confirms that piracy is on the increase. “Counterfeiting and faking activity increases in an economic downturn because consumers have an eye for a bargain when times are hard,” she told lloyds.com. “But also, product makers (as opposed to the brands themselves) are more likely to place goods into the grey market when times are hard.”
The grey market is where goods are offered for sale in countries that are not authorised by the brand owner. The factory that makes the goods is legitimately handed the patterns, materials and labels to manufacture an item - but sometimes they are used to manufacture unlicensed products.
“We’ve seen cases where a manufacturer orders up a new supply of labels because the others have been ‘lost’ or ‘stolen’, or where the factory makes genuine goods in the day shift and grey market goods on the nightshift,” Lovell says.
Everyday items are a target
Ian Lewis, director of Lloyd’s specialist IP insurer Samian Underwriting Agency, stresses that “knock-offs” are not limited to luxury consumer items such as Rolex watches and Gucci handbags. Everyday items like toothpaste, baby milk, spare parts and electrical goods are all counterfeited.
Where the fakes are of dubious quality underneath the wrapping, there can be danger for consumers and big problems for the genuine manufacturer.
“Take the case of brake pads for a car. It is quite possible that counterfeit parts may be used by unscrupulous or unwitting mechanics,” Lewis says. “The immediate issue for the true owner of the intellectual property rights is a loss of revenue from a lost sale. But should the product prove to be inferior and fail, a potential liability could arise for the company from a product that it did not make.”
Fake goods are everywhere. There have been cases of counterfeit aircraft parts being used in the aviation industry, Lewis says, and instances of fake drugs entering the controlled prescription market - with obvious consequences for patients.
Lisa Lovell’s company, Brand Enforcement UK, helps companies to bring criminal proceedings against traders selling unlicensed and/or fake branded goods. Its clients include Playboy, Oakley, Realtree, Fox Racing and Taj Foods.
BEUK is currently investigating a number of unlicensed ebay traders selling different brands into the UK worth up to £50,000 per month. “Civil litigation is sometimes the only solution available to brand owners, but it is often expensive, she says. “We work with our brand owner clients to bring criminal actions against infringers through the law enforcement agencies.”
Brand owners liable for costs
The financial costs attached to counterfeit goods can go beyond direct lost sales or loss of reputation through shoddy fakes in the market. In the UK, for example, the cost of destruction of seized fake goods is passed on by Customs authorities to brand owners. “It is not unusual to see a £20,000 bill for sending counterfeit goods to landfill,” Lovell says.
Insurance can help take the sting out of brand enforcement, Ian Lewis says, and policies are available to cover the high costs incurred in enforcing brand rights. “Brands are effectively trade marks and either registered or unregistered, they have different burdens of proof required in demonstrating infringement or ‘confusion’ being caused to the end purchaser,” he explains.
An Intellectual Property Rights Insurance policy can cover the often substantial legal and professional fees and expenses incurred in bringing infringement proceedings and defending the often used counterclaim that the rights are invalid or not infringed, Lewis says. | <urn:uuid:83232af1-ee2d-44f5-b48d-def589e56319> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lloyds.com/News-and-Insight/News-and-Features/Business-Risk/Business-2011/Faking-it_the-hidden-costs-of-counterfeit-goods | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94448 | 942 | 2.03125 | 2 |
Soliciting and managing 68 volunteers on a two-day building renovation would be a daunting task for anyone. But 14-year-old Jeff Wolfe made organizing and running the exterior makeover of the Washington Grange, located in the hills above North Plains, look easy. As a Boy Scout on the verge of becoming an Eagle Scout, Wolfe is always prepared.
On a recent Saturday, the Evergreen Middle School eighth-grader directed his crews to remove the 50-year-old overgrown shrubs and massive root balls that flanked the building's entrance, and replace them with David viburnum,euonymus and barberry. They repaired broken windows, evicted bird nests and demolished and rebuilt a wooden stairway and deck.
As a final touch, they repainted the faded red "Washington Grange" on the 51-year-old building, where Grange members still host a live dance band nearly every week.
Wolfe's project started weeks before the work party arrived. He developed plans with help from a landscaper friend and persuaded Glenn Walters Nursery, Oregon Canadian Forest Products, A & I Paint & Decorating and Green Mountain Grills to donate project supplies and barbecue goodies for the workers.
-- Connie Baron | <urn:uuid:3c020f38-1dfe-4a36-bdf8-1f5ed800b749> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.oregonlive.com/north-of-26/index.ssf/2012/06/grange_renovation_helps_scout.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954434 | 253 | 1.554688 | 2 |
The New York Times Magazine interviews the chairwoman of the Presidential Inaugural Committee, Jeanne L. Phillips:
I hear one of the balls will be reserved for troops who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Yes, the Commander-in-Chief Ball. That is new. It will be about 2,000 servicemen and their guests. And that should be a really fun event for them.
As an alternative way of honoring them, did you or the president ever discuss canceling the nine balls and using the $40 million inaugural budget to purchase better equipment for the troops?
I think we felt like we would have a traditional set of events and we would focus on honoring the people who are serving our country right now -- not just the people in the armed forces, but also the community volunteers, the firemen, the policemen, the teachers, the people who serve at, you know, the -- well, it's called the StewPot in Dallas, people who work with the homeless.
How do any of them benefit from the inaugural balls?
I'm not sure that they do benefit from them.
Then how, exactly, are you honoring them?
Honoring service is what our theme is about.
I suppose that's why they don't let non-press people talk to the press. :-) | <urn:uuid:a3b8fcc0-e048-4bbe-aaab-05acdf9e2158> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.askbjoernhansen.com/2005/01/07/honoring_people.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00059-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967041 | 268 | 1.695313 | 2 |
RICHMOND, VA ( Ivanhoe Newswire) -- The Atkins diet, South Beach diet and weight watchers.They all claim to help people fight the fat, but one mom says a unique diet saved her daughter from a disorder that hits one in 88 kids.
She became one because her daughter Zizi was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
"We spent about a year trying to figure out what was going on," Kati Hornung told Ivanhoe.
Not wanting to give Zizi drugs, Katie turned to the guts and psychology syndrome -- or "GAPS" diet. The belief is toxins from bad bacteria in the gut created by undigested foods can severely affect brain function. By healing the gut, you heal diseases.
"All of a sudden, our kid was talking in three and a half weeks," Kati explained.
"It’s still new. People are still learning what it is. People are still discovering it," certified GAPS practitioner Mary Lynn Lipscomb told Ivanhoe.
She said the secret to healing is adding homemade fermented foods like sauerkraut, yogurt and broths to your child’s daily diet that contain probiotics, and removing foods that are difficult for the body like all sugars, all grains, and all fibers.
"If you look at how traditional people ate, they ate this way."
But does it really work?
Austin Mulloy, Ph D., assistant professor of special education and disability policy at Virginia Commonwealth University has some questions.
"There needs to be scientific data that either confirms that claim or effuses them." (:06)
Dr. Mulloy is conducting a first of its kind study testing the GAPS diet as a treatment for kids with autism spectrum disorder. He will analyze behavior, such as language use, and measure any physiological changes in the body, like inflammation in the gut.
"One of the possible outcomes of this study is that we do produce some evidence that has the potential to change people’s minds on the effect of diet on people’s behavior."
Whatever it shows, Kati believes the diet cured her daughter.
"Our specialist told us by 2nd grade, she will be undistinguishable from any other kid."
Unlike diets that help you lose weight, Lipscomb tells us butter and animal fat are important components of the gaps diet because she says they promote healing.
The only processed foods allowed in the diet are sea salt, olive oil and coconut oil.
For additional research on this article, click here.
Sign up for a free weekly e-mail on Medical Breakthroughs called First to Know by clicking here. | <urn:uuid:73fc8d0e-dd30-42cc-972b-d0aa320618b4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ivanhoe.com/channels/p_channelstory.cfm?storyid=30207 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954488 | 551 | 2.34375 | 2 |
NATION: The Jubilee government’s first budget has sparked angry reactions over its provisions on food and education.
Teachers have vowed to sabotage the much-hyped free laptop project for all children entering primary schools until they are paid their arrears for allowances, allocated cash for promotions and 40,000 new tutors employed.
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) chairman Wilson Sossion said the over 200,000 members will not receive the laptops in schools until they are paid their dues, which were part of a 1997 pay deal that raised their salaries to more than 100 per cent during the Moi regime.
In his budget statement on Thursday, National Treasury Secretary Henry Rotich allocated Sh53.2 billion for the laptops to be given to Standard One pupils next year.
But speaking in Migori yesterday, Mr Sossion said: “It is a shame that Sh53 billion has been allocated for the laptop project, but nothing for teachers’ promotions and allowances”.
Universities Academic Staff Union chairman Sammy Kubasu said the lecturers will have no option but to withdraw their services if the government fails to pay up.
They are demanding Sh3.9 billion meant to be the last phase of a salary deal agreed on with the government last year after a strike.
Most MPs who spoke to the Saturday Nation said they would oppose any move to increase the cost of basic commodities such as bread and milk, as is likely to happen if Parliament passes the contentious VAT Bill.
Also rejecting the Bill’s provision is the lobby group, Consumer Federation of Kenya (Cofek).
Speaking of the possibility of basic commodities prices rising, National Assembly Minority Leader Francis Nyenze said the poor must be cushioned from extra burden, adding, any tax measures should be interrogated to ensure the poor are not punished.
“If any measures are brought here through VAT that hurts the poor man we shall reject them,” he said, adding: “We don’t want those who live in poverty to be taxed harshly.”
The cost of basics
The government plans to table the Value Added Tax Bill in Parliament, whose passing would lead to an increase in the cost of basics such as milk, bread, maize and wheat flour, sanitary towels and newspapers.
With maize being Kenyans’ staple food, any increase in the tax charged on maize flour would automatically be criticised for its possible effect on the large number of Kenyans who rarely go to bed without eating ugali.
Suba MP John Mbadi said Parliament will have to eliminate a number of grey areas in the VAT Bill and exempt some items from tax.
He said the Bill has some errors and Parliament must scrutinise it so that it does not end up increasing the price of basic goods.
“We’ll need to isolate basic commodities so that we don’t tax them,” he said.
Speaking at Sori Secondary School in Nyatike, Migori County, during an annual meeting of the local Knut branch, Mr Sossion said teachers never asked for laptops in any policy document formulated within the education sector and wondered whose idea it was.
Instead, he said, the union had asked for Sh15 billion to recruit 40,000 teachers to address staff shortage.
He termed the Sh50 billion allocation for laptops as a misplaced priority.
“We disown the government of President Kenyatta because instead of addressing core issues, it has opted to misbehave with public funds.”
Mr Sossion faulted the Jubilee administration for “taking teachers for a ride “ and warned that the union would not allow the government to mismanage public funds.
Knut’s rival, the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Teachers Union, has issued a strike notice over pay arrears and promotions.
The laptop project was a key campaign pledge of the new administration, which was largely received with scepticism.
Prof Kubasu said union leaders had, after sensing the money was not factored in the estimates, met Education Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kaimenyi on Thursday morning, hoping that a last-minute decision could be made.
“But we were saddened that the budget figures announced later (by Mr Rotich) did not include our allocation.”
The lecturers were paid the first phase of the salary deal in November last year. Prof Kubasu said the union leaders plan to meet with Prof Kaimenyi next week to look at ways of tackling the issue “before we ask our members to stage a strike that could hurt a young government.”
Mr Rotich said on Thursday that “there are some areas there that we’ll have to discuss with Parliament in terms of having (the VAT Bill) passed.”
“That Bill, if passed, will help a lot in simplifying the administration of VAT plus also helping in raising revenue.”
“Enacted in 1990, when the government used to control the price of basic goods, the current VAT Act is considered outdated and Finance ministers over the years increased the list of exempt goods to about 400.”
“You can subsidise through expenditure, but using taxation to subsidise is not a best practice so you better collect your revenue but ensure that you target the people that you think need to be targeted (to pay more tax).”
Capital gains tax
This was in reference to the capital gains tax, which would target those who benefit from transactions such as the sale of property, shares at the stock exchange or from annual dividends.
Cofek has opposed any move that could increase the food burden on Kenyans. “We’re opposed to it because that would go against President Kenyatta’s pledge to reduce the cost of living,” said Mr Stephen Mutoro, the lobby’s secretary-general.
Mr Mutoro said the lobby group was also uncomfortable with suggestions that the Bill was the handiwork of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
The two institutions were reported to have been backing the Bill on the basis that it would boost the government’s internal sources of revenue.
Drafted in 2012, the Bill’s publication drew a barrage of criticism when it was first tabled and rejected in Parliament last year as it sought to introduce a 16 per cent tax on fertiliser, maize flour, bread, wheat flour, milk and other basic commodities plus books.
According to Saturday Nation calculations, the price of bread would have risen by Sh6, while maize flour would have risen by as much as Sh19. A packet of unga today sells for between Sh116 and Sh130.
Reported by John Ngirachu, Caroline Wafula and Elisha Otieno | <urn:uuid:90cef692-b34f-4840-b82e-8e518cdf6d75> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cofek.co.ke/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=77 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967152 | 1,413 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Alhamdulillah was-salatu was-salaamu 'ala rasoolillah. All thanks and praise is to ALLAH, Subhanahu wa ta'ala, and we ask that HIS blessings and peace be upon HIS Messenger, Muhammad, salla ALLAHu alaihi wa sallam.
The food industry has been very busy over the past 12 months. While consolidation continued in the ongoing effort to reduce costs, increase market share and maintain a competitive edge, severe weather affected the growing season, impacting crop production and prices. Bioengineering activities continued to progress as nations struggled to develop policies and rules for products containing Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO). And who can forget all the livestock destroyed due to ëfoot and mouth diseaseí in Europe, the record recalls of meat and poultry in the United States due to E. Coli and the food safety issues that worried consumers and regulators alike.
During this time, the industry introduced a number of new products, including Totally Teal Ketchup, Vanilla Coke, Pepsi Blue and no crust bread!
We learned that drinking too much water can cause illness and even death and that frying may produce acrylomide, a cancer-causing chemical. The McDonaldís "frying oil" lawsuit was settled and other lawsuits were filed by consumers who felt misled or wronged by food companies.
And consumers expressed concern over animal feeds and the use of antibiotics on cattle and poultry, causing many to embrace organic food products.
All these events should lead to greater interest in Halal products and Halal certification, and this was reflected in the increased activities and demands on IFANCA.
Over the past 12 months, IFANCA certification increased as we welcomed over 20 new companies to the family of IFANCA Halal certified product producers. These new certified products expand the IFANCA certification program to appetizers; candy; salad dressings, condiments and oils; fruit juices; snack foods and soups. They also add additional products in the bakery; dairy; nutritional supplements; fruits, nuts & seeds and poultry categories.
Once again email and other inquiries increased over 20%. The popularity of the IFANCA Shopper's Guide with Halal consumers remains high and it was necessary to get a reprint of the Guide. Distribution of the Guide and other literature remains a free service of IFANCA.
Last April, IFANCA sponsored Halal Food Conference 2002, continuing the popular series of conferences IFANCA has sponsored the last 4 years. Under the theme, CURRENT AND FUTURE ISSUES IN HALAL, food industry professionals gathered in Toronto, Canada to learn more about Halal opportunities, listen to the challenges facing Halal producers and learn about the rewards and accomplishments of their colleagues. This was also an opportunity to meet the Muslim community of Toronto and enjoy their hospitality over a delicious Halal dinner.
As in past years, IFANCA again participated in IFT Food Conference and the Muslim American Society Convention.
On the publication front, IFANCA continues to publish the web based newsletter, Halal Digest, and the print magazine Halal Consumer. We are proud to receive many complements on both publications. These publications help answer consumer and producer questions; shed light on new issues, provide an additional focus on health and nutrition and present some of the industry highlights.
Over the past 12 months, a number of colleges initiated Halal meal programs and the State of California passed a Halal Food Law.
As consumers get more concerned about GMO, animal feed and food safety, we expect to be even busier over the next 12 months. Islam stresses the need to consume 'pure' foods. Organic products are a major step in the direction of Halal. Of course, this is not surprising, since the source of the Halal laws is the same source that created man and knows what is best for him. Technological advances continue to build more evidence of this and we see the results in more people embracing Islam and Halal products.
Despite all the advances and accomplishments in the industry, the world community continues to face strife, war and hunger. It is time for the Muslim leadership, lead by enlightened scholars, to lead the way for the salvation of the human race. It is clear that despite our ingenuity and technological advancements, it is easier to destroy or alter life than to nurture and preserve it. It is time to adhere to the Divine Guidance, to devote more time in worship and contemplation and to extend a hand rather than a fist to our fellow human beings.
"Verily, this Brotherhood of yours is a single Brotherhood, and I am your LORD and Cherisher: therefore serve ME (and no other)." Al-Anbiya-92
The United States and China have signed a Protocol on Cooperation in Agriculture and Technology. The protocol is to encourage cooperation in areas like biotechnology, food safety dairy production and agricultural product processing. (Reported in the IFT Newsletter.)
The EU inaugurated a network of 45 genetically modified organism (GMO) laboratories to develop methods to detect GMO in foods. (Reported in the IFT Newsletter.)
The Mexican lower house voted to keep the value added tax on soft drinks containing high fructose corn syrup. (Reported in www.foodingredientsonline.com on December 12, 2002.)
Burger King has been sold to a consortium of US investors including Goldman Sachs Capital Partners, Bain Capital and Texas Pacific Group for $1.5 billion. (Reported in www.foodingredientsonline.com on December 12, 2002.)
Look for higher prices for Hershey and Mars chocolate bars. Both companies announced increases of around 10% due to rising cocoa prices. (Reported in www.just-food.com on December 12, 2002.)
For the second year in a row, the meat and poultry programs of Texas A&M University and Iowa State University have been rated 1 and 2 by Meat and Poultry magazine. Congratulations to both programs. (Reported on www.foodingredientsonline.com on December 2, 2002.)
Magnesium is an essential mineral that is important for normal muscle and nerve function; maintaining a steady heart rhythm and strong bones; energy metabolism and protein synthesis. Magnesium is mainly stored in the cells of tissue and organs and in the bones. Very little magnesium is found in the blood stream.
Magnesium is found in green vegetables, nuts, seeds and some whole grains. However, the magnesium content of most foods is low so one should eat a wide variety of foods to assure they obtain sufficient nutrients and minerals. Water may also contain magnesium with hard water containing more than soft water.
The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of magnesium is 400-420 milligrams (mg) for males over 14, 310-360 mg for females over 14 and 350-400 mg for pregnant women. The RDA for lactating women is also 310-360 mg.
The most common cause of magnesium deficiency in the United States is excess losses due to gastrointestinal disorders or a chronically low intake. Some medications may increase the loss of magnesium through the urine, as does alcohol consumption. Magnesium deficiency can cause confusion, disorientation, muscle cramps, numbness, coronary spasms and seizures.
There do not appear to be any health risks associated with too much dietary magnesium intake. However, high doses of supplements can promote diarrhea and even magnesium toxicity. Magnesium excess can cause nausea, muscle weakness, breathing difficulty and irregular heartbeat. The Institute of Medicine has set the tolerable upper intake level for supplementary magnesium at 350 mg.
The following are new additions to the IFANCA Halal Certified Products. For more information, check out the entire listing of retail IFANCA Halal Certified Products. Please note, not all the products produced by these companies are certified Halal. Only those listed below are certified Halal.
The retail Halal Certified Product Additions are:
Available In These Markets
Dr. Chen Bella Dietary Supplement Herb Concentrate Dr. Chen Men's Formula Dietary Supplement Herb Concentrate | <urn:uuid:3378bba0-1a70-4b1b-be1c-55163da0b5a8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ifanca.org/digest/digestnewsletters/detail/4cb97a05-7d68-494e-81bf-2a07adcb6390 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935117 | 1,650 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Book Review: Up From the Cradel of Jazz
Reviewed by Austin Webre
Published in 2009, it serves as an educational book for those interested in the history of New Orleans and its music.
Beginning with a look into the origins of Jazz and R&B (Rhythm and Blues), this book then delves into the lives of two extremely important musicians: Professor Longhair and Fats Domino. Other topics include music as a tradition, change of music through the 60s and 70, the effect of Mardi Gras Indians on New Orleans music and the vision of musicians for the people of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city.
Up from the Cradle of Jazz is great for any one interested in the history of New Orleans music, especially R&B. I thought this book had a lot of interesting views and ideas about music and its influences.
Austin Webre is a sophomore in the Gifted program at Hahnville High. He enjoys, listening to as well as playing music and reading, specifically about history and music.
Book reviews are published weekly in agreement with Hahnville High School gifted English teacher Deborah Unger in conjunction with the Brown Foundation Service Learning Program.
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St. Charles Herald Guide is the complete local news in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana.
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The Hahnville Tigers finished with 12 points at the LHSAA State Track and Field...
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The Port of South Louisiana will soon see a change in leadership after Joel T....
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Speed patrols return to I-310 after months-long absence - 1744 views
Over the past four months, those who often travel the elevated portions of I-10 and I-310 in St. Charles Parish have noticed a lack of state troopers on the interstate. | <urn:uuid:8e63f92a-5645-454a-aff9-0bad5a42427c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.heraldguide.com/details.php?id=11298 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00062-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941154 | 515 | 1.5 | 2 |
In 1818 this was one of the earliest topographical books to be printed by lithography in England.
Hullmandel was so dissatisfied with the printing of the plates by Moser and Harris, that he set up
his own lithographic press, and over the next two decades pioneered many of the most
significant technical developments in lithography. This illustration shows some of the
weaknesses of early lithographs, notably the rigid lines of the hatching and infilling,
especially of the sky and sea, and the relatively crude tonal shading. | <urn:uuid:9abdd0a8-ecc7-4abd-ac25-be81365e4d8e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bl.uk/collections/early/victorian/lithogra/lithog1.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946538 | 113 | 2.84375 | 3 |
Jerry Robinson was born in Trenton, New Jersey as the son of a Russian immigrant father and a mother from Manhattan. He grew up poor during the depression years, and wanted to become a journalist. He earned a living selling ice cream, until he was hired by Bob Kane to work in his studio on the recently started 'Batman' title in 1939. He worked in the studio for a couple of years, together with Kane and writer Bill Finger on all the 'Batman' stories. Although Robinson and Finger never received bylines, they were the main authors of the feature, and the creators of the villain 'The Joker' and 'Robin the Boy Wonder'.
From 1941, Robinson, accompanied by Finger, went to work directly for DC. His main job remained the 'Batman' strip until 1947, but he also went to work for other companies. For Lev Gleason, he did the 'London' feature for Daredevil Comics. He worked on 'Green Hornet' for Harvey from 1942 to 1943, 'Atoman' for Spark in 1944, 'Fighting Yank' and 'Black Terror' (together with Mort Meskin) for Nedor from 1946 to 1949. Robinson also worked with Meskin for National/DC, drawing 'The Vigilante' and 'Johnny Quick' from 1946 to 1949.
In the 1950s, Robinson was a teacher at the School of Visual Arts. He worked for Stan Lee at Timely during this period, where he illustrated stories for many crime, romance, war and western titles. He also made cover illustrations for the 'Bible Tales For Young Folk' title at Official Magazine Corp.
In 1953, he briefly left the comic book field and created the newspaper strip about science investigator 'Jet Scott' for the Herald Tribune Syndicate, together with writer Sheldon Stark. Due to the heavy workload, Robinson dropped the strip after a couple of years and went on to illustrate about 30 book covers for varying publishers.
Robinson eventually returned to comic books in the early 1960s. He illustrated for several of Dell Publishing's movie and TV tie-in titles, such as 'Lassie', 'Bat Masterson', 'Rocky and Bullwinkle' and 'Nancy Parker'. Robinson then went to work as a newspaper strip cartoonist, and created the satirical 'Still Life' daily panel (1963) and the popular 'Flubs & Fluffs' page for the New York Sunday News (1964).
Flubbs & Fluffs
Robinson is also well-known for his work as a comics historian, and political activist. Robinson was president of the National Cartoonist Society from 1967 to 1969. His work for this organization led to the establishment of the Cartoonist and Writers Syndicate.
Jerry Robinson, born 1 January 1922, passed away on 7 December 2011 in Staten Island, New York, survived by a wife and daughter. | <urn:uuid:75b50796-a36c-4ba6-ab42-1d7194d1495c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lambiek.net/artists/r/robinson_jerry.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969771 | 579 | 2.09375 | 2 |
As a former commodity trader I always look at things as “bullish” or “bearish”; i.e. good or bad for my business. So when most people look at Disneyworld as a place to go and have fun, I look at it as yet another reason to be bullish for Brazil’s expanding role in the citrus trade. And whenever a hurricane or freeze hits Florida or another shopping center or housing development goes in there, you cheer some more for the fact you have a Brazilian operation and presence.
The orange juice business in Brazil is a big sophisticated trading operation today which involves tankers ships, arbitrage, currency fluctuation, and Brazilian investments in the US-Brazil trade negotiations. Dirty politics are much involved, not to mention consumer tastes and preferences. I don’t know if you want to think about all of that the next time you have your “suco de laranja” in the morning.
I got involved in Brazilian oranges many years ago when I helped introduce Brazilian orange processors to the value of drying and exporting citrus pulp. After you squeeze the juice out, you are left with the skin and pulp. If you dry, pelletize it and ship it to Europe, you can make a lot of money selling it for animal feed. For you animal nutritionists out there, it has the feeding value of maize and enters Europe under the variable levy imposed on imported grains.
The company I worked for at the time, IS Joseph, had developed the market for Florida citrus pulp. Since we knew the game, we went down to Brazil to acquaint Brazilian processors. There is no major, confined cattle feeding business in Brazil, and the citrus pulp had little value to Brazilian cattlemen. So we set up a Brazilian subsidiary. Josco Agrícola of Brazil and I personally visited all the processors. For those of you who never leave São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro, the world’s capital of citrus processing is Araraquara, in São Paulo state. One enthusiastic frozen concentrated orange juice (FCOJ) trader once told me “Brazil is the Saudi Arabia of orange juice.” Another pundit said Brazil is the “Wal-mart of agriculture”.
Hotels in Araraquara
Not many Brazilians and fewer Americans know about Brazilian citrus. Brazilians don’t know because concentrated orange juice is not the prevalent juice in Brazil. Most of it is exported. Ademerval Garcia of the Brazilian citrus exporters associations Abecitrus explains: “There’s been a coffee industry for centuries in Brazil for centuries while the citrus industry only began in the 1960s. Secondly, we export mainly concentrated juice that is used, sold and branded by customers abroad with little reference to its origin.”
Americans and Europeans don’t know because FCOJ is usually sold under a brand name. Only by reading the ingredients of a can of FCOJ will you see the words: “Contains orange juice concentrate from the US and Brazil.” (Americans are clueless about Brazil in general, not just regarding Brazilian orange juice. I went on the campus of Washington & Lee University near our farm in Lexington, Virginia (three hours from Washington, DC, so we are not totally removed from reality) and asked a bunch of students to tell me three things they knew about Brazil. More or less the answers were: it’s a developing country, the slums are known as favelas and the music is called samba!)
Americans got a little information about the orange juice business through the movie comedy, starting Eddie Murphy, called Trading Places. In it, Murphy and Dan Akroyd use the FCOJ futures market to get even with a couple of nasty speculators.
I must admit I probably didn’t know much more when I started visiting Brazil for the first time. There were many processors when I arrived and Cutrale was a start up. Now José Cutrale is the owner of the world’s biggest citrus processing operation in Brazil and Florida, and probably the richest man in Brazil.
To put all of this in some context here are some numbers:
* Brazil is the world’s largest producer of oranges, with 27% of world production
* Brazil produces 53% of all orange juice consumed in the world
* One in two of FCOJ drunk in the world comes from Brazil, and one in four comes from the Brazilian company Cutrale
* The state of São Paulo is responsible for 98% of Brazil’s production; there the industry employs 400,000 people and has 10 processing plants and 19,000 groves
* Brazil now has 700,000 hectares of orange groves while Florida is down to 280,000
* Brazil now exports 1.2 million tons of frozen concentrate a year. How much is that? 60,000 truck loads!
* One firm, Cutrale, controls about 40% of Basil’s orange juice processing capability and has annual revenues of around US$1 billion.
* Cutrale, because it is the largest, is the most reviled. In Brazil it is criticized because it keeps prices low for the producers. In the US, where it owns plants, it generates complaints for keeping wages low.
The Blossom’s Beginnings
Throughout history the citrus fruit has been a symbol of love, happiness and holiness. The Japanese long felt the blossoms represents chastity while the Saracens thought it a symbol of fruitfulness.
Arab traders brought the fruit from China and India and helped speed it through the Mediterranean area. The Portuguese and Spanish introduced oranges to the new world. Reportedly Christopher Columbus brought oranges to the Caribbean. The Portuguese took the orange everywhere. When I worked in Iran I asked for orange juice when ordering breakfast. In Teheran; it is called “ab portughal,” Portuguese Water.
After Florida was ceded to the US from Spain, growing of oranges really took of. The orange became Florida’s symbol; even today Florida’s license plates have a picture of a couple of oranges. But then Florida’s preeminence began to wane.
Disneyworld is a metaphor for all the urbanization that is going on in Florida. Florida has 17 million permanent inhabitants and is growing. This is driving farmers out of all sorts of agribusinesses and driving up the price of land. In addition Florida is constantly hit by hurricanes and frost which destroy fruit trees. There was a great freeze in 1894-95 which drove the fruit growing further south in Florida and on into Brazil. The citrus growing areas of Brazil have few of the Florida’s problems.
The demand for oranges really got underway by a man named Anthony Rossi who founded a company called Tropicana. It was he who spear headed all sorts of advertising campaigns to get people to drink orange juice. Slogans like “A day without Florida orange juice is like a day with out sunshine.” If he hadn’t done that, Americans and Europeans might have become fixated on apple or cranberry juice.
A languishing icon of that era is the Florida Citrus Tower in Clermont, Florida, which just celebrated its 50th anniversary. The Orlando Sentinel newspaper has called it a “monument to a vanished industry.” The original purpose was for visitors to be able to see kilometers and kilometers of orange groves from the top of the 500-foot tower, but now all you can see are subdivisions and the tallest building of Disneyworld off in the distance.
Florida was king when the tower was built in 1956 and until frost, development, diseases, higher US wages and the growth of the industry in Brazil took hold.
Florida can’t compete with Brazilian juice on price so it has tried to prevent Brazilian citrus from coming into the US. The trade group representing Florida processors has been busy during the last 20 years to put duties on Brazilian juice. They claim that Brazil dumps its orange juice (sells at less than cost of production) and below fair market value since there is no market in Brazil for it. US juice producers are frustrated by the fact that picking and transporting oranges in Florida costs nearly four times as much as it does in Sao Paulo State.
Brazil has become the low cost producer of a number of commodities: soybeans, coffee, sugarcane and oranges.
First local entrepreneurs like Cutrale got involved in the business. Then came the Germans through the Fisher group. Then multinationals like Dreyfus and Cargill. These four now control 70% of the FCOJ market.
The US has been a major market for Brazil. Its market share grows when frosts or hurricanes diminish the Florida crop, which is in an irreversible decline, in any event, due to urbanization.
Competition spurs politics that keeps more Brazilian juice from entering the US. As one trader told me, “More Florida growers vote in US elections than do Brazilian growers.” As a result US consumers pay more for orange juice than they should but this is no different than protections erected to help the sugar and ethanol industries.
Cutrale realized all the problems in being just in Brazil so it expanded its operation into Florida. It could be in a better position to arbitrage. Arbitrage is the buying and selling of a good in two different markets to take advantage of difference in prices between the markets; it already happens in financial markets as well as soy and coffee.
Cutrale moved into Florida in a big way when Coca Cola agreed to buy a couple of FCOJ processing plants. Cutrale doesn’t have unions in Brazil and didn’t want them in Florida. The Teamsters, a powerful union, struck back. They handed out leaflets (see image) with the headline “Rats, Roaches and Recalls.” Cutrale operated the plants but the juice was sold under the Minute Maid name. Cutrale’s wages were 40% lower than with the Teamsters, which increased the attacks. Cargill also sold all its processing plants to Cutrale and another firm Citrosuco. Cargill decided it just wanted to trade and not get involved in the processing plants.
Fruit in the Future
Brazil is here to stay and Florida producers want to cooperate with Brazil to promote juice in other parts of the world even though they will work against Brazil gaining free access to the US market. But long term, Brazil will continue to gain market share as it doesn’t have hurricanes, high costs and Disneyworld to cope with. If I was the fellow who owns the citrus tower in Clermont, I would build a Brazilian version in Araraquara.
Books by John Freivalds on Amazon.com
Visit the website of John Freivalds’ company, JFA Marketing.
Plan Your Trip to Brazil
Talk Brazil on the BrazilMax Forums | <urn:uuid:89e65e94-90ef-4470-9ba2-2a372e142ee1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.brazilmax.com/news.cfm/tborigem/fe_business/id/7 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96149 | 2,276 | 1.5 | 2 |
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5/22/2013: Two Lives is a memoir written by international best-selling author, Vikram Seth. In this interesting and engaging book, Seth writes about his great uncle Shanti Behari Seth (Shanti Uncle), born in Biswan, and his German Jewish great aunt, Hennerle Caro (Aunty Henny), born in Berlin, describing them as two exiles who found their home in each other. Using interviews with his uncle as well as letters, photographs and official documents, Seth builds up a comprehensive image of the lives of two...
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May 20 2013: Amazon will be called back to give further evidence to members of the British Parliament "to clarify how its activities in the U.K. justify its low corporate income tax bill," Reuters reported, noting that during the past six years, Amazon has paid approximately $9 million in income tax on more...
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British Parliament asks Amazon to clarify why it pays $9 million in income tax on $23 billion of UK sales.(May 20 2013) Amazon will be called back to give further evidence to members of the British Parliament "to clarify how its activities in the U.K. justify its low corporate... | <urn:uuid:64811a6d-f8dc-40b9-844a-813cef9e6f4e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bookbrowse.com/rss/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9549 | 694 | 1.96875 | 2 |
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MLK Gets Set in Stone, but the Man Is Missing
Most Americans, even those who hated him when he was alive, adore the memory of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. As with all icons, we love them with all of our hearts once the reality of what they stood for has been buried under layers of flattery and forgetfulness.
Though most often thought of in gauzy, sentimental terms if he's remembered at all, MLK has become the most nonthreatening of our national patron saints. The word "dream" -- as in "I Have a Dream" -- is now his middle name. It also happens to be our nation's most memorable cliche.
It is one of the great ironies of history: While King spent the last year of his life vilified by much of the liberal political establishment and alienated from many allies in the civil rights movement, he has become a symbol of tolerance and accommodation.
King's most prophetic utterances about American militarism, foreign wars and economic exploitation have been whittled down to bumper sticker-sized banalities over the years. We've become so fixated on MLK's "dream" rhetoric -- at the expense of the hell-raising that was once an integral part of his witness -- that his words no longer pose the threat that they once did.
When the $120 million Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial is finally unveiled in Washington, D.C., this weekend, it will be three years overdue and $20 million over budget. In many ways, its excesses and visual overstatement make it the perfect symbol of our times.
Situated between the Jefferson and Lincoln memorials near the Tidal Basin, the 30-foot-tall image of MLK is emerging from its jagged cocoon of pink Chinese granite at the same time our nation is engaged in two wars. To be true to MLK's spirit, its facial expression should be one of outrage.
To get to the massive figure of MLK, the visitor has to navigate a large rock cut into three called The Mountain of Despair. King's figure is partially embedded in the Stone of Hope at the memorial's center, where it greets visitors on the other side.
With arms crossed in ways more reminiscent of a Ming Dynasty emperor than the nonviolent leader of the civil rights movement, MLK as envisioned by Chinese sculptor Lei Yixin is too formidable a creation for even the pigeons to mess with.
It is an unusual interpretation of MLK. I wish it had more in common with other memorials dotting the Mall and less in common with imperial statues from China.
While it captures an aspect of MLK's moral fierceness that Americans have forgotten, it feels more like a statement about "the end of history" than an invitation to participate in an ongoing story of liberation. It is a visual exclamation point about a movement when it should be ellipsis points.
My preference would have been for something more post-modern and non-representational -- like the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The more I read and learn about the civil rights movement, the stranger projects that isolate MLK appear to me. Why separate the movement's most visible leader from that stream of ordinary people who did extraordinary things? He wasn't even the movement's most effective leader, though his martyrdom made him its most memorable.
MLK would have discouraged such a grand monument to his memory. Why not build one, if we must, that acknowledges the moral seriousness and discipline of the entire civil rights movement?
Whatever one thinks about bus boycotts, sit-ins and marches against discrimination a generation ago, they were never about advancing a cult of personality. The people who fought most fiercely for civil rights, only to lose their lives, did so to claim the protections and promises of the U.S. Constitution for all Americans.
King was part of a "glorious cloud of witnesses" whose names were either forgotten by history or never known. How amazing it would have been to see the names of ordinary people chiseled or projected on walls displayed somewhere on the Mall. The name of every person who was ever beaten, jailed or lynched because they fought for justice should be on display for every American to see what true courage looks like.
There should be room on the Mall to honor the church deacons, the weary seamstresses, the idealistic college students, the tireless domestics and all of the "nobodies" of all races who stood up to Jim Crow at considerable risk. Without them, this country never would have advanced to the next stage in its evolution.
Martin Luther King Jr. deserves more than an expensive statue in his honor. He deserves to be remembered in context. He should be honored, not revered. | <urn:uuid:a22a8e4d-ddd6-474f-bf3c-868fd4fb71a2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/08/26-7?quicktabs_1=1 | 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 | 0.963334 | 990 | 2.140625 | 2 |
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The Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources will celebrate National Drinking Water Week with an open house at the... | <urn:uuid:2bc16221-ebed-4baa-bda6-90d50d0f17bb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://peachtreecorners.patch.com/topics/going-green-in-town?logout=true | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00062-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.91399 | 168 | 1.820313 | 2 |
American Friends Service Committee
Patrica Watson, Editor
Sara Burke, Assistant Editor
Pat Farren, Founding Editor
2161 Massachusetts Ave.
Peacework has been published monthly since 1972, intended to serve as a source of dependable information to those who strive for peace and justice and are committed to furthering the nonviolent social change necessary to achieve them. Rooted in Quaker values and informed by AFSC experience and initiatives, Peacework offers a forum for organizers, fostering coalition-building and teaching the methods and strategies that work in the global and local community. Peacework seeks to serve as an incubator for social transformation, introducing a younger generation to a deeper analysis of problems and issues, reminding and re-inspiring long-term activists, encouraging the generations to listen to each other, and creating space for the voices of the disenfranchised.
Views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily of the AFSC.
The Story of a Tree, a Woman, and the Struggle to Save the Redwoods
Julia Butterfly Hill, The Legacy of Luna: The Story of a Tree, a Woman, and the Struggle to Save the Redwoods. Harper San Francisco, 2001
"Tree sitting is a last resort. When you see someone sitting in a tree trying to protect it, you know that every level of our society has failed." --Julia Butterfly Hill
She soon found herself back in California trying to help save the redwoods, yet she met much resistance from other activists. She was told there was no use for her help anymore and that the other activists had lost faith in the cause. She was adamant about protecting the redwood trees from the powerful logging company, Pacific Lumber, whose headquarters and clearcuts were visible from the tops of the redwood trees. Hill persisted and eventually found herself sleeping in a tree. This was the beginning of two years living 180 feet in the air with minimal contact with humans and the outside world. Hill's life was Luna and Luna's life has been prolonged because of Hill.
Towards the middle of the book, my belief that Hill was crazy was confirmed, though rationalized. She had little contact with humans, and when she did, it was mostly with loggers trying to cut down Luna, her home. She befriended many animals that made Luna their home. She fought all her fears, frostbite, and illnesses to keep Luna standing. Her account of interactions with loggers reminds us of the humanity in all of us. Each interaction she describes with a logger is remarkable. She tried to make them see that she was human just like them rather than resort to the level of conversation that they would rather have had with her.
Without trying, Hill became a spokesperson, though never associated with an official organization. The story of living in a tree, cell phone and all, is the epitome of activism at its most extreme. She had regular interactions with shock jocks, (radio disc jockeys whose role is to harrass people) until they too broke down their cruel attitudes and befriended her. Hill gained fame for following her path and free spirit, though she received plenty of negative media attention as well. The publicity she received afforded her support from the likes of Bonnie Raitt and Woody Harrelson.
Julia Butterfly Hill truly believes in saving the redwood trees and follows her heart. She writes about all the challenges that came before her and does it all in a nonviolent and peaceful manner. The Legacy of Luna is a book for everyone, not just environmentalists. This book is for anyone who has hope for humanity and the world; it is proof that one person can make a difference. The story of Luna and Julia Butterfly Hill inspires you to go out and preserve what is most dear to you, acknowledge the value and worth in everyone and everything and realize how precious life really is.
--Jaime Lederer is a student at Earlham College
and a Peacework intern. | <urn:uuid:3a7be81a-5be5-40db-b79c-ec64fd964a95> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.peaceworkmagazine.org/pwork/0207/020710b.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969772 | 806 | 1.851563 | 2 |
- None is righteous but Jesus
- None is Holy but God
- None is powerful but Host Ghost.
Never you despise a man in the days of his hell, nor should you down look yourself in the days of your hell. The days of a man’s hell or yours are not permanent, for change is the only constant thing in life. Situations come and go and every situation has a transforming impact in life, be wise.
Never you challenge a man in the days of his fall or should you accept challenges in the days of your fall. To challenge a falling man is pouring him with honour and is like a skillful hunter attacking a dead lion. And for you to accept challenges in the day of your fall is like a monkey embarrassing a bullet. A falling man demonstrates nothing but weakness. | <urn:uuid:e2e12552-a333-4ce1-820f-f9b223971125> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://relijournal.com/buddhism/jesus-in-hell-two-2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941355 | 165 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Legal and ethical usage
The recordings on this website are governed by licence agreements between the British Library and the Licensors. The material is intended solely for the purposes of teaching, learning and research. Any misuse of the materials such as illegal file sharing, misquotation, misappropriation or decontextualisation constitutes a breach of these agreements. Please treat the materials with respect as a failure to do so constitutes a breach of the trust we have built up with the licensors.
The British Library has established a framework for including recordings in online delivery projects that considers both legal and ethical issues. The Library respects the intellectual property rights, including moral rights of the rights owners and has made all reasonable effort to contact and consult recordists and rights owners including, where appropriate, artists and communities directly and via local community organisations.
Due effort has been made to ensure culturally sensitive material has been cleared for use or has been removed from wider access. Where possible we have employed local media such as radio stations and newspapers to inform communities of our intention to make material available. We are using await claim statements to enable rights holders to contact us, Notice and Takedown clauses so that material can be removed if a copyright holder objects to its inclusion, and agreements with local musician's unions and collection bodies where appropriate to clear rights in musical and literary works.
Ethical and permitted usage of recordings
The following statement has been prepared together with the World Intellectual Property Organization
The British Library has digitised these collections of recordings and made them available purely for the purposes of safeguarding them and for making them available for non-commercial research, study and private enjoyment. The collections include culturally sensitive materials, among them ethnographic sound recordings. These recordings should not be altered or used in ways that might be derogatory to the indigenous and local communities who are traditional custodians of the traditional music, lyrics, knowledge, stories, performances and other creative materials embodied in the sound recordings.
While the British Library, or contributors to its collections, may be the owner of intellectual property in the digitisations of the sound recordings and in the sound recordings themselves, the Library recognises that broader rights and interests in intangible cultural heritage, including traditional music and other creative materials embodied in the sound recordings may, under national, customary and other laws, reside with the traditional custodians of such materials. Therefore the prior informed consent of the British Library and/ or other contributing third parties, as well as the traditional custodians is required for the republication and commercial use of part or whole of these materials.
The British Library always seeks to take account of cultural sensitivities and any religious or other restrictions in the recordings its possesses and/or owns. Where possible, the location and date of the recording, the names of original performers and traditional custodians of the music, and the lyrics, knowledge, stories and performances embodied in the sound recordings have been identified. The Library takes considerable care not to distort or alter this underlying material in any derogatory way. In the event, however, that any community or community representative feels aggrieved by the digitisation and making available of these materials, the British Library invites such community to contact it via the link below in order to resolve the matter amicably through mutual discussion. | <urn:uuid:5e9fec30-eaf5-4e16-8d79-2453257b1ba2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sounds.bl.uk/Information/Legal-And-Ethical-Usage | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00051-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944626 | 652 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Now that doctors understand the connection between H. pylori infection, nonsteroidal drug usage, and peptic ulcers, ulcer surgery has become quite rare. Most ulcers can be managed and prevented from recurring by testing for and treating H. pylori infection, eliminating nonsteroidal use, and using powerful ulcer healing drugs, such as omeprazole or similar substances. However, you may require surgery if, despite several courses of treatment, you still have recurrences or if you have severe complications. Complications that might require surgery include:
- Perforation, which is a medical emergency.
- Obstruction—Scarring from peptic ulcers may obstruct flow through the stomach and duodenum. This is also a medical emergency.
Endoscopic Ulcer Treatment
This is used to stop bleeding. By passing a lighted scope into your intestinal tract, your doctor can find bleeding areas and treat them. Heat or electricity applied to the area of bleeding usually stops the blood flow. Epinephrine can also be applied through the endoscope to help stop bleeding. Clips can also be placed on bleeding ulcers to pinch off bleeding blood vessels.
Vagotomy involves cutting branches of the vagus nerve, which is involved in the production of stomach acid. Cutting the vagus nerve can greatly reduce acid production. Cutting through the entire nerve, however, can interfere with the stomach’s ability to empty itself, so newer techniques cut only part of the nerve.
Antrectomy is a surgical procedure whereby the lower part of the stomach (antrum) is removed. The antrum produces a chemical that prompts acid production. Without that chemical, acid production drops. This may provide some protection against recurrent peptic ulcers.
Pyloroplasty makes the opening between the stomach and the duodenum larger, allowing stomach contents to flow more easily into the intestine. Pyloroplasty was at one time frequently utilized to reduce complications of vagotomy.
- Reviewer: Daus Mahnke, MD
- Review Date: 10/2012 -
- Update Date: 10/31/2012 - | <urn:uuid:6948eb3b-5f22-403e-aec8-12b26f28483b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wesleymc.com/hl/?/2010814200/Surgical-Procedures-for-Peptic-Ulcer-Disease | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00056-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.922135 | 438 | 2.40625 | 2 |
Cranberry sauce or jelly is a very common relish during Christmas dinner in the United Kingdom and during Thanksgiving dinner in North America. If you are interested in learning how to make cranberry sauce, you will discover that the recipe varies depending on location. In North America, this sauce is usually sweetened, while in Europe, the flavor is generally sour. Wherever you are located, in order to make your sauce very taste-tempting, use either frozen or fresh cranberries from the nearby farmers’ market.
Many people love to cook cranberry sauce because of its numerous health benefits. The compounds found in cranberries are very effective in preventing Escherichia coli bacteria (or E. coli) from adhering to human cells. The E. coli bacteria, if not altered, can host numerous disorders, including gastroenteritis, kidney infections, tooth decay and urinary tract infections.
Although you can find canned cranberry sauce in the supermarket, creating your own recipe at home is far more advantageous, healthier and economical. Here is how to create mouth-watering homemade cranberry sauce.
Prepare the following ingredients and cooking utensils. First on the list is one bag of fresh or frozen cranberries, followed by one cup of fresh orange juice, a half cup of fresh cranberry juice, a half cup of sugar, and a half cup of rum (preferably flavored). You will also need a wooden spoon, medium-sized cooking pot and colander.
Wash all the cranberries. Put the cranberries into the colander and wash them thoroughly. As you wash, take away damaged or rotten cranberries as they will affect the taste of the relish if included in the recipe.
Cook the cranberries. Pour the cranberries into the medium-sized cooking pot. Set your stove on a medium level heat and bring the pot to boil. While cooking, gradually add the orange juice followed by the cranberry juice. Add also the flavored rum and sugar. There are moms who love to use raspberry rum instead.
Stir the mixture occasionally. Gradual stirring can make the mixture even. When the recipe begins to show more bubbles, adjust the heat to a lower setting to avoid overcooking. Continue cooking until you see that the cranberries are slowly bursting out.
Mash the berries or not. After cooking the cranberries, you have two options on how to prepare the sauce. First, if you want to keep some texture in your sauce recipe, avoid mashing the berries. Second, if you want to get rid of the pulp, put your sieve over a bowl and pour into it the sauce. Then, use a spoon in mashing the berries.
Serve the cranberry sauce. If you choose not to mash the berries, you can transfer it right away to your serving bowl from the cooking pot. Allow the recipe to completely cool before putting it inside the fridge.
Cranberry sauce can help in relieving irritable bowel problem and constipation. While cranberries have low fat contents, they are also enriched with antioxidants responsible for protecting the body from the damaging effects of toxins in the environment. More importantly, eating cranberry sauce can reduce the risk of contracting cancer and other heart illnesses.
Preparing a number of meals during the holiday season will be time consuming. Now that you know how to make cranberry sauce at home, this sauce is one of the dishes that you can prepare ahead of time. In fact, you can make this one two to four weeks ahead. If you have sauce left after the holidays, just spread it over crackers coated with creamy cheese for a tasty treat. | <urn:uuid:d808ba38-f239-4604-970a-48b1809832db> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://waysandhow.com/how-to-make-cranberry-sauce | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939578 | 746 | 1.859375 | 2 |
oh, dear, dear, dear. What a nodeshell to randomly find at a quarter past midnight.
*pulls pants/trowsers up* well, here goes...
To begin with let's define our terms for the extent of this node:
Society : that phenomenon of organization in higher species1 characterized by communication and cooperation2 which leads to extreme specilization and related increase in technology.
Evolution: that process which develops, alters, and terminates species based on their reproductive success and genetic shifts(i.e. natural selection).
Then, more to our point: society did not kill evolution
. It cannot be argued (effectively) that evolution is dead
. Look at the definition
: evolution is the process which changes species3
. Unless one can argue that species are no longer changing which could then imply that they have never
changed, then evolution lives on
However, for the sake of not creating more nodes under this topic, I will propose this writeup as an argument against this node (Can you feel the tension?) and declare: evolution lives though society is effecting it and possibly slowing it down.
What does all this mean? Why should you care? ... The importance of the issue lies at the base of debates like eugenics, euthanasia, cloing, the genome project, the future of society, social capital, GNP, Sweden (ok, Sweden isn't the center of any debates that I know of, but they are a leading example of many of the societal features that are beneficial and that come from an examination of society and evolutionary processes) ad nauseum
And the key idea which leads to this importance is that our society4 in its overarching quest for specilization and advancement in knowledge (read: increase in technology) is decreasing its diversity.
Imagine an optimization algorithm (which is what evolution essentially is): In order to find an optimum a search is performed over the set. The two qualities that are important are intensity -- how deeply one focuses, and diversity -- how widely one searches. In the biological sense, intensity is specialization. The refined changes as one specializes help to find that absolute best niche, and diversity is the variety in possible genes, thoughts, etc.
Now, if the optimization process gets out of balance, meaning if one quality becomes over-favored, it is highly likely that one will get stuck in a local optimum rather than finding the absolute optimum. And this is where I posit we are heading - a local optimum due to increased intensity.
This focus on a local rather than absolute optimum can be seen clearly in the sciences5. Think about the general course of study for, say, a high-energy particle physicist. Said physicist must concentrate on the mathematics and physics, the equations and debates which are taking place at the cutting edge of said field. To allow extemporanea like biology or chemistry reduces the razor-like focus and will inevitably injure research. Research is everything. To wit, the physicist becomes a highly capable researcher at the expense of being able to perform biology.
In general, this specialization is taking place across the board in academics6. Which is great for our specialized knowledge, but in a world where the connections and intertwining of all things is as, if not more, important than the things themselves (can we say "Everything"), such a trend leaves us high and dry. For example, biologists overlook the importance of protein binding sites and chemists miss the cornucopia in our rain forests7.
This is, of course, just one example. Another would be the specilization in economics tending to see capitalism or consumerism as the necessary end of our societal evolution. To reach such a conclusion is just as short-sighted as to say that mankind is the peak of perfection, the one-and-for-all, end product. Remember: evolution is a process. It will always act. Further examples move away from this metalevel, the evolution of knowledge, to genetic evolution. This is where technology becomes the main argument and where I bow out.
In any case, the temptress, Society has not killed the poor old man Evolution, but she has lead him into a small city, a town in the bad end of All-Possible Worlds. We, Humans, then should help him to look up and see that there are changes left to make, worlds still ahead. We are never as well off as we could be!
More to come... (Sorry, I ran out of gas - it's now 2:15. My longest node, phew.)
1 higher species refers to humans in this context based on nearly universal (i.e. human) practices. I agree an argument can be made for the socialization of bees, ants, &c.; however, here the focus is on the global effect and is, therefore, better restrained to humans. I would very much like to read, if anyone has the time, thoughts on the evolution of bees. Due to specilization has their evolution ended? Or been affected in any way?
2 On the basis of cooperation, one can see the inherent (and possible expected) parabolic structure of society : In the beginning, smaller farming/trading communities (i.e. societies) are so incredibly interdependent that the level of cooperation is high, aggresive competition low. As the society develops, competition tends to increase mainly due to specilization and lack of resources. This process will tend to improve efficiency and, in such it could be argued, natural selection as well.
At some point, a peak is reached and afterwards an increase in competition brings a decrease in efficiency, perhaps a factor in the "death" of evolution. (This "death" is the stagnation which appears below in the node.) The rule that this graph is following can be linked to social capital - the concept that the links and connections (i.e. cooperation) in a society are a form of wealth. A decrease in cooperation will tend to adversley affect the community.
3 I realize that I wrote the defintion making this circular logic, but my definitions are based on generally acceptable ones, and I believe them sufficient -- comments & suggestions welcome.
4 Here "our society" refers to "civilized countries" i.e. industrial nations. An examination of societies/communities which have not yet undergone industrialization will show very different often beneficial tendencies. Though I would not suggest that we all return to such "primitive" methods, I would argue that the parabolic curve peaks somewhere between these aboriginal groups and our society. Finding that balance might be one of the best discoveries humans could manage and one of the most necessary to maintain our status as homo sapien.
5 I'm going to try my best to stay on topic, society/evolution and not get into technology/evolution. There is inevitably an overlapping, especially since our defintion bases society on an increase in technology. For more on technology/evolution read Did technology kill evolution?. The idea is all the same : our own actions are changing our gene pool and therefore evolution.
6 For a very clear and insider explanation of this trend, read Edward O. Wilson's Consilience. His views on the Humanities may leave a little to be desired, but on the Sciences, he knows what's what.
7 Admittedly, this is getting better. Fields like biochemistry and physical chemistry and I don't know what all are attempts to rectify the problem. As well, books like Consilience signal a change. However, here we're speaking of society as its become not what it will become. Those possibilities are a little beyond my noding ability.
Note: this topic is essentially my life study. Please comment and argue.
References & Topics: | <urn:uuid:dd2c0deb-6b92-454b-852e-d4a740701edf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://everything2.com/title/Society+killed+evolution | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952514 | 1,601 | 1.914063 | 2 |
Key Largo's most popular Internet Connection!
Welcome to the Pennekamp page! THE web site in Key Largo for
diving, snorkeling, fishing, and other attractions! This page is locally
produced, so you'll find it's information focuses specifically on
Key Largo, Pennekamp Park and the Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary.
We're here to help you, so if you don't see what you need, just ask!
- What is Pennekamp Park?
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is the nation's first UNDERWATER
park! Formed in the 1960's, Pennekamp Park represents over 100 square
miles of mangrove shoreline, grass flats, and of course our famous coral
reef. Adjacent to Pennekamp (and extending it's boundaries out to
international waters) is the Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary. Both
these pristine coral reef areas are protected by law against environmental
abuse, guaranteeing this beautiful resource will last for many
- How do I get there?
By boat! Bring your own, or hop on a local charter adventure. Specialized
charters (diving, snorkeling, fishing, sightseeing, you name it!) are a
major industry here in Key Largo, and nobody does it better than we do!
Pennekamp is an underwater park, and you'll find dozens of
professional charter trips available to take you there. Trips to the
coral reef are available mornings, afternoons, and evenings.
- Can't I just swim out from the beach?
Our coastline in Key Largo is comprised of mangroves, and shallow grass
flats teeming with life. There are very few natural beaches in the Keys,
and the coral reef begins about 3 miles off-shore. This fantastic coral
reef provides such a complete barrier against wave action that "normal"
coastal erosion (which provides sand to northern beaches) just doesn't
apply. There are several lovely man-made swimming areas here in Key Largo,
in both private and public locations, but don't expect to swim to the reef!
- What else do I need to know?
Everything you'll need to plan a vacation here in Key Largo
can be found (or linked to) from this page! We hope you'll enjoy your
visit with us.
Key Largo boasts some of the finest tropical diving in the world!
Surrounded by protected waters, our coral reef is a site to behold. Click here for information on diving in Key Largo, along with maps, pictures, site descriptions, reef fish, charter trips, specials, and much much
The Florida Keys are known worldwide for their great fishing, both in the
quiet, still waters of the "backcountry" (Florida Bay) and our exciting
off-shore waters! Check out this link for more information on charters,
boat rentals fishing advice, and special local events.
From "conch-casual" to elegant cuisine, Key Largo is a great place to tempt
your tastes! Choose from outdoor waterfront dining, to out-of-the-way,
Relax and enjoy the relaxed tropical ambiance of intimate, family owned
motels, outdoor camping, or the amenities and services of larger resorts! Key Largo offers a broad range of accommodations to fit within your family's budget.
Well, we do we have occasional tropical showers here in the fabulous
Florida Keys, but they never last long! For the current local weather, seasonal stats, raday, and forcasts click here. (And remember wherever it's not raining,
it's probably sunny!)
Conditions? Sure! Our reef reports are updated hourly - directly from
the automatic station at Molasses Reef!
- Local artists? Check out this page of Cat Sculptures by Helen Cossett
The Keys Hook Up
The Keys Hook Up is the homepage for Time Out Magazine, The site features Fishing Reports from area captains,
comments by The Irritable Chef, Direct Links to area businesses, lists Things To Do in the Florida Keys,
Money Saving Coupons, Online Store, Classifieds, and so much more!! The site is being updated constantly so
be sure to check back often.
Florida Keys Reef Lights Foundation:
A non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and preserving the historic reef lights of the Florida Keys, The Florida Keys Reef Lights Foundation has been formed to promote the establishment of a lighthouse museum and future access to the lighthouses of the Florida Keys.
Key Largo is home to Dolphins Plus, a marine mammal research and education facility offering tours, classes, and in-water dolphin swim programs with these marvelous marine mammals.
Key Largo also borders the Everglades National Park - an area of
mysterious and abundant wildlife. Click here for more information on this
fascinating natural resource.
Florida Keys Wild Bird Center
Located at MM94 Bayside in Tavernier. Take a free tour of our facilities
and see the birds of Florida up close. We have Ospreys, Roseate Spoonbills,
Brown Pelicans and many other wild birds in our recovery areas. Come by
during lunch or dinner and help feed the birds!
Call (305)852-4486 for more information.
Keys Technologies (who bring you The Pennekamp Page)
is a proud member of the Legendary Key Largo Chamber of Commerce...
For more information on visiting Key Largo, Check out
The Key Largo Chamber
of Commerce's home page!
Thanks for visitin' our site! It's time to put on a Jimmy Buffett tune played by Key Largo's favorite performer, Reggie Paul. Let's kick back now, and watch the sunset over Florida Bay...
Mmmmm, smell those shrimp - they're beginning to boil.... :-)
Watch for more links, updates, and info, as we expand our
Are you a local (Key Largo) business? Drop us a line and we'll include
your services too!
Tell them you saw it on the "Pennekamp Page!"
HTML production and Copyright © 1995 - 2002 by
All rights reserved. | <urn:uuid:d9bf7803-949b-4554-af41-d587d3fb35d6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pennekamp.com/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.901293 | 1,301 | 1.710938 | 2 |
The following is from the Media Blog of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. It was posted Friday, March 9, by Sister Mary Ann Walsh, director of media relations for the USCCB.
The Amish are exempt from the entire health care reform law. So are members of Medi-Share, a program of Christian Care Ministry. Yet, when the Catholic Church asks for a religious exemption from just one regulation issued under the law – the mandate that all employers, including religious institutions, must pay for sterilization and contraceptives, including abortion-inducing drugs – the Administration balks.
The government respects the First Amendment that guarantees the right to freely exercise one’s religious beliefs, but only to a point. In the health care law it picks and chooses which beliefs it respects. The Amish do not believe in insurance, and the government understands. Christian Care Ministry believes people should form a religious community and pay medical bills for one another, and the government says okay. Yet when the Catholic Church opposes being forced to pay for services that violate its beliefs, the Administration says “tough.”
What is so special about this mandate that it cannot be touched? It was added after Congress passed the health care law and offers no exemption for religious charitable or educational institutions. It will not accept Catholic charities and schools as “religious enough” unless they hire only Catholics, serve only Catholics, have the narrow tax exempt status granted to houses of worship, and teach religion as their purpose.
(Amish farmers making hay)
Amazingly, this mandate has more force than the overall health care law. In fact recent regulations allow states to decide which “essential health benefits” to require in health plans, such as hospitalization, prescription drugs and pediatric services. At the same time, all insurance plans must include the objectionable services mentioned above. Here federal law trumps state law and threatens to fine into submission institutions that dare oppose it. The going rate is at least $100 per day per employee.
What has the government got against the Catholic Church? Has it forgotten the contributions the church has made to the poor and needy for centuries?
Catholic elementary and secondary schools provide the only real alternative to public schools in many parts of the nation. Catholic colleges offer outstanding education, be it at the university or the community college. The contribution has a long history, back to 1789 when Georgetown University was founded by the Jesuits. Yet under the health care law, if these schools and colleges wish to remain faithful to their religious principles the government will fine them into submission. There’s a thank-you note.
Many Catholic hospitals were founded by religious orders of women, and today one out of six persons seeking hospital care in the United States goes to a Catholic hospital. Until now, religious background of the patient has not been an issue. “Where does it hurt?” is the first question, not “Where is your baptismal certificate?” This approach threatens to deny hospitals any real protection as “religious employers” under the new rule. Yet their Catholicity means many of these hospitals have an added benefit. At Providence Hospital in Washington, DC, for example, patients not only get medical care, they can get clothing too if they need it. It comes through the Ladies of Charity, an auxiliary of the Daughters of Charity who founded the hospital in 1861.
Catholic social service agencies, including adoption and foster care agencies, parish food banks, and soup kitchens, meet human concerns. Services depend on need, not creed. Church sponsorship means the services have a little extra, be they volunteers from parishes, financial donations through diocesan appeals, or the dedication that comes from working for God as well as paycheck.
A Catholic might take personally the Administration’s dissing their beliefs. Lucky the Amish, who have their basic constitutional rights respected. If only we objected to health insurance generally, we might be able to enjoy the same protection. Seems odd that the Administration is more inflexible on contraception than on services that actually treat disease. | <urn:uuid:620cc223-3c2b-4e5b-89ec-397781871762> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.speroforum.com/a/JRUVJSVMIJ11/69668-What-does-Obama-have-against-Catholics | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966939 | 834 | 2.421875 | 2 |
Alexander, KS Real Estate
According to census data in the year 2000 there were 35 housing units in Alexander.
This represents a 25.5% decline from 47 in 1990.
Of those housing units, none were located in either urbanized areas or urban clusters, and 35 were located in what is classified as a rural area.
Homeownership rate in Alexander is about 89.7%.
Alexander's vacancy rate, including seasonal lodging, is about 17.1%.
Average household size is 2.38 people.
The majority of houses, apartments or condos in Alexander were built after 1939.
|Housing Units by Size|
|Five Bedrooms or more||0%|
Owned Homes, Apartments and Condos
|Average Household Size||2.31|
|Median year structure was built||1939|
|Median Value of occupied units||$27,500|
|Median Price asked for vacant units||$9,999|
Rented Homes, Apartments and Condos
|Average Household Size||3|
|Median year structure was built||1943|
Owners Finance Status
|Second Mortgage & Equity Loan||0%|
|Home Equity Loan||0%|
|Median part of Monthly Household Income dedicated to covering home ownership costs||24.2%| | <urn:uuid:161015a2-a667-418d-b20b-d4146d621cd5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.idcide.com/realestate/ks/alexander.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947054 | 278 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Is Art Mightier Than War?
John Cusack on Hitler, politics and his new movie 'Max.'
BY: Interview by Paul O'Donnell
So many reasons. First of all, this notion that Hitler's only original idea was this fusion of art and politics. He saw that the future was going to be a fusion of these two forces. He despised the content of left-wing aesthetics, the art of the avant-garde, but the form he found remarkably powerful. He understood that, in the modern world, whoever controls images and symbols has the power. He understood that art reaches people's subconcious, and that battles will be fought on the spiritual plane of art for people's souls.
This is as relevant today. What was started then, we can never go back from. Look at the Taliban destroying those Buddhist statues -- destroying them not because there's buried treasure under there, but because the symbols have power. The reason bin Laden staggered the planes going into the towers was so every camera would be focused on the second tower when the plane hit. It was not only the murder, but the perpetual image of the horror that permeated into people's consciousness. It was not the murder itself, but the iconography of the murder. Somewhere on the Al-Jazeera network, someone chanting "blood Jew" to some frightening images. And right now the propaganda machine is gearing us up toward war. Every time I hear the "Showdown With Saddam" theme music, I get chills.
"Max" portrays Hitler as a struggling artist, just as he's taking up politics. The movie has caught some flak for humanizing Hitler.
That's exactly [the response] Hitler would have wanted. The best thing he could have imagined was to be some pan-Germanic mythological figure, instead of the liar and coward and thief that he was.
The movie portrays Hitler as a very recognizable, modern type.
He was so modern, in that he was obsessed with being famous. He was caught up with this modern rush to be have achieved greatness before turning 30. It's such a sad, modern kind of thing. | <urn:uuid:4a8a73fa-5f38-4fa2-98b9-988a4ef60ba7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.beliefnet.com/Entertainment/Movies/2003/01/Is-Art-Mightier-Than-War.aspx?p=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971123 | 440 | 1.8125 | 2 |
In August, the Thunder Bay-based Centre for Research and Innovation in the Bio-Economy (CRIBE) announced it is contributing $350,000 to fund the construction of a demonstration building at the school that will incorporate CLT into its design.
It would be the first major use of CLT, an emerging building material, in Ontario. Research gleaned from the demonstration building would be used to encourage more construction with CLT throughout the province, with the added bonus of boosting its latent forestry industry.
“What we’re seeing is a slow and steady recovery, and we’re beginning to form an understanding of the critical role projects such as this play in assisting our industry to change and adapt,” said Lorne Morrow, the CEO of CRIBE, a non-profit agency created to support the commercial end of the forestry industry.
Comprised of 2X4s and 2X6s pressed together to form large solid blocks or sheets of wood, CLT is strong, fire resistant and can be used as walls, floors or roof panels. It is now being widely used across Europe, in buildings as tall as 11 storeys.
In Canada, CLT is only produced in British Columbia and Quebec, but Morrow believes that could change once people see the added value and spinoffs CLT can provide to the forestry industry.
“If you can take 2X6s and make them into a CLT panel, you’re adding value and you’re also supporting industry; you’re diversifying it away from total dependence on house starts in the U.S.,” he said.
In Ontario, the use of wood is still limited by the province’s building code, which views wood as too flammable a material to be used extensively throughout a building’s construction. Its use is restricted to two storeys in institutional buildings and four storeys in residential structures.
The demonstration building, which will house the school’s library and theatre, located in the third wing of the school complex, will test the best and safest use of wood products, Sudbury MPP Rick Bartolucci said during the funding announcement.
Expressing optimism that the building would illustrate the potential of CLT in Ontario construction, he suggested it may have a hand in evolving the building code to encompass a greater use of wood.
“I think this demonstration project situated here at the school of architecture is going to change the perception of the potential of wood,” Bartolucci said. “I’m convinced this will create a whole new market for Ontario’s wood.”
Canada has fallen behind in innovative building design and is now playing catchup to Europe, said David Warne, a partner and project architect with Levitt Goodman Architects, the Toronto-based firm that has been hired to design the school.
Europeans’ progressive views about conservation and reducing their carbon footprint have meant advances in their building practices that Canada hasn’t yet seen, he said. But the introduction of CLT provides Ontario with an opportunity to explore innovation design with cutting-edge techniques.
Concrete, a popular construction material, requires energy to produce and evaporates carbon into the atmosphere, Warne said. Rather than have CLT built in BC and shipped to Ontario, it makes more environmental and financial sense to use the resources available in Ontario to make them here.
It also fits in with the school’s three-cornered philosophy, which is to incorporate northern culture, the northern environment and sustainable design into its creation, he said.
“Wood makes imminent sense in a project like this because wood is a sustainable resource, it’s rapidly renewable, it sequesters carbon and we can build with it,” Warne said.
In addition to encouraging the use of research and development in the wood industry, along with creating economic spinoffs, Warne said the project will also serve to inspire future generations of architects to use wood creatively and sustainably in their designs.
Phase one of the school’s construction is scheduled to begin in January with the renovation of the two existing CP Rail buildings, while construction of the two new buildings, including the CLT-enhanced library and theatre, is estimated to begin in June 2013. | <urn:uuid:135d0380-e9e8-433f-b8ea-5bfd7e916bb1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.northernontariobusiness.com/Industry-News/engineering/2012/11/Architecture-school-embraces-wood-construction.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961412 | 890 | 2.484375 | 2 |
Neither our society nor commerce as a whole is conceivable without energy supply. Be it manufacturing, administration, hospitals or private households - we are all dependent. And the energy market has in the last decade become more and more international. Therefore the big power and distribution companies increasingly rely on international standards.
Because of the global dependence, facilities for generating and distributing electrical energy are subject to particularly high quality standards. This also applies to their documentation. Always up-to-date, confirmed data is indispensable for maintenance and remodeling and the precondition for these plants to be quickly and reliably repaired in case of an emergency. The long life expectancy renders a documentation meeting the highest quality standards indispensable because constructional changes are frequently carried out by firms that were not involved in the construction of the original plant.
AUCOTEC AG has for many years been the market leader in Germany for engineering tools used for power distribution by operating companies and their suppliers. In Slovakia and the Czech Republic the AUCOTEC EVU module is even the only tool used. | <urn:uuid:b7223b09-ca19-4b15-adbd-ce7f3c4bc305> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.aucotec.at/PagEd-index-page_id-374.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939621 | 209 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Origin and history of the name
The name "Andorra" probably originates from a Navarrese word andurrial, which translates as shrub-covered land.
Main article: History of Andorra
Tradition holds that Charlemagne granted a charter to the Andorran people in return for their fighting the Moors. Overlordship over the territory was passed to the local count of Urgell and eventually to the bishop of the diocese of Urgell. In the 11th century a dispute arose between the bishop and his northern French neighbour over Andorra.
In 1278, the conflict was resolved by the signing of a parage, which provided that Andorra's sovereignty be shared between the French count of Foix (whose title would ultimately transfer to the French head of state) and the bishop of La Seu d'Urgell, in the Catalonia region of Spain. This gave the small principality its territory and political form.
Over the years the title passed to the kings of Navarre, and under the king of France Henry IV, an edict in 1607 established the head of the French state and the Bishop of Urgell as co-princes of Andorra.
In the period 1812–14, the French Empire annexed Catalonia and divided it in four departments (Segre, Ter, Montserrat and Boques de l'Ebre). Andorra was also annexed and made part of the district of Puigcerdà (departament of Segre).
From August 8 to October 9, 1933 France occupied Andorra as a result of social unrest before elections.
On July 6, 1934 the Russian Boris Skossyreff was proclaimed king by the Andorran government. On July 14, a group of the Guardia Civil (Spanish militarized police) entered Andorra and took him to Barcelona, and later to Madrid to be expelled to Portugal.
From July 1936 to June 1940, there was a French detachment in Andorra to prevent influences of the Spanish Civil War and Franco's Spain. (June 1940 is the month of the French surrender to Germany.)
On September 25, 1939, Andorra signed a peace treaty with Germany, having been forgotten on the Treaty of Versailles and remaining legally at war. Andorra stayed neutral throughout World War II.
Given its relative isolation, Andorra has existed outside the mainstream of European history, with few ties to countries other than France and Spain. In recent times, however, its thriving tourist industry along with developments in transportation and communications have removed the country from its isolation and its political system was thoroughly modernised in 1993.
Main article: Politics of Andorra
Until very recently, Andorra's political system had no clear division of powers into executive, legislative, and judicial branches. Ratified and approved in 1993, the constitution establishes Andorra as a sovereign parliamentary democracy that retains the co-princes as heads of state, but the head of government retains executive power. The two co-princes serve coequally with limited powers that do not include veto over government acts. They are represented in Andorra by a delegate.
The way in which the two princes are chosen makes Andorra one of the most politically distinct nations on earth. One co-Prince is the man or woman who is currently serving as President of France, currently Jacques Chirac. The other is the current Catholic bishop of the Spanish city of La Seu d'Urgell, currently Joan Enric Vives i Sicilia. As neither prince lives in Andorra their role is almost entirely ceremonial.
Andorra's main legislative body is the unicameral General Council of the Valleys (Consell General de les Valls), a parliament of 28 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote, 14 from a single national constituency and 14 to represent each of the 7 parishes, with members serving four-year terms. The Andorran government is formed by the General Council electing the Head of Government (Cap de Govern), who then appoints ministers to the cabinet, the Executive Council (Govern).
Defense of the country is the responsibility of France and Spain.
See List of Co-Princes of Andorra
Main article: Parishes of Andorra
Andorra consists of seven communities, known as parròquies (singular parròquia Engl.: parish)
Main article: Geography of Andorra
Befitting its location in the eastern Pyrenees mountain range, Andorra consists predominantly of rugged mountains of an average height of 1,996 m with the highest being the Coma Pedrosa at 2,946 m. These are dissected by three narrow valleys in a Y shape that combine into one as the main stream, the Valira river, leaves the country for Spain (at Andorra's lowest point of 870 m).
Andorra's climate is similar to its neighbours' temperate climate, but its higher altitude means there is on average more snow in winter and it is slightly cooler in summer.
Main article: Economy of Andorra
Tourism, the mainstay of Andorra's tiny, well-to-do economy, accounts for roughly 80% of GDP. An estimated 9 million tourists visit annually, attracted by Andorra's duty-free status and by its summer and winter resorts. Andorra's comparative advantage has recently eroded as the economies of neighbouring France and Spain have been opened up, providing broader availability of goods and lower tariffs.
The banking sector, with its tax haven status, also contributes substantially to the economy. Agricultural production is limited—only 2% of the land is arable—and most food has to be imported. The principal livestock activity is sheep raising. Manufacturing output consists mainly of cigarettes, cigars, and furniture.
Andorra is not a full member of the European Union, but enjoys a special relationship with it, e.g. it is treated as an EU member for trade in manufactured goods (no tariffs) and as a non-EU member for agricultural products. Andorra lacks a currency of its own and uses that of its two neighbours. Prior to 1999 these were the French franc and Spanish peseta, which have since been replaced by a single currency, the euro. Unlike other small European states that use the euro, Andorra does not yet mint its own euro coins; in October 2004, negotiations between Andorra and the EU began on an agreement which would allow Andorra to mint their own coins.
Main article: Demographics of Andorra
Andorrans constitute a minority in their own country; only 33% hold Andorran nationality. The largest group of foreign nationals is that of Spaniards (43%), with Portuguese (11%) and French (7%) nationals representing the other main groups. The remaining 6% belong to other nationalities.
The only official language is Catalan, the language of the Catalan Countries it is part of, including the neighbouring Spanish autonomous region of Catalonia, with which Andorra shares many cultural traits, though Castillian (Spanish), Portuguese and French are also commonly spoken. The predominant religion is Roman Catholicism.
Main article: Culture of Andorra | <urn:uuid:807f2409-f5e4-4a27-92f6-6ec3b06fe1c3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.biologydaily.com/biology/Andorra | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96406 | 1,505 | 3.671875 | 4 |
Astrophysicists at Georgia Institute of Technology announced on June 6, 2011 that their recent work has provided an important test of a long-standing theory describing the extreme physics that takes place when matter spirals into massive black holes. Their work involves a detailed analysis of X-rays which are emitted when superheated gases in an accretion disk fall into the black hole abyss.
Astrophysicists speak of black hole “fingerprints” to describe the physics of this fall into a black hole. As with actual fingerprints, black hole fingerprints reveal a unique individual – but with elements common to many black holes. For example, a black hole that is swallowing matter is surrounded by an accretion disk – a swirling disk of matter from which radiation can escape. In the case of black holes, that radiation is typically X-rays. What’s more, energy from the plunge into a massive black hole can also drive outflows of gas and dust far from the black hole: the famous black hole jets. These jets would affect the growth and evolution of galaxies containing massive black holes.
Since nearly every galaxy, including our Milky Way, is thought to have a massive black hole at its heart, the complex processes that occur when matter flows from an accretion disk into a black hole reveal what takes place in the cores of galaxies. In turn, that information is vital to theories describing the formation of galaxies. Thus the physics of matter falling into black holes is the subject of intense research.
David Ballantyne is an assistant professor in Georgia Tech’s School of Physics and a scientist at the school’s Center for Relativistic Astrophysics. He led a team including Jon McDuffie and student John Rusin. They were particularly concerned with black holes in the nuclei or centers of active galaxies. An active galactic nucleus (AGN) is a compact region at the center of a galaxy that has a higher-than-normal luminosity over some or all of the electromagnetic spectrum. Active galaxies often can be found at great distances from us, indicating that we see them at an earlier time in the universe, closer to the time when they and their central black holes formed.
Ballantyne, McDuffie and Rusin wanted to study the ionization state of the matter falling into black holes. This state – which occurs when atoms or molecules are subjected to extreme conditions, like those in the vicinity of black holes – is related to the radiation from black hole accretion disks. The team scrutinized the unique “fingerprints” obtained via X-ray observations from the centers of eight different distant galaxies, all, presumably, with black holes and surrounding accretion disks at their hearts. Ballantyne said:
We reviewed data collected from space telescopes over the past few years and found that the more rapidly a black hole was gobbling up material, the more highly ionized the accretion disk was. The simple theory of accretion disks predicts this, but the relationship we saw between the ionization and rate of accretion was different from what the theory predicted.
The large difference between the observed and theoretical relationships – what these scientists described as “a linear dependence on the rate of accretion as opposed to a cubic dependence” – is not surprising for a phenomenon that can’t exactly be tested under controlled laboratory conditions. In a paper published online June 3, 2011 in The Astrophysical Journal, Ballantyne describes the research and speculates about possible reasons for the difference between observations and theory.
Ballantyne added that this type of study needs more data.
As in many areas of science, especially astronomy, we end up needing more data – many more high-quality observations to better define this relationship.
Astrophysicists don’t have a detailed understanding of how the accretion process works, why black holes grow at different rates or what makes them stop growing. These questions are important because the growth of active galactic nuclei has broader effects on the galaxies of which they are the center. Ballantyne said:
The rapid accretion phase releases a lot of energy, not only in radiation but also in outflows that drive gas out of a galaxy, which can shut off star formation and hold back the growth of the galaxy. We could potentially learn something fundamental about the flow of energy through the accretion disk very close to the black hole. We could learn about the viscosity of this matter and how efficiently radiation transport takes place. These are very important questions in astrophysics.
Black holes themselves are very simple, but what goes on around them can be very complex. There is still a lot to be learned about how black holes get fueled and how some accrete slowly while others grow rapidly. The astrophysics of black holes is actually very important in determining what our universe looks like.
Bottom line: David Ballantyne, Jon McDuffie and John Rusin of the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Center for Relativistic Astrophysics have scrutinized the X-ray “fingerprints” of black holes in eight distant active galaxies, thereby testing a long-standing theory describing what happens when matter spirals into a massive black hole. By looking at X-rays, they were able to study processes in the accretion disk. Their study appeared online in the June 3, 2011 issue of The Astrophysical Journal. | <urn:uuid:2278626b-3ccc-4e3d-bf72-fb482a161ff3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://earthsky.org/space/comparing-theory-to-observation-in-eating-habits-of-giant-black-holes/comment-page-1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943346 | 1,100 | 3.875 | 4 |
GIS Tech News (#66)16 Sep, 2008
Maps and analysis provide accurate picture of events on the ground before, during, and after emergency.
Geographic information system (GIS) technology played a key role in assisting federal, state, and local agencies to prepare for and respond to Hurricane Gustav. Using ArcGIS software and Web GIS services from ESRI, agencies were able to more effectively prepare for the hurricane's impact. Officials viewed spatial and related tabular information to make assessments before Gustav made landfall. As the hurricane swept across Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas, dynamic data updates helped accurately depict events as they unfolded.
"The objective of large-scale, complex emergency management is putting in place preparedness and prevention measures so that you minimize the impact of the event to people, communities, assets, and infrastructure," said Russ Johnson, public safety manager at ESRI. "For Gustav, GIS helped do that. People were able to understand exactly what was happening and what actions needed to be taken both before and after the hurricane made land. They were able to address and prioritize critical issues to save lives and start the recovery."
The Power of Hurricane Gustav
Gustav, which made landfall as a category 2 hurricane on Monday, September 1, was less potent than originally predicted but devastating nonetheless. Packed with winds exceeding 100 miles per hour, torrential rain, and the threat of tornadoes, Hurricane Gustav resulted in U.S. property damages estimated in the billions of dollars. Read more »
Big Tools for Big Jobs — Wide-Format Scanners and Printers Make Small Work of Large Projects
By Ron LaFon
A significant number of original drawings, blueprints, and maps are at risk because they've never been transferred to a digital format. These paper documents represent a substantial amount of time, money, and resources — and protecting them could be vital to your organization. Scanning these wide-format originals into digital masters for long-term security is a top priority. At the same time, we face the reality that even in today's digital world, not all files are fully useful in digital format, and at times must be output to paper for information sharing, markup, or portability to the field. That's when you must call on a wide-format printer to produce paper documents at sizes far larger than a typical desktop printer can produce.
This Cadalyst Labs roundup surveys a variety of wide-format scanners and printers currently available and the factors to consider when purchasing these devices. We present here a broad array of high-quality, wide-format devices offering options that are greater than ever. Read more »
ArcGIS 9.3 Seminars: Improving an Entire GIS Workflow
Through November 13, 2008
Various U.S. Cities
These all-day seminars will allow GIS professionals and managers to get together and explore how ArcGIS 9.3 provides a comprehensive system that enhances an organization's operations Read more »
GITA 2008 GIS for Oil & Gas Conference
September 21-24, 2008
The world's largest gathering of oil and gas GIS professionals will include targeted educational sessions, a forum for best practices, a sold-out exhibit floor, networking events, and much more. Read more »
Webinar: Unlock the Potential of Your AutoCAD Map 3D Object Data
October 1, 2008
10 a.m. PDT
This Webinar for AutoCAD Map 3D users, presented by Safe Software, will include a series of demonstrations and customer examples that show how the software converts and integrates Map 3D object data. Read more »
Mapping for a Sustainable Future Workshops
October 6 - November 26, 2008
London and Birmingham, United Kingdom
Presented by Training4GIS, these one-day workshops will focus on how mapping can successfully be applied within sustainable planning and development. Three separate workshops will be offered: Carbon Mapping, 3D Mapping, and Flood Mapping. Read more »
Spatial 3D Insiders' Summit
October 13-14, 2008
The annual summit enables the Spatial user and prospect community to gain in-depth knowledge of Spatial components and have direct exchange with Spatial developers and executive management team. Read more »
Autodesk Technical Evangelist Lynn Allen guides you through a different AutoCAD feature in every edition of her popular "Circles and Lines" tutorial series. For even more AutoCAD how-to, check out Lynn's quick tips in the Cadalyst Video Gallery. Subscribe to Cadalyst's Tips & Tricks Tuesdays free e-newsletter and we'll notify you every time a new video tip is available. All exclusively from Cadalyst! | <urn:uuid:f07fe9d4-948f-4815-9b1b-b6f0a780ecf5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cadalyst.com/gis/news/gis-tech-news-66-9704 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.92165 | 968 | 2.65625 | 3 |
From the many responses to our April 3 column, “Less-than-fluent foreigners may have trouble giving blood,” it seems that Japanese language ability is an issue at some centers, but not all. Other factors sometimes took precedence, such as medical conditions and other rules.
For some, language was clearly the reason for refusal, such as in O.K.’s case:
“A few years back while I was a student in Japan, my Japanese girlfriend and I went to a mobile unit of the blood donation service near Ikebukuro Station, only to be refused because I could not read all the kanji on the page of information they gave me. I asked my girlfriend to read it to me, and I understood it all, yet they still refused.
“I have donated blood countless times and I understand all the risks and HIV and AIDS problems. I don’t offend easily, but I am sad to know somewhere out there, somebody could have used that pint of B-positive.”
Most of those who responded were ineligible for other reasons.
“My medicine allergy ruled me out, despite the initial enthusiasm for my O-positive type,” said Kimberly Morgan.
Leah Zoller said, “Everyone I know with at least (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) N3 level has been OK language-wise for Kanazawa’s donation center.”
After using a mix of Japanese and English to sign all the forms, Erinn LaMattery was refused for other reasons. “It wasn’t until we got inside the donation area that they refused us,” she explains. “A friend of mine was refused due to a piercing in her nose. I was refused due to a low count of something in my blood, probably iron.”
BSE (mad cow disease) is another reason some people might be turned away, as Stewart experienced: “I was told that people who have lived for more than six months in countries with BSE cannot give blood, in my case, the U.K. However, they still took blood from all the Japanese sophomore students who had studied in the U.K. for a year (this was before 2004) — only the foreigners were turned away.”
J.T. was able to donate at the Shinjuku Red Cross office despite his less-than-fluent Japanese skills when he first came to Japan, but was later refused because of the BSE rule.
He explains: “I grew up and lived in England during the early 1980s, so I am now disqualified from donating blood in Japan because of the unknown incubation period for mad cow disease. The same restriction exists for Brits living in the USA, so no one in Japan should take it personally.”
We’ll go into more detail and explain the BSE rule in a later column.
Mark was able to successfully donate after seeking out a second opinion in regards to medication he takes.
“I’ve been giving blood for years, at four different centers, and have never been refused or even treated with any hesitation, even when I was in the early stages of my Japanese studies,” says Mark. “More often than not, the doctor they have on hand is either close to or already past retirement, and in Japan that usually means he or she is not up on the latest in the field of medicine. When I asked, the doctor checked his resource books and informed me that I was ineligible.
“A few weeks later I went to another center where the doctor said I was indeed still eligible, but that 12 hours would have to have passed between the time I last took the medication I am on and when I can donate. I also needed to state that I am taking that drug. Done. I have the red donor’s card and get postcards three times a year reminding me that I can donate. I’m in and out in 30 minutes or less, minus 400 ml of blood and plus a cookie and sports drink!”
Of all the responses we received, the reasons for refusal for one person weren’t clear.
“My husband and I live in northern Japan and work at a private school that was campaigning for blood donation,” C.J. said. “They gave us a bunch of reasons why we couldn’t donate, such as: we had gone to South Korea two years before, we don’t know our blood type, we caught chicken pox two years earlier in Niigata, and the list went on and on. We also had three Japanese teachers with us who spoke perfect English, but they still refused (us).”
In an upcoming column we’ll go over the Japan Red Cross Society blood donation rules. Thanks to everyone who shared their experience. If you have a blood donation story to share, please let us know. | <urn:uuid:0f836720-31ba-4d2e-8ff9-1546f053cf75> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2012/05/22/community/foreigners-disqualified-as-blood-donors-for-wide-range-of-reasons/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98265 | 1,028 | 1.96875 | 2 |
Albert Einstein Quotes
Quotes and Quotations IndexFrom Albert Einstein Quotes to HOME PAGE
Here are The Albert Einstein Quotes
: Page # 4Everyone should be respected as an individual. But no one should be idolized.
Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school.
Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labour in freedom.
Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count. Everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted.
Equations are more important to me. Because politics is for the present, but an equation is something for eternity.
From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know that we are here for the sake of each other - above all for those upon whose smile and well-being our own happiness depends and also for the countless unknown souls with whose fate we are connected by a bond of sympathy. Many times a day I realize how much my own outer and inner life is built upon the labours of my fellow men both living and dead and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received.
Force always attracts men of low morality and I believe it to be an invariable rule that tyrants of genius are succeeded by scoundrels.
Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people are not even capable of forming such opinions.
Albert Einstein Quotes Page No:Previous Page |1 | 2 | 3 |4 |5 |6 |7 | 8
9 |10 |11 |12 |13 | 14 |15 |Next Page | <urn:uuid:1d8ead7b-1b20-4602-ba47-f7845949c3c4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.english-for-students.com/Albert-Einstein-Quotes-3.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958404 | 343 | 2.21875 | 2 |
Évora is a beautiful city in Portugal with archeological findings dating back to 4,000 BC. With a well-preserved UNESCO-listed town center, some beautiful churches and plenty of historical flavor, it is one of the best places to visit during your trip to Portugal. Here are five reasons not to miss Évora.
1. Roman Ruins
Templo Romano is the best-preserved Roman temple in Portugal. It dates from 2AD and 14 ornate Corinthian columns still stand on a marble platform from which you can look across the rooftops of UNESCO protected Évora. Termas Romanos, the Roman Baths that date from 1AD lie beneath the town hall (Camara Municipal) and during office hours you can wander in and see the huge circular steam bath. | <urn:uuid:f5b0b711-520a-443c-a7ad-8cd4ec3c31b4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.viator.com/Lisbon-tourism/5-Reasons-to-Go-to-Evora/d538-t6569 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.909706 | 164 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Links, April 19, 2010
Posted: April 19, 2010 Filed under: Genealogy | Tags: Cemeteries, libraries, Link Love
Today in history: In 1934, Shirley Temple appeared in her first movie, Stand up And Cheer! It would be more accurate to say “starred in her first feature,” since Temple appeared in a series of “Baby Burlesks” shorts and bit parts prior to …
What did you say? Something else happened today? Yes indeed, today in history the shot heard ’round the world was fired at Lexington, Massachusetts, igniting the American Revolution. The event was dramatized by re-enacters at dawn today, as it is every year. Here is a rundown of other notable events on this day (or any day) in history.
Today this happened, plus Shirley Temple made her first picture. Priorities, priorities.
More history lessons: I am indebted to my brother Jim, a fan of what I like to call Extreme History, for pointing out this news item on the Donner Party, famous for their ill-fated trek westward and subsequent creative cooking experiments. Apparently their menu was not all it was cracked up to be. Jim is very disappointed.
Genealogy and Macintosh: James Tanner at Genealogy’s Star posted last week about why he does his genealogy on Macs. I’ve been a Mac person myself since the get-go (minus a brief, disastrous fling involving a double-disk-drive Radio Shack PC). Still, I roll my eyes at the mindless cheerleading that often comes with the territory. Which is why I love Mr. Tanner’s reasonable but positive commentary about what makes Macs and iPhones great tools for genealogists. (He is also noodling around with the iPad but thinks the jury is still out on its usefulness to his genealogy work.)
Larceny at the archives: I’ve posted before about ways to treat your library right, especially when you’re working in the local history archives. It did not occur to me to include the rule “Don’t Steal The Holdings.” However, this is just what happened to the entire vintage sheet music collection at a suburban Chicago library. The story has a happy ending — the unknown thief returned all 327 pieces of the collection to the police. The accompanying note said only: “I am sorry.”
Better cemetery photos: Tombstone photography can be a nervewracking experience, especially if you are making a special visit to a distant cemetery and it’s a cloudy day. This article gives some helpful tips on making the most of your lighting to get a clear-cut view of the headstone’s lettering, even on an iffy day. I definitely appreciate the advice.
Any exciting news of your own? Share it in the comments, if you like. Enjoy the week! | <urn:uuid:63244712-9938-4302-ade6-7f9a4cf4dbbe> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://scribbler714.wordpress.com/2010/04/19/links-april-19-2010/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=d0199d491e | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961587 | 608 | 1.898438 | 2 |
Sopagna Seang believes in justice and his country — and his dedication has taken him all the way from Cambodia to Australia. In order to further his work in bringing notorious Khmer Rouge leaders to trial, the Phnom Penh native is busy earning a master's degree in public policy and management from Carnegie Mellon's Heinz College Australia.
The repressive Khmer Rouge regime controlled Cambodia from 1975-1979, killing approximately 1.7 million citizens through execution, torture and forced labor. This genocide claimed an estimated one-fifth of the country's population. After years of negotiation, the United Nations and Cambodian government established a tribunal in 2006 to bring these leaders to justice.
Sopagna was already working for the public welfare as a civil servant. Angry about the atrocities and 'ruined' condition in which his country was left, he quickly joined the team, in charge of language service coordination.
"This tribunal will not only do good for Cambodia, but also for humanity," Sopagna explained. "Such heinous crimes should never, ever happen again, anywhere in the world. The leaders of the notorious Khmer Rouge regime must be brought to justice. Victims must see justice is done for them."
Sopagna was drawn to the Carnegie Mellon education not only for its reputation and the technical skills he could acquire, but the ability to receive valuable training in public policy — something impossible at home.
"National universities in Cambodia do not offer public policy degrees. Public policy is generally perceived as something that can be easily manipulated by the powerful and not applicable in real-life." Sopagna noted. "I hope not only to apply the skills I learn in my work, but to share them with colleagues in public office at home."
Sopagna particularly appreciates the accelerated degree option, as he's anxious to return home to both his valued work and family.
"I would recommend this course to busy mid-career professionals," he said. "It is worth noting that I have left my dearest wife and son as well as my exciting job at the tribunal for CMUA. But I have made the right decision."
He knows the training will serve him well.
"Carnegie Mellon is equipping me with skills in analyzing and decision-making. In addition, I've become more conversant with technology, which can help me work more efficiently. I am convinced that these skills will help me achieve my career goals," Sopagna said. | <urn:uuid:50a40bbe-62cd-41d5-adb2-e807afe17eb6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cmu.edu/homepage/society/2009/summer/sopagna-seang.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977154 | 497 | 1.9375 | 2 |
Bill Clinton to Democrats: Don’t trivialize gun culture
Former President Bill Clinton warned a group of top Democratic donors at a private Saturday meeting not to underestimate the passions that gun control stirs among many Americans.
“Do not patronize the passionate supporters of your opponents by looking down your nose at them,” Clinton said.Continue Reading
“A lot of these people live in a world very different from the world lived in by the people proposing these things,” Clinton said. “I know because I come from this world."
Clinton dedicated a substantial portion of his 40-minute address before a joint meeting of the Obama National Finance Committee and a group of business leaders to the issue of guns and gun control, saying that it was a test-case for President Barack Obama’s grass-roots movements. (POLITICO was given a transferable ticket by an invited member of the committee.)
“The way the Obama campaign won Florida, won Ohio, won this election by more than projected was the combination of technology, social media and personal contact,” Clinton said. That’s “the only way that our side will ever be able to even up the votes in the midterms and as these issues come up, really touch people and talk to them about it.”
Obama begins his second term facing an uphill battle on gun control — an emotional, divisive and difficult issue that the cool and pragmatic Obama would usually avoid.
Obama took 23 executive actions this week to curb gun violence, but his key proposals will need a vote from Congress to become law. With a GOP House unlikely to take up any new gun control measures — and even some Democrats expressing wariness — his only recourse is to make his case directly to the public.
Clinton said that Republicans have been struggling in presidential politics since 1992 — noting that 2004 was the only time a Republican has won the popular vote in more than 20 years. But, he said, the party has been successful in energizing its supporters for midterm elections.
“You have the power to really democratize America,” Clinton said. “You can do it on immigration reform, you can do it on these economic issues. You can do it on implementing the health care bill.”
But, Clinton warned, the issue of guns has a special emotional resonance in many rural states — and simply dismissing pro-gun arguments is counterproductive.
While some polls show that the public by-and-large supports several proposals for increased gun control, Clinton said that it’s not the public support that matters — it’s how strongly people feel about the issue.
“All these polls that you see saying the public is for us on all these issues — they are meaningless if they’re not voting issues,” Clinton said. | <urn:uuid:91a1a136-401f-4c0a-b936-96e862777337> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.politico.com/story/2013/01/bill-clinton-to-democrats-dont-trivialize-gun-culture-86443.html?hp=t2_3 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972688 | 581 | 1.632813 | 2 |
COURSE: 54-391 Instructional Planning and Performance Based Assessment (3)|
This course explores curriculum development and performance based assessment that incorporates individual's abilities and needs, the learning environment and a myriad of cultural and linguistic factors. Pre-service candidates will develop curriculum including performance based assessment that includes individualized education plans that incorporate both long term and short term instructional objectives. Collaborative processes for instructional planning are highlighted with a focus on the selection, adaptation and creation of learning experiences that incorporate appropriate technologies. Prerequisite: 2.75 GPA; 54-207; 54-242; 54-303. | <urn:uuid:b1da8320-af5f-4eed-8731-2ac9e7a8d265> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lewisu.edu/academics/catalog/coursedesc.htm?pcourseid=54-391 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.914616 | 121 | 1.523438 | 2 |
The Fiscal Cliff: What is the fight about?
There are actually three short-term fiscal cliffs and one huge long-term fiscal cliff.
1) FISCAL CLIFF #1: December 31 the tax cuts that President Bush and the Republican Congress passed 10 years ago expire.
An average income family will have taxes go up by 2,000 to 3,500 dollars depending upon deductions. Higher income families will get hammered far more (for example, double the income the tax increase is 5 times that because of steeper rates). This is the absolute fiscal cliff.
Tax increases on everyone will absolutely send the economy into a deep tailspin. Increasing taxes on only the rich (as defined by Obama at 250,000) will stagnate the economy but probably not collapse it. But the highest income people would likely not reduce consumption but rather reduce investment and charitable giving. Plus some will move money to other countries, or stop bringing it into this country from elsewhere. Other nations would likely react, as they always do, to attract American investment with lower tax rates.
2) FISCAL CLIFF #2: Sequestration (which means the Treasury automatically does an across the board reduction of discretionary spending) was passed earlier this year stating that unless Congress reduced spending by 1.5 trillion dollars over ten years that an automatic cut of 10% would occur (which hits defense hardest because it is the largest category of discretionary spending). This could easily be repealed but neither party wants to do so: plus Democrats favor such huge defense cuts though concerned about the other cuts.
To conservative Republicans, it is the debt that is the biggest issue. Even with this cut, the annual deficits would still INCREASE. It isn't deficit reduction at all: it merely slows the growth of the deficit increase. (More in another post: entitlement spending is driving the deficit, not discretionary - counter to myth.)
3) FISCAL CLIFF #3: The debt limit will need to be expanded early in 2013. The President would like to include it in this deal so don't have another stand-off right away in 2013. The debt limit, BTW, is NOT like a credit card limit. In an analogous example, it would be like your credit card company letting you spend beyond your current limit assuming the limit would be raised when necessary to accommodate past spending. In other words, it is rather a moral question not to raise it: if you've already spent the money, how can you not pay the bill to those holding your credit (in this case, government bonds)? That is why it is called a default.
Conservatives get frustrated because they can't stop the spending bills so try to fight paying for it. What we need to do is stop the spending, not reneging on the debt.
THE LONG-TERM CLIFF: there is no way to pay for the commitments the government has made. In other words, "obligated funds" (e.g. Social Security) far exceed revenues and the ability to pay. At some point, no one will buy our governments junk bonds to fund the debt, so there will be no income to pay seniors, pensions, student loans, food stamps or any other program including mandatory (entitlement) ones. | <urn:uuid:1e76e60f-32d0-4937-81f5-255fd1393027> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wowo.com/ArticleDisplay/tabid/74/articleid/11083/Default.aspx?dnnprintmode=true&mid=859&SkinSrc=[G]Skins%2F_default%2FNo+Skin&ContainerSrc=[G]Containers%2F_default%2FNo+Container | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955238 | 666 | 2.296875 | 2 |
UK CCS gets green light
All six carbon capture and storage projects put forward by the UK government have been passed as satisfactory by the European Investment Bank (EIB). Having passed the due diligence process, the projects will now be able to compete for a share of the €5 billion (£4.5 billion) pot for these projects, which is jointly managed by the European commission, EIB and member states.
China lead pollution
Lead emissions by factories in Guangdong have poisoned 160 children according to a report by Xinhua news agency. Children from Dongtang town in Renhua County were found to have 'elevated' levels of lead in their blood after inhaling contaminated air and eating tainted food. Lead poisoning is prevalent in China, which is the world's largest consumer of refined lead, although Dongtang itself also sits on a seam of lead-zinc ore.
Chair of EPSRC announced
Paul Golby, former chairman and chief executive of energy supplier E.ON UK has been approved by the government as the next chair of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). Regarding the controversy over the EPSRC's 'shaping capability' agenda, Golby told the Commons Science and Technology Select Committee that this was due to a 'perceived lack of engagement,' and stressed that the council is independent of the government and will push back.
''Excellent but under pressure ''
Conclusion of International Comparative Performance of the UK Research Base 2011, published by Elsevier, which compares the UK's research performance to that of major or rising research powers. The government-commissioned report ranked the UK just below the US in terms of normalised citation impact but warned that low investment threatened this position. | <urn:uuid:e0b10b94-aa35-4dc2-83f0-29c4df6c8658> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/Issues/2012/April/Notebook.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963752 | 351 | 1.84375 | 2 |
Escape from the Meeting Room
This week's feature is something we can all identify with, escape from a meeting/lecture/class room. Who hasn't wanted to get out of a meeting or lecture? Escape from the Meeting Room gives us the opportunity to flee before boredom or sleep overtakes even the most dedicated worker/student. Designed by Tesshi-e, makers of Escape from the Living Room and Escape from the Underground Space, Escape from the Meeting Room is a wonderful way to escape the humdrum office existence most of us must endure.
You begin locked in a room that looks like it could serve for a meeting or a lecture (anyone else have nightmares like this?). You need to find the items and break the codes that will allow you to escape before—heaven forbid—you are forever stuck in the meeting. Navigate the room, find useful items, and get yourself out!
Tesshi-e's designs are always lovely and 3 dimensional, but this time they've gone even further. Everything is bright, glossy, and polished to a high shine. Look at the walls and see the infinite reflections from everything else in the room! If you didn't want to get out of going to the meeting/lecture so badly, you could just hang around and admire the scenery.
Gameplay is pretty smooth, but there are some kinks in the navigation. You have to be standing at the right place in the center aisle to be able to access things on the sides, so navigation can be slightly confusing at first. Bars on the sides and a handy arrow will point you in the direction you need to go. Most objects are in plain sight, so there's very little pixel hunting involved.
Analysis: Escape from the Meeting Room is one of those fun escape games where you are in a room that you really, desperately want to escape from, unless you're one of those types that enjoys sitting and listening to someone talk for hours on end. For those who work in an office this is especially a joy, as in real life there is no escape from the dreaded meeting/lecture/training, unless you feel like faking an illness of some sort.
Although Tesshi-e designed games are usually heavy on construction, there is very little in this one. Rather than building a car out of a cell phone or repairing a toy airplane you are simply manipulating a few random objects to make them more efficient. Most of the "use of found objects" is very intuitive and easy to grasp. The code puzzles, on the other hand, are very easy. Almost too easy, in fact. Experienced gamers should blow through this one quickly.
The artwork is top-notch, beautiful, and a joy just to look at. There's a nice little jazz soundtrack, but as usual Tesshi-e has provided both a sound scale and a mute button to turn it down or to completely turn it off if it gets too annoying. There's no save button, but no real reason for one.
It's not a complicated life-or-death struggle to escape, but Escape from the Meeting Room is perfect for mid-week casual gameplay. Short enough to fit in a lunch break (or even a coffee break), escape from responsibility, escape from the everyday, and most importantly Escape from the Meeting Room! | <urn:uuid:dc09523b-c039-41b3-bbfa-52bf8e781040> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://jayisgames.com/archives/2009/09/escape_from_the_meeting_room.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955942 | 677 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Philippines might be suffering from El Niño phenomenon this past few weeks but according to Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) administrator, Nathaniel Servando, three or four tropical cyclones might hit our country just this September.
Servando said, ‘cyclones normally cross Central Luzon, the Bicol region and the Visayas during September.’
Two examples of tropical cyclones were, “Ondoy” and “Pepeng”, both happened last 2009. The two mentioned tropical cyclone also happened in an El Niño season. Both of it made our country suffer due to excessive rainfalls that cause lots of flash floods and landslide in most are here in NCR.
According to Servando “60 to 70 percent probability” El Niño phenomenon will develop this year.
He said, “For the period June-July-August, the sea surface temperature anomalies were greater than 0.5 degrees Celsius.”
PAGASA earlier said that, some parts of the Philippines will begin to experience the El Niño-like weather this September. Part of Luzon, Central Visayas, so with Northern and Central Mindanao is expected to experience “below normal” rainfall this month. | <urn:uuid:7a170718-ffe1-461d-92de-3855b27d1dab> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mintscreen.com/2012/09/4-tropical-cyclones-this-month-of-september-pagasa.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.919138 | 265 | 2.5625 | 3 |
Editor's note: See bottom of article for related articles/PDFs.
Atlanta attorney Emmet Bondurant says the U.S. Senate's filibuster rule is an accident of history that is not embodied in the U.S. Constitution and should be struck down.
The rule, which is 95 years old, violates the Constitution because it has created "a tyranny of the minority" in defiance of the intent of the document's framers, he said.
Bondurant will fight to keep that argument alive today before a federal judge in Washington against Senate lawyers who say the judiciary cannot tell the legislative branch how to run its affairs.
Judge Emmet Sullivan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia is hearing a motion to dismiss Bondurant's case made by the Office of Senate Legal Counsel. The Senate lawyers were authorized to challenge the suit in June in a resolution co-sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., that passed the Senate on a unanimous voice vote.
Bondurant and Washington attorney Stephen Spaulding, staff counsel for plaintiff Common Cause, filed the suit in May on behalf of the national nonprofit organization that works for accountability and openness in government. Four members of the U.S. House of Representatives, including Democrats John Lewis and Hank Johnson of Georgia, are also plaintiffs. The plaintiffs include several undocumented young professionals living in the United States who were born overseas and, according to the suit, have been denied a path to U.S. citizenship by filibusters of the DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) Act.
Bondurant has been contemplating a challenge to the filibuster for more than two years. A member of the board of Common Cause, the Atlanta lawyer testified in April 2010 before the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration on the history of the filibuster.
Since 1917, no legislative matter debated by the Senate has been put to a vote without either the unanimous consent of the Senate as a whole or the passage of a motion ending debateknown as the filibuster or cloture rulethat currently requires the votes of three-fifths of the Senate to pass.
Securing a supermajority to bring a bill to a vote is problematic. But Senate rules also prohibit any bill, resolution or presidential nomination from being debated without the Senate's unanimous consent or passage of a motion to proceed, according to the Common Cause complaint.
The motion to proceed is itself subject to debate and the filibuster rule with what is now a 60-vote mandate, according to the complaint. The result, it says, is that absent unanimous consent, 60 votesrather than a simple majority of 51also are needed to even open debate.
The logjam created by any 41 senators who want to forestall a vote "conflicts with the fundamental principle of majority rule embedded in the Constitution and on which the Constitution was founded," the Common Cause suit asserts. | <urn:uuid:82b5ae3e-354b-4fcf-b623-7ac0aad2ed10> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dailyreportonline.com/PubArticleDRO.jsp?id=1202580711782 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00056-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954816 | 609 | 2.28125 | 2 |
- Health Library
- PetMD U
Once the cause of the vomiting is determined, your veterinarian will be able to come up with a course of treatment. Some possibilities:
If there is little or no improvement, you will need to consult with your veterinarian to see if your pet needs to go back for further evaluation. Do not experiment with medications or food without your veterinarian's approval, and remember that it is important that you follow through on your doctor's recommended treatment plan so that the illness can be thoroughly eliminated. Often, he or she will recommend offering bland food such as canned chicken baby goods, even warming the food to body temperature and offering via syringe. Otherwise, monitor your ferret's attitude, body condition, and fecal volume for any irregularities.
A type of slime that is made up of certain salts, cells, or leukocytes
The return of food into the oral cavity after it has been swallowed
A medical condition in which the stomach becomes inflamed
A medical condition in which the small intestines are inflamed
The process of removing tissue to examine it, usually for medical reasons.
The fluid created by the liver that helps food in the stomach to be digested.
Anything having to do with the stomach | <urn:uuid:9de7295e-55bd-4548-9fa3-531b94d38a7e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.petmd.com/ferret/conditions/digestive/c_ft_vomiting?page=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947837 | 252 | 2.75 | 3 |
Paragraph 13 reads: "Wainwright, who said he takes anti-depressants, said he was trying to prompt friends to think differently about current events."
Suspect: Threat charge a mix-up
By NANCY KAFFER
A University of Southern Mississippi student arrested for posting threats on the Internet said he believes the charges result from what he calls a "misunderstanding."
Yuri Wainwright, 25, remained in jail Friday night after Judge Pat Causey set bail at $1 million.
Wainwright was arrested by the Lamar County Sheriff's office in conjunction with the University of Southern Mississippi police at a Lamar County gas station around noon Wednesday.
The threats, investigators say, were made primarily through the popular networking site www.MySpace.com
, which allows users to communicate through pictures, e-mails, blogs, instant messages and bulletins.
Southern Miss Police Chief Bob Hopkins refused to give details about the nature of the alleged threats Friday, saying only that he and other investigators believed the threats were credible and that Wainwright had the ability to carry them out.
Campus police were told of the threats by a faculty member, the chief said.
Hopkins said investigators found several weapons, including a rifle, shotguns and a handgun during a search of the Purvis home where Wainwright lives with his grandmother.
Assistant District Attorney DeCarlo Hood asked Causey to hold Wainwright indefinitely, or to set bail at $1 million.
A preliminary hearing date for Wainwright hasn't been set. He doesn't have an attorney, but told Causey that he didn't need a public defender.
Wainwright said Friday in an interview from the Forrest County Jail that the charges were a misunderstanding, prompted by paranoia following this week's deadly shootings at Virginia Tech, where a troubled student fatally shot 32 people before committing suicide.
"After the Virginia Tech incident I posted three bulletins (to MySpace). One was referring to if you want to judge the shooting at Virginia Tech, everything you say can be turned around on you by the U.S. government -look at what happened at Kent State (University)," he said, referring to the 1970 fatal shootings of four student activists by members of the Ohio National Guard.
The other bulletins, he said, quoted Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the teens who killed 12 students at Columbine High School in 1999.
Wainwright, who said he takes anti-depressants, said he was trying to prompt friends to think differently about current events.
"I didn't know that could get you five years in prison," he said.
Wainwright's MySpace blog is filled with rants, short stories and more traditional journal entries, but no specific threats were publicly available on the page - though another user's comment, apparently in response to a request from Wainwright, explained how to create a homemade silencer.
Numerous comments from friends express shock and disbelief at the events of the week, many maintaining Wainwright's innocence.
Hopkins said Friday he's not surprised Wainwright denied making threats.
"I'd say he's in jail, and historically people who are there will sometimes say anything," the chief said. "I stand by what I said, that we had probable cause to issue a search warrant, and that what we seized at his residence is indicative of that he could have been capable of carrying out threats we believe he made."
Wainwright didn't deny having weapons, but said his gun ownership doesn't violate the law.
"I do have weapons, but I wouldn't say I'm harmful," he said.
Wainwright, whose MySpace page says he is a writer, said he's not afraid.
"The worst they can do is send me to prison," he said. "I'm not really afraid of prison. Voltaire, (Fyodor) Dostoevsky, (the Marquis) de Sade and other great writers have all gone to prison. I'm more worried for the sake of my mother and grandmother."
Hattiesburg bail bondsman Mike Morrision said he couldn't comment on Wainwright's situation, but said that many local bondsmen might hesitate to provide a $1 million bail.
Two types of bond are permissible in Mississippi, Morrison said, a personal surety bond in which the bail bondsman's cash deposited with the state would be forfeited in the event the accused fails to appear in court, and a type of bond underwritten by an insurance company that would cover the debt in the event of forfeiture.
For that type of bond, he said, insurance companies typically require collateral matching the amount of the bond. | <urn:uuid:e661cfe6-df8f-4cdc-b2f8-5c1eb53b1def> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ssristories.com/show.php?item=1728 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975603 | 976 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Deborah James advocated for Fair Trade at Global Exchange from 1993 – 2005, and now serves as a member of the Global Exchange Board. She is currently the Director of International Programs at the Center for Economic and Policy Research. She recently participated in the Citizen Diplomacy Delegation to Iran with Reality Tours. In a series of posts, she shares with us her experience.
July 8, 2010 Esfahan, Half the World
During some of the dynasties of the Persian Empire, the area it governed was so large that its capitals were located in cities that are now outside of present-day Iran. During other times, the region was ruled from foreign lands, such as by Arab caliphates in Damascus or the Uzbek Timurids from Samarkand. It wasn’t until the Safavid dynasty re-established the Persian Empire in 1502 that the capital cities were henceforth located within present-day Iran. And it was under the Safavids that Persian art and culture again flourished, and most of all within their capital city, Esfahan.
We arrived at night, and after dinner our guide Bahman conducted us on a pleasant walk through the city. He then insisted we close our eyes for a moment. I was nervous and excited, thinking to myself, this must be great, if it was going to top the amazing palaces, gardens, and other sights upon which we had already feasted our eyes. Then he gives the word, and immediately my senses are treated to the most gorgeous sight I have ever witnessed. Imam Square by night is an ethereal rectangle of archways, anchored on two sides by infinitely gorgeous mosques, and on another by the Ali Qapu palace. The square is second in size only to Tienanmen.
Serving as a polo field in the past, today it is chock full of hundreds of intergenerational families setting out a blanket or rug for an evening’s picnic and delighting in the cooling air. Alice gets out her camera; she has become an expert at finding joy in children’s faces, and their mothers always seem pleased to have their child’s picture taken. This interaction inevitably leads to an invitation to sit down, and we share a family’s melon, cheese, and bread. I marvel at the generosity of Iranians who are so quick to share a meal with a complete stranger, one who speaks no Farsi beyond Salaam, and who is from a countrythat is at this very moment, contemplating bombing them.
The next day we visit the Congregational Mosque, considered a museum of nearly a thousand years of Persian religious architecture, due to the fact that, after having been first built by the Seljuks in the 11th century, it was added to, rather than destroyed and rebuilt, by subsequent dynasties. This includes the Mongol Il-Khanids in the 14th century, the Timurids in the 15th, and the Safavids in the 17thcentury. It was one of the first mosques that included two iwans, built facing each other within the inner courtyard that contains the ablutions fountain. The religious center of any mosque is its mihrab, or prayer niche, and the famous Uljaitu Mihrab of the Il-Khanid period, in finely detailed stucco, is exquisite.
We return to Imam Square that afternoon, and it becomes easy to see how the square has earned its name, Nesf-e-Jahan, or Half of the World. We behold two of the Islamic world’s greatest architectural masterpieces – the incomparable Sheikh Lotfollah and Shah mosques. To enter the latter, we have to throw light cotton chadors over our heads. First, we walk through a brilliantly tiled iwan, or perfect ly proportioned arched gate. These are richly decorated in mosaic tiles featuring geometric motifs, floral designs, and kufic calligraphy from the Qu’ran. They even have muqarnas, the sumptuously decorated stalactite-like patterned archways that are one of Persia’s gifts to the Islamic architecture. We pass through a hallway – every square inch is covered in tiled designs – and enter the courtyard with the ablutions fountain that is the center of any mosque complex.
From there we make our way to the masterpiece – the interior dome. The Shah mosque, boasting a dome covered in tiles made from Iranian turquoise, has an equally stunning interior floral and arabesque pattern dominated by lapis lazuli blue and turquoise tiling. The mosque of Sheik Lotfollah, which is crowned with a unique and striking cream-colored dome, reveals an interior graced with an almost imperceptibly tiny peacock, ringed by wispy arabesques, surrounded by a field of the most exquisite tiles in the shape of peacock feathers. My breath is taken away; I truly cannot find words to describe the sublime beauty in front of me.
We see so much more in Esfahan, starting with the famous arched bridges which link the city divided by the Zayandeh River, many of which are gathering places for families and young people to walk and enjoy the sunset. We revisit the Ali Qapu palace on the main square, and meander through the Qeisarieh Bazaar with hundreds of shops displaying the handmade carpets, silver housewares, gold jewelry, tiles, inlaid woodwork, block print and woven fabric, miniature paintings, and other divine crafts for which Esfahan is famous around the world. We visit a synagogue, as well as the Christian Armenian quarter and the Vank Cathedral; the Chehel Sotun Palace with its mind-bogglingly beautiful paintings, built in the 17th century; as well as the Hasht Behesht (Eight Paradises) house built in 1670 for another shah’s harem.
And we are constantly pleasantly surprised by the friendliness of the Iranian people. While visiting the Shaking Minarets, a young girl approaches us and asks (through hand-motions) if she can take her picture with us. Alice and I are happy to oblige! Then her friend comes up with the same request. Of course! Suddenly their entire school class is upon us, giggling and edging in to the photo! They all want to know where we are from. When we say the United States, they are always curious! All of a sudden paper is produced. They want us to write a note! A note, any note, from the American women they have just met. I wish them each a bright future, and one in which our two countries can be friends and not threaten each other.
We do not want to leave Esfahan. We contemplate ways to come back.
Read the rest of Deborah James’ ‘Journey to Iran‘ blog posts.
Tags: Journey to Iran
Posted on: September 7, 2010 | <urn:uuid:9e5f8009-4c3e-4389-9ff9-aef769b16aaa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.globalexchange.org/blogs/realitytours/2010/09/07/journey-to-iran-%e2%80%93-esfahan-half-the-world/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964446 | 1,452 | 1.796875 | 2 |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lawmakers in both chambers of Congress said Friday they are moving forward with bills introduced this week to pluck the power of approving the Keystone XL pipeline, which would run from Canada's oil sands to Texas, from the hands of the Obama administration.
Republican Rep. Lee Terry from Nebraska introduced a bipartisan bill on Friday to approve TransCanada Corp's 800,000 barrels per day Keystone XL pipeline. It is a companion bill to a bipartisan bill introduced on Thursday by Senators John Hoeven, a North Dakota Republican, and Max Baucus, a Montana Democrat.
A senior lawmaker said he hopes to have the bill ready for a vote in the full House of Representatives by the end of May.
"Our intent is to bring it to the House floor prior to Memorial Day," Fred Upton, the chair of the chamber's energy and commerce committee, told reporters. The Memorial Day holiday lands on May 27 this year.
Hoeven said he believes the Senate bill currently has more than 50 votes of the 60 needed in the 100-seat chamber. But he expected the bill would easily get more supporters.
President Barack Obama is expected to make a decision on the oil sands pipeline around August or later, after the State Department finalizes an environmental assessment of the project.
TransCanada filed for a permit more than 4-1/2 years ago.
The State Department must also determine whether the pipeline is in the national interest, a decision made with input from several federal agencies. That determination alone is slated to take at least 90 days.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said on Thursday that the decision process on trans-border pipelines belongs with the State Department.
A southern leg of the pipeline, from Texas to Oklahoma, that did not need approval from the State Department is more than halfway built. Besides taking Canadian oil sands crude, the full Keystone XL pipeline would help drain a glut of petroleum building up from the Montana and North Dakota oil boom.
(Reporting by Timothy Gardner,; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick; and Peter Galloway) | <urn:uuid:71e7d476-fefc-4cae-b922-ccb214570a9d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://93rockon.com/news/articles/2013/mar/15/congressman-introduces-bill-to-approve-keystone-xl-pipeline/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949743 | 418 | 1.78125 | 2 |
The Rule of Law
Ben Ferencz was Chief Prosecutor at the Nuremberg trials — not the initial set of trials that took place in 1946 under the auspices of the International Military Tribuanl (the Chief Prosecutor for those was Robert Jackson) — but a second set of about a dozen trials that focused specifically on the Einsatzgruppen, which were basically death squads that murdered roughly a million Jews, Gypsies, and some others, before Hitler’s Final Solution was fully implemented.
Ferencz shares a portion of an exchange he had, in court, with a former senior Nazi officer about these killing squads:
The lead defendant, Dr. General Otto Ohlendorf, explained why it was that he reported that 90,000 Jews had been eliminated, they never used the word “murder” – He calmly declared that it was necessary in self-defense…
“What do you mean, ‘self defense’? Germany attacked Poland, Norway, Holland, Sweden, and France, etc. Nobody attacked Germany. Where’s the self-defense?”
“Well,” he said, “we knew the Soviets were planning to attack us, so we had to attack them in self-defense.”
“Well, why did you kill all the Jews?”
“Well, everybody knows the Jews were in favor of the Bolsheviks, so you have to kill all the Jews too.”
“Why the little children? Why did you kill all the little children?”
“Well, if they grow up and they become enemies of Germany when they find out what happened to their parents that would be dangerous a threat to our long-range security, so we’d better get rid of them too.”
He was saying to me, “Don’t you see the logic of it all?” And so he explained that.
I said, “Didn’t you have any qualms about killing all these people, little children and all that?”
“No,” he said, “because we relied on the head of state, Hitler. He had more information than I had, and he told us that the Soviets planned to attack, so it was necessary in presumed self-defense.”
In our military jargon, we call such assaults a “preemptive first strike”, The US military policy today does not preclude first strike by the United States in order to prevent a presumed attack from another side. That Ohlendorf argument was considered by three American judges at Nuremberg, and they sentenced him and twelve others to death by hanging. So it’s very disappointing to find that my government today is prepared to do something for which we hanged Germans as war criminals.
This is a small portion of a speech Ferencz was invited to give by David Swanson. Swanson’s website, WarIsACrime.org, is the new incarnation of AfterDowningStreet. I urge TMVers to read the entire speech. Ferencz’s points are unfortunately always relevant, but especially so now that Pres. Barack Obama has signed an Executive Order which makes the system of indefinite detention without charges and without trial at Guantanamo a permanent American institution — thus simultaneously retaining one of the most egregious outrages of the Bush administration, and breaking one of the central promises of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.
Not that Obama didn’t break this particular promise long ago — this Executive Order just makes it official. And of course the enemies of civil liberties and the rule of law on the right are thrilled:
As [has] happened over and over, while progressives and civil libertarians are furious about the new Order, former Bush officials and right-wing Warriors are ecstatic. The anti-Muslim McCarthyite Rep. Peter King (R-NY) issued a statement this morning, as quoted by The Post, which lavished Obama with praise: “I commend the Obama Administration for issuing this Executive Order. The bottom line is that it affirms the Bush Administration policy that our government has the right to detain dangerous terrorists until the cessation of hostilities.” That perfectly captures the legacy of Barack Obama on civil liberties.
As always, the most harmful aspect of the Obama legacy is that he has converted what were once controversial right-wing Bush policies into unchallenged bipartisan consensus, to endure indefinitely and without any opposition from either party. … | <urn:uuid:31853890-1585-429a-84d9-e1d2e5aec6b2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://themoderatevoice.com/103374/the-rule-of-law/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967376 | 938 | 2.34375 | 2 |
Originally a term for X-Rays scattered by atomic nuclei. Rutherford conducted an experiment to infer the size of the atomic nucleus from BackScatter, and various machines use X-Ray BackScatter to examine an object or person.
Similarly, in computer lingo it is a term for the packets scattered back during a spoofed DenialOfService attack. A host trying to reply to packets sent to it with a spoofed source address will (attempt to) send them to random hosts on the InterNet (the recipients may not even exist). By "listening" to these packets you can determine who is being DDoSed. | <urn:uuid:3cc012cd-ecd9-4976-8398-327a35a6a4b6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wlug.org.nz/BackScatter | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942496 | 131 | 2.75 | 3 |
Fleur Jaeggy’s Sweet Days of Discipline brought on my yearning for Europe. Silent trains. The reverent mundane. In Europe a slice of bread is holy. The miracle of a towel drying on a line. Such subtle, taut delicacy, especially when read surrounded by wild American country.
Sweet Days of Discipline: A boarding school, the Bausler Institut, in the Appenzell.
Regulations, codes, discipline. Switzerland: the narrator, adolescent, possesses an old woman’s hands. At no point does the girth of the prose open to drop in what someone else might call out to her, say, as she trudges back from one of her daily 5 am walks, “looking for solitude, and perhaps the absolute” (2). Our narrator adopts the phrase “senile girlhood” on p. 70, deems the boarding school world one in which “time was out of joint” (46). Girls, supported by parents spread all across the world, are kept in the confines of the Appenzell like delicate creatures, like plants: “Though one can hardly speak of human beings in a boarding school,” our narrator writes on p. 41. A narrator who never names herself.
The authorities allowed us to use a key. It was a symbol. A symbol was part of the expensive fees. But there was no point in insisting on symbols, they’re gratuitous. I never used my key. Not because I disdained the symbol: just as I had no past, so I had no secrets… I possess nothing. (36)
Instead, from page 2 she fixes her attention elsewhere, upon a newcomer to the school, Frédérique, whose “looks were those of an idol, disdainful. Perhaps that was why I wanted to conquer her. She had no humanity...The first thing I thought was: she had been further than I had” (3). A transcendent “further,” excelling beyond the confines of the boarding school: “At school—she was top in everything. She already knew everything, from the generations that came before her.” Frédérique: a wise, decaying nihilist: “It was as though she talked about nothing” (39). Frédérique, mirroring the boarding school landscape, which “seemed to protect us, the small white houses of Appenzell, the fountain, the sign Töchterinstitut, it was as if the place hadn’t been affected by human distortions.”
And yet, Frédérique’s pristine remoteness begins to disquiet the narrator, who asks, “Can one feel disorientated in an idyll? An atmosphere of catastrophe covered the landscape” (65). So Frédérique, in her void, is the perfect vessel for the narrator to empty her own congealed, cloistered nothing.
A paragraph at the precise midpoint of this taut novel reveals the formal-thematic interweave that I find to be the heart of this work, and whose hypnotic lyricism makes it one of the best paragraphs I’ve ever read:
When it rained we would all be kept in the same room. We listened to the radio. Some girls read. A Krimi Roman. Others stared, lost, misty. The older girls, Germans, cooked. Bavarian lace makers. Mater Hermenegild kept guard. She kept guard over liberty. Those who weren’t enjoying themselves idled away the hours. The bathrooms looked out on a narrow, dark alleyway and a wall. The water had already been run for us. Very hot. I felt as if I were getting into it with my clothes on. There were two churches, Catholic and Protestant. We had freedom of religion on Lake Constance. Just for a change I went to the Protestant one. Even though the order from Brazil was: Catholic. She orders, I obey, she steers me through the terms, it’s all written in letters and stamps, bells with no sound. Dispatches.
The way that the sentences move, the subject of one spilling over to become the subject of the next, but thicker this time, more defined, like a lash: “Mater Hermenegild kept guard.” Go on. “She kept guard over liberty.” And yet the narrator offers the possibility that in this cordoning off, for some, there is still the possibility of easy amusement. Easily sated girls, like the narrator’s Bavarian roommate, languishing in the stupefaction of her mind, even primping before bed, as though she might cross over into some enchanting, other world.
But for the narrator, there is no such reality beyond the emptiness of the school, the coolness of Frédérique. And though it can rain outside, the girls go to showers looking out on a “narrow, dark alleyway, and a wall. The water had already been run for us. Very hot. I felt as if I were getting into it with my clothes on.” And yet, “We had freedom of religion on Lake Constance.” When orders are given over mail, words are “bells with no sound” words sent through the mail, orders in writing, which cannot replace the body. “Just for a change I went to the Protestant one. Even though the order from Brazil was: Catholic.” An announcement, the narrator’s whole life in letters and stamps: “Dispatches.”
The pleasure of disappointment…I had been relishing it ever since I was eight years old, a boarder in my first, religious school. And perhaps they were the best years, I thought. Those years of discipline. There was a kind of elation, faint but constant throughout all those days of discipline, the sweet days of discipline. (72) | <urn:uuid:4d490c7c-b3f5-42b2-a752-b57325d9e061> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://augustevans.blogspot.com/2012/09/book-othe-week.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968884 | 1,271 | 1.914063 | 2 |
This might be a shocker for you, but the airline business is quite complicated. People, planes, luggage, airports, weather and much more can affect how your flying experience goes.
American Airlines has started a new video series called “Behind the Scenes @AmericanAir.” I am not a huge fan of the name (I thought it was a behind the scenes of their Twitter account), but I am a big fan of the concept.
The idea is to answer passenger’s most pressing questions about their flying experience and why sometimes things do not go perfectly.
“Transparency is extremely important to the American Airlines team. This is why we are inviting our customers to take a rare behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to run one of the world’s largest airlines,” said Andy Backover, American’s Vice President of American Airlines Communications. “Our new video series not only shines a spotlight on our operations, but it also allows us to better engage with our customers so we can provide answers that will help us improve their travel experience.”
American wants this to be a two-way conversation and they are listening (or I guess reading the comments). What sorts of things do you want to learn about how large airlines operate? | <urn:uuid:2dd2d1ff-d75a-4364-a70a-bb78daa1c981> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.airlinereporter.com/2012/07/video-american-explains-why-the-airline-biz-is-complex/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00057-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95103 | 263 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Tradition and Today
The religious landscape of South Asia is complex and fascinating. While existing literature tends to focus on the majority religions of Hinduism and Buddhism, much less attention is given to Jainism, Sikhism, Islam or Christianity. While not nelecting the majority traditions, this ...
Published November 11th 2012 by Routledge
The Poetry and Legacy of a Female Bhakti Saint of India
Series: Routledge Hindu Studies Series
Devotion is a category of expression in many of the world’s religious traditions. This book looks at issues involved in academically interpreting religious devotion, as well as exploring the interpretations of religious devotion made by a sixth century poet, a twelfth century biographer, and...
Published December 19th 2011 by Routledge | <urn:uuid:731eb575-c146-41a9-a2bf-01cf905e9187> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sponpress.com/books/search/author/karen_pechilis/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00047-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946527 | 159 | 2.265625 | 2 |
The US Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) joined forces to begin working on a nationwide crack down for drunk driving accidents this coming holiday of 2011.
The year 2010 had beengreat for Washington DC, in terms of the reduction of numbers of the drunk driving fatalities. The 2010 statistics released by NTHSA reveals that there was huge decrease in the number of drunk driving fatalities. This was seen in the 32 U.S states.
At present the agencies are thoroughly focusing on the safety of the motorists this coming holiday season. They are now making efforts to make real progress in the reduction of drunk driving deaths.
Both agencies are reminding drivers to get off the road. They warn US citizens to drink moderately or else be pulled over.
Just last year 10,228 people were killed from drunk driving. That means 415 mishaps occurred just by the last two weeks of 2010.
Education and enforcement efforts are the latest urge in the “Drink Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign launched by the agencies. This campaign involved thousands of law enforcement agencies all over the country.
The holiday season disciplinary action enforcement is supported by the $7 million national Drink Sober of Get Pulled Over advertisement campaign that starts from December 16 until January 2. The ad featured an invisible traffic enforcer observing drunk citizens and then apprehends them if they attempt to drive. The multi – million worth advertisement aims to raise people awareness and support the law enforcement activities in all states. The ads convey to the public that traffic enforcers are more vigilant in preventing people from drunk driving.
Though drunk driving still remains to the main cause of death in US, be rest assured that each federal government is doing their best in reducing fatal vehicle accidents which stem from drunk driving.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Washington - Making Efforts to Get Drunk Drivers Off the Road This Holiday Season to Prevent Vehicle Accidents
Posted by LA Lawyers Journal at 12:40 AM
Labels: vehicle accidents | <urn:uuid:6e4c1697-26ff-4f08-b90f-342a3bfbb95f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lalawyersjournal.blogspot.com/2011/12/washington-making-efforts-to-get-drunk.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958062 | 407 | 2.296875 | 2 |
Census Second Release
Results and Summary
Second Release Results
On 25 October 2007, the Australian Bureau of Statistics published second release data from the 2006 Census.
The statistics focussed on Australia’s workforce and industry changes, level of education and internal migration. This data is available free on the ABS website <www.abs.gov.au> through 2006 Census products such as QuickStats, MapStats, Census Tables and Community Profiles.
Education in WA
In 2006, 22% of Western Australians (437,200 people) were attending an educational institution.
Almost 290,000 children and young people attended school in WA at the time of the 2006 Census. The majority attended a Government school (59%). Government schools used to educate more students ten years ago. In 1996, 76% of primary students attended a Government school, compared to 70% in 2006. For secondary students, the figures dropped from 66% in 1996 to 58% in 2006.
Of the 73,100 people attending university, 57% were women, and 41% were over 25 years of age. There were 40,800 people attending a technical or further educational institution (including TAFE); of these 51% were women, and 52% were aged under 25.
In 2006, 53% of people in WA aged 15 years or over (831,600 people) had completed at least one non-school qualification. More women than men have completed university courses in WA. In 2006, 15% of women aged over 15 years (120,900) held a bachelor degree or higher, compared with 14% (104,700) of men.
The type of qualifications varied between different statistical divisions (SD) in WA. In the Perth SD, 13% of people held a bachelor degree or higher and a further 14% held a Certificate. In the Pilbara SD, 7% held a bachelor degree or higher and 17% held a Certificate. In 2006, the three most commonly held qualifications in WA were those in Teaching (6.5%), Business and Management (5.1%) and Building (4.6%).
Of Western Australians aged 15 years and over, 60% were employed during the week before the 2006 Census. This data confirms the state’s strong labour market, as indicated by the Labour Force publication (cat. no. 6202.0). Western Australia had the highest proportion of employed persons of all the states, except the territories of ACT (67%) and NT (60%).
Census data recorded an unemployment rate of 3.8% for WA, which was slightly higher than the Labour Force data for August 2006 (3.3%). Compared to other states and territories, WA’s unemployment rate was the second lowest in Australia behind the ACT (3.4%).
Local Government Areas (LGAs) in WA that experienced the strongest employment growth also recorded strong population growth. The City of Perth had the largest growth of employed persons (183.0%), with a population increase of those aged 15 years and older of 142.5%. This was well above the WA average of 30.6% increase in employed persons and a 26.0% increase in population of those aged 15 years and older.
Western Australians are working longer. The average number of hours worked per week of all employees was 36, matching the national average. The mean number of hours for full-time employees (those working 35 or more hours per week) was 46 hours per week. In the Pilbara and South Eastern regions employees worked an average of 42 and 41 hours per week respectively. The higher average is probably the result of large amounts of shift work for mining projects in these areas.
Of employed persons living in the Perth SD, 3% reported that they worked outside this area. Of these employees, 15% reported that they worked in the Mandurah LGA; 9% in the East Pilbara LGA and 9% in the Leonora LGA. Of employees usually living and working in the Perth SD, 18% reported working in the City of Perth.
In the 2006 Census, 712,900 or 36% of people living in WA reported that they had moved since 2001. Most remained in the same Statistical Division (SD) (72%), 17% moved to a different SD within WA, and 9% moved interstate. Internal migration in WA differed between regions. Almost all persons (96%) who live in Perth also lived in Perth five years ago. In the Pilbara region, 20% had previously lived in Perth and 5% had previously lived in the South West SD.
WA Industry Changes
Industry and occupation groups in WA have changed dramatically over the last ten years. The mining boom has resulted in 75% employment growth in this industry from 1996 to 2006, closely followed by the Construction Industry (67%). Declining employment in Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (6.5%) reflects the impact of drought conditions, though the national decline in these areas was much larger (down 13%).
The employment boom in WA has also resulted in growth in high skill occupations. In 2006, professional occupations increased by 47%. Occupational groups comprising professionals include Business, Human Resources and Marketing, Engineering and Science, Education and Health, ICT and Legal, Social and Welfare. All occupation groups showed an increase from the 1996 Census, except for Advanced Clerical and Service Workers, which includes Bookkeepers, Secretaries and Insurance Agents.
For further information about Census products or to obtain unpublished Census data, please contact Amy Gardos, Census Dissemination Manager on 9360 5391.
This page last updated 25 March 2008 | <urn:uuid:c1a15186-eb58-4b7c-a5b1-ac36a143815e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/1304.5Main%20Features5Dec%202007?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=1304.5&issue=Dec%202007&num=&view= | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965452 | 1,139 | 1.976563 | 2 |
A visit to the grocery store can be rather overwhelming these days. Prices continue to rise and new food products regularly appear on the shelves. But just because it's in your local grocery store, doesn't mean it's local, it's food, or that it's good for you. Fruits and vegetables may be picked green and shipped for miles, and the nutritional content decreases as they travel and sit on the store shelf. Additionally, many food products are highly processed and contain modified ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated soybean oil, salts, colors and other chemicals.
Dawn Cox, who directs Pigeon Valley Farms, Haywood County, shared that local tomatoes sent to the local packinghouse in western North Carolina had emerged in boxes labeled "Florida Tomatoes," intended to be shipped to and sold in the Sunshine State. So just because a fruit or vegetable is marketed in the grocery store as being from your location, that doesn't mean it actually is. (For more on these topics, see Michael Pollan's books "In Defense of Food" and "The Omnivore's Dilemma.")
Buying produce directly from a local farmer during the growing season avoids many of these grocery store pitfalls and allows you to ask questions about when it was picked, how it was grown, and even what types of fertilizers were used. Buying from a local grower avoids the mystery, helps promote the local economy, protect the environment, support rural heritage and so much more.
Because of the shorter distance between producer and consumer, local foods are fresher, taste better and have more nutritional value. Eating seasonal produce encourages a varied menu throughout the year and the inclusion of more fruits and vegetables. It also encourages a healthy diet for the residents of North Carolina, which has the 12th highest adult obesity rate in the nation.
Local food purchases also promote the local economy and help protect local farms. According to the Center for Environmental Farming Systems, North Carolinians spend an estimated $35 billion per year on food purchases. If just 10 percent of that was spent locally, an estimated $3.5 billion would be directed into local economies. And in a time when farmland is rapidly being swallowed up by residential developments, it is especially important to support our local farmers and provide jobs in the farming community.
It takes less fuel and creates less carbon emissions to transport foods to local markets, additionally helping to preserve our environment and natural resources. It also encourages farming practices that benefit human, animal and environmental health. Small farmers are more likely to pasture-raise their animals in humane conditions and use techniques that help promote natural soil fertility than are larger farming corporations.
Farming is a family tradition and way of life that is passed on from generation to generation. Supporting local farmers ensures that the knowledge, tools and skills that are part of this rural heritage will continue on and guarantees a sustainable local food system for future generations.
How to eat fresh
Obtaining local food is fairly simple. Beyond the method closest to home — growing your own — a little searching online, or asking around the community, can provide a bountiful harvest of options. Whatever method you choose, you'll be helping to support the local farming community. This strengthens the connection between the producer and the consumer and helps all of us, including our children, remember that food comes from the farm, not the grocery store.
NC Farm Fresh (www.ncfarmfresh.com/farms.asp) can help you locate a market, a pick-your-own farm, a CSA (see below), or even a specific fruit, vegetable or product.
Eatwild (www.eatwild.com) will help you locate pasture-raised livestock and poultry. If you live in western North Carolina, the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project annually provides their in-depth Local Food Guide in both a print and online version (www.asapconnections.org/localfoodguide.html). Wherever you purchase, be sure to ask if the product was grown nearby — when local items are not available, they can be trucked in from miles away, just as in the grocery store.
Consumer-Supported Agriculture involves purchasing a farm share in advance and then receiving a portion of the in-season produce each week. If you are dedicated to eating more vegetables and to helping a local farmer, you can join a CSA. Farms vary in the types of produce available and in the amount you'd like to invest. As always with farming, there's a risk of losing a crop and not getting exactly what you expected, so flexibility is recommended.
Two great resources to help you eat seasonal local food are two cookbooks: "Simply in Season," published by Herald Press, gives a wealth of seasonal recipes for fruits, vegetables, and herbs, each indexed separately for ease of access. "From Asparagus to Zucchini," published by the Madison Area CSA Coalition, is organized by vegetable or herb, with related recipes grouped together. | <urn:uuid:28426f8b-3d4b-4546-8623-48a129708558> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.carolinacountry.com/index.php/carolina-gardens/march/item/farm-fresh | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00052-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954266 | 1,015 | 3.09375 | 3 |
Here’s a laser cutting technique that makes thin plywood bendable. By cutting away elongated diamond shapes from the material, a lattice of strips connected minimally by alternating tabs is left over. The wood is then bendable, and it must be somewhat durable since the idea came from a product that uses the technique as a hinged notebook enclosure.
We don’t have much interest in it as an often used pivot point as surely it must be a problem with long-term use. But we love the look of it as a rounded corner on an enclosure like the Arduino project box seen above. The side walls are one continuous piece, with identical top and bottom sections which receive the alignment tabs. The whole thing is held together with just four bolt/washer/nut combinations.
But if you don’t have access to a laser cutter, we guess you’ll have to stick to altering pre-made enclosures for now. | <urn:uuid:f5031e6b-0097-40f8-8b54-28ab1037cb22> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://hackaday.com/2011/12/07/laser-cutting-technique-makes-plywood-bendable/ | 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 | 0.94983 | 195 | 2.328125 | 2 |
Subsurface Maps Show Buried Channels Beneath The Surface Of Mars
The research team, which includes scientists from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Planetary Science Directorate in the Southwest Research Institute and the Smithsonian Institution, published their findings in a recent issue of Science.
Gareth Morgan, a planetary scientist at the Smithsonian Institution, told the Associated Press that beyond contributions from rovers and landers, “our view of the red planet has largely been restricted to looking at the surface.”
Most of the surface of equatorial region of Elysium Planitia is covered by young lava as a consequence of extensive volcanism throughout the past several hundred million years. The lava was laid down approximately 500 million years ago, a relatively short time in geologic terms. This lava covering buries evidence of the region’s recent geologic history, including the source and most of the length of the 1,000 kilometer-long Marte Vallischannel system. Though little is known of Marte Vallis because of the lava, it displays a similar morphology to more ancient channel systems likely formed by the catastrophic release of ground water.
Data from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft’s Shallow Radar (SHARAD) instrument – which can penetrate some surface features, revealing layers beneath – was used to probe beneath the surface of the lava covering Elysium Planitia, allowing the team to map the buried channels and establish that the floods originated from a now buried portion of the Cerberus Fossae fracture system. The study reveals that whatever the cause of the Martian floods, they empty the region of so much water that the surface terrain collapses, resulting in so-called “chaos terrain.” The Cerberus Fossae system, with its series of parallel faults caused by volcanic activity, certainly seems to fit the name.
Ars Technica reports that the main channel for the Elysium Planitia flooding was approximately 25 miles wide and at least 131 feet deep – though in some places it could be as deep as 262 feet. The only confirmed flood feature of similar size on Earth is the draining of Lake Missoula in eastern Washington State during the last glacial period. Lake Missoula, which stretches some 200 miles, broke through an ice dam several times around 15,000 years ago. Scientists estimate the entire lake drained each time in under 48 hours, digging deep channels into the hardened lava, or basalt, of the region. The Marte Vallis floods had similar effects on the Martian surface, some 3.7 to 3.1 billion years ago.
“Our findings show that the scale of erosion was previously underestimated and that channel depth was at least twice that of previous approximations,” said Morgan, geologist at the National Air and Space Museum’s Center for Earth and Planetary Studies. “The source of the floodwaters suggests they originated from a deep groundwater reservoir and may have been released by local tectonic or volcanic activity. This work demonstrates the importance of orbital sounding radar in understanding how water has shaped the surface of Mars.”
The Mariner 9 mission in 1971 originally spotted dry channels on the Martian surface. Viking spacecraft observations later suggested the geologic features were most likely carved by water. Subsequent Mars missions have used sophisticated instruments to detail these winding channels.
National Geographic News reports that this latest finding is part of a recent “revolution in water discoveries on Mars.” Along with these deep river channels, scientists have discovered gullies of still forming liquid water and salty streams that appear to flow down some crater walls during the Martian summer. Mars rover Curiosity has identified a possible stream or riverbed that once flowed into Gale Crater by examining the makeup of rock formations and rounded nearby pebbles. Unlike the Elysium Planitia megafloods that only lasted days or months, these smaller rivers ran for thousands or millions of years.
“Mars is certainly very cold and dry today, but even now it remains dynamic and certainly is not dead,” Morgan said. “There are huge reservoirs of ice beneath the surface and we don’t really know much about its relationship with the surface.”
It is clear from the new findings that water from deep inside of Mars can and has surged to the surface through rock fractures in the relatively recent past. The research team suggests it is within the realm of possibility that another megaflood could happen in the future and that despite decades of theory, Mars may remain a geologically active planet today. | <urn:uuid:c91a8bd1-8e55-4c4c-b847-f9d3369a1bc9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.educatinghumanity.com/2013/03/underground-channels-on-Mars-recently-discovered.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948409 | 931 | 4.1875 | 4 |
By Tara Ziegmont of Feels Like Home
Summer picnic season is well underway. If you’re going to a picnic or hosting your own, it’s always a good idea to have some games planned for the smaller picnic goers.
Here are the games I organized for my church’s recent picnic. These games were great because the older kids (as old as 13-14) were able to play with the younger ones (as young as 3-4), and everyone had a great time.
- Water balloon dodgeball – Each child starts with one water balloon. When you get hit with a water balloon, you have to sit down and you’re out of the game. After you’ve thrown your water balloon, you may come back to the bucket and get a new balloon and throw it at someone else. For a group of 14 kids, we used about 60 water balloons in this game. You could also play this game with squirt guns, if you didn’t want to fill all those water balloons.
- Sponge relay race – Divide the kids into teams of 5-6. Each team needs a big dishpan full of water, a sponge, and a jar or wide mouth container. The dishpans should be at the far end of the area, around 20 feet away from the teams, and the jars should be next to the team. Each child will soak the sponge in the dishpan, keeping as much water as possible in the sponge, then run back to the jar and squeeze the sponge into it. The first team to fill their jar til it’s overflowing is the winner. (This game works best with really big sponges and smallish jars.)
- Limbo – All you need for this one is a stick. Have two adults hold the limbo bar as all of the kids pass underneath. If anyone falls, touches the ground with their hands or arms, or touches the bar, they’re out. The last kid to successfully pass under the bar is the winner.
- Tug of war – We used the same teams as we had for the relay race earlier. Tie a knot in the center of the rope, and mark a space about 10 feet apart as the neutral zone. The team that wins is the first to pull the knot over to their own side. Encourage the kids to tie handles into the rope to make it easier to hold on to, and help the little ones to do it.
- Bubbles and water play – After the organized games were over, I put out bubbles, bocce ball, bean bags, and dishpans full of water with the sponges. The kids had fun making up their own games, blowing bubbles, and playing.
What are your favorite picnic games? | <urn:uuid:aa8ce1e3-64a9-41ef-8e7b-4192fd0f5d0d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.buildabear.com/2012/07/12/summer-picnic-games/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=2221fbe573 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968877 | 575 | 1.875 | 2 |
Paul Pryibil did not invent the band saw. Others did, earlier in the nineteenth century.
…Pryibil’s patent is notable because it is, so far as we know, the first patented bandsaw that actually saw commercial production.
A German immigrant, he was brilliant with things mechanical. Pryibil invented the tension regulator for the Singer Sewing Machine Factory. In connection with the band saw, he was the first person to successfully design and create a band saw blade stiff enough to resist bending at high speed. And he also is responsible for the blade guide design still in use today, with screws that adjust to the thickness of the blade. For additional patents, please see this page.
Click on the image at right, to enlarge. I wish I had THAT machine!
The following video shows Pryibil’s story, gathered using historical documents and assembled into a compelling portrait of the man. The band saw is such a critical tool in our shops today, that, if push comes to shove, many of us would sell the table saw, in favor of keeping the band saw. It is that versatile.
Lest we forget its past, I invite you to view this video. Enjoy!
Credit: With thanks to Hoosierwoodcraft for posting the video on YouTube.
What were your thoughts as the story developed?
In your opinion, has our motivation to innovate diminished since the days of Pryibil’s developments in the shop?
What could we do better to improve our lot, and our machines?
I look forward to your replies.
— Al Navas | <urn:uuid:f6b58094-0edc-4b6b-b0b7-be5501700521> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sandal-woodsblog.com/tag/paul-pryibil/ | 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 | 0.957541 | 333 | 2.96875 | 3 |
I know this doesn't come under programming but i need some help with this.
You may be knowing that the windows hosts file is interpreted before the OS accesses the DNS servers for i.p. resolving.
This can be used for redirection without the user's notice.
The above line if placed in the hosts file will redirect Yahoo to Google(22.214.171.124). Here, Google has a dedicated i.p. so the task is easy.
However if a website is on shared hosting, how do we add such a site to the hosts file. I believe we cannot add a domain name in place of 126.96.36.199 above hence we always need an i.p.
So how can i make Yahoo.com redirect to a site which doesn't have a dedicated i.p., e.g. redirecting Yahoo.com to netbuilders.org??
Any help would be appreciated. | <urn:uuid:28d23416-112b-45ff-a375-110921a6ff90> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.netbuilders.org/programming/windows-hosts-file-15089.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.922405 | 192 | 1.726563 | 2 |
CHARDON -- A math teacher at Chardon High School reflects on the year since a shooting in the cafeteria left three dead and three wounded.
Tammy Segulin writes about how the shooting led to questions about how to make school safer without making schools feel like prisons.
Segulin writes : "A range of issues must be addressed in order to ensure that schools are safe places to learn. We need expanded programs and training for students and educators, to help them spot potential mental health needs, bullying or high-risk behaviors. We need increased access to mental health services, and upgraded, safe school facilities. And we need meaningful legislative action to help decrease gun violence."
Read more Segulin's blog on the year since the Chardon shooting and how the community and school has moved forward from that day: http://www.edvoices.com/blog/2013/02/27/school-safety-teacher-perspective/ | <urn:uuid:22cd2ef3-aaf8-4258-90dd-71a4b42520fa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wkyc.com/news/article/286054/423/Chardon-teacher-reflects-on-year-since-shooting | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959583 | 192 | 2.390625 | 2 |