text
stringlengths 213
24.6k
| id
stringlengths 47
47
| dump
stringclasses 1
value | url
stringlengths 14
499
| file_path
stringlengths 138
138
| language
stringclasses 1
value | language_score
float64 0.9
1
| token_count
int64 51
4.1k
| score
float64 1.5
5.06
| int_score
int64 2
5
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
When managers at Callaro’s Prime Steak and Seafood Restaurant learned that an employee’s relative was HIV-positive, it asked the worker to take an AIDS test. Now the West Palm Beach restaurant is paying the employee $10,000 to settle the resulting EEOC disability discrimination lawsuit.
When the employee refused to be tested, restaurant managers changed her schedule and working conditions, cutting her hours back so far she was forced to resign.
That’s when she filed a complaint with the EEOC, alleging that Callaro’s violated the ADA both by discriminating against her because of her association with a disabled person and by regarding her as disabled when she was not.
After EEOC mediation attempts failed and the employee filed her lawsuit, Callaro’s decided to settle rather than go to court.
Callaro’s agreed to a four-year consent decree designed to end discrimination against those associated with persons who have HIV or those whom it regards as having HIV. The restaurant will adopt and distribute an anti-harassment and anti-retaliation policy, train all employees on the policy and report all harassment complaints to the EEOC.
Note: The ADA allows employers to address only obvious disabilities unless the employee reveals a disability. Once the employee reveals a disability, the only question the employer can legally ask is, “Do you need an accommodation to perform your job’s essential functions?” If the answer is no, document the conversation and let the employee work.
Like what you've read? ...Republish it and share great business tips!
Attention: Readers, Publishers, Editors, Bloggers, Media, Webmasters and more...
We believe great content should be read and passed around. After all, knowledge IS power. And good business can become great with the right information at their fingertips. If you'd like to share any of the insightful articles on BusinessManagementDaily.com, you may republish or syndicate it without charge.
The only thing we ask is that you keep the article exactly as it was written and formatted. You also need to include an attribution statement and link to the article.
" This information is proudly provided by Business Management Daily.com: http://www.businessmanagementdaily.com/13037/west-palm-eatery-settles-ada-hiv-by-association-lawsuit "
|
<urn:uuid:aef3efef-8487-4950-b06a-683721aa165b>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.businessmanagementdaily.com/13037/west-palm-eatery-settles-ada-hiv-by-association-lawsuit
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00046-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.954377
| 495
| 1.570313
| 2
|
Immigration & Entrance Permits
1. OBTAINING A VISA
Visas can either be obtained before travelling or at the port of entry. This depends on the category into which the visitor’s citizenship falls.
Category A: Visa not required
Category B: Visa issued on payment at Port of entry
Category C: Prior application to entry
Where to obtain a Visa
Visas can be obtained from the nearest Immigration Office, Zimbabwe Foreign Missions throughout the world, British Representative Missions in their country of origin, Local Foreign Affairs Ministry and at port of entry for certain nationals.
2. BUSINESS VISITORS
Business visitors are restricted to a period of stay not exceeding 6 weeks. Where there is need to continue as a business visitor after expiry of the 6 weeks, a Temporary Employment Permit covering the desired period is applied for.
Qualifying candidates for Business visitor include those coming on business for:
- Installation and backup service for machinery purchased outside Zimbabwe by local companies
- Assessing investment opportunities
An investor who acquires Zimbabwe Investment Authority approval qualifies for a residence permit in Zimbabwe.Investors who:
- Invest not less than US$1 million in a project approved by the ZIA will qualify for permanent residence on application.
- Invest at least US$300 000 in a sole business venture in a project approved by ZIA will qualify for a residence permit for 3 years at the end of which permanent residence may be granted.
- Invest US$100 000 in a joint venture, approved by the ZIA, with a bonafide Zimbabwean will qualify for a 3 year residence permit at the end of which permanent residence may be granted.
Applying for permanent residence
A person who has resided in Zimbabwe for a continuous period of 5 years on work permit or a dependant
4. EMPLOYMENT PERMITS
Temporary Employment Permit
A foreign employee coming to work for a local company requires a Temporary Employment Permit. The employer completes TEP application forms and residence permit application forms for consideration by the Department of Immigration Control.
5. DEPENDANT PERMITS
Residence Permit for a dependant
A person below the age of 18 or retired person not seeking employment but coming to live with close relatives permanently resident in Zimbabwe can qualify.
|
<urn:uuid:5dd3e71e-9b5e-4992-8026-4cca2a5d76cd>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.zia.co.zw/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=50&Itemid=77
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.901821
| 473
| 1.546875
| 2
|
National School Lunch Program - NSLP
Program Information - Overview of NSLP
The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a federally assisted meal program operating in more than 94,000 public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions nationwide. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to more than 26 million children each school day. Established under the National School Lunch Act, signed by President Harry Truman in 1946, the program celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2006.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, through its Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), administers the program at the Federal level. In Nebraska, it is administered by the Nebraska Department of Education in the office of Nutrition Services, which operates the program through agreements with local school districts and private schools. School districts and private schools that choose to take part in the lunch program receive cash reimbursement and donated commodity assistance from USDA for each meal they serve. In return, they must serve lunches that meet federal nutrition requirements, and they must offer free and reduced-price lunches to eligible children.
In 1994, in an effort to improve the nutritional quality of school meals, FNS launched the School Meals Initiative for Healthy Children, the first full-scale reform of the school lunch program since it was established. The centerpiece of the initiative was new regulations to update nutrition standards so that all school meals will meet the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The new regulations became final in June 1995, and took effect at the beginning of school year 1996-97. The 2005 edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans was released in January, 2005.
In support of USDA's School Meals Initiative, in October 1994, Congress passed the Healthy Meals for Healthy Americans Act, requiring that all school meals conform to the Dietary Guidelines by school year 1996-97. The Healthy Meals for Children Act, passed in May 1996, expanded the range of menu planning options for schools, and reinforced the requirement that all school meals must meet the Dietary Guidelines.
Other elements of the initiative will teach and motivate children to make healthy food choices, cut administrative red tape, and continue to improve the quality of the commodities USDA provides to schools.
Recognizing that improved nutrition education empowers students to make healthy food choices, USDA established Team Nutrition to support the School Meals Initiative. Team Nutrition brings together public/private partnerships to teach children the importance of making healthy food choices, and to help give school food service professionals the tools and skills they need to deliver healthy school meals.
Team Nutrition has produced significant results. USDA formed a groundbreaking partnership with the Walt Disney Company to develop healthy eating messages to be used on television. USDA also entered into a partnership with Scholastic, Inc., to deliver age-appropriate nutrition information to children in school and to their parents at home.
USDA has also placed special emphasis on improving the quality of commodities donated to the National School Lunch Program. The Commodities Improvement Council was established in 1995 to promote the health of school children by improving the nutritional profile of USDA commodities while maintaining USDA's support for domestic agricultural markets. Based on the council's recommendations, USDA reduced the fat, sodium, and sugar content of commodities, and is now offering a wider variety of new low-fat and reduced-fat products.
USDA has made enormous progress in increasing the amount of fresh produce given to schools, and is now offering unprecedented amounts and varieties of fresh fruit and vegetables. A cooperative project with the Department of Defense (DOD) has allowed USDA to increase the variety of produce available to schools by utilizing DOD's buying and distribution system.
By the beginning of the 2006-07 school year, school districts must adopt a Local Wellness Policy. The policy must address the following:
1. Policies targeting
• Nutrition education
• Physical activity
• Other school-based activities to promote wellness
2. Guidelines for reimbursable meals
3. Nutrition guidelines for all foods at school
4. Plan for measuring implementation
5. Community involvement
All schools must implement a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan and receive at least two health inspections each year. The most recent health inspection must be available for public review.
Any child at a participating school may purchase a meal through the National School Lunch Program. Children from families with incomes at or below 130 percent of the poverty level are eligible for free meals. Those between 130 percent and 185 percent of the poverty level are eligible for reduced-price meals, for which students can be charged no more than 40 cents. This is based on income eligibility guidelines.
Children from families with incomes over 185 percent of poverty pay a full price, though their meals are still eligible for a small amount of reimbursement. Local school food authorities set their own prices for full-price meals.
In Nebraska for the school year 2006-07, 1,047 schools and residential child care institutions participate in the National School Lunch Program. Public schools or non-profit private schools of high school grade or under, and residential child care institutions are eligible. In Nebraska 333,001 students have access to meals through the NSLP. On a typical day, about 68 percent of the school children to whom the lunch program is available participate.
Most of the support USDA provides to schools in the National School Lunch Program comes in the form of a cash reimbursement for each meal served.
Schools can charge no more than 40 cents for a reduced-price lunch. USDA sets no limit on the amount schools can charge for full-price meals. For the 2006-07 school year, the average charge for lunches in elementary schools is $1.74 and $1.93 in secondary schools.
In addition to cash reimbursements, schools are entitled by law to receive commodity foods , called "entitlement" foods, at a value of 16.75 cents for each meal served in 2006-07. Schools can also get "bonus" commodities as they are available from surplus stocks.
States select entitlement foods for their schools from a list of more than 60 different kinds of food purchased by USDA and offered through the school lunch program. The list includes fresh, canned and frozen fruits and vegetables; meats; fruit juices; vegetable shortening; peanut products; vegetable oil; and flour and other grain products.
Bonus foods are offered only as they become available through agricultural surplus. The variety of both entitlement and bonus commodities schools can get from USDA depends on quantities available and market prices.
Schools receive USDA commodities. Schools purchase most of the food served to students on the open market.
USDA does not require schools to serve - or not serve - any particular foods. School meals must meet Federal nutrition requirements, but decisions about what foods to serve and how they are prepared are made by local school food authorities.
Until the School Meals Initiative for Healthy Children, the Federal nutritional requirements for school meals had not changed significantly since the school lunch program began in 1946. As part of the initiative, USDA published regulations to help schools bring their meals up to date to meet the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The Dietary Guidelines recommend that no more than 30 percent of an individual's calories come from fat, and no more than 10 percent from saturated fat. The Guidelines also establish a standard for school meals to provide one-third of the Recommended Daily Allowances of protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, iron, calcium, and calories. Schools' compliance with both the Dietary Guidelines and the RDA's is measured over a week's menu cycle.
Schools have the option to choose one of five systems for their menu planning: NuMenus, Assisted NuMenus, traditional meal pattern, enhanced meal pattern, and other "reasonable approaches." Both the NuMenus and Assisted NuMenus systems base their planning on a computerized nutritional analysis of the week's menu. The two meal pattern options base their menu planning on minimum component quantities of meat or meat alternate; vegetables and fruits; grains and breads; and milk. The fifth menu option allows schools to develop other "reasonable approaches" to meeting the Dietary Guidelines, using menu planning guidelines from USDA.
The National School Lunch Act in 1946 created the modern school lunch program, though USDA had provided funds and food to schools for many years prior to that. In signing the 1946 act, President Harry S Truman said, "Nothing is more important in our national life than the welfare of our children, and proper nourishment comes first in attaining this welfare."
About 7.1 million children were participating in the National School Lunch Program by the end of its first year, 1946-47. By 1970, 22 million children were participating, and by 1980 the figure was nearly 27 million. In 1990, an average of 24 million children ate school lunch every day. In Fiscal Year 2005, more than 29.6 million children each day got their lunch through the National School Lunch Program. Since the program began, more than 187 billion lunches have been served.
By comparison, the lunch program's total cost in 1947 was $70 million; in 1950, $119.7 million; 1960, $225.8 million; 1970, $565.5 million; 1975, $1.7 billion; 1980, $3.2 billion; 1985, $3.4 billion; 1990, $3.7 billion; and 2005, $7.9 billion.
|
<urn:uuid:1a5d60e0-e488-4b39-bf16-0c80e0673273>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.education.ne.gov/NS/NSLP/overview.html
|
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
| 0.957409
| 1,908
| 3.234375
| 3
|
LETTER: A founding father do-over
A founding father do-over
I do not own a firearm or plan on ever doing so.However, I support the 2nd Amendment and the rights to have firearms. With all of the recent controversy I have given much thought to the 2nd and its meaning. Unlike some paranoid individuals who feel that the 2nd was put in the Constitution to prevent government from invading our homes, taking our weapons, and enslaving society, I believe the Founding Fathers had a much different agenda.
After the Revolutionary War, the militia was disbanded and sent home. There was no standing army and yet there were threats to our countryborders. If a need arose that required a militia, they had only to conscript men who were already armed to form a new army. When the 2nd was written with this in mind, the writers also realized that the only weapons available were single shot, black powder and flint, metal ball muskets and pistols.
Today, imagine that the original founding fathers were tasked with writing the 2nd Amendment with the full knowledge of the history of the past 200-plus years. I will pose 3 possible scenarios.
1. Amendment stands as originally written.
2. Amendment eliminated because it isnít necessary today.
3. Amendment is rewritten allowing citizens to own hand guns, rifles, and shotguns. However all military ordinance, including firearms, ammunition, grenades, missiles, land mines, etc. are unnecessary and illegal for private citizens to own.
I believe that some variation of No. 3 would be enacted, especially when I hear the rampant paranoia of a few people that advocate having these weapons. It is scary, but fortunately those very bright Founding Fathers who got it right would surely get it right again to fit the current times.
|
<urn:uuid:6c905163-0ed7-4931-be16-d428497d65b3>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.aikenstandard.com/article/20130126/AIK0203/130129659/1065/mccann-on-road-to-recovery/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.982408
| 367
| 1.710938
| 2
|
Running on Chia
Quest to improve endurance leads marathon runner to a source of energy.
While Chandra Davis trained for her first marathon early last year, she began to look into how she could improve hydration and endurance. Omega-3-rich Chia seeds, Davis discovered, had a long history as an energy source rooted in ancient civilizations. A tiny Chia seed can absorb nine to 12 times its weight in liquid and slowly breaks down in the system, prolonging hydration. That summer, Davis, 38, started making a Chia seed beverage at her Apopka home. “I wanted something that tasted good, was low-calorie and under 5 grams of sugar so diabetics could drink it. A little Stevia sweetened it right up,” says Davis. After a week of drinking her concoction, Davis noticed she had greater stamina and endurance. She shared her Chia elixir with her brother, Gideon Lewis, a foot and ankle surgeon in Winter Park and a runner as well, who then told local performance trainer Mark Theisen about the drink. “We each saw applications to the beverage in each of the worlds we live in: active mom, physician, sports performance coach,” says Davis. In only a year, the trio had Drink Chia! (drinkchianow.com) on the market, with Track Shack Orlando, Chamberlin’s and Fresh Market among the 35 locations selling it.
CANDY ON THE BRAIN
Craving candy, but watching your weight? According to a recent study by Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, when you visualize eating a certain food—particularly candy—you actually eat less of it and curb your cravings. The mind game was most effective when it came to bite-sized candy, often eaten one after another. Participants of the study who imagined downing 30 pieces of M&Ms actually ended up eating 30 to 40 percent fewer M&Ms than those who didn’t visualize their candy consumption. There’s no better time to put the study’s findings to the test than Halloween through the holidays, when you’re tempted by treats at every turn. —LD
|
<urn:uuid:399598c8-d7d7-4220-9ba1-5229a7b9d10f>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.orlandomagazine.com/Orlando-Magazine/October-2011/Running-on-Chia/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.959373
| 448
| 1.914063
| 2
|
On the night of October 10, 1973, there was a UFO sighting by fifteen different witnesses who saw a strange, unknown object fly over a housing project in St. Tammany Parish, New Orleans, Louisiana. Two of the witnesses were policeman. This sighting would only be the beginning of what was to occur the next night on the nearby Pascagoula River. Two fishermen, nineteen-year-old Calvin Parker, and forty-two-year-old Charles Hickson were about to have an
experience that would forever change their lives.
Glowing, Egg-Shaped Object:
Parker and Hickson were good friends, and often fished together. They were both living in the town of Gautier, Mississippi. On one
particular night, they were fishing the waters of the Pascagoula River, when they heard a strange sound... a type of buzzing. The
two men immediately turned to see what the source of the strange noise was. They were shocked to see an egg-shaped object with bluish front lighting. The object was only a few feet above the water, and about ten yards from the two frightened fishermen.
Three Strange Beings:
While they sat stunned, looking at the weird flying machine, a door opened in the UFO, and to their utter amazement, three beings of unknown origin began to float toward the two. The beings did have legs, but did not use them-they literally floated across the
water toward Hickson and Parker. The two fishermen would later attempt to describe what the beings looked like "... about five feet
tall, had bullet-shaped heads without necks, slits for mouths, and where their noses or ears would be, they had thin, conical objects
sticking out, like carrots from a snowman's head."
Floated into a UFO:
Hickson sat frozen on the river bank. Suddenly, two of the odd-looking beings grabbed him, while the third being snatched Parker,
who immediately fainted from fear. The beings supported Hickson by literally holding up his body. As they did, he felt numbness over his entire body. By some power he could not see, he was floated into the bowels of the waiting object to a brightly-lit room. The room had no gravity. He floated with a strange eye-like device. This device would go over his entire body as if it was scanning him.
20 Minutes of Examination:
After the eye-like device was finished with Hickson, he was left floating in the room alone. The beings had probably left to examine
Parker. Approximately 20 minutes after the ordeal had begun, it was over. Hickson was now floated back out of the craft. Back on the river bank, he could see Parker, who was crying and praying on the ground. Shortly, the strange flying object rose straight into the night sky, and flew away.
Regaining Their Composure:
After some time to regain their senses and strength, they began to talk about what action they should take. At first they were afraid to report their experience, but they felt obligated to tell someone. What if these beings were taking other people in the area? Fighting fears of public ridicule, they called Kessler Air Force Base in Biloxi. They were instructed to report their incident to the local sheriff's department.
Report to Sheriff's Office:
Not wanting to deal with local law enforcement, they decided instead to go to their local newspaper office. The office was closed,
which left the men only one recourse-the sheriff office. As would be expected, the local sheriff thought their story was a hoax or trick. Trying to get to the bottom of their story, the two fishermen were placed in a room wired for sound. It was thought that they would discuss the joke between themselves, and their story would be found out. This was not to be. Soon law enforcement personnel knew that something had certainly frightened Hickson and Parker, and that this was no joke.
Major News Across United States:
It would be no time until details of the alleged abduction began to leak out to the public. First, the account of the incident was
published in local newspapers, soon followed by the wire services. In a matter of a couple of days, the Pascagoula, Mississippi,
abduction was a big news item over the entire United States. Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (APRO) sent University of California professor James Harder to investigate the story. Dr. J. Allen Hynek, who represented the U.S. Air Force also would research the case.
Harder & Hynek Investigate:
Harder and Hynek did a lot of the investigative work together. The two well-known researchers first interviewed the two fishermen together. Harder tried to do regressive hypnosis on Hickson, but the abductee was so frightened, that the hypnosis was stopped. To get things off on solid ground, both of the witnesses took polygraph tests, and both passed without a problem. Harder and Hynek both believed that the two tormented men were telling the truth.
Esteemed UFO researcher J. Allen Hynek would proclaim that "... there was definitely something here that was not terrestrial."
Most Unusual Account:
Even after thirty-plus years, both Calvin Parker and Charles Hickson still testify to the same story, and have never wavered in their
account of what happened that October night on the Pascagoula River.
There have been many articles, magazine reports, and television documentaries done on the case, and the two men have given numerous interviews about their experience. Their account, although bizarre, is one of the best researched and documented alien abduction cases in UFO history.
|
<urn:uuid:3b5d9422-b416-4189-beb3-08a1419c5790>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://ufos.about.com/od/aliensalienabduction/p/pascagoula.htm
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.985325
| 1,186
| 1.796875
| 2
|
By Dona Fair
WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE, N.M. On April 9, 1942, tens of thousands of American and Filipino Soldiers surrendered to Japanese for-ces. They were marched for days along a 65-mile grueling route in the scorching heat through the malaria-infested Philippine jungles, with limited rations and no medical support. Thousands died. Those who survived faced the hardships of a prisoner of war camp.
Army National Guard Pfc. Hani N. Barghout, son of Nahida Abdo Barghout of Imperial Beach, along with more than 4,400 participants, paid tribute to this group of brave soldiers who defended the islands of Luzon, Corregidor, and the harbor defense forts of the Philippines during World War II, during this year’s 19th Annual Bataan Memorial Death March.
The sandy desert trails and washes and mountainous Chihuahuan Desert terrain, with an elevation of 4,100 to 5,300 feet, along the 15.2-mile honorary march or the 26.2-mile competitive march route wasn’t a feat for the weak at heart and a challenge for all who participated.
The march was broken down into two categories-the honorary march, for those who want to participate but do not want to attempt the longer, more difficult route; and the competitive march, for military and civilian teams and individuals in either “heavy” or “light” divisions. Marchers entered in the “heavy” division category carry a 35-pound rucksack. Barghout competed in the individual military “light category” for the 26.2-mile route.
“The most difficult part of the race is adjusting to the higher elevation and keeping up with the front runner, literally,” said Barghout, who graduated in 2006 from Mar Vista Senior High School, and is currently working on a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering at the University of Arizona, Tucson.
Barghout, a motor transport operator trainee with the National Guard, and the others who came from across the U.S. and several foreign countries, were honoring the sacrifices of the Bataan soldiers by attempting to relive some of what the Bataan Soldiers went through. But for the marchers to survive the grueling course while braving the scorching heat and high altitude of the New Mexico desert, they had to be prepared.
“To get a feel for what the march would be like, I walked to my drill location in March, which was about 34 miles. I also rode my bicycle everywhere and did physical training every morning,” he said.
Since the first march, which was held in 1989 to mark a page in history that included so many native sons and affected many families in New Mexico, the march has grown from about 100 to thousands. The marchers come to this memorial event for many reasons-personal challenge, the spirit of competition or to build esprit de corps in their unit. Some march in honor of a family member or a particular veteran who was in the Bataan Death March or was taken a prisoner of war by the Japanese in the Philippines.
“I learned about the march through my Army Knowledge Online mail account. After a little research about how well most 19-year olds do, I decided to do it and win it,” said Barghout
Many of those brave soldiers never made it to their destination in 1942, but thanks to Barghout and the other participants, they will never be forgotten.
|
<urn:uuid:0e78e224-2ec6-4654-9b29-bcb2f63b37b5>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://laprensa-sandiego.org/archieve/2008/april11-08/Bataan.htm
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.965819
| 742
| 2.46875
| 2
|
Back to browse results|
|Community Influences on Young People's Sexual Behavior in 3 African Countries|
||American Journal of Public Health, January 2009, Vol 99, No. 1 | 102-109 DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2007.126904
||Objectives. I examined the role of community-level factors in the reporting of risky sexual behaviors among young people aged 15 to 24 years in 3 African countries with varying HIV prevalence rates.
Methods. I analyzed demographic and health survey data from Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Zambia during the period 2001 through 2003 to identify individual, household, and community factors associated with reports of risky sexual behaviors.
Results. The mechanisms through which the community environment shaped sexual behaviors varied among young men and young women. Community demographic profiles were not associated with reports of risky sexual behavior among young women but were influential in shaping the behavior of young men. Prevailing economic conditions and the behaviors and attitudes of adults in the community were strong influences on young people's sexual behaviors.
Conclusions. These results provide strong support for a focus on community-level influences as an intervention point for behavioral change. Such interventions, however, should recognize specific cultural settings and the different pathways through which the community can shape the sexual behaviors of young men and women.
Translation provided by Google Translate. MEASURE DHS/ICF International cannot guarantee the accuracy of the translations
|
<urn:uuid:f2910935-c0d8-4a80-bef3-0391b9e5966d>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://measuredhs.com/publications/journal-details.cfm?article_id=751&C_id=9&T_ID=0&P_ID=0
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.909988
| 289
| 2.140625
| 2
|
PepsiCo, one of the world's largest drinks makers, will re-enter the Burmese market, after pulling out of the country in 1977.
It has signed an agreement with a Burmese firm to distribute Pepsi-Cola, 7-Up and Mirinda brands in the country, and it is exploring the option of setting up production there.
The firm's major rival, Coca-Cola, announced plans in June to return to Burma.
The drinks maker has been expanding its operations in developing and emerging markets.
PepsiCo said that it would also partner with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to launch vocational training initiatives in Burma in a bid to improve labour skills in the country.
“PepsiCo and UNESCO plan to work together to provide programs that focus on managerial skills training to support the country's development, empower its people and strengthen the workforce as PepsiCo looks to expand its business in the future,” it said in a statement.
|
<urn:uuid:557d147b-e0a5-4c2c-bfd8-58a556bb333f>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.mizzima.com/component/content/7735.html?task=view
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.962629
| 208
| 1.921875
| 2
|
The Creative Coalition announces the formation of the Arts Corps, a volunteer program that marshals leadership from the arts and entertainment arenas to help save arts funding in the public school systems. This all-volunteer brigade will work with school boards, policy makers, parents, and other community leaders to encourage support for the arts in state educational budgets.
The "inaugural" class of the Arts Corps includes actor and President of The Creative Coalition Tim Daly, and actors Omar Epps, Marlon Wayans, David Arquette, Patricia Arquette, Alfre Woodard, Steven Weber, Andrea Bowen, CCH Pounder, Esai Morales, Rob Morrow, Griffin Dunne, Giancarlo Esposito, Richard Kind, Richard Schiff, Rachael Leigh Cook, Tichina Arnold, Harry Hamlin, and Kaycee Stroh. In addition, the Arts Corps also has signed on executives from the music, television, and film industries to participate.
The Creative Coalition formed the Arts Corps as a means of counteracting the wave of political and economic fall-out besieging America’s educational institutions and causing our nation’s states to abandon arts education funding as a means to salvage budgets.
“The Arts Corps demonstrates to educators on a local level that a strong arts education is vital to the cultural and economic advancement of our country,” said actor and President of The Creative Coalition Tim Daly. “When students are exposed to art programs, they are far more likely to graduate from high school and continue their education. These are the students who will become our engineers, politicians, business leaders, and creative thinkers in the future.”
"During these difficult economic times, our nation must realize the importance of designing and maintaining arts education programs," said CEO of The Creative Coalition Robin Bronk. "Recent studies unequivocally conclude that the creativity and innovation utilized in the artistic process are highly valued by employers in the United States. Funding the arts in education is a local, state and national economic development issue. Our children are depending on us to make sure this current trend in de-funding is reversed."
|
<urn:uuid:facff28a-ffc4-4955-868b-25b036c09983>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://losangeles.broadwayworld.com/article/Creative-Coalition-Announces-Arts-Corps-Volunteer-Program-20120313
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00063-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.9421
| 432
| 1.679688
| 2
|
This book, third in Wright's series Christian Origins and the Question of God, sketches a map of ancient beliefs about life after death, in both the Greco-Roman and Jewish worlds. It then highlights the fact that the early Christians' belief about the afterlife belonged firmly on the Jewish spectrum, while introducing several new mutations and sharper definitions. This, together with other features of early Christianity, forces the historian to read the Easter narratives in the gospels, not simply as late rationalizations of early Christian spirituality, but as accounts of two actual events: the empty tomb of Jesus and his "appearances."
How do we explain these phenomena? The early Christians' answer was that Jesus had indeed been bodily raised from the dead; that was why they hailed him as the messianic "son of God." No modern historian has come up with a more convincing explanation. Facing this question, we are confronted to this day with the most central issues of worldview and theology.
|
<urn:uuid:367c082b-0dad-46b6-91f7-f829d4a82849>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://reviews.christianbook.com/2016/26794/fortress-press-the-resurrection-of-the-son-of-god-christian-origins-and-the-question-of-god-reviews/reviews.htm
|
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
| 0.967847
| 195
| 3.296875
| 3
|
We had an amazing sharing of failure at Fail Faire UK 2012, and amidst the laughter at how wrong we can be in deploying information and communication technologies to accelerate social and economic development, there were key lessons to learn. Lessons that cost millions of dollars, and unless we internalize them, will cost untold millions in future repetition.
So in the hopes that we can reduce future fails and increase success in ICT4D, I present to you the 9 lessons to learn from Fail Faire UK 2012:
- Failure will happen: When I am asked how to avoid failure I say that you should hire optimists. Why? Because failure will happen. It is the natural, normal, and valid result of pushing the boundaries of what is possible to scale from pilots to real impact. If you are not failing, you’re not trying hard enough, and you need optimists to recognize that failure is the mark of innovation and risk taking – key to growth and actual social and economic development that we all espouse to achieve.
- Timing is everything: Martin Harris worked hard on his startup idea, then took a two week vacation. On the day he sought financing for his venture, his first day back from vacation, Lehman Brothers collapsed. His grand plans of a venture capital-based future disappeared faster than the elevator ride to his appointment. Note to self: when you have a good idea, move fast as you never know what tomorrow brings.
- Know your target market habits: Harsha Liyanage thought farmers in Sri Lanka would be excited about trading via SMS. After two years of development and two years in deployment, he learned that farmers don’t trade via SMS. They want face-to-face interactions with local actors. The farmer’s wife or children do love modern technologies, and by leveraging their excitement for Facebook, Harsha was able to move from failure with farmers to success with social networking as a medium to connect farming families with new buyers.
- People are proud of their heritage: Patrick Hall thought he could help Nepalese localize software into the local language to accelerate ICT adoption, but found multiple challenges – donors wanted to run their own programs, private software companies wanted to do their own localization, and Nepalese wanted either an exact translation (without agreement on what “exact” was) or just use English. I’ve found this same issue in Tanzania, where the Microsoft translation of Windows and Office into Kiswahili is disliked because its Kenyan-accented Kiswahili.
- Take the money and run: Victor Lyons somehow bungled venture capital offerings of over $80 million when he founded an ecommerce startup, and after his business, marriage, and life went down in flames, found himself in India trying to used printed brochures to educate people who couldn’t read. Rather than giving up, he founded a literacy program, which received over a million dollars in funding – but none for salaries. His lesson learned multiple times is that money, in fact, does make the world go around, and we should not be too arrogant or too humble to accept it.
- Plan for succession: Too often we invest inordinate amount of responsibility and success into a few key actors. Allan McNeil Jackson did in his company, Aptivate, and when his two key salespeople left, it almost destroyed the company. It took every member of the organization rethinking their role and joining in the sales process to revive relationships and the company’s future.
- Be convinced of your convictions: Pamela McLean has spent the last 12 years trying to convince others of the worth and opportunity if development in Nigeria, often in a Quixotic effort to raise awareness that Nigeria does have promise and possibility. Yet she has not given up hope or slowed her pace of advocacy even though she was easily the most senior participant in Fail Faire UK 2012. For her energy alone, we should all be humbled.
- The only constant is change: Tomi Davies single-handedly worked to bring One Laptop per Child to Nigeria. He was amazingly successful – President Obasanjo agreed to buy 1 million XO laptops from Nicholas Negroponte in 2007, jumpstarting the OLPC program. In fact, that deal is why the XO is green and white – the colors of the Nigerian flag. Unfortunately, Tomi then had to contend with 6 different Minsters of Education over the next 6 years, a revolving ministerial door that is not unique to Africa.
- And??? The eight speakers at Fail Faire UK 2012 do not have a monopoly on failure. What other lessons are there to learned from failure? What have you learned? Don’t be shy – share them in the comments. We’ve bared our souls and its time for you to do the same.
Fail Faire UK 2012 was generously hosed by the GSMA Development Fund and organized by Inveneo. If you’d like to attend the next FailFaire, be sure to sign up for announcements of future events. We have fails on tap for East Africa and Washington DC in 2012 – failure has gone global!
Go to Source
|
<urn:uuid:b614bf96-8386-46a0-8041-63aff4fb5b1f>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.innovationafrica.org/2012/07/9-lessons-to-learn-from-fail-faire-uk-2012/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00056-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.961961
| 1,065
| 1.976563
| 2
|
With California gas prices breaking records and emptying motorists' wallets, Honda sees a silver lining.
American Honda Motor Co. announced on Tuesday that it will give away a $3,000 fuel debit card for customers who purchase a new 2012 Civic Natural Gas vehicle.
Honda's U.S. headquarters is based in Torrance.
"Drivers have increasingly seen a greater percentage of their dollars going down their car's gasoline tanks," said Peter Grace, American Honda's senior vice president of Clean Energy for sales, in a statement.
The fuel cards will translate into two to three years of free fuel for the average driver, Grace said.
Vehicle owners will be able to redeem the fuel cards through Clean Energy Fuels Corp., the nation's largest owner of public compressed natural gas, or CNG, fueling stations.
While there are far fewer natural gas fueling stations than traditional gasoline pumps, CNG is less expensive and cleaner. In addition, nearly all the natural gas used in the United States is produced domestically rather than imported.
Honda spokesman Marcos Frommer noted that "it's good timing," although he said the offer was not timed to coincide with California's gas price
"We have been looking at the price difference between gasoline and natural gas for a while, and so that is a selling point, whether it's this week in California or a month ago," Frommer said. "It's about a $2 difference now. In California, it's even more."
In addition, motorists behind the wheel of a Civic Natural Gas vehicle may drive in High Occupancy Vehicle "car-pool" lanes through Jan. 1, 2015.
However, gaining the public's acceptance of natural gas vehicles has taken years and is still ongoing.
"The fact is that with any new alternative-fuel vehicle, customer acceptance takes awhile," Frommer said.
Honda has had help raising the car's profile among environmentally conscious consumers. Green Car Journal named it 2012 Green Car of the Year. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy called the car one of the "greenest vehicles of 2012."
As of last week, American Honda's natural-gas Civic sales for 2012 were 1,576.
So far this year, the vehicle's maker has sold 22 percent more units than the same time last year.
The vehicle has a suggested starting price of $26,305, according to Honda's website. The car has a combined EPA fuel economy rating of 31 mpg.
Honda builds the car in Greensburg, Ind.
The vehicle is available at 199 Honda dealers in 36 states.
The fuel card offer is good for sales before Jan. 2, 2013.
Follow Muhammed El-Hasan on Twitter at http://twitter.com/dailybreezebiz
|
<urn:uuid:82ba2a35-7c5e-4984-84fb-5225f34d025b>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.dailybreeze.com/traffic/ci_21735869/honda-give-3-000-fuel-card-buyers-its?source=pkg
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00065-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.957302
| 572
| 1.6875
| 2
|
|How's Your Garden?|
Trim Old Rose Blooms
Even tough landscape roses like Knockouts respond to a little mid-summer love. Clip off the old blooms and hips (seed pods) of all roses (except any you grow for their pretty red hips). Keep watered and fertilize late this month. You’ll see a nice flush of blooms again in a few weeks.
Sow seeds or set out transplants of tomatoes now for a fall crop. Remember to choose varieties that mature early like Early Girl so they will begin producing quickly as summer wanes. The soil is nice and warm now, so if you can’t find plants, try sowing seed directly in the garden. They should sprout quickly if you keep the seedbed watered.
Bamboo is Usually Best in a Pot
All you have to do is see a roadside where bamboo is growing wild to know this is a plant best confined to a pot, where its rambunctious runners are kept in check. In a pot, it is drought tolerant, handsome and perfectly upright to make a nice screen. There are many kinds of bamboo, but black bamboo has particularly handsome stems. Use a heavy pot to help keep bamboo stable in the wind.
These Can Bloom Again
Some plants with great summer blooms disappearing after a few weeks can actually be coaxed into blooming again. Two great Southern trees, Vitex and crape myrtle, respond dutifully to a little pruning after the flowers fade with another flush of flowers in a few weeks. The trick is cutting the faded blooms off early, as soon as the first ones finish and before they make seedpods. You’ll need a pole pruner to reach the upper branches, which substitutes for an upper body workout at the gym. Closer to the ground, the early blooming perennial salvias, rebooking daylilies like Stella d’ Oro and bee balm also respond to deadheading, another name for removing old blooms. Be sure to water and fertilize lightly to support the new growth.
Summer is a good time to create a small outdoor arrangement from small houseplants for the patio or porch tabletop. Many foliage plants thrive in the bright light of a covered porch, but out of direct sunlight. You can buy lots of different types of plants in small 4 and 6-inch pots to combine in a larger basket or cachepot. When they outgrow their container, simply transplant them to larger individual pots to use as single houseplants around the house.
Making the Most of Nandina
Nandina is one of those plants folks either love or hate – there is little in-between. I’m a fan of nandina, a rugged shrub found in older landscapes around the South. Because it is tall and narrow, nandina is great for tight spaces. And because it is an evergreen, it makes a nice screen. Those two characteristics combine to block views in tight areas, an often-challenging situation unless you want a wooden fence. Left alone, nandina can grow 8 feet or taller. You can prune away all the lower growth to give it a bamboo-like quality, or you can prune the stems back at various heights to encourage the plant to grow full from top to bottom. In the spring enjoy the white flowers and in the fall enjoy the red berries.
It’s time to get out the hummingbird feeders if you haven’t already done so. When hummingbird migration begins in the fall you will see a lot more stopping for a drink as they fly south. My late mother-in-law, an avid bird watcher and Audubon member, taught me to make sugar syrup to fill the feeder. Here is her recipe: Boil 4 cups water. Stir in 1 cup sugar. Let cool and pour in feeders. The sugar syrup will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days.
Tree or Sculpture?
Take inspiration from this sculpture at the San Antonio Botanical Garden. When I snapped this photo, I could not tell if it was a material sculpture or a real tree that was painted gray, and did not dare step into the flowerbed for a closer look. Either way, it looks like a fun way to use large fallen branches or a small tree for ornament, at least until the insects get into it. A coat of paint may protect it from carpenter bees.
Lois Trigg Chaplin is author of The Southern Garderner's Book of Lists and former Garden Editor of Southern Living Magazine.
|
<urn:uuid:85feac0f-8985-4a6a-8299-0dcb4ce68b12>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.alafarmnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3037%3Ahows-your-garden&catid=15%3Ahows-your-garden&Itemid=1
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.929926
| 954
| 1.804688
| 2
|
Just as President Barack Obama steps up his campaign for energy efficiency, the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) celebrated the opening of its new Hot Water Systems Laboratory in Cocoa.
Water heating is the second largest home consumer of energy, and the performance of some systems on the market today have never been tested under realistic and extreme weather conditions. Testing in the lab will help provide answers the solar industry, utilities and home builders are looking for to increase energy efficiency.
“This project is an important part of Building America’s goal of zero energy buildings by year 2020,” said Robert Hassett, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Heating and Cooling Technology Manager. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America Program funded the lab at FSEC, a research institute of the University of Central Florida.
The facility, which opened on Wednesday, will be a hub to test solar, tankless and conventional domestic water heating systems for efficiency.
“Solar water heating is an excellent way to save energy on water heating and reduce whole-house energy use, but utilities are specifically interested in knowing whether or not solar is providing relief to the power grid during peak times. Our testing will answer their questions,” says Subrato Chandra, the Building America Industrialized Housing Partnership project manager. This information is key to utility “buy-in” to more aggressively sponsor solar water heating systems.
|
<urn:uuid:2476fec8-662d-41f3-9b6d-5ed9e74fa65b>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://blog.floridaenergycenter.org/echronicle/tag/ics-system/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.93827
| 296
| 2.625
| 3
|
Pope Benedict XVI clicks on a tablet to send his first twitter message on Wednesday at the Paul VI hall at the Vatican.(Photo: Vincenzo Pinto, AFP/Getty Images)
(USA TODAY) -- Gay marriage denies God and devalues human dignity, Pope Benedict XVI said Friday in his annual "state of the Church address at the Vatican.
Speaking to the Curia, the bureaucrats who run the global church of 1.2 billion Catholics, the pope said opposition to gay marriage is a way of defending humanity: "Whoever defends God is defending man."
Benedict also quoted the chief rabbi of France, Gilles Bernheim, who has written that promoting a right to same-sex marriage is an "attack" on the traditional family made up of a father, mother and children.
The address echoed his recently released annual peace message, which said gay marriage, abortion and euthanasia are threats to world peace.
The pope maximized his global audience by posting five more tweets on his highly popular personal Twitter account this week and writing an opinion piece for the British paper, the Financial Times.
Today, after his address to the curia, the Vatican launched three more tweets on his @pontifex Twitter account. This adds to two tweets on Wednesday and his answers to public questions last week. Benedict now has more than 2 million global followers.
According to Twitter, Benedicts initial tweet on Dec. 12, a blessing to his new "dear friends," hit a higher rate of retweets -- over 1.2 million in eight languages -- than mini-missives by Justin Bieber. That day he also answered questions submitted with #askpontifex from three followers including a busy mother in the USA, Linda Binggeli, of Lees Summit, Mo., who asked about finding time for prayer.
Benedict's tweets on Friday came from his curia address and the writing of St. Augustine:
- At the end of the year, we pray that the Church, despite her shortcomings, may be increasingly recognizable as Christ's dwelling place
- We do not possess the truth, the truth possesses us. Christ, who is the truth, takes us by the hand.
- When you deny God, you deny human dignity. Whoever defends God is defending the human person.
Wednesday's tweets were drawn from his general audience and dealt with the themes of the Christmas season.
- Mary is filled with joy on learning that she is to be the mother of Jesus, God's Son made man. True joy comes from union with God
- Everyone's life of faith has times of light, but also times of darkness. If you want to walk in the light, let the word of God be your guide
For Thursday's Financial Times, the pope wrote that Christians should engage in the world with the Gospel as their guide and inspiration. "But their involvement in politics and economics should transcend every form of ideology."
The birth of the Christ child, he says, brought a challenge to earthly powers, from "a new king, who relies not on the force of arms, but on the power of love..." and brought hope to the poor and the vulnerable "in a precarious world."
|
<urn:uuid:d52e34ba-58b1-4a6c-9a7f-eeb2188e2110>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.wusa9.com/TheBuzz/article/234687/283/Pope-Gay-Marriage-Destabilizes-Society
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.961533
| 655
| 1.515625
| 2
|
The True Value of Competition
Now that the Winter Olympics have passed, I find myself gearing up for the month-long World Cup in
After the 2004 Olympics, Michael Josephson wrote the following piece about competition. As spring reappears, and the various ball fields begin to fill, consider his words below as you participate, either as an active competitor or as a passive spectator, in a sporting event.
Winning the Silver or Losing the Gold?
During the 1996 Olympics, a popular Nike ad sent the message: "You don`t win the silver. You lose the gold." That’s consistent with the sentiment often attributed to Vince Lombardi -- "winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing" -- that’s become a modern mantra for many people who compete in sports, business and politics.
Such pumped-up attitudes about the importance of victory may be effective in motivating some people to maximum effort, but there are serious harmful side effects.
Martina Navratilova, the great Czech-born
tennis player, observed that "the moment of victory is much too short to live for that and nothing else." U.S.
Those who choose to live in a self-created, cruel and unforgiving, all-or-nothing world rarely live balanced lives, and they place enormous strain on their relationships. It`s a world more often filled with anxiety and anguish than joy because, exceptional winning streaks aside, most of us lose more often than we win.
There`s nothing wrong with wanting to win, but if losing is treated as a mortal enemy, every loss produces demoralizing feelings of failure and inadequacy. What’s more, when our self-image depends on winning, we begin to think of victory not simply as something we want, but as something we need. This makes us vulnerable to those who whisper, “If you’re not cheating, you’re not trying hard enough.”
Happier and healthier people know that winning most certainly is not everything -- it’s not even the most important thing. Real joy and fulfillment can be found not only in accomplishments and efforts that fall short of winning, but in the striving, the passionate pursuit of victory, and in the competition and the quest itself.
Additional thoughts and information about competition,
|
<urn:uuid:acc6ecb4-d1a0-4ddd-b91d-01944a8bf780>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.hamburgschools.org/Page/4195
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.951277
| 482
| 2.140625
| 2
|
A Historic Opportunity
by Edward Mazria
In reflecting on Earth Day 2007, my role as a steward of this planet has become strikingly clear. I believe we are now all very seriously being called to action, as stewards, to reclaim and restore our planet – to find the strength and the leadership to
face the most critical issues of our times: global warming and climate change. These issues will challenge each of us to reflect, reconsider and find resolve, to join together to confront these daunting tasks.
It is an unusual concept - for humanity to be held environmentally accountable. We have enjoyed many years of substantial personal fulfillment with few strings attached, and we will enjoy many more gratifying years, but they will not be defined by reckless consumption on a road to happiness. I believe we will find our ideals once again, like college students entering a new world where anything is possible. We will take pride in leading by example. We will again find confidence in ourselves and discover the means to achieve our goals because we are determined, because we truly care and because it really matters, now more than ever. We will be working together to literally save the inhabitants of our planet.
A scientist once said to me that “the planet will survive as it has for geologic eons, but we and other species may not be along for the ride”. However, while the threats are great, solutions and actions to counter global warming and climate change are well known, available, and in fact, not that difficult to implement. In this wired global information age, groups are self-organizing, and as new information becomes available, like-minded people all over the world are moving to take action. Each action can set an example and we can all make choices that will have positive consequences. Our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren will be affected by what we do today. We can touch their lives and make them proud of our efforts, and in doing so, make this planet more bountiful and prosperous than ever before.
For me, and potentially for thousands of design professionals across the globe, this crisis represents a historic opportunity to recreate the structure that will sustain our civilization for millennia to come. As designers we know we can, with little or no additional expense, design and construct buildings that consume half the energy required by buildings of similar type, and with some additional cost, we can design and build carbon neutral buildings and developments. Given that, we can now take design and planning to another level and begin to make a substantive transformation; we can be part of a movement that redefines the built environment for the next decade and beyond.
Today, in the US and globally, buildings and developments are responsible for almost half of all the GHG emissions fueling global warming. Tomorrow’s buildings and developments must be the solution to the problem. To begin to realize this, we must think about how buildings might operate if there were no fossil fuels available, what they might look like, what they could provide - the possibilities are endless when we are resourceful, innovative and diligent. There are no cookie-cutter solutions; the slate is clean and the best techniques and design strategies will quickly materialize. Carbon-neutral is where we are headed, and included in the benefits are a worldwide economic boom, positive health implications and an incredible potential for increased productivity.
Today, we must take advantage of the many opportunities that will allow us to begin to redefine the Building Sector’s role in this crisis. By doing so, we will also begin to reconnect to the world around us. Options that might otherwise be overlooked will become apparent, and the tendency to create environments that deplete the finite and rapidly diminishing resources of our planet will no longer be acceptable. We can demand the changes necessary to propel this movement forward. We need a national building code standard that reflects our ambitions and targets. We need federal, state and local incentives to offset the initial reluctance (so common just before a dramatic shift occurs), and we need the leaders of our country to step forward, set an example and put these goals into legislation. We must, as a nation, also not forget those less fortunate. We must do all in our power to address their plight, as they are not responsible for the situation we find ourselves in today. We, as individuals, and as one of the most prosperous nations on this globe, must seize this day as the day that we accept our responsibility and our role – as true stewards of our planet.
Edward Mazria, AIA
Architecture 2030, Founder and Policy Director
Edward Mazria is an internationally recognized architect, author and educator. Since forming the architecture and planning firm Mazria Associates, Inc. in 1978, Edward Mazria has completed a diverse number of award winning architecture and planning projects.
Mazria is the Founder and Policy Director of Architecture 2030, a non-profit organization committed to protecting our global environment by using innovation and common sense to develop and quickly implement bold solutions to global warming.
He is the architect of both the AIA’s position statement and the US Conference of Mayor’s Resolution #50 adopting The 2030 °Challenge as a means of dramatically reducing building sector greenhouse-gas emissions.
I was lucky enough to hear Mr Mazria talk at the building energy 07 conference put on by NESEA (north east sustainable energy assoc.) It was sobering and inspirational, you can find a run down of it here.
His ideas are desperately needed in this world, and I hope that everyone perks up and listens.
|
<urn:uuid:1d1275b6-fea0-455c-9d88-0bcae1dc3be5>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/006509.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00052-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.956216
| 1,126
| 2.09375
| 2
|
Sweet summer treats; early retirement; world’s best web designer and world’s smallest owl; more.
1 | Desert Tails
In chaparral, creosote-bush and sagebrush desert, pinyon-juniper woodlands, and dry grasslands from southern Nevada to western Mexico, western banded geckos are struggling from their eggshells. You probably won’t find juveniles or adults during daylight unless you turn over rocks and logs. To beat the heat they hunt insects and spiders mostly at night. When a predator seizes the tail of a western banded gecko it will detach and wiggle seductively, potentially allowing the abbreviated lizard to escape. The gecko’s blood vessels snap shut, and a tail will regenerate. But because nutrients are stored in the tail, its loss—especially close to hibernation—can threaten survival. Like other members of the eyelid-gecko subfamily, this species can blink its large eyes, which have vertical, catlike pupils. These features, along with its tendency to stand tall and wave its fleshy tail over its back when it perceives danger, give it an air of refined intelligence—almost as if it were about to sell you insurance.
2 | Early to Bed
Hibernating is the last thing anyone thinks about in mid-summer—unless you’re a thirteen-lined ground squirrel. A few may start as early as July. They’ll dig a burrow that runs below the frost line, plug the entrance, then slow respiration from about 200 breaths per minute to around 20. As the season progresses, their body temperature will drop to just above freezing. Before they awaken in late winter they’ll have lost a third of their weight. Also known as “gophers,” thirteen-lined ground squirrels range from central Canada through the middle two-thirds of the United States. The Gopher State (Minnesota) is named for them, but they derive their more common name from the seven broad, dark-brown stripes alternating with six thin tan bands that extend from nape to tail base. Because the species is best adapted to short-grass prairies, the cropped turf that attends human development has allowed it to vastly expand its range. Look for these handsome, chipmunk-like rodents on sunny days as they pause from feasting on seeds and insects to stand on their hind legs and scan for predators.
3 | Summer Goodies
If there is an essence of high summer, it is the black raspberry, a name shared by two closely related species common in most western and eastern states north of the southern tier. Along roadsides, fencerows, in open woodlands and old pastures, they hang as if set out by some doting spirit to further indulge wildlife and humans already drugged on the ripeness of August. Black raspberries—sweeter but seedier than red raspberries—are delicious eaten plain, on cereal, or in jams. They have long been prescribed as internal and topical medicine. And while their effectiveness for remedying such ailments as gonorrhea and ulcers is debatable, they have been shown to inhibit multiple stages of oral, esophageal, and colon cancer. Black raspberries are at their finest when they have softened and drop easily into one’s palms. Make sure to enlist kids in picking the ripe fruit, firmly instructing them not to eat any. Then, when their buckets are full, ask them why their lips and tongues are purple.
4 | Recycled Tapestries
Hike any woodland path in the East on a summer morning and sooner or later you will feel it on your face. Or, if you’re lucky, you'll see it first. More often than not it will be hung between two trees on a horizontal line, and frequently the tightly spaced parallel lines will sparkle with dew. It is the web of the spined micrathena spider, one of the most beautiful and intricate tapestries in nature. The well-armored artist you see resting belly-up on the web is almost certainly the female, a fact you can confirm if it’s about a half inch in length. The male, about a quarter-inch long and flatter with fewer spines, doesn’t spin webs but does weave a thread into the web of a prospective mate so that he may run out and quickly mate with her. For him there’s no “safe sex,” because his advance is apt to get him killed. Don’t assume that what landed on the back of your neck and is crawling around there is a deer fly. While the spined micrathena spider can’t deliver much of a bite, swat one and you will drive the spines into your flesh. If you see her web before walking into it, stop to admire it because it won’t be there another day. At nightfall she’ll eat it.
5 | Elfin Magic
In the southwestern United States and Mexico sparrow-sized elf owls, the world’s smallest owls, are fledging young from north-facing holes that woodpeckers have excavated in giant saguaros and other cacti, in fence posts and telephone poles, and in such trees as Arizona sycamores, alligator junipers, and cottonwoods. Keep checking the holes and, sooner or later, pale yellow eyes under white brows will stare back at you. Elf owls perch on long, bowed legs. And while they tend to be tame, if you approach one too closely or quickly, it may utter a sharp cheeur, turn its head to the side, and raise a long wing to cover face and breast. Occasionally elf owls have been seen to take small snakes and mammals, but because of their diminutive size they feed almost exclusively on insects and arachnids, including scorpions whose stingers they manage to detach. Look for elf owls around streetlights and well-lit porches as they maneuver in batlike flight, hawking moths and beetles. And listen for them, especially on moonlit nights, as they call to one another with high-pitched whinnies or chuckles. To hear the full repertoire of vocalizations, go to www.xeno-canto.org/species/Micrathene-whitneyi. With the onset of cold weather, elf owls leave the United States to take up winter residence in Mexico.
|
<urn:uuid:e3fd0a27-5969-4f86-9e20-820192eafea8>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.audubonmagazine.org/articles/nature/earth-almanac-6
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00072-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.953182
| 1,358
| 3.015625
| 3
|
A controversial YouTube video showing the Prophet Muhammed in offensive light was circulated in the internet and it sparked off a wide range of protests in many of the Islamic countries in the Middle East and elsewhere, including India. It was also sighted as one of the reasons for the violent attack on the US embassy at Benghazi, Libya killing the US ambassador posted there. The film has been blocked in several countries including parts of India after YouTube refused to pull down the video from their site.
“Whether you can call it a protest is a matter of debate. It comprised of multiple groups with multiple problems and it was a culmination of all those. There were several groups of people protesting who had little idea of what they stood for but in movements like these it is a good way to make your presence felt,” noted sociologist Ashis Nandy told CNN-IBN.
The protests sparked off by the video was also due to an internal set of grievances arising from countries were governments were failing on most counts, said Financial Times’ Mumbai correspondent James Crabtree. He also argued that one should exercise restraint while depicting religious figures who were part of a larger religious identity. But that should not be extended to writers like Salman Rushdie who were only promoting freedom of speech, he added.
However, Amir Raza Hussain, noted theatre personality said, “Freedom of speech should stop when you begin criticising religion. That is because in this part of the world we are more deeply rooted in religion.”
Ashish Nandy however emphasised that God was never held above speech in literature and art in the East. He said, “Throughout our history both Hindu and Muslim gods have been questioned in literature. There is no dearth of literature where there is evidence of a dialogue with God.”
|
<urn:uuid:21d00be9-8292-46df-9dd7-a275e2803946>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.firstpost.com/india/youtube-video-is-freedom-of-speech-above-religion-467247.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.9862
| 366
| 1.984375
| 2
|
CHINA IS POTENTIAL MILITARY COMPETITOR OF U.S.: REPORT
Central News Agency
Washington, Feb. 3 (CNA) China is a potential military competitor likely to counterbalance traditional military advantages enjoyed by the United States, according to the Quadrennial Defense Review Report released Friday by the U.S. Department of Defense. "Of the major and emerging powers, China has the greatest potential to compete militarily with the United States and field disruptive military technologies that could over time offset traditional U.S. military advantages," the report said.
China has sped up its military modernization since the mid-to-late 1990s in response to central leadership demands to develop military options against scenarios concerning Taiwan, according to the report.
China continues to invest heavily in its military to improve its ability to project power beyond its borders, with the country's defense spending increasing by more than 10 percent every year since 1996 except 2003, the report said. "The pace and scope of China's military build-up already puts regional military balances at risk," it said.
According to the report, China is likely to continue making large investments in high-end, asymmetric military capabilities, emphasizing electronic and cyber-warfare; counter-space operations; ballistic and cruise missiles; advanced integrated air defense systems; next generation torpedoes; advanced submarines; strategic nuclear strike from modern, sophisticated land- and sea-based systems; and theater unmanned aerial vehicles for employment by the Chinese military and for global export.
It said the United States will seek to encourage China to choose a path of peaceful economic growth and political liberalization, rather than military threat and intimidation.
The United States will also seek to ensure that no foreign power can dictate the terms of regional or global security and will attempt to dissuade any military competitor from developing disruptive or other capabilities that could enable regional hegemony or hostile action against the United States or other friendly countries, it added.
(By Oliver Lin and Y.F. Low)
|Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list|
|
<urn:uuid:a9932bba-bcd6-4db6-90ad-6e3234c21859>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/china/2006/china-060204-cna01.htm
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.93847
| 419
| 1.757813
| 2
|
Saturday, May 26, 2007
The Dangers of Being Hated
We are asked to consider providing advice to the new American president who will be sworn in on January 20, 2009. The Bush administration has pursued a war on terror for over five years. On the basis of its track record, what changes should now be considered?
There are instances when statments of the essence of justice, as the US is intended to mean and be it, inspire. This is an instance. A tender loveliness which is witness to the truly humane.
Though very young during those years, I recall "Ike". Then TVs were black-and-white, and "Ike" was a pasty white person with pasty white hair and pasty white, irisless eyes, like Little Orphan Annie.
He told everyone to worship in the church of their choice -- then played golf when he should have been in church.
I was 12 when JFK ran for president, and being from Massachusetts, and a Catholic (or so my mother believed), naturally supported him.
During the last six years, though, I've encountered an increasing number of quotes from "Ike," beyond that concerning the military-industrial complex, and I am impressed. Beyond impressed, trobuled that our country has lost its way, led astray by "Ike"'s party. When did winning matter before all else, without regard for means, become the rule for that party? When did it begin putting itself before Constitution and country? When did it begin to claim it, and the United States, are identical and inseparable -- and everyone else is anti-American?
I, for one, am beyond fed up with being threatened by the bullies -- the teorrirsts -- who occupy, and stain, the White House. Now it's down to Bush threatening reporter's children, via his cover story. When will our shared revulsion for the moral deparavity, the tyranny, Bush, et al., present as necessary for the defense of freedom be such that we no longer discuss its legal terms as a cordial academic legal exercise in theory and instead recognize our passive complicty and therefore act in accordance with our system of laws, and not of men, and do that the Constitution prescribed when the system is subverted by traitors?
How long shall we apologize to the world, and plead helplessness, before shame drives us to take approrpiate action, in keeping with the rule of law of which we boast?
Are you kidding me?! What about the "terrorists" you mentioned who, according to your definition, I guess occupied and stained the White House too? Eisenhower WON World War II by "terrorizing" Germany. President Kennedy authorized "terrorism" as well in Cuba and Vietnam. Of course, we know what President Johnson did with the latter. Don't even get me started on FDR and Truman fire-bombing Tokyo, and when that "terror" didn't work, nuking Hiroshima and Nagasaki. You were fine with DEMOCRATS "terrorizing" innocent civilians, right?
Finally, are you really serious about Bush pointing out to David Gregory that his own children are at risk from REAL terrorists is actually a "cover story" for the President of the United States issuing a veiled threat? You probably think Bush planted demolitions at the World Trade Center then too, right?
You were fine with DEMOCRATS "terrorizing" innocent civilians, right?
So your theory is that the more wrongs we commit, the more right we become?
Charles, thank you for sharing your boundless ignorance with us.
If we ever need to not know something, you'll be the first to get the call.
The mention of the Emperor Caligula is interesting. Caligula is said to have named his favorite horse as Consul to the Senate.
George W. Doofus's favorite horse's ass now presides over the Senate.
In the last six years, America has suffered a very grave series of reputation setbacks. America is now at the lowest point it has ever occupied in the world’s esteem...
Should we be concerned about this? In my mind the answer is clear. We are creating a progressively more dangerous world – more dangerous for everybody, but especially for Americans.
Not only is this allegation demonstrably false, but Mr. Horton is slandering his country in front of a foreign audience at a conference largely dedicated to slandering the US. The fact that Mr. Horton is slandering his country under the rubric of a speech bemoaning the damaged reputation of our country would be delicious irony if the act itself was not so reprehensible.
In reality, the world has become progressively safer for our civilians since we finally joined the war that al Qaeda had been waging against us for 8 years prior to 9/11. This conference opposes this war and instead proposes to again treat al Qaeda as a simple civilian criminal justice matter - the approach which brought us 9/11 and several attacks prior to that date.
At some point, a commentator on Fox News will say “Let them hate us, so long as they fear us.” The commentator will probably present this as a saying of Niccolò Machiavelli, Florence’s great political theorist... we should recall that this statement is not Machiavelli’s – it comes from the Emperor Caligula, a man who has secured his reputation in the United States through pornographic movies. Hardly a figure worthy of being emulated by the leader of a modern democratic state, much less a Family Values Republican.
Comparing his country to Caligula's Rome based on a quotation, which he attributes in a fantasy alternatively to a Fox commentator and Mr. Bush, is Mr. Horton's second grotesque slander.
This attitude of Machiavelli’s is not so far from that of America’s Founding Fathers. In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote of a “decent respect to the opinions of mankind"...
This is the same Thomas Jefferson which sent the Navy and Marines into the Barbary States to war on and defeat the states which sponsored the naval terrorism of his day. While Jefferson is arguably the antithesis of Caligula, his policies dealing with the Barbary Pirates are very reminiscent of the current policies of the United States dealing with al Qaeda and its allies - which Mr. Horton and many of the fellow participants in the conference oppose.
These developments are the foreseeable consequence of the Bush administration’s policies. What is the antidote to them? I see in our recent past an excellent model which very effectively addresses these issues. The model I look to is Dwight David Eisenhower’s...Eisenhower said “Though force can protect in emergency, only justice, fairness, consideration, and cooperation can finally lead men to the dawn of eternal peace.” He was committed to caution in wielding our nation’s great military power, and careful deliberation and hesitancy before intervening with violence in the affairs of other countries.
When he was President, Eisenhower was blessed with a time where no foreign militaries were attacking the United States. However, when Eisenhower was the Allied Commander in Europe, he had no trouble waging a total war against the Nazis which included killing hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians in the course of liberating the same nations whom now disapprove of us liberating another 50 million people in Afghanistan and Iraq.
And the turn away from justice has been the essential failing of American foreign policy in the first years of this century...In a word, it is normalcy – do we treat our enemies the same way we would treat another person accused of the same wrongdoing? Are we going to mete out a different flavor of justice to people from across the world who have brown skin and practice Islam than the flavor of justice we ordinarily dispense?...
The policies developed by the current administration bear both badges of injustice – namely special rules crafted for a particular group, and an historically unprecedented level of politicization of prosecutions, which has now culminated in a major, and – to those who followed the management of legal maneuvering in the war on terror – unsurprising scandal.
The claim that that the United States is treating al Qaeda and Taliban unlawful combatants as unlawful combatants because we are racist and intolerant of Islam is Mr. Horton's third gross slander in this speech. As we have previously discussed in this forum, Lincoln ordered that captured Confederate unlawful enemy combatants - all of whom were white - be summarily executed with none of the due process rights which the DTA and the MCA extend to "brown Islamic" al Qeada unlawful combatants.
I do not reject the war paradigm. I reject the notion that we have to choose between the war paradigm and the criminal-justice paradigm. In fact we must follow both – that is, there are circumstances plainly governed by the war paradigm – the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, for instance; and there are situations which plainly are covered by the criminal justice paradigm...
Consequently what is a nonstarter: Guantánamo, by which I mean the series of practices now condemned around the world and recently described by Spain’s Supreme Court as a “legal black hole” and a “lawless place.”
Huh? Mr. Horton recognizes that Iraq and Afghanistan fall into the category of war and then argues that we should treat the enemy prisoners taken in those wars and held in Gitmo as civilian criminal justice suspects.
The United States has never treated the detention of captured enemy combatants for the duration of a war as a criminal justice matter.
The fact that Mr. Horton argues for treating wartime enemy captures at Gitmo as civilian criminal suspects belies his claim that he does not reject the war paradigm.
The major issue remains highly coercive interrogation techniques. Does it not bear testimony to the malicious resilience of this Administration that today, three years after the disclosure of the Abu Ghraib scandal, this remains the case?
The comparison of the CIA's coercive interrogation techniques with the criminal sexual abuse perpetrated by members of an Army reserve unit at Abu Ghraib is Mr. Horton's fourth gross slander of the United States. The CIA's coercive interrogation techniques do not include any of the sexual abuse which went on in Abu Ghraib and, therefore, could not have been the source of the crimes perpetrated there.
This approach gains us the justified contempt of the world and of our oldest allies. Many of them now turn away from cooperation with us in the fight against terrorism – and that is a victory for the terrorists and a serious weakening of a strength we have come to depend upon.
Really? Name one instance where our allies have refused to cooperate with the US in the fight against terrorism because of our low poll approval ratings in their countries? Indeed, our allies are often seeking our cooperation to deal with the terrorism in their countries, a threat which largely does not exist in our country.
You seem confused. Mr. Horton is not talking about the United States. For instance, I am an American, and I do not run Guantanamo. Neither do the bulk of Americans.
He is talking about the Bush administration. If you want to write "slander the Bush Administration", then we can have a discussion. But the Bush Administration is not "the United States". Indeed, the fundamental problem with you is that you read the principal "La etat, cest moi" into American law, when it appears nowhere in our Constitution or our traditions.
Slandering the country in order to score partisan political points does not make the slander any less egregious. Arguably, such a shallow motive would make the slander worse.
DePalma v. Horton is not even a fair fight; someone tie Horton's hands behind his back, okay?
Not only is this allegation demonstrably false
"Demonstrably"? Demonstrate, then.
a conference largely dedicated to slandering the US
And BDP knows this how?
In reality, the world has become progressively safer for our civilians
How safe were we on 9/10/2001?
Comparing his country to Caligula's Rome based on a quotation
Confidential to Bart: WE CAN READ. The comparison was of Caligula to Bush; that does not imply a comparison of America to Rome (as if that would be shocking, but regardless). I have to assume that you *can't* read, b/c it would be pointlessly stupid for you to lie.
he had no trouble waging a total war against the Nazis which included killing hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians
I guess BDP cannot grasp the notion that Eisenhower might have learned something from his experience other than "let's do that again!" (And Eisenhower did a great deal to rein in Bomber Command, which resisted him tooth & nail.)
The claim that that the United States is treating al Qaeda and Taliban unlawful combatants as unlawful combatants because we are racist and intolerant of Islam is Mr. Horton's third gross slander in this speech.
The CIA's coercive interrogation techniques do not include any of the sexual abuse which went on in Abu Ghraib and, therefore, could not have been the source of the crimes perpetrated there.
Since the secret memo detailing the permissible techniques *remains* secret, BDP's knowledge is remarkable. We know of sexual abuse at Gitmo (on a smaller scale), and we know that Gitmo techniques migrated and morphed in the wake of MAJGEN Miller.
Name one instance where our allies have refused to cooperate with the US in the fight against terrorism because of our low poll approval ratings in their countries?
Spain? Other ex-members of the Coalition of the Willing?
One could further fisk BDP's rant, but of course I'm not responding for his benefit -- I just don't want anyone unacclimated to his distortions to come away from this thread thinking he's on to something. (Hint: anytime BDP says something's been resolved in other thread's, he's right -- resolved *against* his position.)
The comparison was of Caligula to Bush
If Bush = Caligula, then I guess AGAG = Caligula's horse.
And as John Randolph of Roanoake said, "Never were abilities so much below mediocrity so well rewarded, no not when Caligula’s horse was made consul."
Nobody commits so ugly a crime against country than to mindlessly praise its every misstep and to deny existence of all wrongdoing. No more foul a traitor can be found in its borders, nor so deceptive an agent of the weakening of its strengths.
Bitswapper echoes a Schopenhauer quote that Horton himself posted a while back:
The cheapest form of pride by contrast is national pride. For it betrays in the person imprisoned by it an absence of the individual qualities of which he could be proud, in favor of those he is prepared to share with so many millions. A person endowed with valuable personal merits would rather understand the defects of his own nation, and keep them constantly and clearly before his own eyes. But that poor wretch who has nothing in the world of which he can be proud, will always seize upon the crudest basis for pride, the nation to which he belongs. In so doing he commits himself to defend all the failings and foolishness which characterize it with his every word and deed.
—- Arthur Schopenhauer, Aphorismen zur Lebensweisheit, ch iv in Schopenhauers Sämmtliche Werke in fünf Bänden, vol. 4, p. 242 (S.H. transl.)
It is more sadness than hate very often (at lest in my case). "Children of Abraham" was a term a friend from Nigeria once used. It is not only a problem HOW the US fight, it is also a problem WHAT they fight for. Somalia is a nice example. Ok, I am starting to hate "asswholes" in that case too and I would include Obama in such a case as well.Post a Comment
|
<urn:uuid:a150f4ec-9989-4984-ad2d-6ec506e4f55a>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://balkin.blogspot.com/2007/05/dangers-of-being-hated.html?showComment=1180310700000
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.964203
| 3,322
| 1.59375
| 2
|
Oregon governor to sample the 'food stamp challenge'
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published April 22, 2007
SALEM, Ore. - Gov. Ted Kulongoski and his wife are used to eating the best their bountiful state has to offer: fresh salmon, huckleberries and mushrooms foraged from the Cascade Mountains.
Next week will be different. They'll spend just $3 a day each on their meals, $42 in all, to match the amount spent by the average food stamp recipient in Oregon.
"My wife came up to me and said, 'Either you or the dog is going on a diet. I lost,' " Kulongoski quipped. Kulongoski and his wife, Mary Oberst, are the highest-profile people yet to take part in a "food stamp challenge," a trend sponsored by religious groups, community activists and food pantries across the country. The goal is to walk the proverbial mile in the steps of those who rely on food stamps to feed a family, to kindle awareness and empathy.
The challenge comes at a politically delicate juncture for the food stamp program. The Bush administration has proposed several cuts, among them taking away food stamps from about 185,000 people because they receive other noncash government assistance.
The Department of Agriculture budget, as proposed, would also eliminate a program that gives boxes of food to nearly half a million seniors each month.
Kulongoski, a Democrat, plans to lobby Congress to restore the proposed funding cuts.
|
<urn:uuid:7111575f-0a3a-4912-af73-3c49fc24cf95>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/04/22/news_pf/Worldandnation/Oregon_governor_to_sa.shtml
|
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
| 0.970678
| 314
| 1.507813
| 2
|
Event logs, as they occur in practice and research, can take a plethora of different forms and instantiations. Every system architecture that includes some sort of logging mechanism has so far developed their own, insular solution for this task. XES is an XML-based standard for event logs. Its purpose is to provide a generally-acknowledged format for the interchange of event log data between tools and application domains. Its primary purpose is for process mining, i.e. the analysis of operational processes based on their event logs. However, XES has been designed to also be suitable for general data mining, text mining, and statistical analysis. When designing the XES standard, the following goals have been used as guiding principles.
Use the simplest possible way to represent information. XES logs should be easy to parse and to generate, and they should be equally well human-readable. In designing this standard, care has been taken to take a pragmatic route wherever that benefits an ease of implementation.
The XES standard should be able to capture event logs from any background, no matter what the application domain or IT support of the observed process. Thus, XES aims to look beyond process mining and business processes, and strives to be a general standard for event log data.
It must be easy to add to the standard in the future. Extension of the standard should be as transparent as possible, while maintaining backward and forward compatibility. In the same vein, it must be possible to extend the standard for special requirements, e.g. for specific application domains, or for specific tool implementations.
While striving for a generic format, event logs serialized in XES should encounter as little loss of information as possible. Thus, all information elements must be strongly typed, and there must be a generic method to attach human-interpretable semantics to them.
Since XES strives to be a generic interchange format, only those elements which can be identified in virtually any setting are explicitly defined by the standard. All further information is deferred to optional attributes, which may be standardized (in terms of their semantics) by external extensions.
|
<urn:uuid:fc6e43a1-2ca1-45d9-8c67-ae6d4ff5cac4>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.xes-standard.org/doku.php/wiki:syntax
|
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
| 0.936137
| 426
| 2.265625
| 2
|
- About Extension
- Get Involved
- Statewide Locations
Nyssa schools and SMILE students design native plant outdoor classroom
January 20, 2012
NYSSA, Ore. – The Native Plant Outdoor Classroom that has sprung up on the grounds of the Nyssa School District is a tribute to conservation of water and the historic importance of native plants to Native Americans.
The builders of the outdoor classroom, about 60 students in the SMILE club, as well as 12 teachers and several volunteers, began the project when they dug up turf from the school ground lawns and created a triangular-shaped garden with a base of 14 feet.
"Their work has enhanced their understanding of design principles, teamwork and project management," said Barbara Brody, Oregon State University 4-H Extension agent for Malheur County.
SMILE stands for Science and Math Investigative Learning Experiences. It is a partnership between OSU 4-H and 14 Oregon school districts to provide science and math enrichment for under-represented and other underserved students in grades 4–12.
Before they began the project, the students took a trip to the Idaho Botanical Garden's Lewis and Clark Native Plant Garden to get design ideas and collect research about native plants.
The SMILE teachers and youth worked together with the school district administration, groundskeepers and native plant experts to select a garden space. The next step was to develop a design plan that includes enriched soil, extended irrigation, walkways and rock "hardscaping." They purchased more than 40 water-wise native plants and developed interpretive signs.
The Native Plant Outdoor Classroom has become a walking field trip for high school environmental science classes and the district's after-school enrichment program, as well as for classroom teachers who want to enhance student learning about drought-resistant gardens.
Ken Dickey, Nyssa High School chemistry teacher and high school SMILE coordinator, said the Native Plant Outdoor Classroom is a model of native landscaping for anyone seeking drought resistant alternatives to traditional lawns.
"In addition, the geology classes have moved in several large stones and intend to move even larger ones," he said. "They are native rocks and will be labeled with signs, just as the plants are."
"We have also gathered seeds to try propagating plants in the spring," Dickey said. "That will be a great cycle to watch from beginning to end." The completed Native Plant Outdoor Classroom is a legacy of the project that he expects will be long-lasting.
Source: Barbara Brody
|
<urn:uuid:37c53e0e-2ff6-413b-899f-43256ebda57c>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/release/2012/01/nyssa-schools-and-smile-students-design-native-plant-outdoor-classroom
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00052-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.963974
| 525
| 3.15625
| 3
|
Ulan Buh Desert
Wulanbu means red bulls in Mongolian. It is in the junction of Alashan Meng and Bayanzuoer Meng of Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region. It is with Lang Mountain to its north, the Yellow River to its east, Helan Mountain to its south and Jilantai salt lake to its west, occupying an area of 10,000 square kilometers. It belongs to central temperate arid climate and the change of diurnal temperature is very large. The south of the desert is quicksandy; many ridge-shaped dunes are in the middle part; and some semifixed dunes and anchored dunes are located in the north part. People began to control the forest here in large-scale after liberation and built a sand shifting control forest belt that is 300-400 meters in width and 175 kilometers in length. Trees have been planted to fix the sand within 5 kilometers of the both sides of the forest belt to control the desert moving towards the east. Besides planting trees and flowers, over 200,000-mu arable lands were reclaimed. Enough sunshine duration and widely scattered lakes make it an ideal place for go sightseeing, desert research and riding camels.
|
<urn:uuid:e9d4484a-9841-436c-92e5-424b171e07b5>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.chinatravel.com/wuhai-attraction/ulan-buh-desert/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00051-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.955606
| 247
| 2.4375
| 2
|
Attorney General Eric Holder deviated from his prepared remarks during a speech before the NAACP on Tuesday and called voter ID laws “poll taxes.”
“Under the proposed law, concealed handgun licenses would be acceptable forms of photo ID, but student IDs would not,” Holder said, referring specifically to the voter ID law passed in Texas. “Many of those without IDs would have to travel great distances to get them, and some would struggle to pay for the documents they might need to obtain them. We call those poll taxes.”
That last line was not part of Holder’s prepared remarks released to the press.
Holder has been very critical of voter ID laws in the past, but this appears to be the first time he’s gone as far as to compare them to the Jim Crow-era effort to purposefully disenfranchise African-Americans.
Video of Holder’s remarks below.
|
<urn:uuid:5e43256e-f409-45a9-b50b-825d25de58b0>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/07/eric_holder_calls_voter_id_poll_taxes.php?ref=fpb
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.978333
| 190
| 1.835938
| 2
|
Taman languagesArticle Free Pass
Taman languages, group of languages that form part of the Eastern Sudanic branch of the Nilo-Saharan language family. Tama and Sungor (or Erenga) are spoken on either side of the border between Chad and The Sudan, and Mararit is spoken in Chad.
What made you want to look up "Taman languages"? Please share what surprised you most...
|
<urn:uuid:0136caa2-aec1-49b9-a076-1df3d179c660>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/851488/Taman-languages
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00072-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.934701
| 87
| 2.59375
| 3
|
After the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, it became common to proclaim in the press that there aren't actually any average differences between the Nilotic Tutsis and the Bantu Hutus, that Tutsis don't actually tend to be taller than Hutus, that these perceptions are just some sort of mass delusion socially constructed by Belgian colonists.
I can understand why the Tutsi minority that has ruled Rwanda for the last 17 years, and has ruled the Hutu majority in neighboring Burundi for the last half century, wants to propagate a myth intended not only to keep them unchopped up, but also keep them in power undemocratically. But having never felt the urge to chop up a Tutsi, I don't feel much compulsion to believe it, just as I don't feel the compulsion to avoid noticing that most of the people in the news in recent decades in Mexico (e.g., Vicente Fox, Jorge Castaneda, Carlos Slim, or Subcomandante Marcos) don't appear to be terribly Indian by ancestry, even thought the Mexican ruling class made up the La Raza Cosmic ideology/mythology in the 1920s to prevent further race wars.
Razib Khan decided to check out the genetics of this assertion, so he looked for a volunteer for his genetics project. He eventually found somebody who was 3/4th Tutsi and 1/4th Hutu. Sure enough, even with a sample size of N=0.75, he can see that Tutsis show up as different than Bantus.
Still, that raises the question of how in a culture with some degree of intermarriage over the last 500 years, can you still have somewhat distinct Tutsis and Hutus. I think an instructive analog for Rwanda is Mexico. Both were invaded by taller people about 500 years ago. Despite twenty or so generations of intermarriage, taller people still tend to rule there. (E.g., the previous president of Mexico is 6’5″). In my movie review of “Hotel Rwanda,” I explained a likely mechanism for these patterns:
Unfortunately, the screenplay aims at self-absorbed white liberals who think all Africans look alike and that white racism is the root of all evil. The script even claims that it’s merely a white myth that Tutsis tend to be taller than Hutus, asserting that the Belgian imperialists arbitrarily assigned those identities to random Rwandans. Yet, soon the Hutu Power radio station is broadcasting the prearranged code to begin exterminating the Tutsis: “Cut down the tall trees.”
Rwanda’s true history is more instructive. The medium-height Bantu Hutu farmers arrived 2,000 years ago and drove the pygmoid hunter-gatherer Twa into the forests. Then, about the time of Cortez, the tall, slender Tutsi herdsmen invaded from the north and, according to Gary Brecher, the acerbic “War Nerd” columnist, “claimed all the land, on the legal basis that if you objected they’d kill you.”
The Tutsi rulers treated the Hutu peasantry with the same contempt the Norman lords display toward the Saxon yeomen in Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe. Commenting on Rwanda’s “indigenous racism,” Congo-born sociologist Pierre L. van den Berghe reported that the Tutsis, like other aristocracies, saw themselves as “astute in political intrigue, born to command, refined, courageous, and cruel.”
The Tutsi ascendancy resembled the white pre-eminence in Latin America. Intermarriage was frequent, yet physical differences between the classes endured, just as they have in Mexico, where despite five centuries of intermarrying, the elite remains much taller and fairer than the masses. The trick is that Mexico’s most successful short, dark men often wed tall, blonde women and have more European-looking offspring, thus replenishing the caste system.
Likewise, in “Hotel Rwanda,” Cheadle’s ultra-competent Hutu executive is married to a Tutsi beauty who is taller and fairer than he is. (She’s played by Sophie Okonedo, whose mother is a Jewish Englishwoman.)
I gotta say, that while I have my weaknesses as a movie reviewer, I don't think too many other critics offer novel explanations for major global conundrums in the course of reviewing the Movie of the Week.
|
<urn:uuid:68119a43-1190-48a0-9f52-a443a9e27c23>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://isteve.blogspot.com/2011/09/tutsi-and-hutu.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.954026
| 957
| 2.078125
| 2
|
david.syer at googlemail.com
Wed Oct 27 01:43:25 BST 2010
> That said, what is the intended model for retry? I don't see a "delayed
> retry" being part of AMQP.
Neither do I. AMQP gives you redelivery of unacked messages. That's
as far as we expect it to take us for now. Rabbit happens to re-queue
unacked messages at the *back* of the queue, which gives you some
useful delay in practice under load, but not if volume is low.
We have a retry abstraction in Spring Batch, and it has moved to
Spring Commons so that Spring Data can use it for JDBC connection
retry in an Oracle cluster. The Batch piece is used heavily by at
least one large client I know of purely to handle delayed retry (with
JMS in that case, but the idea is the same). From Rabbit's point of
view I'dsay this is an "application" concern, but there are higher
level frameworks like the Spring family that can help to take the pain
out of implementing such concerns. Spring AMQP could use Spring
Commons to implement a stateful retry (e.g. with a delay). Out of the
box it is likely to use simple Java Thread APIs (e.g. sleeping) which
is best for short delays. For longer delays of the sort that Jon was
talking about in that other thread you mentioned, we would need to
think about scheduling, triggers and persistence (all of which are
ingredients in existing Spring frameworks, so no reason why it
wouldn't be do-able - but maybe not the first thing we do).
Anyway, to summarize, if you want the AMQP behaviour (unacked message
= "rolled back" in Spring transaction terms, and re-delivered) you
will get that with no effort from Spring AMQP 1.0.0.M2. More
complicated retry patterns will come later, and/or require some custom
components (e.g. implementation of retry policy or retry operations).
More information about the rabbitmq-discuss
|
<urn:uuid:2098f43e-61e9-4e5a-9d0e-76525dc60037>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://lists.rabbitmq.com/pipermail/rabbitmq-discuss/2010-October/009646.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.924937
| 474
| 1.734375
| 2
|
By Colin Goddard
Trayvon Martin, Gabrielle Giffords, The Virginia Tech 32, The Columbine 13. Reagan, JFK. All shot by people who shouldn't have had access to guns.
After each of these tragedies, leading politicians have said, basically, "Now is not the time to talk about gun policy."
Last year, House Speaker John Boehner said it a nanosecond after the attack on Congresswoman Giffords and the others in Arizona.
The fact is, the tragedies that make national headlines represent only a small fraction of the thousands of deaths that occur every year at hands of people who never should have had guns. It is easier to take home a gun in our country than an adopted dog from a shelter.
Convicted felons, domestic abusers, the dangerously mentally ill, even terrorists, can buy guns in most states through gun shows or private sales over the internet with no background check whatsoever.
If Speaker Boehner knew firsthand what it was like to lose a loved one because of one of these people who never should have had a gun, would he think differently? Would it then be time to talk about gun policy?
On Monday, I'm going to try to meet with Speaker Boehner, and as many Members of Congress as I can. I want to ask simple questions like, "Do you think a convicted felon should be able to buy, carry or use a gun anywhere in our nation?"
I'll be joined by 31 of my friends, friends who I probably wouldn't have ever met except that they, too, were victims of guns in the hands of dangerous people who never should have had them. I've written to the Speaker (and other Congressional leaders) asking to meet. As of this point I've heard he's too busy.
I was shot four times at Virginia Tech -- five years ago this coming Monday, April 16. It's a sickening and surreal feeling, to be lying on the floor, hearing a constant BANG! BANG! BANG!, feeling the warmth your own blood, smelling what smells like fireworks on the 4th of July. It's absolutely terrifying, and it's nothing like you see glorified in movies.
I talk about it at length in a documentary about the shooting called Living for 32 that is going to be watched at more than 32 colleges and universities Monday evening, and I'll be discussing my experience after the movie in a livestreamed Q and A with NBC News' Luke Russert.
After the fourth shot, the shooter must have thought he got me, so he moved on. Seconds later, he shot himself, but I didn't learn that until the SWAT team stormed the room.
What does it say about Mr. Boehner if he, as the Speaker of "The People's House" will not meet with me and 31 other victims of gun violence to discuss how our tragedies might have been prevented?
I know the Speaker has met with people from the gun industry and their lobbyists at the NRA -- the House recently passed a bill to force every state to allow in people carrying loaded, concealed guns from every other state -- your own state requirements be damned.
Is Mr. Boehner scared to face the consequences of his actions, or complete lack thereof, as he has done the bidding of the gun lobby? Does he just want to sweep us under the carpet? We know he is an emotional guy. Might facing the real human toll of his political expediency force him to rethink his actions? Or might it just be embarrassing?
We must demand change now. We can't wait for another mass-shooting -- another "Breaking News" banner with people crying, ambulances screaming, flowers piling, then candles lighting. And, given the reaction of Congress I wouldn't count on them to do anything no matter how horrific the next tragedy might be.
That's why we need to take matters into our own hands. We can't hope for something to change anymore. We have to make it change. We have to put the realities of what happens when dangerous people have easy access to guns right in their face.
Every day in America, 32 people are murdered by guns. That's a "Virginia Tech" happening in our nation every single day. That's why there will be 32 of us walking the halls of Congress next week. But we will not just be there speaking for ourselves and our lost loved ones. We will be speaking for all of the 30,000 Americans who are lost to guns every year -- all of their families loved ones and communities -- all Americans who are sick and tired of living with the preventable tragedy of gun violence in our nation and who demand accountability from our elected leaders to end it.
Mr. Speaker, we're coming over to your office this week, and the offices of many of your colleagues. If you think it's not "appropriate" to talk about gun violence during the week that marks both Virginia Tech and Columbine -- the worst shootings in our country's history -- then when would it be for you?
Follow Colin and Andrew Goddard on Twitter: www.twitter.com/clgoddard
|
<urn:uuid:4a3dea6f-201f-4d53-ac03-daad324745f9>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/colin-and-andrew-goddard/john-boehner-gun-control_b_1426726.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.9772
| 1,041
| 1.835938
| 2
|
by Dave Preston
A story that made national headlines this week portrays police as frustrated with the lack of response from firefighters to the Trepanier Fire.
The September 9 fire started in high winds near Trepanier Road and Hwy. 97C, growing in size quickly. It led to the evacuation of more than 1,500 residents and destroyed four homes.
The story by the Canadian Press and appearing in newspapers coast to coast on Monday relies heavily on recordings of RCMP radio transmissions. It suggests a slow response to what was ultimately one of the fire season’s worst events in B.C.
Officials tell PeachlandNews.com that it is the problem of crossing jurisdictional boundaries that caused any perceived delay.
Widely reported as starting shortly after 3 p.m., the Trepanier Fire was actually first reported seven minutes before 3 o’clock.
It took 17 minutes and 21 seconds for the first firefighter to arrive on scene. He was an officer from the Wildfire Management Branch sent to assess the situation.
At 31 minutes, 47 seconds after the fire was reported, a helicopter was on scene bucketing.
Peachland fire trucks were at the Trepanier Fire 41 minutes into the event. It is not known when the first forestry firefighters arrived on scene.
Forestry officials pinpointed the starting point of the Trepanier Fire as just a few metres south of Trepanier Road, near the on-ramp to Hwy. 97C and very close to Trepanier Regional Park.
The starting point is 2.6 kilometres down Trepanier Road from Peachland’s municipal boundary in an unincorporated area of the Regional District of Central Okanagan — an area that does not have a fire department and does not have an agreement with the District of Peachland for fire protection.
PeachlandNews.com has pieced together a timeline using archived recordings of the main Central Okanagan RCMP radio channel, information provided by the Wildfire Management Branch and data from Jason Brolund, the Central Okanagan’s emergency program coordinator.
The Trepanier Fire – Response Timeline
(Times below refer to time of day (2:53:00 p.m.) and time since incident start 0:00:00.)
2:53:00 p.m. | 0:00:00
It begins at 2:53 p.m., when two RCMP officers are on Hwy. 97C, the Connector. The two officers talk to each other on their radios.
“Was that smoke there when we came up?” says the first officer.
“Ah 10-4, I’m going to go down to it,” says the second officer.
“Yeah that just happened.”
“It will be off Trepanier there.”
At the same time, fire dispatch in Kelowna receives two 911 calls, one from a citizen and another from a police officer.
2:55:00 p.m. | 0:02:00
Kelowna fire dispatch reports the fire to the Wildfire Management Branch.
2:55:06 p.m. | 0:02:06
A police dispatcher contacts officers at the fire.
“Charlie 7 they’re just asking the size of it,” stated the dispatcher.
“Large enough that they gotta get forestry onto this. It’s about 50 feet by 50 feet.”
2:56:14 p.m. | 0:03:14
Minutes after the fire is noticed, a Mountie expresses his feelings about not being able to do anything.
“…feel helpless here. We’re just <unintelligible> watching.”
Police dispatch notifies the officers on scene that the fire is outside the fire protection area for Peachland Fire and Rescue Service and that PFRS has advised forestry (Wildfire Management Branch).
“It’s catching on the trees here,” says an officer.
“They seemed to be already aware of it when I called so I think that forestry is also aware,” says the police dispatcher.
2:58:23 p.m. | 0:05:23
Police close the exit ramp from Hwy. 97C to Trepanier Road.
3:01:42 p.m. | 0:08:42
“We’re going to need more help. The fire is really starting to move and we got houses that are real close,” says an officer.
3:02:01 p.m. | 0:09:01
An officer asks dispatch to confirm foresty is on its way.
“We need to notify hydro because we got some powerlines that are going to go up,” he said. “It’s moving toward this first home, which is not too far down the road.”
3:05:41 p.m. | 0:12:41
An officer says over the radio, “It’s moving my way about a metre every 30 seconds. Two metres.”
3:09:04 p.m. | 0:16:04
An officer says he is going to Star Place to stop traffic and turn everyone back.
3:09:35 p.m. | 0:16:35
The police dispatcher informs the on-scene officers that forestry is aware of the fire and hydro has been called.
An officer asks if there is an ETA for forestry firefighters. The dispatcher answers, “10-10,” meaning negative.
“Can you relay to them the importance of this before it gets out of hand?” asks the officer.
3:10:21 p.m. | 0:17:21
An officer talks to another officer on the radio. “Charlie 50 from 5, I just had a pickup truck come up. He’s from forestry and he just told me that they’re sitting in the hanger waiting for them to come see whether… they were to get on this. I don’t know where it fell apart here but anyway they’re going to be taking off from the hanger in a few seconds here.”
3:10:46 p.m. | 0:17:46
“It’s right into the trees now Steve. She’s going full bore now,” says an officer.”
3:15:38 p.m. | 0:22:38
An officer says over te radio, “Looks like we got our first Peachland truck on scene here.”
It is unknown where the officer was when he saw the Peachland fire truck or what type of truck the officer saw.
3:22:00 p.m. | 0:29:00
The first bucketing helicopter is en route to the fire, according to forestry.
3:24:00 p.m. | 0:31:00
A full scale evacuation of Star Place and along Trepanier Road is now in progress. RCMP officers on scene are conducting the evacuation.
3:24:47 p.m. | 0:31:47
Police notify dispatch that a helicopter is on scene and bucketing the fire.
3:27:00 p.m. | 0:34:00
The forestry officer on scene officially asks for assistance from Peachland Fire and Rescue.
3:31:00 p.m. | 0:38:00
Peachland Fire Rescue sends Squad 21 (bush truck) and Tender 21 (water hauler) to the regional district side of the fire. The fire department’s two engines are sent to the Peachland side of the fire.
3:34:00 p.m. | 0:41:00
The first Peachland fire truck arrives on scene.
3:52:00 p.m. | 0:59:00
Bruce Smith, communications coordinator for the regional district, receives a call that the Emergency Operations Centre is being activated.
3:59:00 p.m. | 1:06:00
A forestry bird dog (spotter) aircraft is overhead.
4:09:02 p.m. | 1:16:02
An officer reports that Trepanier Road has been evacuated east to Cousins Road.
4:16:00 p.m. | 1:23:00
The first load of fire retardant is dropped near the fire, according to forestry.
Even though the Trepanier Fire was clearly headed toward Peachland and growing rapidly, Peachland firefighters were not initially allowed to respond to the fire.
Fire Chief Grant Topham said Tuesday that his department’s vehicles and personnel can only cross into another jurisdiction’s boundaries when asked to by an authorized agency, such as the RCMP or the forestry ministry.
Under no circumstances can firefighters cross jurisdictional boundaries without authorization, according to Peachland CAO Elsie Lemke.
“Primarily it’s for liability reasons,” Lemke said Tuesday.
“Boundaries are there for the same reason why you have property boundaries fom your neighbour,” said Lemke. “You own what’s yours and they own what’s theirs.”
Lemke said unless Peachland firefighters have permissions to go into a non-Peachland area, the firefighters and the District of Peachland end up having no insurance coverage should anything happen. In addition, the district would not have WorkSafe BC coverage.
“We can go outside the area (Peachland fire protection boundary) when we are asked to go,” said Lemke.
The regional district began looking at asking Peachland to provide fire protection in the Trepanier area in 2010.
Lemke said there was no grant funding available at the time to conduct a detailed study and she has heard nothing more on the subject.
Mayor Keith Fielding refused to criticize the fire response when interviewed by media this week.
In a fact sheet received by PeachlandNews.com Tuesday, the Wildfire Management Branch states, “A letter of understanding between the Wildfire Management Branch and Emergency Management British Columbia ensures the consistent and co‐ordinated suppression of wildfires near populated areas, under a unified command structure. It also allows municipal fire departments to respond to fires outside of their jurisdiction if requested by the Wildfire Management Branch.”
“An initial review by all responding agencies shows an excellent coordinated response. The ministry has received numerous compliments for its fast response to this fire. As is standard with any wildfire of note, the ministry will be reviewing the response to identify any areas for possible improvement,” the fact sheet states.
|
<urn:uuid:b29bf261-246d-4ad8-94b0-309024459de1>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://peachlandnews.com/blog/2012/09/18/officials-trepanier-fire-response-was-excellent/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.951691
| 2,272
| 1.929688
| 2
|
Jewish World Review May 10, 2001 / 17 Iyar 5761
The battle was waged on editorial pages and over the airwaves; People for the American Way unveiled a dedicated nationwide advertising campaign to warn senators about the consequences of voting to confirm their former colleague. More interesting for private philanthropy is the fact that some of the wealthiest and most prominent private foundations in the country underwrote the entrenched interests that went gunning for Ashcroft.
Republicans likened the anti-Ashcroft campaign to a lynch mob, but the characterization is inapt: the groups were far better organized than that. At a packed January 9th meeting in Washington, representatives of some 90 groups—including Planned Parenthood, People for the American Way, the American Bar Association, and staffers from the Democratic congressional caucus—formulated their strategy. It was audacious to suppose that they could convince a majority of Ashcroft’s former Senate colleagues to reject his nomination, but they had to try. How could they wield sufficient influence to stop Ashcroft even as they stayed within IRS requirements that restrict political lobbying by nonprofit groups?
According to National Review Online, legal experts were on hand to explain to attendees how they could “tailor their roles in the stop-Ashcroft movement to make them appear completely within the law,” by characterizing their activities as “research” into Ashcroft’s background.
The groups then set to divvying up the assignments. The National Abortion Rights Action League would lead the charge on “women’s issues,” while People for the American Way would coordinate the campaign. Money was apparently no object: At a January 9th news conference (at which Ashcroft was depicted as soft on hate crimes and even willing to allow rat poison in drinking water), NARAL executive director Kate Michelman declared, “We’re going to spend whatever it takes.” An overall figure is not available, but a similar effort to defeat Robert Bork’s 1987 Supreme Court nomination cost an estimated $10 million.
The groups swung into action, and the early returns were impressive: the anti-Ashcroft campaign dominated the news for several weeks. Errant Democrats were quickly brought into line; when Senator Robert Torricelli of New Jersey praised Ashcroft’s nomination, he was deluged with phone calls from constituents urging a “no” vote. Was this a grassroots swelling of support? Hardly. As the Wall Street Journal reported, a “dozen volunteers settled into phones at NARAL’s headquarters to call New Jersey abortion rights supporters and urge them to pressure the senator.”
In the end, the movement to “Bork” Ashcroft drew blood, but not enough. On February 1st, the Senate approved his nomination 58 to 42, virtually along party lines.
FUNDING THE FIGHT?
Often, lobbying was arguably disguised under the rubric of “education.” For example, during the Ashcroft campaign, the People for the American Way Foundation’s Web site, “Right Wing Watch Online”—funded by money from private foundations—declared that George W. Bush’s campaign promise to be “a uniter, not a divider” was being “drowned out by his decision to nominate an ultra-conservative and favorite son of the Religious Right to the position of Attorney General....”
The site continued that it “is safe to assume that the Religious Right will do everything in its power to rally its troops in support of Senator Ashcroft and, in turn, gain significant influence over one of the most powerful offices in the nation.”
In the end, Right Wing Watch directed viewers to another PFAW-sponsored site, www.OpposeAshcroft.com, the Internet hub for anti-Ashcroft forces. There, concerned citizens could read up on Ashcroft’s background, contact local organizers involved in anti-Ashcroft activities, and print out a form letter to be sent to members of Congress.
OpposeAshcroft.com clearly envisioned advocacy, and it is not easy to see how the foundation-funded Right Wing Watch Online is different, especially since PFAW makes it easy to jump between the two. Yet PFAW legal director Elliot Mincberg insists that “Right Wing Watch is clearly a 501(c)(3) activity. None of it is lobbying or urging people to take positions on legislation but simply providing information on what the right wing has been up to.”
FLIRTING WITH POLITICS
Most want to avoid the question entirely. “I have no idea,” says a spokesperson for the Packard Foundation, which gave $5 million to the NARAL Foundation in 1999 alone, when asked if its funding supported anti-Ashcroft activities. “I don’t know if it relates to that at all. I can’t comment on that.”
Neither the Turner Foundation ($20,000 to NARAL’s “Choice for America” campaign) nor the Tisch Foundation—bankrolled by media mogul brothers Laurence A. Tisch and Preston Robert Tisch—which recently gave $50,000 to the group, would return phone calls seeking comment. Ditto for the Archer Daniels Midland Foundation or the Samuel Bronfman Foundation ($25,000 each to PFAW) or the Slim-Fast Nutritional Foods Foundation, which gave $19,000.
Those foundations that will discuss their grants deny any culpability for the Ashcroft fight. Allen Greenberg, executive director of the Buffett Foundation, says he gave NARAL written instructions to use more than $1 million in grants only for the Choice for America campaign. Greenberg insists the grant is “not political. It had nothing to do with Ashcroft,” and adds that NARAL’s most recent quarterly report on the grant, for expenditures from October 1st to December 31st of last year, indicates no money was used to defeat the Ashcroft nomination.
Yet even some donors and grantees agree that the line between education and advocacy can be a thin one in a political fight like the Ashcroft nomination. The Alliance for Justice, a diverse coalition of liberal interest groups that includes such far-flung outfits as Ralph Nader’s Center for Law in the Public Interest and Marian Wright Edelman’s Children’s Defense Fund, was a vocal Ashcroft opponent. Funded in recent years by philanthropic mainstays such as the Ford and Turner foundations and the Open Society Institute, the alliance urged the Senate to vote down Ashcroft, whom it called “dangerous and divisive.”
Though John Pomeranz, the nonprofit advocacy counsel for the alliance, denies that it received funds specifically for the purpose of blocking the Ashcroft nomination, he admits that donors “certainly realize the alliance was publicly opposed to Ashcroft. They certainly have not told us they were against it.” Geffen Foundation president Andy Spahn is downright grateful for the ferocious battle waged by PFAW, whose educational arm received $25,000 from his foundation in 1998. “It sends an important signal to the administration” that Ashcroft’s nomination was so narrowly confirmed, he says.
Buffett Foundation director Greenberg, who previously worked for Ralph Nader and Democratic Senator Charles Schumer of New York, says he “agrees 100 percent” that charitable activities can often seem, in the broadest sense of the word, political. “It would be ridiculous to say we’re not interested in politics.” But Greenberg agrees that foundations should “stay far away from the line” between education and advocacy.
In the Ashcroft fight, was that line crossed? Maybe, maybe not. But with the
line becoming fuzzier every day, perhaps it doesn’t
04/19/01: Creepy People for the American Way
|
<urn:uuid:4f81e3f4-0a62-4ab0-8a02-a64cbcec65d1>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/gahr051001.asp
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.96807
| 1,648
| 1.789063
| 2
|
April 14, 2004 7:02 AM PDT
MySQL takes cue from the master
MySQL, which sells an open-source database of the same name, was nearly unheard of in corporate technology circles a few years ago. Now the company's competitively priced, easy-to-use database is becoming increasingly popular with business customers looking for smaller, less-expensive options.
With its focus on the low end of the database market, MySQL is making the same kind of waves Microsoft's SQL Server did a decade ago.
The Redmond giant is taking on the other big boys, Oracle and IBM, leaving a clear niche for MySQL's open-source product. The big guys might need to worry about the new kid on the block.
For more info:
Track the players
And the money is coming in. The venture-backed company's revenue doubled last year to $12 million (10 million euros), and more growth is expected. MySQL executives also foresee steady profits in 2005, though this year the company expects to dip in and out of profitability as it plows revenue back into new development projects such as a graphical management tool and a clustering addition, which MySQL is launching at its customer conference that starts Wednesday.
Microsoft staged its own rags-to-riches story with database software in the mid-1990s by buying a low-end product to compete with Oracle and IBM. Microsoft's SQL Server gained ground mainly among smaller companies and departments of large organizations by offering a lower-cost product that meshed easily with business applications. Now, with its share of the worldwide database market near 20 percent, Microsoft is taking on market leaders Oracle and IBM in competition for larger accounts, arguably leaving a gap at its low-cost starting point.
"There are similarities between us and Microsoft in that we believe in getting developer adoption and building community, and (Microsoft) has always done a great job in ease of use," said Zack Urlocker, vice president of marketing at MySQL, based in Uppsala, Sweden. But, he noted, there are also differences: For one thing, MySQL is not exclusively tied to Windows.
An open-source plan
Software developers using open
source need to know the risks.
Yet the company is still looking to improve its product, low-end or not. At the MySQL user conference, which begins Wednesday in Orlando, Fla., the company will detail more features, including clustering, targeted at larger corporate customers.
Cheap and easy
The MySQL database is taking over that lower-price, lesser-need market Microsoft started with. It's a niche the company says is underserved by database industry heavyweights Oracle, IBM and Microsoft. MySQL appeals to organizations looking for a database that is "good enough" for most needs, said Mark Shainman, a database analyst at Meta Group. MySQL is also riding a wave of growing awareness around the cost-effective use of open-source software, notably the Linux operating system.
Get Up to Speed on...
Get the latest headlines and
company-specific news in our
expanded GUTS section.
Appealing to programmers and smaller organizations in the world of open-source software makers, MySQL poses the most direct competitive threat to Microsoft, Shainman said.
"In an environment where it used to be just strictly Microsoft, you're going to see--because of the price component and growth of Linux--organizations leveraging MySQL," Shainman said.
Rather than have an aggressive marketing strategy, MySQL often comes in the back door of corporations and spreads from there, Urlocker said. A programmer or a department in a company may use MySQL when it can't get the budget to purchase a database license, and then the company considers the software for broader use, he said.
When Marten Mickos took over as the company's chief executive in 2000, he quickly focused the company on reaching the broadest audience possible, rather than dethroning entrenched database players.
"Oracle thinks the world needs one huge database. We believe in a distributed model."
--MySQL CEO Marten Mickos
"My first message was, 'Do not think you can kill Oracle.' If we go head-to-head, they would respond. We need to measure our success in how well we can serve a new market and build a new market," Mickos said. Applications using the MySQL database typically are new ones, such as searching for airfares, he said. Ease of use is essential as well: The company's goal is to let customers install its database in 15 minutes.
"We're just seeing the beginning of the database market. There will be a need for databases all over the place," Mickos said. "Oracle thinks the world needs one huge database. We believe in a distributed model."
Database market leaders Oracle, IBM and Microsoft generally downplay competition from MySQL, saying that their products are more mature and sophisticated, offering advanced features and add-ons, such as analytics, to the core database software.
But Urlocker says a commodity product can still handle demanding computing tasks. Dell, for example, sells one- and two-processor servers that are considered commodities, yet they are used in extremely important computing jobs.
Some of MySQL's customers are already pushing the limits of what the database can do.
Travel reservations provider Sabre Holdings has replaced the mainframe computer and high-end Unix servers that underpinned its customer-facing Web site with about 45 Intel servers running a variety of open-source software, including Linux and MySQL. Going to a "farm" of multiple relatively cheap servers has saved the company millions of dollars in database licenses alone, according to company executives.
The e-commerce Web site PriceGrabber.com chose MySQL as its database when it opened in 1999 because of the database's ease of use and the technical staff's inclination to use open-source software running on inexpensive hardware servers, said Corey Ostman, vice president of technology.
"Five years ago, when you started a business, it was almost automatic that you were going to use Oracle," Ostman said. "(But) we just found MySQL was very easy to set up and use."
The company uses two MySQL database to store about 50 gigabytes of product information, which is updated six times daily. The database and company have met PriceGrabber's needs because MySQL has steadily added features as the Web site's traffic and features have increased.
At one point in 2001, PriceGrabber considered moving to another database for a transaction-intensive system. "We found that the pain in using the other database didn't justify the move," Ostman said. So far, he added, MySQL has matured enough to meet PriceGrabber's needs.
A different model
MySQL has a novel open-source business model designed to appeal to smaller companies. The company offers its product under a dual license, charging customers for support services with a commercial license and offering its database for free download under the open-source GNU General Public License (GPL).
Being plugged into an open-source community of developers helps MySQL generate features that its customers and application developers ask for. Often commercial database companies add features that are requested by large customers, the cost of which is then spread across the entire customer base, Shainman said.
Still, MySQL is not a typical open-source foundation. MySQL is released under the same GNU General Public License that governs Linux, but it's used in a very different way. Each Linux programmer retains copyright to his or her own contributions, while MySQL owns rights to all its code.
That ownership has several ramifications. First, it means that MySQL may offer its database under proprietary licensing terms as well--which it does. Second, it means that the company is largely responsible for its programming needs and isn't able to tap into the vast Linux professional and voluntary talent pool. Still, the company does work with the open-source community for debugging, testing and other tasks.
Because the MySQL source code is released under the GPL, a programmer could "fork" the software, creating a new version that heads a different direction than the company. But doing so would mean that person would be diverging from MySQL's code base and would risk breaking compatibility with other software packages that rely on it.
Interest in MySQL is swelling. Application developers, who were instrumental in the rise of Linux adoption, are showing greater affinity for MySQL. A January report by Evans Data found that the number of applications that run using MySQL grew 30 percent last year, compared with a 6 percent growth rate for Microsoft's SQL Server. Based on a survey of technology professionals, AMR Research predicted that use of open-source databases, which it said is experimental now, will be mainstream by 2006.
And MySQL is affecting the database market as a whole, particularly in terms of pricing. "Although MySQL is unlikely to displace any vendor in the near term, it is likely to put pressure on the top commercial database players," said Noel Yuhanna, a database analyst at Forrester Research.
"MySQL is likely to put pressure on the top commercial database players."
Oracle recently dropped the price of its Oracle 10g database, and discounts from other database vendors are likely to follow, Forrester's Yuhanna said. Oracle said the company needed to lower its price of its database to appeal to smaller organizations.
"We're not necessarily competing with open source," said Jacqueline Woods, Oracle's vice president of global pricing and licensing, in the firm's February announcement of the 10g database price cut. "But I think it's clear that we have a multipronged approach to enter into the lower end of the market, which we felt we weren't penetrating before."
A cluster of new features
MySQL's $12 million annual revenue is a fraction of the overall relational database market, which was estimated at $8.5 billion in 2003 by Gartner Dataquest. And MySQL faces some challenges scaling up its business as it gets more customers.
"Commercial database customers are used to (around the clock) support with quick resolution, so MySQL has to beef up their support to meet such requirements," Forrester's Yuhanna said.
MySQL continues to add features meant to appeal to corporate customers, which will help the database compete with the high-end features of commercial, or "closed source," database companies, analysts said.
Among these--as previously reported--is clustering software, which MySQL purchased from telecommunications provider Ericsson. It's designed to give companies a very reliable database foundation to applications with "sub-second failover" in case a database crashes.
MySQL Cluster will be available in the third quarter and will be priced an "order of magnitude lower than prior solutions," Urlocker said. The company also on Wednesday detailed a partner program to entice software companies to embed the MySQL database in their applications and to entice other partners, such as systems integrators and value-added resellers, to resell the database as part of custom development work.
It remains to be seen whether MySQL's rapid growth will reach the mass success of Microsoft's SQL Server or the Linux operating system. But, if chief executive Mickos is right, MySQL will create a bigger database market, where commodity products, like a Honda Civic, get as much, if not more, mileage than a high-end Mercedes.
1 commentJoin the conversation! Add your comment
|
<urn:uuid:d4fcc4ea-558b-4c65-ab4d-da35a47249ce>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://news.cnet.com/2100-7344-5190975.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.94959
| 2,344
| 1.53125
| 2
|
'Jane Borodale displays a deft touch in this very pleasing story' MAUREEN WALLER, Daily Telegraph
‘Borodale's refreshingly original approach and engaging style makes 'The Book of Fires’ a welcome addition to the historical fiction genre' Yorkshire Evening Post
'A dark atmospheric novel from a fantastic new voice in fiction' Bury Free Press, Book of the Week
'This author's debut excels in it's portrayal of the lot of the 18th-century underclass, of the development of the dark art of pyrotechny and of the swift and usually harsh treatment of those whose sole crime was that of poverty… this 'Book of Fireworks' really works and it sparkles along at a fizzingly glorious pace. Literary pyrotechnics on a grand scale' Lady
--This text refers to the
From the Author
Agnes Trussel’s story came to me in a flash, one cold night at a bonfire on Dartmoor, and grew from there, slowly, over four years. I began to write and found there were different layers to the shape I was attempting: there were the ideas I wanted to explore, and the more concrete occurrences I needed to show for the story to progress. There were the atmospheres and textures I wanted the story to steep in, and there was the path through the information I’d gathered whilst researching eighteenth-century life and the history of pyrotechny. I also found that a novel has its own microclimate, and often things seem to just happen
inside it, of their own accord.
I had a childhood passion for fireworks; the fifth of November was quite significant where I grew up in Sussex, and the man who ran the local shop made his own fireworks – very loud, plain and erratic, which he would set off later in the evening when the display was over and the bonfire had died down. It struck me even as a child as a vigorous kind of subversive activity.
I loved the idea of fire being the catalyst for change, for luck, for strength, for magic, and for danger. It is rich in symbolism, and I wanted my firework maker John Blacklock to be enigmatic, dark, with something of the Promethean myth about him. I was fascinated by the discovery of coloured fireworks – which finally happened towards the end of the century – but even more intrigued by the thought of the time before the discovery itself; the period of searching and experimentation, hope and disappointment, that led to the crucial moment when the gap in knowledge was filled.
Whilst writing I also became increasingly interested in the lot of the rural and urban underclass as enclosure and industrialisation rapidly altered the countryside and town. The Old Bailey accounts of those hanged in the name of the law, for often the smallest of crimes in the face of abject poverty, became part of the story as parallels and quickeners to Agnes’s plight. I felt that her character grew directly out of the landscape she had left behind – and I was interested in exposing her to the city as a place of ideas, of change. I also wanted to explore the tug of home in dream and memory during a life lived elsewhere.
|
<urn:uuid:61b5784f-9bf1-4be7-ae94-eed82a3c9dfa>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Book-Fires-Jane-Borodale/dp/0007305729
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.979068
| 662
| 1.554688
| 2
|
Assessing Atmospheric Emissions from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations in the Pacific Northwest
Location: Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research
Title: Use of standardized procedures to evaluate metal leaching from waste foundry sands
Submitted to: Journal of Environmental Quality
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: December 3, 2012
Publication Date: March 1, 2013
Citation: Miguel, R.E., Ippolito, J.A., Porta, A.A., Noriega, R.B., Dungan, R.S. 2013. Use of standardized procedures to evaluate metal leaching from waste foundry sands. Journal of Environmental Quality. 42(2):615-620.
Interpretive Summary: Each year foundries around the globe generate millions of tons of molding sand that generally end up in landfills. Despite the fact that most foundry sands are treated as a waste, there are efforts to beneficially use foundry sands in a variety of agricultural and geotechnical applications. While most waste foundry sands (WFSs) are not hazardous in nature, efforts to increase their beneficial use have encountered resistance due to concerns over potential metal contamination. To assess the toxicity of many byproducts, including WFSs, standardized leaching procedures are often utilized. In this study we subjected ferrous and non-ferrous foundry sands to three commonly used procedures to determine the mobility of metals. Our results demonstrated that concentrations of arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel and lead in leaching extracts from the WFSs were similar to those from virgin sands. In addition, the concentrations were below levels considered hazardous. Thus, beneficially used WFSs should present little or no risk to human health and the environment.
As part of the casting process, foundries create sand molds and cores to produce ferrous and non-ferrous metal castings. After the process, a portion of the sand is discarded and becomes waste foundry sand (WFS). The aim of this study was to quantify metals (i.e. Ag, Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in leaching extracts from a variety of waste molding and core sands from ferrous and non-ferrous foundries using the Extraction Procedure, Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure, and ASTM water extraction procedure. The WFS metal extract concentrations were compared to those found in virgin silica sands and Argentinean and U.S. hazardous waste laws to determine if the WFSs met toxicity limits. The majority of the WFS extracts analyzed, regardless of metal cast and binder type, contained metal concentrations similar to those found in virgin sand extracts and were below levels considered hazardous. Consequently, it appears most WFSs can be beneficially used as a substitute for virgin aggregate in geotechnical and agricultural applications without causing risk to human health and the environment.
|
<urn:uuid:9e8fcce3-ccf7-4572-98e7-d4789830a998>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publications.htm?seq_no_115=287606
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00067-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.928224
| 614
| 2.640625
| 3
|
A comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) is a blood test that provides information about:
how the kidney and liver are functioning
sugar (glucose) and protein levels in the blood
the body's electrolyte and fluid balance
Why It's Done
A CMP may be ordered as part of routine medical exam or physical, or to help diagnose conditions such as diabetes, or liver or kidney disease. The CMP may also be used to monitor chronic conditions, or when a patient is taking medications that can cause certain side effects.
The CMP helps evaluate:
Glucose, a type of sugar used by the body for energy. Abnormal levels can indicate diabetes or hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).
Calcium, which plays an important role in muscle contraction, transmitting messages through the nerves, and the release of hormones. Elevated or decreased calcium levels may indicate a hormone imbalance or problems with the kidneys, bones, or pancreas.
Albumin and total blood protein, which are needed to build and maintain muscles, bones, blood, and organ tissue. The CMP measures albumin specifically (the major blood protein produced by the liver), as well as the amount of all proteins in the blood. Low levels may indicate liver or kidney disease or nutritional problems.
Sodium, potassium, carbon dioxide, and chloride (electrolytes), which help regulate the body's fluid levels and its acid-base balance. They also play a role in regulating heart rhythm, muscle contraction, and brain function. Abnormal levels also may occur with heart disease, kidney disease, or dehydration.
Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine, which are waste products filtered out of the blood by the kidneys. Increased concentrations in the blood may signal a decrease in kidney function.
Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine amino transferase (ALT), aspartate amino transferase (AST), and bilirubin; ALP, ALT, and AST are liver enzymes; bilirubin is produced by the liver. Elevated concentrations may indicate liver dysfunction.
The CMP is more accurate when performed after fasting, so your doctor may ask that your child not eat for 8 to 12 hours before the test. It may help to have your child wear a short-sleeve shirt to allow easier access for the technician to draw the blood.
A health professional will usually draw the blood from a vein. For an infant, the blood may be obtained by puncturing the heel with a small needle (lancet). If the blood is being drawn from a vein, the skin surface is cleaned with antiseptic, and an elastic band (tourniquet) is placed around the upper arm to apply pressure and cause the veins to swell with blood. A needle is inserted into a vein (usually in the arm inside of the elbow or on the back of the hand) and blood is withdrawn and collected in a vial or syringe.
After the procedure, the elastic band is removed. Once the blood has been collected, the needle is removed and the area is covered with cotton or a bandage to stop the bleeding. Collecting blood for this test will only take a few minutes.
Either method (heel or vein withdrawal) of collecting a sample of blood is only temporarily uncomfortable and can feel like a quick pinprick. Afterward, there may be some mild bruising, which should go away in a few days.
Getting the Results
The blood sample will be processed by a machine. Parts of a CMP may be available in minutes in an emergency, but more commonly the full test results come after a few hours or the next day.
If any of the CMP results are abnormal, further testing may be necessary to determine what's causing the problem and how to treat it.
The CMP test is considered a safe procedure. However, as with many medical tests, some problems can occur with having blood drawn, such as:
fainting or feeling lightheaded
hematoma (blood accumulating under the skin causing a lump or bruise)
pain associated with multiple punctures to locate a vein
Helping Your Child
Having a blood test is relatively painless. Still, many kids are afraid of needles. Explaining the test in terms your child can understand might help ease some of the fear.
Allow your child to ask the technician any questions he or she might have. Tell your child to try to relax and stay still during the procedure, as tensing muscles and moving can make it harder and more painful to draw blood. It also may help if your child looks away when the needle is being inserted into the skin.
If You Have Questions
If you have questions about the CMP test, speak with your doctor.
|
<urn:uuid:db5f8d5d-38ff-4efc-b4b9-b170069f6e8b>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://kidshealth.org/PageManager.jsp?dn=NiswongerChildrens_Hospital&lic=362&cat_id=174&article_set=62990&ps=104
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.937089
| 983
| 3.109375
| 3
|
2002 Tour to Noah's Ark!|
Click on pictures for larger photo.
View of Istanbul from the Hotel Obleisk - From Lake Van airport to Dogubayazit
The infamous Hotel Ararat in Dogubayazit - (L to R) Driver Ahmet and Guide Zafer
take us to Nuhun Gemisi.
Nuhun Gemisi is translated Noah's Big Boat - Are we a little bit excited?
Noah's Ark! - click link for 1989 Photo from Ron Wyatt.
Almost the same view I first saw in 1960 in Life magazine. - At the Visitor's Center
with Hasan Ozer the official caretaker of Noah's Ark for the Turkish Government.
Hasan tells us about the light that was over the site before the first ark hunters came.
From the door of the Visitor's Center looking toward Uzengili, a village of interesting origin!
Starting the long trek to the remains - An unnatural formation
Notice of the discoloration on the side of the formation
Closer examination reveals uniformly straight line cracks at even intervals on this side.
"The detractors call it the boat shaped object. I find that an apt description of a boat." (David Deal)
I wonder what caused this unusual shape? - The sides are steep and getting higher!
The 1960 expedition blast hole once a few feet above ground level is now at around 15 feet.
Hey, look what's here; the remains of a bracket with a rivet in it.
Petrified coral found on the side at 6300 feet in elevation.
A smooth flat backside shows whatever this grew on was not natural.
On the bow of the great ship - From the bow you can see the Visitor's Center and Mount Ararat.
Deck joist on the starboard side - Corresponding joist straight across the deck on the port side!
(my watch is for scale)
Starboard side silent testimony to God's grace! - View from the Visitor's Center!
The prayer spire from in front of our hotel. We only got to enjoy the 4:15 a.m. call to prayer!
Baran, our liaison with the village children of Kazan, on the petrified bark seen on 20/20!
Ron Wyatt and David Fasold examined this ancient material for the cameras of ABC.
We found that crosses previously seen on this artifact had been recently damaged.
With one of the large drogue stones in the village of Kazan - More of the stones
We explore the possible remains of Noah's home - With Mehmet, an elder of Kazan, at the ruins.
Ancient stone fencing surrounding the area - The altar stone of Noah?
This large stone stands behind the ruins in a bowl shaped hillside.
Mehmet poses from the stone North of his village in the cradle of civilization.
The Ishak Palace - Dogubayazit is behind and Kazan is across the mountain range
Looking into the mountains behind the palace are fabulous ancient Uraturian ruins.
Postcards picked up at Ishak Palace - Note the different spellings of Dogubayazit
Early maps show the name of the city as Bayazit.
Turkey meets Iran - Our small but mighty group standing at the edge.
Video Tribute to Researcher Bill Fry
For information on Guide Zafer Onay
|
<urn:uuid:0d80b140-eb52-473b-be2e-35fd91a4e21f>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.throneofgod.com/trip/ark.htm
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.902588
| 705
| 1.554688
| 2
|
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has praised slain U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens, calling him a "fallen hero" and praising his improvisational style of diplomacy.
She spoke at a ceremony honoring Stevens and others with a Common Ground award, which focuses on conflict resolution, negotiation, and peace building.
In her speech Thursday in Washington, Clinton also said the State Department and the Defense Department are investigating high-threat foreign posts, like Stevens' in Libya, to figure out whether security improvements are needed.
Stevens and three other Americans died on September 11, 2012, in armed attacks on U.S. facilities in Benghazi, Libya.
Then-U.S. envoy J. Christopher Stevens attends meetings at the Tibesty Hotel in Benghazi, Libya. (April 2011 file photo)
J. Christopher Stevens, newly appointed U.S. ambassador to Libya, shakes hands with Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) chairman Mustafa Abdel Jalil (R) after presenting his credentials during a meeting in Tripoli, June 7, 2012.
Then-U.S. envoy Christopher Stevens speaks to local media before attending meetings at the Tibesty Hotel where an African Union delegation was meeting with opposition leaders in Benghazi, Libya. (April 2011 file photo)
In this photo posted on the U.S. Embassy Tripoli Facebook page, Christopher Stevens poses with a shop owner in Tripoli, Libya, August 12, 2012.
Christopher Stevens, center, accompanied by British envoy Christopher Prentice, left, speaks to Council member for Misrata Dr. Suleiman Fortia, right, in Benghazi, Libya (April 2011 file photo).
Christopher Stevens (R), Britain's diplomatic representative Christopher Prentice (L) and deputy chairman of the TNC Abdul Hafiz Ghoqa (C) attend a memorial service for slain photojournalists Tim Hetherington an Chris Hondros in Benghazi, April 2011.
U.S. Ambassador-at-Large Stephen Rapp with Christopher Stevens (C), after a meeting with Libyan Justice Minister Ali Ashour discussing cooperation between the two countries on issues of human rights, in Tripoli June 27, 2012.
Clinton said Stevens would never have blamed average Libyans for the extremist attack.
"Chris understood that most people, in Libya or anywhere, reject the extremist arguments that violence and death are the only way to reclaim dignity and achieve justice," Clinton said. "He understood; that's why he was in Libya."
She said the U.S. cannot prevent every act of terrorism, but the nation has a responsibility to constantly reduce the risks its diplomats face. She said U.S. citizens who serve the country overseas "represent the best traditions of a bold and generous nation."
|
<urn:uuid:f561ed3b-a049-427e-9bef-1355a1c82539>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.voanews.com/content/clinton-praises-slain-us-libya-ambassador/1542542.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.943757
| 558
| 1.703125
| 2
|
Tatton Park - The Old Hall
The atmospheric Old Hall was the original old manor house in the park. Built as a manor house at the turn of the fifteenth century the Old Hall presents a Tour Through Time, travelling through 500 years of occupancy.
The Old Hall is set in an enclosure in the parkland between the beautiful mere and the site of an Anglo Saxon village with its landscape history trail. An ideal base for walking and exploring many of the historic elements of the park and for viewing its wildlife.
The Tudor Old Hall has a regular education programme for schools and is the venue for a number of events, such as Shakespeare plays, which benefit from this unique setting. A guided tour can be taken on certain days (Phone for details or visit www.tattonpark.org.uk) and is often cited by our visitors as being both enjoyable and informative with recommendations to others to make time to visit this special corner of Tatton.
Car parking charge £5 per; £2.50 blue badge holders.
- Regional and Miscellaneous VCC Large Attraction of the Year 2010
- Visit England VAQAS Accredited 2009
|Open All Year|
|Special open days - check website (01/01/2013 - 31/12/2013)|
|Pre-booked groups only (01/01/2013 - 31/12/2013)|
|Ticket Type||Ticket Tariff|
|single ticket adult||£6.00 adult|
|single ticket child||£4.00 child|
|single ticket family (2 ads and 3 children)||£16.00 family|
car entry £5 including NT members
Set amidst more than 50 acres of gardens, at the heart of 1,000
acres of landscaped parkland, the...0 miles away
The 50 acres of gardens at Tatton have been developing for over 200 years with each successive...0 miles away
Winner of ‘Cheshire’s Large Visitor Attraction of the Year’ in 2009 and 2010 Tatton Park annually...0.47 miles away
Dunham Massey’s deer park covers an area of 192.7 acres and features formal avenues, woodland and...3.66 miles away
With its sweeping lawns, sumptuous borders and majestic trees, this is one of the Northwest’s great...3.66 miles away
This magnificent 18th century Georgian mansion tells the story of the owners and servants who once...3.66 miles away
After a career spent working for big breweries, including Tetley Walker's in Warrington, John...4.45 miles away
Nestled in the rural village of Dunham Massey, Red House Farm is an award-winning farm shop and...5 miles away
Quarry Bank Mill is one of the best preserved textile mills of the industrial revolution and tells...5.63 miles away
**Visitor Attraction of the Year 2012** Family fun at Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre! How did the...7.42 miles away
Bents is a complete gardening, home and leisure experience and the current holder of the GCA's Best...9.02 miles away
A fascinating combination of history, archaeology and natural beauty. After exploring the site...12.24 miles away
On the edge of the Peak District, nestling within sweeping moorland, Lyme Park is a magnificent...13.6 miles away
Winner of 'Family Business of the Year 2012' at the Food & Farming Awards
Winner of North West...14.88 miles away
One of Britain’s finest examples of a timber-framed, moated manor house, Little Moreton Hall...15.04 miles away
Cheshire Farm Ice Cream is home to some of the county’s most delicious ice cream, producing over 30...20.39 miles away
|
<urn:uuid:358261c3-fbc5-45e1-b68e-86ddc033c1ed>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.tastecheshire.com/food-trails/tatton-park-the-old-hall-p27801
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00055-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.903845
| 799
| 1.6875
| 2
|
Australia plans to deport asylum seekers to Pacific islands
Australia's government announced a plan to deter refugee boats from reaching its shores as it hopes to reopen refugee detention centers in the Pacific islands nations of Nauru and Papua New Guinea. 964 asylum seekers had died since 2001 while making the dangerous sea journey to Australia.
Australia hopes to reopen refugee detention centers in the Pacific islands nations of Nauru and Papua New Guinea under a new plan to deter refugee boats from reaching Australia and prevent sinkings of overcrowded boats en route.Skip to next paragraph
Subscribe Today to the Monitor
Prime Minister Julia Gillard said she would also hold more talks with Malaysia about a stalled people-swap deal and will consider boosting Australia's annual refugee intake as a compromise to break a deadlock over asylum policy.
11,800 asylum claims
Refugee policy is an emotive subject in Australia, even though the country receives only a small number of the world's asylum seekers each year. The U.N refugee agency said Australia received 11,800 asylum claims in 2011, compared with 441,000 globally.
The new plan was announced on Monday after a report said 964 asylum seekers had died since 2001 while making the dangerous sea journey to Australia.
"When our nation looks at what is happening at sea, too many lives have been lost," Gillard told reporters.
The policy is a major shift for Gillard and a win for the conservative opposition, which has long pushed for the government to reopen a detention centre on Nauru and abandon its planned refugee-swap agreement with Malaysia.
Former conservative prime minister John Howard set up detention centres on Papua New Guinea's Manus Island and in Nauru under his Pacific solution, which aimed to deter people smugglers and remove automatic access to Australia for those who are granted refugee status.
Manus Island was closed in 2004, while former Labor prime minister Kevin Rudd shut down the Nauru detention centre shortly after he won power in late 2007.
Support from the opposition
Gillard's plan will need to be endorsed by parliament, where it should receive support from the opposition, although the minority government's Greens supporters have condemned it.
"The Greens won't be party to something which is cruel to people," said Greens leader Christian Milne.
In July 2011, Gillard announced details of an agreement with Malaysia which would allow Australia to send 800 asylum seekers to Malaysia and in return accept 4,000 who have been found to be genuine refugees, but that plan was scuttled by the High Court.
Human rights group Amnesty International on Monday said Australia had bowed to short-term political pressure at the expense of protecting the rights of asylum seekers.
"The tragedy of asylum seeker deaths at sea must be addressed, but not by punishing people who have already fled torture and persecution," spokesman Graham Thom said.
The U.N. refugee agency said it supported a regional approach to refugees, but it would need to see more detail about plans to re-open the Papua New Guinea and Nauru centres.
Making a Difference
|
<urn:uuid:28fbe650-8245-4f0a-8cd4-10046b4bd1fb>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Latest-News-Wires/2012/0813/Australia-plans-to-deport-asylum-seekers-to-Pacific-islands
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.963625
| 624
| 1.84375
| 2
|
Throughout history, houses of worship have provided many benefits for their communities. They also provide a treasure trove for genealogists. I find historical houses of worship so interesting, I could design a vacation around them. They leave clues in their architecture, their stained glass windows, their name, their cemeteries nearby, their location, their founders and the year erected. I found a beautiful antique Star of David, leaded glass, stained glass window, embedded in an old church with Gothic style windows and it was a Catholic Church. I’ve also heard that there are tiny (microscopic) Stars of David etched into the stained glass of Spain’s historical Catholic Churches, a sort of rebellious graffiti from the artisans who professed to be New Christians but held fast to their Jewish traditions.
Suellen Ocean is the author of the books The Lies of the Lion available at Amazon.
|
<urn:uuid:324e491c-f159-487d-82b4-30552e21083f>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://redroom.com/member/suellen-ocean/blog/a-churchy-vacation
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.975131
| 184
| 2.140625
| 2
|
Before a baby is born, most parents prepare a special room. They buy a layette including clothing, a place to sleep, feeding equipment, bathing equipment, and diapers.
The most common mistake parents on a limited budget make during this time is the purchase of items they don't really need or expensive versions of essential pieces of equipment. Indeed, instead of buying everything you need, you may be able to borrow some baby equipment from friends or relatives.
Some baby equipment is essential, some is helpful but not essential, and some is unnecessary for most families. These three categories of equipment are described below. The final section explains why walkers are not only unnecessary but also dangerous.
Child restraint seats are essential for transporting your baby in a car. They are required by law in all 50 states. Consider buying one that is convertible; that is, a seat that you can use from the time your child is a newborn to the time your child reaches 40 pounds and 40 inches. While your child weighs less than 20 pounds, the car seat faces backward. When your child is 1 year old AND weighs more than 20 pounds, the seat is moved to a forward-facing position.
Car seats must conform to federal safety standards. They are also ranked by consumer magazines.
Many hospitals have a rental program for car seats that can save you money unless you are going to have several children.
Your baby will spend much time in the crib unattended, so you must make certain it is a safe crib. Federal safety standards require that the crib bars of all cribs built after 1974 be no more than 2 and 3/8 inches apart. The purpose of this restriction is to prevent a child from getting his head or body stuck between the bars. If you have a crib built before 1974, check the distance between the bars. The width of 2 and 3/8 inches is approximately the width of three fingers. Do not buy or use a crib with spaces larger than this. Also check for any defective crib bars.
The mattress should be the same size as the crib so that your baby's head can't get caught in the gap. It should also be waterproof.
Avoid sleep positioners. They are both unnecessary and rarely have caused suffocation. Babies will stay on their back until they learn to roll over. Once they learn to roll over, they no longer need to sleep on their back.
Bumper pads are unnecessary because infants rarely strike their head on the railings. The pads have the disadvantage of keeping your baby from seeing out of the crib. Soft bumper pads carry a small risk for suffocation. Also, an older infant might climb on top of the pads and possibly fall from the crib.
During the first 2 or 3 months of life it may be more convenient for feeding during the night to have your baby sleep next to your bed in a bassinet. A drawer, cardboard box, or basket with a firm pad on the bottom will also work.
You can buy small plastic bathtubs and molded sponge linings. A large plastic dishpan will also suffice. A kitchen sink works well if you are careful about preventing your child from falling against hard edges or turning on the hot water, thereby causing a burn. Until the umbilical cord falls off, keep the water level below your baby's navel. Most children can be bathed in a standard bathtub by the time they are 1 year old.
If you are feeding your baby formula, you will need about ten 8-ounce bottles. Plastic bottles usually are preferred over glass bottles because they don’t break. Avoid any plastic bottles that contain the chemical bisphenol A. Discard any old bottles that have become cloudy in appearance. If you use disposable bottle liners, you probably will need only five bottles.
You will also need 5 to 10 nipples. If you prepare more than one bottle at a time from concentrated formula, you will need a 1-quart measuring cup and a funnel for mixing a batch of formula. If you use powdered formula, the measuring cup is unnecessary.
You can choose disposable or cloth diapers. They perform equally for preventing diaper rashes. If you're concerned about using diaper pins, diaper covers come with Velcro straps. The main advantage of disposable diapers is that they are very convenient. They make it easier to travel, and day care centers can operate more efficiently. The superabsorbent-gel diapers do not leak.
The main disadvantage of disposable diapers is that they cost more. The average cost of disposable diapers is about 20 cents per diaper. Cloth diapers delivered and cleaned by a diaper service cost about 12 cents per diaper. If you buy and wash your own cloth diapers, the average cost each time you use a diaper is 3 cents (after the initial purchase of the diapers).
If you are breast-feeding, you may want to know how often your baby wets so you can check if your baby is getting enough breast milk. It is easy to know when a cloth diaper is wet. It is more difficult to know when a disposable diaper is wet, but you can insert a cotton ball or piece of tissue.
Which type of diaper to use can be a difficult decision. Why not take advantage of both options? Use cloth diapers when you are home. Use disposable diapers when you are away from home. Use disposables when your child has diarrhea because they prevent leakage of watery stools. During a baby's first 2 or 3 months of life, when most mothers are exhausted by new baby care, consider using a diaper service rather than washing diapers yourself. You will find that modern diaper services are very efficient, provide excellent sterilized diapers, and pick up dirty diapers once a week.
A pacifier is often useful for soothing babies. To prevent choking on the pacifier, the pacifier's shield should be at least 1 and 1/2 inches in diameter and the pacifier should be one single piece. Some pacifiers are made of silicone (instead of rubber), which lasts longer because it doesn't dry out. The orthodontic-shaped pacifiers are accepted by some babies but not by others.
A rubber suction bulb is essential for helping young babies whose breathing has been made difficult by sticky or dried nasal secretions. A suction bulb with a blunt tip is more effective than a bulb with a long tapered tip and is less likely to irritate the nasal lining. (Bulbs with long tapered tips are used for irrigating ears.) The best suction bulbs on the market have a small clear plastic tip (a mucus trap) that can be removed from the bulb for cleaning.
A rectal thermometer is most helpful if your baby becomes sick. The digital thermometers that display the temperature in 30 seconds are worth the few extra dollars. Avoid glass thermometers that contain mercury.
For traveling outside the home with your baby, you will need an all-purpose backpack to carry the items that you need to feed your baby and change diapers. Packs often fit on the back of strollers. Backpacks are more comfortable and convenient than shoulder bags.
During the first 6 months of life you can hold your baby whenever you feed him. However, you will need a highchair when your child can sit unsupported and is eating solid foods.
The most important feature of a high chair is a wide base that prevents the high chair from tipping. The tray needs to have a good safety latch. The tray should also have adjustable positions to adapt to your infant's growth. A safety strap is critical. Plastic or metal chairs are easier to clean than wooden chairs.
Small portable, hook-on highchairs that attach directly to the tabletop are gaining in popularity. They are convenient and reasonably priced. The ones with a special clamp that keeps your child from pushing the chair off the tabletop with his feet have a good safety record. By 2 years of age, most toddlers can sit in a youth chair.
By the time your child is 1 year old, she will want to hold her own cup. Buy a spillproof one with a weighted base, a lid, and a spout. By 2 years of age, most children can use a regular cup.
To keep food off your baby's clothes, find a molded plastic bib with an open scoop on the bottom to catch the mess.
Once your child is crawling, you will need safety gadgets such as electric-outlet safety plugs, cabinet door safety locks, bathtub spout protectors, toilet clamps, and plastic corner guards for sharp table edges.
Some of the following items provide your child with forms of transportation or special places to play. They all have some advantages. However, if none of them are available, you can carry your child whenever necessary, and your child can play on a blanket on the floor.
Diapers need to be changed many times a day. You can use a bed to change your baby, but bending over the bed so many times a day may cause back strain. If you have a changing table you won't have to bend over every time you change your child. A regular table or buffet covered with a changing pad can work as well as a special baby-changing table.
Swings are entertaining to most babies. They are especially helpful for crying babies. They come in windup-spring, pendulum-driven, or battery-powered models. The mechanisms of the latter two types of swing are quieter than the first. Make sure a swing has a sturdy base and crossbars.
Cloth carriers or slings that allow you to carry your new baby in front against your chest are great. They give your child a sense of physical contact and warmth. The slings are helpful during breast-feeding. They allow you freedom to use your hands. Buy one with head support. Avoid baby slings until 4 months of life because they have caused suffocation in some babies.
Backpacks are useful for carrying babies who have good head support and are at least 5 or 6 months old. They are an inexpensive way to transport your baby when you go shopping, hiking, or walking anywhere. The inner seat of the carrier can usually be adjusted to different levels.
Another way to transport a baby who has outgrown a front-carrier is a baby stroller. The most convenient strollers are the umbrella type, which fold up, and ones that have at least one reclining position. A safety belt is important to keep your baby from standing up in the stroller and falling out. A sun shade is also great for inspiring an afternoon snooze.
An infant seat is a good place to keep a young baby when the baby is not eating or sleeping. A bouncer seat has the added advantage that your baby can make the seat move by him- or herself. Infants prefer this inclined position so they can see what is going on around them. Buy one with a safety strap, but don't substitute it for a car seat. After children are 3 to 4 months old they can usually tip the infant seat over, so stop using it when your baby reaches this age.
A playpen is a handy and safe place to leave your baby when you need uninterrupted time to cook a meal or do the wash. Babies like playpens because the slatted or mesh sides afford a good view of their environment. Playpens can be used both indoors and outdoors.
As with cribs, the slats should be less than 2 and 3/8 inches apart. Playpens with a fine-weave netting are OK, although sometimes older infants can climb out of them. Bottomless playpens are gaining in popularity.
Your baby should be introduced to the playpen by the age of 4 months so that she feels good about staying in it. It is very difficult to introduce a baby to a playpen after the baby has learned to crawl.
Do not string any objects on a cord across the playpen. Your baby could become entangled in them and strangle.
A gate is essential if your house has stairways that your baby must be protected from. Only wall mounted gates should be used at the top of stairs. A gate is also helpful for keeping a child in a specific room with you and out of the rest of the house (for example, when you are working in the kitchen). Pressure loaded gates can be used for these circumstances. All gates should be difficult for a child to climb.
A humidifier is helpful in dry climates or areas with cold winters. The new ultrasonic humidifiers are quiet and have other advantages. Do not buy a vaporizer because the steam it produces could burn a child. Vaporizers also do not deliver humidity at as fast a rate as humidifiers.
The time comes when your baby must make the transition from baby foods to table foods. A baby-food grinder takes the work out of mashing up table foods. It's as effective as a blender, easier to clean, and less expensive. Food processors have the advantage of allowing you to make larger quantities faster than a baby-food grinder. If you buy all your baby food in jars, this item is not necessary.
During teething, many infants like to chew on something. Teethers are available in many shapes, sizes, and colors to help comfort and distract your baby.
Some baby equipment is usually not worth the investment, but your judgment may be different. You can bathe your baby without a special bathinette. Nursery monitors or intercoms will not prevent crib deaths and may interfere with your baby learning how to comfort himself. Baby carriages or buggies generally have been replaced by baby strollers, front-carriers, or backpacks. You can determine if your baby is being fed enough without a baby scale. You can prepare warm formula without a bottle warmer. And shoes are not needed until your child has to walk outdoors.
An infant feeder is a bottle with a nipple on one end and a piston on the other. It is used to feed strained foods to young babies. Infant feeders are advertised as a "natural" step between bottle-feeding and spoon-feeding. However, babies don't need any food other than formula or breast milk before they are at least 4 months old. When they are 4 months old, spoon-feeding works quite nicely. Infant feeders are unnecessary and can lead to forced feedings.
Walkers are dangerous. Over 40% of children who use walkers have an accident requiring medical attention. They get skull fractures, concussions, dental injuries, and deep cuts. There have even been some deaths. Most of the serious walker injuries occur from falling down a stairway. When a crawling child falls down steps, his tumbling breaks his fall. When a child goes down a stairway in a walker, he accelerates and crash-lands at the bottom.
Some parents believe walkers help children learn to walk. On the contrary, walkers can delay both crawling and walking if used over 2 hours a day.
Don't buy a walker. But if you have one, take the wheels off. If you're not convinced of the dangers and leave the wheels on, be sure to keep the door to any stairway locked. Children in walkers have crashed right through gates.
|
<urn:uuid:741e0161-2c74-4e75-b0b5-71d30f647fb9>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.archildrens.org/pa/pa/pa_newbequi_hhg.htm
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.956163
| 3,123
| 2.421875
| 2
|
Lebanese transit trucks have been allowed to cross into Syria after being blocked for 47 days, The Daily Star reported.
Russia’s Rosaviatsia has become the latest aviation agency to ban flights of its aircrafts above Syrian grounds.
Some 51,000 containers transited through the two ports of Lattakia and Tartous in the first quarter of this year, a marked decline from last year.
A government committee has completed the preliminary field works required for the establishment of an airport near the city of Tartous, according to local news outlets.
For the second year in a row, Al-Ahliah Transport, one of Syria’s largest transport companies, has reported a steep decline in activity.
Royal Jordanian is changing the route of its flights between Beirut and Amman in order to avoid the Syrian airspace.
The market for new cars in Damascus dropped dramatically last year according to the city’s transport directorate.
The Syrian government has increased the cost of passenger and goods transport in the wake of the recent rise in the cost of gas oil.
Traffic at Syria’s two commercial maritime ports fell sharply last year, according to the Deputy Minister of Transport.
ICTSI, the operator of one of Syria’s two commercial maritime ports, is pulling out of the country, citing the rising violence.
The clashes that forced the Damascus International Airport to close down for the week-end will likely have long-term effect on its operations.
Damascus Cargo Village posted a decline of 31 percent in its revenues and a sharper reduction of 60 percent in its profits for the first nine months of this year.
Syria’s rail network is entirely out of service, Syria’s PM has said.
Damascus International Fairground
EDU 2011 Aleppo
Sheraton Hotel Aleppo
|
<urn:uuid:74793a6d-44ef-4cbd-bda7-c717e03f1842>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://syria-report.com/news/95
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.914864
| 376
| 1.671875
| 2
|
Secretary of State Colin Powell underwent surgery for prostate cancer Monday.
State department spokesman Richard Boucher said Powell's prostate was removed during the two-hour operation.
Doctors say the surgery went fine.
According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men.
Who is at Risk for Prostate Cancer?
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in North American men after skin cancer. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in men after lung cancer.
Both the number of new cases of prostate cancer and the number of deaths due to prostate cancer have increased in the past decade.
Anything that increases a person's chance of developing a disease is called a risk factor. Some of these risk factors for prostate cancer are:
Race - Black males are more likely to develop prostate cancer than white males. Black males are also more likely to die of prostate cancer than white males.
Family History of Prostate Cancer - A man whose father, brother, or son has had prostate cancer has a higher-than-average risk of developing prostate cancer.
Other potential risk factors include alcohol consumption, vitamin or mineral interactions, and other dietary habits.
Source: http://cancernet.nci.nih.gov/cgi-bin/srchcgi.exe?DBID=pdq&TYPE=search&UID=280+02606&ZFILE=patient&SFMT=pdq_scrprv/1/0/0 (National Cancer Institute) contributed to this report.
|
<urn:uuid:f335ce70-7e27-4d48-9c43-15633163da18>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.wifr.com/home/headlines/539662.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.931127
| 314
| 2.734375
| 3
|
Pick up the latest issue of the popular car enthusiast magazine Road & Track, and you'll find a letter written by David MacNeil, founder and CEO of MacNeil Automotive, based in Bolingbrook, Ill.
In the ad, he's photographed in one of the company's newest U.S. factories. MacNeil writes, "The exporting of American jobs is a trend that must be stopped and reversed." He goes on to say, "So in 2007 we transferred all of our floor mat manufacturing back to the United States. Today, we build the best fitting, highest quality automotive floor mats in the world, right here in America." MacNeil's message is clear: Rather than save a few dollars in the manufacturing process by outsourcing work overseas, he's determined to do his part to bring manufacturing jobs back to the United States because he believes the industry is vital to the country's economic health.
[See The 50 Best Careers for 2011.]
The U.S. manufacturing industry has its work cut out for it. Since 2001, the country has lost almost 5 million manufacturing jobs, according to economic consulting firm Economic Modeling Specialists Inc. (EMSI) of Moscow, Idaho. Of the 460 sectors EMSI tracks, only 50 sectors added jobs over the past 10 years. A big concern is that many of the industry's most rapidly growing areas are heavily subsidized by the government. For instance, the ethyl alcohol manufacturing industry, which produces ethanol, currently employs about 11,000 workers and grew by more than 7,400 jobs, or by 227 percent, over the 10-year period, the biggest percentage leap of any group. Another big growth sector: military armored vehicle, tank, and tank component manufacturing, which grew by 84 percent and added almost 5,000 workers over the same time period.
Last year was an important milestone for U.S. manufacturing, as the number of jobs in the industry increased for the first time since 1997. Still, those gains fell well short of the number of jobs needed to revive the sector. Since 2010, the number of manufacturing jobs has increased by about 150,000, which brings the industry total to just over 12 million jobs.
Two major problems plague the industry. Technological advances in manufacturing have resulted in fewer positions. And, as MacNeil points out, many companies have chosen to outsource a lot of low-skilled labor to countries with lower labor costs. "As a global trend, dramatic increases in manufacturing productivity mean that the same volume of goods are produced with less labor," says Hank Robison, chief economist at EMSI. "In addition, China's cheap yuan policy makes U.S. goods expensive relative to Chinese, and U.S. labor costs are among the highest in the world."
That's led to a shift in the number of manufacturing workers who have moved into service-sector jobs, Robison says. In 1950, 30 percent of all U.S. jobs were in manufacturing, while 63 percent were in services, according to EMSI. Currently, 9 percent of jobs are in manufacturing, and 86 percent are in services. Many job openings in the manufacturing sector are "replacement jobs"—meaning openings are for positions that already exist.
But the news isn't all bad. Recent research from global consulting company Accenture found that many companies are reconsidering their rationale for shipping many jobs overseas. In the study, 61 percent of respondents, which included more than 200 manufacturing executives from a wide range of industries throughout the world, reported that they were considering more closely matching supply location with demand location by onshoring or "nearshoring" manufacturing and supply. Executives said they're focusing more on where consumer demand is coming from and relocating accordingly, says John Ferreira, executive director of Accenture's North American manufacturing division. Being closer to the customer base allows for more flexibility, and as labor rates and transportation costs rise in other countries, U.S. companies are reassessing their decisions to offshore. "Decisions have often been made to move offshore without a complete understanding of the impacts of total costs," Ferreira says.
This has mixed implications for those seeking manufacturing jobs in the United States. While the United States is the largest market for many types of goods, emerging economies with rapidly growing middle classes are catching up. One example of a large, multinational firm that recently decided to add to its manufacturing capacity in the United States is German carmaker BMW. In a bid to remain the leading luxury carmaker in the United States, BMW has recently invested $250 million to develop its headquarters in New Jersey and create two regional distribution centers, according to the Accenture report. On the other hand, Ferreira points out other manufacturers are considering moving to Latin America, which is geographically close to the U.S. market but also near expanding markets in South America.
[In Pictures: 7 Occupations With the Highest Hiring Demand.]
As for Ferreira's outlook for the future of U.S. manufacturing jobs, he says "It's mixed, but with a positive expectation. ... Making the changes to a supply chain doesn't happen overnight. If that has to be modified, it doesn't happen with the flip of a switch."
However, the biggest issue for the manufacturing industry in the United States may not be a lack of jobs, but a gap between what skills manufacturing companies demand and the experience of the American workforce. A recent survey on talent in the manufacturing industry sponsored by Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute found that 67 percent of more than 1,100 manufacturers reported a moderate to severe shortage of available, qualified workers. Of those surveyed, 56 percent said they anticipated the shortage would grow worse over the next three to five years. Overall, the study found that about 5 percent of current jobs, or up to 600,000 jobs, remain unfilled due to a lack of qualified candidates—a frustrating number considering the country's 14 million unemployed. "We just don't have the skilled workforce that allows us to expand and compete," says Jennifer McNelly, senior vice president at The Manufacturing Institute.
It's partially a public perception problem. Eighty-six percent of respondents in a separate survey indicate that America's manufacturing base is "important" or "very important" to our standard of living. But at the same time, manufacturing ranked second to last among seven key industries that Americans wanted to work in. "Everybody agrees hands-down that they want manufacturing jobs in their community, just not necessarily for them or their children," McNelly says. Education and retraining will play a huge role in the fate of the industry going forward, she says.
|
<urn:uuid:cc529ecb-4b52-4ba3-82eb-ec85523afb07>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2011/10/24/skills-gap-plagues-us-manufacturing-industry_print.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.96611
| 1,353
| 1.726563
| 2
|
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Some state officials in Ohio think that storefront gambling-style operations known as Internet cafes might be one reason why casinos in Ohio aren't generating as much tax-revenue as predicted.
The Columbus Dispatch (http://bit.ly/Y1Kwcn ) reports gross casino-tax revenue is likely to be $900 million short over two years.
That means less money than expected for cities, counties and schools.
Ohio's attorney general wants state lawmakers to crack down on Internet cafes where customers pay for Internet time or phone cards and use them to bet points on computers loaded with games such as poker.
A lobbyist who represents a company that provides phone cards and computer software for the businesses says the sweepstakes operators are being used a scapegoat for the casinos' lower-than-expected revenue.
Information from: The Columbus Dispatch, http://www.dispatch.com
|
<urn:uuid:54d0c232-9761-4001-9e16-56cb5b06b24d>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.10tv.com/content/stories/apexchange/2013/02/18/oh--casinos-internet-cafes.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.945649
| 187
| 1.804688
| 2
|
Finkelstein: Politics and the City of David
Israel Finkelstein has written a very good article about the archaeological situation in the City of David. I do not share Finkelstein’s view of the tenth-century BC poverty of the city, but with regard to modern political realities, he speaks much truth. From Forward:
Confusion regarding this area begins with its name. Palestinians call it Silwan, but this is base propaganda aimed at the uninformed and uncritical international media. The Palestinian village of Silwan is located not in the City of David but rather to the east, on the other side of the deep Kidron Valley. Old photographs taken before the middle of the 20th century show the ridge cropping out south of the Temple Mount to be devoid of almost any buildings.
Jews and researchers of all backgrounds call the site the City of David — a name given to the ridge by early European explorers. Scholars agree that together with the Temple Mount and the southwestern part of the Old City, this ridge is the location of biblical Jerusalem.
This site should be revered as one of humanity’s great landmarks. Were it not for the political controversy surrounding the site, it would doubtless be high on the list of world heritage sites.
Allegations are sometimes heard in the media that work in the City of David is unlawful and not executed to the standards of modern archaeology. This is untrue. Fieldwork there is carried out according to law and — taking into account the difficulties of excavating in a built-up area — using sound field methods. All excavation projects are directed by seasoned archaeologists and inspected by the Israel Antiquities Authority.
Further to the east, the village of Silwan is built over unique, monumental Judahite rock-cut tombs from the 8th and 7th centuries BCE. Two of these tombs had ancient Hebrew inscriptions on their façades. But the tombs are neglected, flooded with sewage and filled with village garbage. And, of course, the greatest devastation to have recently been inflicted on Jerusalem’s archaeological heritage was the large-scale bulldozing a few years ago of buried antiquities on the Temple Mount by the Waqf, which administers the Islamic holy sites, in preparation for the construction of a massive underground mosque.
There is too much of value to excerpt, and I commend the entire article to you.
City of David and Temple Mount in early 1900s
|
<urn:uuid:5cddff5b-5aab-4b0c-8da4-cca543482518>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://blog.bibleplaces.com/2011/04/finkelstein-politics-and-city-of-david.html
|
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
| 0.951746
| 497
| 2.203125
| 2
|
Posted by John Dalziel on Sunday, December 20, 2009,
Paper Toys are an inexpensive way of keeping children both happy and busy.
If you are a Family Learning practitioner looking for activities that
involve cutting, folding and gluing? Paper toys from Toy-a-Day could be
one answer. Parents/Guardians/Carers etc., and their young charges, can
print, fold and glue them together, to create any number of toys they
want. Children (and Adults) will have a great time making the toys and
costs are minimal.
I'm an eLearning Adviser specializing in stimulating and supporting innovation in learning via eBooks, eMagazines, blogs (including audio versions), online TV, interactive resources, forums, workshops, conferences and face2face consultations. Evaluating and becoming familiar with sustainable and new technologies allows me to respond to the needs of learning providers from a position of experience rather than 'hearsay'. Supported learning providers, in the northwest of England (UK), can contact me for FREE consultations. Based at Lancaster University I work for the JISC Regional Support Centre - Northwest.
|
<urn:uuid:6d631f1c-4773-4a73-a397-28461282ed9d>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.acljohn.com/family-learning/tag/toy-a-day
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00061-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.934783
| 232
| 2.296875
| 2
|
|Family VII. MUSCICAPINAE. FLYCATCHERS.
GENUS II. MUSCICAPA, Linn. FLYCATCHER.
SMALL HEADED FLYCATCHER.
|Genus||MUSCICAPA MINUTA, Wilson.
The sight of the figure of this species brings to my recollection a curious
incident of long-past days, when I drew it at Louisville in Kentucky. It was in
the early part of the spring of 1808, thirty-two years ago, that I procured a
specimen of it while searching the margins of a pond.
In those happy days, kind reader, I thought not of the minute differences by which one species may be distinguished from another in words, or of the necessity of comparing tarsi, toes, claws, and quills, although I have, as you are aware, troubled you with tedious details of this sort. When ALEXANDER WILSON visited me at Louisville, he found in my already large collection of drawings, a figure of the present species, which, being at that time unknown to him, he copied and afterwards published in his great work, but without acknowledging the privilege that had thus been granted to him. I have more than once regretted this, not by any means so much on my own account, as for the sake of one to whom we are so deeply indebted for his elucidation of our ornithology.
I consider this Flycatcher as among the scarcest of those that visit our middle districts; for, although it seems that WILSON procured one that "was shot on the 24th of April, in an orchard," and afterwards "several individuals of this species in various quarters of Now Jersey, particularly in swamps," all my endeavours to trace it in that section of the country have failed, as have those of my friend EDWARD HARRIS, Esq., who is a native of that State, resides there, and is well acquainted with all the birds found in the district. I have never seen it out of Kentucky, and even there it is a very uncommon bird. In Philadelphia, Baltimore, New York, or farther eastward or southward, in our Atlantic districts, I never saw a single individual, not even in museums, private collections, or for sale in bird-stuffers' shops.
In its habits this species is closely allied to the Hooded and Green Blackcapt Flycatchers, being fond of low thick coverts, whether in the interior of swamps, or by the margins of sluggish pools. from which it only removes to higher situations after a continuation of wet weather, when I have found it on rolling grounds, and amid woods comparatively clear of under-growth.
Differing from the true Flycatchers, this species has several rather pleasing notes which it enunciates at pretty regular intervals, and which may be heard at the distance of forty or fifty yards in calm weather. I have more than once seen it attracted by an imitation of these notes. While chasing insects on wing, although it clicks its bill on catching them, the sound thus emitted is comparatively weak, as is the case with the species above mentioned, it being stronger however in the Green Blackcapt than in this or the Hooded species. Like these birds, it follows its prey to some distance at times, whilst, at others, it searches keenly among the leaves for its prey, but, I believe, never alights on the ground, not even for the purpose of drinking, which act it performs by passing lightly over the water and sipping, as it were, the quantity it needs.
All my efforts to discover its nests in the lower parts of Kentucky, where I am confident that it breeds, have proved fruitless; and I have not heard that any other person has been more successful.
SMALL-HEADED FLYCATCHER, Muscicapa minuta, Wils. Amer. Orn., vol. vi. p. 62.
SYLVIA MINUTA, Bonap. Syn., p. 86.
SMALL-HEADED SYLVAN FLYCATCHER, Nutt. Man., vol. i. p. 296.
SMALL-HEADED FLYCATCHER, Muscicapa minuta, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. v. p. 291.
Wings short, the second quill longest; tail of moderate length, even; general colour of upper parts light greenish-brown; wings and tail dark olive-brown, the outer feathers of the latter with a terminal white spot on the inner web; a narrow white ring surrounding the eye; two bands of dull white on the wing; sides of the head and neck greenish-yellow, the rest of the lower parts pale yellow, gradually fading into white behind.
Male, 5, 8 1/4.
Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Exceedingly rare. Migratory.
THE VIRGINIAN SPIDERWORT.
TRADESCANTIA VIRGINICA, Willd., Sp. Pl., vol. ii. p. 16. Pursch, Fl. Amer., vol. i. p. 218.--HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA, Linn.--JUNCI, Juss.
This species is distinguished by its erect, succulent stem; elongated lanceolate, smooth leaves; and umbellate, subsessile flowers, which are of a deep purple colour, with yellow anthers.
|
<urn:uuid:8621ff39-41d8-497a-90e7-b68f87ed5134>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://web4.audubon.org/bird/boa/F7_G2n.html
|
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
| 0.944478
| 1,153
| 2.328125
| 2
|
And what did they see?
Initially, a dark room, with glow sticks covered by a mass of yellow and orange plastic. The lights were turned on, and a few unidentified students went to work. [They provided no details when prompted. Code of silence, perhaps?] They hooked up a tube into the plastic and began pumping air into it. Soon, the mass morphed into…a giant, yellow duck.
Some 20 students stood around, watching the action. They began discussing hypotheses:
“I heard this is for some visual arts class, about art in public spaces.”
“Do you think this is a psych experiment? Maybe there are hidden cameras.” Eyes furtively dart around.
“See, this whole thing is a metaphor. ‘Everything will become clear.’ Well, the plastic is kind of transparent, and the glow sticks light up. So it’s really all about ‘seeing the light’ today.”
Shrugs. “I don’t know, we’re just going to sit here and wait for things to happen…how long? Well, until 7 pm. That’s when the sign outside says this will be over.”
|
<urn:uuid:ce9b68ef-8e6f-4938-a3b8-ab64ba810525>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.universitypressclub.com/archive/tag/art-installation/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.957411
| 258
| 2.1875
| 2
|
January 2003 - Capital Project of the Month
Barretto Point Park
Ricardo Hinkle, Rachel Kramer: Landscape Architects
rish Clark, Marcha Johnson: Landscape Design Team
Carol Qu: Architect
Theo Kavvadias: Environmental Engineer
Reza Mahayekhi, Ghulam Miraki: Structural Engineers
Michael Enitan: Electrical Engineer
Alexander Fakeyode: Mechanical and Plumbing Engineer
FUNDING: This project was funded by Mayor,Giuliani with a total budget of $5,000,000.
Location: The project is located on the southeast side of Viele avenue between Tiffany and Barretto Streets in the Hunts Point section of the Bronx.
Surrounding Land Use: The neighborhood of Hunts Point is bordered by the Bruckner Expressway to the northwest and the Bronx River to the east. The Hunts Point Produce and Meat Market is located about seven blocks to the east of Barretto Point Park. Tiffany Street Pier and the East River are located to the south of the park and the Hunts Point Sewage Treatment Plant is just east of the park. The remainder of the site borders on a mixture of heavy industrial and manufacturing operations. The buildings are low brick and concrete structures. A heavy flow of large trucks and cars use the streets here during the week. The residential section of Hunts Point starts about three blocks north of the park.
Site Background: Hunts Point was a lush green landscape, with farms and estates until the 1900s. Hunts Point Road began as an Indian trail and later was used as the supply route during the Revolutionary War for ships that docked at Hunts Point. Barretto Point is named after Francis J. Barretto who was a merchant and an Assemblyman of Westchester County. He and his wife, Julia Coster owned an estate in the area in the 1800s. Prior to 1950, the Barretto Point Park site housed a sand and gravel operation and an asphalt plant. Between 1954 and 1978 the placement of fill on the site increased the size of the upland and raised the grades significantly. In 2001 the Department of Parks and Recreation acquired the property from DEP. Today the park site is abandoned with tall grasses, weeds and debris.
Estimated Construction Start: Spring, 2003, with a contract duration of 18 months.
The primary goal of the design was to exploit the substantial East River waterfront to create as much connection to the water as possible, with a wide variety of shoreline experiences, for a community surrounded on three sides by waterfront, but with very little access to it. The main design feature is a gracefully curvilinear and undulating closed loop promenade, lined with benches and groves of trees, circumscribing a large central lawn. A large, stone and grass amphitheater and stage will be constructed to overlook the East River and skyline vistas. And a sand volleyball area, defined by a low stone seating wall, will be carved into the central lawn, adjacent to an enlarged natural sand beach at the bottom of a new boulder revetment.
Along the urban, industrial edge court sports, play equipment, a comfort station, a boat house, a custom designed ornamental steel fence, and perimeter plantings will serve as a buffer and transition zone. This urban-pastoral transition zone will be further defined by a series of discrete play units and fitness areas sited to enjoy the park's sweeping views, and a decoratively paved concrete block spray plaza and seating area that will serve as a gateway into the park.
A river front theme will include a concrete runnel along the shoreline promenade that will channel the water from a decorative spray shower through a playful series of twists and turns before spilling into the river. In addition, several thousand native and shoreline tolerant shrubs, grasses and trees will be planted to establish a naturalizing plant palette, with picnic areas to be located among the groves of trees. Boulders, fieldstone and stone veneer will be used throughout the park to draw upon the rocky Bronx shoreline and the exposed ledge common throughout the Bronx. Recycled plastic lumber will also be used in the benches, picnic tables, cribbing and low barrier rail to draw upon the recycled nature of this former brownfield site, as well as to provide a connection to the adjacent Tiffany Pier, which was completely constructed from recycled plastic lumber.
|
<urn:uuid:6fa3de70-b2bc-468c-a933-5e283124e2d9>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_about/parks_divisions/capital/pd_proj_month_jan_03.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.955367
| 899
| 1.765625
| 2
|
Irving’s libraries are getting fuller.
The Irving Public Library received the Muslim Journeys Building Bridges Bookshelf. Developed by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the program will bring books, films and access to Oxford Islamic Studies Online to Irving’s library system for one year.
The goal is to provide trustworthy resources about Muslim beliefs, practices and culture. More than 800 libraries and universities nationwide have received the program, including the University of Texas at Arlington, the University of North Texas, Texas Christian University and the Denton Public Library.
Irving will unveil the program at 4 p.m. Monday at the West Irving Library, 4444 W. Rochelle Road. Several local municipal and religious leaders are scheduled to attend, including Imam Zia from the Islamic Center of Irving, Rabbi Frank Joseph of Congregation Irving Havurah and the Rev. Dominic Colangelo from the Holy Family Catholic Church.
The third annual National Iranian American Day of Service is Saturday. Iranian Americans in Dallas plan to be part of this nationwide event that celebrates Norooz, the Persian New Year.
They will join the local nonprofit MediSend to package medical supplies for developing countries.
The Day of Service is organized by the National Iranian American Council, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit whose mission is to promote an active and engaged Iranian American community that supports human rights and democracy in Iran. Visit niacouncil.org.
WorldFest is changing. Instead of spotlighting many cultures, the annual festival in Addison will now focus on one country each year. Up first is China.
Addison and the World Affairs Council announced the new focus at a kickoff event Tuesday. Xu Erwen, Houston’s China consul, attended, as did Addison Mayor Todd Meier and World Affairs Council president Jim Falk.
The town also plans to spotlight China throughout the year. Visit addisontx.gov.
The local Sikh Coalition recently held an American Idol viewing party in Southlake to support contestant Gurpreet Singh Sarin of Maryland.
Sarin was among the top 40 singers but he didn’t advance to the top 20. He wore colorful turbans on the show, which he said are a sign of commitment to Sikhism, the fifth-largest religion in the world. He grew up performing shabad kirtan, traditional Sikh music, and branched into Western music about two years ago. Visit sikhcoalition.org.
The World Affairs Council is accepting applications for the 2013 Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program.
U.S. high school students will have the opportunity to travel with visiting Iraqi students to Washington, D.C., June 24-28 and attend a summer camp at the Global Youth Village June 28 to July 9.
The deadline to apply is March 15. Visit dfwworld.org.
Ahmadiyya Muslim Student Association in collaboration with the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Dallas will host an interfaith conference from 7 to 9 p.m. at UTD’s School of Management, Room 1.118. The campus is at 800 W. Campbell Road in Richardson. Muslimsforpeace.org.
Women’s Communities Association will celebrate International Women’s Day from 12:30 to 5 p.m. at White Rock Hills Branch Library, 9150 Ferguson Road.
A Charity Fashion Show to benefit children in Nepal will be at 2:45 p.m. at Fossil Ridge High School, 4101 Thompson Road, Fort Worth. 469-442-8729.
A Khayal Sangeet Vocal Concert will be at 7 p.m. in Jonsson Performance Hall at UTD, 800 W. Campbell Road in Richardson. Icmcdfw.org.
Chamber Music International presents a concert featuring Clara-Jumi Kang at 7:30 p.m. at Dallas City Performance Hall, 2520 Flora St. 972-385-7267.
|
<urn:uuid:da50046a-9463-4c1b-8958-93e5d2ad8ee7>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/columnists/deborah-fleck/20130306-asian-culture-and-community-irving-library-receives-muslim-journeys-bookshelf.ece
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.920976
| 818
| 1.554688
| 2
|
This objection to intelligent design is within a theistic philosophy and theology. The theistic evolutionist would make the arguments for Darwinism just like the atheist would make his arguments for Darwinism; the only difference is that the former is a theist. Asa Gray (1810-1888) was a proponent of evolution who suggested that God guided evolution. The problem for the theistic evolutionist at this point is that if God guides evolution, it is design. Guidance implies purpose and involvement. The theistic evolutionist, so defined as God guiding evolution, is not really a detractor from design, rather he would be a proponent of common decent, which is entirely compatible with design.
It was not until the early twentieth century when a movement that emphasized Darwinian natural selection did theistic evolution attempt to reconcile unguided evolution with God. The following theistic evolutionist present an appropriate summation for the current understanding:
“An evolutionary universe is theologically understood as creation allowed to make itself.”
“Mankind’s appearance on this planet was not preordained… we are here… as an afterthought, a minor detail, a happenstance in a history that might just as well have left us out.”
“Evolution could appear to us to be driven by chance, but from God’s perspective the outcome would be entirely specified. Thus, God could be completely and intimately involved in the creation of all species, while from our perspective, limited as it is by the tyranny of linear time, this would appear a random and undirected process.”
It may be important to distinguish the last quote from Collins from the former quotes. It is difficult, even impossible, to distinguish Collins’ position as not being intelligent design. Why would Collins use the human perspective as the objective standard for whether or not there actually is design? He willingly concedes that God could be intimately involved in creating yet it is illusory to the human perspective.
The argument from cognitive relations may be understood as an argument from omniscience or providence. If God allows any state of affairs to be actualized, and knows that it will happen, and then there is a teleology in that events actualization. The underlying principle is what is called “purposive permission.” This principle makes a minimal commitment to any event X, such that X will come to be either by it being permitted to occur or by being strongly actualized to occur. Purposive permission assumes that if any event is permitted to happen then it is within the will of the knowing agent that the event be actualized. If the event were known that it would come to pass and it was not desired to come to pass, then it would not have been permitted to be and would not have happened. Under the current understanding of unguided evolution, the only way to reconcile that with theism is to adopt process theology, an understanding that God is not ontologically perfect and is literally evolving with the world.
John Polkinghorne, Faith, Science, and Understanding (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2000), 23, 111, 197.
Kenneth Miller, Finding Darwin’s God (New York: Harper Perennial, 2000), 272-273.
Francis Collins, The Language of God (New York: Free Press, 2006), 205.
Even weak understandings of cognitive relations, or interactions, would still render design (categorically defined from an orthodox perspective). All that would require from the knowing agent (God) is that, within the mind, there must at least be two moments of knowledge: natural knowledge (the first logical moment) and free knowledge (the last logical moment). In the first moment the agent must know all tautologies and every possible circumstance. The final moment is knowing the actual world, the current, past, and future state of affairs. The only theistic model that does not hold to these two moments would be the process model. I want to note, that open theism would not even be compatible with a Darwinist understanding of evolution because God would only be ignorant of future contingencies that involved human freedom.
|
<urn:uuid:bf59c7cf-4349-48ef-8da0-cd906f14e4aa>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://sententias.org/tag/open-theism/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.954841
| 855
| 2.4375
| 2
|
This week I’ve posted about myths – things that turned out not to be literally true – about the Columbine shootings, including random myths like the shooters were part of a “Trenchcoat Mafia” and whether Cassie Bernall said “yes.” I also referred to Bart Ehrman‘s book, Jesus Interrupted, to show that if you read the Bible literally, it can’t be true, not as written. This post continues with the theme of “things that turned out not to be true” but isn’t about Columbine. Oh, today was SUPPOSED to have been the day of the Columbine shootings, had Eric Harris’s plan gone the way it was supposed to, but I’ll write about that tomorrow. This post relates to the reason Harris wanted April 19th to be the day.
Many Americans – well, many Americans who know anything about history – would probably say the most “infamous” day in US history is December 7, 1941. After all, President Roosevelt declared December 7th a day that will live in infamy. We don’t get Presidential decrees like that very often. For most Americans alive today, however, the actual, if undeclared, day of infamy, is September 11, 2001. Most of us remember that day and it was a made-for-tv mass murder. In both cases, our enemies knew what they were doing and they did it with precision. But there’s a third day that to, seems more ominous. That day is today. April 19th.
As tragic as 12/7/41 and 9/11/01 were, those were days that somebody attacked us. Someone else, other than us. An enemy. The Japanese navy attacked and we obliterated much of Japan. Al Qaeda attacked, and we wiped out Al Qaeda. The problem with April 19th is that everything that happened on this day, we’ve done to ourselves. For this reason, we like to forget about April 19, a day that will live in obscurity.
|
<urn:uuid:6b2632de-da5a-460e-9db1-c62b7658fe8a>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://richmerritt.wordpress.com/tag/navy/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.980623
| 438
| 1.96875
| 2
|
1. You are arrested for preaching about Jesus. You are placed under house arrest with guards watching you day and night. But you can still spread God's message. How can you witness?
2. Paul travelled from city to city telling people the Good News. Who did Paul preach to?
3. Complete the verse. All your words are _______. Psalm 119:160
4. Paul told the Good News to anyone who would listen. What was the Good News he preached?
5. Complete the verse. Teach me your ________, O Lord. Psalm 27:11
6. When Paul saw that the people in Athens were worshipping many Gods made of gold, silver, and stone, he took the opportunity to tell them about his God. What could you tell the people about your God?
7. Paul witnessed to people in many ways. Name 3 ways you can witness to others.
8. Finish the verse: My words shall never ________ _______. Matthew 24:35
9. Finish the verse. The word of our God _______ _______. Isaiah 40:8
10. Paul went from city to city telling people about Jesus. Name 3 places where you can tell others about Jesus today.
11. Paul went from city to city telling anyone who would listen about Jesus. Name 3 people you can tell about Jesus today.
12. Paul studied the scriptures as a young man. Name 3 ways you can study the bible today.
13. When Paul entered a new city to witness he usually waited until what day to go to the temple and preach.
14. When Paul entered a new city to witness he usually waited until the Sabbath and went where to preach.
1. The Jewish leaders start talking against you telling everyone that you are lying and don't know what you are talking about. The people form a mob and chase you out of town. Leave the town you are in and head for another town.
2. After preaching many days in the temple. You learn of a plot of the Jewish leaders to stir up a mob and stone you so you leave the city right away. Leave the town you are in and head for a new town.
3. You pray for a crippled man and he is healed. Go directly to the local temple.
4. You arrived in the city on Monday so you wait until the sabbath and then go to the temple to preach. Lose a turn and then go directly to the temple to witness.
5. While praying the Holy Spirit tells you to leave the city at once because your life is in danger. Leave town and go to another city.
6. You are thrown into prison for preaching. Lose a turn.
7. While praying you have a vision of a man asking you to come to Berea to help the people there. Go directly to the entrance of Berea.
How to Print or Copy these instructions.
Copyright 2005, Digital by Design, Inc - See Copyright Information
|
<urn:uuid:e93884b8-4cf2-4d0c-bb12-c6299d859edc>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.daniellesplace.com/html/witness.htm
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.957637
| 613
| 2.453125
| 2
|
BART passengers can already expect to pay more for fares and parking in the near future, but for the transit agency to meet its colossal long-range needs regional voters likely will need to approve tax increases.
With ridership potentially doubling in the next 15 years, BART’s 40-year-old infrastructure will be unable to meet the strain placed upon it, said Chief Financial Officer Carter Mau. The repercussions of the growing demand and aging resources are staggering — BART needs to spend about $750 million a year to address capacity and state-of-good-repair issues.
Next month, BART will begin discussing ways to address that gaping hole with immediate fixes, such as continuing its inflation-based fare index — a formula that increases rates every two years — and boosting daily parking fees by 50 cents. The fare increase initiative is set to expire this year, but BART is scheduled to hold a public hearing
Feb. 14 about extending it.
“We’re planning on moving forward with this,” Mau said. “The fare formula is the foundation for BART’s financial health.”
But even if the fare program is extended and BART adds market-based parking rates, it would raise only $700 million over 12 years.
As a result, the agency is exploring other options, including asking voters to approve a $1 billion general obligation bond. Other voter-involved initiatives include a $50 parcel tax that would raise $45 million a year and a quarter-cent sales tax increase that would generate $125 million annually.
Each initiative would require a collective two-thirds approval from voters in San Francisco, Alameda and Contra Costa counties, which make up the BART district. Mau said an initiative — the agency has not identified a specific one — would likely be necessary in the next five years.
“This is such a huge nut to crack; we can’t balance it just on our riders,” said Mau. “But we think that voters will
realize the importance of BART.”
Tom Radulovich, president of BART’s board of directors, said the agency also could seek more regional and local funding sources. Currently, bridge tolls only pay for infrastructure improvement projects, but Radulovich said BART could pressure regional lawmakers to invest more in the agency’s core system needs.
Development fees for downtown San Francisco businesses could be increased, bringing a new revenue stream for BART. And the agency could do a better job of realizing efficiencies in its day-to-day operations, freeing up more funds for its long-term capital needs, Radulovich said.
“It’s going to have to be a combination of things,” Radulovich said. “But whatever we do, we’ll need to do it fast. The longer we wait, the more the system breaks down. And that will create a huge problem for the people after us.”
|
<urn:uuid:7c2f3242-0fa8-4d01-b94c-df737f314c52>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/transportation/2013/01/bart-weighs-voter-initiatives-meet-long-term-needs
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.951639
| 608
| 1.648438
| 2
|
A SUPER article up on CRAFT from R.Stern! She writes -
I’ve compiled a brief tutorial on getting started with Arduino for the absolute beginner. I’ll cover where to learn, what to buy, and where to go for help. Why should you crafters be interested in Arduino? The Arduino platform, more-so than any other way of incorporating electronics into your projects, is geared towards do-it-yourselfers. It’s open source (both on a hardware and software level), so the community plays a large role in its development and improvement. Crafting is a community endeavor; individuals share tips, tricks, techniques, skills, and materials all the time. Arduino comes out of the same spirit. On a more practical level, you may just want to make your crafts more fun, interesting, and interactive by introducing some lights, motion, sound, or simple sensors. Stuffed toys can become glowing night-lights or cat-chasing robots, fibers can carry currents to make smart clothes, accessories, you name it. There’s also an overlap in materials between crafting and circuit building that can lead to some non-traditional works in either category: threads, fabrics, paints, and glues with conductive properties introduce subtle ways to incorporate electronics in your crafting practice. Read on to start learning about Arduino! Add your Arduino tips and resources in the comments.
HOW TO – Getting started with Arduino – Link.
From the pages of MAKE:
R. Stern’s HOW-TO on making plush irradiated steaks – Link.
|
<urn:uuid:043f3d85-a126-4ae5-9fab-26cb55357ba5>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://blog.makezine.com/2007/08/23/how-to-getting-started-wi-1/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=8cb43e0c56
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.929264
| 324
| 2.515625
| 3
|
- Published by:
- Mockingbird Publishing
Standard / 8.25" x 10.75"36 pages Saddle-stitched
The Christian church learn a great deal from Alcoholics Anonymous about both the nature of addiction and the reality of how God works in the lives of troubled people. In this sense, AA can help the church rediscover a great deal about itself, much of which has been sadly lost, at least in many of the church’s current mainstream expressions. Specifically, AA can recall to the church its understanding of the human condition as intrinsically impaired, of God primarily as rescuer and of spiritual growth as a cyclical rather than linear phenomenon. Furthermore, AA offers an extraordinary model for how those understandings play out on an organizational level. The aim of this booklet, then, is to re-establish both a basis of hope for the church and a basis for the church as hope.
|
<urn:uuid:06b0c977-d75f-4510-83da-646697833a0d>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://magcloud.com/browse/Issue/73330
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.952766
| 186
| 1.671875
| 2
|
Day 13 Amir and LauraMay 28, 2011
Today’s excursion was the most moving experience we have had in Europe. We visited the infamous Auschwitz- Birkenau concentration camp. This camp was the largest Nazi concentration and death camp in Europe from 1940-1945. We also had the opportunity to visit the Auschwitz Memorial Museum. While gaining further knowledge about the Holocaust, we realized that the entire situation was a result of the toxic leadership of Hitler. Toxic leadership is when someone who possesses great leadership skills, uses those skill for bad rather than good.
Before traveling to Europe I read many books on the Holocaust and researched endlessly. With that being said, I still was not prepared for the actual concentration camp. During the tour I had many flashbacks from reading " I have lived a thousand years". I tried over and over again to comprehend the amount of turmoil that existed in this infamous death camp. All of the readings and movies came to life in my eyes while on the tour. It was if we had traveled in time back to the 1940's and I was reliving the experience as a prisoner. I felt all the pain, hope, optimism and despair all at once. One of the hardest moments for me is when we walked into the room where all the hair was being preserved. At this point in time I went numb. I could not take anymore pictures, I could not speak, I could not move and I did not feel present in my own body. I thought of myself as a child and all of my loved ones and I pictured them being subjected to the cruel treatment that these innocent people had to go through. I casually turned my head as the tears rolled down my face, I saw my family in that room and my heart hurt for all of the innocent men, women and children. I kept asking myself how this could happen and how could so many soldiers with wives and children possibly end so many lives. I have been fighting to understand since leaving Auschwitz and I believe it is something that will never be understood. I believe that this trip to Auschwitz is a very important aspect of history and very important to leadership. It is important to be aware of the past to prevent the past from reoccurring in the future. This visit has definitely changed the way I look at life and the sense of entitlement that I sometimes have as a human. Seeing pictures of these people that have been abused mentally, physically and sometimes starved to death makes me more aware of my blessings. I will never forget the feeling that I felt today, it has humbled me and reminded me to be grateful for the life and freedom I have. - Amir
Today we visited Auschwitz Birkenau. I truly think that this is an experience that is impactful before, during, and after.Before we came to Europe our class worked to educate ourselves on the experiences of the Holocaust victims. Even though the film Schindler's list was enlightening, it is vastly different once you get to the actual site. At this point something that our tour guide said becomes relevant: "It is important that you think of this not as a museum, not as a site, but as a cemetery, first and foremost, it is a memorial of sorts. It is a place where you should maintain respect, and honor those who died during this tragedy." The facts, the figures, the personal property that we had seen and heard of did not have a full impact until you realized that it was not just a pair of shoes that belonged to one person. It was 40,000 pairs of shoes (only a minute fraction of the actual number) of 40,000 wives, husbands, mothers, daughters, sisters, brothers, best friends and neighbors. In leadership we often talk about roles, and how each of us fulfills at least 5 to 10 different roles. Something that I could not get out of my head as I was walking throughout the camps was the fact that each time one of the victims of the Holocaust was exterminated, so was a wife, a mother, a child, a soul that fulfilled so many different parts in so many different lives that one could never truly measure the ripples of a single death. The most difficult part was walking along the train tracks and realizing that I will never know what it is truly like to experience what these thousands of people went through. Even with all of these facts and figures, seeing all of the shoes, all of the clumps of human hair, and all of the barracks, I felt despair at realizing that I will never get it, but that I am extremely lucky that I ill not ever be in that situation. I will never know what it is like to try to fit 21 sleeping bodies into a horsestall, 7 to a platform. I wil never know what it is like to go to bed hearing screaming outside, or to have to build my own prison by hand. It doesn't seem fair in a way, that none of that pain can be diminished from the past, but the way I look at it is that I can do my best for the future. We have more people in virtual slavery today than we have everhad before, and we forget that some of these situations are happening in our very hometowns. I hope to be more aware in the future, and to continue to treat everyone ot only as if they are my equal, ut as if they are a gift to the future itself.
|
<urn:uuid:3dba70c0-1d89-4d79-8768-ef68e46ca57f>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.emporia.edu/leadership/blog/05/28/2011/day-13-amir-and-laura
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.982278
| 1,091
| 2.046875
| 2
|
Learning Guide: Third Grade
Portrait of a Third Grader
Children this age may appear self-assured, even driven. They are frequently eager for challenges: "I want to be in Little League, but I don't like the rules -- I just want to see how far I can hit that ball; I can do piano and dance lessons, draw a picture; and have friends over...all before lunch." Third graders are feeling their power in some ways: They have expanded vocabulary, life experience, and practice in reading and knowledge of the world. Socially, kids widen their friendships and are less critical of each other. Boys are extremely dependent on mothers; girls are more dependent on peers.What your child will learn
This is a year when academics click, and socially, kids form "cliques." A subject your child had difficulty with in the past might become crystal clear this year. At the same time, social problems develop for some kids as classmates form tightly knit, sometimes-exclusionary peer groups. This is the year of note passing and name-calling. The sensitive third grader may come home weeping because children in the playground have teased her. Teachers this year focus on independent work and learning multiplication. They ask students not only to learn information, but also to apply it. You'll probably see more cooperative learning as well as paired learning -- completing a project with a classmate by comparing answers and rethinking strategies. Use of computers will extend to the Internet; class assignments may require finding information on the web.
Setting firm limits and schedules for your child has never been more important; third-grade teachers expect homework done independently and on time. It's a good idea to schedule homework as well as playtime into your child's day.
SAVE EVEN MORE! Say “Yes” to Ladies' Home Journal® Magazine today and get a second year for HALF PRICE - 2 full years (22 issues) for just $15. You also get our new Ladies' Home Journal® Family Favorites Cookbook ABSOLUTELY FREE!
|
<urn:uuid:5fcf6949-69f8-4a22-8447-64fb10f11ec9>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.lhj.com/relationships/family/school/learning-guide-third-grade/?page=1
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.959314
| 420
| 3.3125
| 3
|
Marx and Engels in Neue Rheinische Zeitung November 1848
Source: MECW Volume 8, p. 88;
Written: on November 27, 1848;
First published: in Neue Rheinischer Zeitung No. 154, November 28, 1848.
Cologne, November 27. Some forty years ago there were people who described Germany in Its Deepest Humiliation. It is as well that they have already been gathered ad patres [to their fathers]. They could not now write such a book; they would not know what title to give it, and if they chose the old one they would contradict themselves.
Because for Germany there is always, as the English poet says, “beneath the lowest deep a lower still”. [Milton, Paradise Lost]
We believed that the conclusion of the Danish armistice signified the utmost depths of shame. It seemed to us that after the activity of the imperial envoy Raumer in Paris, of Heckscher in Italy, and of the Commissioner Stedtmann in Schleswig-Holstein, and after the two Notes to Switzerland, the humiliation of Germany could not go farther. The actions of the two imperial commissioners in regard to Austrian affairs prove that we were mistaken. How incredibly far the German imperial commissioners go in their disregard for the honour of Germany, what stupid incapacity, cowardice or treachery can be inherent in the men of the old liberalism, is abundantly evident from the recently issued “Report of the Committee for Austrian Affairs etc.,” and especially from the 20 documents it contains.
On October 13, Herren Welcker and Mosle travelled from Frankfurt on the orders of the Central Authority “to mediate in Vienna affairs”. Persons not conversant with the new central diplomacy expected news of their arrival in Vienna within a few days. It was not known at the time that imperial commissioners have their own itineraries. The Imperial Regent’s’ [Archduke John of Austria] Eisele and Beisele took the most direct route to Vienna — via Munich. With the well-known travel map from the Jobsiade in their hands, they arrived there in the evening of October 15. Until noon of October 17 they studied the Vienna events in cosy company with the Bavarian Ministers and the Austrian chargé d'affaires. In their first letter to Herr Schmerling they gave an account of their preliminary studies. In Munich the pair had a moment of illumination. They passionately desired the arrival of a “third colleague”, if possible a Prussian, “because we would then be better able to cope with our great mission”. The Herr “colleague” did not appear. The hope of a trinity was wrecked; the poor couple had to go out into the world alone. What then will become of the “great mission"? The great mission travels in the pockets of Herren Welcker and Mosle to Passau. Before crossing the Austrian Rubicon, the “great mission” sends out a proclamation in advance. It was frightful over there on the other side! [Schiller]
“Here, too,” Welcker writes to Schmerling, “on the Austrian frontier the population is by no means free from revolutionary and terrorist symptoms.” Indeed, “only by the intervention of a military occupation of the bridge was even the national guard of Krems rendered incapable of depriving their Emperor of it and therefore to some extent of making him a prisoner”.
What reader would be so hard-hearted as not to appreciate fully these feelings of the fine soul of a political encyclopaedia [Staatslexikonseele]! c After the two gentlemen had gathered strength in Passau from midday on the 18th to early on the 20th, they betook themselves to Linz.
They had left Frankfurt on’ October 13; in the evening of the 20th they were already in Linz. Is not this tremendous speed proof enough of the importance of their “great mission"? Were they perhaps spurred on by special instructions to this enormous haste? It suffices to say that after seven full days the gentlemen arrived in Linz. This town, which with its “big factory population already influenced by emissaries from Vienna” had aroused anxious forebodings in Herr Welcker during his stay in Passau, showed absolutely no signs of the gallows which he and his Herr colleague had probably envisaged in their imagination. On the contrary:
“The entire national guard with its officers and musicians ... received us in ceremonial formation with the German flag flying, and together with the surrounding people welcomed us with repeated cheers.”
Therefore Linz — the revolutionary Sodom — turns out to be a well-disposed town, having sufficient bonhomie to welcome our excellent imperial commissioners with due ceremony. All the more dreadful does Vienna appear in the Welcker-Mosle reports to Herr Schmerling as the most godless Gomorrah, as a bottomless pit of anarchy etc.
On the 21st the gentlemen embarked on a steamship and went to Krems. On the way they reported to Frankfurt that they had been met with a guard of honour in Linz, that the main guard had paraded before them under arms, and other equally important matters. At the same time they prepared three letters: to Windischgrätz, to Minister Krauss, and to the Presidium of the Imperial Diet.
Should anyone still not be completely satisfied with the more than eight days activity of our imperial commissioners, let him now accompany them during the night of October 21-22 to the headquarters of Windischgrätz in Stammersdorf. Here the Central Authority in the shape of its commissioners appears before us in all its glory.
“Windischgrätz,” say Welcker-Mosle, “rejected every attempt at influence on our part with a certain harshness.”
In other words, they were received with kicks and had to make themselves scarce. “Indeed, he would not even see our credentials,” Welcker complains to his Minister Schmerling. And to fill the cup of bitterness to overflowing: Windischgrätz did not offer a drop of wine to the personifications of the Central Authority confronting him, not even a tot of brandy.
Our commissioners therefore once more seated themselves in their carriage, sadly humming the words “O du Deutschland etc.” [Ernst Moritz Arndt] and continued their journey to — Vienna? Heaven forbid! To Olmütz, “to the imperial residence”. And they did well to do so. Otherwise the whole imperial joke would have lost its point, the last act would be missing from the mediation farce. If they were treated like stupid schoolboys by Windischgrätz, they found in Olmütz
“a much more obliging reception on the part of the Emperor and the imperial family” (cf. p. 11 of the report, letter No. 6).
They were invited to a meal and, as they write further to Herr Schmerling, “we had the pleasure of the most gracious reception”. It is not at all the German lackey character that is expressed here, but the most sincere thankfulness which finds its appropriate expression in the song: “After so much suffering etc.” [From Rossini’s Tancredi]
After all the dining and wining the famous “great mission” still remains to be fulfilled. Our two commissioners address themselves in writing to Minister Baron von Wessenberg.
“Your Excellency” (begins the letter of October 25), “we humbly request you to be so good as to fix a time at which it will be convenient for you to receive our thanks for the benevolent reception which has been accorded our mission and ourselves by His Royal Imperial Majesty and Your Excellency, and to inform us of your views and decisions in respect’ I the following points concerning the fulfilment of our mission.”
The “following points” say in a great many words that the commissioners wish to be allowed to go to Vienna for the purpose of mediation.
The whole letter, as also the second one to Wessenberg, is drafted in such a complicated last-century government office style, and is so full of excessive politeness and servility that it really does one good to be able to read Wessenberg’s replies immediately after it. Compared with the Austrian Minister, the two commissioners give the impression in this correspondence of being two loutish peasants confronting a highly cultured nobleman, before whom they bow and scrape in a comical fashion and try to make use of really select expressions.
Wessenberg replied to the above-mentioned letter as follows:
“Your Excellencies, I must apologise for being so late in replying to your letter of today.... As regards your well-meant intention to make one more attempt in Vienna to settle the dissension there, it seems to me necessary first of all to acquaint you with the state of affairs there at the present time. It is not a question of negotiating with a party, but solely of suppressing an insurrection etc.” (cf. p. 16 of the report).
Together with this reply, he returned them their credentials.
They repeated their request on October 27.
“We must regard it as our urgent duty,” they say, “once more most humbly to request Your Excellency and through you the Imperial Government to send us as quickly as possible to Vienna under safe escort with lenient and conciliatory instructions and conditions, so that in this terrible crisis we can make use of the assuaging and personal influence embodied in us and our mission.”
We have seen how this “assuaging and personal influence” operated in the fourteen days after they left the gates of Frankfurt.
It exerted such a powerful effect on Wessenberg that in his reply he gave no answer to their request. He gave them some items of news from Vienna, half untrue at that, and remarked ironically:
“Furthermore, that revolts like that of the proletarian, in Vienna cannot easily be suppressed without the use of means of coercion has been confirmed recently by the events in Frankfurt!”
It was impossible for Herren Welcker and Mosle to withstand such arguments; hence they desisted from further attempts and waited with their “assuaging and personal influence” for the events that would come about.
On October 28 they again reported to Schmerling about their “great mission”. In response to an offer by Wessenberg they handed their message to a courier whom the former was sending to Frankfurt. The courier departed, but not the message, which only arrived in Frankfurt on November 6. If they had not dined at the imperial table, if the imperial family, and especially Archduke Karl, had not spoken to them in such a friendly way the commissioners must have gone out of their minds at such bad luck.
There now followed two days of silence. The “assuaging influence” was resting on the Sabbath after so much labour.
Then, on October 30, Wessenberg gave them official news of the surrender of Vienna. Their decision was taken. True, on October 28 they still expressed the opinion (p. 14 of the report),
“It seems that he” (Windischgrätz), “like the influential persons here” (in Olmütz), “is all too greatly dominated by the idea not only of subjugating Vienna but of inflicting a revengeful punishment for previous wrong-doing.”
However, since then Wessenberg has assured them — and how should an imperial commissioner dare to doubt it — that
“the Austrian Government, in making use of this victory, will be guided by principles suitable for ensuring the sympathy of its subjects”.
“We can therefore assume,” exclaim Welcker-Mosle in a tone of imperial pathos, “that nevertheless our proposals have had some influence.” Therefore, nevertheless? 0 certainly! For eight days you have most magnificently amused Wessenberg, Archduke Karl, Sophia & Co. You were an aid to the royal imperial digestion, Welcher-Mosle!
“After that assurance of the Minister, we regard our task as having been accomplished and we shall tomorrow” (October 31) “begin our return journey via Prague.”
Such is the conclusion of the last message of Herren Welcker-Mosle.
And, in fact, you are right; your “great mission” of conciliation and mediation was fulfilled. Why should you now go to Vienna? Were not those apostles of humanity, Windischgrätz and Jellachich, masters of the city? Have not the red-coats and the royal imperial troops by means of plunder, arson, murder and rape preached the gospel of peace and constitutional liberty in a way comprehensible to all?
How effective your “assuaging influence” has been, how splendidly you have carried out your task is evident from the death-rattles of the murdered, the desperate cries of the ravished, it is testified by the thousands in the prisons, it is taught us by the blood-stained shade of Robert Blum.
Your task was to supplement the trilogy staged by Windischgrätz, Jellachich and Wessenberg by helping to perform a farce in Olmütz. That task has been worthily carried out; with great virtuosity you have played to the end the role of the “bamboozled uncle”, if not something worse.
|
<urn:uuid:ebec02ff-e9bc-4fb4-bfc5-7990e3a24a64>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://marxists.anu.edu.au/archive/marx/works/1848/11/28a.htm
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.966052
| 2,911
| 2.484375
| 2
|
Every other year, our congregation travels to a different part of the Jewish world to meet and, if necessary, help our fellow Jews. Having traveled to Israel, Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union many times, as well as Turkey, Morocco, Spain, Argentina and Brazil, our experiences have mostly been with communities under political, demographic or economic siege. This trip was different.
An austere monolith of reinforced concrete, the 25-foot-high wall that separates parts of Israel from the West Bank conjures images of the Berlin Wall, Hadrian's Wall or even the Great Wall of China.
It is a new year, but the world and nation are still agonizing over a lot of old problems. President George W. Bush has promised that the long, hard fight against terrorism has just begun, but it is far from clear exactly what the next phase in that war will be. At home, a faltering economy and vanished government surplus promise a new budgetary day of reckoning.
|
<urn:uuid:fcb2a4dd-2ed9-4068-9fba-beb86817a2ec>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.jewishjournal.com/tag/fight%20against%20terrorism
|
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
| 0.951956
| 199
| 1.609375
| 2
|
A pair of mobile forensic researchers who independently identified a location tracking system on the iPhone 4 several months before it was publicized earlier this week say that law enforcement agencies are currently using data from a hidden iOS file called "consolidated.db" in criminal investigations.
Evidence from the location tracking database stored on iPhones "has been used in actual criminal investigations and yes, it's led to convictions," said Alex Levinson, a Rochester Institute of Technology researcher and technical lead for iOS forensics consultant Katana Forensics.
But Levinson and Christopher Vance, a Marshall University digital forensics specialist, also contend that Apple probably included the technology in its iOS operating system to deliver location-based services like iAds rather than to create dossiers on the whereabouts of iPhone users.
A great deal of buzz has surrounded a Wednesday O'Reilly Radar blog post by researchers Pete Warden and Alasdair Allan that highlighted a hidden file on iOS devices like the iPhone and iPad which includes latitude-longitude coordinates and a timestamp to track where such devices have been geographically and when.
But Warden and Allan apparently weren't the first to discover the file.
© Gear Live Inc. – User-posted content, unless source is quoted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Public Domain License. Gear Live graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, videos, articles, blogs, forums, scripts and other service names are the trademarks of Gear Live Inc.
|
<urn:uuid:eafaae68-7173-427d-9c35-33484768dff9>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.gearlive.com/news/tag/iphone+tracking+data
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00056-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.909078
| 292
| 1.8125
| 2
|
Already a Bloomberg.com user?
Sign in with the same account.
International -- Asian Business: North Korea
The Koreas: Ready to Do Business? (int'l edition)
Pyongyang has a lot of work ahead
When negotiations started last year, everything was exceedingly formal. In an ornate room in a government building in Pyongyang, Startec executive Anthony Das sat facing three North Korean officials seated in straight-backed wooden chairs 20 feet away as they discussed a deal to set up Internet-compatible phone service linking the isolated country to the outside world. But by the time the contract was inked in May, the two sides were dining together at the same table in a Beijing hotel, schmoozing about everything from U.S. Presidential politics to the size of the Grand Canyon. "Their entire demeanor had changed dramatically," Das recalls.
If the Bethesda (Md.) telecom provider's experience is any guide, North Korea's new charm offensive is reaching beyond the diplomatic arena. Plagued by floods, droughts, famine, and energy shortages, a desperate Pyongyang is starting to open up to both Western capitals and capitalists for help in reviving its shattered economy. How much allure the tiny $12.6 billion North Korean economy has for foreign investors will depend on the scope of the economic changes Pyongyang adopts. It needs to overhaul everything--from laws protecting foreign investment, to its pricing system and exchange rates.
North Korea has a tremendous amount of work ahead before it convinces investors it is serious. The nation of 22 million is still dominated by a totalitarian regime with an atrocious record of keeping its word in any dealings with the outside. It also is embarking on a transition unlike any other communist economy that has come in from the cold. Central European countries had far more contact with the outside and industries that were in much better shape. Even analogies with China in 1979 don't fit: Besides offering companies a potential market of 1 billion people, Beijing was under the helm of Deng Xiaoping, who was bent on turning China into a modern power. Pyongyang leader Kim Jong Il seems to have no such pretensions--and is determined to keep an iron grip on society. Korea Economic Institute of America research director Peter M. Beck labels Kim's model "market Stalinist."
This suggests foreign investors cannot count on the kind of cozy rapport seemingly struck by Startec. Rather, North Korea's entry into the global economy is likely to be fraught with tension as Pyongyang struggles to balance the contradictory demands of business with its own penchant for total political control. The North's goal of keeping its society from being "contaminated" by capitalist ideas means it will be hard even for foreign investors to freely travel to their own factories and communicate with workers. Many experts warn that Kim will open the economy only enough to get it out of its current crisis---and could slam the door again when the danger passes.WASTELAND. The crisis is real enough: Hundreds of thousands of people have starved to death over the past six years, while countless others risk their lives crossing the Chinese border to sell whatever they can. Gross domestic product shrank by roughly half between 1990 and 1998. And decades of mismanagement and a lack of hard currency have turned its once proud chemical and machine tool industries into a wasteland. Still, North Korea has some assets. Foreign analysts say the country's workforce is literate, disciplined, and cheap: Wages in the few manufacturing zones set up so far average $150 a month when all social service fees are included, and just $40 a month in the interior. With its proximity to South Korea, Japan, and Russia, the North could be a viable base for light industries such as garments, toys, and basic appliances.
Already, 132 South Korean companies make everything from wallets to TV sets under a system known as "production on commission." Rather than pay workers directly, they give a fixed sum to the North Korean partner for each finished good. Parts are shipped by sea from the South Korean port of Inchon to the Northern port of Nampo. They then go to factories for final assembly. Although finished products sometimes are shipped directly to Japan or Europe, often they go back to the South for reexport. Such trade grew by 40% last year, to $100 million. And it has been a big driver behind the surge in total trade between the two Koreas, from just $13.5 million in 1990 to about $333 million last year (chart).
Although the workmanship was shoddy at first and prompt delivery remains a problem, Korean companies say quality in Northern factories has improved quickly. In June, Samsung Electronics Co. imported its first TV sets from a plant in a Pyongyang suburb. It has been satisfied enough to buy another 18,000 by yearend.
With better management, legal protection for investors, and transportation, however, the "processing trade could take off," says Jo Jong Nam, a trade official at Seoul's Unification Ministry. A direct rail link could cut transport costs by up to two-thirds, he says. Given more capital and technology, the North also could export anthracite coal, tungsten, and other minerals. And it could draw many more tourists than it does now from the South.
Hardly the makings of a new industrial dynamo, to be sure. But even to exploit these meager assets, Pyongyang must first address the nation's primitive infrastructure. That will require diplomacy. The South has agreed to pour millions of dollars into roads and harbors. Japan also could supply substantial aid.NO HELP. To lure multinationals, though, Pyongyang must go further. Japanese companies got burned when they invested in the North to make goods ranging from garments to pianos in the early 1990s. High shipping costs--and the North's failure to pay its bills--forced most of them to pull out. Foreign banks are wary because Pyongyang has ignored legal action to recover $12 billion in loans. "Japanese companies and politicians are very cautious because of all the bad experiences in the past," says Japan Defense Academy President Masashi Nishihara.
Nor is the U.S. likely to help much, despite the June 19 easing of sanctions. While normal commercial products can enter the U.S. without import licenses, North Korea lacks quotas for garments. It isn't competitive in most other goods the U.S. buys. Major aid won't come until Kim makes more concessions on nuclear weapons.
This will boost pressure for serious reform. The tons of food and fertilizer governments give Pyongyang to cut its weapons programs can stave off starvation. But they won't produce sustainable growth. "Extortion has its limits as an economic development model," says Korea expert Marcus Noland of Washington's Institute for International Economics. Startec officials aren't sure what blueprint Kim will use. "We're positioning ourselves for whatever comes down the path," says Das. That path is likely to be as rocky as the terrain of North Korea itself.By Stan Crock in Washington, with Moon Ihlwan in Seoul, Irene M. Kunii in Tokyo, and Dexter Roberts in BeijingReturn to top
|
<urn:uuid:ae52f8dc-bfb5-4a83-bfff-160e2f08b9fe>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2000-07-02/the-koreas-ready-to-do-business-intl-edition
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.961655
| 1,453
| 1.632813
| 2
|
“Docs in the Parks” coming to Franklin Square Park on April 21
The main event in our West Baltimore Squares Spring Celebration is Docs in the Parks in Franklin Square! This is a great chance for young people and families from all across West Baltimore to come together and celebration our West Baltimore Squares. This is also a birthday celebration for Franklin Square first established on April 23, 1839 and Lafayette Square on April 28, 1857. Come out and wish all of our West Baltimore Parks many more years of health and fun!
For more information on Docs in the Parks, contact Michael Dorsey at (410) 448-5663 or firstname.lastname@example.org. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Eli Pousson at email@example.com.
Docs in the Park in Franklin Square
Saturday, April 21, 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Franklin Square Park, 1300 W. Fayette St., Baltimore, MD 21223
Have you heard about doctors prescribing nature and outdoor activities for their patients? Doctors know that spending time in nature relieves stress, combats obesity, and reduces asthma and ADHD in children. Join local healthcare professionals & GBCAN partners for a family friendly day of fun activities and educational opportunities.
The Greater Baltimore Children and Nature Collaborative (GBCAN) encourages partnerships and provides information to foster connections between children and the natural world. Recognizing that contact with nature is important for everyone, GBCAN focuses special attention on children, re-connecting them with nature and ensuring the well being of both.
|
<urn:uuid:5e3c7ed7-ee0e-4dc4-accc-eeb673a9b08d>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.westbaltimoresquares.org/2012/04/docs-in-the-parks-coming-to-franklin-square-park-on-april-21/
|
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
| 0.912995
| 338
| 1.65625
| 2
|
||THE PLANE MAKERS / THE POWER GAME
Big business and high finance as well as union unrest at an aircraft factory.
Plane Makers 1963-1965. Power Game 1965-1969.
Set on the "factory floor" of fictitious aircraft manufacturers Scott Furlong, ’The Plane Makers’ focused on the day-to-day running of a multi-million pound company, and in particular the ambitions of ruthless company managing director John Wilder, as played with convincing gusto by Patrick Wymark.
It was a performance that won Wymark many fans as well as an actor of the year award, and prompted a number of businessmen, who had seen the programme, to offer the actor places on the boards of real-life companies. In stark contrast to the character he played, Wymark described himself as having "No head for business at all, and paperwork would drive me mad. I don't think I've ever been ruthless. I'm too much of a coward." But John Wilder was the man that everyone loved to hate and when the series came to an end after two years with the collapse of the company, Wilder was whisked off to pastures new in the follow on series, ’The Power Game.’
Now knighted and placed on the board of a merchant bank, Sir John Wilder begins to crave excitement and seizes the opportunity to get back into the action as soon as it presents itself. The bank with which Wilder is connected backs a civil engineering firm of which Wilder eventually becomes managing director, much to the opposition of the firm's founder, Sir Caswell Bligh (Clifford Evans) and his son Kenneth (Peter Barkworth). Both Barbara Murray and Ann Firbank starred as Wilder's wife, Pamela (Lady Wilder) and the series was still top of the ratings in 1969 when it was brought to an abrupt end by the sudden death of its star. By that time Sir John was employed by the British Government as a member of the Foreign Office.
Questions Site Information Contact
Return to Top of Page
|
<urn:uuid:6c1b9457-d9cd-4ef5-ab37-c46bb7711f1a>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.televisionheaven.co.uk/planemakers.htm
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.979632
| 429
| 1.515625
| 2
|
September 17, 2012
Faith is the lifeblood of Christians. A wondrous gift of the Holy Spirit, faith is the opening of the heart and mind to God, who has loved us first (cf. 1John 4.19). It is the acceptance, with trust in divine providence and wisdom, of all that God has revealed in his Son Jesus Christ. By faith working through love (cf. Galatians 5.6) we are led to salvation!
Such a precious gift must be constantly nourished. We are very grateful, then, that three major initiatives aimed at enabling our growth in faith will unfold in the pastoral year before us. Each in its own way brings to light various dimensions of the faith. Taken together, they form a wonderful celebration of faith's beauty and grandeur.
First of all, we celebrate this year our centenary. One hundred years as the Archdiocese of Edmonton! A century of faith-filled living! Second, we welcome with joy the Year of Faith, proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI. This period of grace begins on Oct. 11, the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, and concludes Nov. 24, 2013, the Solemnity of Christ the King.
It is offered to the Church by the Holy Father as an occasion to enrich our knowledge of the faith in the light of the Council documents and the subsequent Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Finally, within the context of these two historic moments, we shall bring Nothing More Beautiful, our initiative aimed at a deepening of faith in view of the new evangelization, to conclusion.
When, on Nov. 30, 1912, the Episcopal See of St. Albert became the Archdiocese of Edmonton, its first archbishop, the Most Reverend Emile Legal, spoke of the time as a "wonderful transformation."
WCR FILE PHOTO
Archbishop Richard Smith has asked that the upcoming archdiocesan centennial year and Year of Faith be a time of constant prayer in the Edmonton Archdiocese.
Such a phrase embraces far more than a change in the ecclesiastical status of a geographical territory. It captures the effect of faith, which establishes the true boundaries of the Christian life. The gift of faith transforms us.
By the act of faith, we surrender our entire lives to God, who comes to us in the gifts of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. We entrust ourselves to God's loving providence and infinite wisdom. We accept the revelation he has given us in Christ and appropriate it as the guiding light of our lives.
Such faith inevitably brings about profound and lasting changes in our lives as we detach ourselves from all that is unholy and untrue and embrace the beauty and truth of Jesus Christ and his Gospel.
Such a life of faith is possible only with the help of God's grace. In this centennial year we give thanks for the countless blessings that have enabled the people of this archdiocese to make the sacrifices that have shaped our history and thus realize the beauty of being Catholic and the joy of living it.
To commemorate this "wonderful transformation," parish artifacts and biographies have been collected and placed together in a presentation that will be brought to various points of the archdiocese. In addition, a display will be available to the public at Edmonton City Hall.
A specially commissioned icon of our patron, St. Joseph the Worker, will be blessed at the centennial celebration of our patronal feast on May 1, 2013, after which it will tour the archdiocese.
Our centenary, as a moment of grace, is at heart an opportunity to be renewed in our relationship with the Lord and his Church. Therefore, we have set aside a special day, during which all are invited to celebrate the sacrament of Reconciliation. On March 6, 2013, our priests will make themselves available throughout the day in their parishes to hear Confessions and bestow God's great gift of mercy and peace.
At this time I wish to draw your attention in particular to the solemn Mass that will mark the opening of both our centenary and the Year of Faith. It will take place at St. Joseph's Basilica, Edmonton, on Oct. 11, 2012 at 7 p.m. This date has been chosen to coincide with the Opening Mass for the Year of Faith celebrated by Pope Benedict in Rome.
The Year of Faith
In his Apostolic Letter Porta Fidei (The Door of Faith), Pope Benedict explains why he has called us to mark a special Year of Faith. In his own words, this is a "good opportunity to usher the whole Church into a time of particular reflection and rediscovery of the faith" (Porta Fidei, n. 4).
Indeed, the Holy Father has summoned us, from the very beginning of his pontificate, to a renewal of faith. We have been responding in a particular way through the Nothing More Beautiful series, and now we have received from the pope a new opportunity to intensify our efforts even more.
Knowledge of the treasury of faith is essential to a Catholic life fully lived. However, it is widely acknowledged that today, among our people, such knowledge is seriously diminished. Therefore, we shall take advantage of this special year to help one another renew our understanding and appropriation of what the Church teaches.
In accordance with the express wishes of the Holy Father, our Office for Evangelization and Catechesis will make available to the Archdiocese particular instruction upon the Second Vatican Council, the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Creed.
It is very important that we not view this as simply an academic exercise. Yes, faith has a content, which must be known. Yet faith is more. In its essence it is a relationship with God. As such, faith is an opening of the heart to God who has revealed and given himself by sending his Son and Holy Spirit.
This movement of the heart is, itself, the gift of God's grace, and it leads us not only to surrender to the person of Christ but also to accept the truth he has made known. This means that the act of faith must be constantly nourished through prayer, reflection upon the Word and celebration of the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Penance.
At Sunday Mass, the faith that is nourished in the heart by sacramental grace is given beautiful expression in the Creed. We have grown accustomed to reciting this in the short form of the Apostles' Creed. Its full articulation is the Nicene Creed, with which we must likewise be familiar.
WCR FILE PHOTO
The movement of the heart is itself the gift of God's grace,' Archbishop Smith says in his pastoral letter We Believe!
In keeping with the goal of understanding and celebrating the faith in its fullness, I am hereby calling on our parishes and institutions to recite the Nicene Creed in the Masses of every Sunday and solemnity throughout the Year of Faith. Explanations of its various articles will be provided on our website and to our parishes.
The Abiding Call to Mission
In virtue of our faith, the summons to mission inhabits us. By faith and the sacraments we live in communion with the self-offering of our Lord for the life of the world. This impels us outwards into the world to witness to the Gospel through works of justice and charity.
Indeed, such deeds gave birth to the Church in Western Canada when male and female religious orders arrived and established churches, hospitals and schools.
We are called to share the Gospel both at home and abroad. Our final year of Nothing More Beautiful presentations will highlight this through its focus on the beauty of the apostolate, especially of laypeople. Although the faith has taken deep root here and is in many ways vibrant, nevertheless it is true that many of our fellow citizens have yet to know Jesus Christ and the joy of life in him.
Many pressing social issues are in urgent need of the light of the Gospel. Elsewhere in our country and world the suffering of many is not absent from our concern, and we need always to be thinking of new ways to reach out in love.
In response to this imperative to mission, I wish to bring to your attention two new initiatives to be launched in the coming months. These are in addition to the other activities flowing from Nothing More Beautiful, as announced in my pastoral letter of last year.
National Pastoral Plan
for Life and Family
The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops has approved a national plan in service of the cause of life and the needs of the family. It belongs to each Diocese of the country to discern how the various ideas proposed at the national level will be put in place locally in accordance with particular circumstances and available resources. A cornerstone of this plan will be a week set aside annually to honour the family and celebrate life.
The first of these yearly celebrations will occur May 12-19, 2013. Our archdiocesan Office of Family and Life will be formulating activities for this week as well as for our general participation in the national pastoral plan.
A New Partnership with
the Diocese of Mackenzie-Fort Smith
In his Apostolic Letter Ecclesia in America, Blessed Pope John Paul II asked the dioceses of the Western Hemisphere to consider how they might enter into partnerships of mutual solidarity and support as an expression of ecclesial communion (cf. EA, 37).
To mark our centennial and in keeping with our missionary nature, I am pleased to announce that the Archdiocese of Edmonton is entering a partnership with the Diocese of Mackenzie-Fort Smith in the Northwest Territories. We each have gifts to share with the other in response to our respective needs.
On Nov. 21 of this year, the archdiocese will host a gala banquet in celebration of our centenary. Funds raised at this dinner will be used in support both of our sister diocese and of the local St. Vincent de Paul Society, which cares for our poor here at home. As this partnership unfolds, I am confident that many blessings await us.
The Need for Constant Prayer
"Apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15.5) These words of our Lord remind us that our efforts can only bear fruit if we live in union with him. In order that our work derive both its inspiration and direction from Christ and, by his grace, reach completion, it must be nourished and sustained by the constant prayer of the people of God.
Therefore, I ask that all members of the archdiocese unite with me in prayer for God's blessings upon not only our centenary and the Year of Faith, but also the many works we must undertake in service of the new evangelization.
The Office of Evangelization and Catechesis is placing together in one publication prayers for the new evangelization, for the protection of human life and for vocations. It will also include the Nicene Creed, so that this profession of faith may become for us a daily prayer and known by heart. The publication will be available on our website and distributed throughout the archdiocese.
I ask that we pray these frequently, especially before the Blessed Sacrament. In particular, I turn for support to those among us who are confined to home or hospital through disability or illness. Your prayers will be a particular source of strength and blessing for the entire archdiocese.
As we embark upon this time of grace, let us invoke the intercession of Mary, the model of faith. Her heart was fully open to the will of God, even to the point of its piercing by a sword of sorrow at the suffering and death of her Son.
By the help of her prayers, may our hearts be open in faith to the working of the Holy Spirit, who draws us ever more closely to Christ and one another and strengthens us for mission.
Richard W. Smith
Archbishop of Edmonton
September 14, 2012
Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
|
<urn:uuid:22f04f1c-6218-4595-bc30-1c918170890a>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://wcr.ab.ca/WCRThisWeek/Stories/tabid/61/entryid/2879/Default.aspx
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.95433
| 2,461
| 1.765625
| 2
|
Editor Patrick Ball firstname.lastname@example.org
10:14 am on Friday, January 11, 2013
This event has been relocated to the Depot Building!
1:15 pm on Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Three days before the Boston Tea Party, citizens of Lexington burned all their tea in a common bonfire. Lexington’s minister Jonas Clarke issued an incendiary declaration of support for the people of Boston, warning that anyone in Lexington who consumed tea would be treated “as an enemy of this town and this country.” Clarke’s fiery words resonate through history, a foreshadowing of events to come: “Should the State of Our Affairs require it, We shall be ready to Sacrifice our Estates, and every thing dear in Life, Yea & Life itself, in support of the common Cause.”
Advertise on Patch and reach potential customers in your backyard and beyond. Click here for more information.
Learn more »
If you want to help local causes, or your cause needs local help, your next click should be right here.
Learn more »
Lexington news, events, and deals sent to you daily and breaking news as it happens.
See more options
You’re now signed up!
Enter your tip here and it will be sent straight to
Patrick Ball, John Waller, and Christopher Gambon,
Lexington Patch's (incredibly grateful)
|
<urn:uuid:30de60ee-d48d-46ba-b22b-742c249c7619>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://lexington.patch.com/users/amanda-grant/comments
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.918641
| 296
| 1.867188
| 2
|
Recognized by U.S. News & World Report magazine as a top hospital caring for patients with kidney disease, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center's Comprehensive Transplant Center is home to one of the largest kidney transplant programs in the country. We performed our first kidney transplant in 1967 and have long been a nationally-recognized leader in kidney transplantation. Ohio State’s transplant surgeons perform more than 200 kidney transplants per year.
Kidney Transplant Program Referral
You may be referred to our program by your doctor who specializes in kidneys (known as a nephrologist), your dialysis nurse or your family physician. Ask them to contact the Kidney Transplant Program at Ohio State’s Comprehensive Transplant Center 614-293-6724 to arrange for you and your family to attend an introductory information session in our outpatient clinic and meet with one of members of our transplant team. You may also refer yourself if you would like to be evaluated at Ohio State. Learn more about the referral process
Who Can Be a Candidate for a Kidney Transplant
For most patients who are suffering end-stage kidney failure, kidney transplantation is the best treatment. Solid organ kidney transplant involves surgically replacing your damaged kidney with a kidney that has been donated by a deceased or a living donor. People whose kidneys have permanently failed due to chronic end-stage renal disease caused by diabetes mellitus, hypertension, autoimmune disease, congenital abnormalities or because of infection or trauma (injury) may be a candidates for a kidney transplant.
In the past, age was a major factor. Today, however, patients range from six-month-old infants to 70-year-old adults. Your overall health status is what is most considered. Most patients who have been on dialysis prior to their transplant say they enjoy a marked improvement in the quality of their lives.
Why Candidates Can Be Ruled Out
Screenings before transplant ensure that you are in good medical and psychological health and that you have the motivation and support to comply with treatment plans. People who generally are not candidates include those with metastatic cancer, active drug or alcohol abuse, active infection or severe medical problems.
Two Sources of Life
Approximately 2,200 people in Ohio are waiting for a kidney transplant and the wait time averages three to five years for a kidney from a deceased donor.
There are two ways a kidney can be donated:
- Living donor: A donated kidney from a living person who has agreed to donate one of his or her healthy kidneys while alive. Living donors do not have to be blood relatives of yours and can be spouses or friends.
- Deceased donor: A donated kidney from a person who has irreversible brain injury and has previously registered to become an organ donor or the family wishes to donate.
Wait times for patients who have living donors are greatly reduced from years to months. Anyone interested in being a donor for you can be scheduled to be evaluated for a transplant. All costs for the living donor evaluation and surgery are covered by your insurance. Your transplant coordinator can help answer other questions you may have about living donation.
Making it Possible
Private medical insurance and Medicare’s End-Stage Renal Disease Program share in covering the cost of kidney transplantation. The Veteran’s Administration or Medicaid may also be a source of financial aid for those patients who are eligible.
Please use the following links to learn more about kidney transplantation and the patient experience at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center:
Current Patients (Abdominal Transplants)
TransChart Patient Management System
For more information about kidney transplantation, please call or write:
Abdominal Transplant Office
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
770 Kinnear Rd., Suite 100
Columbus, OH 43212
614-293-6724 or 800-293-8965
|
<urn:uuid:a8bb96fb-5afe-4430-b7d1-6ce7718d8517>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.medicalcenter.osu.edu/patientcare/healthcare_services/transplant/types/kidney/Pages/index.aspx
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00064-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.945485
| 797
| 1.898438
| 2
|
Last week I popped Katherine Applegate‘s middle-grade novel in verse, Home of the Brave, into my car’s CD player, and found myself mesmerized by the writing. It was so good, I had to get the book in print so that I could read—not just listen—and savor her choice of words.
Applegate’s protagonist is a Sudanese boy who struggles to adjust to life in America. Rather than using descriptive language common to Americans, Applegate infuses the novel with a Sudanese sensibility. The boy’s observations include:
- a cloth…soft as new grass after a good rain
- pleading eyes that shine at you like river rocks in the sun
- [an optimist] finds sun when the sky is dark
- snowflakes tap at the window like stubborn mosquitoes.
Such organic writing! These images grow out of the character and his experiences.
An author’s job is to create a fictional world and—with words alone—invite and compel a reader to slip into it. The more organic the writing, the easier and faster the slip-slide happens…
|
<urn:uuid:b610c35a-b6cb-4d99-880b-1d8b132e261a>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://abwestrick.com/uncategorized/organic-writing
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.953852
| 239
| 2.359375
| 2
|
Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski will visit Johns Hopkins on Tuesday, April 10, to talk with stem cell researchers and hold a press conference on the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007, which the U.S. Senate will begin debating this week.
The event is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. in the Weinberg Building Auditorium, East Baltimore campus.
Among those from Johns Hopkins scheduled to participate are Ronald R. Peterson, president of the hospital and health system; Chi Van Dang, vice dean for research in the School of Medicine; Curt Civin, the Herman and Walter Samuelson Professor in Oncology; Valina Dawson, co-director of the ICE Neuroregeneration Program; John D. Gearhart, director of the ICE Stem Cell Biology Program; Douglas Kerr, director of the Johns Hopkins Transverse Myelitis Center; and Jeffrey Rothstein, director of the Robert Packard Center for ALS Research.
The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act would expand federally funded stem cell research and give scientists access to stem cell lines that are currently off limits to federal funding, and would establish a national framework of medical and bioethical guidelines. The bill would allow creation of new human embryonic stem cell lines derived from leftover embryos created by in vitro fertilization.
The Institute for Cell Engineering was launched at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in January 2001. ICE supports and houses scientists working to understand how cells' fates are determined and to harness that information to select, modify and reprogram human cells. While basic research is the hallmark of ICE science, the ultimate goal is to mold engineered human cells into therapeutic transplants for a wide range of currently devastating diseases, including Parkinson's disease, Lou Gehrig's disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS), diabetes and heart failure.
|
<urn:uuid:1f118d46-a9f3-47eb-9ace-ff71d03e5aed>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.jhu.edu/~gazette/2007/09apr07/09mikulski.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.921134
| 370
| 1.992188
| 2
|
Waltham, MA —Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death worldwide and a major driver of medical and economic costs, especially among older adults. It has long been established that cardiac rehabilitation improves survival, at least in middle-aged, low- and moderate-risk white men. Now a large Brandeis University-led study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology reports that older cardiac patients benefit as much from cardiac rehab as their younger counterparts.
Worldwide, in 2004, 7.2 million people died from CHD, while in the United States alone, more than 13 million people suffered from CHD, and almost half a million died from heart disease in 2003. Moreover, Americans aged 65 and older account for more than 55 percent of heart attacks and 86 percent of CHD deaths.
"The good news is that patients who use cardiac rehab live longer than those who do not use it, regardless of their clinical diagnosis, gender, race, or socioeconomic background" said Dr. Jose Suaya, lead author and visiting scholar at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University. The study showed that "patients with different clinical backgrounds—heart attacks, coronary bypass operations, and even congestive heart failure—all had lower mortality when using cardiac rehab," Dr. Suaya asserted.
The study examined mortality in 601,099 Medicare beneficiaries who were hospitalized in 1997 for heart disease or bypass surgery and followed up through 2002. The study used three different statistical techniques to compare mortality between patients who used cardiac rehab and those who didn't. Overall, within a span of five years, mortality rates were 21 percent to 34 percent lower in older adult patients who used cardiac rehab. Cardiac rehab is a covered benefit under Medicare.
"Despite the significant benefits of cardiac rehab, only 12 percent of these patients actually took advantage of it," said Professor Donald Shepard, a health economist at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis. The regimen typically includes aerobic exercise and lifestyle counseling to reduce cholesterol, weight, and stress. The study found that patients who engaged in more than 24 sessions were an additional 19 percent less likely to die over five years than patients who used 24 sessions or fewer.
The findings are magnified among the extreme elderly and patients with other diseases, such as diabetes, on top of their heart disease. These types of patients were even less likely than others to participate, but those who did attend obtained especially large gains from cardiac rehab.
"This study should be a wake-up call to cardiac patients, their families, and their physicians that cardiac rehab can extend life and improve the quality of life, even in older people," said Dr. William Stason, senior scientist at the Heller School.
"The evidence is clear. Cardiac rehab saves lives but it is severely underused," noted Dr. Philip Ades, Professor of Cardiology at the University of Vermont and a coauthor of the study.
"The consistency of findings among the study's methodologies increases the reliability of the findings," observed Prof. Sharon-Lise Normand of Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health, another co-author of the study.
"More coronary patients should use cardiac rehab. Perhaps one way to achieve this would be to require hospitals and physicians to report rates of referrals and use of this service as quality indicators of their performance," Dr. Suaya and coauthors concluded.
The study was funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
|
<urn:uuid:536d0b67-69c2-4f58-8432-c6f0702ef67f>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-06/bu-crs060809.php
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.962297
| 761
| 2.328125
| 2
|
The Midwest holds the most renewable energy producers in nation with Iowa among the leaders in wind energy production, and the wind industry has created approximately 7,000 jobs for Iowans. The state’s wind power capacity is 4,322 megawatts, which means it generates 23 percent of all the power generated in the state. With over 1100 working turbines spread over 47 wind farms, Iowa is taking wind energy by storm.
Iowa’s success is in part due to tax credit programs, allowing wind farmers to implement wind energy for a lower cost. In June 2005, Iowa executed two production tax credit programs for all eligible wind producers to implement wind energy systems. With this, Iowa jumped to second in the nation, producing 23 percent of all power by wind energy systems.
Though Iowa is still utilizing its ability to produce high wind power capacity, this ability may suffer at the end of the year. Wind power equipment manufacturers have been hurting because a key tax credit for wind farm developers will expire December 31 of this year. The Production Tax Credit’s expiration date has loomed int the past, but has been renewed repeatedly. The tax credit has been kept on a short expiration cycle.
“It’s forced a lot of people (wind developers) to look outside the United States,” Peter Gray, a spokesman for ACCIONA North America in West Branch, told The Gazette, which is now moving its turbine future to a project in Canada.
Harold Prior is the executive director of the Iowa Wind Energy Association and is hopeful for Iowa’s wind industry future. He said there’s a large untapped marketplace in “distributed wind,” which is when smaller turbines are erected on or near the site where the power will be used, in such areas as colleges or businesses. This “distributed wind” idea will become more appealing as the price to keep wind energy alive will increase.
Sources: Iowa Wind Facts, National Wind
Iowa’s renewable energy boom headed for a bust, The Gazette
|
<urn:uuid:7403264f-c6aa-47fc-83a9-e71d706b34fa>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.iowaenergycenter.org/2012/12/important-wind-energy-tax-credit-for-iowa-about-to-expire/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00050-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.957871
| 418
| 2.484375
| 2
|
Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade in Biography
By Patrick Dennis
Wildly successful when it was first published in 1955, Patrick Dennis’ Auntie Mame sold over two million copies and stayed put on the New York Times bestseller list for 112 weeks. It was made into a play, a Broadway as well as a Hollywood musical, and a fabulous movie starring Rosalind Russell. Since then, Mame has taken her rightful place in the pantheon of Great and Important People as the world’s most beloved, madcap, devastatingly sophisticated, and glamorous aunt. She is impossible to resist, and this hilarious story of an orphaned ten-year-old boy sent to live with his aunt is as delicious a read in the twenty-first century as it was in the 1950s.
The sequel is Around the World with Auntie Mame.
|
<urn:uuid:3992e505-29ba-4257-8d9d-679c9200685a>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.librarypoint.org/auntie_mame
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.972285
| 183
| 1.71875
| 2
|
K & G has a variety of classes available to boys and girls from infant to adult.
Infant (No registration fee required)
This 30 minute class will give your infant the opportunity to explore, bounce, swing, go upside down and just play!! A coach will supervise during class but there will be freedom for you and your child to explore and play in the gym! This class is geared toward crawlers, beginning walkers, and toddlers still needing a little more freedom in their gymnastics class!
This 45 minute class is offered to children ages 18 months to 3 years of age. This class will follow the same lesson as our preschool classes but will be tailored for parent involvement. The goal of this class is to teach basic balance, flexibility, and motor development skills, as well as teach children important listening and social skills.
This 45 minute class is offered to children 3 – 5 years of age. This class is an introduction to basic gymnastics skills on all apparatus and will help children refine gross motor skills, work on flexibility and coordination, and continue to emphasize important social skills such as taking turns, and following directions.
This one hour class is designed for 4-5 year olds that have participated in our preschool program for consecutive sessions and are ready for an additional challenge. This class is available by instructor recommendation only.
This is a one hour class designed for beginners and offered to school age children. The goal of this class is to provide an introduction to basic skills on all apparatus, and will focus on balance, flexibility, coordination, and body awareness.
This 1 hour 15 minute class is designed for refining basic skills and introducing higher-level skills on all apparatus. The class is offered to school age children and will focus on learning to do skills independently. This class will also introduce the importance of a healthy, active lifestyle and body conditioning.
This 1 hour 30 minute class is for advanced level gymnasts of all age groups. The students will learn higher-level skills with an emphasis on combinations and connections.
This 1 hour class is for older gymnasts, of all levels, interested in improving physical fitness through non-competitive gymnastics.
This is a 1 hour class for participants interested in using the floor and trampolines to learn how to flip and twist.
Jr./Sr. High School
This 2 hour class is for junior high and high school gymnasts in their off season.
Jr./Sr. High School Cheerleading
This 1 hour class is for junior high and high school students interested in learning movements, jumps, stunts, chants for competitive cheerleading.
Boys are welcome to participate in any of our class offerings. We have scheduled practice time for boys that have previously competed that wish to continue working out at our facility. We will continue to add additional boys apparatus, separate classes and boys team as we grow.
|
<urn:uuid:3d362844-b8c5-452f-bb48-14b509412bc6>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.kandggymnastics.com/offerings/classes/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.941849
| 582
| 1.6875
| 2
|
It seems like every week, yet another study pops up that sheds light onto the potential for links between violent gaming content and aggressive or violent behavior. The latest work to reach the popular press is being presented at the British Psychological Society's annual meeting this week by a psychologist that has studied World of WarCraft players. The study may be interesting in its own right (the actual data are not currently available), but it's worth considering what it reveals about the challenges of nailing down a link between violent content and altered behavior.
The research was performed by Jane Barnett of the University of Middlesex, who recruited about 300 WoW players. The players were given a survey that provided a snapshot of their personality and current levels of anger and aggression. The participants were set loose in the game for two hours, and then the questionnaire was performed a second time. Despite the potential for violent content in the game, according to Barnett, most participants wound up feeling tired or relaxed by their experience, rather than aggressive.
There are a couple of serious caveats that need to be mentioned immediately. The first is that this is a meeting presentation, which has not been subjected to rigorous peer review. The second is that no experimental details have been made available; all we have is Barnett's interpretations of her results, without any information about the survey, testing procedure, or statistical power of the analysis. Despite their wide dissemination across the gaming press, the story should be viewed with extreme skepticism.
Beyond the obvious caveats, however, the study appears to be a great example of some of the problems inherent with this area of research in general. WoW may have violent content, but the characters engaging in violence are clearly cartoonish, and provide a poor representation of real-world violence. In many ways, the violent content of WoW is secondary to the social aspects of the game; interactions with other players often take up a larger fraction of the game than combat. Again, without the details of the study, it's hard to judge whether this was taken into account.
This highlights the fact that there is no monolithic entity that can be termed "gaming violence. " Each game brings unique aspects of game play to the table, and the march of visual technology combines with stylistic choices to make the violent content of many games essentially unique. This also makes attempts to find an "equivalent" nonviolent game to serve as a control a questionable endeavor.
Further complications come from the study population. Those 300 people were divided between males and females, and ranged in age from 18 to 83, and presumably brought any generational social baggage into the experience with them. In addition, Barnett also indicated that gaming's effects "did very much depend on personality type," a finding that was consistent with the conclusions of the recent Byron report. Given the study's size, dividing the participants into groups based on age, sex, and personality would almost certainly result in samples that are too small to afford statistical power. Of course, given the challenges of human studies, it's not clear that it's realistic to expect any study to use a participant population large enough to afford a good, detailed analysis of individual subpopulations.
Having looked into the many studies of gaming and violence, it's become very clear that any connections that exist involve a complex interplay among the gamer's personality, their status at the time of the study, and the details of the game involved. Even if it were possible to design a study with sufficient statistical power to untangle these, the rapid pace of change in the gaming industry might quickly make the findings obsolete.
That isn't to say that studies of this sort aren't important, or can't tell us valuable things about human behavior and its interactions with the environment. But it's important to recognize that there will be no single, complete answer regarding the connection between gaming and violence, despite repeated attempts by the press to present each successive study as providing one.
|
<urn:uuid:9485b8ae-364a-4560-bb65-2263c337ccfa>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2008/04/violent-videogames-relaxation-its-more-complex-than-that/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.972179
| 790
| 2.484375
| 2
|
What is so special about this new Russian charger for cell-phones and laptops?
The world, it would seem, is flooded not only with various power sources but also with little thought or motivation about altering them. Common power supplies for either cell-phones or laptops are as they have been for a very long time; namely, a non-reusable battery or an accumulator. Enter the “21st century fuel” also known as hydrogen, and nanotechnologies developed in Russia.
What have the Russians done to utilize this new fuel?
Electric vehicles powered by hydrogen are not new and have been speeding along the world’s highways for a few years now, but hydrogen in a tiny device, well, that’s a horse (or in this case, charger, of another color). Via Russian technology, a power unit providing thirty hours of continuous talking has been created, topping the three-hour limit of the best accumulators produced abroad.
What are some of the special features of this innovative Russian charger?
According to news sources
, this innovative hydrogen-powered charger weighs only 180 grams (about six-and-one-half ounces) and is health and environment-friendly. Compared to a standard charger of the same weight, which renders usually about 1.5 charging cycles, this new charger offers 5 cycles. If a phone has been totally run-down, with this new charger, only 10 or 15 minutes are enough to bring it back to life.
How does this innovative charger device work?
A multi-layered structure known as a nanoporous membrane is at the heart of this innovative Russian device, and it is where the electric current is generated by a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen comes from a compound within the device and the oxygen comes from where it always does, namely, the air. It is this structure created by Russia’s top scientists, which allows for the small weight and long life of the device. Every square centimeter of the membrane contains up to 100 billion pores, each having several nanometers in diameter.
What does this new device mean for the future?
This new device can enhance traveling immensely, as it can be carried in your pocket and be used on long journeys anywhere with no electricity. (Even if you are studying the whereabouts of the Yeti atop Mt. Everest, you can record your findings right then and there, unless of course, the Yeti is unhappy with your presence. In that case, run like hell with the charger and set up shop somewhere else!)
The possibilities for tomorrow are endless.
So, here’s to the future…today!
|
<urn:uuid:d2e82c83-0173-481e-bcc0-53b7f735eb14>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://inventorspot.com/articles/russias_innovative_hydrogenpowered_mobile_phone_and_laptop_charg_17268
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.954915
| 542
| 2.796875
| 3
|
Sewer line work will close 10th Avenue North to traffic in early August, but city officials say the bit-by-bit installation of the gravity sewer system is helping to revitalize the city’s Original Section.
This summer’s sewer construction project is the second of five phases of sewer-line installation planned along that section of 10th Avenue North. The next phase, at Swain Boulevard, is scheduled for construction next spring.
The gravity sewer line saves businesses the cost of building a lift station for sewage and is helping to spur new investment in the area — a key goal for the stretch of 10th Avenue North that cuts through the rectangular grid of streets laid out in the 1920s by city founder Lawrence Carter Swain.
New businesses that are using or will use the new sewer line include Green House Bazaar, a produce market and Middle Eastern bakery that opened in November; the Kid’s World Day Care center, which is nearly complete at 10th Avenue North and Jennings Avenue; and the Commons at Swain, a two-story office building that broke ground recently on the north side of 10th Avenue North at Swain Boulevard.
“Infrastructure is a great investment for our city, and it provides jobs,” Councilman Jonathan Pearce said. “We are seeing small businesses being built, and that’s good.”
The $266,156 gravity sewer line extension is being paid for with money the city collects in impact fees as well as Community Development Block Grant money. Palm Beach County Water Utilities is paying $23,528 to compensate the city for water main upgrades being done in conjunction with the sewer line extension.
The redevelopment plan for the 10th Avenue North corridor emerged from a 2001 neighborhood planning meeting. The city created a special zoning code for the area that includes uniform landscaping, buildings with metal roofs and clapboard-style siding to give them an old Florida look. The city also has installed decorative road signs, entrance markers that welcome drivers to the original Greenacres and decorative street lights.
“We anticipate further interest in the other lots along 10th Avenue North as the city’s continuing redevelopment efforts take hold,” Assistant City manager Tom Lanahan said.
Replacing old buildings with new, more valuable ones is part of a survival strategy for Greenacres. The city is 97 percent built out, and the taxable value of city property is sagging.
As in many other cities, Greenacres officials have been grappling with tight budgets in recent years because of the dramatic drop in the tax base following the housing bust. The projected total taxable value of city property for the upcoming budget year, $1.13 billion, is down 47 percent from 2008 levels.
*Aug. 4 to Aug. 16: 10th Avenue North will be closed to traffic from Walker Avenue to Haverhill Road. Drivers will detour by taking Haverhill Road or Sherwood Forest Boulevard north to Cresthaven Boulevard.
Aug. 17 to Aug. 31: Jackson Avenue between 10th Avenue North and Fourth Street will be closed.
Sept. 3 to Sept. 7: Lanes on 10th Avenue North will close periodically so the pavement can be repaired to complete the sewer-line project.
*Expected road closing dates. Actual dates may differ based on the construction schedule.
Source: City of Greenacres
Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Latest Local News Stories
|
<urn:uuid:8171a13a-293e-4e73-b66e-bb99efc8cc8c>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/region_c_palm_beach_county/greenacres/greenacres-roads-to-close-for-sewer-line-work
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00051-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.937694
| 727
| 1.84375
| 2
|
One night I had a powerful dream. I was standing around a water cooler with a group of coworkers. Our conversation seemed to be cordial, but I became aware that some of the workers were sending psychic/invisible "punches" to the others. I would say to one who'd been punched, "Are you okay?" And then to the other, "Did you see what you just did?" I was shocked by how unconscious people were of their behavior.
My dream showed the power of our invisible interactions. When we observe how people behave, there may not seem to be any hostility. We may see a smile on the face of someone listening to us. But what is happening on an invisible level?
We have an invisible dimension that we call spirit -- an aspect I call "who we are beyond our skin." We can't see this part of ourselves, but together with body and mind it makes up our whole being. Whenever we interact with others in the physical world an invisible exchange of energy is taking place too.
Here are some common phrases we use to describe the behavior of others:
I felt beaten down.
He was kicked when he was down.
She stabbed me in the back.
I felt like there were daggers coming out of his eyes.
The group was held hostage by his behavior.
The room was filled with explosive energy.
I made a suggestion but I was shot down.
The energy of violence acts on an invisible, psychic level, but it impacts both our physical and emotional health. The energy is palpable. We simply do not feel well on any level when we live and work in an environment that is filled with anger or fear.
All indigenous cultures understand the difference between sending energy, such as anger, and merely expressing it. When someone expresses anger he or she is simply acknowledging the feeling of anger, but the anger has no force or movement that could cause harm to another. In our culture, where we only acknowledge what is happening on a visible level, we deny this other level of awareness, so we send our thoughts like "poison arrows" unconsciously, not realizing the harm we do.
We use the term "sending thoughts" but what kind of thoughts are we sending? Are the thoughts we send to others filled with love, compassion, kindness, and forgiveness? Or are they filled with hate, anger, and fear?
It is important to understand that having emotions and expressing emotions is part of the human condition. We know from research conducted that when we don't express our emotions illness can occur. As human beings it is our right to have and express the range of feelings from joy and love to fear and anger. Expressing our emotions makes us feel alive.
At the same time it is important for us to look at what kind of situations and interactions trigger us. We must stop the reaction and learn how to express our thoughts and feelings while at the same time transforming the energy to positive energy that is healing energy for the planet.
Throughout time spiritual teachings have taught that our outer world is a reflection of our own inner state of consciousness. When we look at the environmental pollution and the state of the world today we are seeing a reflection of our own inner world. If we want to change the world we need to focus on changing ourselves. And this includes the need to be more conscious of the thoughts we send out.
Here are some simple ways that you can work with to transform energy:
Breathe: Breathing is one of the simplest ways to transform energy. When you are in a state of reaction your breathing becomes shallow. By breathing deeply you naturally transform your reactive state.
Set An Intention: When you feel upset just say the following statement to yourself: "I need to express how I am feeling right now, and I ask that the energy of my feelings be transformed into love and light so I am feeding the world with love."
Think Of A Precious Image: The energy behind your emotions goes out to all living beings. If confronted by someone who evokes strong emotions think of a loved one and impose his or her image on the face of the person challenging you. For example, you might work with the face of a baby kitten, puppy, or your favorite flower. What thoughts do you want to send to those you love?
Use The Power Of Words: Spiritual traditions teach that words are vibration and the words we use effect our lives. As children many of us used the phrase "abracadabra". This is actually an Aramaic phrase "Abraq ad habra" and means, "I will create as I speak." Use words throughout the day that remind you of the energy of love.
Be Grateful: Think about what you are grateful for. Being grateful always transforms your current state of consciousness.
Project Strength: Don't pity others whom you perceive as suffering--this only pushes them deeper into a hole. When you see people in their divine light and perfection you help give them the strength they need to deal with their troubles.
Connect With Nature: Water can wash away your pain. As you wash visualize negative energy flowing from you and being transformed into light. As you stand in the wind imagine the wind carrying what needs to be released and being transformed into light. Light a candle and imagine the fire transmuting your intense feelings. Or you can bury your troubles in the earth with the intention that the energy be transformed to love.
Surround Yourself In Light: If you feel someone is being energetically hostile toward you, imagine a protective light surrounding you. Some people think of being surrounded by white light. I imagine being enclosed in a translucent blue egg. Find a color that works for you.
Sandra Ingerman, M.A., is the author of eight books, including Soul Retrieval; Medicine for the Earth; Shamanic Journeying: A Beginner's Guide; How to Heal Toxic Thoughts; How to Thrive in Changing Times; and Awakening to the Spirit World: The Shamanic Path of Direct Revelation. Sandra teaches workshops internationally on shamanic journeying, healing, and reversing environmental pollution using spiritual methods. Sandra is a licensed marriage and family therapist, a professional mental health counselor, and a board-certified expert on traumatic stress. To order Sandra's books and to read her blog, visit her on Red Room.
|
<urn:uuid:347083ab-19d5-4811-96b9-8dce828a7293>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sandra-ingerman/healing-energy_b_867267.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.960112
| 1,296
| 2.15625
| 2
|
PotatoesMath brain teasers require computations to solve.
Gary began peeling a pile of 44 potatoes at the rate of 3 per minute. Four minutes later, Christen joined him, and peeled at the rate of 5 potatoes per minute. When they were finished, how many potatoes had each peeled?
See another brain teaser just like this one...
Or, just get a random brain teaser
If you become a registered user you can vote on this brain teaser, keep track of
which ones you have seen, and even make your own.
Back to Top
|
<urn:uuid:29f6ad29-2c57-417d-90ce-e5dcd7531f51>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.braingle.com/brainteasers/teaser.php?op=2&id=26693&comm=0
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.942212
| 116
| 2.71875
| 3
|
The Human Trafficking industry would not exist and be thriving the way it is if there were not such a high demand for the services that its victims are forced to provide. It is truly horrifying to think of the callousness and baseness of heart required for countless numbers of people to profiteer via the wholesale slaughter of the basic human rights of some 27 million people world-wide – particularly when a majority of this victimization of innocent masses involves satisfying an individual’s basest sexual desires. Below you will find a few excellent resources discussing this topic.
Analysis of what Fuels a Demand for Sex
Global Centurion released a report concerning Demand Hubs of Sex Trafficking seen around the world. The report analyzed cultural impacts and external developments that shape the “demand” for victims in their respective regions. The report is quite informative and provides analysis of the trafficking effect that China’s ‘One Child’ policy had upon the country and surrounding regions (further discussed in an excellent article Female Feticide and its Impact on Human Trafficking), as well as trafficking growth in relation to the U.S.’s hyper-maculated sports/sex events. To view that report, go to: http://www.globalcenturion.org/demand/
Traffickers Utilizing Craigslist
The Schapiro Group, conducted a Scientific Study in the Fall of 2009 examining the male patrons of young girl prostitutes in the Atlanta, Georgia region. The study was conducted by the Schapiro group posting several ads on Craigslist advertising photos of girls and illustrating crude sexual services. When the men would respond to the numbers listed in the ad, a ‘mediator’ would answer the call. This is quite common in prostitution, as often a ‘broker’ (many times a trafficker) is used to negotiate the price and weed out possible legal officials posing as prospective clients. So the mediator used would be able to ask questions about the male’s previous encounters, preferences and habits without raising suspicions and getting more truthful answers. The information collected from the men was then compiled and quantified. The report outlined:
“This first-of-its-kind study to quantify, describe, and understand demand for CSEC in Georgia paints a clear picture of the adult men who exploit adolescent females by paying for sex with them. The numbers are staggering — 12,400 men each month in Georgia pay for sex with a young female, 7,200 of whom end up exploiting an adolescent female. These men account for 8,700 paid sex acts with adolescent females each month, which means that each adolescent female is exploited an average of 3 times per night.”
Identifying Local Demand for Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children-a Clip from the U.S. State Report on Trafficking states:
From Brazil to Cambodia, anti-trafficking experts and advocates have attempted for years to gain a better understanding of demand sources for the commercial sexual exploitation of children. In countries where this crime is prevalent such as Cambodia, Thailand, the Philippines, India, Brazil, Jamaica, and Kenya, popular perception attributes the main source of demand to foreign and predominantly Western child sex tourists. In Cambodia, for example, the media focus on sex crimes committed by foreigners, leading to a misconception that there are fewer local offenders. Such a perception leads to a disproportionate focus on addressing the issue of child sex tourism as opposed to the equally significant issue of child prostitution.
In a 2010 study conducted by End Child Prostitution and Trafficking (ECPAT) in Cambodia, all but one of 43 prostituted children surveyed in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh said their regular purchasers were Cambodian men. Of the 13 prostituted children who reported having been sold as a virgin, eight said their rapists had been Cambodian.
A recent UNICEF study found that in Kenya, it is Kenyans who make up the majority of purchasers of children in prostitution. A 2008 ILO study found that there was widespread local tolerance in Central America and the Dominican Republic for the commercial sexual exploitation of teenage girls. Sixty percent of the survey’s respondents attributed responsibility for the crime to the victim or the victim’s family, rather than to the purchaser.
Law enforcement responses to the commercial sexual exploitation of children often reflect popular perception, leading to a lack of efforts to focus on local demand for child prostitution. In a few parts of the world, however, law enforcement actions are starting to reflect the realities of local demand. In Cambodia, a country where numerous foreign pedophiles have been prosecuted locally or extradited for prosecution in the United States and elsewhere, law enforcement officials are beginning to recognize the need to improve on this record. In Central and South America, law enforcement statistics already show that many trafficking-related convictions involve cases of local demand for child prostitution. While foreign sex tourists are still a source of demand for child prostitution and must be held accountable, they are often not the main source. Governments must ensure that in targeting sex tourists, they are not also ignoring sources of local demand.
The last part of the Demand problem we want to address is the role men play in this issue. It goes without saying that there would not be a problem if there was not a demand for the services that come out of the criminal sexual exploitation of children. The vast majority of this demand comes from men.
Gentlemen, we have a natural duty to be protectors. On average, a typical man is far more physically powerful than an average woman. Men typically fulfill the role of protectors in our families, and rightly so. It is beyond time for men everywhere to wake up and embrace the protective role given to you at birth. To any man out there who is involved in pornography, or sex for hire, we want to give you a cold, hard reality check: that young 10 to 15 year old has no great desire to be a playtoy for you and endless others. Stop fooling yourself. It is much more likely she has been coerced into this and that you are directly contributing to her hell-on-earth captivity by paying for her like she is an object rather than a human being. Furthermore, your use of these young victims, ensures that more victims will be captured and sold, on behalf of you and your actions. Human trafficking victims are in great demand at our major sporting events and activities. We want you to understand when you go to that convention, or your Superbowl trip, overseas trip, Olympics, etc., that you need to take a stand as a protector, as a man. We urge you, with all fervency, please do NOT support – in anyway – an industry that leads to the victimization of captives and the raping of children. No more lame justifications; listen to that inner voice that tells you that you know this is wrong; wake up and be a man.
|
<urn:uuid:1b48ab8a-6f6d-4a90-891f-cc4925e9a199>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://thedefenderfoundation.org/?page_id=270
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.950876
| 1,415
| 1.59375
| 2
|
A new study finds that a species of sea star stays cool using a strategy never before seen in the animal kingdom. The sea stars soak up cold sea water into their bodies during high tide as buffer against potentially damaging temperatures brought about by direct sunlight at low tide.
"Sea stars were assumed to be at the mercy of the sun during low tide," said the study's lead author, Sylvain Pincebourde of François Rabelais University in Tours, France. "This work shows that some sea stars have an unexpected back-up strategy."
The researcher is published in the December issue of The American Naturalist.
Sea stars need to endure rapid changes in temperature. During high tide, they are fully submerged in cool sea water. But when tides receded, the stars are often left on rocky shorelines, baking in the sun.
Clearly the stars had some way of beating the heat, but scientists were unsure how they did it. Pincebourde and his team thought it might have something to do with fluid-filled cavities found in the arms of sea stars. So he set up an experiment to test it.
The researchers placed sea stars in aquariums and varied the water level to simulate tidal patterns. Heat lamps were used to control temperature, with some stars experiencing hotter temperatures than others. The researchers found that stars exposed to higher temperatures at low tide had higher body mass after the high tide that followed. Since the stars were not allowed to eat, the increased mass must be from soaking up water.
"This reservoir of cool water keeps the sea star from overheating when the tide recedes again the next day, a process called 'thermal inertia,'" Pincebourde said.
What appears to be happening, the researchers say, is that a hot low tide serves as a cue telling the star to soak up more water during the next high tide. And the amount of water the stars can hold is remarkable.
"It would be as if humans were able to look at a weather forecast, decide it was going to be hot tomorrow, and then in preparation suck up 15 or more pounds of water into our bodies," said co-author Brian Helmuth of the University of South Carolina in Columbia.
The researchers are concerned, however, that climate change may put this novel cooling strategy in peril.
"This strategy only works when the sea water is colder than the air," said co-author Eric Sanford of the University if California, Davis. "Ocean warming might therefore break down this buffering mechanism, making this sea star susceptible to global warming. There are likely limits to how much this mechanism can buffer this animal against global change."
Sylvain Pincebourde, Eric Sanford, and Brian Helmuth, "An Intertidal Sea Star Adjusts Thermal Inertia to Avoid Extreme Body Temperatures." The American Naturalist 174:6 (December 2009).
Since its inception in 1867, The American Naturalist has maintained its position as one of the world's most renowned, peer-reviewed publications in ecology, evolution, and population and integrative biology research. The journal is published by The University of Chicago Press for the American Society of Naturalists.
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
|
<urn:uuid:007fb851-220c-465b-81fc-752c19a6f5e5>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uocp-sss111709.php
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.957881
| 691
| 3.953125
| 4
|
SRTS-funded project celebrated
AMORY — A project designed to enhance the environment, physical fitness and safety was unveiled before a large crowd of local residents and dignitaries in the Town of Amory.
The Safe Routes to Schools (SRTS) program is administered by the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) to provide funding for programs designed to encourage young students to walk or ride bikes to school. Amory was awarded $660,000 in SRTS funding in 2007, the first and largest allocation to date in the program’s three-year history in Mississippi.
The Amory project will include construction of a new road designated solely for bus traffic at West Amory Elementary School and the installation of sidewalks and lighting along a main route to the campus. The new road, which was dedicated Nov. 20, is named in honor of Lt. Col. Herbert Carter, an Amory resident and a member of the famed Tuskegee Airmen, the first African American pilots to serve in the United States military.
To sign up for Mississippi Business Daily Updates, click here.
Top Posts & Pages
- Fervor grows for Tuscaloosa Marine Shale
- Click Boutique revives Hattiesburg downtown retail district
- KEEPING OUR EYE ON: Elizabeth Harris
- District at Eastover construction to start later this year
- TROTTER: Social security claiming strategies
- Small business owners take picture perfect advantages with Instagram
- Nullification and interposition
- Froyo y’all: Couple brings 'delicious' dessert to Delta
- Brown would make history if confirmed as judge
|
<urn:uuid:d5e53896-572e-47dc-b059-68372a75a03c>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2009/12/01/srts-funded-project-celebrated/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00052-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.938288
| 337
| 1.882813
| 2
|
News tagged with swine flu
Finnish researchers unveiled new data Thursday to link the Pandemrix flu vaccine to a higher risk of the sleeping disorder narcolepsy in adults.
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes 5 hours ago | not rated yet | 0
A known difficulty in fighting influenza (flu) is the ability of the flu viruses to mutate and thus evade various medications that were previously found to be effective. Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have ...
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes 10 hours ago | 4 / 5 (1) | 0 |
As the world prepares for what may be the next pandemic strain of influenza virus, in the H7N9 bird flu, a new UC Irvine study reveals that the 2009 H1N1 swine flu pandemic was deadliest for people under the age of 65, while ...
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes May 22, 2013 | not rated yet | 0
A Nobel prize-winning scientist Tuesday played down "shock-horror scenarios" that a new virus strain will emerge with the potential to kill millions of people.
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes May 21, 2013 | 5 / 5 (1) | 0
(Medical Xpress)—An international team of bio-researchers has found that a mutant strain of the H5N1 influenza virus (created in a lab) has a 200-fold preference for binding with receptors in human cells, ...
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Apr 25, 2013 | 5 / 5 (2) | 0 |
Around half the antiviral drug Tamiflu that was prescribed during the 2009 H1N1 swine flu pandemic was never used, researchers have discovered.
Medications Apr 17, 2013 | not rated yet | 0 |
(HealthDay)—A new report shows that a deadly swine flu virus can infect ferrets, highlighting the importance of continuous surveillance of emerging flu strains.
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Sep 10, 2012 | 5 / 5 (2) | 0
A genetic variant commonly found in Chinese people may help explain why some got seriously ill with swine flu, a discovery scientists say could help pinpoint why flu viruses hit some populations particularly ...
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Jan 29, 2013 | not rated yet | 0
A swine flu vaccine used in 2009-10 is linked to a higher risk of the sleeping disorder narcolepsy in children and teens in Sweden and Finland, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said Friday.
Medications Sep 21, 2012 | 4.7 / 5 (3) | 0
Research at Imperial College London examining influenza transmission in ferrets suggests that the virus can be passed on before the appearance of symptoms. If the finding applies to humans, it means that people pass on flu ...
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Aug 29, 2012 | 5 / 5 (3) | 0 |
Genetics of flu susceptibility: Researchers find gene that can transform mild influenza to a life-threatening disease
A genetic finding could help explain why influenza becomes a life-threating disease to some people while it has only mild effects in others. New research led by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute has identified for the first ...
Genetics Mar 25, 2012 | 4 / 5 (4) | 0 |
Researchers at the University of British Columbia have identified a number of tiny but powerful "genetic regulators" that are hijacked by avian and swine flu viruses during human infection.
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mar 29, 2012 | not rated yet | 0 |
The last century has seen two major pandemics caused by the H1N1 virus -- the Spanish Flu in 1918 and 2009's Swine Flu scare, which had thousands travelling with surgical masks and clamoring for vaccination. But scientists ...
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Aug 15, 2011 | not rated yet | 0 |
An outbreak of A(H1N1) swine flu claimed the lives of two people -- 19 and 21 years old -- in Mexico's capital in the first weeks of the year, health authorities said Saturday.
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Jan 22, 2012 | not rated yet | 0
(Medical Xpress) -- Researchers at the University of Southampton, University of Oxford and Retroscreeen Virology Ltd have discovered a series of peptides, found on the internal structures of influenza viruses that could lead ...
Medical research Jan 31, 2012 | 5 / 5 (1) | 0 |
Swine influenza (also called H1N1 flu, swine flu, hog flu, and pig flu) is an infection by any one of several types of swine influenza virus. Swine influenza virus (SIV) is any strain of the influenza family of viruses that is endemic in pigs. As of 2009, the known SIV strains include influenza C and the subtypes of influenza A known as H1N1, H1N2, H3N1, H3N2, and H2N3.
Swine influenza virus is common throughout pig populations worldwide. Transmission of the virus from pigs to humans is not common and does not always lead to human influenza, often resulting only in the production of antibodies in the blood. If transmission does cause human influenza, it is called zoonotic swine flu. People with regular exposure to pigs are at increased risk of swine flu infection. The meat of an infected animal poses no risk of infection when properly cooked.
During the mid-20th century, identification of influenza subtypes became possible, allowing accurate diagnosis of transmission to humans. Since then, only 50 such transmissions have been confirmed. These strains of swine flu rarely pass from human to human. Symptoms of zoonotic swine flu in humans are similar to those of influenza and of influenza-like illness in general, namely chills, fever, sore throat, muscle pains, severe headache, coughing, weakness and general discomfort.
For more information about Swine influenza, read the full article at
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
|
<urn:uuid:62b0836a-5f7e-4ec5-9bed-7cec447c4ced>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://medicalxpress.com/tags/swine+flu/sort/liverank/all/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.935578
| 1,281
| 2.171875
| 2
|
The Pinwheels for Peace Project detailsPosted Jun. 29, 2010
You Are Invited!
Why: September 21 is the International Day of Peace and the Kent State University Art Education department will be participating in the Pinwheels for Peace Project. Worldwide students and teachers are creating pinwheels to symbolize and remind us of a time in our lives when things were peaceful. We will be lining the esplanade from the Student Center to the Art Building, and then covering the Art Building’s lawn. We are hoping for an estimated 1000 pinwheels!
What: Participate in a worldwide event–The Pinwheels for Peace Project!
Who: Anyone who wants to participate!
Where: The Art Building and Room 212
When: September 21, 2010
How: Complete both sides and decorate blank pinwheels and return to Room 212 of the Art Building (blank pinwheels can be found in Room 212)
RSVP: Submit completed pinwheels with your name at the bottom by September 16, 2010!
Submit in Room 212 or at the full department meeting!
|
<urn:uuid:df7ad160-b223-408e-a43d-340d4a240d83>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.kent.edu/arteducation/news-detail.cfm?newsitem=6134816A-0D1B-E98B-EA4B03E634F5046A
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.904875
| 226
| 1.585938
| 2
|
The first patient in Maryland to receive a newly approved artificial cervical disc was Meryl L. Eddy, 48, an attorney at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Eddy was one of only 30 people in the United States to have the Prestige artificial cervical disc implanted since it was approved by the FDA on July 16, 2007. The procedure was performed by Francois Aldrich, M.D. at the University of Maryland Medical Center on August 8, 2007. Eddy says she is delighted that she has almost instantaneously regained strength and mobility in her right arm, which had been severely limited prior to surgery.
Meryl L. Eddy
What was your condition?
I had one bad herniated disc in my neck which compressed the nerve leading down my arm. Dr. Aldrich [a neurosurgeon at the University of Maryland Medical Center and associate professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine] said the rest of my neck and spine was in good shape.
What were your symptoms? What problems did this cause?
In early June I started having some pain in my elbow but I thought I had just pulled a muscle in my arm. Near the end of June I started having numbness in my thumb until a week later I literally could not feel the end of my thumb.
After a week of that, I thought I should visit my doctor. I see a primary care physician here at the University of Maryland Family Medicine Department. In early July, he initially diagnosed possible muscle strain and carpal tunnel syndrome. He recommended treating it with medication and wearing a wrist brace at night for a few weeks while we kept a close eye on any changes in my symptoms. If it did not improve, I might need further testing.
See News Release
Literally within a week—on the 13th of July--is when I started to have severe and constant pain throughout my entire right arm. My arm became so progressively weak it became difficult to pick up a glass of water, brush my hair, or click the right mouse on the computer.
I contacted the physicians at Family Medicine about the sudden changes in my condition. Even though my doctor was on vacation, his colleague, Dr. David Stewart [chairman, Family and Community Medicine and associate professor of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine] sent me for an MRI and then, after seeing the result, referred me to Dr. Aldrich within that same week.
What happened when you went to see Dr. Aldrich?
When I first saw Dr. Aldrich, I couldn’t even hold my wrist up.
For the first week he tried to treat it with steroids to see if it would heal on its own. My strength and my arm motion deteriorated.
We discussed the surgical options at that point since the steroids had not worked. He thought I was an excellent candidate for the new artificial cervical disc which seemed to have certain advantages over the traditional fusion. It gave me a great deal of confidence that it was a University of Maryland School of Medicine faculty member who recommended the device and who would be operating on me. The University of Maryland School of Medicine family physicians also gave me confidence as they offered their support. So I agreed to have the new procedure.
When was your surgery?
On August 8, 2007.
How long were you in the hospital?
I was in the hospital for two nights.
How much work did you miss?
Before the surgery I was out of the office for 2 ½ weeks due to the pain and lack of mobility and strength. After the surgeryI was out of the workplace only four days.
Did you have any concerns about being one of the first people to get the disc?
Dr. Aldrich had explained to me that it’s been around in Europe for some time and that it’s been extensively tested here in the U.S. With those explanations and the experience and reputation of our doctors here I was content with trying it.
How do you feel now? Has the surgery made a difference?
I’m very pleased and I’m feeling great. I do not have to wear a neck collar. The operation has made a huge difference. Before the surgery, the pain was horrible - especially at night. Now I’m sleeping well and I have a full range of motion and strength in my arm.
I water and snow ski and I’m a figure skater so I want to get back to doing all of those things. Because I’m athletic, I am looking forward to being active again.
What did you think of the care you received from Dr. Aldrich and the other staff at the University of Maryland?
Dr. Aldrich is terrific; he has the best bedside manner. He explains things very well and takes his time doing so. I like the idea that he was very conservative by trying the treatment route first instead of rushing to surgery. I so appreciated that. His post-surgery follow-up has been helpful as well.
The anesthesiologist, Dr. Schreibman, was great. Dr. David Stewart was the one who got me over here to Dr. Aldrich right away and my primary care doctor encouraged me to move forward with the surgery and kept up with me post-surgery, also.
|
<urn:uuid:120e1a9a-1e05-4f08-8e72-eabb6740ccc5>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.umm.edu/spinecenter/eddy.htm
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.983927
| 1,095
| 1.710938
| 2
|
Infographic: NFL and NBA Lockouts
Add this Infographic to Your Website:
Simply copy the code below and paste it into the HTML of your blog, website, or Static FBML box on Facebook
This infographic was submitted to us by the folks at Ocean Media. Here is what they had to say about their submission:
With the NFL and NBA lockouts presenting fans with the very real possibility that there will be no professional Football or Basketball to watch until Fall 2012, there’s much more at stake than filling out our leisure time. The NFL and NBA are multi-billion dollar operations, and their absence will create a huge economic hole in the country. In all, a $12 billion industry would disappear without NFL games. There won’t be any fantasy leagues, gambling or valuable advertising revenue for TV networks. Each city with an NFL team could lose as much as $160 million in revenue from hotels and restaurants in the leagues absence. While the NBA is smaller, there is still billions of dollars at stake. Historically, lockouts cause a lot of harm to the league in the following years, so the impact could go on and on even after the games come back.
This infographic has a good aesthetic, but it is way too text-heavy. There are plenty of statistics that can be visualized here: icons can be used to present ratio statistics, pie graph can be used to display any percentage, and bar charts can be used to visualize just about any comparison. This infographic has a ton of data but does not visualize any of it! Also, the thing is all over the place – there is no flow to it as well. Changing the infographic so that sections are displayed one-by-one would make viewing it much easier for the reader.
1 Comment + Add Comment
Got anything to say? Go ahead and leave a comment!
- Articles About Infographics
- Culture & Politics
- Video Games
|
<urn:uuid:2dde6364-afc1-456a-a57f-a6adbd06f902>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://submitinfographics.com/all-infographics/infographic-nfl-and-nba-lockouts.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.944332
| 393
| 1.585938
| 2
|
Doug Rye, licensed architect and the popular host of the "Home Remedies" radio show
Doug Rye Spreads the Energy Efficiency Gospel
His passion for helping members save energy started in the 1970s
“You can’t make him drink it.” That’s an old saying that well fits my occupation. And speaking of occupations, I’m often asked how I make a living. My response is that I teach folks how to have lower utility bills and a more comfortable house. If my wife is with me, she often says to the person asking the question, “It’s not only his occupation but it’s his passion.”
I spent 23 years as a licensed architect working for the federal government helping provide affordable housing to low and moderate income families. During that period, I came to realize that the monthly electricity bill was a big part of the cost of a home. The electric bill came every month, just like the mortgage payment, and if we were to make homes affordable, we would have to do something about energy usage.
The need to do a better job of building energy efficient homes became evident during the oil embargo of the 1970s. I guess you could say it was then that my energy passion was born. Even our national office in Washington, D.C., began promoting energy efficiency. I was privileged to help write regulations for the entire U.S. to assure that the housing units being financed used less energy than before.
We got deeply involved in the financing of solar water heating systems. That experience taught me that reliable systems were not as easy to obtain as the marketing material indicated. One such building’s roof contained 220 solar panels. It was a total failure in less than 10 years. Live and learn.
As I had the opportunity to teach in more places around the country, I became better known and in more demand. And it became quite clear to me that I couldn’t help the world if I had to stay behind a desk in a federal building. I had a great career in the government, but it was time to move on.
As I prepared my resignation papers, I had to answer the question, “reason for leaving.” I wrote, “To teach the world how to build a truly energy-efficient house.” I thought to myself as I wrote those words, “World, watch out, here I come.”
I would spend many hours teaching a family about energy efficiency. I would show them that energy efficiency would actually make them money every month. They would shake their heads “yes” and smile and I was so happy. Later, I would ask if they implemented those things. More often than not, they shook their heads “no.”
I would actually lie awake at night worrying about that family. You cannot imagine how many times I was told the builders said, “You don’t really need to do all these things.” Well, time has proven that they did need to do all these things, exactly as I said.
Thankfully, many did heed the advice and they are still bragging about their houses (and saving money every month). If you listen to my radio show, you have likely heard these folks call in and share their remarkable stories.
I think all of you would agree that the subject of energy efficiency is at an all-time high.
The electric cooperatives of Illinois and across the country have long promoted energy efficiency efforts. Energy efficiency education is a long-term commitment of the co-ops. In Arkansas, my home state, the electric co-ops started a great new energy education last year with their Energy Efficiency Makeover project. They are doing it again.
As much as $50,000 could be spent on the home (primarily from donations by vendors) to install such items as high energy-efficient windows, cellulose insulation, a geothermal heating and cooling system, and an energy-efficient water heater and other appliances, among other things.
During the next few months, I will show you in detail in this column how we took an average house and transformed it into a super energy-efficient house. The purpose is to teach all of you how you can improve the energy efficiency of your house.
Doug Rye, the “Doctor of Energy Efficiency-the King of Caulk and Talk” can be heard on several different Illinois radio stations. Or you can go to his Web site at www.dougrye.com, e-mail him at email@example.com, or call 888-Doug-Rye or 501-653-7931. You can also sign up for a free newsletter and order his “how to” videotapes.
© 2013 Illinois Country Living Magazine.
Designed and Maintained by Cooperative Design and Print.
|
<urn:uuid:f140331a-225e-4530-9998-ec95d87cf4da>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://icl.coop/icl/archive/archive/07_09/energy.php
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.985113
| 1,008
| 2.015625
| 2
|
We know that the Weasleys keep chickens, but that's the most intensive bit of animal husbandry we've seen in the series. Though Hogwarts has large greenhouses, the plants grown are used for magical purposes, and not for consumption.
So the question is, where does the wizarding world get its food from? Since Gamps' Law states that food cannot be conjured, there has to be wizarding farms of some sort, but how large and numerous do you think they would be? Or would wizards just get food from Muggle sources?
Also, concerning Gamp's law, you can't create food out of nothing, but Hermione says you can increase the quantity with magic. Wouldn't that be something of a contradiction? You could just get one piece of food and duplicate it indefinitely, at which point you are pretty much just creating food purely by magic.
Tim the Enchanter
|
<urn:uuid:b46204eb-83b5-4a8a-9b43-71e23661e1d8>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://fanfiction.mugglenet.com/forums/showthread.php?47321-Food-in-the-Wizarding-World
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.974088
| 184
| 2.328125
| 2
|
September 16, 2009 3 Comments
Every once in a while you run into a way of doing things that makes you wonder why you ever did it any other way. For me, that was using DNS aliasing for referencing all servers, and services that they provide. I use them whenever possible.
Many years ago I had a catastrophic server failure. Looking back, it was a fascinating series of events that you would think would never happen, but it did. This server happened to be the primary storage server for our development team, and was a staple of our development system. It’s full server name was hardcoded on mount points and symbolic links of other *nix systems, as well as drive mappings from windows machines connecting to it via Samba. It’s name was buried in countless scripts owned by the Development and QA teams. Once the new hardware came in, provisioning a new server was relatively easy. Getting everything functioning again because of these broken links was not. Other factors prevented me from using the old approach, which was naming the new server the same name as the old server. So I knew there had to be a better way. There was. That was using DNS aliasing (cname records) on your internal DNS servers to decouple the server name itself from the service it was providing. This practice helps you design your server infrastructure for change.
Good candidates for aliasing are:
- NTP/time servers (automated for domain joined machines, but not for non-joined machines, *nix systems, and network devices)
- Email servers (primary email servers, as well as mail relay servers)
- Source code control servers
- Document management, wikis, or collaboration servers
- Critical workstations/servers that perform source code compiling and/or validation testing.
- Network devices and OOB management cards. I can’t remember what the FQDN’s of my switches are. Can you?
- Log servers.
- File Servers and their respective share names or NFS exports (ex. \\infostore\sales & infostore:/exports/sales respectively)
The practice is particularly interesting on file servers. If you start out with one file server that contains shares for your applications, your files, and your user home directories. You could have sharenames that reference aliases, all for the very same server.
Now, when you need to move user home directories over to a new server, or bring up a new server to perform that new role, just move the data, turn up the share name, and change the alias.
Now of course, there are some things that aliasing can’t be used on, or doesn’t work well on.
- DNS clients that need to refer to DNS servers require IP addresses, and can’t use aliases
- Some windows service that may use complex authentication methods.
- Services that are relying on SSL certificates that are expecting to see the real name, not the alias. (ex. Exchange URL references)
- Windows Server 2003 and earlier do not support aliases out of the box. It will support only \\realservername\sharename by default. You will need to add a registry key to disable strict name checking. More info found here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/281308
Most recently, I made the transition from Exchange 2003 to Exchange 2007. Usually a project like that has pages of carefully planned out steps on the cut-over; what needed to be changed, and when. What I didn’t have to worry about this time is all of my internal hosts that reference the mail server by it’s DNS alias name; mailserver.mycompany.lan. Just one easy step to change the cname reference from the old server name to the new server name, and that was it. The same thing occurred when I transitioned to new Domain Controllers a few months ago. These serve as my internal time servers for all internal systems and devices.
What’s most surprising is that this practices is not done in IT environments as often as you’d think. There might be an occasional alias here and there, but not a calculated effort to help transitions to new servers and reduce downtime. Whether you are doing planned server transitions, or recovering from a server failure, this is a practice that is guaranteed to help almost any situation.
|
<urn:uuid:1ec08d93-6517-4af2-982a-04bfe22a4b6c>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://vmpete.com/tag/alias/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.940667
| 917
| 2.25
| 2
|
Celebrate the 5th Anniversary of Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery! “Playing Possum: The Pogo Art of Walt Kelly” opens December 10.
In 1970, Walt Kelly’s playful possum Pogo looked upon his polluted Okefenokee Swamp and uttered in despair, “We have met the enemy and he is us.” This line quickly became part of our cultural lexicon and cemented Pogo’s place in American popular culture. Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery celebrates the publication of Pogo: Through the Wild Blue Wonder with “Playing Possum: The Pogo Art of Walt Kelly.” This exhibition of original Walt Kelly strips opens Saturday, December 10 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM on the occasion of the bookstore’s 5th anniversary gala.
The long-anticipated Pogo: Through the Wild Blue Wonder, Volume 1 of the Complete Comic Strips collects early Sunday and daily Pogo comics from 1949 – 1950. Kelly introduces his huge cast of irreverent swamp dwellers and their singular dialect known as “swamp talk.” Politics soon became a central topic in the swamp. While Kelly claimed to oppose “the extreme right, the extreme left, and the extreme middle,” political figures cynically cloaking themselves in patriotic garb were clearly disdained. Kelly boldly caricatured red baiting Senator Joseph R. McCarthy as Simple J. Malarkey. An obvious parody of J. Edgar Hoover seemingly drove the FBI director to distraction. He reportedly assigned cryptographers to decipher the secret swamp talk “code.” (A strip from 1971 referencing this will be on display.) Kelly’s characters also embraced the burgeoning environmental movement and other progressive causes. “Playing Possum: The Pogo Art of Walt Kelly” includes 12 memorable dailies and 4 Sunday strips. These original works reveal the artist’s concern for composition, delicate line quality, and detailed dialogue.
The opening on Saturday, December 10 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM promises to be a festive affair. Musical entertainment will be provided by Sawsome, a female saw and banjo duet. The evening commemorates the 5th anniversary of Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery and coincides with the holiday edition of the colorful Georgetown Art Attack featuring art exhibitions, special events and wandering carolers from Choir of the Sound throughout the historic neighborhood.
PLAYING POSSUM: The Pogo Art of Walt Kelly Opening reception Saturday, December 10, 6:00 – 9:00 PM 5th Anniversary Holiday Gala with musical entertainment by SAWSOME Exhibition continues through January 4, 2012
Just another Sunday in the swamp. Check out the meticulous composition, line quality and lettering in this amazing Walt Kelly strip. One of 16 original Pogo pieces on display at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery’s 5th anniversary gala on Saturday, December 10. Always a highlight of the holiday season!
We've recently seen a deluge of books by earnest young rock journalists chronicling the history of Seattle's grunge movement. But nothing quite matches Peter Bagge's authentic observations during that era. Bagge's work went beyond satire to help shape the attitude and aesthetics of the only significant youth movement to emerge from the Pacific Northwest. His comix still resonate today, as a new generation of readers discover his over-the-top, yet totally accessible approach to cartooning. Bagge will sign copies of his iconic Hate comix anthologies as well as more recent work, including his rockin' all ages romp Yeah! Pick up some perfect personalized gifts for a song.
Bagge's signing will be followed by a musical performance at the Mix with Can You Imagine? This mostly female pop combo is eerily reminiscent of the intergalactic rock group depicted in Yeah! Michelle, Rachel and Sue are joined by Bagge and legendary musician and producer Steve Fisk, combining to form a fairly amazing and unexpected delight.
Fantagraphics Bookstore is located at 1201 S. Vale Street in the heart of Seattle's Georgetown arts community. Open daily 11:30 to 8:00 PM, Sundays until 5:00. Phone 206.658.0110.
A fitting Pogo sentiment on a day after elections. The original art from this strip will be on display at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery along with 15 others for "Playing Possum: The Pogo Art of Walt Kelly." The show opens on Saturday, December 10 — the centerpiece of our festive 5th anniversary gala. Pogo party, indeed!
Short Run exhibition at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery features small press comics and art by emerging regional artists.
In this age of ubiquitous digital media and gadget fatigue, it's refreshing to find a community of artists working with their hands to produce tactile works of art on paper. Such is the case with the young cartoonists in the Short Run exhibition at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery in Seattle. This art party on Saturday, November 12 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM follows the Short Run Small Press Fest at the Vera Project at the Seattle Center earlier that day.
The Short Run art show, curated by Kelly Froh, features original comix art, illustration and book works by Max Clotfelter, Patrick Keck, Martine Workman, Elaine Lin, Jason T. Miles, Chris Cilla, Andrice Arp, Tim Root, Billis Helg, Marc Palm, Eroyn Franklin, Tom Van Deusen, Tim Miller, Tory Franklin, Jesse Reklaw, Sean Christensen, and Erin Tanner. A selection of publications by these, and other local artists, will also be available.
The public is invited to meet these remarkable artists at a festive reception on Saturday, November 12 at 6:00 PM. Entertainment will be provided by DJ/musician "Brainfruit." This event coincides with the colorful Georgetown Art Attack featuring visual and performing arts presentations throughout the historic arts community.
SHORT RUN: Small Press Fest After-Party & Art Show
Featuring artwork by Max Clotfelter, Patrick Keck, Martine Workman, Elaine Lin, Jason T. Miles, Chris Cilla, Andrice Arp, Tim Root, Billis Helg, Marc Palm, Eroyn Franklin, Tom Van Deusen, Tim Miller, Tory Franklin, Jesse Reklaw, Sean Christensen, and Erin Tanner. Curated by Kelly Froh
Saturday, November 12, 6:00 - 9:00 P M. Show continues through December 10, 2011
It's official! Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery will be celebrating its 5th anniversary on Saturday, December 10 with an exhibition of Walt Kelly's original Pogo artwork. Look for a dozen dailies and several Sundays along with some appropriately swampy musical entertainment. Save the date and make your way to the bookstore where you will, indeed, be "confronted with insurmountable opportunities."
Register and Login to receive full member benefits, including members-only special offers, commenting privileges on Flog! The Fantagraphics Blog, newsletters and special announcements via email, and stuff we haven't even thought of yet. Membership is free and spam-free, so Sign Up Today!
|
<urn:uuid:5a839897-308f-4b5e-abd5-c7012c6a5b86>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.fantagraphics.com/index.php?option=com_myblog&archive=November-2011&blogger=Larry+Reid&Itemid=113
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.921898
| 1,504
| 1.625
| 2
|
Café Chocolate Lititz : Café
Dark chocolate Brightens Menu at Lititz Cafe
Chocolate flows at Cafe Chocolate of Lititz
By SUE GLEITER, Of The Patriot-News
Wednesday, February 8, 2006
The area's only chocolate cafe at 40 E. Main St. in Lititz, Lancaster County, pays tribute to the "food of the gods" in more ways than one.
A chocolate fountain sits in a front window flowing with melted chocolate chunks for dipping strawberries, pizelle cookies and Sturgis Factory pretzels.
A vinaigrette on the menu melds chocolate with strawberry puree, a chocolate sauce is drizzled on crepes and hot chocolate is frothed with organic milk.
There's one catch.
"We actually don't serve any chocolate with less than 50-percent cocoa solids except for a mango truffle, it works better with a slight addition of milk," said Selina Man, owner.
You won't find milk chocolate on the menu here. Instead, dark chocolate is the star.
Across the country, dark chocolate is all the rage right now. Manufacturers including Hershey's are rolling out dark chocolate bars. (See taste test.)
Last year, several studies revealed dark chocolate, largely eaten in Europe, comes with health benefits. It contains more antioxidants than red wine, green tea and blueberries
It also contains more cocoa solids and less sugar.
"The purer the chocolate, the better the taste," Man said.
Most of the chocolates at Cafe Chocolate are organic or fair trade from countries around the world. (Fair trade means growers in developing countries receive a fair price for their crops.)
Chocolate cafes are sprouting up around the country, especially in major metropolitan areas such as New York. As far as Man knows, her cafe is one of the only ones to carry a social message.
"I think very few of us understand how unique a substance it is; it certainly is not promoted at all in this country that it is a living food and that people grow them in the rain forest," she said.
Among the chocolates Man sells is a single origin chocolate from a rare Arriba cocoa grown in Ecuador called Plantations. The bars sell for $3.95.
The cafe also carries a line of premium chocolate no-sugar truffles and a dark chocolate bar with Maititol, a natural sweetener, made by Yamate Chocolatier in New Jersey.
There are also chocolate drinks and desserts such as a key lime tart with an organic dark chocolate cookie crust and mini bundt cake.
In the future, Man said she hopes to incorporate chocolate as an ingredient in more savory dishes and hold more chocolate tastings.
"The menu is designed to widen the vocabulary of our taste buds so when you eat chocolate you can say 'Hey, this chocolate has some passion fruit or licorice or this amazing paprika flavor or different berries, apricots, cumin, coriander, hickory,'" Man said.
Since opening last April in a converted pharmacy, Man said business has been good. The cafe serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.
"We learned two things when we opened. No. 1, men love dark chocolate. The irony is I don't have a single woman who offers to sit under the chocolate fountain with their mouth open.
"Children absolutely adore dark chocolate, you can see kids from a year on up licking their plates. I think people think that they don't like dark chocolate, but absolutely, No. 1 they have never tasted dark chocolate," she said.
Non-chocolate foods include crepes, quiche, flatbread pizza, mushroom burgers, South African meatloaf and Jamaican-style meat pies. Diners are welcome to bring their own wine.
"Our motto is chocolate for life. We play on the idea we eat chocolate every day for the rest of our life and really try and let people think chocolate is good for life," Man said.
Hours: 8 a.m.-9 p. m. Tuesday-Friday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. Phone: 626-0123.
Directions from Harrisburg: Take the Pennsylvania Turnpike east to Manheim/Lebanon exit, and go south on Route 72 to the square in Manheim. Take a left at the square and head east on Route 772 for about 7 miles to West Lincoln Avenue. Turn right and head south on Route 501 for about 1/4 mile to square in Lititz and turn left onto Main Street.
|
<urn:uuid:9396547b-c975-4b0a-803e-7bfdae114dbd>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.chocolatelititz.com/darkchocolate.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.949597
| 972
| 1.53125
| 2
|
Date of Award
Educational Leadership, Counseling, and Foundations
Paradise, Louis V.
Resilience characteristics typically have been studied among children and adolescents. A new line of research on resilience is focused on exploring the resilience characteristics of adults exposed to short and long-term adversity. In the present study, 585 master's-level counseling students responded to the Resilience Scale (Wagnild & Young, 1993). The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between counseling students' level of resilience and specific background variables (age, gender, marital status, ethnicity, education, income, employment, living situation, sexual orientation, and country of origin), counselor-education program variables (primary field of study, number of credits taken, academic status, professional affiliations, supervision status, counseling courses, role identification, and accreditation), and risk (poverty, natural disasters, and terrorism) and protective variables (perceived support, school expectations, and community involvement). The results of this study indicated that resilience characteristics and the overall resilience score were associated with background variables, risk and protective variables, and counselingtraining- program variables. The counseling-training-program variables examined were minimally correlated with participants' resilience characteristics or their resilience score. The results of this study offer support for the adoption of wellness-based assessments of counseling trainees, as opposed to measures of impairment. Suggestions are offered for counselor educators and supervisors regarding possibilities for fostering the resilience of counseling trainees as well as counseling practitioners.
Machuca, J. Raul, "Resilience Characteristics of Master's-Level Counseling Students" (2010). University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations. Paper 1272.
|
<urn:uuid:5a3038ec-263e-45ad-8a38-ab4d52227a91>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/1272/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.914342
| 349
| 2.0625
| 2
|
"Editing on iPad is slow. But it could be better." That's how Daniel Hooper feels about using Apple's tablet to edit text, so he went ahead and built a keyboard prototype to make the process faster. Hooper's keyboard only features a few seemingly small tweaks, but from the looks of things they do streamline the process quite a bit — they also make you wonder why Apple hasn't added these features itself. Among them are a cursor that you can drag with your finger to a precise spot in your work (use two digits to go faster), as well as the ability to hold shift and drag to easily select snippets of text.
"Would you ever want to write a document on your computer without using the arrow keys?" Hooper asks. "This is the reality iPad users face because they do not have the equivalent of arrow keys." While it's only a prototype for now, Hooper is hoping to get Apple's attention by encouraging people to file a bug report and then suggest his keyboard as a solution. You can find the complete details on his campaign to make iPad text editing faster at the YouTube video in the source link below.
|
<urn:uuid:0c125941-ec13-4116-b476-8d80d073ed52>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.theverge.com/2012/5/4/2998696/daniel-hooper-ipad-keyboard-prototype?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.965618
| 233
| 2.125
| 2
|
WatchList Species Account for Ashy Storm-Petrel |
Qualifies for the list as a Red List Species
|Photo: Glen Tepke
Using natural cavities primarily on talus slopes, the Ashy Storm-Petrel nests on 17 rocky islands off the coast of California, from Southeast Farallon in the north, to San Clemente in the south, and on one Mexican island, Los Coronados. Its non-breeding range is the continental shelf from northern California to central Baja California, Mexico.
At present its population size is estimated to be between 5,200-10,000 individuals, but between 1972 and 1999 a 42% decline was documented on the Farallon Islands, where about 50% of the world population breeds. Although the cause is not definitively known, it may be related in part to natural oceanic fluctuations. Among the threats on the Farallons is the expanding number of Western Gulls. In addition, introduced grasses are invading breeding habitat there after the introduced rabbits were removed, and introduced mice feed on petrel eggs.Among the existing and potential threats are ingestion by the birds of floating plastics, pollution from oil and pesticides, the illumination of colonies during night-time squid fishing that may increase predation rates, and disturbance by researchers.
Among proposed solutions to increase the population on the Farallons to pre-1980 levels are non-lethal gull hazing, the use of artificial nest boxes, the removal of mice, and the eradication of non-native grasses. The threat from introduced species on other breeding islands should be assessed and eradication measures employed, if needed.
|
<urn:uuid:e5504b7a-4b62-4507-bf3b-8bbf117807bf>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/science/watchlist/ashystorm_petrel.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.918424
| 334
| 3.171875
| 3
|
Character animation in VVVV
As my weapon of choice, the visual programming environment VVVV provides a huge amount of functionality in the area of multimedia and 3D computer graphics - all accessible in a nice non-textual programming environment. While there exist several ways of manipulation 3D geometry in VVVV, right now there are no explicit methods for doing character animation.
So, this project (which was topic of my diploma thesis) aims to create an API, which introduces the terms of character animation to the world of VVVV. In this article I’m giving a little introduction of the developed nodes, and how to use them.
The nodes have been developed using VVVV version 40beta23, and are therefore only tested with that version. First, download the nodes here: Skeleton.zip. Just place the files contained in the zip into the plugins-directory of you VVVV folder. Note, that you need Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 and SlimDX installed, to use the nodes.
Alternatively, you can checkout the latest version of the sourcecode from the VVVV plugin repository on Sourceforge:
That should be it, let’s go, create some skeletons.
But before we start …
… let’s talk about some terms we will use from now on, quickly. For character animation in computer graphics, the most commonly used metaphor is binding skeletons to a geometry. A skeleton consists of joints, which can be animated. Animating joints ultimatly leads to animating the bound geometry accordingly.
Joints are arranged in a tree structure, beginning with the root joint (which might be somewhere around a characters belly, for example). Every joint can have child joints (e.g. fingers are children of the wrist), and most of the joints have one parent joint (e.g. the elbow’s parent is the shoulder). The position of a specific joint relative to its parent joint in “unanimated” pose is defined by the Base Transformation. The transformation, which describes the movement of a joint (e.g. raising the arm) is refered to as Animation Transformation. Both terms, “Base Transformation” and “Animation Transformation” are not commonly used in computer graphics, but only have been introduced here, to distinguish between a) describing a skeleton’s shape and b) defining a skeleton’s animation, respectivly. There may be other, more suitable terms for those two transformations.
One last thing …
In the screenshots below, a certain window is used to display skeletons and visualize how the nodes work. Don’t get confused, if you haven’t seen it yet in VVVV, because it comes from the
SelectJoint node, which is described below. It just comes very handy for debugging and viewing skeletons.
Oh, i forgot: the
To be able to pass skeletal information from one VVVV node to another, the “type”
Skeleton has been introduced. Most of the nodes described below will have such a
Skeleton pin as in- or output.
I guess we can start: creating skeletons
One way of using character rigs in VVVV of course is importing them from an external 3D modelling package like Maya. This can be done easily by using the Collada Importer provided by VVVV. Another approach is creating the skeleton data inside VVVV. There are two ways of doing that: a spread-based and a graph-based way, both having advantages and disadvantages.
Using the node
CreateJoint (Skeleton) is the way to go, if you wish to create skeletons based on spreads - for example if you want a dynamic skeleton, with an arbitrary number of joints (which you actually might not even know), and arbitrary topology. It takes spreads of data, one slice for each joint, and outputs a
Skeleton-object based on this. This is an example of how you would use
If you’d like to create some skeleton, which is more specific and static in terms of its underlying structure, e.g. a human skeleton, you might prefer the graph-based approach using the node
Joint (Skeleton Join). In contrast to its spread-based brother, this node doesn’t take spreads as input, but only one value per input. In the most simple case, the output of
Joint (Skeleton Join) is a
Skeleton-object, which contains one single joint. Because this alone isn’t any fun at all, such a
Skeleton-object can flow into another
Joint (Skeleton Join)-node, which makes it the child of another joint. This way, the skeleton’s topology is defined by the vvvv graph. Take a look at this example to finally understand, what I’m trying to say:
Moving single joints
Alright, now that we have created our skeleton, animating it would make sense. This is simply done by passing our brandnew
Skeleton-object through a
SetJoint (Skeleton) node. Although typical setter-nodes in VVVV usually manipulate single slices of a spread,
SetJoint (Skeleton) works in a similar way. It manipulates single joints of a skeleton, selected through a selector pin.
Using this node, you can set most of a joint’s properties - you can even change its parent joint (Which is not tested very well yet, by the way). But the most common way of using
SetJoint (Skeleton) is setting the Animation Transform pin, which ultimatly leads to a movement of a specific joint.
As you can see in the previous image, you need to know a joint’s name to be able to edit it with the
SetJoint (Skeleton) node. This might be ok, if you get the joint name from somewhere programatically anyway. If you want to explicitly select a specific joint, e.g. your character’s shoulder, you don’t want to mess with the correct spelling, and prefer a visual way of selecting instead. This is, where the
SelectJoint (Skeleton) node comes into play. It provides a window, which displays a skeleton in its current pose, and enables you to select specific joints by clicking them.
SelectJoint (Skeleton) outputs the names of the selected joints. Besides selecting, this node is also very useful for debugging, and viewing animations - just as in the screenshots above.
Animating on a higher level
Ok, moving single joints might be enough for waving a character’s arm or make it nod. But for more complex animations, or in your overall program logic, you don’t want to deal with single joints all the time. Instead, you want to talk about “poses” and “animations”, which should be triggerd in certain situations. To be able to work in such kind of way, the nodes
InputMorph (Skeleton) and
MixPose (Skeleton) are very useful.
InputMorph (Skeleton) works similar to the
InputMorph (Value) node. It is used to interpolate through a series of poses by modulating an input value. This is very useful to morph from one pose to another - and therefore can be used to work in a way oftenr refered to as “pose-to-pose animation”.
MixPose (Skeleton) like
InputMorph (Skeleton) interpolates multiple poses and returns a result pose. In contrast to
InputMorph (Skeleton) it doesn’t have one modulating value, but one for each incoming pose. This modulating value defines, to which extend the according input pose is expressed in the final result pose.
InputMorph (Skeleton) works like a cross fader,
MixPose (Skeleton) like line faders between single poses, if you want to.
So far we only viewed the results of our animations via
SelectJoint (Skeleton)’s editor window, but didn’t output anything in any kind of renderer. First thing you will need are the global, compiled transformations of each joint. All transformations we dealt with until now were local transformations inside the joint’s space. However, to get a joint’s global transformation in world space, we need something, that “sums up” all local transformations in a joint chain. This is done by the node
GetJointTransform (Skeleton). It takes an animated skeleton as an input, and outputs the compiled transformations of the joints, which are selected by the selector pin (leave the selector pin empty, to get all joints).
Having the global transformations, you can use them e.g. to kind of “assign” objects to joints, say, if your character consists of boxes. Also, you can use the information of the joint’s world position to accomplish some kind of collision detection, and so on. Finally, the compiled transformations are necessary for skinning, which will be explained in the next article.
There are still a lot of issues with the nodes described above. I set up quick bug tracker at sagishi.zive.at/bugs, where there are listed upcoming tasks to do. It’s public, so feel free to add issues, if you want to give feedback. However, some of the major issues are:
- Constraints (or joint limits): In the initial implementation there has been a way of setting constraints for each joint, to define, how far, and aroun which axes a joint can move. However, this has been in combination with saving joint rotations as euler angles. In the meantime, those euler angles have been replaced with quaternions. I haven’t stumbled upon a simple way of defining limits for quaternion rotations - any hints very much appreciated.
- Performance: There’s definitly a lot of potential in improving performance. When several
InputMorph (Skeleton)nodes are connected in serial, framerate drops. This is caused by the fact, that the whole chain of nodes has to recalculate complete skeletons, as soon es only one joint changes. There is need of a smarter way to handle this.
- Inverse kinematcis would be awesome.
|
<urn:uuid:5d7dafa2-e37d-4127-ad27-1dfb84b2b283>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://quasipartikel.at/2010/05/12/character-animation-in-vvvv/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.911785
| 2,199
| 2.171875
| 2
|
-Adore Your Door
-Color For Kids
-White Is Right
-World of Colors!
The wonderful world of colors
Picking the Perfect Palette for your palace
When you were a kid, you
loved using all 64 crayons in the box. So why are the walls of your current
home white or beige?
Color expert Bonnie Rosser
Krims believes many homeowners choose white or off-white because “it’s
safe. People do it because they want to move into a freshly painted place
and haven’t got any idea what color to paint the rooms.”
Paint is a relatively
inexpensive and dramatic way to change the look of a home. But where do you
start? It’s not by looking at 2,000 tiny chips at the paint store. Krims,
author of “The Perfect Palette” (Warner Books), advises us to base color
choices on existing furnishings. “You need to use what you’ve got as a
launching point,” she says.
You don’t need to own a
Persian carpet or fine art to have an inspiration piece, although if you
have them, it’s a great place to start. The colors in a throw rug or couch
pillow may suggest some ideas for wall colors. And if you’re stuck for
inspiration, you may even look inside your closet. The colors you find
there are likely to be colors you would enjoy living with on your walls.
You always have to work
around the more permanent features of a room. Floor tile or carpeting, the
wood veneer on your piano, a granite countertop or a sofa that your family
finds comfortable are more difficult to change than paint. Select your wall
color with these in mind.
Let’s assume your source of
inspiration for color is the upholstery fabric on your couch. You could
then use the background color for the walls of that room, and a couple of
the other colors in the print for accents. To help the colors “walk”
through your home, repeat the two accent colors on the walls of two
adjacent rooms. An advantage of this approach is that you can move your
accessories and furnishings from room to room, and they will still
To further unify the look,
paint all the trim the same color. Linen white, which has some yellow in
it, and the soft-looking white dove are off-whites that work with many wall
colors. Krims likes Benjamin Moore’s atrium white, a very bright white with
a slight pink undertone.
An alternative to using
white trim is painting one room’s wall color on another room’s trim. Or
even on the ceiling. There is no rule that says ceilings have to be white.
A pale blue ceiling can suggest the sky. Even if you are not an artist, you
can sponge on a few puffy clouds, and have something pleasant to look at as
you lie in bed. If you have a home with a high ceiling in the foyer,
painting the ceiling a darker color than the walls, for example, a warm
beige, will add warmth to the space and can connect with other colors
you’re using below.
Be aware of how light in a
room can affect the way the colors look. A shade of wall paint that looks
lively in a sunny room can be depressing in a room with little natural
light. Krims says that jewel tones are very nice in small spaces. Deep
colors like ruby red, cobalt blue and emerald green have an electric
quality that can enliven a diminutive room or a hallway. The sheen or
finish of a paint is important, too. An eggshell or satin finish will
reflect more light than a flat wall paint. Semi-gloss is used for trim.
Although painting is a
relatively easy way to implement a big change in the look of your home,
it’s not effortless. To avoid having to repaint once you’ve started, always
test the colors you’ve chosen before painting the whole room. Colors look
different on the wall than they do on little chips.
Some decorating stores have
a “rent-a-quart” program to allow you to try before you buy. If your paint
store does not offer this, then purchase a quart of each color you have in
mind. Buy several large pieces of white poster board from a stationery
store. Then, paint the boards with the colors you’re considering, hang them
up in the room you plan to paint, compare them with the pieces you’d like
them to complement, and live with them for a while. Leaving an unpainted
white border around the edge of the board may help you to see the
undertones in the color.
Braver souls can prime and
paint a large swatch of color directly onto the wall to try it out. Krims
recommends taking a painting or a mirror off the wall and using that space
to test colors. But she warns, “You need to get two coats on. You can’t
just put on a thin, single coat and get any concept of what the color is
going to look like.” Once you’ve decided on a color and painted a couple of
coats onto your wall, allow time for everyone to get used to it, especially
if the change is a dramatic one.
For more suggestions on
using color in your home, the major paint companies offer Web sites. Two to
get you started are
www.sherwin-williams.com. Krims also has a Web site, with advice on
specific paint colors, at
|
<urn:uuid:d9cdffd5-5583-4c05-8b95-bbe44c051645>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.orangesandlemonscolors.com/world-of-color.asp
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.904907
| 1,265
| 1.507813
| 2
|
Design and build contract is contract where contractor is responsible for design as well as construction of the project. Client is only interested in the output of the project, and full responsibility of delivering such type of contracts lies with the contractor. these type of contracts are useful to a promoter who wishes to delegate the whole process of design and construction, or for whom gaining the output of a project
is of more importance than the details of design. They also suit promoters who would not expect to be involved in construction work, such as health or education authorities.
Design and build contracts can offer a price advantage because the contractor can reduce his costs by using easy-to-construct, standard, or previously used designs which suit his usual methods of construction and existing plant.
Disadvantage of design and build contracts is that client lose control over the designs for which they are paying and may thus not get works wholly to their liking. Such contracts should only be used where there is little risk of the promoter’s requirements changing during construction.
Since the contractor is taking on more risks including those of design and buildability, prices will usually be higher than for a measurement contract. Any attempt to achieve a short completion time for a project by use of such conditions may also lead to increased prices and possible overruns of time, as not all of the processes of design and construction can overlap.
|
<urn:uuid:c2a317cb-2199-4fb0-be63-c2339c296cd5>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://theconstructor.org/constrution/const-management/design-build-contracts/6365/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.976738
| 275
| 2.4375
| 2
|
New York City mortgage lenders say residential borrowers are weighing the pros and cons of two pieces of federal legislation — one that was passed into law and lowers lending rates for high-end borrowers, and another that is pending and would raise taxes.
The legislation that cuts borrowers’ costs was signed into law as part of the $787 billion federal stimulus package, but in general has not taken effect in New York City, mortgage lenders said. It bumps the conforming loan limit back up to $729,750 from $650,000, thereby saving borrowers several thousand dollars per year in interest payments.
But a separate proposal could reduce those savings for some homeowners. Included in President Barack Obama’s budget proposal is a provision to reduce the mortgage interest deduction for those earning about $250,000 and up. The rate they can deduct would drop from 33 percent or 35 percent, depending on your tax bracket.
Rolan Shnayder, director of new development lending at Home Owners Mortgage Express, said although it is a small range of borrowers that are impacted by the higher loan limit, it could save them $7,000 annually, depending on interest rates.
“More people would qualify for purchases and refinancing would be more affordable,” he said.
Melissa Cohn, president of Manhattan Mortgage, said borrowers were delaying action while they waited for more banks to raise their loan limit to the higher level. But she did not think the tax increase would lead to fewer buyers.
“I don’t think it will impact buying or not buying, because you still get some tax deduction which is better than renting,” she said, adding: “The most important thing the feds will have to do is bring mortgage rates down.”
Although the stimulus legislation is already law, it takes several weeks for the large banks to begin offering loans with the higher limit, Cohn said. Only one major bank, Fifth Third Bank, is offering the loan so far, but she expected others to follow suit by the end of March.
|
<urn:uuid:9eaac2af-b6c5-43cb-88ac-50620f8c96bc>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://therealdeal.com/blog/2009/02/27/mortgage-bills-one-gives-one-takes/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.980356
| 416
| 1.773438
| 2
|