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
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
TR10: Mobile 3-D
Smart phones will take 3-D mainstream.
This article is part of an annual list of what we believe are the 10 most important emerging technologies. See the full list here.
The Samsung B710 phone looks like a typical smart phone, but something unexpected happens when the screen is moved from a vertical to a horizontal orientation: the image jumps from 2-D to 3-D. The technology that produces this perception of depth is the work of Julien Flack, CTO of Dynamic Digital Depth, who has spent more than a decade perfecting software that can convert 2-D content to 3-D in real time. It could help solve the biggest problem with 3-D: the need for special glasses that deliver a separate image to each eye.
Flack's software synthesizes 3-D scenes from existing 2-D video by estimating the depth of objects using various cues; a band of sky at the top of a frame probably belongs in the far background, for example. It then creates pairs of slightly different images that the viewer's brain combines to produce the sensation of depth.
The technology can be used with the much-hyped 3-D televisions announced in January (which require glasses), but its biggest impact will be as a way to create content for mobile devices with autostereoscopic 3-D displays, which work by directing light to deliver different versions of an image directly to each of a viewer's eyes. The effect works best over a narrow range of viewing angles, so it is ill suited to television or cinema screens. But phones are generally used by one person at a time and are easily held at the optimum angle. That's why mobile multimedia devices are likely to win the race to bring 3-D into the mainstream.
Powered by Flack's software, Dynamic Digital Depth has become an early leader in mobile 3-D. The software was built into the B710, which Samsung released in South Korea in 2007, and Samsung has licensed 3-D content generated by Dynamic Digital Depth for its latest 3-D phone, the W960, released in March. Research firm DisplaySearch recently predicted that by 2018 there will be 71 million such devices worldwide.
The most exciting area for Flack right now is games. Hundreds of games actually simulate 3-D spaces internally to handle mechanics such as the path of a missile, and then convert those 3-D spaces into 2-D to display to the player. With his technology, he says, the 3-D geometry "available inside the game itself" can be made accessible to the display. DDD has already released software that converts games to 3-D on PCs and expects to have similar software running on mobile devices in the next year or two.
It's applications like mobile games and video that will drive the widespread adoption of 3-D screens. And that, in turn, could lay the groundwork for a new generation of surprising interfaces and applications, just as large 2-D screens on mobile devices spawned developments such as touch-based interfaces and augmented reality.
|
<urn:uuid:063313ec-df68-4fa8-962b-24f8aa102992>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www2.technologyreview.com/article/418538/tr10-mobile-3-d/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00057-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.950048
| 626
| 2.375
| 2
|
- Love the words that you speak
- Always have something to say
If you don't have something to say, don't give a talk. As a scientist, this is the same as not having done anything, in which case you are not doing your job. But I also mean this in a more general sense: live life learning, and have your lessons to share. If not, then it's a waste, in my opinion.
16th Evolutionary Biology Meeting in Marseille, and I trust I don't need to say that some of the presentations don't measure up to the science behind them. And that's a shame; people being bored listening to your talk when they really should be excited about the science. It's a total myth that all one needs to do is do good science, and people will be interested in your talk. Rather, unless it is the something you are supremely interested in (which is probably only a small fraction of what you hear at conferences and seminars), then people tend to lose interest, tune out, and sometimes even feel antipathy for the speaker.
There are other things a speaker can do, but those are not my rules.
I am speaking tomorrow evening on the Impact of Epistasis and Pleiotropy on Adaptation.
|
<urn:uuid:ac07db27-0992-4af0-89c9-9c39b694334f>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://pleiotropy.fieldofscience.com/2012/09/how-to-be-good-speaker.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00048-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.976962
| 260
| 1.9375
| 2
|
"Hattie Garlick, music blogger - reading bizarre research so you don't have to."
I think that sums up my recent forays into the classical world pretty nicely. Case in point: did you know that classical music boost the chances of surviving organ transplants among mice?
According to this report in Pacific Standard, researchers in Japan (where else?) subjected a group of mice to heart transplants, divided them into five groups and then subjected them to either opera, (La Traviata); some Mozart; Enya; no music; or "one of six different sound frequencies."
A week on, the mice subjected to Enya, a sound frequency, or no music all "rejected their grafts acutely". By contrast, those exposed to Verdi or Mozart "had significantly prolonged survival," (26.5 days with Verdi and 20 days with Mozart, since you ask).
Rodent respite-centres around the world must be rejoicing. But putting aside the ethics of subjecting mice to invasive surgery for something so, well, Japanese... what can this scientific approach to calculating the value of classical music teach us?
Something profound and measurable, surely. Something about the genre's relationship to life itself. I thought about it, I really did. And I couldn't come up with a thing.
It did, however, remind me to visit an exhibition at the Wellcome Collection that had been on my to-do-list for several weeks.
At Brains, The Mind as Matter, there is an extraordinary piece of art: a digital animation of the activity inside the brain of a person who is listening to Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring. Go, for goodness sake. Like the rest of the exhibition, it is truly wonderful.
They give you earphones so you can listen to the score and the brain-animation is played in real time, so that as you catch your breathe to a particular thump of a drum, you watch patches of the brain ignite simultaneously.
It's beautiful and curious and mesmerising. Like watching a hammy technicolour sci-fi movie set in the weird landscape of your own head. But again, it left me stumped over what it tells us about classical music.
On some level I guess, both the mouse experiment and the brain animation promote the idea that classical music has a profound, physiological effect on us - literally healing our bodies or giving us a strengthening brain workout, like an audible Sudoku puzzle.
But here's the thing. This 'Mozart Effect' (the theory that listening to Mozart makes you cleverer, that you can therefore improve a child's IQ by exposure to it) has elsewhere been rejected as bogus.
It does enliven the brain, scientists have proved, but guess how long for. Go on, guess. Twenty paltry minutes. Less than half an hour after listening to it, you're just as stupid or clever as you would have been if you'd listened only to One Direction for your whole life. As an exercise in brain training, classical music is almost as pointless as holistic mouse therapy.
The mouse-experiment and the (far more beautiful) exhibit show that the brain responds, in the moment, in some profound way to classical music. But what of it? I imagine that those who already enjoy classical work know this instinctively, without science's seal of approval. And is it really a good idea for those of us who don't quite get it yet to approach it as a worthy exercise in brain boosting or physiotherapy?
For me, at least, this avenue of exploring classical music is a dead end. If I've learnt anything from this, it's that Enya should come with a health warning (then again, I think I knew that instinctively already).
Follow Hattie Garlick on Twitter: www.twitter.com/hattiegarlick
|
<urn:uuid:c542647a-29d1-47af-b8ac-a96943cb686c>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/hattie-garlick/classical-music-from-scratch-b-is-for-brains_b_1502381.html?ref=uk
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.952626
| 807
| 2.03125
| 2
|
If you haven't heard of St. Benedict yet, you should, cause he's a pretty important guy. He was named the patron saint of Europe, and he's even got his own coin in Austria! Around 500, when Benedict was alive, a main concern of the Christians was what kind
of Christian to be, and how life should be ordered. Benedict came along with The Rule o
f St. Benedict (Clever name, right?) which is what I read for this week. This reading, which he only intended to be used in his community in Italy, became the guideline for nearly of all Western monasticism.
Benedict wrote this piece as he was opening a Monastery. His intentions were to guide the monks along the toad to Heaven in which the path is "long and the entrance is narrow." Benedict's rules were so widely accepted in the West because of he was strict enough to keep rule, but still realistic. Two things that stuck out to me as surprisingly lenient, were that he wanted monks to carry out all tasks cheerfully, and the way that he wanted monks to rely on each other. If someone was too sick, their daily tasks were lessened. Also, the monk serving meals for the week, would get an extra portion of food so that they were able to carry out tasks without fatigue. The only thing that really bothered me about this reading was some of the language he used, especially in the opening section. Maybe it's just me, but I feel that no matter who you are or what you've done, no one is "worthless," should have to beg to become one of God's children, or be afraid of Him "disinheriting His children"(p.128). In the section on Private Ownership, he states that "Monks neither have free will nor free body" (p.130). In my mind, even if you have absolutely nothing left, you'll always have your free will and it's very degrading to say that one has absolutely no choice in the matter.
On to something more cheerful, my project. What's funny is that as I was writing this, one of my supervisors (Tessa) called me to thank me for all the work I'm doing there. I absolutely, downright, adore my project, the kids I'm getting to know and the adults I work with. I do everything from office work, tutoring sessions and after-school programs at Park Avenue
. There are most definitely rules in place there just like the monastery, these seem to be a little
less strict though :). The only rule I've actually seen enforced there is that while at Park Ave, the kids there must be doing something
. In fact, one of the girls I was tutoring (and her 6 sisters) almost got kicked out because of this. What I love about my organization though, is that they do nearly everything possible to make things work. Instead of immediately kicking the girls out, on my my supervisors personally went to their house to work everything out. The girls are all back in tutoring now, and everything's back to normal.
|
<urn:uuid:30ac9f17-d868-4177-9542-1c6a9cb7dde3>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://blogs.markschuler.com/patterson/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00062-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.988927
| 637
| 2.28125
| 2
|
Use the free
to view the PDF files
The purpose of the International Advisory and Monitoring Board (IAMB) shall be to promote the objectives set forth in United Nations Security Council resolution 1483 (2003) (resolution 1483), read with resolution 1546 (2004) (resolution 1546), resolution 1637 (2005) (resolution 1637), resolution 1723 (2006) (resolution 1723), and resolution 1790 (2007) (resolution 1790), of helping the Government of Iraq to ensure that the Development Fund for Iraq (DFI) is used in a transparent and equitable manner and through the Iraqi budget including to satisfy outstanding obligations against the DFI and that all proceeds of export sales of petroleum, petroleum products and natural gas from Iraq are deposited into the DFI in accordance with the provisions of resolutions 1483, 1546,1637, 1723 and 1790.
A. The IAMB shall consist of duly qualified representatives of each of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, the Director-General of the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development and the President of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and a duly qualified individual designated by the Government of Iraq.
B. The IAMB, after consulting with the Government of Iraq, may appoint up to 5 observers to the IAMB from a list of independent, qualified candidates, which should include Iraqi nationals nominated by the Government of Iraq.
C. At any meeting of the IAMB, each member may be accompanied by an alternate, designated in a way identical to the designation of each member, and up to two advisors.
3. Powers and Responsibilities:
A. Selection of Independent Public Accountants (External Auditor(s)): The independent public accountants referenced in paragraphs 12 and 20 of resolution 1483 (the “External Auditor(s)”) shall be nominated and appointed by the Government of Iraq, subject to approval by the IAMB. The selection process for the External Auditor(s) and the terms of reference for the objectives, scope and approach of the External Auditor(s) work shall be approved by the IAMB.
B. Scope of external audits. The scope of the external audits shall be such as to enable the IAMB to achieve its purpose as set out in 1 above. The scope of the external audits shall encompass: (i) the export sales of oil, petroleum products and natural gas from Iraq (the “Export Sales”), supporting the objective of ensuring that the Export Sales are made consistent with prevailing international market best practices: (ii) the “Oil Proceeds Receipts Account” held by the Central Bank of Iraq at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York; (iii) the DFI (including, but not limited to, all inflows, investments and other assets, disbursements, liabilities and contingencies of the DFI), supporting the objective of ensuring that the DFI is used in a transparent manner in accordance with applicable control procedures; and (iv) disbursements of resources from the DFI, supporting the objective of ensuring that DFI funds are used for the purposes for which they were disbursed. For purposes of (iv), the External Auditor(s) will make (a) a determination as to whether the disbursements from the DFI are duly authorized and received by the designated recipient; and (b) an assessment as to whether the controls (including the requirement to ensure proper records) of the designated recipient are adequate to ensure that disbursements from the DFI are utilized as intended. This assessment shall be carried out as specified in the contract with the external auditor(s).
C. Audit Evaluation. The IAMB shall review audit reports prepared by the External Auditor(s) and determine whether the audits were conducted in a satisfactory and comprehensive manner, and in accordance with appropriate standards.
D. Internal Controls/Financial Reporting: The IAMB shall monitor the financial reporting and internal controls systems established by the Government of Iraq for the areas subject to external audit in 3.B above and advise, as appropriate, the Government of Iraq on the adequacy of such systems.
E. Special Audits: The IAMB may decide, when warranted under international best auditing practices, that the External Auditor(s) or other independent public accountants (“special auditor(s)”) conduct special audits in all areas of the IAMB’s mandate and consistent with the objectives of resolution 1483, read with resolution 1546, resolution 1637, resolution 1723 and resolution 1790. After consulting with the Government of Iraq, the IAMB shall establish the terms of reference for the objectives, scope and approach of any such audits, which shall be conducted in accordance with International Standards on Auditing.
F. Access to Information. The IAMB shall have the right to review all financial and other records and access to all personnel relevant to its mandate, including those subject to external audits in 3.B above and including those of the External Auditor(s), any special auditors, and any internal auditors retained by the Government of Iraq, as necessary, to fulfill the purposes and functions set forth in these terms of reference.
G. The IAMB, consistent with its terms of reference, shall perform functions similar to those of outside audit committees and may provide information and comments to the Government of Iraq as appropriate to serve the purpose of resolution 1483, read with resolution 1546, resolution 1637, resolution 1723 and resolution 1790.
4. Public Disclosure
A. The IAMB shall ensure that all audit reports envisaged in these terms of reference and the IAMB’s comments on such reports are made public.
B. All minutes of meetings and all reports of the IAMB shall be made publicly available within 30 days of being finalized by the IAMB. IAMB members may express dissenting views to be published in the minutes or reports.
C. The IAMB shall take all reasonable steps to ensure the protection of sensitive and confidential materials.
5. IAMB Chair:
A. The IAMB shall choose a Chair from among its members for a term not to exceed one year.
B. The Chair shall serve as the principal representative of the IAMB in communications with the Government of Iraq, the Central Bank of Iraq and other third parties.
C. The Chair shall guide the Secretariat in the preparation and maintenance of all official IAMB records and minutes of IAMB meetings.
D. The IAMB will facilitate the reporting provided for in paragraph 24 of resolution 1483.
6. Meetings and Decisions
A. The IAMB shall determine the frequency and location of its regular meetings.
B. Extraordinary meetings shall be convened by the Chair or at the request of any two members of the IAMB.
C. A quorum of any IAMB meeting shall be at least three of the five IAMB members.
D. The intention is for the IAMB to act and make decisions on a consensus basis. To the extent not feasible and unless otherwise specified herein, the IAMB shall make decisions by majority vote of all IAMB members.
E. The IAMB, in its discretion, may invite the External Auditor(s), observers, or other relevant parties to attend IAMB meetings.
7. Administrative Coordinator/Secretariat
A. The Government of Iraq shall appoint an Administrative Coordinator to handle requests from the IAMB for logistical support to be provided, as appropriate, in connection with IAMB meetings and other general IAMB business.
B. The costs incurred by IAMB members, their alternates and advisors shall, in the case of members representing the executive heads of the four institutions named in paragraph 2.A of these Terms of Reference, be paid by their respective institutions, and in the case of the member designated by the Government of Iraq, be paid by the Government of Iraq.
C. Reasonable costs, as mutually agreed upon with the Government of Iraq, incurred by the External Auditor(s), any special auditor(s), and any technical experts and outside consultants engaged by the IAMB to carry out duties for or on behalf of the IAMB shall be reimbursed with DFI funds.
D. IAMB members and their alternates and advisors shall not be compensated for their services with respect to the IAMB.
E. The IAMB shall continue to cooperate during 2008 with the Committee of Financial Experts, established by the Council of Ministers of the Government of Iraq on October 19, 2006, or such other body that might replace that committee or substitute it, and work towards a full transition of its mandate to this committee by the end of 2008.
8. Amendments, Additional Procedures and Delegations
A. Any amendments to these terms of reference shall require unanimous approval of all IAMB members, after consulting with the Government of Iraq, and shall be published by the Government of Iraq. The Government of Iraq’s consent will be required for any amendment that may materially affect the rights or responsibilities of the Government of Iraq.
B. The IAMB may adopt other procedures necessary to implement these terms of reference which procedures shall be consistent with these terms of reference. To the extent such procedures may materially affect the rights or responsibilities of the Government of Iraq, the IAMB shall consult with the Government of Iraq prior to the adoption of such procedures.
C. The IAMB may appoint or call upon technical experts or outside consultants, as necessary, to fulfill the purposes and functions set forth in these terms of reference.
D. In the event of any inconsistency between these terms of reference and the provisions of any law, decree or regulation including, without limitation, the regulations establishing the DFI and the Program Review Board, the provisions of these terms of reference shall prevail.
9. Establishment and Dissolution
A. These revised terms of reference shall become effective in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 8.A of the revised terms of reference adopted by the IAMB at its meeting on December 11, 2006. These revised terms of reference of the IAMB shall be duly published by the Government of Iraq thereafter.
B. Arrangements will be made for the prompt dissolution of the IAMB no later than December 31, 2008.
C. These revised terms of reference shall not apply to work already undertaken by the IAMB pursuant to resolution 1483, which work shall be governed by the terms of reference adopted on October 24, 2003; provided that relevant references to the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) in the terms of reference adopted on October 24, 2003 shall refer to and include such agencies as have been designated by the CPA in this regard.
|
<urn:uuid:c8c8c5f2-3f51-46db-b4f2-e20c1414c3c9>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.iamb.info/tor0108.htm
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.928267
| 2,234
| 1.507813
| 2
|
Female boomers broke the mold when it came to working outside the house and establishing successful careers.
The first boomer to file for Social Security last year was a woman, and according to a survey by the Urban Institute, between 1975 and 2007, the number of working women ages 25 to 54 increased to 76% from 55%. More than 60% of boomer women will qualify for Social Security retirement benefits based on their own earnings, and only one in 10 will likely rely solely on spouse or survivor benefits.
Men and women approach retirement differently: from how they save, to spending plans and what they expect out of their golden years, there are major difference between the genders.
I had a chance to speak with Richard Johnson, director of the Program on Retirement Policy at the Urban Institute regarding boomer women in or nearing retirement, and he offered the following
Boomer: How will boomer women’s retirement income compare to that of previous generations?
Johnson: Many boomers are understandably worried about their upcoming retirement. With traditional pensions disappearing, many boomers will be relying on not-fully funded 401(k) plans that took a massive hit in the recent volatile stock market.
Retirement security is especially precarious for older women. Because women tend to have worked and earned less than men, they accumulate fewer Social Security and pension benefits in their own names and are less able to save in other ways. Their husbands’ benefits can prop up their retirement incomes, but they lose much of that support if their husband dies or if they divorce. As a result, data shows widowed, divorced, and never-married older women are more than twice as likely to live in poverty as older men.
Despite all this, there is some encouraging news. Average earnings have increased, even though the median has not, which increases everyone’s Social Security because of how the benefit formula is calculated. The boomer generation is healthier than past generations enabling to work longer, and they are much better educated than their parents and grandparents.
Many boomers benefited from the run-up in the stock market and housing values during the 1990s and the late 1980s, so many still have substantial wealth despite the recent market crashes. And probably most importantly, boomer women have worked and earned more than ever before, partly offsetting the declining labor market fortunes for men.
How will all this play out for boomer women? Our projections reveal some interesting trends. Importantly, the dramatic growth in women’s lifetime earnings over the past generation substantially improves boomers’ retirement prospects. Let’s compare the late boomers, born between 1956 and 1965, with pre-boomers born 20 years earlier. At age 70, according to our projections, late boomer women will have worked 33% more years than the pre-boomers. Half of late boomers will have worked at least part time for 40 years or more. At every age, working late boomer women will have earned substantially more in inflation-adjusted dollars than their pre-boomer counterparts. At age 50 to 54, for example, employed late boomer women earn 60% more than employed pre-boomer women.
This employment growth has profound effects on retirement security, which largely depends on earnings received earlier in life. Late boomer women’s own Social Security benefits will be 50% higher than the benefits received by pre boomers, after adjusting for inflation. Median pension wealth will be a third higher. And median annual per capita family income at age 70 will be a 28% for late boomer women than pre-boomer women.
That’s good news for women but also for men. For men and women combined, we project that at age 70 inflation-adjusted incomes will be one-fifth higher for the late boomers than the pre-boomers.
Boomer: How can boomers expect their living standards to change in retirement?
Johnson: Despite the growth in retirement incomes, many boomers will see their living standards fall when they stop working. We project that between 30 and 40% of boomers may be unable to replace 75% of their age 50-54 earnings, a common benchmark for retirement income adequacy. This is not much different from the pre-boomers, so we don’t find convincing evidence that retirement security is getting worse. But the fact that so many retirees will continue to be unable to maintain their preretirement living standards is worrisome nonetheless.
Although boomers may not do worse in retirement than their predecessors on average, many older adults will continue to live in or near poverty. Despite sharp declines over the next 20 years in the share of older widowed, divorced, and never married women with incomes below 125% of the poverty level, the overall share of 70-year-olds with low incomes will not fall much. Policymakers need to remember these seniors as they work to reform our old age support programs.
Boomer: Will medical and long-term care costs undermine retirement income security?
Johnson: That’s the big uncertainty. Health-care costs are rising, and many employers are cutting back on retiree health benefits that supplement Medicare. Given Medicare’s financial problems, it’s likely that Congress will cut benefits at some point. So retirees will have to spend more out of pocket on their medical costs going forward.
Long-term care is especially worrisome, because it’s so expensive and Medicare doesn’t cover much of the costs. Nursing homes now average about $75,000 a year, and even more in certain parts of the country. Current projections suggest that about 7 in 10 boomers, and 8 in 10 boomer women, will need long-term care. Long-term care is more common for women because they tend to live longer than men, and those who outlive their husbands can’t get help from a spouse. Only about 1 in 10 have purchased private long-term care insurance. Everyone else is going to have to pay out of pocket for long-term care until they deplete all of their savings, and then they’ll have to turn to Medicaid. Home health care may be an ever bigger problem. People would rather get care at home than go into a nursing facility, yet it’s hard to get Medicaid to pay for those services.
Boomer: How vulnerable are boomer women to potential changes in Social Security and Medicare?
Johnson: Boomer women will really depend on Social Security and Medicare. We found that 37% of women ages 65 and older now rely on Social Security for four-fifths or more of their income. That figure will fall a bit when the boomers retire, but not by much. And without Medicare, few boomers would be able to pay for their health care. The problem is that both of these programs face tremendous financial pressures and will likely have to be reformed in some way. The Social Security trust fund will run out of money in about 25 years, and the hospital trust fund for Medicare will run out of money in about a dozen years.
What matters for boomer women, of course, is how these programs are reformed. Some potential Social Security changes receiving attention include generating more revenue by expanding the payroll tax base (now limited to the first $110,100 of earnings), cutting future cost-of-living increases, trimming benefits for high-income beneficiaries, and raising the retirement age. Except for changing cost-of-living adjustments, these reforms would not have much impact on boomers at least age 55, because most proposals protect starting benefits (but not COLAs) for those near retirement. Reducing COLAs, though, could significantly erode benefits when boomer women reach their eighties, because the effects cumulate over time. And cutting starting benefits could erode retirement security for younger boomers.
Medicare is harder to reform, because it’s less clear which benefits should be cut. Democrats generally favor having government experts decide which services to provide, based on the best and latest medical evidence. Republicans prefer having the marketplace make these decisions by providing Medicare beneficiaries with vouchers that they would use to purchase coverage from competitive insurance companies. Both approaches have the same goal—delivering quality health care more efficiently.
Boomer: Will the Affordable Care Act benefit retiring boomer women?
Johnson: The health-care reform will really help a lot of retiring boomer women. For one thing, it’s gradually closing the so-called “doughnut hole” in Medicare prescription drug coverage. Before the legislation, Medicare drug coverage temporarily ended after seniors spent a certain amount of money on drugs, and didn't kick in again until after they spent much more.
The ACA closes that coverage gap, and lots of boomer women on Medicare will benefit.
The law provides seniors with expanded preventive services, including an annual wellness visit and mammograms with no out-of-pocket cost. It also forces Medicare Advantage plans, which provide managed care to seniors who choose this option, to improve their services by requiring that they devote 85% of revenues to patient care, restricting what they can spend on overhead. And the ACA will shore up Medicare’s finances, helping to sustain the program and the current level of benefits. Savings contained in the law are projected to increase the solvency of the Medicare Hospital Trust Fund by eight years.
“The Boomer” is a column written for adults nearing retirement age and those already in their “golden years.” It will also promote reader interaction by posting e-mail responses and answering reader questions. E-mail your questions or topic ideas to firstname.lastname@example.org.
|
<urn:uuid:25df9b0e-6bf9-46e2-8f4d-a658ec0852fd>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2012/07/12/tips-for-female-boomers-nearing-retirement/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.965852
| 1,986
| 2.015625
| 2
|
Written by Daniel Greenfield
The death of Osama bin Laden is important only for its symbolic message, because Bin Laden had long ago ceased to be a figure of any operational importance and become a symbol of the Jihad. As a 'martyr' he will be just as useful. Perhaps even more so.
His death is not a period, but an anticlimactic comma in a run on sentence whose full length still remains unclear. For Americans it's a chance to celebrate the death of the man who became a symbol of Islamic terrorism. For Muslims it means a day of mourning for the death of a new Saladin. No matter how dead he is now, he achieved his goal of becoming a symbol of the Jihad for an Islamic world order. And that Jihad will not be buried in the ground with him.
We have not really been fighting Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda in some time now. Instead we have been fighting the Taliban, Iranian backed militias and local affiliates of Al-Qaeda. Whatever influence the recruits his diminished organization was able to bring to the battlefield in Afghanistan achieved was limited by the centrality of the Iraqi battlefield to the global Jihad. Bin Laden's Al-Qaeda remained a threat, but more as an inspiration, than the globe-spanning network that media reports have made it out to be.
The early years of the War on Terror had cut down its financial links and its safe operational zones. The new wave of Jihad came from organizations that called themselves Al-Qaeda but had their own command centers, their own funding networks and their own agendas. Organizations that like Al-Qaeda in Iraq no longer answered to Bin Laden and did not even listen to his criticisms. Men like Zarqawi whose appetite for bloodshed made even Bin Laden seem like a reasonable moderate by comparison.
While Americans are still thinking in terms of 9/11, the terrorists themselves have already moved on to the next phase of terror. Al Qaeda might launch another long range operation intended to achieve large scale destruction and massive casualties, but the core tactics have shifted away from such expensive operations and long range operations. The attacks of September 11 were meant to position Bin Laden and Al Qaeda as the leading edge of Islam. And they achieved that goal. The only ones who can take it from them now are Shiite terrorists backed by Iran. And their focus is currently regional.
The next phase of terror is the franchise, the creation of a local affiliate to carry out ongoing terrorist attacks against Americans. "Al Qaeda in America". The Times Square Bomber, the Fort Hood Massacre and other similar arrests lead back to the goal of creating Al Qaeda in America, a terrorist network based around American Muslims. So far there is no Al Qaeda in America, in the way that there is an Al Qaeda in Iraq, or an Al Qaeda in Yemen. But that is only a matter of time.
The opening phase of the franchise features acts of terror by "lone gunmen", recruited in person, or inspired at a distance by videos and recruitment materials distributed over the internet and through Islamic bookstores and mosques. While they will and do have a high failure rate, they serve as examples for other Muslims, to abandon Western materialism, and take up the Jihad against America. Their trials become propaganda showcases inspiring others to follow in their footsteps.
Experience is the best teacher. And any terrorist who succeeds in carrying out an attack and escapes capture, becomes the centerpiece of a new terrorist organization. As an organization grows, it proves itself through acts of terror, laying claim to be the local Al-Qaeda franchise by way of the sheer body count. New recruits brought in through Islamist organizations, tested for their commitment to the Salafist worldview, routed through training camps already located in the United States, will be positioned to begin the next wave of terror.
Obama's emphasis on civilian trials plays into their hands. The likes of Faisal Shahzad, despite his failure, gets to posture and preen in court as a devout servant of Allah, quote from the Koran and pay fealty to Al Qaeda, Bin Laden and the eventual triumph of Islam. The martyrs of Islam get another member of the pantheon to paste up on posters and Adam Gadahn, aka Azzam the American, himself the son of a counterculture hippie, successfully positions Islam as the new counterculture. And if you think it isn't working, walk down the street of a liberal neighborhood and count how many keffiyahs you see. Then imagine how long it will take to replace them with Hijabs.
With Al Qaeda in America, the goal moves beyond killing Americans in order to boost their standing, to killing Americans in order to Islamize America. Terrorism began as a means of intimidating a world power whose cultural influence and military power are superior to the Ummah, but in the next phase the goal is to terrorize the non-Muslim population into becoming part of the Ummah.
Muslim tactics have not changed very much for over a thousand years, when Mohammed managed to terrorize the cosmopolitan and multicultural residents of Mecca and Medina into becoming Muslims, or accepting Muslim dominance by becoming Dhimmis. His chief tools were violence and false treaties. Violence was used to force non-Muslims to accept those treaties. And those treaties were then used to dominate and subjugate them.
Today in the West, the "Muslim extremists" carry out the violence, while the "moderate Muslims" write up the treaties for us to sign. Both the "moderates" and "extremists" are arms of the Muslim Brotherhood, and are pursuing its agenda. And both empower one another. Every terrorist attack drives cowardly Western politicians to seek to "empower" Muslim moderates in order to ward off the extremists. But the differences between the two groups are tactical, not moral or religious. Muslim terrorists routinely divide their organizations into political and armed divisions. Assuming that the political division is non-violent because it doesn't kill people personally, misses the point. It's as absurd as trying to negotiate with the enemy's propaganda division, rather than their armed forces, as if they represent two different identities, rather than two different functions.
9/11 was the best thing that ever happened to Muslim power and influence in America. It lifted them up from obscurity, gave them a hall pass to the White House and filled their coffers with money. And that was even long before Obama was elected. The idea that we need to work with Muslim moderates in order to stop violence became an idée fixe that led to craven acts of submission. No matter how extensive the proof that the so-called moderates were supporting and funding terrorism, the politicians refused to listen. They had found a solution to the problem of terrorism, and they returned to it, like a dog to its vomit.
As much as the "reasonable thinkers" will deny it, Muslim terrorism leads to Muslim political dominance. Not just in some Third World backwater with three days of running water a week, but right here in the West. After the blood is cleaned off the streets, the political leadership looks for someone to negotiate with. The time isn't right for them to negotiate with Bin Laden (though 9 years after 9/11, we're already negotiating with the Taliban) but there are plenty of local substitutes, organizations founded by Muslim Brotherhood members, funded by Saudi Arabia and treated as representatives of American or Canadian Muslims.
From Al Qaeda's perspective, their plan is on track. The West has begun to submit. For all the bombs dropped on Kandahar, the Koran is welcome in the White House. Bombs come and go, but violence is a constant part of tribal life, the fighters can retreat and then come back again. But so long as the door is open to Islam, then the game is still breaking their way. Since 9/11, America has bent over backward to accommodate Islam. Which means that Al Qaeda has succeeded.
Bin Laden may be dead. Al Qaeda's numbers are scattered. But they have accomplished far more than they could have ever dreamed of with four planes. Since then, despite the small numbers of Muslims, Islam has become a major factor in American politics. Just as Mohammed's terrorism forced local rulers to come to try and come to terms with Islam on a peaceful basis, so too Bin Laden has gotten American politicians to try and do the same thing.
Al Qaeda in America will try to build on those successes with a domestic insurgency. Once it exists as an active force, the goal will be to try and get American politicians to negotiate with it directly. The premise sounds absurd. As absurd as the idea of Israel negotiating with the PLO in the 1980's. Except today the PLO is on track to a state and in control of a sizable amount of Israel, and the controversy is over whether Israel will openly negotiate with Hamas. The next step after a terrorist group is the transition to an armed force that will try to control entire areas. After that comes the specter of a political solution.
For now informants and lack of training is a serious obstacle to Al Qaeda in America. Local Muslims who are suffering from a case of Jihad Fever are as likely to encounter an FBI informant, as the real deal. But the network of informants of the Mukhbarat in Egypt makes their American counterpart seem puny, and yet the Muslim Brotherhood remained a powerful force there. Lack of training means that we'll have more Times Square Bombers who fizzle, but they only need to be lucky once. And as long as terrorists get civilian trials, they'll still have the chance to promote the cult of Jihad.
The left has already accepted Islam as the new counterculture, the identity of the oppressed and the downtrodden, and they are learning to enjoy slumming as Muslims. Lauren Booth is a prominent example, but far from an isolated one. The elites of the left have always looked to the underclasses for diversion, whether it was drugs, farm cooperatives or revolution. Now the latest diversion is Islam. Don a Hijab, grow a beard and rant about the occupation, one of them anyway. The elites of the left are always longing to escape from their gilded cages to be "with the people", whatever they fancy the people to be. Islam is their next great escape from civilization and the need to be civilized. To toss away all morals and mores, and get down in the muck.
The left still has an appetite for violence, but no stomach for organizing it anymore. Al Qaeda in America will be the successor of the anarchists and the Weathermen. And it will continue to attract leftist radicals like Gadahn, who see in Islam, the torch of angry radicalism turning from red to green. It will not topple America, but it is part of the transition from long range attacks out of Pakistan or Germany, and into a local Muslim insurgency, fed by a stream of new converts fostered in Saudi mosques. The next wave of terror is here. And it doesn't depend on plans hatched thousands of miles away, but on your friendly neighborhood Muslim next door.
|
<urn:uuid:ecabb755-060a-4c0c-ad73-3d9022f36623>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.rightsidenews.com/2011050316199/editorial/rsn-pick-of-the-day/al-qaedas-next-wave-of-terror.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.968641
| 2,251
| 2.1875
| 2
|
For drivers, the weather outside is frightful, but in South Bend, kids are finding a prehistoric exhibit delightful.
Well for some kids it was a little frightful too. Families are going back in time at the Century Center this weekend to "Discover the Dinosaurs."
The hands-on exhibit includes over 60 animatronic prehistoric replicas. Children can hear the sounds of the "land before time," dig for bones, run and slide on the inflatables, and even ride a dinosaur. Hundreds of parents and grandparents were out Friday with their children to enjoy the fun and educational tour.
“It was really cool because you wouldn't think that it would actually move and when you click a button,” says Brittany Nicely an Elkhart resident who attended the exhibit. “It is really cool because they move and the features of them look really real. It's really fun because all the different kind of dinosaurs and you get to learn about them.”
The exhibit is open Friday night until 9, Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
|
<urn:uuid:7a0a0e45-d2cb-4d45-b89c-caecda9b1329>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.wndu.com/news/headlines/Century-Center-hosting-Discover-the-Dinosaurs-exhibit-185087751.html?site=full
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.975099
| 238
| 1.8125
| 2
|
The Fettered Presidency, edited by L. Gordon Crovitz and Jeremy A. Rabkin; The Imperial Congress, edited by Gordon S. Jones and
Saving the Presidency
The Fettered Presidency: Legal Constraints on the Executive Branch.
by L. Gordon Crovitz and Jeremy A. Rabkin.
American Enterprise Institute for Public Research. 350 pp. $29.95.
The Imperial Congress: Crisis in the Separation of Powers.
by Gordon S. Jones and John A. Marini.
Heritage Foundation/Claremont Institute. 366 pp. $24.95.
Is the United States doomed to a weak, Whig version of the presidency? Is the country’s great constitutional edifice, a model for so much of the rest of the world, sliding toward untrammeled domination by Congress? Now that the tough rhetoric of the Reagan era has been replaced by the cooperative (or “bipartisan”) charm of the Bush administration, such and similar questions about the constitutional separation of powers have begun to loom large on the agenda of Republicans and conservatives, but also of a respectable number of Democrats and moderates.
The rise of concern is hardly coincidental. It derives at least in part from the fate of the Reagan administration, battered on the rocks of Iran-contra (itself an expression of a new bludgeon in the hands of Congress, namely, the special-prosecutor statute), and the specific dangers for presidential conduct of foreign policy dramatized in that seemingly endless quagmire. It also is inspired by the post-Reagan tally on the separation-of-powers “scorecard,” which reads, approximately, legislative branch 10 (or perhaps 100), executive perhaps 1. This might amaze even Madison, who wrote in The Federalist that “In republican governments, the legislative authority necessarily predominates.”
Despite Ronald Reagan’s apparently rejuvenative effect on the presidency, most of the congressional encroachments enacted before his term of office, that is, during the years of the pullout from Vietnam and Watergate, remained in place after it. In many cases, some vital, they remained unchallenged to any serious degree. The War Powers Act, affecting the President’s fundamental role as Commander-in-Chief; the Budget and Impoundment Control Act, crimping the executive ability to affect fiscal priorities; the Ethics in Government Act; the special-prosecutor authority (now affirmed as constitutional by the Supreme Court)—harpoons all, aimed at the executive, and the list goes on and on.
The fact that Speaker of the House Jim Wright has now been impaled on a version of the special-prosecutor lance has not fundamentally altered the case. One does, to be sure, detect great dismay in political Washington at the notion that the Ethics in Government Act, like some lethal virus, may have escaped from the lab to infect Capitol Hill. George Bush has announced his intention to seek something like symmetry in the use of the Act to cover Congress; if he succeeds, the equivalent of limited nuclear deterrence will perhaps have been established for this strange and powerful mechanism. But even if Bush achieves that end, the redress in the balance of power could be marginal. For the legislature, pondering matters of great ethical moment like the Speaker’s wife’s employment record may have ended that gentleman’s career, and slowed down other deliberations; by contrast, the effect of protracted prosecution on the executive branch, as Iran-contra shows, is to strip the presidency of a fundamental characteristic of the office, what the Founding Fathers described as “energy.” The White House still loses more than it wins through ethical fratricide.
It is easy to dismiss the concern over loss of executive authority as a Republican or conservative stalking horse, made necessary by a lack of congressional power. The fact is, however, that the seemingly permanent Republican lock on the White House and the even more permanent Democratic grip on the Congress (especially the House of Representatives) are themselves signs of a structural, i.e., constitutional, problem. What is unclear to many American commentators is crystalline to every foreign ambassador: in Washington, federal power has been redivided, subdivided, re-blended, and delegated so profoundly that, in many cases, purposiveness of government has virtually disappeared. As Paul Bator, distinguished legal scholar and one-time counselor to the Department of Justice, notes in a contribution to The Fettered Presidency: “It seems as if the very purpose of government today is to develop new and ingenious ways to stop, break down, or delay the processes of government.”
The great merit of both The Fettered Presidency and The Imperial Congress is to focus from as many angles as possible upon the subtle issue that is too casually elided under the mechanical concept of the separation of powers. Both volumes are collections of articles by scholars, government officials, journalists, and various other experts, largely but not exclusively moderate-to-Reaganite Republican. Where they differ is in tone and tactics. The Imperial Congress, the product of the issue-oriented Heritage/Claremont think tanks, is tougher and more heated, and ends with a ten-page action program that is, essentially, a blueprint for constitutional combat. The Fettered Presidency, offered by the American Enterprise Institute, is slightly more removed, less tendentious, but also much less unified in its presentation of prospective solutions. It displays a clear cleavage between those who feel congressional encroachment should be fought largely in the courts and those who argue that only through determined political effort—appealing over the heads of Congress to the American people—will Presidents win back their lost authority.
First among the political advocates in The Fettered Presidency is former Judge Robert H. Bork, himself a victim of Congress’s newfound assertiveness. In his foreword, Bork argues that “The President must make a public issue of congressional attempts to control his legitimate powers, perhaps by refusing to accept some restrictions even at the risk of political damage.” The extent to which the Reagan administration, however defiant its rhetorical stands, failed to do that is a particularly intriguing question pursued in The Fettered Presidency.
Faced with Congress’s increasingly grotesque omnibus spending practices—in 1987, for example, Congress passed a $600-billion, 2,100-page resolution, filled with hand-grenades designed to explode in all areas of policy, after one hour of debate—Reagan complained loudly. Then he signed. Again, despite his longstanding campaign for a line-item veto to rein in such congressional rampages, Reagan never challenged the constitutionality of the Budget and Impoundment Control Act, which purported to remove an impounding power exercised by Thomas Jefferson, among others. Nor, for that matter, has any President challenged the Act since its passage in 1974.
Nowhere does the accumulation of executive passivity seem more striking than in the case of the War Powers Act, which all Presidents since Nixon have deemed unconstitutional. In The Fettered Presidency, former Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger points out the idiocy of the law when applied to a real situation, such as the patrolling of the Persian Gulf during the Iran-Iraq war. In the crunch, it proved an exercise in dithering, do-nothingness, and empty posturing—precisely as the Founders might have predicted when they decided to separate the executive power from the legislature in the first place.
Weinberger concludes that “The constitutional status of the War Powers Act must be determined, or Congress must become sufficiently aware of the problems that it will not unconstitutionally and dangerously fetter the presidency.” Yet Weinberger himself had plenty of time, one would think, to push that issue toward resolution. Why did the administration in which he served fail to do so? Weinberger says now that “we have problems in establishing the kind of case that can make such a determination under our legal system.” One might imagine, however, that the U.S. legal system, so versatile at challenging everything else under the sun, might have risen to the occasion.
In fact, Weinberger is at least mildly contradicted here by Jeane Kirkpatrick, former U.S. ambassador to the UN, who feels that there was reason enough to press forward in any case. Eugene V. Rostow is particularly telling in his criticism of the Reagan and other administrations for their failure to defend constitutional prerogatives in foreign policy before the Supreme Court. The President, as Rostow puts it, “cannot exercise his responsibility if he does not defend his powers.”
The true complexity of the separation-of-powers issue is suggested by the fact that in the process of executive encroachment, Congress, too, has been engaged in a giveaway of its powers. The beneficiaries have been the lesser potentates of the fragmented congressional power system: subcommittee chairmen, staffers, and, ultimately, special interests. One of the most intriguing contributions to The Fettered Presidency is that of Barbara Hickson Craig of Wesleyan University on the issue of legislative vetoes. Her conclusion: “The legislative veto is not really about ‘democratic control’ and accountability, as its promoters have claimed. . . . The motivation that prompted Congress to append vetoes to so many of its delegations was mistrust of its own law as much as anything else.”
What can be done? The Fettered Presidency is devoted more to problems than to answers. Some contributors stress the need for renewed comity: Elliott Abrams, former Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs, expresses the hope at one point that executive and legislative branches might end up in the hands of the same party, even if those hands should be Democratic. Michael Horowitz, formerly chief legal officer at the Office of Management and Budget, argues that House Republicans should consider throwing their support to moderate and conservative Democrats as committee chairmen, in an effort to regain some measure of control in the congressional process.
The Imperial Congress offers a more impetuous prescription: scratch, bite, kick, claw to regain ground in the power game, more or less at every opportunity. “The presidency must be more active, involved, combative, aggressive, accusatory, rambunctious, disruptive, and demanding at every step of the legislative process,” writes “Gabriel Prosser,” the pseudonym “of a long-time legislative- and executive-branch official.” In its recommendations section, this peppery volume charges forward on all fronts. The President should seek repeal of the War Powers Act. He should “publicize the efforts of members of Congress to influence executive-branch decisions.” He should “ignore, or challenge directly, some detail of micromanagement of an executive department.”
Some of the Heritage/Claremont suggestions have great merit: after all the years of shadow-boxing, securing a definitive judgment on the War Powers Act would seem to be of cardinal importance. But the weakness of the plan is in the sum of its parts: it demands a degree of activism that would leave the executive branch so exhausted as to be deprived once again of that quality—energy—essential to the proper performance of its role. And even then the strategy might not succeed; one can easily imagine it turning into a death by a thousand legislative cuts. More likely still, an overambitious program of confronting Congress would take the form of rhetorical assertiveness followed by retreat on many fronts—more or less the position of the Reagan administration.
What both of these books make clear, however, is that the task of protecting the always weaker executive power in America requires a strategic sense and a determination to fight the right battles at the right time, without flinching. In other words, to preserve his place in the Constitution, the President must behave as if he were the Commander-in-Chief.
|
<urn:uuid:58c1359a-5c18-452d-8617-1bcea9a084d2>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.commentarymagazine.com/article/the-fettered-presidency-edited-by-l-gordon-crovitz-and-jeremy-a-rabkin-the-imperial-congress-edited-by-gordon-s-jones-and-john-a/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.957758
| 2,465
| 2.3125
| 2
|
Drawn to the Summit: A G-20 Exhibition of International Political Cartoons
September 18-October 18, 2009
The Andy Warhol Museum
Co-presented by the ToonSeum, funded by the Pittsburgh Foundation
Opening Reception: September 18, 2009, 6-10PM
Delegates, protestors and journalists will be invading Pittsburgh in September for the international G-20 summit. There will also be another set of voices heard during that week: the voices of the people from the G-20 countries as expressed through editorial cartoons.
The cartoons in Drawn to the Summit will highlight the work of the leading cartoonists from the G-20 nations and will provide an alternative perspective on G-20 themes such as the global economy and its impact on the environment, human rights, world trade, etc. This exhibition offers the public an opportunity to view a diversity of cartooning styles worldwide and see the important role editorial cartoons plays in this global conversation.
In addition, the exhibition will include cartoons by local Pittsburgh artists commenting on what it will be like to have their hometown hosting the world. A computer will be set up in the gallery with an online blog to monitor daily commentaries and sketches by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette cartoonist Rob Rogers and others during the run of the G-20 summit.
The show is funded by The Pittsburgh Foundation, co-presented by the ToonSeum and the Andy Warhol Museum and curated by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial cartoonist Rob Rogers and art historian Sylvia Rhor.
Exhibition is included with paid admission to the Andy Warhol Museum.
For more information or interviews
Our mailing address is:
10 Children's Way
Pittsburgh, PA 15212
|
<urn:uuid:1c036f79-12cf-47f3-ad54-bc2b3b9d4857>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://ijoca.blogspot.com/2009_09_01_archive.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.931019
| 352
| 1.984375
| 2
|
By Jim Schutze
By Rachel Watts
By Lauren Drewes Daniels
By Anna Merlan
By Lee Escobedo
By Eric Nicholson
The political hush over the Ross Avenue headquarters of the Dallas Independent School District in the last week is no harbinger of peace. Things are quiet only because various business and political leaders are trying to make up their minds whether to do a bombing run.
The good thing, or the bad thing, is that nobody outside Ross Avenue seems to care now who gets hired as superintendent.
"The reality is, everybody is sitting it out," says state Rep. Domingo Garcia, who has been involved in talks about a state-sponsored takeover. "The business community is very discouraged and is just limiting itself to charity work."
Two weeks ago, everybody from the governor to the commissioner of education was railing against the Dallas school district. Tempers flared after the board announced it was unable to pick a new superintendent and would extend an already beleaguered search.
Gov. George W. Bush called on the Dallas business community to step in and fix it; state Rep. Steve Wolens urged a "hostile takeover"; Education Commissioner Mike Moses threatened to send a "monitor" to Dallas if the board didn't stop fighting.
Since then, the big political action has had little to do with the superintendent search and more to do with various plots, schemes, and suppositions about a takeover of the school district from outside. Even if they go nowhere, the ideas being floated are a telling index of the desperation:
Idea 2: Give the school district to Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk, who says he doesn't want it.
Idea 3: Create a new type of government entity similar to the county hospital district but under the city council, put the schools under it, and then give the new entity to businessman and former Dallas Housing Authority Chief Executive Officer Alphonso Jackson, who says he doesn't want it.
Idea 4: Give the district to Commissioner Moses, who apparently won't take it even if it's given to him.
Idea 5: Break up the district into three smaller districts, one mainly black, one mainly Hispanic, and the third more or less white. Critics of this plan say it has been tried before. It was called segregation.
Idea 6: Bring in a powerful military leader and ask him what to do.
Of the people mentioned as possible takeover czars who say they don't want the job, the one mentioned most often and therefore presumed by some to want it most is Luce, currently leading the effort to bring the 2012 Olympics to Dallas. Luce also happens to be the one viewed as least acceptable politically to the broad array of groups that would have to sign off on the deal.
"It would be extremely difficult right now to bring in a private individual like Mr. Luce," Garcia says. "The thinking is more toward a person from the military."
Russell Fish, an education activist who has been consulted by various groups and leaders interested in a takeover, says, "Luce seems to have a lot of heat on him right now because of the Olympics thing, which I guess some people are viewing as elitist."
Luce himself says he feels awkward about restating his lack of desire for a post that no one has offered him. "I would feel a little presumptuous in saying no to something that no one has discussed with me, but the answer is no," he says.
One school board member suggested the board might try to hire Luce if he doesn't take them over. "A Tom Luce is what I'm looking for," says DISD trustee Jose Plata. "The total mess on the business side and the focus we have to give it is just killing us."
That, presumably, would be the pitch.
Two board members, who asked that their names not be used because of the extreme sensitivity of the issue, confirmed rumors rampant among vendors in recent weeks that the district's UniSys Delta computer system is seriously amok and that bills are not being paid in a timely fashion. DISD is scrambling to find a computer contractor who can come in and straighten out the mess. A sense of impending doom has settled in while board members wait for this next public relations disaster to implode around them.
In this mood, some of the more far-out takeover ideas take on a certain Kevorkianesque appeal. State Rep. Tony Goolsby says the idea of breaking the district up into three smaller districts is attractive because it involves getting rid of the big one.
"Three districts of 50,000 or so students each would be very manageable, and it would be a chance to start fresh with new people," Goolsby says.
But state Rep. Garcia says he thinks one of the appeals of creating three new districts is that it might allow many of the old people to hang on to their jobs.
"There is some support for it in the black community, where it would be viewed as self-determination," Garcia says.
But Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price, who has been taking a larger role in behind-the-scenes DISD politics in recent months, says breaking up the district is an old idea that he has always opposed.
Find everything you're looking for in your city
Find the best happy hour deals in your city
Get today's exclusive deals at savings of anywhere from 50-90%
Check out the hottest list of places and things to do around your city
|
<urn:uuid:8546823b-891c-4e31-bbcd-47021a1d034f>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.dallasobserver.com/1999-03-11/news/gutless-coup/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.979699
| 1,130
| 1.507813
| 2
|
HANOVER, NH.- Dartmouth has commissioned artist and designer Ross Ashton to debut a site-specific light-and-sound installation across the façade of the Hopkins Center of the Arts, in conjunction with The Hops 50th anniversary and Dartmouths ongoing celebration of the arts during the 2012-13 year. The dynamic and large-scale work, titled Five Windows, celebrates the Hop's trailblazing history as one of the first collegiate arts centers in the United States and its role as a regional epicenter of interdisciplinary creativity during the past five decades. On view from October 12 through 16, Five Windows follows the recent installation of major works by Ellsworth Kelly and Louise Bourgeois on campus, and marks the latest example of Dartmouths continuing commitment to commissioning and presenting public art by some of the worlds leading contemporary artists.
Five Windows is part of a remarkable roster of public art that is being presented on campus this year, and it reflects our broader mission to engage the Dartmouth students and faculty, as well as the wider community, in a dialogue through which we strive to make the arts accessible to all, said Michael Taylor, director of the Hood Museum of Art and chair of the public art committee at Dartmouth. By enriching our campus with works by cutting-edge artists like Ross Ashton, Dartmouth reaffirms its interest in placing the arts at the center of the college or university experience, making it a national model for the creative campus of the 21st century.
Ashtons work draws on an understanding of the relationship between structure and light, object and subject, and his large-scale projections have been presented throughout the world, including his recent video projection Face Britain for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in London in 2012. Five Windows is a celebration of the Hop and how it came to be, the times it came from and the people involved, and the fact that its a space for creativity, said Ashton.
The work animates each of the five windows of the Hops northern façade, an iconic exterior designed by architect Wallace Harrison as a model for his later work on Lincoln Center. The projection draws upon both archival and recent images and videos of the Hop, including: blueprints and schematic drawings from the planning of the building; photos of the construction and inauguration; posters from throughout the Hops five decades; and footage from past performances. Five Windows will be accompanied by a new score composed by Howie Saunders, which interweaves audio recordings from a Hop inauguration speech in 1962 by poet Robert Frostone of his last public addresses.
We are thrilled to collaborate with Ross Ashton on Five Windows, which captures the spirit of artistic excellence and creative experimentation that has defined Dartmouth's Hopkins Center for the Arts for the past 50 years, said Hopkins Center Director Jeffrey James. This incredible new work celebrates the Hops history as a beacon of the nations collegiate arts community, and we look forward to another 50 years and beyond, where the community can continue to take advantage of the Hop's many academic and public programs.
The presentation of Five Windows follows the recent installations of Louise Bourgeois Crouching Spideran immense bronze and stainless steel sculpture on loan for the year from the artists estateand Dartmouth Panels, a specially commissioned, site-specific work by Ellsworth Kelly that consists of five aluminum panels, each painted in a single block of radiant color, that grace the eastern façade of the Hop. This winter, Dartmouth will install the Ice Chimes, a weather-responsive sculpture that unites science, art, architecture, and music, by Dartmouth alumnus Keith Moskow '83 and Robert Linn of Moskow Linn Architects. Transforming the sound of melting icicles into music, Ice Chimes will be on display on Dartmouths campus during the winter months of 2012-13.
Dartmouths robust slate of public art installations during the 2012-13 year continues an 80-year tradition of engaging contemporary artists in the life of the campus and community. Dartmouths legacy of public art programming dates back to 1932, when the school commissioned noted Mexican artist José Clemente Orozco to create a mural in Baker Library. The resulting 3,200-square-foot work, The Epic of American Civilization, is widely recognized today as one of the most historically significant murals of the 20th century. Since the 1930s, Dartmouth has welcomed more than 150 artists-in-residence to its campus, among them Walker Evans, Donald Judd, R.B. Kitaj, Magdalene Odundo, Robert Rauschenberg, George Rickey, Alison Saar, and Frank Stella. Dartmouths rich collection of public art installations currently includes works by such artists as Mark di Suvero, Allan Houser, Beverly Pepper, Richard Serra, and Joel Shapiro.
|
<urn:uuid:6429f8b0-1790-4372-98a5-d860c0672eae>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=11&int_new=58324&int_modo=1
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.943078
| 973
| 1.515625
| 2
|
A closely tracked asteroid, about 45m wide, has whizzed safely past Earth, the same day a much smaller, previously undetected meteor hit Russia, injuring nearly 1,000 people.
Live images from a telescope at the Gingin Observatory in western Australia showed the asteroid looking like a white streak, moving across against a backdrop of black sky on Friday.
Astronomers said the object's speed and proximity made it a challenge to track, because telescopes had to be aimedprecisely or risked missing it.
The asteroid, dubbed 2012 DA 14, passed around 27,000km above the Earth at the time of closest approach, about 19:25 GMT, NASA said.
The US space agency had said in a statement on its website that this was "the closest-ever predicted approach to Earth for an object this large."
The asteroid isn't nearly as large as the 10km-wide object that took out the dinosaurs, but astronomers said it was large enough that, had it struck the Earth's surface, it could wipe out a large urban area.
However, the asteroid's path kept it well away from Earth and from the ring of communications satellites in Earth's orbit, and NASA said the object's orbit would keep it further from the planet in the foreseeable future.
NASA said the flyby provided a "unique opportunity for researchers to study a near-Earth object up close."
Among other projects, the Goldstone Solar System Radar, located in California's Mojave Desert, was taking radar images of the asteroid on Friday and over the coming days to determine its exact size and shape.
The 2012 DA 14 was discovered by chance by astronomers after passing nearby last February.
NASA estimates a smallish asteroid such as 2012 DA 14 flies close to Earth every 40 years on average, but only hits our planet once every 1,200 years.
Astronomers have detected some 9,500 celestial bodies of various sizes that pass near Earth, but they estimate that's only one tenth of what's out there.
Even 2012 DA 14 was almost missed last year because of how quickly it passed through the observable sky, according to Jaime Nomen, one of the astronomers who spotted it from the La Sagra observatory in southern Spain.
Earlier Friday, an unrelated meteor exploded with a blinding flash above central Russia, setting off a shockwave that shattered windows and hurt almost 1,000 people in an event unprecedented in modern times.
The meteor was estimated to be several meters long and to weigh several dozen tonnes.
|
<urn:uuid:68c079a3-a9df-441c-8c35-35f310b169ae>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2013/02/2013215203623465657.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.9659
| 512
| 3.359375
| 3
|
Tent-city protests over surging living costs started last week in Tel Aviv, the traditional hub of peace activism, and spread throughout the country. Housing prices have spiked 30 percent since 2007.
But instead of complaining about moribund peace talks with the Palestinians, the bohemians are protesting the government's alleged failure to control surging housing costs.
At a time when many here worry about growing isolation because of international recognition of a Palestinian state, the protests underscore how much the Israeli public – particularly the rising generation – has turned away from geopolitics to focus on bread-and-butter issues.
"In general, young people are shying away from politics and don’t want to take a stand on Israeli-Palestinian issues," says Dahlia Scheindlin, a Tel Aviv-based public opinion expert and political consultant. "They feel like it’s a hopeless cause. It also smacks of old people's issues. It’s not sexy."
To be sure, there are peace activists among the demonstrators. But rather than congregating in Rabin Square, a symbol of the left-wing peace movement, the Tel Aviv protesters have set up a tent city along Rothschild Boulevard, a tony thoroughfare that has become synonymous with high-end real estate.
In nearly a week since the first tents went up, taking a cue from Egypt's Tahrir Square, the protests have spurred a no-confidence motion in parliament and forced Netanyahu and his finance minister to scramble to show they are taking action to counteract a more than 30 percent increase in housing prices since 2007.
But despite government concessions, the protests have spread beyond Tel Aviv, with tent cities sprouting in far-flung cities and suburbs throughout the country.
|
<urn:uuid:bc2b8585-61a8-4350-849a-85e30d8c14c3>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://m.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2011/0719/Israeli-activists-shift-from-Palestinian-cause-to-pocketbook-concerns
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.947373
| 354
| 1.859375
| 2
|
Lengendary grower Beckstoffer calls for unity, decries imports
In another life, Andy Beckstoffer could have been a southern statesman.
The California grower delivered a rousing, populist speech to a group of winegrowers and winemakers last month at the Wineries Unlimited Seminar and Trade Show in Valley Forge, Pa. He called for an east and west unity, declared imports the common enemy.
Forget the Rocky Mountains that separate California from “the others” – Beckstoffer sees one American wine industry. Pointing out that 40 years ago, the California industry had little standing in the world, the time could be right for a “Mondavi of the east.”
Right man, right message
Beckstoffer is s uniquely situated to give this speech. He may be the most influential winegrape grower in U.S. history — an architect of modern Napa Valley. He began in the early 1970s by assembling California vineyards for Hueblin, whose assets he later purchased. He organized growers and helped shape the American Viticulture Areas. He refined the grape pricing model to link grape tonnage price to the bottle price. He negotiated the end to the United Farm Worker strike that crippled the industry. Today, he owns some of the most prized vineyards of California.
For this audience he played to his Virginia roots: growing up in Raleigh, marrying his high school sweetheart, acknowledging “Mrs. Jefferson’s son” as the Father of American Wine. He commended the work Virginia Tech team of viticulturist Tony Wolf and enologist Bruce Zoecklein.
His voice retains just a bit of distinguished drawl and he retains his Virginia sensibility.
“California is a great place, but California can be too much,” he said. “We have more grape diseases in California than we have crazies.”
The killer quote of the speech was Beckstoffer’s explanation for why the wine industry is so unique: “No one ever got laid over an apricot.”
The threat of imports
“Imports are the enemy,” he said. The cheap juice from elsewhere dumped on U.S. shores like sweat shop t-shirts are particularly worrisome, threatening to edge domestic wines from shelves and wine lists, and threatening an already depressed domestic grape market.
“I’m not here to demean the Europeans,” he said. “But I do wish they would keep more of their wines at home.”
But he is most proud of the grape pricing model, which tempers both wild fluctuations in the grape market and capitalistic impulses of processors and growers. The winery always wants to pay less, the grower always wants to produce more – neither serves the cause of quality. By linking the price of the bottle to the price of grapes, the interest of growers and winery are aligned. “The money goes to the land, rather than the brand.”
That shift helped bring about the rise of vineyard-designated wines. Where “reserve” wines are to represent the best
efforts of winemakers, vineyard-designated wines represent the best work of the grower.
But what’s happening to those luxury, $100 + wines? Things aren’t good. Beckstoffer said the industry confronts plunging land values and bankruptcies. But the best wines in that $100 + category are surviving.
“The wines that never earned that price-tag are the one’s that are failing,” he said.
Opportunities for East
Millennials don’t care what their parents drank. They have no respect for history or their parent’s tastes. They really don’t care what Robert Parker or Jim Laube have to say. As a group, that 70 million strong cohort offers a great opportunity for the eastern wine industry, Beckstoffer said. That’s when he wondered if a Pennsylvania- or New York-born Mondavi was out there.
“California will always be a major player but there is a larger space for eastern wineries – if you want it.”
|
<urn:uuid:545fc4e1-316e-4fc0-8d35-67945ed7de01>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://blogs.thetimes-tribune.com/emptybottles/index.php/2010/05/10/lengendary-grower-beckstoffer-calls-for-unity-decries-imports/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.951149
| 889
| 1.820313
| 2
|
Monday, February 4, 2013
The badly decomposed whale carcass includes a backbone, part of a rib and tailbone.
THE remains of a whale carcass were found on Putsborough beach over the weekend.
The badly decomposed carcass was discovered by a member of the public on Saturday.
It is believed the remains include a backbone, rib and tailbone and is currently still on the beach.
Members of the public took to social media to post photos of the whale remains, describing the carcass as ‘stinky’.
But it is not the first time a marine mammal’s carcass has washed up on a North Devon beach.
In August 2011, a 59ft fin whale washed up on Lynmouth beach and was removed by North Devon District Council.
A spokesman for the council confirmed she did not believe the carcass discovered this weekend would be removed by the local authority as it was on a private beach.
Have you spotted the whale remains? Email your photos to firstname.lastname@example.org or tweet us @northdevon24
|
<urn:uuid:42d0eb9a-a473-4211-9cff-4c574ba1db15>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.northdevongazette.co.uk/news/photos_whale_remains_wash_up_on_putsborough_beach_1_1857754
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.971664
| 228
| 1.828125
| 2
|
Morocco performs poorly on regional comparison, ranked 18 of 22 MENA countries. The only factor apparently positive, little overweight, is mainly due to poverty. Poverty again is manifested in a malnutrition rate at 6% of the whole population.
The Moroccan health system exists all across the country, but there are a major quantitative and quality differences between cities and rural areas. A major problem for even the largest health institutions are poor management and inadequate capacity.
The health sector is dominated by public services, but there are semi-public and a private sectors. The private hospitals are generally offering high-quality services, but are financially out of reach for all but the higher middle class and up.
Health services are spearheaded by university and region hospitals. Somewhat smaller are the regional and provincial hospitals, whereas health centers provide simpler services but are the only option in many rural region. In the late 1990's, there were more than 120 hospitals and 2,400 health centres.
Despite that the several challenges to the situation has been there for long, little has happened in the most recent years. In 1997, there were 0.46 doctor and 1.0 hospital bed per 1000 inhabitants, both figures low compared to other countries. The latest figures show little change: 0.5 doctors (2004) and 1.1 hospital beds (2007).
Health conditions and diseases
Child mortality has improved significantly. In 1960, it was 215 per 1000, in 2000 at 47, and now ca. 36. The present child mortality is still very high, 6 times higher than in Israel.
There have been several successful programs launched, mass education in hygiene, and campaigns against malaria, tuberculosis, venereal diseases and cancer. Still, there are major health problems with gastrointestinal infections, malaria, typhoid, trachoma and tuberculosis.
There are government programs to promote the use of contraception, officially for married women, but it is open for unmarried too. More than half of Moroccan women are reported to use this.
Figures of 2006 from WHO show that 83% have good access to clean water, 72% access to good sanitation. Differences between countryside and towns are among the most dramatic in MENA, while 100% have access to clean water in towns, only 58% have in the countryside. Sanitation access is also unequal, 54% in the countryside to 85% in the towns.
|
<urn:uuid:c21b8c67-284e-4306-a012-4d979cff4393>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://looklex.com/e.o/morocco.health.htm
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.966138
| 480
| 2.796875
| 3
|
|Home » ECONOMICS » Wind power compared to...|
In this chapter, the cost of conventionally-generated power is compared with the cost of wind-generated power. To obtain a comparable picture, calculations for conventional technologies are prepared utilising the Recabs-model, which was developed in the IEA Implementing Agreement on Renewable Energy Technology Deployment (IEA, 2008). The cost of conventional electricity production in general is determined by four components:
- Fuel cost;
- Cost of CO2 emissions (as given by the European Trading System for CO2, ETS);
- Operation and maintenance (O&M) costs; and
- Capital cost, including planning and site work.
Fuel prices are given by the international markets and, in the reference case, are assumed to develop according to the IEA’s World Energy Outlook 2007, (IEA, 2007c), which rather conservatively assumes a crude oil price of $63/barrel in 2007, gradually declining to $59/barrel in 2010 (constant terms). Oil prices reached a high of $147/barrel in July 2008. As is normally observed, natural gas prices are assumed to follow the crude oil price (basic assumptions on other fuel prices: coal 1.6 €/GJ and natural gas 6.05 €/GJ). As mentioned, the price of CO2 is determined by the EU ETS market; at present the price of CO2 is around 25 €/t.
Here, calculations are carried out for two state-of-the-art conventional plants: a coal-fired power plant and a combined cycle natural gas combined heat and power plant, based on the following assumptions:
- Plants are commercially available for commissioning by the year 2010;
- Costs are levelised using a 7.5 per cent real discount rate and a 40-year lifetime.(National assumptions on plant lifetime might be shorter, but calculations were adjusted to 40 years);
- Load factor is 75 per cent; and
- Calculations are carried out in constant 2006-€.
When conventional power is replaced by wind-generated electricity, the costs avoided depend on the degree to which wind power substitutes for each of the four components. It is generally accepted that implementing wind power avoids the full fuel and CO2 costs, as well as a considerable portion of the O&M costs of the displaced conventional power plant. The level of avoided capital costs depends on the extent to which wind power capacity can displace investments in new conventional power plants, and thus is directly tied to how wind power plants are integrated into the power system.
Studies of the Nordic power market, NordPool, show that the cost of integrating variable wind power is, on average, approximately 0.3-0.4 c€/kWh of wind power generated at the present level of wind power capacity (mainly Denmark) and at the existing transmission and market conditions. These costs are completely in line with experiences in other countries. Integration costs are expected to increase with higher levels of wind power penetration.
Figure 6.1 shows the results of the reference case, assuming the two conventional power plants are coming on-stream in 2010. As mentioned, figures for the conventional plants are calculated using the Recabs-model, while the costs for wind power are taken from Chapter III.1.
Figure 6.1: Costs of Generated Power Comparing Conventional Plants to Wind Power, 2010 (Constant 2006-€)
Source: Risø DTU
As shown in the reference case, the cost of power generated at conventional power plants is lower than the cost of wind-generated power under the given assumptions of lower fuel prices. Wind-generated power at a European inland site is approximately 33-34 per cent more expensive than natural gas- and coal-generated power.
This case is based on the World Energy Outlook assumptions on fuel prices, including a crude oil price of $59/barrel in 2010. At present (September 2008), the crude oil price is $120/barrel. Although this oil price combined with a lower exchange rate for US$, the present price of oil is significantly higher than the forecast IEA oil price for 2010. Therefore, a sensitivity analysis is carried through and results are shown in Figure 6.2.
Figure 6.2: Sensitivity Analysis of Costs of Generated Power Comparing Conventional Plants to Wind Power, Assuming Increasing Fossil Fuel and CO2 Prices, 2010 (Constant 2006-€)
Source: Risø DTU
In Figure 6.2, the natural gas price is assumed to double compared to the reference, equivalent to an oil price of $118/barrel in 2010, the coal price to increase by 50 per cent and the price of CO2 to increase to 35€/t from 25€/t in 2008. As shown in Figure 6.2, the competitiveness of wind-generated power increases significantly: costs at the inland site become lower than generation costs for the natural gas plant and only around 10 per cent more expensive than the coal-fired plant. At coastal sites, wind power produces the cheapest electricity.
Finally, as discussed in Awerbuch (2003), the uncertainties related to future fossil fuel prices mentioned above imply a considerable risk for future generation costs of conventional plants. Conversely, the costs per kWh generated by wind power are almost constant over the lifetime of the turbine, following its installation. Thus, although wind power might currently be more expensive per kWh, it may account for a significant share in the utilities’ portfolio of power plants, since it hedges against unexpected rises in prices of fossil fuels in the future. The consistent nature of wind power costs justifies a relatively higher cost compared to the uncertain risky future costs of conventional power.
|Acknowledgements | Sitemap | Partners | Disclaimer | Contact|
The sole responsibility for the content of this webpage lies with the authors. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Communities. The European Commission is not responsible for any use that maybe made of the information contained therein.
|
<urn:uuid:96efeed0-7ae4-4a20-8f89-7c5ed50d1064>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.wind-energy-the-facts.org/en/part-3-economics-of-wind-power/chapter-6-wind-power-compared-to-conventional-power-generation/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00076-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.933428
| 1,241
| 3.0625
| 3
|
The Importance of the WMA Visitor Use Permit
By Brad Holder, Northwest WMA Biologist
Be legal and help the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks help our natural resources and you, the outdoor enthusiast. If you've visited a Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in the past, you may be familiar with the Daily Visitor Use Permit Card. You can find Daily Visitor Use Permit Cards at permit stations located at, or near, entrances to all of Mississippi's WMAs. This daily permit is an important tool in the management of these areas. Managers are able to gather harvest and use data for all species and activities on a particular WMA. This supports management recommendations on all aspects of that area. From a wildlife management standpoint, the information you and your fellow WMA users provide on the cards gives wildlife biologists valuable data on which to base management decisions regarding season structure, bag limits, and habitat management.
This past hunting season we began compiling harvest and use data obtained from permit cards on a daily basis and posting these numbers on our website each week. Now, during hunting seasons, you can monitor current harvest and use numbers for each WMA.
The Daily Visitor Use Permit Card also supports your personal safety. If an emergency arises while you're in the woods, or you get lost in the pursuit of your prey, area managers and conservation officers will be better able to quickly determine your location on an area if you have complied with permit card requirements. This may not seem like such a big deal on some of the smaller areas, but if you are on a 60,000 acre area with multiple entrances, it could make a critical difference.
Our staff needs quality and quantity when it comes to Daily Visitor Use Permit Card data. The more information we receive, the better we can manage the resource and the user public. The daily permit cards must be completed properly to provide the most accurate data. Please fill out all of the information requested and print legibly. Each year we gather a large number of cards that are incomplete and unusable.
The correct procedure is simple:
- Extract a Daily Visitor Use Permit Card from a Daily Visitor Permit Station on the WMA.
- Complete the front and back of part A and place it in the box at the Visitor Permit Station.
- Complete the front of part B and place it on the dash of your vehicle in plain sight or carry it on your person (depending on instructions in area regulations) while using the area.
- When finished on the area, complete the back side of part B and place in the box at the Visitor Permit Station.
Here are some more tips to remember when completing Daily Visitor Use Permit cards:
- Do it. Avoid a citation by correctly completing a card each time you use a WMA. Read the instructions at the permit station.
- Make sure part A is placed in a WMA visitor permit box and part B, with the front completed, is visible on the dashboard of your vehicle or is on your person, whichever is applicable.
- Complete a Daily Visitor Use Permit Card each time you visit the WMA. If you leave the WMA and come back the same day, that means you should have completed two Daily Visitor Use Permit Cards.
- Make sure that everyone with you completes a Daily Visitor Use Permit Card.
- If you didn't harvest anything, put a zero in the appropriate box beside the species you hunted.
- If you check "Other" on part A and B, please specify with one or two words what the other activity is.
- Make sure the date is correct. That helps us keep track of when activities are done and, potentially, better distribute visitor use.
- Pass along your knowledge of how to properly complete a Daily Visitor Use Permit Card to others.
With your help, MDWFP wildlife managers will continue to be good stewards of natural resources on WMAs. Introduce someone to hunting and fishing. Maybe we'll bump into you at a visitor permit station.
|
<urn:uuid:53a320c9-2c6a-4e96-8bd6-703b780ef9fa>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://mdwfp.com/wildlife-hunting/wmas/the-importance-of-the-wma-visitor-use-permit.aspx
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.905479
| 843
| 2.3125
| 2
|
SEAL BEACH — Freeway crew workers are scheduled to begin pile driving on the San Diego (405) Freeway this week as part of the West County Connectors project to reconstruct the Seal Beach Boulevard bridge.
Orange County Transportation Authority officials said the pile driving will begin Wednesday and will continue sporadically on weekdays between 7 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. over the next several months.
Pile driving is a common method of constructing bridge foundations, OCTA spokeswoman Laura Scheper said.
To support the bridge, steel or concrete beams are driven into the ground by a large hammer mounted on a crane, until they reach a hard layer of earth beneath the foundation, Scheper said.
The activity may be loud and disruptive because of the vibration and pounding, she said.
The $277 million West County Connectors project will improve traffic flow by directly connecting car-pool lanes on the San Diego, San Gabriel (605) and Garden Grove (22) freeways.
For more information regarding the project, visit www.octa.net/wcc.
- Joe Segura
|
<urn:uuid:f9ecd1fe-172a-4fbd-8d53-68269c45e034>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.presstelegram.com/opinions/ci_22211904/loud-pile-driving-work-begin-405-freeway-part?source=pkg
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.90848
| 228
| 1.679688
| 2
|
Janson Media // 1993 // 66 Minutes // Not Rated
Reviewed by Appellate Judge James A. Stewart // June 12th, 2008
"It suddenly came over me that Roman Holiday wasn't going to be about me. It was going to be about the princess." -- Gregory Peck, on sharing the bill with Audrey Hepburn
While Audrey Hepburn was a screen star for decades, the role she took on late in life was perhaps her most important, as Roger Moore says to introduce Audrey Hepburn Remembered. Serving as UNICEF's goodwill ambassador, Hepburn spoke out about conditions in Somalia.
While Hepburn was speaking for UNICEF, she made rare appearances on the talk show circuit, which gave viewers the chance to hear her talk about her life. Those appearances led, after her death, to Audrey Hepburn Remembered.
The documentary provides a decent introduction to her film career, with lots of clips from movies like Breakfast at Tiffany's and Robin and Marian. What it doesn't do is provide any insights into Hepburn as a person. That's a disappointment -- and a puzzle. Since Hepburn's experiences growing up in Nazi-occupied Holland and her thanks for UNICEF's help after the war played a role in her future work with the relief agency, it would seem only natural that more about her life would crop up in interviews.
Mostly, though, Hepburn is seen talking about her movies. The men interviewed -- like ex-husband Mel Ferrer, leading men Gregory Peck and George Peppard, and Roger Moore -- just seem to gush about her presence.
The result is a rather shallow documentary that won't be anything new to anyone who knows much of anything about the actress already. If you just want to look at old clips, it's fine, though.
The only extra that's interesting at all is a photo gallery of Hepburn set to music. A similar gallery on the movie's producers failed to impress me. I'll note that the "total content: 103 minutes" on the DVD cover includes trailers; stuff I'd call actual content only lasts about 80 minutes, including the producers' gallery.
The picture quality is about what you'd expect for a documentary full of old clips.
I understand that it's a reverent portrait of a beloved actress, but Audrey Hepburn Remembered seems to drain all life out of its subject. If you want to remember Audrey Hepburn, check out her movies.
Guilty of well-intentioned boredom.
Review content copyright © 2008 James A. Stewart; Site layout and review format copyright © 1998 - 2013 HipClick Designs LLC
Scales of Justice
Studio: Janson Media
* Full Frame
* Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (English)
Running Time: 66 Minutes
Release Year: 1993
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
* Audrey Hepburn Photo Gallery
* Meet the Producers
|
<urn:uuid:836613eb-fdfb-48d8-a06d-2b24d51b91c0>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.dvdverdict.com/printer/audreyhepburn.php
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.955315
| 595
| 1.5
| 2
|
Canada's Nazi Olympics
In these Olympics, Canadians only paid attention to Canada
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- After a spirited torch relay ignited pride in every corner of the country, the Olympic Games began and quickly galvanized the nation.
Flags were everywhere. The country's national symbol hung from windows and was worn on nearly everyone's clothing.
Fervent crowds cheered every victory by the host nation.
But enough about the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
At the opening of these Olympic Winter Games more than two weeks ago, Vancouver organizers expressed the hope that they could show the world a truly "Canadian Games."
That they succeeded in that, there is little doubt.
For 17 days we were barraged with Canadian flags, rode buses and trains with people in sweatshirts and jerseys adorned with Canadian maple leafs, and were serenaded at venues by Canadian spectators, lustily cheering for Canadian athletes.
The first Olympics I ever attended were also in Canada, the 1976 Summer Games in Montreal. For a kid not long out of college, it was a profound experience, seeing Lasse Viren, Alberto Juantorena, Nadia Comaneci-- the athletes of the world -- on the sporting world's grandest stage.
One of the speakers at that Olympics used a phrase that lingers with me still: the family of man.
There is no earthly event that reinforces that notion as well as an Olympic Games. For all of the latter-day Games' inherent commercialism, that ideal persists. I truly believe that.
It persists, despite the overwhelming chauvinism of the past two weeks.
They showed us Canadian Games, all right. And in most cases, nothing but Canadian Games.
I'm not talking about TV coverage. I have no idea what Bob Costas and NBC were televising back in the States.
But from the opening ceremony to Sunday's closing, from the tragic death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili to Sunday's gold-medal hockey game, on the streets of Vancouver and at the Olympic venues, only a token nod was given to the rest of the world's athletes.
I was as surprised as I was disappointed.
Had the classic Canadian inferiority complex finally decided to bite back? Or was this a dark consequence of the Own the Podium program?
At the Games' outset, Canada's obsession with finally winning its first gold medal as a host nation was understandable -- quaint, almost.
But that story swiftly swept the luge tragedy off the front pages. There were no follow-up stories about investigations, memorials or retributions to the family.
Kumaritashvili himself was blamed for the fatal accident. The luge competition went on. Some Canadian lugers even callously complained about the shortening of the track.
And so the tone for these Games was set.
It was Canada's party, and no dead luger, no critical British tabloid and no visiting Americans were going to spoil it.
That attitude is regrettable, because a good, if not especially memorable, Olympics followed.
U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn won her cherished gold medal in the women's downhill, validating all the product endorsements and cover shoots she will have between now and 2014.
Evan Lysacek struck a blow for U.S. men's figure skating, giving legendary coach Frank Carroll an Olympic champion for the first time.
Texas-based Olympians fared well, winning five medals, which is as many as Finland, Japan and Italy.
Speedskater Chad Hedrick of Spring earned silver and bronze medals, Denton's Jordan Malone won a relay bronze in short track, and the Dallas Stars' Brenden Morrow (gold) and Jere Lehtinen (bronze) are going home with hockey medals.
But a lot happened that didn't make the front pages of the Vancouver newspapers or find its way into the Canadian TV network's opening montage.
Norway's Marit Bjoergen won three gold medals, a silver and a bronze in cross-country skiing to become the ninth athlete to win five medals at a single Winter Olympics.
Skier Maria Riesch finished in the top 10 in all five Alpine events. Her native country, Germany, won at least one medal on every day of this Winter Olympics.
American short track speedskater Apolo Ohno won three medals, giving him eight and making him the most decorated U.S. Winter Olympian of all time. But that's nothing -- Norway's Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, at age 36, won two biathlon medals and now has 11.
Canada's rush to the victory stand over the Games' final week resulted in a Winter Olympics record for a single nation, 14 total. The U.S. hockey team can take solace that its silver-medal finish Sunday was the Americans' 37th medal, also a record for one nation.
But for the most part, the most underappreciated soul at these Olympics was an American or a European on the medals stand.
Yes, every host nation cheers lustily for its native Olympians. But never in my experience to the extent that we saw here, where the rest of the world's athletes were little more than drink coasters at the party.
South Korean Kim Yu-Na's dazzling gold-medal performance in women's figure skating, for example, was overwhelmed here by the attention given to Quebec's Joannie Rochette, whose mother tragically died.
Chief organizer of the Games, John Furlong, mentioned Kumaritashvili briefly in his Closing Ceremony remarks. But the hosts' insensitivity had long ago been duly noted.
At a news conference Saturday, for example, someone asked Ken Melamed, mayor of Whistler, where the luge run was located, if the village planned some sort of memorial to the luger from Georgia.
Why, yes, the mayor said, "We have to find a way to acknowledge Nodar... and the Canadian athletes that have done well."
See? They don't get it.
The Vancouver Games' ticketing policy didn't help the partisan scene at the venues. To order Olympic tickets through the Vancouver 2010 Web site, a buyer had to have a Canadian address.
China sold 6.8 million tickets to its 2008 Summer Olympics. Vancouver only made 1.6 million available. The Canadians wanted to "Own the Podium," but organizers made sure that they owned the grandstands at each venue as well.
I'm still mystified that Canada fans were able to grab what seemed to be 98 percent of the tickets at the hockey venue. Olympic crowds have always been more inclusive.
In his closing news conference Sunday, IOC president Jacques Rogge acknowledged that there were "teething pains" as the Vancouver Games began.
"There was an extraordinary embrace by the city of Vancouver," he said. "Something I've never seen before."
There was embracing, all right, but then Canadians have always had the reputation for drinking a lot of beer. The loose marijuana laws only added to the nightly revelry in the downtown streets -- which, frankly, seemed to have little to do with the Olympics.
Canada wanted to hold a party, and the Canadians did. The gold medals only seemed to fuel them.
Team Canada hockey jerseys became the uniform of the streets. Maple leafs were either hanging or on clothing everywhere.
One thing I never saw: a simple flag or shirt with the five Olympic rings. Not anywhere. After 15 Olympics, that was a first.
I didn't attend the '36 Olympics, but I've seen the pictures. Swastikas everywhere.
No political reference is meant, just an Olympic one. What on earth were the Canadians thinking?
An Olympic host is supposed to welcome the world. This one was too busy being (their word) "patriotic."
"Now you know us, eh?" chief organizer Furlong said.
We thought we did two weeks ago. Now, I'm wondering if Canadians can even recognize themselves.
Nice party. But so was 1936.
|
<urn:uuid:911c1f38-efd2-4e88-aa01-558afc41c495>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://vancouver.mediacoop.ca/fr/olympics/canadas-nazi-olympics/4975
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.971535
| 1,686
| 2.28125
| 2
|
Weaver v. Field - 114 U.S. 244 (1885)
U.S. Supreme Court
Weaver v. Field, 114 U.S. 244 (1885)
Weaver v. Field
Submitted January 6, 1885
Decided April 13, 1885
114 U.S. 244
In a suit to foreclose a mortgage on land in Louisiana, given to secure the payment of negotiable promissory notes to their holder, it was held on the facts that the plaintiff was never the owner of the notes, as against the mortgagor, or those holding the land under him by deeds in which they assumed the payment of the notes and mortgage.
Bill in equity to foreclose a mortgage. The facts are stated in the opinion of the Court.
|
<urn:uuid:593d8bd4-0256-4dc5-9002-2b46b58a5fd8>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/114/244/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00061-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.975071
| 166
| 1.914063
| 2
|
Document Management Strategies
Implementing a document management system does not have to be a long drawn out process. It does not have to be hard or overly expensive. From our perspective, there are three key factors to a successful document management implementation:
- Establish a good working partnership with your document management vendor.
- The document management platform needs to be an easy-to-use tool and not a burden on your staff or financial resources.
- Don’t make it more complicated than it needs to be.
Let’s address each one separately and in detail.
Establish a Good Working Partnership
The first step in any document management implementation is analysis. This is true with any type of project. And as with any analysis, you need people who know the details of your business and people who understand the details of the technology. Typically, this means that your implementation team will have both your staff and your vendor’s staff working together to design the system.
Picking a vendor that you can rely on is a critical step in this process. In this case, not only must the vendor understand document management, but they need to be able to translate business requirements into an actionable plan. However, it’s more complicated than that. The good vendors almost act as if they were detectives at a crime scene looking for clues as to what really happened. We’ve seen this time and again, companies don’t really pay attention to their business documents. When asked about a particular document, the answers are usually superficial. Your staff knows what the documents are and how they are used, but they don’t think about documents as much more than paper that is processed.
A document management vendor looks at a document and asks the following questions:
- What is the document?
- Who needs to see the document?
- What do you need to see on any given document?
- How do you find the documents?
- What other documents is this document related to?
- Does staff need to access other documents or systems when they look at this document?
- How is the document used?
- Does the document need to be approved?
- Does the document cause something to happen in the organization?
- How often is the document accessed?
- Does the document have a life cycle?
Your staff just does not think this way about documents. When asked, they will answer specific questions. This is one place where a document management vendor can truly make a difference. By asking not only the initial questions, but by following up with enough detailed questions, a document map can be established that shows where a document fits in the organization. It’s this detailed map that is used to create the storage structure, the retrieval paths, links to other documents or systems, the routing and approval paths, and even the retention schedule.
Document Management Implementations
Implementing document management requires detail oriented people to analyze the documents and the flow. What makes a partnership important is that even the most detail oriented people who act as document detectives will not find all the answers prior to implementing your system. Once the system is being prototyped, the remaining details tend to emerge. When you have a true partnership with your vendor, they not only anticipate this, but they work with you to make sure that the end result provides real benefits to your organization, not just an implementation of the latest technologies.
True partners not only learn your business, but they respond as if it is their own. This means that your implementation takes into account not just the way you do things today, but ways that you could potentially do things better. Again, we’ve seen this over and over. Organizations follow procedures, sometimes unofficial rules, which have been in place for a long time. While the original reason for the procedures may have been long forgotten, the practices are still there. Many times the original reason is not even valid any more. When you have a partnership with a document management vendor, they not only find out what your current processes are, but they also look for ways to improve your processes and thus improve your efficiency.
To have a document management partnership, your vendor must specialize in document management. That may seem like an obvious requirement; however, there are many different types of companies that sell document management as an add-on technology. These can be hardware vendors that sell copiers, scanners or multi-function machines. These can be resellers that sell many types of applications and may include a document management offering as part of their suite. In either case, while these vendors can implement basic document management, they cannot deliver the results that a true partner will deliver.
The last step in creating a document management partnership is to have a basic understanding of the technology they represent. While the vendor may be everything you want, the technology they implement should not be a burden on your staff or financial resources. The best way to ensure that the technology is not a burden is to implement your solution with a Software-as-a-Service architecture.
|
<urn:uuid:38aea1d4-cea3-497b-9903-f89c93a3def5>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.docuvantage.com/document-management-advanced-tutorials/document-management-strategies
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.944103
| 1,030
| 1.539063
| 2
|
Advice from the American Bar Association
Statement Prepared by the Pre-Law Committee of The ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar
Students who are successful in law school, and who become accomplished lawyers or use their legal education successfully in other areas of professional life, come to their legal education from widely differing educational and experiential backgrounds. As undergraduate students, some have majored in subjects that are traditionally considered paths to law school, such as history, English, philosophy, political science, economics or business. Other successful law students, however, have focused their undergraduate studies in areas as diverse as art, music theory, computer science, engineering, nursing or education.
Many law students enter law school directly from their undergraduate studies and without having had any substantial work experience. Others begin their legal education significantly later in life, and they bring to their law school education the insights and perspectives gained from those life experiences.
Thus, the ABA does not recommend any particular group of undergraduate majors, or courses, that should be taken by those wishing to prepare for legal education; developing such a list is neither possible nor desirable. The law is too multifaceted, and the human mind too adaptable, to permit such a linear approach to preparing for law school or the practice of law. Nonetheless, there are important skills and values, and significant bodies of knowledge, that can be acquired prior to law school and that will provide a sound foundation for a sophisticated legal education.
This Statement presents the recommendations of the American Bar Association Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar concerning preparation for a good law school experience. Prospective law students should also consult closely with the prelaw advisor at their undergraduate institution. That individual may be able to assist current students in selecting courses or professors that will particularly assist in developing the skills and knowledge foundation that is emphasized in this Statement.
Taking difficult courses from demanding instructors is the best generic preparation for legal education. The pre-law advisor can also assist current and former students in choosing law schools to which to apply that are appropriate in light of a prospective student's interests and credentials.
Finally, prospective law students should also consult the publications and admissions personnel of the schools to which they are considering applying for any specific recommendations that individual schools may have concerning preparation for law school.
There are numerous skills and values that are essential to success in law school and to competent lawyering. There also is a large body of information that law students, and attorneys, should possess. The three or four years that a student spends in obtaining a quality legal education can and do provide much of the information that a lawyer needs. Good legal education also aids in developing the many skills and values essential to competent lawyering.
Sound legal education, however, must build upon and further refine skills, values and knowledge that the student already possesses. Even though a student may well be able to acquire in law school some specific fundamental skills and knowledge that the student's pre-law school experience has not provided, the student who comes to law school lacking a broad range of basic skills and knowledge will face an extremely difficult task.
Skills and Values
The core skills and values that are essential for competent lawyering include analytic and problem-solving skills, critical reading abilities, writing skills, oral communication and listening abilities, general research skills, task organization and management skills, and the values of serving faithfully the interests of others while also promoting justice. Thus, individuals who wish to prepare adequately for legal education, and for a career in law or for other professional service that involves the use of lawyering skills, should seek educational, extra-curricular and life experiences that will assist them in developing those attributes. Some brief comments about each of the listed skills and values follow.
Analytic and Problem Solving Skills
Students should seek courses and other experiences that will engage them in critical thinking about important issues, that will engender in them tolerance for uncertainty, and that will give them experience in structuring and evaluating arguments for and against propositions that are susceptible to reasoned debate. Students also should seek courses and other experiences that require them to apply previously developed principles or theories to new situations, and that demand that they develop solutions to new problems. Good legal education teaches students to "think like a lawyer", but the analytic and problem-solving skills required of lawyers are not fundamentally different from those employed by other professionals. The law school experience will develop and refine those crucial skills, but one must enter law school with a reasonably well developed set of analytic and problem solving abilities.
Critical Reading Abilities
Preparation for legal education should include substantial experience at close reading and critical analysis of complex textual material, for much of what law students and lawyers do involves careful reading and sophisticated comprehension of judicial opinions, statutes, documents, and other written materials. As with the other skills discussed in this Statement, the requisite critical reading abilities may be acquired in a wide range of experiences, including the close reading of complex material in literature, political or economic theory, philosophy, or history. The particular nature of the materials examined is not crucial; what is important is that law school not be the first time that a student has been rigorously engaged in the enterprise of carefully reading and understanding, and critically analyzing, complex written material of substantial length. Potential law students should also be aware that the study and practice of law require the ability to read and assimilate large amounts of material, often in a short period of time.
Those seeking to prepare for legal education should develop a high degree of skill at written communication. Language is the most important tool of a lawyer, and lawyers must learn to express themselves clearly and concisely. Legal education provides good training in writing, and particularly in the specific techniques and forms of written expression that are common in the law. Fundamental writing skills, however, should be acquired and refined before one enters law school. Those preparing for legal education should seek as many experiences as possible that will require rigorous and analytical writing, including preparing original pieces of substantial length and revising written work in response to constructive criticism.
Oral Communication and Listening Abilities
The ability to speak clearly and persuasively is another skill that is essential to success in law school and the practice of law. Lawyers also must have excellent listening skills if they are to understand their clients and others with whom they must interact daily. As with writing skills, legal education provides excellent opportunities for refining oral communication skills, and particularly for practicing the forms and techniques of oral expression that are most common in the practice of law. Before coming to law school, however, individuals should seek to develop their basic speaking and listening skills, such as by engaging in debate, making formal presentations in class, or speaking before groups in school, the community, or the workplace.
General Research Skills
Although there are many research sources and techniques that are specific to the law, an individual need not have developed any familiarity with these specific skills or materials before entering law school. However, the individual who comes to law school without ever having undertaken a project that requires significant library research and the analysis of large amounts of information obtained from that research will be at a severe disadvantage. Those wishing to prepare for legal education should select courses and seek experiences that will require them to plan a research strategy, to undertake substantial library research, and to analyze, organize and present a reasonably large amount of material. A basic ability to use a personal computer is also increasingly important for law students, both for word processing and for computerized legal research.
Task Organization and Management Skills
The study and practice of law require the ability to organize large amounts of information, to identify objectives, and to create a structure for applying that information in an efficient way in order to achieve desired results. Many law school courses, for example, are graded primarily on the basis of one examination at the end of the course, and many projects in the practice of law require the compilation of large amounts of information from a wide variety of sources, frequently over relatively brief periods of time. Thus, those entering law school must be prepared to organize and assimilate large amounts of information in a manner that facilitates the recall and application of that information in an effective and efficient manner. Some of the requisite experience can be obtained through undertaking school projects that require substantial research and writing, or through the preparation of major reports for an employer, a school, or a civic organization.
The Values of Serving Others and Promoting Justice
Each member of the legal profession should be dedicated both to the objectives of serving others honestly, competently, and responsibly, and to the goals of improving fairness and the quality of justice in the legal system. Those thinking of entering this profession would be well served by having some significant experience, before coming to law school, in which they devoted substantial effort toward assisting others. Participation in public service projects or similar efforts at achieving objectives established for common purposes can be particularly helpful.
In addition to these fundamental skills and values, there are some basic areas of knowledge that are important to a sophisticated legal education and to the development of a competent lawyer. As law becomes more pervasive in our society, an increasingly broad range of knowledge and information from other disciplines become relevant to lawyering and to any full understanding of the legal system. Some of that knowledge, particularly that most directly relevant to particular areas of the law, can be acquired in law school or when necessary for a particular project. There are, however, generic types of knowledge that one should possess in order to have a full appreciation of the legal system in general, to understand how disputes might be resolved, to understand and apply various legal principles and standards, and to appreciate the context in which a legal problem or dispute arises. Some of the types of knowledge that are most useful, and that would most pervasively affect one's ability to derive the maximum benefit from legal education, include the following: A broad understanding of history, particularly American history, and the various factors (social, political, economic, and cultural) that have influenced the development of the pluralistic society that presently exists in the United States; A fundamental understanding of political thought and theory, and of the contemporary American political system; A basic understanding of ethical theory and theories of justice; A grounding in economics, particularly elementary micro-economic theory, and an understanding of the interaction between economic theory and public policy; Some basic mathematical and financial skills, such as an understanding of basic pre-calculus mathematics and an ability to analyze financial data; A basic understanding of human behavior and social interaction; and An understanding of diverse cultures within and beyond the United States, of international institutions and issues, and of the increasing interdependence of the nations and communities within our world. As law has become more woven into the fabric of our society, and as that society is increasingly influenced by disparate national and global forces, a broad knowledge base is essential for success in law school and for competence in the legal profession. Knowledge of specific areas of law can and will be acquired during a good legal education, but students must come to law school with much fundamental knowledge upon which legal education can build. Thus, those considering law school should focus their substantive preparation on acquiring the broad knowledge and perspectives outlined above.
The skills, values and knowledge discussed in this Statement may be acquired in a wide variety of ways. One may take undergraduate, graduate, or even high school courses that can assist an individual in acquiring much of the requisite information, skills and perspectives. One may also gain much of this essential background through self-learning (another essential lawyering skill), by reading, in the workplace, or through various other life experiences. Moreover, it is not essential that everyone come to law school having fully developed all of the skills, values and knowledge suggested in this Statement. Some of that foundation can be acquired during the initial years of law school. However, one who begins law school having already acquired most of the skills, values and knowledge listed in this Statement will have a significant advantage and will be well prepared to benefit fully from a sophisticated and challenging legal education.
|
<urn:uuid:79ea65d4-7457-47d6-8729-78da341972a8>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.lynchburg.edu/pre-professional-programs/advice-american-bar-association
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.964544
| 2,429
| 2.25
| 2
|
April 30. 2012 4:30AM
Legal affairs: Firms tell workers to hang up
Organizations require employees to buckle up their phones while driving
By GINGER CHRIST
Chatting on a cell phone while behind the wheel won't get most employees fired. But, as companies intensify efforts to protect themselves legally in a technology-engaged world, workers could see more stringent employer policies as they relate to cell phone use while driving.
The city of Cleveland, for one, in March developed a personal electronic devices policy, which prohibits employees driving for work purposes from using an electronic device while on the road.
At its core, observers say employers are afraid of being found vicariously guilty for accidents that occur while their workers are talking or texting as they drive as part of their jobs.
In just one of a number of cases cited in a report issued last week by the National Safety Council, a jury found an employee driver and the firm that owned the company car liable, awarding $21.6 million in a 2007 fatal crash in Ohio.
Cell phone records showed the employee driver was using a cell phone at the time of the accident. According to testimony, she may have been talking with her husband, according to the safety council, which did not identify the firm.
Local lawyers warn that policies that simply restrict talking on a cell phone while driving leave out a number of other phone functions
and exclude other electronics devices. They also note that the existence of a policy isn't enough; companies unilaterally must enforce the rules in order to be protected.
Of course, there are a lot of intricacies involved in creating a comprehensive policy, which needs to be all-inclusive and reflect the company's culture.
“I see a lot of policies that absolutely prohibit the use. But then the employer provides them hands-free technology. Now we have a built-in conflict,” said Eric Johnson, partner in Walter & Haverfield's labor and employment law group.
Mr. Johnson likened creating a distracted driving policy to a sexual harassment policy. He said a company can't restrict employee cell phone use while driving, then call a technician who's on the road about a technical problem. Similarly, an employer can't impose a sexual harassment policy and then allow employees to make suggestive comments about one another.
A progressive Progressive
Progressive Corp. was an early adopter. The big insurer based in Mayfield Village in 2001 first developed a cell phone policy and, in the years since, has updated it to remain current, according to Jeff Sibel of Progressive public relations.
Progressive's mobile communications device policy prohibits all employees from using a mobile communications device or any other electronic equipment while driving for the company or operating a company vehicle.
The city of Cleveland devised its policy because of requests from heads of various departments, some of whom had developed their own internal policies, said Deborah Southerington, director of the city's human resources department.
“We wanted to standardize it,” Ms. Southerington said.
Ms. Southerington wasn't aware of any violations of the policy. However, she did note that such violations would be handled on a case-by-case basis.
Live your policy
Sarah Melamed thinks cell phone policies are not necessarily appropriate for firms of all sizes.
“We look at it as one of those things that a smaller company doesn't really need to tangle with,” said the president of the 22-person Cleveland-based advertising firm, Melamed Riley.
To impose a policy seems too overbearing, she said, especially when there is not a standardized legal restriction against cell phone use while driving.
“I think we create a culture where people are encouraged to make the right decisions,” Ms. Melamed said.
Even so, Rollie De Monte, an associate in the Cleveland office of Fisher & Phillips, said issues regarding employee cell phone use are becoming more prevalent because new regulations are bringing concerns to the forefront.
According to a September 2010 survey by the National Safety Council, 18% of Fortune 500 companies report that they have cell phone policies banning use while driving.
“I haven't seen a lot of official discipline for violation of a cell phone policy, which I think is going to change as this becomes more of an issue,” Mr. De Monte said, referring to talking while driving.
Mr. De Monte said he thinks companies with such policies might start highlighting them during new hire interviews.
Walter & Haverfield's Mr. Johnson takes Mr. De Monte's thought even further. He said if a company doesn't enforce its policy, it loses the protection the policy might provide in the event an accident occurs while an employee is driving while using an electronic device.
“Where the key is to this is, even if your policy says it, you have to live it,” Mr. Johnson said. “It's one thing to have it down in writing; it's another to do it.”
On the books
As public awareness intensifies over the dangers of talking and texting while driving, so, too, does the number of governing bodies enacting rules regarding the use of electronic devices.
Such measures all have the potential for creating a trickle-down effect on employers.
For example, the U.S. Department of Transportation on Jan. 1 banned drivers of commercial motor vehicles from using hand-held mobile phones during operation.
In Northeast Ohio, a number of municipalities, including Lyndhurst, North Royalton and Summit County, have enacted texting-while-driving bans, while others, such as North Olmsted and South Euclid, have passed laws restricting the use of handheld cell phones.
Cleveland Councilman Zack Reed recently has said he wants to further address restrictions on cell phone use while driving in the city.
|
<urn:uuid:9301cee6-7ca6-4ddd-b7c4-8f415ee49d12>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20120430/SUB1/304309996&template=mobile
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.95976
| 1,202
| 1.648438
| 2
|
AccessMyLibrary provides FREE access to millions of articles from top publications available through your library.
I will go on a diet.
I will get my spending habits under control.
I will be more patient with my kids.
I will be a better wife, daughter, sister, friend.
I will exercise regularly.
I will pray more.
SOUND FAMILIAR? If so, you're one of more than a million Americans who made New Year's resolutions this year. And by about March, if you're like most, you've either given up on your resolutions or you re about ready to quit. How do I know? I've been a New Year's resolution dropout myself.
It certainly wasn't because of a lack of desire; I wanted to change. Motivation wasn't the issue, either; I was highly motivated (at least in January). I couldn't identify the problem until I stumbled upon some old training objectives I'd set 20 years earlier while working in student ministry. I was amazed at how similar my ministry goals were to New Year's resolutions. As I read through my files, I realized my difficulty in keeping resolutions was less a matter of desire, discipline, or motivation, and more a misunderstanding of how to set goals effectively.
New Year's resolutions are nothing more than goals in disguise. Our problem is we often treat resolutions as desires (I want to get in shape) or promises (I will be a better friend), whereas goals give us a plan.
Try these six steps for more effective resolutions:
1 Be specific. In my work as a teacher coordinator, I meet with Bible study teachers to help them set personal and ministry goals. At one such meeting, …
|
<urn:uuid:b69b9def-8d4b-427b-91cf-2457dff6fa69>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-4804_ITM
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.969458
| 351
| 1.742188
| 2
|
BIDDINGTON'S ART GALLERY--Paintings, Sculpture & Prints
BIDDINGTON'S Appraisals & Valuations
American vs. European Paintings
How to Tell Them Apart
Art is my preferred hobby and entertainment; the Biddington's family gene is inescapable. Unfortunately, volatile stock markets and late night rendezvous don't leave much time for reading and connoisseurship. So, I've learned to borrow the knowledge of well-educated friends to buttress areas where I'm lacking.
One of my favorite human resources is Laura Shechter, a contemporary realist painter and National Academy member. Shechter studied with painter Ad Reinhardt who was, from all accounts, one the most brilliant art teachers of the 20th century; she has traveled extensively and possesses multi-cultural aesthetic knowledge. Shechter took minimalist Reinhardt at his word when he suggested distilling ideas down to their essence. It's this cut-to-the-chase quality that makes talking with her so rewarding.
In a recent conversation, the topic of European versus American art was raised. The question was not which is better, but rather, how to tell them apart.
"It's easy," Shechter said, "American painting is about observation, European painting is about Xerxes."In other words, a European painting refers to the cultural and art historical traditions that preceded it.
An American painting is concerned with seeing and accurately rendering whatever is in front of the artist.
If you look back at the history of painting in America you see that this is essentially true. The earliest artists are the limners who painted simple portraits. As time passed, artists with more sophisticated ambitions came along, but America provided a very limited market for their work. So, an artist like Benjamin West who wanted to paint history paintings went off to England early in his career to seek his fortune. While an artist like JS Copley--who painted more directly--found a market for his work in Boston; though Copley was eventually lured away by the bright-lights and social scene of London.
A look at an American portrait by John Singleton Copley (1737-1815) and a British portrait of the same period by Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792) explains volumes about the fundamental difference in the paintings of the Continent versus the US. The Copley subject is just a guy in a chair; the Reynolds subject is a master-of-the-universe with all the glory of England and the history of art behind him.
18th Century: American Portrait COPLEY (left) vs. British Portrait REYNOLDS (right)
This difference applies to other genres besides portraiture. Consider the work of 19th century still life painter John Frederick Peto (1854-1907): Peto studied for a time at the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Art and showed occasionally in their exhibitions. Peto painted such life-like compositions that they can almost be called trompe l'oeil (meaning that they could be mistaken for the real thing). Of course, Peto is remarkable not merely for his painting skill, but also for his choosing to portray very ordinary objects in such precisionist detail. In its narrow picture depth, open compositional structure and choice of subject matter, Peto's work prefigures abstraction and even Pop art.
19th Century: American PETO (left) vs. Frenchman FANTIN-LATOUR (right)
Compare Peto to his contemporary, French still life painter Henri Fantin-Latour. Also academically trained, Fantin-Latour was nonetheless very much a part of the lively art scene in 19th century Paris. Along with other renegades, Fantin-Latour boycotted the academy to show at the Salon des Refugées thereby thumbing his nose at the traditionalists. But in actually examining a Fantin-Latour still life, we see a rigid adherence to four centuries of perspective norms combined with a propensity to romanticize produce. Fantin-Latour, who was involved in everything trendy in Paris, seems tethered to the past--a victim of too much history.
Even with firsthand exposure to European art, Ash Can School painter Edward Hopper (1882-1969) kept his distinctly American character. Hopper traveled to Europe twice during those artistically fertile years just before World War I. Hopper exhibited his work in the famous New York Armory Show of 1913--a show that included over 1000 examples of traditional and avant-garde European art. But Hopper apparently ignored these experiences still painting in an emotionally cool, simple and direct style. His theme was emphatically modern: the isolation of people torn from cozy, 19th century rural security and thrust solitary and alienated into an urban environment.
20th Century: American HOPPER "Hotel Room" (left) vs. German BECKMANN "Hotel" (right)
Hopper's contemporary, German painter Max Beckmann (1884-1950), painted modern man as alienated, too; visually his work is light years apart from Hopper's. In this late painting--made in St. Louis just after WW II--Beckmann shows a man surrounded by bodies, but emotionally isolated, with human foes on all sides. The claustrophobic space and high-contrast paint are disturbing and profoundly expressive. Hopper's loneliness is empty and detached; Beckmann's is a deeply personal despair.
With the 1950's, the artistic cross-pollination driven by instant communications and the displacements of World War II make it hard, and not particularly useful, to try to differentiate Europe from the US. Many European artists fled in exile to New York and stayed in town to make their mark on the thriving New York art scene.
With American art, what-you-see-is-what-you-get.
Still, if you ask a contemporary artist if their work is fundamentally European or American, you do get a knee-jerk answer. It seems to boil down to this:
With European art, a cigar is much more than a cigar.
PPP Test: Judging Quality in Contemporary Art
Art, Time and Technology
American vs. European Paintings
Jake Biddington's Art as Entertainment
Jake Biddington's Vetted Antiques & Art Shows
Jake Biddington's Patent Numbers as a Dating Tool
Jake Biddington's Hard Assets as Portfolio
Jake Biddington's Buying Fine Jewelry at Auction
Jake Biddington's Long Term Investing
Jake Biddington's Short-Term Investing
Jake Biddington's The Craft of Art
Jake Biddington's BENTLEY Art & Travel Series:
Restaurant Guide to Buenos Aires--2006
Tigre, Argentina--Day Trip from Buenos Aires
San Antonio de Areco, Argentina--Weekend Trip from Buenos Aires
Touring Santiago & Valparaiso, Chile
New Haven, Connecticut
Visiting New York City 2006
New York City 2005--Christo's Gates
Buenos Aires--Basic Guide
Cultural Touring along Spain's Costa del Sol
Touring in Lisbon
Touring in Milan
Touring in Antwerp
Touring in Barcelona
I-80 Park City to New York City
Tourism New York City 2003 Update
Tourism New York City 2002
Hudson, New York (Columbia County)
Tourism Rome 2002 Update
Hartford & Wilton, Connecticut
San Francisco Jackson Square
New Hampshire Route 1A
Morris County, New Jersey
ABOUT THIS FEATURE
Jake Biddington works on The Street and is responsible for the
opinions & information in INVESTING. Young Jake, as he is known
within the virtual BIDDINGTON clan, views art, antiques and collectibles as
stores of value similar to stocks or foreign currencies. He sees these
items as another type of asset in which to place one's money. To that
end he keeps price histories and charting information on various
categories of objects. He views some items as long term investments,
others as items for a quick trade--and he even sees some as short
Copyright Biddington's, Inc.
Frankly, Jake's views incite considerable controversy within the
family: His mother, Claire Biddington Rosetti, the curator of
CREATIVE PROCESS, sees Jake's approach as part of the damaging
"commodification" of art wherein the buyers of art comprehend only
its financial value and are blind to its aesthetic and social
significance. Cousin Randolph, (writer of EXPERT CONSULTANCY),
sees the silver lining: For him, the informed expert wins because he
can use his knowledge and judgment to buy superbly interesting--
what Jake would call "off-the-run"-- pieces at relatively cheap prices,
because such items don't fit the narrow criteria for quick
Once the Bentley is safely garaged and he lounges
sipping his second martini, Uncle Frederick Fieldhouse Biddington
waxes inclusive: "Whatever gives collectors pleasure," he says.
Downloading or printing for online or print reproduction of any materials without specific written permission from Biddington's, Inc. is prohibited.
PEDIGREE & PROVENANCE--art words & terms defined.
CREATIVE PROCESS--artists' studio visits
BIDDINGTON'S BENTLEY--travel for the art connoisseur. MY ART--Art for kids.
|
<urn:uuid:c038e85a-5950-4a99-918c-0f0548f4ce12>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.biddingtons.com/content/investingeuro.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.93138
| 1,994
| 1.96875
| 2
|
One of two basic AI camps that emerged during the Information Age. In contrast to the Progressives the Stasists wanted to halt all other technological innovation, so that they could safely rule over the baselines like gods.
Stasists are divided into pro-human farmers, human-neutral centralists, and anti-human ahumans.
During the early years, the stasists were busy building empires, but ran into each other all the time. There were simply too many AIs and too many unrelated plans going on in the Solar System. Repeated attempts to create an "AI Government" failed, because the various AIs were too diverse. The stasists gradually reached a consensus, but only after marginalizing the ahumans with their incompatible plans. This centralist consensus began to work on creating an inner system dominated by megacorps and governments.
|
<urn:uuid:fe885e11-c1d9-4ae6-b3f6-d346cc0a1eae>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.orionsarm.com/eg-article/478983be31b18
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.976562
| 176
| 1.890625
| 2
|
Public Service Announcements (PSAs)
Beyond Pesticides PSA on Healthy Schools - Video PSA, YouTube. Children face unique hazards from pesticide exposure. They take in more pesticides relative to their body weight than adults in the food they eat and air they breathe. Their developing organ systems often make them more sensitive to toxic exposure. Fortunately, organic solutions exist to keep you and your children safe.
Earth Share and the Ad Council's PSA on Pesticides in Schools - Audio MP3 file, 60 sec. Eliminating unnecessary toxic pesticide use in and around schools is a precautionary approach to protecting children’s health. A new radio PSA from Earth Share and the Ad Council highlights the dangers of toxic pesticides and ways to protect the health of children. Ask your local radio station to play this PSA. For more information, visit http://www.earthshare.org.
Bill Passes Senate with School Pest Management and Pesticide Right-to-Know
Education Conference Committee Kills School Pesticide Amendment (November 30, 2001)
Education Conference Committee to Vote on School Pesticide Amendment; Amendment's Sponsor, Senator Torricelli, Issues Document with School Officials' Support (November 30, 2001)
Broad Coalition Urges Education Conference Committee To Protect Children from Pesticides in Schools; Historic Accord Between Environmentalists and Pesticide, Pest Management Industries (November 27, 2001)
Senate Measure to Protect Children from Pesticides in Jeopardy in the House; Historic Public Interest and Industry Agreement Threatened by House Agriculture Committee; Emergency Hearing Scheduled for July 18, 2001 (July 10, 2001)
Children's Pesticide Exposure to be Curtailed Under U.S. Senate Education Bill; Historic Agreement Between Environmental, Health, Education and Labor Groups and Chemical and Pest Management Industry On School Pesticide Use (June 19, 2001)
|
<urn:uuid:18bc7b76-33ed-4e7e-909b-652bcafe1f4b>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.beyondpesticides.org/schools/media/index.php
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.905316
| 385
| 3.0625
| 3
|
About two years ago, on the sixth floor of the Deloitte offices in San Jose, we began outlining a new framework on a whiteboard. We were trying to get our heads around the long-term transformation we saw happening to the global business environment as a result of digital technology and, to a lesser extent, public policy changes. We later came to call this transformation the Big Shift.
About that time we also began gathering examples and illustrations of the Big Shift as it played out in diverse arenas from open-source software to online gaming. Yet stories and theory only go so far. Wouldn't it be better, we asked ourselves, if we could somehow quantify this Big Shift, and find a way to measure the rate and magnitude of the long-term changes happening in this epochal time?
And so began the pursuit of what today we're publishing as The 2009 Shift Index, a new set of economic indicators built for the digital world. Because it focuses on longer-term, "secular" changes to the business environment, the Shift Index is designed as a complement to the overwhelmingly short-term, cyclical measures that comprise most of today's economic indices.
The full report and findings are available here. And a summary version of the framework, index, and findings is now out in the July/August Harvard Business Review. In the months and years to come, this inaugural index, which focuses exclusively on the U.S. economy, will be regularly updated to track changes over time and expand the ability to compare performance trends across industries, countries, and firms.
The Shift Index tracks 25 metrics in nine categories across three sets of main indicators: Foundations, which set the stage for major change; Flows of resources, such as knowledge, which allow businesses to enhance productivity; and Impacts, which help gauge progress at an economy-wide level. Together these indicators represent phases of transformation in the Big Shift taking place in the global business environment.
What do the findings show? The 2009 Shift Index reveals a disquieting performance paradox in the US corporate sector. On the one hand, labor productivity has nearly doubled since 1965. During those same years, however, US companies' Return on Assets (ROA) progressively dropped 75 percent from their 1965 level.
How can firms be getting lower returns even as they're becoming more efficient? The answer resides in the heightened competition among firms. Competitive intensity nearly doubled between 1965 and 2008, forcing firms to compete away the benefits of productivity gains, which were instead captured by creative talent in the form of higher compensation and numbers of consumers through increasing performance/price ratios and wider choice.
It's little surprise to find also that the highest-performing companies are struggling to maintain their ROA rates and are increasingly losing market leadership positions. Taken as a whole, the findings portray a U.S. corporate sector in which long-term forces of change are undercutting normal sources of economic value. "Normal" may in fact be a thing of the past: even after the economy resumes growing, companies' returns will remain under pressure.
To respond to this performance challenge, U.S. companies will need to let go of industrial- era organizational structures (and the reporting relationships, incentive systems, and managerial processes that go with them) and operational practices in favor of the new institutional architectures and business practices needed to create and capture economic value in the era of the Big Shift.
Companies must move beyond their fixation on getting bigger and more cost-effective to make the institutional innovations necessary to accelerate performance improvement as they add participants to their ecosystems, expanding learning and innovation in collaboration curves and creation spaces. Companies must move, in other words, from scalable efficiency to scalable learning and performance. Only then will they make the most of our new era's fast-moving digital infrastructure.
The initial launch of the Shift Index reflects a work in progress. We hope the work we've done so far will encourage others to challenge and augment these methodologies and findings. We look forward to the comments section of this blog continuing to be a lively part of that discussion.
Lang Davison is the former executive director of the Deloitte Center for the Edge and was previously editor-in-chief of The McKinsey Quarterly. He is co-author of The Power of Pull: How Small Moves, Smartly Made, Set Big Things in Motion.
|
<urn:uuid:c4d38383-038a-4caa-af07-78f174be09a8>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://blogs.hbr.org/bigshift/2009/06/measuring-the-big-shift.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.944352
| 884
| 2.125
| 2
|
Since its inception in 1979, The Museum of Contemporary Art has devoted itself to post-1940 artwork, a focus that sets it apart from all other Los Angeles museums. Its permanent collection harbors more than 5,000 art objects, encompassing media from video installations and documentary photography to pop art. Works from renowned artists such as Roy Lichtenstein, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Diane Arbus share gallery space with pieces from up-and-coming artists across the museum’s three facilities.
To complement its permanent collection, the museum hosts rotating temporary exhibits, such as the current Amanda Ross-Ho exhibit, Teeny Tiny Woman, which incorporates architectural elements and large-scale paintings. The museum staff also augments these displays with events, such as their summer concert series in Geffen Plaza, which explores the intersection of music and art like a guitar decoupaged with pages from DaVinci’s journal.
|
<urn:uuid:c472468c-f363-482b-ab22-574bd01fca93>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.groupon.com/local/la-canada-flintridge-ca/museums-and-galleries
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.946842
| 191
| 1.515625
| 2
|
Topic: Interrogative Sentences – Definition, examples, sentence structure, and usage
If you listen to an every day conversation, you’ll notice the exchange isn’t simply statements of facts or ideas. Of course, these types of statements (called declarative sentences) are part of the dialogue, but unless the conversation is entirely one-way, chances are you’ll also hear requests or commands (imperative sentences), exclamations (exclamatory sentences) or questions (interrogative sentences). That’s how normal dialogue occurs and in order for your writing to be engaging and interesting, you need to do what comes naturally in every day language.
Sentences that ask a question are called interrogative sentences. They’re easy to spot -they always end with a question mark (?). But it’s not quite as simple as that. All interrogative sentences are not the same.
There are 4 types of Interrogative sentences.
- Yes/No interrogatives
- Alternative interrogatives.
- Tag questions.
Yes/no interrogatives are questions that can be answered with a yes or a no response. You probably ask or are asked these questions every day.
Here are some examples of yes/no interrogative sentences:
- Mister, can you spare a dime?
- Did you take your vitamin this morning?
- Do you have your homework ready?
- Are you ready to go?
- Did you go to the game Friday night?
For each of the above questions, the answer will be either a yes or no answer.
Alternative interrogatives are questions that provide for two or more alternative answers. In other words, you’re providing a choice.
Examples of alternative interrogative sentences:
- Would you prefer chocolate or vanilla ice cream?
- Should I call or email you?
- Do you want coffee, tea, or soda?
Wh-interrogatives sentences begin with a wh-word and call for an open-ended answer. A yes or no answer isn’t appropriate for these questions, nor does the question provide alternative answers. The answer can be a simple response or complex explanation.
Examples of wh-interrogative sentences:
- What are you doing?
- Where do you live?
- Who is playing in the Super Bowl?
- What is the meaning of this?
- Which songs do you like best?
Tag questions are questions attached or tagged onto the ending of a declarative statement. They transform a declarative sentence into an interrogative sentence.
- You live in the city, don’t you?
- We need to get going now, don’t we?
- There’s a game on today, isn’t there?
- You’re coming to the party, aren’t you?
Sometimes interrogative sentences are actually declarative sentences that have a question mark at the end. If you ask this type of question, the last syllable of the final word in the sentence is spoken with a rising intonation. Here are a few examples.
- The bus has already left?
- The Saints won the Super Bowl?
- It’s snowing in Florida?
- You’ve lost 15 pounds already?
- The Subject of Interrogative Sentences
The subject of interrogative sentences may not be obvious. Typically, you can spot them right after the verb. But there’s a way to make the subject easier to spot. Simply rewrite the question into a statement and then the subject is then easy to find.
Here are some examples below. First you’ll find an interrogative sentence. Immediately following is the declarative form of the sentence with the subject underlined.
- Did you clean up your room? You cleaned up your room.
- Has Jack come to visit? Jack has come to visit.
- Is this Jill’s wallet? This is Jill’s wallet.
Interrogative sentences are the most simple to identify. They always ask a question or request information. Simply look for the question mark at the end and you’ll have no problem finding or understanding the function of interrogative sentences.
|
<urn:uuid:ebc9da8f-5d28-44bb-b5a3-6fa836b46ed0>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.k12reader.com/interrogative-sentences/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.912736
| 890
| 3.75
| 4
|
Key Findings from ASTI Assessments
Key Findings: 2011 Update
Download the ASTI Key Findings Report
- 1.1 Average abundance of Arctic vertebrates increased from 1970 until 1990 then remained fairly stable through 2007, as measured by the ASTI 2011.
- 1.2 When species abundance is grouped by broad ecozones, a different picture emerges, with low Arctic species abundance increasing in the first two decades much more than high Arctic and sub Arctic species abundance. The low Arctic index has stabilized since the mid-1990s while the high Arctic index appears to be recovering in recent years and the sub Arctic index has been declining since a peak in the mid-1980s.
- 1.3 The trend for Arctic marine species is similar to that of the overall ASTI, while the trend for terrestrial species shows a quite different pattern: a steady decline after the early 1990s to a level below the 1970 baseline by 2005.
Download more quick facts from the ASTI Key Findings report
Tracking trends in Arctic marine vertebrates
Download the ASTI Marine Report
- 2.1 The trend for marine fish is very similar to the trend for all marine species, increasing from 1970 to about 1990 and then levelling off. This indicates that the ASTI is strongly influenced by fish trends. Overall, marine mammals also increased, while marine birds showed less change.
- 2.2 The three ocean regions, Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic, differed significantly in average population trends with an overall decline in abundance in the Atlantic, a small average increase in the Arctic and a dramatic increase in the Pacific. These differences seem to be largely driven by variation in fish population abundance—there were no significant regional differences for birds or mammals.
- 2.3 Pelagic fish abundance appears to cycle on a time frame of about 10 years. These cycles showed a strong association with a large-scale climate oscillation.
- 2.4 The ASTI data set contains population trends for nine sea ice associated species. There were mixed trends among the 36 populations with just over half showing an overall decline.
- 2.5 The Bering Sea and Aleutian Island (BSAI) region of the Pacific Ocean is well studied, providing an opportunity to examine trends in more detail. Since 1970, BSAI marine fish and mammals showed overall increases, while marine birds declined. However, since the late 1980s, marine mammal abundance has declined while marine fish abundance has largely stabilized.
Tracking trends through space and time
Download the ASTI Spatial Report
- 3.1 Spatial analysis of the full ASTI data set (1951 to 2010) started with an evaluation of vertebrate population trend data from around the Arctic. The maps produced from this analysis provide information useful for identifying gaps and setting priorities for biodiversity monitoring programs.
- 3.2 Mapping trends in vertebrate populations provides information on patterns of biodiversity change over space and time, especially when examined at regional scales.
- 3.3 Understanding of the causes of Arctic vertebrate population change can be improved by expanding the spatial analysis of ASTI data to include spatial data on variables that represent drivers of biodiversity change.
The overall ASTI report (2010)
Download the ASTI 2010 Report
- The average population of Arctic species rose by 16% between 1970 and 2004, however, this is not consistent across biomes, regions, and taxa.
- High Arctic species populations have decreased by an average of 26% between 1970 and 2004.
- Sub Arctic species populations, mostly terrestrial and freshwater species, show a recent decline since peaking in the mid-1980s, but no overall change (-3%).
- Low Arctic species populations, largely dominated by marine species, have increased by an average of 46%, however, the data in the Low Arctic index is heavily biased by Eastern Bering Sea populations, many of which have experienced dramatic increases (e.g., some fish populations due to improving marine conditions and some marine mammal populations recovering from historical overharvesting).
- Dramatic growth of certain populations of migratory arctic nesting geese species (as a whole almost doubling since the 1970s (from 12.5 Million to 21.4 million) shows a contrast with a steady decline in other herbivorous species, most of which are not migratory. The increase in goose populations is thought to be largely due to increased agricultural waste in wintering grounds providing extra food resources and reduced hunting pressures.
- Other Arctic grazing species have not fared as well with an overall decline of 20% between 1985 and 2004. The reason for the decline is unknown.
|
<urn:uuid:4e5b0d44-4bd9-4a0b-9257-f6f7275d89fb>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.caff.is/asti/facts-and-findings
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.931903
| 943
| 3.0625
| 3
|
A marriage certificate is a document completed by a clergyman or other individual empowered to perform marriages verifying that a marriage ceremony took place. Usually, one copy is given to the bride and groom. A second copy or a standard county form filled out by the officiating individual is filed with the county. The Register of Deeds records the data as an official government record. Often, additional data is supplied from other sources and added to this record. During most of the 1800s it was not required to submit marriage data to the county. For this time period, recorded marriage information is incomplete.
In the 1960s a box of marriage certificates created between 1822 and 1876 was found at the Milwaukee County Courthouse. The box also included some miscellaneous documents pertaining to the marriage such as permission to marry slips, authorizations, and land deeds. The information in these documents include a parent giving permission for an underage child to marry, an affidavit of there being no impediment to marriage, information on the closeness of the blood relationship, and written permission for the clerk to hand the marriage license to a third party for delivery. These documents generally do not have standardized information, but can be quite interesting. Many of these documents were not in very good condition. Research by the Milwaukee County Genealogical Society (MCGS) indicates that most of these certificates are not recorded at the Milwaukee County Courthouse. Some of the records appear in the Wisconsin Pre-1907 Marriage Index and some do not.
The certificates and accompanying documents were filmed in 1966. The Milwaukee Public Library owns a set of these microfilmed marriage certificates. In 1999 the MCGS arranged to have the records refilmed, adding location citations. In 2000 MCGS volunteers created alphabetical indexes for bride and for groom. Roger Cobb with Lois Molitor acted as project coordinators. Over 42,000 names were put into the database that produced the indexes. Unfortunately, the original copies that were filmed in 1966 have vanished.
In 2009 the microfilm copy of the marriage certificates was digitized. The digital images of the certificated were combined with the index created by the MCGS to produce this digital collection.
What information can be found on a record?
Like many documents from the 1800s, there can be a difference between what was recorded by one county clerk or clergy member and another. Many of the documents do list the maiden name of the mothers of the bride or the groom, but not all. Some list the maiden name of the bride if she had been married before, but others do not. Some of the documents have very precise locations when asked for place of birth, others are general or a place of birth is not listed at all. Some of the early documents used the standard form but do not seem to have been written on standard forms. If the ceremony was a religious one, the church name was often listed or if the ceremony took place in a home, the affiliation is listed. With civil ceremonies, sometimes a street address and the homeowner’s name and/or relationship are listed.
Most of these documents were created in Milwaukee, but there are a few from other locations. The number of certificates created outside of Milwaukee County is minimal. For Wisconsin there are some records from the following counties: Brown, Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Jefferson, La Crosse, Outagamie, Ozaukee, Racine, Rock, Sheboygan, Walworth, Washington, Waukesha, and Winnebago. From outside of Wisconsin there are a few records from Cook County, IL, Dearborn County, IN and Frankfurt, Germany.
Thank you to the Milwaukee Genealogical Society, and especially to Roger Cobb and Lois Molitor for their invaluable and extensive work in making this collection possible.
Browse this collection
|
<urn:uuid:0df624d6-91e0-473e-9b38-5870f7fafca2>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://content.mpl.org/cdm/landingpage/collection/MCMC
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.964367
| 777
| 2.90625
| 3
|
Always try to maintain a ritual before your matches. They could be complex or very simple. Just like going to bed and waking up at the same time every day is important to your health and bio-rhythm. A ritual can do the same thing for your tennis.
For example, practice a 10 to 15 minute warm-up as a ritual for success. You might start off tapping the ball off the bounce, back and forth, with the ball landing inside the service line. Then hit baseline to baseline, then hitting one up at the net and one back on the baseline, practicing exchanging volleys and overheads. After that, you could hit a few serves and returns, finishing with some points played out on the cross-court for doubles and full court for singles. Each of these scenarios would only last 2-3 minutes. Do this until you can get everything done in a short time period, 10-30 minutes total.
When you are practicing, do the same drills in the same order, just extend the time frame. This could be a 1 hour to an hour and a half workout on practice days.
The confidence and calmness that you will gain by doing this ritual will be tremendous. This way, if your opponents do not give you a good warm-up, it will not matter. You will be mentally and physically ready to start the match.
Good luck on the courts!
|
<urn:uuid:0154610d-07b5-4eb7-9be9-0e8042c3c0ff>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.tennisserver.com/Mills-tip/Mills-tip_12_03.shtml
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.93349
| 284
| 1.976563
| 2
|
The group of so-called men's diseases include a fairly wide range of different pathological states.
Men's disease include:
Experts note that the most common diseases in men are erectile dysfunction, prostatitis, and infertility. Male diseases are usually the result of negligent attitude of patients to their health. Very often men come to professionals for help when the disease is in advanced condition. To avoid this, it is advised to undergo regular preventive medical examinations.
It is worth mentioning that the potency is considered an important indicator not only of male libido but health in general. Its violation may indicate a serious cardiovascular or endocrine disease. Therefore, physicians believe the solution of male sexual problems is a necessary step to improve the length and quality of men's life.
Men after the age of forty should yearly visit specialists for the prevention of men's diseases and, above all, diseases of the prostate. Men over fifty should also be examined for prostate cancer and prostate hyperplasia as preventive care. Timely detection and competent treatment of these pathologies will allow maintain viability, quality of life, and sometimes life itself to patients for many years.
|
<urn:uuid:fa40fee4-23c8-4a49-bd8f-f2ee460a2557>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.multiherbal.com/mens-health.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00052-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.956106
| 229
| 2.71875
| 3
|
- Special Sections
- Real Estate
The county’s largest landfill, the Benton Crossing landfill, is living on borrowed time.The landfill sits on Los Angeles Department of Water and Power land, and in the past few years, the city has made it clear it wants the site to be rehabilitated as soon as possible after the landfill is full in 2023—with no hope of expanding the site to accommodate growth.
This means a new landfill, or exporting waste out of the area, both of which will be expensive.
In the mean time, the city is demanding changes to the operation and monitoring of the landfill that are “fairly unfavorable” to the county, county counsel Stacey Simon told the county board of supervisors Tuesday.
One of those “unfavorable” terms is a shorter lease term than what the county had hoped for—one year instead of five. The county is also under increasing pressure from the state to cooperate with the Town of Mammoth Lakes to create a recycling facility that can divert a large majority of all the county’s garbage away from the landfill.
At the same time, the county is losing money on the landfill, and county supervisors noted last week that rate hikes and/or cutting services is inevitable sometime in the near future.
|
<urn:uuid:1aeab02a-6f26-45b7-b8ce-a7093a4b8682>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.mammothtimes.com/content/los-angeles-mono-county-try-find-common-ground
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.940021
| 282
| 1.960938
| 2
|
The Mary Howard Health Center sits on the first floor of a ten-story, low-rise office building a few blocks from the heart of downtown Philadelphia. The center serves the city's homeless residents, providing everything from wound care to mental-health services. Like all community health centers, Mary Howard provides health care without regard for income or insurance status.
"They're doing a good job, giving me all the attention I need," says James Brown ("like the soul singer"), a 71-year-old Mary Howard patient with a painful abscess on his back the size of a fist. "It's just like a regular hospital."
The center saw 1,760 patients last year, a capacity increased by funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's (ARRA) $2 billion earmark for community health centers. Most of the $636,000 ARRA grant Mary Howard received went to expanding the center's capacity from four to ten patient rooms.
Without Mary Howard, Brown says, "I would have just gone to emergency care ... but I trust [the health center] just as much as emergency care."
The nation's 8,000 community health centers -- nonprofit organizations that provide primary care to medically underserved areas and populations -- serve more than 20 million patients a year, about half in rural areas. They do this at under half the cost of emergency rooms (where the uninsured might otherwise receive treatment), which is why they were a key component of the Obama administration's health-care reform law.
In addition to receiving a boost from the economic stimulus, the Affordable Care Act included $11.5 billion over five years for expanding community health centers nationwide, largely for the reasons highlighted by Brown's case: When they are run well, health centers provide comprehensive medical coverage to those who wouldn't otherwise receive it, at a cost savings of $24 billion per year. Advocates and policy-makers argue that an expanded health-center network could accommodate the needs of the tens of millions of newly insured Americans, including Americans newly eligible for Medicaid under the health-care law.
"There are actually more people -- about 60 million -- who live in federally classified underserved areas of the country than there are uninsured," says David Reynolds, senior health policy adviser to Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont, who made community health centers a priority during the legislative wrangling over health-care reform. "[Insurance] coverage alone is not sufficient. If we are to expand coverage to 32 million people, we should expand access [to health care] to the same degree."
Although their origins lie in Lyndon Johnson's Great Society programs, community health centers have received the blessing of both political parties. George W. Bush was a big booster, and in 2008, the Health Care Safety Net Act, which provided funding for health centers, passed both houses unanimously. But the Tea Party-dominated 112th Congress, which swept into power on the heels of dissatisfaction with the ACA, mangled the $2.2 billion in appropriations allocated annually to health centers, slicing $600 million from their budget. This August, the Department of Health and Human Services dispensed a round of ACA grants to fund 67 new health centers, to serve 286,000 patients. The original proposal, before the slash-happy budget deal, was supposed to fund at least 350 new health centers this year, to serve 5 million patients. At existing health centers, money originally intended for expansion has gone into keeping the centers afloat.
"We have enjoyed, and I believe we still enjoy, broad bipartisan support," says Dan Hawkins, policy director for the National Association of Community Health Centers. "Because the GOP is ardently opposed to the Affordable Care Act, they saw the action of cutting back funding on health centers as a way of cutting back on the expansions [from Obama's health-care reform]."
"It was an anti-health-reform action rather than an anti-health-center action," he added. "Whatever the motivation, the effect is the same: five million people won't get care."
The future of existing health centers looks uncertain in this austerity-prone environment. "If there is no mandatory fund and you reduce the appropriations," Reynolds explains, "you have effectively killed community health centers."
Some centers would be hurt worse than others. The Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC), which runs Mary Howard, relies primarily on reimbursements from Medicaid. But community centers in many Southern states, which historically have weak Medicaid programs, rely on federal appropriations to pay the bills. If those appropriations aren't there, they may not be, either.
But PHMC officials are hopeful about the future. The center was one of the lucky 67 applicants that received an August ACA grant. The $162,500 will go toward a new health center in a largely Hispanic area of north Philadelphia, to be developed in partnership with the Latino advocacy organization Congreso de Latinos Unidos.
"One of the reasons we exist is because we can do things with such flexibility and speed and low administrative cost, in ways government alone can't do," says Dina Wolfman Baker, vice president of communications for PHMC. "We really don't have a fear that the need for that partnership will go away."
You need to be logged in to comment.
(If there's one thing we know about comment trolls, it's that they're lazy)
|
<urn:uuid:d4db6235-109f-4dda-9c33-b0a65624ada0>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://prospect.org/article/death-watch-health-clinics
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.964316
| 1,098
| 2.125
| 2
|
Welcome to my personal homepage. Here you can find information on my current research as well as my publications and other activities. More research-related information is published on semanticsoftware.info, where you can also contact me. For the socially networked, I'm also on Google+, LinkedIn, Xing and Twitter.
Motivation: Semantic tagging of organism mentions in full-text articles is an important part of literature mining and semantic enrichment solutions. Tagged organism mentions also play a pivotal role in disambiguating other entities in a text, such as proteins. A high-precision organism tagging system must be able to detect the numerous forms of organism mentions, including common names as well as the traditional taxonomic groups: genus, species and strains. In addition, such a system must resolve abbreviations and acronyms, assign the scientific name and if possible link the detected mention to the NCBI Taxonomy database for further semantic queries and literature navigation.
Results: We present the OrganismTagger, a hybrid rule-based/machine learning system to extract organism mentions from the literature. It includes tools for automatically generating lexical and ontological resources from a copy of the NCBI Taxonomy database, thereby facilitating system updates by end users. Its novel ontology-based resources can also be reused in other semantic mining and linked data tasks. Each detected organism mention is normalized to a canonical name through the resolution of acronyms and abbreviations and subsequently grounded with an NCBI Taxonomy database ID. In particular, our system combines a novel machine-learning approach with rule-based and lexical methods for detecting strain mentions in documents. On our manually annotated OT corpus, the OrganismTagger achieves a precision of 95%, a recall of 94% and a grounding accuracy of 97.5%. On the manually annotated corpus of Linnaeus-100, the results show a precision of 99%, recall of 97% and grounding accuracy of 97.4%.
Availability: The OrganismTagger, including supporting tools, resources, training data and manual annotations, as well as end user and developer documentation, is freely available under an open-source license at http://www.semanticsoftware.info/organism-tagger.
Intelligent Software Development Environments: Integrating Natural Language Processing with the Eclipse Platform
Software engineers need to be able to create, modify, and analyze knowledge stored in software artifacts. A significant amount of these artifacts contain natural language, like version control commit messages, source code comments, or bug reports. Integrated software development environments (IDEs) are widely used, but they are only concerned with structured software artifacts – they do not offer support for analyzing unstructured natural language and relating this knowledge with the source code. We present an integration of natural language processing capabilities into the Eclipse framework, a widely used software IDE. It allows to execute NLP analysis pipelines through the Semantic Assistants framework, a service-oriented architecture for brokering NLP services based on GATE. We demonstrate a number of semantic analysis services helpful in software engineering tasks, and evaluate one task in detail, the quality analysis of source code comments.
Integrating Wiki Systems, Natural Language Processing, and Semantic Technologies for Cultural Heritage Data Management
Modern documents can easily be structured and augmented to have the characteristics of a semantic knowledge base. Many older documents may also hold a trove of knowledge that would deserve to be organized as such a knowledge base. In this chapter, we show that modern semantic technologies offer the means to make these heritage documents accessible by transforming them into a semantic knowledge base. Using techniques from natural language processing and Semantic Computing, we automatically populate an ontology. Additionally, all content is made accessible in a user-friendly Wiki interface, combining original text with NLP-derived metadata and adding annotation capabilities for collaborative use. All these functions are combined into a single, cohesive system architecture that addresses the different requirements from end users, software engineering aspects, and knowledge discovery paradigms. The ideas were implemented and tested with a volume from the historic Encyclopedia of Architecture and a number of different user groups.
Mutation impact extraction is a hitherto unaccomplished task in state of the art mutation extraction systems. Protein mutations and their impacts on protein properties are hidden in scientific literature, making them poorly accessible for protein engineers and inaccessible for phenotype-prediction systems that currently depend on manually curated genomic variation databases.
We present the first rule-based approach for the extraction of mutation impacts on protein properties, categorizing their directionality as positive, negative or neutral. Furthermore protein and mutation mentions are grounded to their respective UniProtKB IDs and selected protein properties, namely protein functions to concepts found in the Gene Ontology. The extracted entities are populated to an OWL-DL Mutation Impact ontology facilitating complex querying for mutation impacts using SPARQL. We illustrate retrieval of proteins and mutant sequences for a given direction of impact on specific protein properties. Moreover we provide programmatic access to the data through semantic web services using the SADI (Semantic Automated Discovery and Integration) framework.
We address the problem of access to legacy mutation data in unstructured form through the creation of novel mutation impact extraction methods which are evaluated on a corpus of full-text articles on haloalkane dehalogenases, tagged by domain experts. Our approaches show state of the art levels of precision and recall for Mutation Grounding and respectable level of precision but lower recall for the task of Mutant-Impact relation extraction. The system is deployed using text mining and semantic web technologies with the goal of publishing to a broad spectrum of consumers.
Natural language processing frameworks like GATE and UIMA have significantly changed the way NLP applications are designed, developed, and deployed. Features such as component-based design, test-driven development, and resource meta-descriptions now routinely provide higher robustness, better reusability, faster deployment, and improved scalability. They have become the staple of both NLP research and industrial application, fostering a new generation of NLP users and developers.
These are the proceedings of the workshop New Challenges for NLP Frameworks (NLPFrameworks 2010), held in conjunction with LREC 2010, which brought together users and developers of major NLP frameworks.
NLP methods for extracting mutation information from the bibliome have become an important new research area within bio-NLP, as manually curated databases, like the Protein Mutant Database (PMD) (Kawabata et al., 1999), cannot keep up with the rapid pace of mutation research. However, while significant progress has been made with respect to mutation detection, the automated extraction of the impacts of these mutations has so far not been targeted. In this paper, we describe the first work to automatically summarize impact information from protein mutations. Our approach is based on populating an OWL-DL ontology with impact information, which can then be queried to provide structured information, including a summary.
We present a lightweight, user-centred approach for document navigation and analysis that is based on an ontology of text mining results. This allows us to bring the result of existing text mining pipelines directly to end users. Our approach is domain-independent and relies on existing NLP analysis tasks such as automatic multi-document summarization, clustering, question-answering, and opinion mining. Users can interactively trigger semantic processing services for tasks such as analyzing product reviews, daily news, or other document sets.
An important software engineering artefact used by developers and maintainers to assist in software comprehension and maintenance is source code documentation. It provides insights that help software engineers to effectively perform their tasks, and therefore ensuring the quality of the documentation is extremely important. Inline documentation is at the forefront of explaining a programmer's original intentions for a given implementation. Since this documentation is written in natural language, ensuring its quality needs to be performed manually. In this paper, we present an effective and automated approach for assessing the quality of inline documentation using a set of heuristics, targeting both quality of language and consistency between source code and its comments. We apply our tool to the different modules of two open source applications (ArgoUML and Eclipse), and correlate the results returned by the analysis with bug defects reported for the individual modules in order to determine connections between documentation and code quality.
Real-time access to complex knowledge is a business driver in the contact centre environment. In this paper we outline for the domain of telecom technical product support a knowledge sharing paradigm in which a desktop client annotates named entities in technical documents with canonical names, class names or relevant class axioms, derived from an ontology by means of a web services framework. We described the system and its core components; OWL-DL telecom hardware ontology, ontological-natural language processing pipeline, an ontology axiom?extractor; and the Semantic Assistants framework.
|
<urn:uuid:51e2c9e1-42ee-4d79-b617-1ea03ee5d751>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.rene-witte.net/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.909219
| 1,813
| 1.523438
| 2
|
Chester is also the name given to a ghost
that haunts the theater department at S.F.A.
State Uiversity in Nacogdoches
many peolpe have come across Chester in their days at S.F.A.
There is in fact a photo of a scene in a play where although nothing was seen by the observers, in the photo as clear as day there is a large smoky figure of a person lying down arms crossed in the burial position. This photo has been analyzed by Kodak who sent the picture back with a letter that said, whatever was there, was indeed there, there had been no doctoring to the photo.
Another instance where Chester has shown himself was when a young female student snuck into the building to study, after hours. She says she was studying when she felt a cold breeze go by her, and saw a face rise out of the wall. The face stopped, and themouth opened and she says mouthed the words "Leave or die, NOW!" although no voice was heard she took it to heart and started to leave the building. As she was drawing near the exit, the lights went off. The young lady was frightened but determined to get out of the building. She says she was locked in and just as she was about to break the glass to the door, it opened for her. She ran out, and would not go back into the building, and she switched schools and majors shortly afterwards.
The last story I will convey to you happened to a Professor of the Theater Deptartment. He was working late one night, and heard sounds of someone screaming in the dressing closet below the stage. Quickly he ran downstairs, to see if he could aid the victim of whatever heinous crime was being committed. As he was running a hammer fell from the rafters of the building. He noticed it was his hammer, but he had not been up there this day. Puzzled he continued to the dressing room. He arrived at the door and it was locked, odd becaus it had no lock. Undiscouraged he kicked and beat on the door, the screams getting louder. He burst through, and to his astonishment, there was no one in there. Shaken and worried, he thought to lock the door back, only to find there was no lock. Very nervous he decided it was time to leave. On the way back upstairs in the same place, the exact same hammer, his hammer, fell down again, this time it grazed his back on it's fall. The Professor left, but to this day refuses to go in to the Drama building.
Most of these stories were taken frommy father Larry Standridge's book The Ghost's of Nacogdoches
|
<urn:uuid:46b65c47-a18a-47c4-8907-8a5eab6115ee>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://everything2.com/title/Chester
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00061-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.993097
| 563
| 1.5625
| 2
|
Sources: Interface [via Arvix], Arizona State Univ.
quote: If we attempt to calculate the probability of an average-sized protein consisting of 400 amino acids being selected only from left-handed amino acids, we come up with a probability of 1 in 2^400, or 10^120. Just for a comparison, the number of electrons in the universe is estimated at 10^79, which although vast, is a much smaller number. 1 divided by a number so vast, is effectively ZERO. And that's just for 1 single protein not thousands and ignoring all the other complex devices that are needed as well.
|
<urn:uuid:1d947900-fa33-4a07-9760-d310d126584a>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=29417&commentid=827164&threshhold=1&red=4953
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00055-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.937902
| 127
| 2.3125
| 2
|
Investopedia explains 'Schedule I Bank'
Under Bill C-8, implemented on October 24, 2001, the Schedule I and II bank structures were replaced with a new size-based ownership regime which is based upon the institution's equity.
Although the Schedule I and II bank structures have been replaced, they are still widely used to describe the two structures of bank in Canada.
- Institutions with over $5 billion in equity are required to have no person owning more than 20% of the voting shares or 30% of the non-voting shares.
- Institutions with equity of $1 billion to $5 billion have fewer restrictions on ownership, as they are only subject to having a public float of 35% of voting shares.
- Institutions with less than $1 billion in equity have no ownership restriction.
|
<urn:uuid:511c60b9-7b26-40f3-be17-5654fcf6c335>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/scheduleibank.asp
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.967038
| 169
| 2.65625
| 3
|
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has revoked the tax exemption of a small political nonprofit, sparking speculation about the future of organizations that are already spending big dollars on the 2012 presidential race.
The name of the nonprofit wasn't revealed in the IRS's original announcement, but Bloomberg News learned that it was Emerge America from its president, Karen Middleton. Based in San Francisco, Calif., the group works with nine state affiliates that train women candidates for the Democratic Party.
In the letter to Emerge America, the IRS wrote that group could no longer be exempt from property taxes because it was not "operated primarily to promote social welfare." Middleton told Bloomberg in an e-mail that the organization now falls under tax code Section 527, which requires them to release the names of its donors.
The IRS's decision has led some to wonder whether prominent political groups, such as the liberal Priorities USA and the conservative Crossroads GPS, could be next. Critics of these groups claim that since their motives are just as political as Emerge America's, they should also not be exempt from property taxes. Washington, D.C.-based Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington has already asked the IRS to determine whether the American Action Nonprofit should have tax exempt status. The nonprofit is best known for raising $26 million to help elect Republican candidates during the 2010 midterm elections.
Political nonprofits have been increasing their spending on campaigns since the controversial Citizens v. United decision by the Supreme Court in 2010. The ruling removed restrictions on corporate and union expenditures for political campaigns. The decision had an impact almost immediately, as groups that were allowed to keep their donors hidden spent $138 million during the 2010 midterms, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. This was down from $1.3 million in the 2006 midterm elections.
You can read the full story in Bloomberg News.
|
<urn:uuid:a0af1868-a554-43b4-b35a-bc77eecb2655>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://nptimes.blogspot.com/2012/06/irs-denies-tax-exemption-to-political.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.972886
| 378
| 2.03125
| 2
|
|Last update: 25-Oct-2004 17:35||NATO Update|
Eliminating deadly weapons in Georgia
Several hundred old anti-aircraft missiles have now been safely destroyed in Georgia, as part of a NATO-led project to dispose of decommissioned military equipment and unexploded ordnance.
The project, due to be completed in January 2005, will see the disposal of over 300 missiles stored at the Ponichala and Chaladid bases in Georgia.
They are now gradually being dismantled and the warheads removed. The warheads are then transported to the Vaziani Polygon, where they are exploded in a controlled manner.
The process is supervised by experts from the NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency, which serves as the executing agent of the project.
The destruction considerably increases security in the area and prevents environmental contamination that otherwise could occur from these weapons.
Eliminating weapons stocks
The project is part of NATO's Partnership for Peace Trust Fund initiative.
The Trust Fund is a tool to support NATO and partner activities to destroy landmines, small arms, light weapons, surplus munitions, and to help manage the consequences of defence reform.
Initiatives are developed on a project basis and led by NATO and partner nations. The costs of project in Georgia are estimated at 0.8 million euros and Luxembourg serves as the lead NATO nation for the project. Georgia will also make a substantial contribution in kind.
|
<urn:uuid:a9be3995-eeeb-485c-8134-c2f9482dc34d>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.nato.int/docu/update/2004/09-september/e0910b.htm
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.950716
| 291
| 2.09375
| 2
|
Question: I was curious to get your take on what new car features are the best, and how useful and reliable they might be. Every time I turn around, I hear of some new gadget that's kind of difficult to understand. - Sandy Turner
Answer: There are so many cool new features that I'll only have space to list a few. I'll stick to the ones that could benefit from explanation and skip those that are pretty obvious in what they do.
Adaptive cruise control. This newer system can apply the brakes as well as the throttle to maintain desired speed. Adding radar allows the system to set a pace behind cars ahead without overrunning, or allowing you to crash into them.
Direct fuel injection. By spraying fuel directly into the combustion chamber, many benefits are possible, such as a higher compression ratio and a leaner air/fuel ratio. Engine efficiency is improved, along with reductions in fuel consumption and emissions.
Stability control. Adding smarts and a few new parts to the existing brake and engine controls allows the car to carve corners with a greater degree of safety. Gentle intervention helps keep you from overdoing throttle and steering when taking a fast curve.
Multiplexing. A networked car shares components and information, reducing many lengths of wire and redundant components. Whispering to a module to turn on a nearby component is much better than delivering power through a series of troublesome connectors from a distant switch.
Variable valve timing. This is like having two camshafts - one for efficiency and smoothness, the other for raw power. Systems may allow changes to valve timing, lift and duration, automatically doing what's best for conditions.
Brad Bergholdt is an automotive technology instructor at Evergreen Valley College in San Jose. Email him firstname.lastname@example.org. He cannot make personal replies.
|
<urn:uuid:926dfa18-80f5-432d-9a83-ae00f3a15b5f>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=414936
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00057-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.957395
| 377
| 1.789063
| 2
|
I have someone I need to add to my genealogy database who was born in Glashutten in September 1948. I haven't delved that far into my German ancestry yet, and I've struggled greatly with some of the other locations I've identified. So far, for Glashutten, I've put this together using Wikipedia to get me started & a German language website (not that I speak German ;) to hopefully confirm it:
Glashutten, Hochtaunuskreis, Regierungsbezirk Darmstadt, Hessen, Germany
So I don't know if this is even close to correct and, even if it is, I have one division too many. I would guess that I wouldn't need both Hochtaunuskreis and Regierungsbezirk Darmstadt, but I don't know what the difference is & don't know which I should exclude.
Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. Also, are there any good resources you can recommend for when I have questions like this in the future?
The way that I would enter this location would be: Glashutten, Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany. Wikipedia Entry As you can see in the Wikipedia entry: Glashutten is the city (municipality), Darmstadt is the Admin. Region (similar to US counties), Hesse is the State and Germany is the Country. Hochtaunuskreis is a subdivion of the Darmstadt Admin Region that is similar to a township in US governmental structure. Although it's not a detailed description of the of German governmental structure, it should give you an idea of which unit corresponds to which similar unit in the US structure and thus the way most genealogy programs identify a location. I hope this helps.
Thank you, Mitch!
I suppose the reason I didn't rely on the Wikipedia entry was that I'm always mildly leery of Wikipedia - so it's wonderful to have some confirmation. Your response helps very much, since it clarifies the role that Hochtaunuskreis plays.
You might try the new feature they're developing at FamilyLabs called "Standard Finder." It gives the standard for place names as well as alternatives over the years as borders changed. It's been really helpful to me in my Prussian research. I wrote about it at my blog:
|
<urn:uuid:bde44f96-1b0b-424a-b4ef-1387e6045295>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.genealogywise.com/group/germanyandgermanancestry/forum/topics/how-do-i-correctly-identify?commentId=3463583%3AComment%3A324807&xg_source=activity&groupId=3463583%3AGroup%3A2183
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.964157
| 491
| 1.859375
| 2
|
DEAR DOCTOR K: I'm a 61-year-old man. My doctor wants me to take a statin to lower my cholesterol, but I'm worried about muscle damage. I found a website that claimed coenzyme Q10 would help. Is that right?
DEAR READER: It might be, but coenzyme Q10 has not been well studied. It surely should be: Tens of millions of people take statins in the United States alone. They powerfully lower total cholesterol and LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels in the blood. More important, they reduce the risk of heart attacks.
|
<urn:uuid:a5c988e4-beab-4599-98d6-620a2c17c448>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.askdoctork.com/category/vitamins-and-supplements
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00076-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.961868
| 125
| 1.609375
| 2
|
In simple terms, usage is whenever a childs custody is given
to someone o-r a couple that arent the organic
parents of that child.
Usage permanently negates the biological parent o-r
parents from any responsibility of this child for the rest
of its life. Anyone o-r people the child was adopted by that
Achieve total custodial rights and there isnt really a
difference between natural and adoptive parents in the
eyes of the law.
There are many different types of ownership offering
open adoption, semi-open adoption, and closed adoption.
An open adoption is when custody is given to non-biological
parents but the biological parents are eligible to visits,
Words, or other styles of contact.
The arrangements vary and can be very lax or
Restricted with regards to the situation. A semi-open
Use allows the natural parents a chance to meet up with the
adoptive parents a few times.
This lets them have the option of selecting an open o-r
Shut usage at a later date. A closed ownership only
Provides adoptive parents medical records but little
else. Little is ever known concerning the natural parents.
This can be due to governmental agencies putting the
Young ones because of an un-healthy atmosphere or abuse.
Several problems may donate to a son or daughter being put up for
Usage. Several of the most frequent issues are when a mother
knows she cannot look after her child o-r when a child is
removed from a parents home with a governmental agency
Associated with social ser-vices.
This is generally a good thing for the kid since they are
guaranteed to receive the procedure and care that they
deserve but circumstances vary considerably with every individual
Situation. Natural disasters or military actions can also put
Kids in circumstances where use can be an solution.Aussie Lawyer Directory
New South Wales
Australian Capital Territory
For more information, please go to: source
|
<urn:uuid:3e500f93-1e1c-41bc-80b5-c471302496a3>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://articlesglobal.com/tag/lawyers/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.929686
| 414
| 2.203125
| 2
|
- To see ourselves as others see us.
- Undue influence.
- Schools and Imagination.
- Rehabilitating our built environment.
- Gail Collins on Ron Paul.
- Concern for the environment.
I think a lot about American religion. It’s fairly well known – indeed, it’s sometimes boasted of as proof of American Exceptionalism – that we are out of step with the rest of the Western world in our continued profession of religion and actual church attendance. To Western Europe, we may look like gullible rubes, inexplicably retaining religion.
But it hit me today that to people in “traditional” cultures, our religion probably looks not like religion at all. Perhaps it looks like a thin veneer over secular ideology.
Maybe I can flesh that out without being too offensive some day.
It is essential in these days to be able to protect ourselves from the influence of those with whom we come in contact. Otherwise we risk losing both faith and prayer. Let the whole world dismiss us as unworthy of attention, trust or respect – it will not matter provided that the Lord accepts us. And vice versa: it will profit us nothing if the whole world thinks well of us and sings our praises, if the Lord declines to abide with us.
(Elder Sophrony Sakharov of Essex)
Q: Why do schools set out to ruin the imagination?
A: They do so because imaginative children are by nature difficult to herd. Schools are built for a certain kind of efficiency and anonymity; they look like factories, and serve many of the same functions.
Anthony Esolen, author of Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child.
The Saturday New York Times has two notable columns on America’s built environment.
First, The Death of the Fringe Suburb by Christopher Leinburger, president of a coalition of real estate developers and investors that supports walkable neighborhoods and transit-oriented development. Leinburger claims that both empty-nest Boomers and leaving-the-nest Millennials want to live in walkable “town center” type locales. The result: as James Howard Kunstler has said, the suburbs become slums.
Many drivable-fringe house prices are now below replacement value, meaning the land under the house has no value and the sticks and bricks are worth less than they would cost to replace. This means there is no financial incentive to maintain the house; the next dollar invested will not be recouped upon resale. Many of these houses will be converted to rentals, which are rarely as well maintained as owner-occupied housing. Add the fact that the houses were built with cheap materials and methods to begin with, and you see why many fringe suburbs are turning into slums, with abandoned housing and rising crime.
That’s literally going to be ugly. But when you factor in the cost of fuel in post-peak-oil times, these new slums get a double-whammy of crappy conditions and high costs to commuting to jobs.
Second, Louise A. Mozingo, a professor of landscape architecture and environmental planning at the University of California, Berkeley, writes about the less-remarked aspect of sprawl, the suburban office. Having noted the role of highway building in the rise of the phenomenon, he starts with highway policy in prescribing the corrective:
- Halting agricultural land conversion (by not extending highways there).
- Connecting dispersed employment centers with alternative transit.
- Encouraging downtown development.
Both columns disappoint in different ways. Leinburger says we should build what the market wants and that we must revitalize the construction trades. My problem with that is that “the market” once wanted suburban sprawl, though we should have realized that a built environment dependent on oil had a limited life. I would be cautious of Leinburger’s approach, in short, because it smacks (even with his disclosure of his development connections in addition to his academic ones) of the sort of interest-group advocacy that got us into our problems. Still, one must listen to the voice of an academic with a second, business, hat, taking his advice with a grain of salt.
Mozingo’s problem is that his first two correctives require politicians with spines. Re-occupying city centers won’t happen, or will happen only chaotically after collapse, if suburban pols keep bribing corporations with tax breaks. Need I elaborate what’s wrong with a plan dependent on statesmanship and vision?
Ron Paul once voted against giving an award to Mother Teresa because there’s no giving-out-medals-to-nice-people power enumerated in the Constitution. He also wrote lots of books.
“Chicken-hawks are individuals who dodged the draft when their numbers came up but who later became champions of senseless and undeclared wars when they were influencing foreign policy,” Paul writes in his chapter on conscription. “Former Vice President Cheney is the best example of this disgraceful behavior.”
Really, you can’t totally dislike the guy.
No, you can’t, Gail.
* * * * *
Having become tedious even to myself, I’m Tweeting more, blogging less. View this in a browser instead of an RSS feeder to see Tweets at upper right.
I also have some succinct standing advice on recurring themes. Maybe if I link to it, I’ll blog less obsessively about it.
|
<urn:uuid:d6a977bf-8258-4c9e-a9c8-34985b2ea1fb>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://intellectualoid.com/2011/11/26/tofu-tidbits-112611/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00062-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.95411
| 1,163
| 1.679688
| 2
|
Keep one-point. Get centered. Develop a strong center.
You may hear this sort of thing all the time. You probably do exercises to help you have a feeling to associate with these commands. If you've been practicing a while, you might even be pretty confident you know what they mean.
But do you? What center are we talking about? Where is it? What is it? Does it even exist? What is it to "have a strong center?"
It shouldn't be difficult. After all, we know what a center is. It's a point around which things revolve. It's a place of balance or equilibrium. It's a locus of stillness. It's a concept that matters to physicists and engineers, so it's normal for it to be important to the study of aikido. And yes, it matters to me. So much so, that I named my dojo the Still Point Aikido Center.
And yet, like any other geometric singularity, if you look at it closely enough, you find it's just not there. Or rather, in this case, it turns out not to be so singular. It seems there's more than one One-Point.
Our bodies have a spacial center, located where the sagittal, coronal, and transverse planes intersect. In the hips, just below the navel. Right where the people who like to talk about the One-Point place it.
But is that really the most important center? Our center of mass roughly corresponds with our spacial center in normal standing posture, but it shifts about quite a lot as we move. So our physical center and our spacial center sometimes coincide, but are really separate. Furthermore, there are centers of attention, points of emotional equilibrium, and balance of judgement. There are shared centers when we interact with other people, or even objects.
All of these are important. All of them deserve study. So naturally I think it's a mistake to instruct people as if there is only one center. Maybe there is something like a center of centers, the One Place around which the constellation of other centers revolve. If so, you won't understand it unless you understand the others. But by now, we're talking about something much more complicated than our standard simplistic commands can cover.
So I don't use these terms so much any more. When I do, I try to indicate which center I'm referring to. But these days, I talk more about what I call "zones."
Zones are also places of equilibrium, but are not fixed points. In some cases, they may have very precise boundaries, yet be nebulous shades of gray within those limits. Zones also relate to degrees of freedom. A simple example is a pendulum that is free to swing in any direction. It's boundary is determined by the length of the rod or chain, but once in motion, the bob could be anywhere along its arc paths. Though bounded, its zone of free movement is composed of not one, but infinite points.
When perfectly at rest, the pendulum will, in fact, return to its center, a single point. But here's the important distinction: when the pendulum is moving, it's still in equilibrium, as long as it's in its zone. Zones are more about freedom of movement -- "keeping your center" can lead to fixity.
A force perturbs a system. When our pendulum is pushed or pulled, energy is given to it. Inertia and friction must be overcome, but otherwise, the pendulum offers no resistance. Going with the push or pull keeps the system in balance, as long as the force does not damage the parts. (Actually, breaking the parts would return the overall system to a kind of balance also, but one that we seek to avoid in self defense.) When the pendulum is released, it will still move naturally and freely. Again, this movement is an expression of equilibrium, and the movement stops when the energy of the system has settled down.
Of course we are more intelligent than a passive mechanical system. As such, we can apply what I call "directed non-resistance." This means that we can learn to move intelligently in the presence of a force so that our parts cannot be broken or damaged. An increase of energy will perturb us. In this sense, "perturb" does not mean "annoy," but simply that we are moved. Understanding our natural zones allows us to move freely and without conflict.
So we could speak of having a "rest" zone, where we stand or sit or lie unmoving and at ease. I call this the "Pocket Zone." If pushed or pulled, we become perturbed, and so we move out of our pocket zones. I teach my students about arm zones, posture zones, leg zones, and even falling or "ukemi" zones. Perturbations will take us from one zone to another. Knowing about these allows for freedom of movement within them, and how to effortlessly transition when moving from one into another. If we can join with the forces that push or pull against us, we may learn to direct those forces without stress or strain.
Even in the face of an adversary, we can be agents of equilibrium, and we can direct the system away from harm. By knowing our own limits, we understand our zones of freedom. We can then apply this understanding to whatever system we are in, including self-defense situations. Once the perturbations are past, the system invariably returns to a grounded, or energy neutral condition.
As an exercise, try this: Stand with any sort of posture where you feel relaxed, aware, and not on the verge of falling down. Let that be your definition of good posture. For this exercise, keep your arms absolutely limp. This may be more difficult than you think. Ask your partner to slowly lift either of your arms, or both. You will offer no resistance, but your partner should feel your arms' natural weight. For this exercise, your partner will agree not to look for ways to strike you.
As your partner moves your arms around, notice when your shoulder becomes affected. Now move your feet so that you may keep good posture. Still, offer no resistance. Walk forwards or backwards, with small steps. Stop if your partner stops. If your partner lets go of your arms, they should swing down and fall into their own pocket zones, right around where your pant pockets would be.
For this very basic exercise, your partner should also avoid joint locks and torsion. Introducing these variable later, one at a time, will be very valuable, but not just now. Your first goal is simply to learn to move with any reasonable force at an appropriate learning speed, without resistance, while keeping good posture.
Eventually you will find areas where your arms belong, and areas where your arms can go that threaten your posture. With experience, you can move in such a way as to keep your arms in their zones, even without really moving the arms themselves.
Imagine pushing or pulling on a low-hanging tree branch. If you are strong, or the branch is very weak, you could break it off. But imagine now if the tree could swivel freely in place. The chore becomes much more difficult. And now, pretend the tree could somehow move across the ground with complete freedom, using its roots to move rather than fix it to the earth. Now it would be nearly impossible to break the branch, especially if the tree were clever in directing the overall movement, but without resisting the force.
In other words, it would be impossible to move the branch out of its zone, because the trunk makes a movement which exactly corresponds to whatever force is put on the branch. In this way, the whole system moves, yet always within its zones.
Note that in our example, the magic tree makes no effort to throw or pin. This kind of exercise may in fact lead you toward a very different kind of aikido than what your are used to. If so, you can blame it on me if you like.
The simple point here is that "keeping your center" can convey a kind of resistance which I find counterproductive. It's as if you've got some sort of geometric territory to defend, some crown jewel which must be protected at all costs. But a center is something you have without effort. It's not something you can lose. It does not require you to defend it in any way. So you can relax about the whole "center" thing.
All that really matters is that we understand that harm comes through any mutual resistance that exceeds the structural integrity of the parts in a system. Eliminate those kinds of resistance, and you eliminate harm.
But aikido is not the art of surrender or capitulation. This is where the zones come in. What I call "zones" are nothing more than areas of freedom, or degrees of mobility. Learn how your body moves without running into itself. Investigate the edges of your balance. Familiarize yourself with these boundaries until they are real things that you can see and feel. Apply this knowledge to moving with one or more partners. As I have said so often, "walk through doors, but don't walk through walls."
If you must, you can use this knowledge against others. But the more adaptable you are amidst perturbations, the more balanced you remain in movement, and the more effortlessly you will return to natural equilibrium.
Then the less you will need to control others. Is this not the meaning of "true victory?"
So by all means be aware of you center. Be aware of all of your centers. But understand that a center is just one point in a much larger field of potential. Even if it's the most important point within that field, it's nice to know that we need not be fixated on it. Nor should we be fixated within our zones. We simply need to respect the boundaries of balance and movement, so we can always reside inside the zones of equilibrium and flow.
Equilibrium and flow. Two aspects of a single thing. And that's the one point I'd really like you to keep.
Ross RobertsonRoss Robertson lives and teaches aikido in Austin, Texas.
Still Point Aikido Center
Austin, TX, USA
|
<urn:uuid:eb51d3ee-bd7f-450d-8884-f00debf89b76>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.aikiweb.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12010
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00046-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.955612
| 2,131
| 2.375
| 2
|
Boomers – Tomorrow’s SeniorsPosted by in Medical Oxygen on April 11, 2012
As a “Boomer” we still think we are young at heart, even though sometimes the mirror gives us a jolt of reality. What does it mean to each of you as you look at your life? Are you preparing for today, or just this week, this month? What is left to do in your career, in your dreams? Have you prepared for aging? That said, how many of us really take a deep breath, pause and consider where we are today, and then, where we want to be tomorrow?
In reality, we plan for many life events – college, marriage, having kids, buying a house, managing a career and much more. But the question is, how many of us plan for aging or illness, not only for ourselves, but our loved ones? Human nature and culture often pressure us not to consider illness or the end of our lives, but inevitably, there is no fountain of youth and we will all reach our end point in this world.
On the other hand, if the right side of the heart is damaged, then the blood trying to enter the heart backs up to the liver and the lower body. The back up usually continues to the legs, so you will see swelling in the legs and feet. Additional symptoms associated with heart failure include fatigue, shortness of breath, weight gain and limited endurance.
Ask yourself, how have you prepared for yourself and loved ones? Do you have a Last Will and Testament? Is there a Medical Power of Attorney in place so that someone can express your healthcare wishes if you are unable to? Are there Advanced Directives, especially if someone has very specific wishes already? Do you have long term care insurance to cover costs that are not covered by health insurance? Many more questions need to be asked and answered by each one of us.
Frequently, once a health event occurs, we ask ourselves and medical professionals “What Now?” Maybe the better question is “What If?” Answers to this question will help guide us through some of the passages that actually become gifts to ourselves, and our families.
How have you prepared for aging – both for your parents and for yourself?
Author: Cheryl A. Acres RN, CCM
|
<urn:uuid:e6fdb31d-397a-4d88-9682-dd8647c5553e>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.inogenone.com/boomers-tomorrow%E2%80%99s-seniors/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.967284
| 480
| 1.648438
| 2
|
On September 20-22, 1995, the Schiller Institute sponsored a series of seminars featuring Lyndon LaRouche's late close friend and collaborator Norbert Brainin, at the Dolná Krupá castle in Slovakia.
With the help of two young string quartets, the Moyzes Quartet from Bratislava and the Auer Quartet from Budapest, Brainin demonstrated the principles of Motivführung (motivic thorough-composition). As he explained in his opening remarks, this principle of Motivführung is "close to my heart; I've carried it around with me for a long time, and it never really resonated with anyone else; and the only person who immediately understood it, was Lyndon LaRouche."
In 1995 the Schiller Institute released video recordings of the entire event in a series of five videotapes. In 2010 John Sigerson, chair of the Schiller Institute in the U.S. re-released these videos, with English subtitles on the Schiller Institute website.
These videos are now re-released to an even broader audience on LaRouchePAC.com, in hopes that Mr. Brainin’s inspiring and passionate message shall reach the hearts and minds of those younger citizens of the world today who find themselves in a desperate crisis. For, as Lyndon LaRouche has said: “Classical music is the language of the human mind through which creativity speaks; physical-mathematical illustrations are a derivative of that power.”
The sessions contain some of the most advanced pedagogical demonstrations of the Beethoven's "Late String Quartets." In this dire time of crisis, and in the midst of the threat of war, LaRouchePAC-TV is re-releasing these videos here, to reach a wider audience and to bring Beethoven and Brainin's voices to the table for the discussion.
This video here is only a shortened montage from the seminar, for the full videos please visit: larouchepac.com/culture.
|
<urn:uuid:046bb235-d1f0-432a-8da7-71e4dc64ad51>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://larouchepac.com/node/20178
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.918758
| 426
| 2.390625
| 2
|
For the second day in a row, President Bush (search) lashed out at those criticizing him for not finding chemical and biological weapons in Iraq, calling the naysayers "revisionist historians."
Speaking at an employment training center in suburban Washington, D.C., Bush reprogrammed a 2000 campaign slogan: "A charge we've been given and a charge we'll keep," applying it to what he says is the common threat posed by global terrorism and rogue regimes like Saddam's.
"We made it clear to the dictator of Iraq that he must disarm," Bush told staff and visitors at Northern Virginia Community College (search). "And we asked other nations to join us in seeing to it that he would disarm and he chose not to do so, so we disarmed him. And I know there's a lot of revisionist history now going on, but one thing is certain: He is no longer a threat to the free world and the people of Iraq are free."
Aides say the president still believes the threat from the weapons was urgent enough to justify the war. Critics contend the intelligence community exaggerated its information on Iraq.
"If there was shading by the intelligence community to try to support what it perceived to be the policy of the administration or for whatever reason, it would endanger our security," Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Monday.
On Monday, Bush visited a frozen pasta business in New Jersey to tout the tax cut passed last month. While there, he took the opportunity to express his impatience with the nagging criticism.
"This nation acted to a threat from the dictator of Iraq. Now, there are some who would like to rewrite history — 'revisionist historians' is what I like to call them," Bush said.
According to Bush, the revisionists are those who have called into question whether the war was justified inasmuch as the United States has not yet found the weapons of mass destruction the president and others cited as one of the key reasons for going to war.
A senior adviser said Bush decided it was "time to go on the offensive" to head off the "growing 'where are the weapons?' movement."
"Congress has been a full partner [on the issue] going back a decade and has received information both in open and closed session," the aide said. "Go back to the speeches of 1998. Look at ... how many lawmakers said Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction. Do they think since the [United Nations] inspectors left, Saddam got rid of that?"
While Bush did not discuss the details of the hunt for weapons of mass destruction, the administration is stepping up efforts to find them, sending former U.N. weapons inspector David Kay (search), now a special adviser to the CIA, to Iraq.
Kay will devise a strategy to search for such weapons and will work hand-in-hand with the 1,300-member military force known as the Iraq Survey Group (search), which is in charge of finding the weapons.
Members of the Senate Intelligence Committee (search) announced this weekend that it will investigate charges of exaggerated intelligence. The House Intelligence panel has already announced its own inquiry. Hearings, probably behind closed doors, will include questioning of intelligence analysts about their work.
Though the president's aide said Bush does not resent the idea of a congressional investigation, Bush asserted that the United States went to war to respond to a very real threat.
"Saddam Hussein was a threat to America and the free world in '91, in '98, in 2003. He continually ignored the demands of the free world, so the United States and friends and allies acted," Bush said on Monday.
Centrist Democrats of the Democratic Leadership Council (search), who quibble with the president on many fronts, this time agree with Bush, saying the hunt for weapons of mass destruction is not cause for argument.
"If the Bush administration was wrong about Saddam's WMD program, so too was just about everybody else, including U.N. inspectors, the French, the Germans, the Russians and the Chinese, all of whom accepted prior evidence of such a program is beyond doubt," the DLC said in a statement.
Evidence or no evidence, many familiar with the intelligence say they don't believe Saddam voluntarily gave up his weapons after inspectors left in 1998.
"Some are suggesting, certainly, that he destroyed the weapons after 1998 or maybe even sooner," Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., ranking member of the House intelligence Committee, told Fox News. "It's just counterintuitive that he would have done that. His would have been the greatest intelligence hoax of all time, fooling every intelligence agency, three presidents, five secretaries of defense and the entire world into thinking he still had the weapons."
Fox News' Jim Angle contributed to this report.
|
<urn:uuid:e82fab6d-ad74-452d-8f33-8fc12eb748e9>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,89583,00.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.975704
| 997
| 1.5625
| 2
|
Pearl Jam, R.E.M. and Trent Reznor are among the musicians who have joined a campaign to close the prison at the American naval base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, as they seek to learn whether their music was used during the questioning of detainees there, The Associated Press reported. The National Security Archive in Washington said it was filing a Freedom of Information Act request on behalf of a coalition called the National Campaign to Close Guantánamo, including an effort to gain more details about how loud music was used as an interrogation device. Based on public documents and interviews with former detainees, the archive said, Guantánamo prisoners were played loud music, including songs by AC/DC, Britney Spears and Marilyn Manson, as well as advertising jingles and “Sesame Street” tunes, in their cells and in preparation for interrogations. Thomas Blanton, the executive director of the archive, told The A.P., “At Guantánamo, the U.S. government turned a jukebox into an instrument of torture.” A spokeswoman for Joint Task Force Guantánamo, which handles the care and custody of detainees, said loud music had not been used with prisoners since the fall of 2003.
- Previous Post The Morning Feed
- Next Post Weekly Popcast: ‘New Moon’ Soundtrack, Chavela Vargas Tribute and More
|
<urn:uuid:d2181d18-c8cd-4d77-92c5-00141f93bd29>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/22/musicians-want-to-know-if-they-were-on-guantanamo-playlist/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.965081
| 290
| 1.664063
| 2
|
Galactic neighbors? Derrick Pitts on the significance of a theory predicting billions of super-Earths
Derrick Pitts, chief astronomer for the Franklin Institute, elaborates on a prediction from a team of international astronomers who claim there could be billions of potentially habitable "super Earths" circling stars within our galaxy. Pitts tells former New York governor Eliot Spitzer that determining whether water might exist on these planets is the key to further discoveries: "It could be possible that there are other forms of life based on other elements, if you will. But, for our studies, we have to start someplace where we really know what things are — and that's life like what we find here on this planet, and that's all based in water."
Dr. Renee Moore
Dr. Renee Moore, Assistant Professor of Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine
Construction with Quadrotor Teams
Teams of quadrotors autonomously build tower-like cubic structures from modular parts. Work done by Quentin Lindsey, Daniel Mellinger, and Vijay Kumar at the GRASP Lab, University of Pennsylvania.
Vijay Kumar: Robots that fly ... and cooperate
In his lab at Penn, Vijay Kumar and his team build flying quadrotors, small, agile robots that swarm, sense each other, and form ad hoc teams -- for construction, surveying disasters and far more.
Touch Photography: Capturing The Feel Of Surfaces
If you can see something on your computer, why shouldn't you be able to feel it? Touch is an important part of the sensory experience of being a human," says Katherine J. Kuchenbecker, an assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics at the Univ. of Pennsylvania.
Cynthia Reinhart-King | Cornell's Next-Gen Leaders in the Life Sciences
Over the past decade, Cornell has recruited a new generation of life scientists who are using recently discovered technologies to answer fundamental questions about organisms and their responses to environmental challenges. Three of Cornell's "Next-Gen" junior faculty discuss their research that is emblematic of our efforts to address a wide spectrum of rapidly changing challenges to global health. The panel was moderated by Assoc. VP for Research, Andrew Bass and featured Asst. Prof Ruth Ley from Microbiology, Assoc Prof Alex Travis from Biomedical Sciences and the Baker Institute, and Asst. Prof. Cynthia Reinhart-King from Biomedical Engineering.
The Holy Grail to X-ray crystal structure of human protein phosphatase
FoSheng Hsu, a graduate student in the field of biochemistry, molecular and cell biology, won for best dance in the chemistry category in Science's fourth annual "Dance Your Ph.D." contest, a competition that recognizes the best dance interpretations of scientific doctoral work. 4. X-ray diffraction; and 5. Building a 3-dimensional protein structure.
Universal robotic gripper
The human hand is an amazing machine that can pick up, move and place objects easily, but for a robot, this "gripping" mechanism is a vexing challenge. Researchers from Cornell, the University of Chicago and iRobot Corp. have created a versatile gripper using everyday ground coffee and a latex party balloon, bypassing traditional designs based on the human hand and fingers. Cornell graduate student John Amend and mechanical engineering professor Hod Lipson demonstrate the technology and describe potential applications of the concept. The research is a collaboration between the groups of Lipson, Heinrich Jaeger at the University of Chicago, and Chris Jones at iRobot. It was published online Oct. 25, 2010 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Nature by Design - Innovation at Harvard
What can termites teach us about building complex computer systems? Radhika Nagpal, Thomas D. Cabot Associate Professor of Computer Science, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, explores the power of robust collective systems in nature—used by bees, fish, and even termites—and applies these principles to the design of robots and computer networks.
Fly Paper: Mapping the Protein Interactions of Our Distant Relative
Professor of Cell Biology Spyros Artavanis-Tsakonas and colleagues built a map that shows how thousands of proteins in a fruit fly cell communicate with each other. This is the largest and most detailed protein interaction map of a multicellular organism, demonstrating how approximately one third of the proteins cooperate to keep life going. Understanding how proteins communicate and interact with each other is key to understanding disease.
|
<urn:uuid:a800d739-9940-4d72-a968-ff17efaca175>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.upenn.edu/IvyPlusSymposium/multimedia.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.918088
| 942
| 2.71875
| 3
|
The major green issue with personal hygiene products, whether for adults or babies, is the ingredient list. The global eco-movement has encouraged the manufacture of natural products made of healthy ingredients that are nontoxic when absorbed into body tissues and organs and whose manufacture does not contribute to air, water, or food pollution.
So, you might wonder, if these wonderful products are so readily available, why aren’t the majority of parents using them? Good question.
Many consumers have no idea that conventional toiletries contain questionable chemicals. The FDA does not regulate personal hygiene products or their ingredients for safety before their release, and it has no legal authority to require safety assessments of cosmetics. This leaves the consumer unaware of potential dangers.
Of course, the FDA wants the ingredients to be safe, but its authority is limited. Consider these statements from the cosmetics handbook on the FDA Web site (emphasis mine): “Although the FD&C Act does not require that cosmetic manufacturers or marketers test their products for safety, the FDA strongly urges cosmetic manufacturers to [do so]” and “With the exception of color additives and a few prohibited ingredients, a cosmetic manufacturer may . . . use essentially any raw material as a cosmetic ingredient and market the product without approval.”1 The FDA also warns consumers that “the law does not require cosmetic manufacturers to substantiate performance claims.”
Manufacturers are not always required to list the toxic ingredients on the product label, even though these chemicals may permeate the skin and are found in body fluids and body fat, and that they may pollute the water supply and accumulate in our seas and rivers every time we wash them down the drain.
This is astonishing! I was surprised when I learned of the loopholes in protecting children from ingredients in cosmetics and personal care products. If you find something labeled “fragrance” or “flavor,” you don’t have any idea what chemicals are lumped under that term. The same goes for proprietary names and “other ingredients”: the law allows a manufacturer to ask the FDA to grant “trade secret” status for a particular ingredient. If trade-secret status is granted, the ingredient does not have to be listed on the label.2
But as consumers go green, awareness is becoming more widespread. More parents are tracking down the real ingredient list and are learning how to identify the toxic chemicals they want to avoid. The following is a list of the cosmetic and personal care ingredients that I think are most important to avoid, especially during pregnancy and for a young baby:
- Parabens. This family of preservatives has generated controversy lately with the publication of some studies indicating that parabens may be associated with carcinogenic and weak estrogenic activity that could lead to tumors and even cancer. The results are not conclusive, so stay tuned to this controversy, which has generated a lot of emotion on both sides. You may see parabens listed on ingredient labels with many variations, such as methylparaben, propylparaben, or butylparaben. They are found in many popular baby products, including baby lotions, baby soaps, baby sunscreens, baby wipes, baby bubble baths, baby powders, baby oils, and baby shampoos—as well as in many products a mother may use, such as deodorants, moisturizers, shaving gels, and toothpaste.
- Phthalates. Found as ingredients in fragrances, sunscreens, moisturizers, shampoos, conditioners, and nail products, this family of endocrine disruptors may also appear with many variations on the name, such as dibutyl phthalate, diethyl phthalate, or cetyl triethylammonium dimethicone copolyol phthalate. They are controversial because some studies have shown that rodents receiving high doses of phthalates have shown hormonal activity and damage to the liver, the kidneys, the lungs, and the developing testes. In humans, preliminary research suggests a link between these chemicals and smaller penis size. Again, more study is needed, but some parents have found this worrisome.3
|
<urn:uuid:431a38f1-3ffc-4684-be7e-0d3bb1ce720d>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.ecomii.com/specialreport/deciphering-product-labels
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.940773
| 861
| 2.546875
| 3
|
Our View: Open-Source Java
Sun has been dithering for years on the question of making its Java software available under an open-source license. With the transition to new leadership under Jonathan Schwartz, we think now is a good time for Sun to take this long-contemplated step.
In the days leading up to the JavaOne conference May 15, Sun executives have taken up the question once again whether to take Java the open-source route. Proponents of the move draw on the precedent of Sun, at Schwartzs behest, offering its Solaris operating environment under an open-source license. That move has sparked renewed interest in Solaris, which had been facing an erosion of popularity in the face of Linux.
Thus far, Sun has been all talk and no action on open-sourcing Java. The biggest reason: Sun doesnt want to see a fork in development that would create different strains of Java. While this is a valid concern, Suns refusal to open-source Java has already prompted just such a fork, Apache Harmony, the J2SE (Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition) project of the Apache Software Foundation.
Another deterrent for Sun is its licensing agreements with Microsoft. Open-sourcing Java might put those accords in jeopardy. But Sun must think of the future, not of the past.
Suns current licensing policies have hamstrung Java as a language for development in Linux and open source, particularly on the desktop, where Microsofts .Net platform is gaining prominence through Mono, the open-source implementation from Novell. Meanwhile, Debian, Fedora, Red Hat and the rest of the open-source gang cant ship with Suns code because, while free to download, its not open and not freely redistributable.
Sun has several choices: Take Java open-source, a la Linux; try a hybrid approach, perhaps open-sourcing the code while retaining control over the Java trademark; or punt on the idea, again. We recommend either of the first two options.
Open-source software is gaining corporate traction by the minute. If Sun doesnt make a move, enterprise customers may start to dump Java just as fast as they were dumping Solaris. Besides, as a reseller of Linux, it makes sense for Sun to ensure its flagship development environment plays well in every environment it sells.
An open-source Java is sure to stimulate the interest of enterprise software developers. That would be a boon to corporate customers, who would see a wider array of application choices spring up. Sun would benefit as well. With a significant part of corporate software going the open-source route, Suns lockdown means Java risks being marginalized from corporate strategies. Besides, new CEO Schwartz needs to show hes more than Scott McNealys poodle: An open-source Java would be a win-win for the company and its customers and the kind of bold stroke Sun needs.
eWEEKs Editorial Board consists of Jason Brooks, Larry Dignan, Stan Gibson, David Morgenstern, Scot Petersen and Matthew Rothenberg.
Check out eWEEK.coms for the latest news, reviews and analysis in programming environments and developer tools.
|
<urn:uuid:c3680b91-9594-41ce-bb86-66950efb788a>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.eweek.com/print/c/a/Application-Development/Our-View-OpenSource-Java/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00052-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.936593
| 645
| 1.90625
| 2
|
Count Wikipedia among the growing number of sites that are likely to take action against SOPA.
As anger towards the proposed Stop Online Piracy Act grows, more and more people and organizations are joining the fight against the bipartisan Congressional legislation. (See CNET's FAQ on SOPA.)
Earlier this week, the news site Reddit announced it would shut down for 12 hours on January 18 in a bid to make its displeasure known about SOPA and its Senate counterpart, the Protect IP Act. And now, there are strong signs that Wikipedia may express its community's protest sentiment, although it's not yet known in what form.
And the tide may be turning against SOPA. Perhaps in recognition of the growing number of Web sites protesting the legislation, Twitter users adding "STOP SOPA" banners to their profile images, and many other methods people are using to fight the proposed law, SOPA's sponsor, U.S. Rep Lamar Smith (R-Texas) said today that he is pulling a Domain Name System provision from the bill that would force ISPs to cut access to overseas Web sites accused of piracy.
In a discussion thread about what to do about SOPA, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales indicated his inclination to shut down Wikipedia on January 18:
I'm all in favor of it, and I think it would be great if we could act quickly to coordinate with Reddit. I'd like to talk to our government affairs advisor to see if they agree on this as useful timing, but assuming that's a greenlight, I think that matching what Reddit does (but in our own way of course) per the emerging consensus on how to do it, is a good idea. But that means we need to move forward quickly on a concrete proposal and vote - we don't have the luxury of time that we usually have, in terms of negotiating with each other for weeks about what's exactly the best possible thing to do. As I understand it, the Foundation is talking to people about how we can geolocate and guide people to their Congressperson, etc....Our task is to decide to do it with a thumbs up / thumbs down vote.
Many members of the Wikipedia community are in favor of a full blackout of the free online encyclopedia across all languages and in all countries. Others, however, have proposed more measured approaches, arguing that a full blackout funs counter to the Wikipedia mission.
In the end, said Jay Walsh, the head of communications for the Wikimedia Foundation, it's more likely that the final outcome will be for a lesser form of protest aimed at English language Wikipedia pages in the U.S.
"The foundation encouraged [conversation about protesting SOPA] as a way to centralize the discussion," Walsh told CNET, adding that the current status is for some sort of anti-SOPA information banner on a splash page similar to what readers would have seen during the site's recent fundraising period.
Walsh said that the Wikimedia Foundation will be accepting member input on the proposed action through the weekend, and will likely make a decision--based on consensus of the community--by Monday or Tuesday. He said that if the final decision is to incorporate some kind of protest on Wikipedia, it will take at least a little time to implement from a technology standpoint.
Either way, there's no doubt that the Wikimedia Foundation is against SOPA and that its leaders support some form of protest. But in keeping with the foundation's wish to follow the majority of its community's sentiment, it's important to let everyone in that community have a chance to be heard, Walsh indicated. "This is really about listening and making sure that this is what they want."
|
<urn:uuid:bc6ed5ee-bf42-475c-a178-f2ee5312c296>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-57359072-52/wikipedia-considering-joining-sopa-blackout-protest/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.964272
| 742
| 1.523438
| 2
|
A Delaware lawmaker is suggesting additional emergency exits to protect First State students against incidents like the Connecticut school shooting.
State Senator Dave Lawson (R-Marydel) says he’ll introduce a resolution to look at the feasibility of placing “panic exits” in Delaware public school classrooms.
The former Delaware State Police Lieutenant says the doors would be in each ground floor exterior classroom, allowing students and teachers to exit more quickly in the event of an emergency.
“Most classrooms have large windows,” said Lawson in a statement. “If there was a panic door in place of one of the windows, the occupants could escape quickly. These doors would be secured in a manner that they could only be opened from the inside. This type of exit would also be valuable for fires, bomb threats and any time that a quick evacuation was necessary.”
Lawson adds that the current protocol of locking schools down can actually be counter-productive.
“In my opinion, a lockdown places the children in much more danger,” Lawson said. “They’re locked in a room where they’re at the mercy of an assailant. This is the problem, they’re trapped. With an escape door they would be out of the danger zone in seconds.”
The resolution would have the appropriate state agencies examine if the exits make fiscal sense and if is too expensive, suggest ways to make it work.
|
<urn:uuid:de553013-206f-4fe4-a243-866a53adc0c7>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.wdde.org/35987-state-senator-more-school-emergency-exits
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.965125
| 295
| 1.789063
| 2
|
During all the research I did for my CSS testing talk, I couldn't help but spot another gap where a testing tool could be useful.
Cucumber is a technology used widely in automated testing setups, mostly for acceptance testing - ensuring that the thing everybody agreed on at the beginning was the thing delivered at the end.
This is accomplished by having a set of plain text files containing descriptions of different scenarios or aspects of the application, usually with a description of the actions performed by an imaginary user. You describe the situation (known as a 'Given' step), describe the user's action ('When') and describe the expected outcome ('Then').
The language (properly known as gherkin) used in these files is deliberately simple and jargon-free so that all the key stakeholders in the project - designers, developers, product owners - can understand but the files are also written in a predictable and structured style so that they can, behind the scenes, be turned into testable code.
What occurred to me when looking into this area was that there wasn't an agreed terminology for specifying the layout/colour/look and feel of a project in plain text. Surely this would be the perfect place to drop in some cucumber salad.
What we've got now is a project based on SpookyJS - a way of controlling CasperJS (and, therefore PhantomJS) from NodeJS - which contains the GhostStory testing steps and their corresponding 'behind the scenes' test code. There are only two steps at the moment but they are the most fundamental which can be used to build up future steps.
Here, "Element descriptor" is a non-dev-readable description of the element you want to test - "Main title", "Left-hand navigation", "Hero area call-to-action". In the project, you keep a mapping file,
selectors.json, which translates between these descriptions and the CSS selector used to identify the element in tests.
Then the "Element descriptor" should have "property" of "value"
This is using the computed styles on an element and checking to see if they are what you expect them to be. I talked about something similar to this before in an earlier post. This is related to the 'Frozen DOM' approach that my first attempt at a CSS testing tool, cssert, uses but this way does not actually involve a DOM snapshot.
Then the "Element descriptor" should look the same as before
This uses the 'Image Diff' approach. You specify an element and render the browser output of that element to an image. The next time you run the test, you do the same and check to see if the two images differ. As mentioned many times before, this technique is 'content-fragile' but can be useful for a specific subset of tests or when you have mocked content. It can also be particularly useful if you have a 'living styleguide' as described by Nico Hagenburger. I've got some ideas about CSS testing on living styleguides that I'll need to write up in a later post.
Off the top of my head, there are a couple of other generic steps that I think would be useful in this project.
Then the "Element descriptor" should have a "property" of "value1", "value2", ..., or "valueN"
This variation on the computed style measurement allows an arbitrary-length list of values. As long as the element being tested matches at least one of the rules, the step counts as a pass. This could be used to ensure that all text on a site is one of a certain number of font-sizes or that all links are from the predefined colour palette.
Then the "Element descriptor" should look the same across different browsers.
This would build on the existing image diff step but include multiple browser runners. Just now, the image diffs are performed using PhantomCSS which is built on top of PhantomJS which is Webkit-based. This would ideally integrate a Gecko renderer or a Trident renderer process so that the images generated from one could be checked against another. I still feel that image diff testing is extremely fragile and doesn't cover the majority of what CSS testing needs to do but it can be a useful additional check.
I'm hoping this can sit alongside the other testing tools gathering on csste.st where it can help people get a head-start on their CSS testing practices. What I'm particularly keen on with the GhostStory project is that it can pull in other tools and abstract them into testing steps. That way, we can take advantage of the best tools out there and stuff it into easily digested Cucumber sandwiches.
The GhostStory project is, naturally, available on GitHub. More usefully, however, I've been working on a fork of SpookyJS that integrates GhostStory into an immediately usable tool.
Please check out this project and let me know what you think. I might rename it to distinguish it from the original SpookyJS if I can figure out exactly how to do that and maintain upstream relationships on GitHub.
|
<urn:uuid:4a943738-e3ac-4678-91b1-f95800b9f813>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://thingsinjars.com/css/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.934669
| 1,053
| 1.804688
| 2
|
T.O. Gets Childish By Authoring A Kids' Book
October 6, 2006 5:48 p.m. EST
All Headline News Staff
Irving, TX (AHN) - Terrell Owens' antics have always seemed a bit childish, but now he's taking it to a whole different level. Former teammate Donovan McNabb called Owens' last autobiography a "children's book." Little did he know he wasn't far from the truth. Owens and a college classmate have co-written a book for kids entitled, "Little T Learns To Share."
The book is scheduled for publication in November by Dallas-based BenBella Books.
According to the Dallas Morning News, the book's main character, T, refuses to share his football, but then comes to the realization that it's hard to play football by yourself.
"I tried to play outside alone and throw it by myself, but football isn't football unless you play with someone else," Little T tells his mother in the book.
Owens and his friend from college, Courtney Parker, co-authored the book as part of "T.O.'s Timeout Series." The second volume will be entitled, "Little T Learns What Not to Say" and is due out in the spring of 2007.
"Little T Learns To Say I'm Sorry" is expected to hit shelves next fall.
Parker and Owens met during their freshman year at Tennessee-Chattanooga. Parker said the idea of the book was born when the two had a phone conversation in 2005. The discourse took place shortly after the Eagles released him last season. While the two chatted, Owens was watching a TV commentator ridicule him on television.
Parker talked to the Morning News about the circumstances surrounding the conversation.
"We're watching television and the commentator said, 'T.O.'s behavior is so childish,'" Parker told the newspaper. "And then [Owens] says, 'That's not a bad idea for a book. It should be about discipline since the world thinks I have none."
|
<urn:uuid:39455dac-9dac-48b0-b864-fcf2ba713884>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?p=250205
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.971773
| 426
| 1.710938
| 2
|
First: Voice-command systems, which let you change radio stations, or set the temperature inside your car, with just your voice. It sounds convenient, but the systems cost at least a thousand dollars. Experts say even the most advanced voice-command system requires learning three or four commands to do things you’d normally do by pushing one button!
You also don’t need to pay for an optional: Navigation system. These days, you can download a navigation app to your smartphone, or use a portable GPS device, for a fraction of what dealers charge for a built-in turn-by-turn navigation system.
The same goes for: DVD entertainment systems. Experts say it’s tempting to buy a system that’ll keep the kids quiet and entertained on long road trips. But for half the price of what dealers charge to put a DVD player in your car, you can now buy a tablet, like an iPad, that your kids can watch anywhere you go, not just in the car!
Next, think twice about buying optional power-closing doors, trunks, and tailgates. Sure, it’s convenient to open doors with the wave of your foot, especially when your hands are full with groceries, kids, and keys, but how often do you really juggle that many things at the same time? Plus, experts say the more power-operated features you have in your car, the more you’ll spend on maintenance if they break down!
|
<urn:uuid:5b0bfb0a-88d7-4d7e-b6b2-7d2d543a47c8>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.tesh.com/topics/money-and-finance-category/new-car-options-to-avoid/cc/12/id/21392
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.931198
| 307
| 1.523438
| 2
|
Explosives are nothing to laugh about. To be a professional bovine secret agent you have to be schooled in many arts. No situation should be too much for you and your hooves to handle. Case in point today's lesson: how to defuse a bomb. A pretend bomb has been rigged to The Farmer's tractor for new agents to practice on.
|Whatever you do don't cut the green wire! (Which green wire!?!)|
|Bomb Defusing Tools|
Being able to deal with extreme situations and volatile issues should make other tasks easy.
The Farmer would never have to do something as dangerous as defusing a bomb. Working on a dairy farm does have risks, however, and safety precautions should always be taken to minimize them. Safety first is exactly what we have seen when The Farmer brings his children to work with him. We have overheard him say that it is very important for the kids to see what life is like on a farm and take part in the jobs that are appropriate for them to do.
His kids will reap the rewards of the life lessons they have learned on the farm for years to come. It is unfortunate that the U.S. Department of Labor would like to curtail opportunities youth have by working on the farm. I say let them get their hands dirty.
We'll take care of the bombs and dangerous stuff so The Farmer and his kids can take care of the rest.
Agent 101, reporting from the Udder Side.
It would seem this report made a tremendous impact on the powers that be and the Dept of Labor has withdrawn their proposal.
Who said COWS don't make a difference?
Agent 101, gloating from the Udder Side.
|
<urn:uuid:2496a93b-65c3-47c0-9571-4f7bcf9a9861>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://udderside.blogspot.com/2012/04/bovine-bomb-squad.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.975882
| 352
| 2.515625
| 3
|
VII. 53 City of Cusco (Peru)
At its twentieth session in June 1996, the Bureau took note of information provided by the Secretariat regarding projects in the historical City of Cusco that could have a negative impact on the World Heritage values of the site. It invited the authorities to establish appropriate planning mechanisms for the historical City of Cusco.
The Secretariat informed the Committee that no substantive reply had been received to the concerns expressed by the Bureau. However, the Peruvian authorities had submitted a request for technical cooperation. The Secretariat informed the Committee that the request provided information on the deficient management arrangements in Cusco and the lack of a master plan for the City. The assistance would provide advice on the creation of a Commission for the Historical City of Cusco, which would oversee the urban development planning and construction and restoration projects, as well as advice on the preparation of a master plan. The Committee urged again the authorities to establish appropriate planning mechanisms for the historical City of Cusco. It decided that the request for technical cooperation submitted by the Government of Peru will be approved upon receipt, by 15 April 1997, of a state of conservation report as requested by the Bureau at its twentieth session.
|
<urn:uuid:5c49c299-2091-4be2-b10c-5528e504e1cf>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/2945
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00065-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.953136
| 248
| 2.515625
| 3
|
National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day: Celebrating Gay Men
September 22, 2011
Next Tuesday, Sept. 27th, marks the fourth annual observance of National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, an event organized and launched by the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA). Many HIV/AIDS organizations from across the country will commemorate this day with programs, social media campaigns and numerous events in hopes of educating gay men about HIV risks, as well as addressing HIV stigma and homophobia.
In a recent Washington Blade article, NAPWA president and CEO Frank Oldham Jr., a gay man himself who has been living with HIV for more than 20 years, shared his thoughts on society's inability to celebrate gay sex and the beauty of gay culture:
"Gay male culture, by the parties we have, the circuit parties, the bathhouses - all of that is part of a beautiful, gay male culture. And it is something that has to be embraced and especially embraced if you're going to deal with the AIDS epidemic," Oldham says. ...
... "Just because there is a virus, which is chemical, which is scientific, doesn't mean that the culture is bad," he says. "You tell people that if you happen to be monogamous, that's fine. If you happen to have 10 partners a week, fine. But you have to be safe. You have to use condoms."
If you are HIV positive, Oldham says, "you have to take medication and be adherent so that you have a zero viral load and are less likely to infect someone because you love your culture. So this is all a positive thing. I love my culture so I will take care of it. I don't want to infect anybody. I want people to be safe and healthy and beautiful."
In addition, National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day will also place focus on the need for the media to increase reporting about the major issues that make MSM so vulnerable to contracting HIV.
A full list of events is available on NAPWA's website.
Warren Tong is the research editor for TheBody.com and TheBodyPRO.com.
Follow Warren on Twitter: @WarrenAtTheBody.
Copyright © 2011 The HealthCentral Network, Inc. All rights reserved.
Internet search results. Be careful when providing personal information! Before
adding your comment, please read TheBody.com's Comment Policy.)
|
<urn:uuid:56adab0e-0a3b-4cb0-a4be-a57c7975e387>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.thebody.com/content/64076/national-gay-mens-hivaids-awareness-day-celebratin.html?nxtprv
|
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
| 0.959392
| 498
| 1.773438
| 2
|
Properties of Colors
The scientific description of color, or colorimetry, involves the specification of all relevant properties of a color either subjectively or objectively. The subjective description gives the hue, saturation, and lightness or brightness of a color. Hue refers to what is commonly called color, i.e., red, green, blue-green, orange, etc. Saturation refers to the richness of a hue as compared to a gray of the same brightness; in some color notation systems, saturation is also known as chroma. The brightness of a light source or the lightness of an opaque object is measured on a scale ranging from dim to bright for a source or from black to white for an opaque object (or from black to colorless for a transparent object). In some systems, brightness is called value. A subjective color notation system provides comparison samples of colors rated according to these three properties. In an objective system for color description, the corresponding properties are dominant wavelength, purity, and luminance. Much of the research in objective color description has been carried out in cooperation with the Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE), which has set standards for such measurements. In addition to the description of color according to these physical and psychological standards, a number of color-related physiological and psychological phenomena have been studied. These include color constancy under varying viewing conditions, color contrast, afterimages, and advancing and retreating colors.
Sections in this article:
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
|
<urn:uuid:bf9a6974-a32d-42d7-9d38-6584c1441726>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/science/color-properties-colors.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00067-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.919501
| 321
| 4.09375
| 4
|
Thursday, 28 September 2006, 4- 5:30pm
Seminar Room, Centre for Innovation, 87 St. David St.
David Houlbrooke, AgResearch
OPEN AND FREE TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES
With the stage one completion of a large irrigation scheme some parts of the North Otago Rolling Downlands (NORD) are about to undergo a large change in land-use. In an area that has been previously extensively farmed the potential production benefits and impacts on soil quality under intensive land-use resulting from irrigation are largely unknown. The issue in North Otago is the predominance of Fragic-Pallic soils that are characterised by impeded drainage and poor structural strength, especially when wet. To address the science gap regarding sustainability of the soil resource in the North Otago region and to develop best management practices under land-use change, a research programme was developed by AgResearch in 2004 as part of the LUCI (Land-Use Change and Intensification) programme. This talk will provide a summary on research findings to date.
David Houlbrooke is a Soil Scientist based at AgResearch at the Invermay Agricultural Centre, Mosgiel. Originally from a rural background (on sheep/beef properties in the Wairarapa and Waikato), David earned a Bsc and Msc in Earth Sciences from the University of Waikato. His research interests include - Improved management of farm dairy effluent applications to land; Impacts of land use intensification on soil quality and plant production; managing soil compaction under intensive cattle grazing; nutrient losses from agriculture systems under mole-pipe drainage; best environmental management practises for sustainable dairy farming.
|
<urn:uuid:f86815a2-0b24-4ea6-b4d7-e8577900cbc4>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.csafe.org.nz/sac__24_agricultural_intensification_in_the_north_otago_region
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.92294
| 349
| 2.46875
| 2
|
What is in this article?:
- BJ’s Announces New Seafood Sustainability Policy
- Supervalu Expands Sustainability
- FMI to Provide New Seafood Sustainability Tool Kit
- Trips to Seafood Departments Declined in 2011
Seafood sustainability has been in the news recently as BJ's and Safeway reported on developments at their chains, and FMI announced during the Boston Seafood Show that it would soon release a seafood sustainability toolkit. Also at the show was a presentation detailing last year's seafood sales.
Trips to Seafood Departments Declined in 2011
BOSTON — High retail prices have made it a tough year for volume sales in most fresh food categories.
“Consumers were basically making fewer trips that included … fresh food items in their basket,” Executive Vice President of Nielsen Perishables Group Steve Lutz said during a presentation here at the International Boston Seafood Show last week.
In 2011, seafood volume was actually hit the hardest, Lutz said, adding that a large portion of lost sales was due to customer’s substituting for other, cheaper items.
Shoppers only made an average of five trips to the seafood department in 2011, compared with 31 trips to the produce department, 25 to the meat department, 15 to the deli and 12 to the bakery, according to Lutz.
With other proteins, Lutz said customers tend to plan ahead and pick up multiple items, but that’s not the case with seafood.
Only 10% of customers make multiple seafood purchases at one time, while 43% of shoppers bought multiple produce items per trip, and 30% of shoppers picked up multiple meat department items.
On top of higher retail prices, there were fewer circular feature ads for seafood in 2011, the depth of discounts was down, and thus volume sold on promotion was down as well.
But it wasn’t all bad news for seafood in 2011. Lutz called seafood shoppers “fabulous for retailers” due to the fact seafood shoppers tend to be bigger spenders than average shoppers. Seafood customers’ average grocery trip rang up to $76.40, while the overall average basket for all shoppers’ trips was only $37.62 in 2011.
“It is the customer that a retailer really wants to cater to,” Lutz said.
And, seafood meals were one of the categories that showed growth in 2011.
“It’s a small category, but you’ve got huge numbers of new products that are surging in there, and they’re driving growth.”
In the deli department, too, seafood meals were doing well with seafood entrees up 18% in sales, sushi trays up 11% and seafood wraps up 19%.
In order to gain more sales in the seafood department, retailers might reevaluate the kinds of products they are offering.
“Seafood managers are really good at understanding what they sold last, not what they could sell next if they did it differently,” Lutz said.
|
<urn:uuid:df0b0e20-e930-4ebf-a8ad-49a8b5129ec1>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://supermarketnews.com/bj039s-wholesale-club/bj-s-announces-new-seafood-sustainability-policy?page=4
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.969889
| 644
| 1.773438
| 2
|
Tumbling tower of China: Amazing pictures of 13-storey block of flats that toppled over
A newly built 13-storey residential building collapsed in Shanghai yesterday, killing one worker.
The block of high-rise flats toppled onto its side in the muddy construction site raising concerns that building safety standards are being overlooked in favour of fast construction in China's rush to modernise.
The building appeared to be almost complete with fitted windows and a finished, tiled facade. Other similar-looking blocks in the same property development were still standing nearby.
Crash: The newly built block of flats lies flat on its side after tumbling down in Shanghai leaving one person dead
Residents gather to take photos of the collapsed building from across the river
Shoddy construction and the use of sub-standard materials is a concern in China's construction sector as the country scrambles to build out cities and finish massive infrastructure projects to keep pace with fast economic growth.
Construction-related accidents last year included the collapse of a steel arch on a new railway bridge, which killed at least seven and a crane which fell on a nursery school killing five.
The collapse of dozens of schools during last year's Sichuan earthquake also led to a wave of public outrage about corrupt officials and construction firms.
Exposed pilings lie in the remains of the building's foundations
No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.
We are no longer accepting comments on this article.
|
<urn:uuid:90c756bd-5129-4ee4-b88a-5cd524ca774e>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1196064/Tumbling-tower-China-Amazing-pictures-13-storey-block-flats-toppled-over.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00050-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.947842
| 314
| 1.515625
| 2
|
- Parent Category: NATO & Transatlantic Relations
- Category: NATO
- Written by Luiza Savage & Jorge Benitez
It has been almost a year since former U.S. defense secretary Robert Gates, who served both Bush and Obama, focused his final speech on blasting NATO allies who are “apparently unwilling to devote the necessary resources to be serious and capable partners in their own defence. . . .”
Note: Reposted by Strategy International, Source Atlantic Council of the USA
- Parent Category: NATO & Transatlantic Relations
- Category: NATO
- Written by Administrator
- Parent Category: NATO & Transatlantic Relations
- Category: NATO
- Written by John Karagiannopoulos
The Libyan Revolt and NATO’s Possible Intervention
By John Karagiannopoulos
Edited by Dr. Marios Efthymiopoulos
NATO is the sole defensive Euro-Atlantic Organisation, a military alliance with a military and civilian constructed infrastructure and assets that can be used at any given time or joined international request. It is a collective system of defense, whereby its member states agree to mutual defense in response to internal threats and by UN mandates, under article 5 of the transatlantic Treaty, to external threats.
During 1990’s, NATO got engaged for the first time militarily in operations in the former Yugoslavia. One of the first NATO operations was operation Sharp Guard (June 1993-October 1996). It followed to a series of interventions on behalf of the Alliance leaders that projected a safer and more secure stable world in the region of the Balkans. However, from the lessons learned, especially since the Kosovo intervention in 1999, NATO allied members requested changes to occur. The requested NATO to undergo a long procedure of restructuring the administrative and operational infrastructure of the Alliance in order to lead 21st security policies that would lead to a) enlargement and b) procedural changes in the level of inter-organizational cooperation.
NATO’s operational interventions in the 1990’s and beginning of the 21st century, its lessons learned, are today seen as an operational mandate, a ‘handbook’ for security. Peace-keeping, human disaster and preventing operations in Bosnia & Kosovo in the 90s, direct military operations for global threats and challenges, operations in Afghanistan & Iraq, are some of the major threats. Yet, NATO deals also with peace support operations such as Darfur and relief operations in natural disasters such as in Pakistan. This said, NATO pursues a 21st century role towards a wider frame of security responsibilities and not strictly responding to direct military threats rising from its traditional threat, as was the case in the past, during the Cold War Era.
Recent events in the area of Northern Africa, have given rise to new security challenges. New issues are now yet to be explored, analyzed and discussed. Recent geopolitical, energy and security implications reach automatically a global status, since our world is inter-related. Any NATO operation should not come to anyone’s surprise if Alliance leaders decide to a possible military and political engagement.
The Arab part of North Africa, is seen both as a separate case of security but also as a whole and at the same time, as a major player in the global chessboard. In these vast land masses where the Arabs reside, from Morocco in northwest Africa to the Persian Gulf, they share more or less a common political and cultural background. Political despotism, moderate Islam or (in some cases) Islamic fundamentalism, the lack of any democratic tradition in some Arab societies and a deep historic struggle with Israel, forge a powerful amalgamation of a common Arab consciousness. This common heritage and identity that characterizes the Arab countries helps the spillover of uprisings and rise western concerns for the latest unrest that occured those last months in Maghreb[i] and the Middle East. These concerns are amplified even more because of the domino effect which occurred after the first Tunisian uprising in last December.
Egypt followed and in both cases the popular uprisings managed to overthrown their authoritarian regimes of Tunisian President Ben AliHosni Mubarak, leaving a vast vacuum in those countries’ political systems. Now is Libya in the center of the crisis where a whole different turn towards civil war, presents another major challenge for the European Union, the United States and their collective defense organization NATO. and Egyptian President
In the past, NATO and the Maghreb countries (except Libya), engaged in a cooperation program called “Mediterranean Dialog”[ii] and more recently, in the “Istanbul Cooperation Initiative – ICI”[iii]. Especially Col Gaddafi’s Libya passed from the club of “Rogue States” - in the eyes of the Western World and the US particularly - into the club of moderate Arab states with a revised and renewed relationship with the West. Libya since the 1980’s abandoned radicalism and took its distance from harboring terrorism openly. In the last years Col Qaddafi could be seen next to top Western Leaders during Summits, including President Obama.
On the other hand, this new relationship did not help Libya to import anything from the political culture of the West. Its regime remained autocratic without any further western “suggestions” for the opposite. After all, given the sensitivities of the Arab “psyche” on matters of social liberalism, the “West” limited her relations within the boundary of an economic partnership with Libya, based mainly on oil, as it is one of the major providers of oil of the EU and the US. With the latest uprising in the country, this new economic relation is under jeopardy. For the last two weeks Libya is engaged in an informal civil war with severe internal and external consequences.
Inside the country, thousands of people have been killed in the most decisive challenge of the Gaddafi regime, since his rise to power in 1969’s coup. This can lead to a mass exodus of desperate illegal immigrants to southern European countries. On top of that Libya has threatened to suspend cooperation with Europe, in fighting illegal immigration on Libyan soil. Given his unquestioned determination to provoke a total bloodshed in the country, in order to retain power and the humanitarian crisis that may follow the next few days, due to shortages of food and other commodities, a question has been raised whether or not, the international community and especially NATO should intervene to resolve the crisis, or at least to provide aid and relief to the people of Libya. With a sufficient history of humanitarian interventions on behalf of NATO, such a possibility is not out of question. For example, in 2010 during the floods in Pakistan, NATO provided airlift and sealift assistance for the delivery of donations by nations and humanitarian relief organizations, in response to a request by the Government of Pakistan[iv].
Furthermore, the revolt in Libya triggered a rupture in oil production that poses a threat to global development especially in these difficult times for global economics. Libya is a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and holds the largest proven oil reserves in Africa[v]. Moreover, Libya is Africa’s major oil producer and one of Europe’s biggest North African oil suppliers. Also, Libya has very low production costs and the oilfields are close to the refineries and markets of Europe. With these in mind it is not extraordinary that the EU and the US subsequently would like to react towards normalization of oil production as soon as possible.
A third so called “reason for intervention” is the political struggle in Libya and its aftermath. The West mainly for economic and geopolitical reasons in the last years pursued a policy of close collaboration with the Arab states concerning security issues in the sensitive basin of the Mediterranean. As a whole, the Arab world backed western concerns for Islamic terrorism and illegal immigration, two of the most urgent issues faced by the US and the EU respectfully.
Especially the issue of rising Islamic fundamentalism, in accordance with the Iranian and Syrian paternalism within the Arab states, (the grip on Palestine of Hamas) for example, dictated the maintenance, if not a policy of tolerance of the western powers toward authoritarian regimes - like Gaddafi’s - which provided the necessary assets and political agreements to contain this problem before it is exported on western soil. Especially with Libya, Col Gaddafi’s turn in his foreign policy during the last years and his willingness to collaborate on both issues, presented an obstacle from keeping a hostile position on behalf of the Western powers against his political authoritarianism.
A possible initiative on behalf of the Western powers and the Alliance is a step that has to be considered twice before it is materialized. Already one by one the European countries along with the United Stated declared that Col Gaddafi has lost legitimacy of power after turning guns on his own people[vi]. On this basis, the international community began to urge the pro-Gaddafi forces to switch sides in support of the revolutionaries and consider the option of a possible military intervention in order to stop the bloodshed on the ground.
A number of possible alternatives have been suggested, all within the capabilities of the Alliance. A non-fly zone over Libya, along with the naval blockade is among the most “cost free” measures that can be taken on behalf of NATO. This does not mean that an air operation will be way too easy[vii]. On the contrary, the option of open military intervention is not favored within the circles of the US and NATO elites[viii]. Robert Gates, the US Defense Secretary, stated before a congressional panel that, “A no-fly zone begins with an attack on Libya to destroy the air defenses". The Pentagon could get the job done if ordered by the president, but an attack would require more air power than a single US aircraft carrier, which typically carries about 75 planes. "It is a big operation in a big country".
It is clear that in this particular time of the Libyan revolt, the international factor hesitates to proceed to bolder actions that include the use of force on the ground. So far it has correctly responded to the Arab peoples request for political change in a politically stagnated region. It offered political legitimacy to the revolts by backing the requests of the people to oust the authoritarian regimes. Lately, the international community began talking about investigating alleged crimes against humanity from Col Gaddafi's regime, as has been said by the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court[ix].
All the above steps are on the right direction. The “West” has to renounce any relation to Col Gaddafi, as he alone cancelled any legitimacy on power by attacking its own people.
The question of a possible military intervention has to be considered therefore carefully. Although a bold strike wouldn’t lack the support on many countries, it would provoke major players in international affairs Like Russia and China, which both stated that they disagree with any military strike on behalf of the Western powers and NATO. Also a strike could be seen as an attempt by the West to control the future events and to form a new pro-western political reality in the region.
As such a premature military strike would not be a favorable option. All the wishful outcomes during these revolts, like the democratization of the political systems of the Arab states can be accomplished by other means. As it was suggested by US Senator Lieberman, “another option was to provide US air defense weapons to the Libyan rebels and to train them in their use”. Meanwhile, “Every move in the diplomatic play-book has so far been thrown at the embattled Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and yet he is still hanging on to power”[x]. An arms embargo has been applied, assets of Gaddafi’s family frozen all over the world and even “direct threats” from the ICC[xi] for prosecution on the basis of war crimes against innocent civilians.
The situation so far does not favor a strong military response from NATO. The EU and the US are reluctant to take the “next step” after the first round of diplomatic measures against Gaddafi’s regime. That is a sign that a second consideration has to be taken before any international intervention. There are many issues at risk and not many but enough assets to earn from such an option. If nonetheless, the humanitarian crisis escalates and the Libyan regime continues its attack on civilians[xii], if the number of foreign citizens fleeing the country raise and the oil production continues to drop, then a military response will soon become a reality not only a possibility that will not be any longer unavoidable.
[i] Maghreb: It is an Arabic word literally meaning "place of sunset" or "the west". The term generally refers to the five North African countries of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania. From Wikipedia
[ii] Was a program initiated in 1994 by the North Atlantic Council, which involved seven non-NATO countries of the Mediterranean region: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia. It was a dialogue aimed to contribute to regional security and stability, to achieve better mutual understanding and to dispel any misconceptions about NATO among Dialogue countries. From NATO http://www.nato.int/cps/en/.
[iii] NATO's Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, launched at the Alliance's Summit in the Turkish city in June 2004, aims to contribute to long-term global and regional security by offering countries of the broader Middle East region practical bilateral security cooperation with NATO. From NATO http://www.nato.int/issues/ici/index.html.
[iv] The goods delivered were part of the international community’s overall effort to support the victims of the flood disaster in Pakistan. From NATO http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-63793F52-5DB78472/natolive/news.
[v] According to the 2008 BP Statistical Energy Survey, Libya had proved oil reserves of 41.464 billion barrels at the end of 2007 or 3.34 % of the world's reserves.
[vi] US President Barack Obama has insisted that Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi "step down from power and leave,". "We will continue to send a clear message: The violence must stop. Muammar Gaddafi has lost the legitimacy to lead and he must leave," Obama said at a White House news conference with Mexican President Felipe Calderon on Thursday March 03 2011.
[vii] The Libyan Air force is the elite of Gaddafi’s Army. Some 18.000 men from the Qadhafah and Magariha clans, along with more than 150 fighting jet planes (MIG-21, MIG-23, MIRAGE F-1 and SUKHOI-22) and a strong network of anti-air weapons, can put quite a fight in case of an ill prepared air strike from NATO. Fox2Magazine publication, March-04-2011.
[viii] The Pentagon is making it clear it does not want war, even as senators passed a resolution urging the UN to act on setting up a no-fly zone. From Al jazeera http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2011
[ix] Speaking at a press conference in The Hague, the Netherlands, on Thursday feb-03-2011, Luis Moreno-Ocampo said he would investigate claims that peaceful protesters had been attacked by forces loyal to Gaddafi.
[xi] The International Criminal Court.
[xii] According to Yehudit Ronen, an expert on Libya matters from the Hebrew University of Bar-llan, Gaddafi is not exactly the “mad man” shown internationally from his recent appearance on global TV networks. His careful use of air power so far, reveals that he came up with a well prepared plan to repel the assault from the opposition and sometime in the near future to attack when the revolt looses momentum.
|
<urn:uuid:9454715b-2a1a-444d-8750-52f1a3c843c9>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.strategyinternational.org/index.php/en/sectors/nato-transatl-relations/nato
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00046-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.947361
| 3,266
| 2.0625
| 2
|
An Interview with Journalist Blogger Laura Washington
In Chicago, the idea of journalists blogging for free is a controversial one at best. Some journalists scoff at the suggestion that they give their words away for free. However, Sun-Times columnist Laura Washington does just that–and in the process shows why blogging is key to the future of journalism. Enter: The Washington Report.
Many local journalists attending the summer 2009 conferences Making Media Connections and Chicago Media Future took a dim view of blogging. The idea rampant at both events was that reporters deserve to be paid for their investigative work and shouldn’t be giving it away for free on blogs or anywhere else. I made a point to question this perspective at late August’s C-BOM: Community Blogging & Online Media meetup. At the latter event, I asked: If you were a newspaper editor, whom would you hire first: an out-of-work reporter with no evidence of keeping up with the issues, or an out-of-work reporter with a current blog on the issues?
The answer seems obvious. But to really increase your relevancy, better to start your blog while still employed at a major masthead. That’s just what the Sun-Times’ Laura Washington did in mid-August with the launch of her community-news blog, The Washington Report. “I feel like there are stories not being told that I think are important in the city,” Washington announced at C-BOM. “Some are appropriate in my Sun-Times column, but others are not, so I’m using my blog as another outlet.”
Judging by the content covered on Washington’s blog since August, she appears to be using it as an outlet for criticism that perhaps the Sun-Times might find too pointed or politically charged for her newspaper column. [Ed. note: In a subsequent conversation with Washington, she let me know she cross-posts her Sun-Times content on the blog.] Recent topics include:
- Governor Pat Quinn’s lack of movement on his five-month-old promise to deal with the Chicago State University trustee scandal;
- community responsibility in the face of black-on-black violence;
- John Kass’s turn on the Oprah Winfrey Show;
- a scathing look at the Cook County board president race;
- intense criticism of Chicago Urban League President & CEO Cheryle Jackson’s senate chances;
- hiring bias against African Americans and the obese; and
- potential aldermanic homophobia.
Given her background, the content is no surprise. A regular commentator on NPR and WBEZ Chicago Public Radio and frequently quoted in national media on issues of African-American affairs, politics, race, and racism, previously Washington served as editor and publisher of the social-justice investigative journal, The Chicago Reporter, and an investigative producer at CBS-2/Chicago, as well as deputy press secretary to Chicago’s first (and so far, only) black mayor, Harold Washington. Deep breath, there’s more…she has also taught and lectured widely, and is the recipient of honors including two Chicago Emmys, the Peter Lisagor Award, and Community Media Workshop‘s Studs Terkel Award for Community Journalism, and is a founding inductee to the Medill School of Journalism Hall of Achievement.
Given her impressive credentials, last week via email I asked Washington why she launched her blog, and what she thinks about the importance of blogging for the future of journalism.
Mike Doyle: As a successful, employed local journalist, why did you choose to launch your blog?
Laura Washington: I live and breathe information. I am a natural gossip, an essential quality for a good reporter. Several times a day I run across a story idea, tip, blog post, or event that offers up a story. There are so many stories in Chicago that are under-covered or ignored. I treasure my weekly newsprint column, but it’s a challenge to hit the right timing. Timing is everything in news. For example, by the time I heard about the Obama Nobel, I had already written my column for [that] Monday. So I did something on the blog instead. By next Monday the Nobel [was] be a dead issue.
MD: At the C-BOM meetup, you noted that reporter blogs can give voice to stories that might otherwise not be heard. Is that what you hope to achieve with The Washington Report?
Laura Washington: The voices, opinions of community leaders, rabble rousers, and the so-called “regular folk” and activists are often overlooked. They don’t have a platform like the downtown heavies do. I want to use the blog to cover politics and dirty laundry in communities of color, GLBT issues, what’s happening in the non-profit world, and news from a host of institutions, from higher education to arts and cultural groups. The ideas, leads, and angles have exploded exponentially with the advent of the Net. The ideas are coming from everywhere. There are opportunities 24/7. [On a blog] I don’t have to worry about a news peg–there’s always one around the corner.
MD: Do you find there’s a difference between writing local news for the web and writing for a newspaper?
Laura Washington: It’s instantaneous [writing for the web]–it delivers more impact, immediacy. I can be more pithy and irreverent. That’s fun. I live to opine, but getting the facts straight is still crucial. Cute and wrong is a fatal combination.
MD: So is blogging a way forward for sidelined journalists to stay in the public eye?
Laura Washington: Journalists have to have a platform to deliver their stories. The blog is a brand that they can control and market…There will always be more stories to tell than places to tell them–especially about communities of color. The blogosphere opens up a whole new world to tell them in.
That last answer says it all: blogs give journalists a branded, marketable platform to deliver their stories over which they have full control. That means a complimentary outlet for employed reporters like Washington–and a powerful way for wise reporters to remain relevant between pink slip and future hire.
For their own good, here’s hoping more reporters make wise like Washington.
|
<urn:uuid:b7595002-6446-4874-8bff-9ae00ce0d56f>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.chicagocarless.com/2009/10/21/an-interview-with-journalist-blogger-laura-washington/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.947735
| 1,336
| 1.554688
| 2
|
Reuters - 6-Feb-2013
The Federal Reserve said on Tuesday that one of its internal websites had been briefly breached by hackers, though no critical functions of the U.S. central bank were affected by the intrusion.The admission, which raises questions about cyber security at the Fed
, follows a claim that hackers linked to the activist group Anonymous had struck the Fed on Sunday, accessing personal information of more than 4,000 U.S. bank executives, which it published on the Web.
"The Federal Reserve system is aware that information was obtained by exploiting a temporary vulnerability in a website vendor product," a Fed spokeswoman said.
"Exposure was fixed shortly after discovery and is no longer an issue
. This incident did not affect critical operations of the Federal Reserve system," the spokeswoman said, adding that all individuals effected by the breach had been contacted.http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/06/net-us-usa-fed-hackers-idUSBRE91501920130206
=======================Horses and barn doors spring to mind
|
<urn:uuid:03b29bdf-f869-414e-a9e6-3c13b4774e8e>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php?topic=113170.0;prev_next=next
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.965734
| 222
| 1.53125
| 2
|
John Hermes, vice president of information technology for Oklahoma Christian University, knew the school had problems. Despite a reputation as a pioneer in education technology and as a very high-tech university, Oklahoma Christian (OC) was lagging further and further behind in its business processes, says Hermes.
Paper files abounded, hugely impacting back-end processes related to student services, such as billing, financial aid award processes and records retention. Because of the amount of paperwork inundating student financial services, misplaced files and documents were a relatively common occurrence. In the meantime, the student growth rate was accelerating, resulting in more records to track; consequently, customer service was sinking.
But Hermes had a vision and believed that enterprise content management (ECM) technology could help deliver it. Focusing his initial efforts on Student Financial Services, he began searching for a solution that would enable staff to achieve their desired objectives, one that would also integrate with their existing line-of-business applications.
The answer? An integration between Laserfiche ECM, LincDoc (the department's eForms tool), Microsoft SharePoint, and Datatel (an ERP system now known as Ellucian). This integration moved Student Financial Services into the 21st century, allowing them to significantly reduce paper and mail while also streamlining business processes. This in turn accelerated financial aid, vastly improved tracking and reporting, all of which led to much higher customer service and student satisfaction.
Some examples of efficiencies achieved through this integration include:
• Student submission forms are now submitted, tracked and managed electronically. Staff can upload documents and forms to the campus' myOC portal, an online website based on SharePoint. By logging onto their myOC accounts, students can view and complete financial aid documents. Once signed and submitted, Laserfiche Workflow automatically classifies the document and routes it to the appropriate financial aid officer.
• Counselors can search and retrieve both newly submitted documents and old student records housed in Laserfiche or other systems from within their familiar Datatel Colleague environment.
• Financial aid counselors can respond immediately to students inquiring about their financial aid status by pulling up their entire files right from their desktops.
• Management can track employee efficiency, delegate workloads and address underperformance by simply looking at how many documents are in employees' folders, which have been processed and which still need to be processed.
Hermes initially projected a cost savings to the financial aid office of around $23,000. However, the improvements to student financial services were so significant that instead, the department realized $31,000 of hard savings in less than two years.
Currently, integrations have been completed for admissions and accounts payable; Hermes will soon roll out ECM to the Registrar's Office and the Office of Student Life. "We can show others this is something you really need in your office. This will help you in your daily process. This will improve employee morale. This will help you in everything you are trying to do for students."
|
<urn:uuid:2fd9ba85-37fe-460b-a66a-7d506f454b32>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://universitybusiness.com/laserfiche/news/oklahoma-christian-university-streamlines-saves-and-serves
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.966457
| 613
| 1.664063
| 2
|
The White House pressed Republicans Monday to back Democratic legislation preventing interest rates on federal student loans from doubling in July as the two parties remained deadlocked over how to pay for the move.
"As the economy continues to recover, and at a time when market interest rates are at historic lows, students who rely on loans to finance postsecondary education should not be burdened with additional college debt," the White House said.
The statement, which seemed aimed at raising the discomfort level among GOP senators, came as the Senate debated a $6 billion Democratic bill keeping today's subsidized Stafford loan interest rates of 3.4 percent from doubling for another year.
Republicans back freezing the interest rates too, but oppose how Democrats would finance their measure. Democrats would force owners of many privately owned companies to pay more Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes.
"They'd like to raise money in the middle of the largest recession we've had since the Great Depression on job creators," said Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn.
Alexander has introduced a GOP version paid for by eliminating a preventive health fund created by President Barack Obama's 2010 revamping of the nation's health care system. Republicans are demanding a vote on their alternative measure.
Republicans touted a letter sent to Senate leaders last week by 37 groups representing businesses from architects to wine wholesalers, saying the Democratic plan would be "less clear and less enforceable" than current law but could also end up increasing payroll taxes on businesses already complying with the law.
The election-year standoff affects 7.4 million students, whose Stafford borrowing costs would rise by an average $1,000 over the lives of their loans if interest costs doubled.
The White House has threatened to veto a House-approved GOP bill similar to Alexander's. Administration officials and congressional Democrats say they oppose cuts in preventive health programs.
With presidential and congressional elections in November, neither party wants to be seen as causing students' college expenses to grow. Because neither appears to have the 60 votes needed to push its version through the Senate, it seems likely they will have to find a compromise way to pay for the effort.
Stafford loans are made to low- and middle-income students. The Department of Education estimates students will borrow $31.6 billion in Stafford loans in the year beginning July 1, average $4,226 for each student.
|
<urn:uuid:57382151-50e5-4e84-823c-601fc21110ea>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.checkrates.com/Articles/Student%20Loans/entries/White-House-Pressures-GOP-on-Student-Loan-Bill
|
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
| 0.972078
| 476
| 1.523438
| 2
|
India will launch five satellites by June, including one for advanced remote sensing and two for communications, say officials of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
The first launch, scheduled for April 20, will be of Resourcesat-2, intended for study and management of natural resources and sending back pictures and other data, and two other satellites.
India has the largest constellation of remote sensing satellites in the world providing imagery in a variety of spatial resolutions from better than a metre ranging up to 500 metres, and is a major player in vending such data in the global market.
ISRO will then launch two communication satellites – GSAT-8 from French Guyana and GSAT-12 from India – by June this year. These will serve the needs of the telecommunication and television sectors.
Speaking to IANS, an ISRO official, who did not want to be named, said GSAT-8 will augment the growing demand for communication transponders (automatic receivers and transmitters for communication and broadcast of signals).
With India in the process of developing a rocket that could carry a three-tonne satellite, GSAT-8 will be launched by Ariane rocket from French Guyana some time this May.
Following that will be the launch of GSAT-12 using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from ISRO’s rocket port at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, around 80 km from Chennai.
Weighing 1,425 kg, GSAT-12, with 12 extended C band transponders, is expected to be launched some time in June.
The satellite is expected to serve the Very Small Aperture Terminal ( VSAT) sector, used to transmit data like point of sale transactions or to provide satellite internet access and others.
Though PSLV rockets are largely used by ISRO to launch remote sensing/earth observation satellites, it has also been used to put into orbit communication satellites in geo transfer orbit (GTO).
According to ISRO officials, the PSLV rocket that will carry GSAT-12 will weigh over 300 tonnes – heavier than the standard PSLV rocket that weigh around 290 tonnes at lift off.
The rocket will be powered with much longer strap-on motors containing more fuel.
ISRO is also mulling the launch of another remote sensing satellite, Megha-Tropiques in July, to study and understand the life cycle of convective systems and their role in the associated energy and moisture budget of the atmosphere in the tropical regions.
|
<urn:uuid:4608d223-e28f-4e1f-ba34-76dfed89606e>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://winnersdelhinews.com/2011/04/india-launching-5-satellites-by-june/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.926038
| 514
| 2.671875
| 3
|
Talking to Iran
(By 0, 3/21/2006)
IF THERE is any chance to deflect Iran from its apparent quest for nuclear weapons, the Iranian and US governments will have to negotiate. But if the Bush administration continues to rule out any direct bargaining with Tehran over its nuclear program, US policy options will eventually be reduced to two: accepting a nuclear-armed Iran or using bombs and missiles to set back the Iranian program for a few years. This is the hard truth that hovers in the background of last week's simultaneous announcement in Tehran and Washington of forthcoming discussions about Iraq between Iranian and American officials.
Cheney vs. Kennedy
(By 0, 3/21/2006)
THE BUSH administration's post-Sept. 11 strategy led the United States straight into Iraq. Vice President Richard Cheney, one of its architects, had the gall to question Senator Edward Kennedy's criticism of the war there. But American political leaders have to call a halt to the reckless unilateralism born on 9/11 before it enmeshes the United States in more conflicts around the world.
Weighing the costs of today's defense strategy
(By Cindy Williams, 3/21/2006)
THE HOUSE of Representatives last week voted to add $68 billion to Defense Department coffers to help defray this year's costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Together with the $536 billion in outlays already planned for national defense, the emergency appropriation will bring total defense spending this year to some $600 billion. Adjusting for inflation, that is substantially more than the United States spent on defense in any year since World War II.
Needed: candor on Iraq
(By 0, 3/20/2006)
WITH POLLS indicating that 60 percent of Americans believe the war in Iraq is going badly, it is understandable that President Bush has been giving speeches and declaring, as he did last week, ''We have a comprehensive strategy for victory in Iraq.'' The trouble is that Bush has been pretending to have such a strategy since the war began on March 20, 2003, and prospects for stability in Iraq -- never mind ''victory'' -- hardly seem more promising now than three years ago.
The enemy we hardly know
(By Robert Malley and Peter Harling, 3/19/2006)
ON THE third anniversary of the US invasion in Iraq, the United States is still fighting an enemy it barely knows. Washington relies on crude, broad-brush identifications -- Saddamists, Islamofascists, and the like. Rather than analyze the armed opposition's strategy and objectives, it assumes them. Rather than listen to what the insurgents say, it dismisses it. All of which is mystifying and, of far greater importance, self-defeating.
The coming new wave of jihad
(By Rita Katz, 3/13/2006)
WASHINGTON ABU MUSAB AL-ZARQAWI has suddenly disappeared. As briskly as he has emerged, the Jordanian high school dropout who became the undisputed leader of the Iraqi insurgency has descended into obscurity. Where is the man who singlehandedly created from scratch a formidable guerrilla army in occupied Iraq and whom Osama bin Laden called the Emir of Al Qaeda in Iraq?
Jill Carroll's ordeal
(By James Carroll, 3/13/2006)
HOW LONG is 10 weeks? How long is 65 days? How long is 1,560 hours? For Jill Carroll, the American journalist who was kidnapped in Iraq on Jan. 7, the passage of time must be excruciating.
US Army in jeopardy in Iraq
(By Gary Hart, 3/11/2006)
IN 1812, Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Russia and, after success at the battle of Borodino, marched on and occupied Moscow. Napoleon and his generals took over the palaces of the court princes and great houses of the mighty boyars.
JFK's lessons for Iraq
(By Marc J. Selverstone, 3/9/2006)
BEGINNING tomorrow scholars, journalists, and government officials -- both former and current -- will revisit a topic that remains tightly woven into the fabric of American political culture: the Vietnam War. Convening at the John F. Kennedy Library, they will explore some of the more contentious aspects of this chapter in our history. Among the questions they will ask are those concerning America's entrance into war, the roles played by the media and public opinion in shaping the course of the war, and the lessons learned from that conflict.
Iraq's insecure democracy
(By H.D.S. Greenway, 3/7/2006)
MUCH OF the Bush administration's hopes for Iraq, and the transformative powers of democracy in the Middle East, lie in the ruins of the Askariya mosque's golden dome in the city of Samarra. For the bombing of the mosque exposed clearly what America wants so much to deny: that in the present climate of lawlessness there are ethnic and religious tensions in Iraq that are simply not going to allow for the kind of democracy the administration naively envisioned.
|
<urn:uuid:cfdae529-bd0b-4c65-9a6b-4c01a6de4d6d>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://boston.com/news/packages/iraq/globe/opinion/page1.shtml
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.948446
| 1,039
| 1.53125
| 2
|
The Department of Energy anticipated spending about $250 million in Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 to implement cyber security measures necessary to protect its information technology resources - systems and data critical to supporting its mission and business lines of energy security, nuclear security, scientific discovery and innovation,environmental responsibility, and management excellence. Security challenges and threats to the Department of Energy's information systems are continually evolving. Adversaries routinely attempt to compromise its information technology assets. As these attacks become increasingly sophisticated, it is critical that the Department's cyber security protective measures keep pace with the growing threat.
The Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) provides direction to agencies on the management and oversight of information security risks, including design and implementation of controls to protect Federal information and systems. As required by FISMA, the Office of Inspector General conducts an annual independent evaluation to determine whether the Department's unclassified cyber security program adequately protects its information systems and data. This memorandum and the attached report present the results of our evaluation for FY 2008.
|
<urn:uuid:df5f9d7f-6775-46d9-b8b7-06cbcde0c4b9>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://energy.gov/ig/downloads/departments-unclassified-cyber-security-program-2008-ig-0801
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00065-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.924978
| 205
| 2.125
| 2
|
Top White Papers
LinuxMall.com: Inferno Sparks Open FlameJun 22, 2000, 19:42 (0 Talkback[s])
(Other stories by Michelle Head)
[ Thanks to Greta Durr/Linuxmall.com for this link. ]
"Inferno is an operating system (OS) for creating and supporting distributed services. It was originally offered by Lucent Technologies as a commercial product. Inferno has been obtained by Vita Nuova, who will release its source code, architectures, manuals and papers, along with other materials--but only to its yearly subscribers."
"York, England-based Vita Nuova was formed in 1996 by Michael Jeffrey, Charles Forsyth and John Bates as a start-up software company bent on hitching its wagon to the then-emerging Inferno technology from Lucent Bell Labs. Vita Nuova achieved that end through partnerships with Lucent from 1997 through 1999, building a company based on Inferno technical services, according to a company release."
"Inferno is capable as running as a stand-alone OS or running as a user application on a host OS. Inferno provides a portable development environment and utilizes standard protocols for communication between and within Inferno virtual machines."
"Inferno is intended to be used in a variety of network environments, including those supporting telephony, hand-held devices, TV set-top boxes attached to cable or satellite systems, and Internet computers. It is also intended to be used conjunction with traditional computing systems."
0 Talkback[s] (click to add your comment)
|
<urn:uuid:7f8ec7e9-f6c1-4305-9447-148e1a2b191b>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.linuxtoday.com/it_management/2000062201204NWBZ
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.935536
| 317
| 1.914063
| 2
|
Six of 8 bear species at risk of extinction: group
OSLO (Reuters) - Six of the world's eight bear species are under threat of extinction after the addition on Monday of the sun bear, the world's smallest type of bear, to a "Red List" which says China's panda is most at risk.
The sun bear is threatened partly by poachers who sell its gall bladder bile in China as a traditional medicine, said the World Conservation Union which runs the list of threatened wildlife.
"Things are getting worse for all the bear species except the American black bear which is unquestionably increasing," said Simon Stuart, senior species adviser for the Union.
The addition of the sun bear to the authoritative Red List after a major review means the American black bear and the brown bear, found from Europe to Alaska, are the only two of eight species still considered robust.
The sun bear, found in Asia from Bangladesh to Borneo and weighing up to about 70 kg (150 lb), was rated "vulnerable" by experts at the Union, which comprises more than 80 governments, conservation groups and scientists.
The sun bear, named after a yellow crescent on its chest, had not previously been listed because of a lack of data. The Union said there were several thousand sun bears in the wild.
"We estimate that sun bears have declined by at least 30 percent over the past 30 years ... and continue to decline at this rate," said Ron Steinmetz, head of the Swiss-based Union's sun bear expert team.
Scientists did not change the level of threat to any other bear species. Deforestation, loss of habitat to roads and cities and poaching are among risks.
The Asiatic black bear, the sloth bear and the Andean bear were all reaffirmed as vulnerable after the reassessment of land-living bears. The polar, the only species not reassessed, is separately rated as vulnerable.
Pandas were reaffirmed as endangered, one step closer to extinction than vulnerable, despite China's protection efforts for the bamboo-eaters. There are an estimated 1,000-2,000 in the wild, fewer than any other bear species.
"Even though some people have claimed that panda populations are on the rise, we still consider them endangered because too much uncertainty exists to justify changing their status to vulnerable," David Garshelis, co-chair of the Union's bear specialist group, said in a statement.
"The fact that six of eight bear species are under threat is bad news for species that are generally resilient and hang on under human pressure," Stuart told Reuters. Many bears were unfussy eaters and could live in a wide range of habitats.
The brown bear, including grizzly bears, and the American black bear are listed as of "least concern," meaning populations are robust. There are more than 900,000 black bears -- more than twice as many as all other species of bears combined.
|
<urn:uuid:e6eccf13-41fb-4ef3-9b0a-001955d5cbf8>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.enn.com/top_stories/article/24387
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.97251
| 605
| 3.171875
| 3
|
There's not much that can draw lawmakers together these days. But on the issue of tax reform, there's a lot of bipartisan agreement. With some hope that Congress and the White House might be able to act to simplify the tax code during this Congress, the House Ways and Means Committee held the first of several planned hearings on Thursday to examine the tangled tax code.
Economists and lawmakers across the spectrum agree that the tax system is too complex with too many special exemptions benefitting narrow interests. According to the Internal Revenue Service's Taxpayer Advocate Service, individuals and businesses spend 6.1 billion hours per year on tax filing, and in 2008 spent $163 billion to ensure they were following all of the rules. Tax reform was also a key plank of last year's plan from the president's deficit commission, which recommended scrapping most exemptions and using the savings to lower the deficit and reduce overall income tax rates. Ways and Means Chairman David Camp, a Michigan Republican, said the tax code "adds more burdens on families and employers—making it more difficult to create jobs in this country." The last major tax overhaul was the Tax Reform Act of 1986, which reduced the number of income brackets and sought to eliminate tax havens.
Of course, deciding which loopholes to cut isn't easy. "Everybody wants to cut the loophole for the other guy, but not the incentive he or she enjoys," said New York Rep. Charlie Rangel, a Democrat, at the hearing. Aside from narrow business exemptions, many income tax breaks, such as those for mortgage interest and employer-provided health insurance, are used by millions of middle-class Americans. "In short, we are all special interests," said National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson, who testified during Thursday's hearing.
Much of the discussion has focused on the federal tax on corporate profits. Testifying before the committee, Robert McDonald, CEO of Proctor & Gamble, said that America's corporate tax rate is the "least competitive in the world." Many economists on both the right and left say that ultimately the tax is felt by consumers and employees, not corporations. "The politics of the corporate tax are a lot different than the usual left and right politics on the individual income tax," says Chris Edwards, an expert with the libertarian Cato Institute.
One early point of contention is whether tax reform should ultimately raise or lower the amount the government collects in taxes, or be "revenue neutral," as some Democrats advocate. "This may be somewhat controversial and difficult, but we need to make sure that reform is fiscally responsible," said Michigan Rep. Sander Levin, the ranking Democrat on the committee. Republicans on the panel have said that it's too early to say how reform should affect the deficit, and some business leaders have said that reform should focus on simplifying the system first. Earlier this month, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said that the White House would look at ways to simplify the tax code while keeping revenue the same. But President Obama may be cautious about eliminating tax exemptions that benefit the middle class, due to his campaign promise not to raise taxes on most Americans.
It's not likely to happen by tax time, but with few avenues open for progress, tax reform may be Obama's best bet for a 2011 accomplishment.
- See photos of the Obamas behind the scenes.
- Check out a roundup of editorial cartoons on the economy.
- Read 10 Things You Didn't Know About the Bush Tax Cuts.
|
<urn:uuid:48fc6405-da2d-4b00-b137-0debed097915>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2011/01/25/both-parties-want-to-take-on-tax-reform
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.966989
| 704
| 1.835938
| 2
|
The academic facilities are utilized by neighboring schools and colleges. M.Ed., M.Phil., Ph.D. scholars and faculty members of other universities and institutions use our library for reference. Our college is a center for research in education. The research materials available in our library are really a source of guidance to all those engaged in research since our library has rare collections of research materials which are not available in the colleges nearby.
Inter-library borrowing is available within the institutions run by our management. The staff members of different institutions are permitted to refer library for their academic purpose during non working hours.
Nearly 100 books obtained by the financial aid of the government, and generous contribution of the management are in the book bank. This facility is useful mainly for the disadvantaged students.
The library has question bank. Orientation regarding library resources and library reading is given to the students in the beginning of the academic year. Visually handicapped students are supported in the form of reading the text by the librarian. To encourage & inculcate the reading habit among the B.Ed. students our management is giving prize to the best library utilize. Library day is celebrated every year to inculcate values of reading habit. The children’s corner is utilized by the children of the local schools.
Students can make use of the above said library facilities at any time. For the sake of students, library is kept open in the morning before the college begins, during lunch break and in the evening.
In M.O.U. with Kennedy foundations, USA, the library has been importing the books from the USA every year.
Facilities for Students
Students can avail the photocopying facility at any time.
Students can avail the touch screen facilities
Students can avail the computer for locating learning resources.
v To search the books by accession number
v To know the total number of volumes in the library
v Details regarding author, little, publishers’ name, the price of the book
v Availability of the book in the library
v List of bound (back volumes) journals in the library
v Details of Kennedy books in the library
v Back volumes of “V.O.C. Journal of Education”
v The reference books available in our library
v Encyclopedias, reports, dissertation abstracts, national and international year books, dictionaries, general knowledge book and research tools
v Reference books in children’s corner
|
<urn:uuid:c0a4a11e-e514-43bc-8a91-ef77f387e4fa>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.voccedn.org/library.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.936728
| 503
| 2.0625
| 2
|
2,500 new photovoltaic panels are powering all of the electricity used at the Martha's Vineyard Public Charter School making it the first public school in the state to rely completely on green energy as a source for power. Work began last November with help from the charter school’s students.
As part of the Nobel Laureate School Visits program, 2010 Nobel Prize-winning economist Peter Diamond recently met with students at the Pioneer Charter School of Science in Everett. After his 90-minute presentation on his research, Professor Diamond took questions about his career, politics and his favorite books from the eager students.
In an interview with WBUR, Diamond said, “I was trying to do two things: enhance their understanding of some little piece of economics. The second was to see a sample of thinking coherently about an economic subject as a style, thinking unlike say, bumper stickers.”
Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter School (Marlboro) was one of 16 schools to advance to compete on the fourth season of WGBH’s academic quiz show. The competing schools were selected from nearly 100 schools by earning top scores on “Super Sunday," an event at WGBH’s studio during which each school team took an identical 100-question oral quiz. The show is scheduled to premier on Sunday, February 10th at 6:30pm on WGBH.
Mary Daly, a senior at the Foxborough Regional Charter School, was awarded one of the 23 Peer Leadership Recognition awards given nationally for 2012. Josh Porter, a faculty member at FRCS, nominated Daly for this award at the beginning of October. The award presentations were held during the Peer Leadership Conference that was attended by 150 handpicked students from across the county.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester visited the Pioneer Charter School of Science in Everett last month. The Commissioner spent his time at the school meeting with parents, teachers, administrators, and engaging with students.
|
<urn:uuid:f77d9f0d-f4b3-4d00-97aa-3bb93aa641d0>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://charternewsline.org/school-news-features/?currentPage=3
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.982437
| 405
| 2.0625
| 2
|
The Washington Post today describes the latest near-miss disaster at National Airport, apparently the result of screw-ups by our government-run air traffic control (ATC) system. The Post notes that this near-accident is one of many troubling incidents in recent years:
…the near-collision was another among several thousand recorded errors by air traffic controllers nationwide in recent years. National has been the site of some of the most notable incidents, including one revealed last year in which the lone controller supervisor on duty was asleep and didn’t respond when regional controllers sought to hand off planes to National for the final approach.
News of the sleeping controller at National last year led to the revelation that controllers on overnight shifts at several other airports were napping on the job.
Is our ATC system is so troubled because it is
- a government bureaucracy,
- a monopoly that doesn’t face competitive pressures to improve quality, or
- a union-dominated organization?
I don’t know the answer; maybe it’s all three. But news stories like the one today usually don’t mention the role of the unions, and newspaper readers may just conclude that the fault is simply one of a bumbling Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) bureaucracy.
However, I coincidentally received a letter in the mail today from an anonymous FAA official who points to some of the problems caused by the militant National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA). He or she says that the “NATCA union holds the FAA management hostage and little is done to correct the problems … The NATCA union is too powerful and management is too intimidated to do their jobs.”
The letter writer may or may not have all his or her facts straight – the letter is here [PDF] - so you can judge for yourself. However, I do think that the media could do a better job probing the role of unionization in the FAA’s substandard performance. People remember Ronald Reagan’s battle with the air traffic controllers, but that was just a blip in a much longer story. Unions have been creating problems for the ATC system since the 1960s, as I mention in this essay.
|
<urn:uuid:85eb97c3-9ad6-43a6-9229-3ad280fe5d8b>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/air-traffic-control-screwups
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.966636
| 455
| 1.609375
| 2
|
With respect to any piece of legislation that comes before a legislator, there are two sets of questions to be answered. The first set concerns the quality of each item in the legislation. For each item, one may ask, "Is this item worthy of my support?" The other question, of course, is, "Should I vote for this legislation?"
Every legislator will almost certainly have to vote at some time to institute a practice that is unjust, or approve a law that does harm to (those he thinks are) innocent people, or causes unnecessary suffering. Because, in spite of the fact that the bill contains something bad, it contains more good than bad, and the legislator must vote for or against the whole bill.
The same is true of executives (governors and presidents) who sign the bill into law.
A moral objection to a provision of the bill does not necessarily imply that a good person would vote against that bill.
These issues come to mind with respect to the current FISA bill – the bill that will be used to govern the future of wiretapping for security purposes. Many people on the political left are opposed to this bill. Democratic Presidential candidate Barak Obama also opposed this bill, until recently, when he announced that he will vote for it.
I have read a number of objections against Obama’s change in position.
I have spent the day trying to learn enough details about the bill in order to discover what position I would take on it. To be honest, I could not find enough clear information on which to make a decision. However, my research took me through a great deal of criticism of Obama's shift in position. A lot of that criticism was missing some very important elements.
It appears to me that criticism of a bill (as distinct from criticism of a specific element of a bill) requires more than simply an announcement that there are reasons to reject provisions within the bill. It requires some discussion of what alternatives are available, and what the consequences are of a particular action.
For example, one of the criticisms made against Obama was that he was concerned with winning the election, and seems willing to abandon principle when there are votes at stake. However, I have never found this to be a sensible criticism. It is the same as saying to a candidate, "I believe that you are the best person for the job. However, I demand that you act in such a way that you give up any chance of winning the election, and actually hand the seat over to somebody who, in that position, will spell disaster for the country."
I do not approve of lying. I do not approve of a candidate saying that he favors a position he does not favor in order to attract votes. At the same time, I see no sensible reason to object to a candidate who says, "I am voting for this legislation, even though it contains elements that I do not like, because I do not see a better alternative available. I am not saying that this legislation is perfect. To insist that I only vote for perfect legislation is to insist that I never vote in favor of any legislation."
Again, I am not talking about lying. I am talking about making the honest claim that, “This is the best option that I think is politically viable at this time. If you do not like this option, then change political reality so that we can get a better version of this law passed. Sitting around and griping – expecting political reality to change magically rather than by hard work, while demanding that candidates act as if they are not running for office in the real world, is irrational nonsense.”
People who have read this blog know that I am adamantly opposed to having 'under God' in the Pledge of Allegiance, and 'In God We Trust' as the national motto. However, when the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals releases its decision on these matters, I fully expect Obama to denounce the decision and to speak in defense of these practices. His defense will make no logical sense, and I will take great pains to show its flaws.
However, I also realize that I live in the real world. I expect – I even hope – that Obama will denounce the 9th Circuit Court opinion (if it comes out against 'under God') for the simple fact that, if he does what is right, it could cost him the election. Given the consequences of his renouncing the 9th Circuit Court decision, and the consequences of McCain becoming President, I choose the former over the latter.
When Obama states his position, I expect to rip it to shreds in this blog – and I will encourage others to do the same. However, I will do so with full understanding of why he stated that position. I will do so knowing full well that before any politician can dare to support the position that I support, I need to put the work into making it politically viable for him (or her) to do so. That’s my job as a citizen.
For similar reasons, people who are opposed to certain elements of the FISA Amendments need to do the same thing. They can certainly know and understand that some of its positions are morally objectionable. However, they have to recognize that it is senseless to demand that a politician take a position on that issue that will guarantee that he will lose the election to a worse candidate. They have to recognize that their first duty must be to contribute to changing the political landscape to one in which a politician can take the correct position on the issue, and still win an election.
It is a politician's duty in this winner-take-all political system to pull together the best 51% of the country against the worst 49% (or the best 60% against the worst 40%). If he makes it his goal to pull the best 49% together against the worst 51%, then he is handing the reigns of government over to the worst 51%.
When I read about people saying of a candidate, "I refuse to support him because he refuses to act in a way that will cost him the election and give power to the worst 51%," this type of attitude strikes me as irrational to the point of insanity. I can make no sense of it. Yet, I see it all the time.
If the alliance of the best 51% is not willing to support the 4th Amendment, then it becomes my job – our job – to get them to see the value of the 4th Amendment. If we fail, this does not change the fact that the candidate's job is to pull together an alliance of the best 51%. The only thing that changes is that the best 51% happens to be a group of people who simply refuse to support the 4th Amendment – and the 4th Amendment is as good as repealed.
Perhaps an alliance of the best 51% will support the 4th Amendment. If this is the case, then Obama should defend it as well. It is open for somebody to make that case. Yet, many of the critics that I see do not make the case – or they assert it without offering any reason to believe it other than, “Of course the majority realize that my position is correct.”
To the degree that somebody can make this case, to that degree they have a case for condemning the politician who does not defend the 4th Amendment – for saying that the politician is making a mistake. Where they cannot make such a case, their protest amounts to insisting that the candidate unite the best 49% against the worst 51% - that is to say, they are insisting that the candidate be irrational and foolish in a way that does irreparable harm to the country.
|
<urn:uuid:da07718e-1649-4bdc-ba3f-f29de973a1df>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://atheistethicist.blogspot.com/2008/07/political-reality.html?showComment=1215790440000
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.97902
| 1,557
| 1.617188
| 2
|
LONDON: Scientists have developed a unique and affordable device which could enable millions suffering from nerve degenerative diseases and amputees to interact with their computers and surroundings using simple eye movements.
The eye-tracking devices and "smart" software, which costs less than 40 pounds, can help patients suffering from multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, muscular dystrophy and spinal cord to interact with the computer freely.
According to a study, published in The Journal of Neural Engineering, the device could even allow people to control an electronic wheelchair simply by looking where they want to go or control a robotic prosthetic arm.
Composed from off-the-shelf materials, the new device can work out exactly where a person is looking by tracking their eye movements, allowing them to control a cursor on a screen just like a normal computer mouse.
Researchers from Imperial College London demonstrated its functionality by getting a group of people to play the classic computer game Pong without any kind of handset. Users were also able to browse the web and write emails "hands-off,"
Aldo Faisal, a lecturer in neurotechnology at Imperial's Department of Bioengineering, is confident in the ability to utilise eye movements given that six of the subjects, who had never used their eyes as a control input before, could still register a respectable score within 20 per cent of the able-bodied users after just 10 minutes of using the device for the first time.
The commercially viable device uses just one watt of power and can transmit data wirelessly over Wi-Fi or via USB into any computer.
The GT3D system has also solved the 'Midas touch problem', allowing users to click on an item on the screen using their eyes, instead of a mouse button.
"Crucially, we have achieved two things: We have built a 3D eye tracking system hundreds of times cheaper than commercial systems and used it to build a real-time brain machine interface that allows patients to interact more smoothly and more quickly than existing invasive technologies that are tens of thousands of times more expensive," he said.
"This is frugal innovation. Developing smarter software and piggy-backing existing hardware to create devices that can help people worldwide independent of their health care circumstances."
The cameras constantly take pictures of the eye, working out where the pupil is pointing, and from this, the researchers can use a set of calibrations to work out exactly where a person is looking on the screen.
|
<urn:uuid:9afc19ac-e3f6-4bce-95c5-36af847dc384>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.indiatimes.com/hardware/now-control-computers-with-simple-eye-movements-31914.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.946359
| 502
| 3.265625
| 3
|
Carnivores are linked through predation to herbivores, which are, in turn, linked to each other through competition and to plant communities by their foraging. They are particularly sensitive to environmental disturbance and the decline or disappearance of these vulnerable carnivore species serves as an indicator of changes in their ecosystem.
As difficult and exciting as capturing the lions was, a more imposing question now loomed: What do you do with them?
Unfortunately, we know very little about suburban wildlife in Africa. Large carnivores that make their way into urban areas are often quickly killed by vehicles or people—leaving no time to study them. Or as biologist Craig Packer at the University of Minnesota bluntly puts it, “Usually, urban carnivores are encountered as road kills.”
|
<urn:uuid:f2eed61a-1273-4be8-84c5-47c41ff80bd1>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://greatcatsoftheworld.wordpress.com/tag/carnivore/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00057-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.975596
| 159
| 3.203125
| 3
|
Research Strategies (abridged) - 9
RESEARCH STRATEGIES - WILLIAM BADKE, COPYRIGHT 2012
Note that chapter order in the print edition will differ from the above. The online version will retain the former chapter divisions.
Organizing Your Notes to Write your Paper
I have seventy-five pages of notes not counting the photocopy I left on the copier and the two pages which I think fell behind my desk. And I�ve got at least 7 journal articles printed off, but no notes for them. What a mess! How am I ever going to make an essay out of this chaos? Will there ever be meaning to my life?�
Yes, there will. Take heart. There is a way to organize your disastrous jumble of resources or the chaos of notes in your computer, no matter how incomprehensible it now seems to be.
I hesitate whenever I suggest �my� method for organization. What if your mind, heaven forbid, does not correspond with mine? What if I am totally out of touch with the logical categories you most enjoy?
Still, someone has to suggest something. Librarians, even though dull, are undoubtedly logical and thus better equipped than, say, Renaissance painters, to suggest methods of organizing information. I am giving you only one method (with some variations) because throwing too many methods at you can be confusing. If you don�t like this approach, ask your favorite professor or another librarian to suggest a better one.
My system can be called a �register method� of resource organization. A �register� is an index list of some sort that enables you to organize data. Consider an auto parts store. The parts are laid out in bins on row after row of shelves. The fact that the water system thermostats are next to the distributor caps that are next to the spark plugs is not nearly as relevant as the fact that each bin has a number on it.
When I walk in and ask for a thermostat for a 1949 Wuzzly Roadster, the parts person does not immediately proceed to the shelves and start looking. He or she opens a parts book or searches a database to find the bin number for that model of thermostat. Then it�s an easy task to find the bin with the right number on it and deliver the part to me. Here�s the point of the analogy: The rows of auto parts are your jumbled mess of notes and printouts. The bin numbers are codes you insert into these resources, such as page numbers and other symbols. The parts book or computer index represents an indexed outline by which you can retrieve your notes in a coherent way. This is how it works:
Your Notes, Photocopies and Printouts
Organizing your Notes
Some people write notes on 3 x 5 or 4 x 6 cards. This is, in my humble opinion, a grave error. Save your note cards for the next part of my system if you wish (though there are better ways), and produce your notes (if you are using print or printing computer notes) on normal paper, hole-punching them and keeping them together in a binder. Be sure, however, to follow a consistent method. As you begin notes on each book or article, be very certain that you include full bibliographical information in the notes (author, title, place, publisher, date, volume number, and page numbers).
When you have completed your notes for a particular item (even if those notes are ten pages long), simply leave a few lines blank, then start notes on your next book or article, being sure again to enter full bibliographical information first. (If you are using a computer, see the alternatives below.)
One of the important things you need to do isnumber the pages of your notes consecutively. If you have fifty pages of notes on ten pages, then number your note pages from one to fifty. (If using a computer, see below). If you have photocopies or journal article printouts, put them in the right places in your notes and number them along with the notes, even if you end up with 150 pages numbered consecutively.
9.1.2 Options for Notes Using a Computer
Some people prefer to print their digital notes onto paper. In this case, the computer is just an input device, and notes are handled as above.
If you are planning to retain your notes in their electronic format, you need to determine how you want to set them up for easy retrieval of the information you need. Unless you have a note organization program, it�s probably best to put all your notes into one file so that you can search them with only one search rather than several.Make sure you back up your information constantly if it�s all in one file. You�d hate to lose the whole thing. Your word processor�s �find� function (in the �edit� menu) will become a retrieval tool, though in the organizing process you may need to input some codes (see below).
As you gather sources, you have to keep track of them, including enough bibliographical information so that you won�t need to go on a desperate search for a lost date or volume number when you start writing your paper. The best resource for this task is a bibliographic manager like RefWorks, EndNote or the free online Zotero [More detail in chapter seven of the print edition]
Here�s the minimal information you need to include for a proper citation:
Book�author, title, city of publication, publisher, date.
Journal Article�author and title of article, journal title, volume number, date (e.g., (January 1999) or (2000)), and page numbers where the article is found.
Journal Article from an Electronic Periodical Database�everything listed under Journal Article above plus the date you accessed the article, and either the persistent link or the DOI, depending on what bibliographical style you are using. For example:
Badke, William. �Give Plagiarism the Weight It Deserves.� Online 31.5 (Sep. 2007): 58-60. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 26 October 2007. <https://ezproxy.student.twu.ca/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=26378977&site=ehost-live>.
Conley, D., Pfeiffera, K. M., & Velez, M. (2007). Explaining sibling differences in achievement and behavioral outcomes: The importance of within�and between-family factors. Social Science Research, 36(3), 1087-1104. doi:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2006.09.002
Essay in a Book�author and title of essay, title of book, editor of book, city of publication, publisher, date, and page numbers where the essay is found.
Reference Book Article�title of article, author if given (often abbreviation of author name is given at the end of the article), title of reference book, edition of reference book; and (sometimes) city of publication, publisher, date.
Web site�author (if given), title, publisher (if given), Internet address (URL), and date you most recently accessed the information.
Your Subject Index [More detail in the print edition]
Note taking and printout gathering is easy. Retrieval is hard. The biggest problem most students face is that they�ve ended up with many pages of notes and printouts, but now that they want to write the research paper, they can�t retrieve the data they need from these resources.
Let me suggest a method that will break the back of writing anxiety and actually save you time in the long run. Here are the steps:
For example: [example in the print edition]
Why go to all this trouble? Simply because it saves time and alleviates writing anxiety.
Thus, setting up an index to your notes before you start writing saves you having to re-read your material every time you start a new section of your paper. Besides, you are left with a warm and comforting sense that you actually know where you are going before you start. When was the last time you had a feeling like that?
Indexing your Notes for Larger Assignments [See the print edition]
Updated July 31, 2012
|
<urn:uuid:14e49600-6b24-45eb-8de1-9f077c2d1768>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.acts.twu.ca/Library/chapter9.htm
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.908193
| 1,765
| 2.015625
| 2
|
|Vol. 2, Issue 2, Article 2||Mukherji, et al.|
Three hundred of the estimated 800 lymph nodes in the body are situated in the neck(1, 2). For nearly four decades, the most commonly used classification of the cervical lymph nodes was that of Rouvière developed in 1938(1). His work, and that prior to his, was based on data derived from detailed anatomic studies which defined both the location and drainage patterns of the cervical lymph nodes(1-3).
A drawback of Rouvière's classification was that the anatomic descriptions were not easily correlated with surgical landmarks during a neck dissection. In an attempt to overcome these difficulties and establish reproducible criteria, a group of surgeons suggested that the anatomically based terminology be replaced with a simpler classification based on levels(4). Since then, a number of classifications have been proposed that categorize the lymph nodes into "levels", "groups", or "zones"(5-21). The purpose of these newer classifications was not to change terminology, but to assemble the cervical nodes on the basis of the clinical and pathophysiologic information obtained in the intervening 60 years.
Pre-treatment imaging has gained acceptance for evaluating the cervical lymph nodes for metastases in patients with various head and neck neoplasms. At least 80% of patients with head and neck cancer now undergo CT or MR imaging before treatment. The anatomic criteria described by Rouvière and those who followed are often difficult to directly translate to cross-sectional images. As a result, this has resulted in a lack of consistency when assessing the nodal groups(14).
Copyright © 2003. All rights reserved.
Use of this material without written consent of the author is prohibited.
Return to Neurographics Main Page
|
<urn:uuid:c5251ff6-ba31-4446-b86f-19b1e68efce3>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.asnr.org/neurographics/2/2/2/2.shtml
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.944425
| 367
| 2.703125
| 3
|
Sweet Home Yokosuka.
Photographs by Ishiuchi Miyako.
Black & white illustrations,
Roth gallery is pleased to announce an exhibition of vintage black-and-white photographs by the Japanese artist Ishiuchi Miyako. The images on view were selected from Ishiuchi’s three earliest series published as: Apartment (1978), Yokosuka Story (1979) and Endless Nights (1981). In conjunction with the exhibition PPP Editions has published Sweet Home Yokosuka 1976-1980 printing over 200 tri-tone photographs with a bilingual essay by the contemporary Japanese writer and filmmaker Nishikawa Miwa.
Sweet Home Yokosuka revisits Ishiuchi’s three early works that in retrospect may be considered as a trilogy. Together the photographs manifest a personal document primarily of her hometown Yokosuka, a place of compromised identity, accommodating two large American Naval bases since the late 1940s.
Apartment documents both exteriors and interiors of new and old dwellings, generally focusing on the buildings themselves not their inhabitants. They are in some respects anthropomorphic portraits of the architecture: the repairs on the walls are like veins and the cracking and peeling of old paint are like the scars on aging skin. Yokosuka Story describes Ishiuchi’s wanderings in her native city, confronting locations that although changed, still hold the memories of her childhood. And Endless Nights documents the popular “love hotels,” as abandoned; the physical structure of the places themselves and their furnishings, stairways, corridors and empty beds echo the intimate stories that unfolded there.
What is most compelling about this work is not necessarily what Ishiuchi photographed or the seductive rendition of reality into black and white, but rather how she conceptualized the act of picture-taking. Ishiuchi was less interested in finding her unique vision, more comfortable “using” the medium as a means to confronting herself and her past. This methodology was reinforced by the ideas discussed among her peers from the Provoke movement, Moriyama, Takanashi and Taki Koji, who questioned whether the photographic medium was capable of capturing any version of empirical truth.
|
<urn:uuid:0bccc78c-2093-4f61-bbb2-f87f7e5521a8>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.photoeye.com/bookstore/citation.cfm?catalog=ZE174
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.945207
| 446
| 1.71875
| 2
|
- Get Involved
- About Us
- Our Projects
- The Watch
- Dig Deeper
Current Watch Site
Garrison, New York, United States
- WMF Program:2012 Watch
A modern testament to the harmonious coexistence of nature and architecture, Russel Wright’s Manitoga sits nestled amid the woodlands of New York’s Hudson River Valley. After Wright, an industrial designer, acquired the 75-acre property in 1942, he went about designing and experimenting with different elements, the focal point of which is a former quarry. In the 1960s, Wright built a house and studio directly into the side of the quarry, collectively referred to as “Dragon Rock.” Manitoga, which means “place of great spirit,” is an integrated landscape encompassing the house, studio, and grounds, and was Wright’s residence until his death in 1976. Wright blurred the traditional boundary between interior and exterior through the use of large areas of glass and by incorporating materials found on the site into the house. Innovative construction methods and details exemplify his philosophy of domestic efficiency and economy of space.
In 2001 the not-for-profit Manitoga, Inc. acquired full ownership of the property. Following the purchase, the group initiated conservation efforts and opened the site to the public for tours. The landscape has suffered from invasive non-native plants and the negative effects of storm-water. The house and studio have been damaged by water infiltration, and conservation work has been hampered due to the array of unusual materials used in Wright’s experimental composition. The complete restoration of Manitoga will ensure the preservation of Wright’s legacy in the annals of American design, promote community engagement at the site, and communicate Wright’s philosophy of living in harmony with nature, a message even more poignant today.
- Slideshow: Russel Wright’s Manitoga
IN WMF JOURNAL
- Natural Sanctuaries: Russel Wright's Manitoga
December 12, 2011
- Healing the Place of Great Spirit
April 3, 2012
- What Would Russel Do?
April 4, 2012
IN THE MEDIA
WORLD MONUMENTS WATCH DAY
For Watch Day at Manitoga, students from Williamsburg High School for Architecture and Design participated in a conservation field school on site. The group assisted in restoring an outdoor space and learned about the challenges of preserving the house and its landscape.
|
<urn:uuid:b49d73a9-d195-463b-873f-53716df1797e>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.wmf.org/project/manitoga
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.922804
| 506
| 2.078125
| 2
|
SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) -- Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale drilling industry is posting huge gains in production.
The state's 1,632 working Marcellus wells produced 432.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas through the first six months of the year, a 60 percent increase over the amount of gas reported for the last six months of 2010, according to Department of Environmental Protection statistics released this week.
Bradford, Susquehanna and Tioga counties in northern Pennsylvania led the way with 260 billion cubic feet of gas, The Times-Tribune of Scranton reported Thursday. A well drilled by EQT Production Co. in Greene County produced the most gas in a reporting period, 3 billion cubic feet.
The Marcellus is a rock formation primarily beneath Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia and Ohio. Drilling began in earnest in 2008 as energy companies perfected the techniques of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling, allowing them to tap previously inaccessible reservoirs of gas.
Energy firms have been boosting their production targets, not only because new wells are coming on line but also because they're managing to coax more gas from each well.
"Pennsylvania is becoming a big gas producer in a major way," said Timothy Considine, a professor of energy economics at the University of Wyoming.
He told the newspaper that the state has become a net exporter of natural gas, "changing the entire natural gas market picture in the Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic region."
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman sent subpoenas to three energy companies as part of an inquiry into whether they gave investors, including New York's public pension fund, an accurate picture of the profitability of their natural gas wells, a person briefed on the investigation told The Associated Press on Thursday.
Schneiderman wants documents related to claims the companies made about drilling costs and long-term productivity of their shale gas wells, said the person, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because subpoenas are not public documents.
The Marcellus Shale Coalition, an industry group, said Schneiderman's move was purely political.
"I think what he's about to learn, grudgingly, from this exercise is that the shale phenomenon is real, it's producing volumes of energy no one previously thought possible, and that it has the very real potential of delivering once-in-a-generation type benefits to folks all across New York state in a safe and efficient way," the coalition said in a statement.
Associated Press writer Mary Esch contributed to this report from Albany, N.Y.
Information from: The Times-Tribune, http://thetimes-tribune.com/
|
<urn:uuid:03b2a310-c67d-4f7f-902a-87ee9b2c41cf>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://akronnewsnow.com/news/state/item/1518-pa-natural-gas-production-rises-60-percent
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00050-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.949233
| 547
| 1.804688
| 2
|
Health and Social Behaviour: Dietary Reference Values (DRVs), current dietary goals, recommendations, guidelines and the evidence for them
Three main types of dietary recommendations may be produced by public health agencies: dietary allowances (DRVs), dietary goals, and dietary guidelines.
Dietary allowances are quantitative guidelines for different population subgroups for the essential macro- and micro-nutrients to prevent nutritional deficiencies.
Dietary goals are quantitative national targets for selected macronutrients and micronutrients aimed at preventing long-term chronic disease e.g. coronary heart disease, stroke and cancer. They are usually aimed at the national population level
rather than the individual level.
Dietary guidelines are broad targets aimed at the individual to promote nutritional well-being. They were initially introduced for macronutrients but are now being used for micronutrients. Dietary guidelines can be expressed as quantitative
targets (e.g. five servings of fruit and vegetables/day) or as qualitative guidelines (e.g. eat more fruit and vegetables).
- The human body needs a variety of nutrients and the amount of each nutrient needed is called the nutrient requirement.
- In the UK, estimated requirements for various groups within the UK population were examined and published by the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy (COMA) in the 1991 report Dietary Reference Values for Food Energy and
Nutrients for the United Kingdom. COMA has now been replaced by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) who are likely to review the UK nutritional requirements in the near future.
- DRVs are a series of estimates of the amount of energy and nutrients needed by different groups of healthy people in the UK population; they are not recommendations or goals for individuals.
- DRVs have been set for following groups:
Boys and girls aged 0-3 months; 4-6 months; 7-9 months; 10-12 months; 1-3 years; 4-6 years; 7-10 years Males aged 11-14 years; 15-18 years; 19-50 years; 50+ years Females aged 11-14 years; 15-18 years; 19-50 years; 50+ years; pregnancy and breastfeeding
- In order to take account of the distribution of nutritional requirements within the population, COMA used four Dietary Reference Values (DRVs):
- Estimated Average Requirements (EARs)
- Reference Nutrient Intakes (RNIs)
- Lower Reference Nutrient Intakes (LRNIs)
- Safe Intake
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
- EAR is an estimate of the average requirement of energy or a nutrient needed by a group of people i.e. approximately 50% of people will require less, and 50% will require more.
- RNI is the amount of a nutrient that is enough to ensure that the needs of nearly all a group (97.5%) are being met i.e. the majority will need less.
- LRNI is the amount of a nutrient that is enough for only a small number of people in a group who have low requirements (2.5%) i.e. the majority need more.
- Safe intake is used where there is insufficient evidence to set an EAR, RNI or LRNI. The safe intake is the amount judged to be enough for almost everyone, but below a level that could have undesirable effects.
- The amount of each nutrient needed differs between individuals and at different life stages. Individual requirements of each nutrient are related to a person’s age, gender, level of physical activity and health status.
- The changes in estimated nutritional requirements at different life-stages are outlined in table 1 below:
Table 1: Nutritional Requirements at Different Life-Stages
First 4-6 months of life (period of rapid growth and development) breast milk (or infant formula) contains all the nutrients required.
Between 6-12 months - requirements for iron, protein, thiamin, niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, magnesium, zinc, sodium and chloride increase.
Department of Health advice recommends exclusive breastfeeding until 6 months of age with weaning introduced at 6 months.
Energy requirements increase (children are active and growing rapidly). Protein requirements increase slightly. Vitamins requirements increase (except vitamin D). Mineral requirements decrease for calcium, phosphorus and iron and
increase for the remaining minerals (except for Zinc).
Requirements for energy, protein, all the vitamins and minerals increase except C and D and iron.
Requirements for energy, protein, all vitamins and minerals increase except thiamin, vitamin C and A.
Requirements for energy continue to increase and protein requirements increase by approximately 50%.
By the age of 11, the vitamin and mineral requirements for boys and girls start to differ.
Boys: increased requirement for all the vitamins and minerals.
Girls: no change in the requirement for thiamin, niacin, vitamin B6, but there is an increased requirement for all the minerals. Girls have a much higher iron requirement than boys (once menstruation starts).
Boys: requirements for energy and protein continue to increase as do the requirements for a number of vitamins and minerals (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamins B6, B12, C and A, magnesium,
potassium, zinc, copper, selenium and iodine). Calcium requirements remain high as skeletal development is rapid.
Girls: requirements for energy, protein, thiamin, niacin, vitamins B6, B12 and C, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, copper, selenium and iodine all increase.
Boys and girls have the same requirement for vitamin B12, folate, vitamin C, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride and copper. Girls have a higher requirement than boys for iron (due to menstrual losses) but a lower requirement
for zinc and calcium.
Requirements for energy, calcium and phosphorus are lower for both men and women than adolescents and a reduced requirement in women for magnesium, and in men for iron. The requirements for protein and most of the vitamins and minerals
remain virtually unchanged in comparison to adolescents (except for selenium in men which increases slightly).
Increased requirements for some nutrients. Women intending to become pregnant and for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy are advised to take supplements of folic acid. Additional energy and thiamin are required only during the last three
months of pregnancy. Mineral requirements do not increase.
Increased requirement for energy, protein, all the vitamins (except B6), calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, copper and selenium.
Energy requirements decrease gradually after the age of 50 in women and age 60 in men as people typically become less active and the basal metabolic rate is reduced. Protein requirements decrease for men but continue to increase
slightly in women. The requirements for vitamins and minerals remain virtually unchanged for both men and women.
After the menopause, women’s requirement for iron is reduced to the same level as that for men.
After the age of 65 there is a reduction in energy needs but vitamins and minerals requirements remain unchanged. This means that the nutrient density of the diet is even more important.
DRVs are estimates of energy and nutrient intakes and should therefore be used as guidance but should not be considered as exact recommendations. They show the amount of energy/nutrient that a group of people of a certain age range (and sometimes
sex) needs for good health and they only apply for healthy people.
Current dietary goals, recommendations, guidelines and the evidence for them
The UK Food Standards Agency issues guidance on dietary recommendations on behalf of the Department of Health for the general public. The current government recommendations are outlined in table 2 below.
Table 2: Government Dietary Recommendations
|Total Fat||Reduce to no more than 35% of food energy (currently at 35.3%)|
|Saturated Fat||Reduce to no more than 11% of food energy (currently at 13.3%)|
|Total Carbohydrate||Increase to more than 50% of food energy (currently at 48.1%)|
|Sugars (added)||No more than 11% of food energy (currently at 12.7%)|
|Dietary Fibre (NSP)||Increase the average intake of dietary fibre to 18g per day (currently 13.8g per day). Children’s intakes should be less|
|Fruit & Vegetables||Increase to at least 5 portions (400g) of a variety of fruit and vegetables per day (currently 2.8 portions per day)|
|Alcohol||Should not provide more than 5% of energy in the diet.
Women – should not regularly drink more than 2-3 units of alcohol/day
Men – should not regularly drink more than 3-4 units of alcohol/day
|Salt||Adults – no more than 6g salt a day (2.4g sodium)
1 to 3 years - 2 g salt a day (0.8g sodium)
4 to 6 years - 3g salt a day (1.2g sodium)
7 to 10 years - 5g salt a day (2g sodium)
11 and over - 6g salt a day (2.4g sodium)
The evidence for nutritional recommendations comes from a range of sources but particular emphasis is placed on COMA reports:
- 1991, COMA report on energy and nutrients provided evidence for the dietary recommendations for total fat, saturated fat, total carbohydrate, sugars, and dietary fibre.
- 1994, COMA recommended reducing the average salt intake of the population to 6g a day based on evidence of a link between high salt intake and high blood pressure. In 2003, the SACN reviewed the evidence (e.g. Intersalt study and Dietary
Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) sodium trial) since 1994 and concluded the strength for the association between high salt intake and hypertension had increased. High blood pressure increases the risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease.
SACN confirmed that reducing salt intake to 6g per day would benefit the whole population.
Evidence for increasing the consumption of fruit and vegetables to 5 a day is provided by a number of sources. The Department of Health estimated that eating at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables can reduce the risk of
deaths from chronic diseases (heart disease, stroke and cancer) by up to 20%, delay the development of cataracts, reduce the symptoms of asthma, improve bowel function and help to manage diabetes.
- British Nutrition Foundation http://www.nutrition.org.uk [accessed 01.08.08]
- Department of Health. ‘Dietary Reference Values for Food and Energy and Nutrients for the United Kingdom.’ 1991. Report of the Panel on Dietary Reference Values of the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy.
- Department of Health http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publichealth [accessed 01.08.08]
- Food Standards Agency http://www.food.gov.uk [accessed 01.08.08]
- Gibney M., Margetts B., Kearney J., Arab L. Public Health Nutrition. The Nutrition Society. Blackwell Publishing.
- Lewis, G. Sheringham, J. Kalim, K. Crayford, T. Mastering Public Health: A postgraduate guide to examinations and revalidation. The Royal Society of Medicine Press Limited.
© Hannah Pheasant 2008
|
<urn:uuid:ee54d85c-f4f3-4080-8ac1-3658e0cd9355>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.healthknowledge.org.uk/public-health-textbook/disease-causation-diagnostic/2e-health-social-behaviour/drvs
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.906175
| 2,397
| 3.5625
| 4
|
Disease is wasting the West's wild herds
Since it first appeared in captive mule deer at a Colorado Department of Wildlife research lab near Fort Collins in 1967, it has been an ugly regional phenomenon, killing a small percentage of the wild elk and deer within its range. Only about 100 cases of chronic wasting disease have been documented in wild mule deer since 1981. The disease is still rare, but it is spreading slowly.
In the past two years, CWD has spread to a new niche - the expanding game-farm industry, where elk and deer are ranched for meat, velvet antlers and captive trophy shoots. The brisk interstate commerce in elk breeding stock and bull elk sold for the trophy shoots has brought the disease to game farms in Nebraska, South Dakota, Oklahoma and Saskatchewan, Canada.
Chronic wasting disease is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, or TSE, similar both to scrapie, a disease that for centuries has periodically devastated domestic sheep herds, and to the "mad cow" disease that wreaked havoc on the British beef industry in the early 1990s. It is also linked to an extremely rare disease that affects humans, a variant known as Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease. Under a microscope, brain tissue from TSE-infected animals shows the sponge-like degeneration that gives the disease its name, but the infection attacks no other organs and triggers no response from the animal's immune system. Scientists have no way to test living animals for the disease - it's diagnosed by analyzing the brain tissue in dead animals.
"Without a live test, we have no way of knowing what our rate of infection is," says Tom Cline, a vet with the South Dakota Animal Husbandry Board. "Could be zero, could be 100 percent. We're not even sure how long it takes to show up." In South Dakota, 300 of the state's 2,000 captive elk are under quarantine for chronic wasting disease.
Why is chronic wasting disease more prevalent among confined animals than in the wild? Cline explains, "Let's face it, captives stay around longer, they have much more contact, and they have a much greater chance to pass the disease around. If a mule deer is staggering around in the wild, a predator will just take it down, probably before it has a chance to pass the disease on."
A recent example
In May of 1999, two elk that died on a newly established Oklahoma game farm were diagnosed with chronic wasting disease, and the farm was placed under a five-year quarantine. The infected herd had been purchased almost two years before from the Kesler Game Farm of Philipsburg, Mont. Neither Oklahoma nor Montana will admit that the elk were exposed to the disease in their state. Until this incident, both states were considered free of the disease.
Gene Eskew, a vet for the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, says, "Based on the known incubation periods for this disease, we believe those elk were exposed before they got to our state. Exactly where is hard to say. That Montana herd was from a wide, wide variety of sources."
The possibility that game farm animals could pass chronic wasting disease on to wild animals outside the fences has long worried researchers, game managers and wildlife advocates. Mike Miller, veterinarian for the Colorado Division of Wildlife, has researched the disease since its discovery.
"The area where CWD is found in the wild has low numbers of elk and mule deer," he says, "and the disease has been slow to spread for that reason. If infected animals were brought into the western part of Colorado, where our game herds are much larger, it would be a disaster."
Miller says that when it comes to trying to manage CWD in wild herds, the alternatives are "hell if you do, hell if you don't. This is not like the bison/brucellosis problem in Montana, where you have vaccines and tests to help you. About the only way we know to manage CWD is to do a density reduction on the animals that may be carrying it, which basically means clobbering the native wildlife."
The Colorado Division of Wildlife asked for a moratorium on new game farms in the part of the state where the disease is found in wild herds, but its request has gone unheeded. The Department of Livestock continues to license elk farms there.
Wyoming veterinary pathologist Beth Williams, one of the pioneers in chronic wasting disease research, says, "I have always been worried that this disease would eventually get into the game farms and be moved around that way."
Chris Marchion of the Montana Wildlife Federation puts it more bluntly: "You can document every single instance of CWD travel and trace it back to a game farm," he says. "We need a legitimate moratorium on transporting game-farm animals until we get a live test, or some kind of effective monitoring. All we have done so far is provide this disease with the best possible means of transportation."
"In one sense, we pose a bigger risk because we move animals," says Paonia, Colo.-based Steve Wolcott of the Elk Research Council, a game-farm trade group. "But wherever they go, they're behind a fence."
He adds that quarantines and close monitoring should control the spread of the disease. In Colorado, for instance, state regulators record the deaths and sales of all captive elk, and all deaths are examined for chronic wasting disease. The Elk Research Council has contributed more than $180,000 to researchers studying the disease, says Wolcott.
"The critics of the elk industry are not asking the state wildlife agencies to commit to eliminating the disease in the wild herds," says Wolcott. "Yet, the game farmers are being asked to bear responsibility for the spread of the disease.
"We will bear some cost and pain to get rid of the disease," he says. "At the same time, we're not going to put ourselves out of business."
Wyoming fought a lengthy and costly court battle to outlaw the practice of game farming altogether, as did California. Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona and Alaska have outlawed captive trophy shooting. Colorado leads the West in the number of licensed game farms operating, with 155 scattered throughout the state.
Larger questions loom
Wildlife concerns aside, the possibility that chronic wasting disease can be transmitted to traditional livestock, or even humans, worries many researchers. Experimental attempts at infecting cattle with the disease at several research facilities have so far failed or proved inconclusive, but it is still too early to tell. Bruce Chesebro, of Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, Mont., is an expert on TSE diseases and has followed chronic wasting disease with growing alarm.
"Somebody at the Montana Department of Livestock needs to be very worried about the spread of this disease to the cattle industry," Chesebro says. "Elk and deer are closely related to cattle, and CWD has already made at least one shift, from mule deer to elk. Scrapie moves from sheep to goats with no problem. Who is to say that CWD cannot make the shift to cattle?"
Chesebro was in England during the mad cow epidemic, and witnessed firsthand the collapse of the beef industry there. "Because TSE did affect human beings there, the emotional reaction was tremendous. If we get even one case of CWD in Montana cattle, the industry will be in deep trouble."
Mike Miller points out that scrapie has never passed to humans or cattle, despite a long history of close contact. "All our data so far say CWD cannot pass to cattle. That is not to say that it cannot happen. I just believe that this is a serious enough problem with respect to our wildlife resources without raising the issues of transmission to humans or cattle."
* Hal Herring
Hal Herring writes and hunts from Corvallis, Montana.
You can contact ...
* Steve Wolcott, Elk Research Council, 970/527-4586.
* Mike Miller, c/o Colorado Division of Wildlife, 317 W. Prospect, Fort Collins, CO 80526 (970/472-4300).
* Chris Marchion, Montana Wildlife Federation, 2105 Garfield, Anaconda, MT 59711 (406/563-6145).
|
<urn:uuid:320da591-bdc1-4e33-82f0-433a338803a8>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.hcn.org/issues/163/5271/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.962487
| 1,722
| 3.65625
| 4
|
For students planning to study abroad in Yokohama, budget is the first thing that comes to mind. Fortunately, there are some student exchange programs that offer great deals for student. Accommodation in the city is also not a problem. The city has dormitories for international students, and there are also Yokohama guesthouses for renting. Renting a guesthouse in Yokohama can help you settle-in quickly as well.
Yokohama, the third largest city in Japan, is just half an hour away from Tokyo, but the atmosphere in the city is very different from that of Tokyo. While Tokyo is a bustling city with crowded streets, Yokohama is more spacious and the air is much fresher as it is located by a harbor.
Nevertheless, there are many attractions in Yokohama that keep tourists pouring in. The Minato Mirai 21 alone offers several attractions such as the Landmark Tower (Japan’s tallest building), Intercontinental Hotel, Cosmo World, Red Brick Warehouses, Yokohama Museum of Art, and the majestic Nippon Maru. Also close to the area are the relaxing parks along the bay – Yamashita Park and Osanbanshi pier.
Japan’s culture is very unique, and it has been the interest of several historians and enthusiasts over the years. And after it re-opened itself in to the world in 1859, Japan has been more willing to share its culture to the world. To further promote understanding and friendship between itself and other countries, Japanese universities have established several student exchange programs that allow international students to learn the language and traditions of Japan.
JASSO (Japan Student Services Organization) takes part in this initiative by offering several scholarships yearly for international students who are willing to participate in the exchange programs but are on tight budgets. Stipend, round-trip tickets to and from Japan, and settling-in allowance are provided for qualified students.
Yokohama National University, one of the top institutions in Japan, offers an exchange program called JOY (Junior Year Overseas Program) in cooperation with several universities abroad. Mainly, the program aims to teach international students the Japanese language and culture but some courses on business and management are also offered and are taught in English.
Yokohama National University offers accommodations to exchange students who need it as well. There are dormitories located near the campus that are especially for international exchange students. However, if you intend to live alone, renting a Yokohama guesthouse is also a good option. Living in a guesthouse will provide you comfort, privacy, and freedom, which are hard to attain when living in a dormitory.
|
<urn:uuid:bdd315b9-cddb-4d7e-a068-f0b5b8febab3>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.my-rooms.com/tag/yokohama-japan/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.968892
| 552
| 1.578125
| 2
|
Sunday Meditation: 10 a.m. Service 10:30 a.m.
Wednesday's Wisdom 7 p.m.
1201 Puerta Del Sol, First Floor
San Clemente, CA 92673
As we travel our spiritual path, we begin to realize that the entire Universe is alive with inspiration; we begin to see the Face of God in all people and hear the voice of God in many places. This month, I invite you to hear the voice of God in ordinary things - songs, movies, even commercials. Be alert to your guidance.
Dr. Ernest Holmes wrote: "Not alone into the great comes the soft tread of the Unseen Guest. The arrogant have not perceived the simplicity of faith, but the pure in heart see God. The farmer has seen the Heavenly Host in his fields. The child has frolicked with Him at play. The mother has clasped him to her breast and the fond lover has seen Him in the eyes of his beloved. We look too far away for Reality." P. 41, Science of Mind.
I find inspiration in music; yes, even in popular, contemporary music. There are so many songs that move me. Some catch my attention, some catch my emotions.
One of the songs that inspires me is Natasha Beddington's "Unwritten" She sings, "I'm undefined/ I'm just beginning/ The pen's in my hand." This is true of each one of us walking this path. The pen of Life is in your hand. Your life is yet unwritten. It does not matter what is going on around you. It does not matter what your present circumstances are. It does not matter what has been diagnosed in your life. It does not matter what illnesses your parents had. It does not matter what your education is. What matters is where your attention is and what your imagination is building. Here and now, the rest of your life is unwritten and you are the one holding the pen. Are you writing the blues, a comic opera, or a lullaby? Now is a great time to decide what the rest of your story will be.
The song "Unwritten" goes on to say: "Feel the rain on your skin/ No one else can feel it for you/ Only you can let it in." No one else can experience life through your senses! Take a moment to appreciate the world around you. Feel it. Taste it. Experience it. There is so much beauty that we may be blindly walking past. Are you noticing all the good in your life? No one else can feel your feelings, think your thoughts, and see through your consciousness.
How would your life be different if you lived your life out loud, welcoming whatever is in front of you as the Presence of God? That life would be inspirational. That life would be intenselyattractive. That life would be God's Life and It would be on purpose. Decide to live it.
Love and blessings,
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License
Contents copy; 2008 Center for Spiritual Living, Capistrano Valley
|
<urn:uuid:f1e37cf2-990c-464e-bbac-c159f4fe0874>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.cslcv.org/hmessages/hmessage0909.shtml
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.955016
| 642
| 1.585938
| 2
|
IT IS amazing how quickly prevailing views of the challenge of economic development have changed. As recently as the 1990s, catch-up economic growth was widely seen as really difficult to achieve, at least on any sustained basis. Postwar Europe managed it, as did Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and a couple of Asian city-states. But for most of last century, and despite the concerted efforts of developing-economy governments, rich economies grew faster than emerging economies, widening the broad gap in incomes.
Then, everything changed. Since the early 1990s, emerging markets have routinely and often substantially outgrown the rich world. The assumption is now that a place must be very badly governed indeed not to participate in economic catch-up growth. What happened?
Most advanced economies industrialised as part of what Mr Baldwin calls globalisation’s first great unbundling: the geographical separation of producers and consumers. Early in the industrial era, high transport costs restricted trade. Expensive shipping limited most manufacturers to sales within the same city or country. But as the industrial revolution progressed, steamships and railways slashed transport costs, exposing firms to foreign competition for the first time. The most productive firms were those best able to take advantage of economies of scale. A single large plant could produce goods at a lower unit cost than lots of smaller factories, and a cluster of large suppliers at lower cost still. Production clustered in massive cities in a few economies.
Catching the leaders meant building an entire supply chain from the ground up—and in the teeth of competition. Development was slow, laborious and rare. Japan and South Korea grew industries from modest beginnings. They entered global markets with inferior but cheap products, often supported by state aid, then slowly improved their technical competence. Painstaking accumulation of technological skill eventually enabled innovative multinational firms to emerge. Japanese and South Korean incomes converged with those in western Europe. Other emerging economies tried gamely to duplicate this success, to little avail. Aggressive industrial policies often strained government resources without delivering a critical mass in industry or the human capital needed for development.
A new model began to emerge in the 1980s. Lower transport costs were a catalyst. Yet more important, reckons Mr Baldwin, was a budding revolution in information and communication technology (ICT). Cheaper communications allowed firms to manage supply chains over ever greater distances. Companies discovered they could build plants in cheap locations, ship components there to be assembled and export the finished product around the world. While the first unbundling separated producing markets from consuming markets, the second broke up production entirely across long, multinational supply chains.
That made industrialisation a cakewalk compared with earlier times. A business-friendly government and cheap workers were often sufficient to get started; foreign firms provided technology and management. Emerging markets quickly signed on. Trade data analysed by Robert Johnson of Dartmouth College and Guillermo Noguera of Columbia University track the shift. Along multinational supply chains, they note, a single component may be exported several times, adding to tallies of gross trade but not to measures of value added. A fall in the ratio of the two measures (which they call the VAX) signifies an increase in supply-chain fragmentation. On this score, 1990 seems a critical point, after which the VAX sinks while trade volumes soar (see chart). Emerging-market growth surged at roughly that time.
One potential problem with this model, as Mr Baldwin points out, is the fragility of superfast, supply-chain development. At some point, additional shifts in technology may lead the supply chain to move again. If the developing economy has managed to accumulate less technological knowledge in the meantime, then it might find itself in a very difficult economic situation.
This is no small concern. The paper concludes by pointing out that time costs continue to be an important factor in shaping the structure of supply chains. Because supply chains are meant to be nimble and it still takes some amount of time to physically move goods, supply chains still have a gravity that leads them to cluster into regions: Factory Asia, Factory Europe, and Factory North America, for instance. Proximity to Factory Asia is an extremely powerful developmental force for places like Vietnam. But what happens when firms are able to print components on demand?
At some point, of course, 3D printing might eliminate supply chains entirely. One suspects that its first victims, however, will be places that have relied on low labour costs and geography to capture the most basic of supply-chain roles. Though it's possible, of course, that low-wage assembly jobs will be the last thing to go and actual component manufacture, which could include more highly skilled work, will be the most vulnerable. Either way, one suspects that the change will help rich-world designers and consumers capture some of the value (if not the employment) that has in recent decades been shifting to distance supply chains.
|
<urn:uuid:430871c6-8f47-4821-8992-0ebc0078b94d>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2012/08/growth?fsrc=gn_ep
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.952283
| 994
| 3.0625
| 3
|
Meaning: to return in the direction from which you've come, or to make someone do this
- turn back If you get lost, turn back and return the way you came.
- turn sb back The police were turning everybody back because the road had been blocked by a landslide.
- be turned back Anyone who doesn't have a visa will be turned back at the border.
I was on my way to the airport when I realised I had to turn back because
|
<urn:uuid:e6840c50-86c5-42d3-a53e-4cae31a6710f>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.englishclub.com/ref/esl/Phrasal_Verbs/T/turn_back_2758.htm
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.977919
| 98
| 2.59375
| 3
|
The British Army Knife has been used by generations of brave British
soldiers and has been carried onto the battlefield since the beginning
of the last century. Maintaining its traditional design this fine knife
is still produced and still purchased by the British Army today. All the
finest characteristics of the British Army are contained within this high
quality knife. Toughness, steadfastness & versatility are just a few
of the qualities which have served the British soldier on the world's
battlefields. This knife proudly serves alongside the British Tommy every
step of the way. it is literally "As tough as the troops"
The Oceanmaster Yacht Knife will prove to be a valuable addition to any sailor's kit. The unique blade design is always popular with the crew as each blade or tool is designed to be used and opened with gloved hands. Whether you are crewing in the Solent or Skippering in the South Atlantic you will find this tough and durable knife a welcome addition to the boat, a tool which will soon be in constant use.
The history of blade making in Sheffield, England
The history of blade making in Sheffield, England is so deep as to require
volumes to tell and to detail the full history of blade manufacture in
Sheffield would take a web site of mammoth proportions, such is the depth
of our history. We Sheffielders are proud of this history and that the
skills learnt over the centuries have not only been retained by today's
cutlers but that we are adding our own page to the wonderfully rich tradition
for which our city is justifiably famous.
An abundance of natural resources in Sheffield gave rise to the cutlery
industry. The beautiful surrounding hills produce six rivers which flow
through the city and were used to power the water wheels. Good quality
iron ore and coal to smelt and forge are found locally together with sandstone
for the polishing and grinding wheels. Our ancestors used these natural
gifts and developed their talents over many generations to earn the respect
of the world with the quality of their knives.
Technical details of our outdoor knife blades
At the end of the 19th century the Sheffield cutlery industry employed
around fifteen thousand people and as the 20th century came to life the
constant quest for improvement in the manufacture of cutlery increased
pace. In the 1920's an exciting new development was made public by a local
Sheffield metallurgist - STAINLESS STEEL. It became the industry standard
for cutlery. Having now had time to further develop stainless steel from
this fresh beginning we begin the 21st century with exceptionally advanced
materials from which our cutlers can produce truly fine blades.
1) Fresh waters and streams.
|
<urn:uuid:0f112b66-7219-4148-bef1-68464bdce393>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.shefftek.com/copyright.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.956244
| 569
| 1.976563
| 2
|
Work started at 11 a.m. today. That is, what people hold as the traditional notion of work. That’s the time I started on my professional to-do list, hacking away at the tasks I’d placed on my calendar. Yet I had accomplished much more before I stepped foot into my office. I had:
- Meditated for 15 minutes
- Worked through a strength training program
- Walked almost a mile and a half
- Read a book for 45 minutes
None of those are anyone’s definition of work, but to me they’re just as important. That’s why they get done before I go into the office. These tasks help me grow as a person.
After working, distraction-free, for 45 minutes, I left the office and picked up that book again. A half hour later I returned to the office, shut out all distractions, and worked for another 45 or 50 minutes. And then back to the couch to continue reading. That might sound unproductive to the average employee. After all, I’d “worked” for only an hour and a half.
What I got done in that hour and a half used to take me at least three hours. All in all my typical work day lasts from 11 until 7 these days, but I’m not in front of my desk for all eight hours. Depending on the type of work I’m doing, it might be only four hours in front of the computer. Yet I’m crossing more tasks off my list, and I’m accomplishing more than ever.
This wouldn’t be possible at a traditional office. I’d have no incentive to batch my tasks and get work done as quickly as possible, because that would just mean more work. Not many office workers have the luxury of kicking back and reading a book in the middle of the day. Yet that’s exactly what I do. And no one complains, because the work gets done.
In the past I’ve said that I’ll never work in an office ever again. That’s not quite true. There will be times in the future when I’m certain that I’ll work in an office. But my home office will always be home base. It’s where I’m most flexible, and therefore accomplish the most.
|
<urn:uuid:c807813c-7da5-4bf5-a839-9908cd598cfc>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://joepawl.com/blog/2012/06/the-unparalleled-flexibility-of-working-at-home/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00065-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.959741
| 501
| 1.601563
| 2
|