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Cisco on Cisco
Information Lifecycle Management in the Data Center
Cisco IT moves toward an archive-and-purge framework.
Relating to the storage aspects of data centers, information lifecycle management (ILM) comprises the policies, processes, practices, and tools used to align the business value of information with the most appropriate and cost-effective IT infrastructure from the time information is generated through its final disposition.
Cisco IT faces many of the same ILM challenges that other large enterprises face.
- The IT infrastructure supports more than 12,000 applications.
- Data volume at Cisco grows about 40 percent annually.
- Cisco's global data centers currently house more than 15 petabytes of storage.
A successful ILM strategy offers a number of benefits, and among those, Cisco’s objectives include:
- Reduce storage footprint
- Lower total cost of ownership (TCO)
- Meet regulatory requirements
- Ensure service levels
With more than 12,000 applications running across the company, Cisco IT has traditionally taken a multitiered approach to ILM. The concept behind the data lifecycle is that data has different values at different points in time. The objective is to match data to the most appropriate storage, based on its value to the organization. Cisco IT looks at which applications require high-performance storage, and which ones are less critical and can be archived.
Data mobility plays an important role in Cisco IT’s current ILM strategy. Storage virtualization enables IT to move storage or applications between end users on an as-needed basis. For instance, some applications might go almost entirely unused until the end of a fiscal quarter, at which point they swing into high demand. Moving forward, Cisco IT will be able to assign such applications to a lower tier until demand arises, and then reassign them to a higher tier.
In Cisco’s SAN environment, IT currently uses storage consolidation to stratify applications on different tiers. Cisco IT bases these tiers on storage array type, disk type, and physical disk count. In the near future, it will move this multitiered approach to a network-attached storage (NAS) environment. Cisco IT can use this array and disk tiering, along with application data classification and aging, for a large portion of filer data to create a more cost-effective model.
Cisco IT is now moving toward an archive-and-purge framework for ILM. It is partnering with the business stakeholders to create the data classification and management policies that are the basis of this framework. The goal is to collaboratively define “working” and “archive” data sets, and to determine the useful lifecycle of data and define appropriate, realistic business policy.
Depending on what Cisco IT discovers in terms of business policy, working collaboratively with other groups in the company will give the Cisco IT storage architects an opportunity either to maintain and manage growth, or even to shrink its storage footprint. Cisco IT’s archive-and-purge strategy will be the enabler it needs to achieve ILM objectives.
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Listen now 28 mins
The Bulger family still lives on a council estate in Kirkby and on the surface of it very little has changed since Winifred last saw them two decades ago when the children who had abducted and killed two year old James were convicted of murder. But in the intervening years she often reflected on the case and wondered about what had happened to the large extended family and its campaign for justice for James. Meeting Ralph and his brother Jimmy again she is struck by how eager they still are to convey their one unwavering conviction: that a privileged elite has ridden roughshod over James's memory and grief to focus solely on what is best for his killers.
The family trust Winifred to tell their story because she comes from the same sort of background as them, interviewed them shortly after James's murder and also attended the trial. In his summing up the trial judge said the case had changed everyone who'd come into contact with it. The Bulgers have lost a dearly loved child, their peace of mind, privacy and sense of security. They're angry and disgusted about the way the authorities have treated them but perhaps saddest of all, they can't bury the horror of those memories, or even more poignant, forgive themselves for what they see as their failure to protect James and their defeat in their battles to defend his memory by keeping his killers incarcerated.
Ralph describes the waking nightmare he was caught in as the whole country attempted to analyse and probe the case - searching for answers about what made two children act in such a way. Much was made about how the kind of childhood Venables and Thompson had and how this might have been behind the brutal torture of a two year old boy. But as Ralph remarks, he himself grew up in a tough community and knew many children who had awful lives through no fault of their own but who did not go out and murder an innocent child.
He admits to the terrible dilemma he found himself in: wanting James's killers dead at the same time as being a father himself and never wanting to harm or be cruel to a child: "I felt terrible that I had these feelings inside me towards two ten-year-old boys, and I found these emotions so hard to deal with. But my responses were primal. Having these thoughts in my head does not mean that I will ever spill over into being a killer myself."
Following the arrest of Venables and Thompson Ralph describes using alcohol to blot out the pain - drinking heavily and sinking into a very dark place. At one point the pain got so bad that he locked himself away in his bedroom for two weeks. A glimmer of hope, in the form of Denise's pregnancy, was partly overshadowed by the increasing divide between the couple, who were stunned into silence by the enormity of what had happened. Ralph describes the pain of tearing open the wound every time they looked at each other until, in the end, separating seemed the only way to survive the grief.
Winifred explores the family's beliefs that too little is done to include the families of murder victims in the court process and that their suffering bears no influence on the subsequent decisions about release. Their efforts to cope with life were dealt a further blow on June 23rd 2001, when Ralph and Denise were told of the parole board's decision to release Thompson and Venables, who were then both 18. This decision was so difficult to cope with and left a void - all that had been done to seek justice for James appeared to have counted for nothing.
Produced by Sue Mitchell.
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By Kate Stanley
The care system is broken.
Photos by Darin Back
Whoever you are and whatever you do, says Joan Tronto, chances are you're being cheated. No matter how pleased you are with life, you're almost certainly not getting what you deserve. What does Tronto think you're missing? Your fair share of the experience of care—giving it and getting it.
This may seem a small matter, something on which you can take a pass without much fuss. But Tronto, a professor in the Department of Political Science, thinks opting out of either end of the care equation creates a world of trouble.
Tronto has spent much of her career writing about care—and she's nowhere near finished. In her view, care isn't a sentimental concept. It's a political one. Neither does she see it as an optional or peripheral human enterprise. It's a mainstay of existence, a requirement of the unspoken pact that enables societies to thrive.
Tronto's definition of care might surprise you: "It's everything we do to continually maintain and repair the world," she says, "so we can live in it as well as possible." That world, as Tronto sees it, "includes our bodies, our selves, and our environment."
This explains why trying to duck out of the care pact is such a mistake. For starters, receiving care isn't an optional experience: it's something we do for ourselves every day, when we can. The rest of the time—at the beginning of life, at its end and at many points in between—the care we need is provided by others.
Once we look at care from the perspective of recipients, it becomes pretty clear that shrugging off the duty to help give care just isn't fair. Yet many people do just that. In this society, Tronto points out, merely being male can get you a pass out of caring responsibilities. And many buy their way out by hiring proxy caregivers to tend to children, elders, and others who need care. The price of this purchase is far less than the service is actually worth. "If you were made to pay its true value," Tronto says, "you couldn't possibly afford it."
The clamor to avoid caregiving, and the refusal to pay caregivers well enough, destabilize the entire system. "It assures an unequal distribution of caregiving responsibilities that hurts everyone," Tronto says. "It has a bad effect on people who have to care too much and on those who care too little."
Professor of Political Science
At the Minnesota State Capitol
Photo by Darin Back
How, exactly? For the "free-riders," Tronto explains, it means missing out on the joys of caregiving and quite possibly on a fully developed capacity for intimacy. For those who must pick up the caregiving slack, she says, it means unbearable strain.
And for those who need care from others—a group that may include your kids or parents and that most of us will join sooner or later—this disequilibrium poses palpable danger: When too few caregivers must do too much for too little pay, the work of care may be dispensed inattentively, perfunctorily, resentfully, and sometimes not at all.
"Everyone realizes now that the care system we have is broken," says Tronto. "It's made up of patchworks of daycare for children and nursing care for elderly people. The workers aren't paid enough and can't do their work well. It just doesn't function." Given the lowly status of care, the poor are more likely to end up as caregivers, increasing the distance between them and those who are able to pay for their services.
Why hasn't this shambles of a care system been fixed? Tronto answers without a pause: "Politics has always involved activities beyond the realm of care, of the household, of the family. All that is considered beneath politics, really. And in this society, care comes after almost everything else. It's a result of our preoccupation with economic life: we measure too much only in money."
All of this could change, she says. In the end, all that's necessary is sufficient public resolve and an emphatic public voice. But how does a society even begin to solve a problem so vast?
Tronto has some starting points in mind. "There are two things we need to think about," she says. "The first is time. On average, Americans employed full time work 50-plus hours per week. That's too much. So the first thing we have to do is organize time so all people would be free to do care work." Tronto figures a 20-hour work week would be about right.
"That would mean we'd have to spend more of our resources on caring and on paying care workers more." Tronto grants. "We wouldn't be able to buy as much stuff as we do now. But stuff is really a substitute for care. People buy stuff to show care, but it doesn't work."
But changing the American work schedule won't be enough. "If all we do is give people more time," Tronto says, "men will spend more time in leisure activities and women will do more care." What's needed, she says, is a change in how men and women think about care.
Policy change is daunting enough, but how do we adjust attitudes? "You begin by talking it," she says. "You call attention to the fact that men and women both have responsibilities for care."
And the government can help, Tronto says, citing Sweden's move to encourage shared caregiving through its parenting-leave regulations. "If the father doesn't take parenting time," she explains, "the mother doesn't get as much time as she otherwise would." Changes in law often prompt changes in how people think.
It's an ambitious vision, but not an outlandish one. "This is a reform that would benefit everyone," Tronto says. "Such changes happen very slowly. But they happen."
>> Kate Stanley, B.A.'80, is a Minneapolis journalist. She was editor-in-chief of the Minnesota Daily from 1979 to 1980.
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Did you maybe mean located?
- v. Third-person singular simple present indicative form of locate.
“Marin locates the converse of this fetishistic masochism in "the sadism of the subject who is fascinated by the body of the King," exemplified as much in Wolcot as in the caricature that Marin goes on to analyze.”
“Unlike a pronoun, a specific name locates, sums up, emphasizes an event that has been or will become; it is done to orientate (even if, as in a lie, to veil).”
“The other chapter, a survey of "Festivals of Revolution," locates "the celebratory May Day, a festive seizure of working-class initiative that encompassed demands for shorter hours, improvement in conditions, and socialist agitation and organization" against the backdrop of the traditional spring calendar of class confrontation.”
“At the same time, the introduction of voice (assuming no effective voice alteration software) closes down a whole range of other performative possibilities, because voice socially "locates" people so powerfully (like those darned Australians).”
“Pasternak locates ground zero in Cane Valley, 30 miles northeast of Arizona's gorgeous red rock country, Monument Valley.”
“Though Maeve locates him quickly, their troubles have only begun, and they're soon caught in the crossfire of a heated battle between rich developers intent on gentrification and the last tenants at a decaying flophouse, a trio of old Jewish men calling themselves the Resistance.”
“Until finally she locates the killer and follows him in her car to her old intersection.”
“Guided by MRI, the doctor locates and destroys fibroids with ablation and without making an incision.”
“Defensive end Darryl Tapp can't get to Manning, so he locates the ball, jumps and bats the pass—right to a very alert safety Quintin Mikell.”
“In one scene Torres locates a stockpile of drugs and weapons following a shoot out in the Jacarezinho shantytown.”
‘locates’ hasn't been added to any lists yet.
Looking for tweets for locates.
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Inspirational Christian Stories and Poems
Inspirational Stories and Poems Index
Notify Me When Inspirational Stories are Added
As Easy As Brushing HairThe story starts out where she, Beth, is sitting at an airport terminal, waiting to board a plane. She was sitting there with several other people who were also waiting, whom she did not know.
As she waited, she pulled out her Bible and started reading. All of a sudden she felt as if the people sitting there around her, were looking at her. She looked up, but realized that they were looking just over her head, in the direction right behind her.
She turned around to see what everyone was looking at, and when she did, she saw a stewardess pushing a wheelchair, with the ugliest old man sitting in it, that she had ever seen before. She said he had this long white hair that was all tangled and such a mess. His face was really, really wrinkled, and he didn't look friendly at all.
She said she didn't know why, but she felt drawn to the man, and thought at first that God wanted her to witness to him. In her mind she said she was thinking, "Oh, God, please, not now, not here."
No matter what she did, she couldn't get the man off of her mind, and all of a sudden she knew what God wanted her to do. She was supposed to brush this old man's hair.
She went and knelt down in front of the old man, and said "Sir may I have the honor of brushing your hair for you?"
He said "What?"
She thought, "Oh great, he's hard of hearing." Again, a little louder, she said, "Sir, may I have the honor of brushing your hair for you?"
He answered, "If you are going to talk to me, you are going to have to speak up, I am practically deaf."
So this time, she was almost yelling, "Sir may I please have the honor of brushing your hair for you?"
Everyone was watching to see what his response would be. The old man just looked at her confused, and said "Well, I guess if you really want to."
She said, "I don't even have a brush, but I thought I would ask anyway."
He said, "Look in the bag hanging on the back of my chair, there is a brush in there."
So she got the brush out and started brushing his hair. (She has a little girl with long hair, so she has had lots of practice getting tangles out, and knew how to be gentle with him.) She worked for a long time, until every last tangle was out.
Just as she was finishing up, she heard the old man crying, and she went and put her hands on his knees, kneeling in front of him again looking directly into his eyes, and said "Sir, do you know Jesus?"
He answered, "Yes, of course I know Jesus. You see, my bride told me she couldn't marry me unless I knew Jesus, so I learned all about Jesus, and asked Him to come into my heart many years ago, before I married my bride."
He continued, "You know, I am on my way home to go and see my wife. I have been in the hospital for a long time, and had to have a special surgery in this town far from my home. My wife couldn't come with me, because she is so frail herself." He said, "I was so worried about how terrible my hair looked, and I didn't want her to see me looking so awful, but I couldn't brush my hair, all by myself."
Tears were rolling down his cheeks, as he thanked Beth for brushing his hair. He thanked her over and over again.
She was crying, people all around witnessing this were crying, and as they were all boarding the plane, the stewardess, who was also crying, stopped her, and asked, "Why did you do that?"
And right there was the opportunity, the door that had been opened to share with someone else, the love of God. We don't always understand God's ways, but be ready, He may use us to meet the need of someone else, like He met the need of this old man, and in that moment, also calling out to a lost soul who needed to know about His love.
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I had downloaded and played a little with the SQL2008 CTPs, and the new features were impressing me, although it appeared that SQL2008 was a development of SQL2005, as SQL2000 was a development of SQL7 despite comments to the contrary. New headline features included backup compression, governors, policy framework, data compression, encryption, change data capture etc. But then I read the recently produced Microsoft documentation on version differences and see that none of them are in Standard edition, not one. They are all Enterprise features. SQL server may be moving more towards a data platform from just a database engine, but the platform appears to be somewhat narrow for non Enterprise users!
The official list of differences can be found here: http://download.microsoft.com/download/2/d/f/2df66c0c-fff2-4f2e-b739-bf4581cee533/SQLServer%202008CompareEnterpriseStandard.pdf
This posed a question – is it worth upgrading from SQL2005 Standard edition to SQL 2008 Standard edition?
Maybe we have been spoilt by Microsoft ‘giving away’ too many new features in the upgrade from SQL2000 to SQL2005. The potential performance/scalability differences between a say 32 bit 2 GB RAM SQL2000 Standard on NT4 Server and a 64 bit 32 GB RAM SQL2005 Standard on W2K3 Standard system is very large indeed, despite both the OS and SQL Server version being the Standard edition (a likely OS/SQL combination).
SQL2005 Standard offered such new goodies as clustering, unlimited RAM, mirroring (safety always on unfortunately), and log shipping – the unlimited RAM (to OS max) was a real eye opener when I saw the specification sheet, although the price of RAM made such levels of RAM just a paper exercise for typical Standard edition users. That is no longer the case, as RAM is now much more affordable. I would have capped the RAM on SQL2005 Standard edition to around the 8 GB mark, allowing an increase to say 16 GB in SQL2008. The 4 processor limit was a good selection IMO, although I can see disk IO being far more of a bottleneck in most servers of this specification.
SQL2005 Standard (still) did not support indexed views during optimisation, but I can afford to learn a bit about ‘noexpand’ with the money I had saved and still use the feature when required. As for partitioned data, that was ‘just for people with terabyte databases’ and data warehousing, and I would never see that sort of disk IO anytime soon. One feature that would have been useful was database snapshots, but I could see they would need to differentiate the versions. The parallel indexing I could live without too. They even threw in the (little used) CLR and service broker, and the (doomed) notification services.
One of the subsystems that I frequently use very heavily, merge replication, had so many new features in SQL2005 I could hardly keep count. I could also see on paper improvements for DTS/SSIS and reporting, but had written my own systems many years ago when SQL Server did not have them, so cannot comment on their improvements in practise.
Upgrading from SQL2000 Standard to SQL2005 Standard provided many new features. I remember the discussion at the time, when many thought that SQL2000 was good enough for many applications. I still think that is the case today to be truthful, but have used quite a few of the new SQL2005 features over the last year or two.
However, let’s look at what SQL2008 Standard offers over 2005 Standard.
- There are no processor or RAM improvements, not that they are required any more. Mirroring looks like it might be improved marginally.
- I am really peeved to see that backup compression has not made it to the Standard feature list.
- There are the usual incremental improvements in SSIS and Reporting, again which I do not use.
To cap it all the (to me) business critical merge replication has gained no features, but its growing deprecated item list makes it look more like it’s on the way out than moving ahead. The new sync services look interesting in the longer term, but offer nothing except a likely version 1.0 buglist for those wishing to take the early adopter plunge. With the massive increase in the number of Enterprise features I would have thought it would make great sense to throw in a few of the ‘old’ Enterprise features into the Standard edition – database snapshots would have been nice, or lock pages in memory.
Editor's Note: Standard Edition can now lock pages in memory if you have patched your server.
Forgive me if I feel short changed, but that feature list does not look a great reason to upgrade. Or I have I failed to turn over the magic stone with hidden features?
So I am left looking at programming/development enhancements – date/time fields, HierarchyID, spatial, merge SQL statement etc. Nice but not critical. There are 2 features that have gained relatively little attention but might improve application performance dramatically for the applications I see – optimize for ad hoc workloads, and filtered indexes. It appears on the surface that these features apply to all editions.
So I am left with the question of whether to upgrade, or wait till the next version of SQL server. Or in the longer term investigate ‘cheaper’ alternatives such as MySQL, which will become ever more viable as the performance of hardware hides any performance deficiencies (either perceived or real). Bearing in mind I have ‘free’ upgrade rights within our Microsoft licensing agreement, I would be very worried if someone that can upgrade for free cannot see the benefits of using the new version.
A related topic is that the CTP’s and developer versions of SQL Server are in effect Enterprise versions, with all the features always on. I can understand this (particularly with the CTPs), but surely it must be simple to add a switch to tell developer version which edition you wish to emulate, so it is possible to develop against the edition that will be used in production. This problem was annoying in SQL2005, but the feature is critically required now, with the vast difference in feature set. I see that there is now a management view that tells you which Enterprise features need to be dropped to use a database in Standard edition.
It could be that Microsoft has done their homework well, and are really targeting the ‘Enterprise’ customer, and are less concerned about the Standard version than they were a few years ago as SQL Server moves more upmarket. I think that Microsoft should make sure that everyone gets something from upgrading, not just being forced to do so as the support for the older product eventually runs out. If they don’t provide improvements I can see slippage of SQL Server customers at the lower to middle range products.
Of course, if you run SQL 2000 Standard, upgrading to SQL2008 Standard (or maybe workgroup depending on which features you require) would be a great upgrade. Or am I already getting good value for money and should just be pleased that I am running a very reliable database system, and be happy to pay extra if I need any of the new features.
What do you think?
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First impressions are highly important in everything, especially when it comes to the application and job hiring process. Your resume objective is the first thing that your would-be employer sets his or her eyes on; therefore, you should make sure to write a solid and captivating statement.
What is a resume objective?
Well, a resume objective statement is a short and simple statement that is meant to list your aspiration and goals in relation to working at the company you’re applying to. Basically, it is the bait that attracts attention to your resume and determines whether an employer will continue to read your resume or toss it in the trash. This statement is placed right under the spot where you write your personal information such as: name, address and contact information; however, writing a resume objective is optional.Nevertheless, writing a good resume objective is very important if you want to increase your chances of getting hired, but commonly used statements such as: “Seeking an administrative or assistant position where I can use my fourteen years of office experience”, have become outdated and out of fashion because they are being automatically discarded by special computer systems that look for particular keywords. Relatively speaking, your resume objective should not be focused on your particular needs, but rather, it should be primarily focused on the needs of the company itself.
Instead of writing an objective statement that sounds self-centered such as: “Seeking job as receptionist”. Try to write something that sounds like you are easy to work with and make a great addition to any working environment such as: “Flexible and confident manager with years of expertise supplying guidance and management in consumer electronic companies”. The reason why you should focus on the needs of the company instead of your own is because employers are looking for easygoing people who are willing to perform a variety of tasks.
This article will give you tips on how to write a great resume objective.
Pay attention to adjectives
There is a high probability that you have made a mistake with your
adjectives at some point in your life. When writing your resume objective, make
sure to leave out adjectives such as:
successful, progressive, fun, exciting and so forth because it can make a
huge difference. For example: “Looking
for a successful company to work at”. The issue with this statement is that
it makes a possible employer think: “Successful” opposed to what? Obviously,
everyone wants to work at a successful company; therefore, making the term
Think of the company’s needs instead of your own
Your goal when writing a resume objective is to demonstrate what you can offer to the company. Instead of
focusing on yourself, focus on the needs of the corporation. For example: “Seeking job where I can bring my marketing
skills to better improve the business”. In this sentence, you explained
what you can bring to the company and what your future goals are. Also, instead
of saying something like “my career” or “my advancement,” think about the
company instead, for example: “The
Stay away from overused phrases
Nothing ruins your chances of landing a job more than using cliché phrases such as: “I want to better improve the company”,
or, “I am looking to utilize my skills”,
in your resume objective. A good rule of thumb is that if the statement has
been used before it's better to leave it out of your statement. Instead, try to
come up with something original and
Vague writing is an absolute no-no when writing a resume
objective. If you are answering to a detailed job description, make sure to
include details in your statement such as what
position you are interested in. For example: “Seeking position as a retail manager at a computer goods company”.
Your resume objective is very important, and although it is not necessary, you should definitely add it to your resume because paying attention to the details makes a big difference to employers.
Jose Sanchez has been a Resume Writer and Career Advicer since 1999. He writes and shares content related to Resume Writing, Job Interview Questions and Cover Letters.
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Mushrooms are the latest addition to threats facing Japan’s food chain from radiation spewed by Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant.
Nameko mushrooms grown in the open air in Soma, a city about 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of the crippled plant, were found to contain nine times the legal limit of cesium, the local government said yesterday. Japan’s farm ministry asked growers in Fukushima prefecture to refrain from harvesting mushrooms off raw wood left outside, public broadcaster NHK said today.
Japan is under pressure to enhance safety inspection of foods, as it has no centralized system for detecting radiation contamination. Authorities in Fukushima and neighboring prefectures are conducting spot checks on products in cooperation with local farmers.
Half of Japan’s rice crop is grown within the radius of possible contamination from the nuclear plant damaged in the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, and farmers are awaiting the results of tests before harvesting begins this month. Radiation exceeding safety levels has been found in produce, tea, milk, fish and beef sourced as far as 360 kilometers from the nuclear plant.
“By strengthening inspection on rice, we want to make sure only safe produce are in the market,” Agriculture Minister Michihiko Kano said at a press conference yesterday.
EU Seafood Tests
The European Union plans to strengthen radiation inspection on imported seafood, both from waters near Japan and from farther out in the Pacific, NHK reported today.
Levels of cesium-134 in seawater near the Fukushima plant’s No. 3 reactor rose to levels 30 times the allowed safety standards last month, according to tests performed by Tokyo Electric Power Co, NHK reported at the time.
The forestry agency urged Fukushima prefecture to prevent shipments of any wood or charcoal that has been stored outdoors since the nuclear crisis, the Yomiuri newspaper said today. Jiji Press reported that the farm ministry ordered the local authorities to conduct tests on trees used for mushroom growing.
Tochigi prefecture, which borders Fukushima on the south, has begun collecting rice samples for testing, according to a report today on the website of the Sankei newspaper.
Last month, hay contaminated with as much as 690,000 becquerels a kilogram, compared with a government safety standard of 300 becquerels, was found to have been fed to cattle. Beef with unsafe levels of the radioactive element was detected in four prefectures, the health ministry said July 23.
Prolonged exposure to radiation in the air, ground and food can cause leukemia and other cancers, according to the London- based World Nuclear Association.
To contact the reporter on this story: Naoko Fujimura in Tokyo at email@example.com
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Paul Tighe at firstname.lastname@example.org
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To assess DNA damage from exposure to 2-Aminoanthracene (2AA), Single Cell Gel Electrophoresis (SGCE) was employed to examine single strand breaks in blood of Fisher-344 rats. Although subcellular injury due to 2-AA exposure has been noted in the past, there is yet to be a direct demonstration of genetic alterations due to 2-AA intoxication. In the current study, alkaline comet assay was used to evaluate the type of DNA damage that is on-going in the blood samples of F-344 animals. The animals were fed control (0 mg kg-1), LD (50 mg kg-1), MD (75 mg kg-1) and HD (100 mg kg-1) 2-AA diet for two and four weeks. At the end of each exposure period (14 or 28 days), rats were euthanized with CO2 and blood was collected by cardiac puncture. Twenty micro liters of whole blood samples were added to 1 mL of Hanks Balanced Salt Solution (HBSS without Ca2+ and Mg2+) and subsequently snapped frozen in liquid nitrogen. Following comet assay analysis, single strand break were assessed via tail moment, tail length, tail intensity and head intensity scoring of comets along with cell viability. There seems to be an apparent dose response. That is 50, 75 and 100 mg kg-1 diet 2-AA rats when compared with the control demonstrated significant (p<0.05) damage as measured by tail length and tail moment values. Head and tail intensity values for intoxicated animals were also significant at 2 and 4 weeks relative to the controls, although there were no dramatic shifts between exposure time.
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Jellyfish are neither jelly nor fish. Jellyfish lack backbones,
heart, blood, brain, or gills and, in fact, are over 95% water.
Jellyfish possess stinging cells located on the tentacles and other
Jellyfish usually just drift with the ocean currents, but
occasionally swim by pulsing their umbrella or bell.
Even jellyfish that have washed ashore should not be handled,
since the stinging cells may still fire. The stings of some
jellyfish can be quite painful, causing reactions ranging from mild
rashes to death (in extreme allergic-reaction instances.) Although
feared by swimmers, most jellyfish are harmless to human
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Frankenstein moon: Astronomers vindicate Mary Shelley's account
Frankenstein moon: 'Frankenstein' author Mary Shelley claimed that the tale came to her in a vision late one night as the moon streamed through her window. Her account was disputed, but astronomers at Texas State University have now substantiated her 'Frankenstein moon.'
Many literary critics have long thought that Mary Shelley fabricated her account of how she came up with the idea for her 1818 novel "Frankenstein." But a research by a team of astronomers suggests that she was telling the truth.Skip to next paragraph
In the preface to the 1831 edition of the novel, Shelley wrote that the idea first came to her in the summer of 1816, where she stayed in a manor on Lake Geneva with her future husband Percy Bysshe Shelley and the writers Lord Byron and John Polidori. Byron suggested that each of them write a ghost story. Days passed, but Shelley produced nothing but "that blank incapability of invention which is the greatest misery of authorship."
Then late one night, after a conversation about the possibility of using electricity to reanimate cadavers, the story came to her in a waking dream in which she saw a "hideous phantasm of a man" being animated by "the working of some powerful engine." When Shelley opened her eyes, she saw moonlight entering her room through the shutters, and a story was born.
Many literary scholars have long doubted Shelley's account of agonizing for days without an idea, only to have it arrive in a flash as the moonlight streamed into her room. Most accounts, largely based on Polidari's journals, have Byron issuing the ghost story challenge on June 16, 1816, and then have Shelley already at work on her story the following day. But Polidari never explicitly mentioned when Byron made his suggestion.
In an attempt to solve the mystery, a Texas State University research team headed by two physicists and an English professor traveled to Lake Geneva, Switzerland, to gather detailed topographic data about the surrounding mountains and the manor, called Villa Diodati, which still stands. Combining this with weather records and astronomical data, they concluded that a bright, gibbous moon would have shone into Mary Shelley's room between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. on June 16. [Editor's note: An earlier version of this paragraph got the name of the university wrong.]
The team's findings are to run in the November issue of Sky & Telescope magazine.
“Mary Shelley wrote about moonlight shining through her window, and for 15 years I wondered if we could recreate that night,” said Texas State physics professor Donald Olson in a press release from the university. “We did recreate it. We see no reason to doubt her account, based on what we see in the primary sources and using the astronomical clues.
The team's findings suggest a new chronology, one in which Byron issued the ghost story challenge sometime after his arrival to Lake Geneva on June 10, but before June 13.
Frankenstein was not the only classic horror tale to emerge from Byron's challenge. Polidari, who lamented in his June 17, 1816, journal entry that everyone but him had begun their ghost story, eventually hit upon an idea. His resulting short story, "The Vampyre," was the first vampire story in the English language.
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BEIJING, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- Firefighters across China are on alert ahead of the upcoming eight-day holiday, according to a Thursday statement from the Ministry of Public Security.
The Mid-autumn Day plus National Day combo-holiday runs from Sept. 30 to Oct. 7, with hundreds of millions of Chinese people expected to travel.
During the week-long National Day holiday last year, 1,514 fire accidents were reported, which resulted in three deaths and five injuries.
The ministry has ordered local authorities to take effective measures to examine and reduce fire risks at shopping malls, hotels, entertainment venues, transportation hubs and tourist destinations to prevent major accidents.
It also pledged to educate the public of key life-saving tips and fire prevention knowledge through mass media.
A total of 46,653 fires broke out in China in the first seven months of the year, leaving 399 people dead and another 258 injured.
The number of fire cases and the death toll have seen year-on-year declines of 49.8 percent and 54 percent, respectively, according to the ministry.
The disasters brought direct economic losses of 830 million yuan (131.7 million U.S. dollars), down 43.8 percent year-on-year.
News we recommend
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- Light stand is ideal for starting seeds and nurturing houseplants
- Bright, full-spectrum lights easily adjust to the proper height for optimal plant growth
- Rugged, powder-coated aluminum frame with quiet, energy-efficient light fixtures
If you've tried starting seeds under shop lights, you'll be surprised at how much better they grow in a SunLite Garden. Not only are the lights much
brighter than regular fluorescent tubes, they also easily adjust up and down so you can keep them just the right height above the plants. Plus, you
don't need to hide this attractive stand in the basement — put it somewhere where you can enjoy your plants and brighten your living area
with full-spectrum light. SunLite Gardens are ideal for starting all types of seeds and provide optimum conditions for flowering houseplants like
orchids and hibiscus. If you're new to starting seeds, why not start out right?
Our Vermont-made SunLite® Gardens employ the latest in lighting technology to give your plants the ideal quality and intensity of light for optimum growth. You can start plants from seed, grow herbs, houseplants, and even orchids. The new, ultra-light fixture weighs just 6 pounds and has a slimmer profile to give plants more headroom. It measures a full 14" wide to ensure even light coverage across the shelf. Inside, there are two T-5 bulbs that produce an abundance of brilliant, full-spectrum light. These bulbs use 45% less energy than standard fluorescent bulbs and provide up to 10,000 hours of use. The fixture also has pull chains for easy height adjustment and an electronic ballast to eliminate any annoying buzzing. This complete SunLite Garden includes frame and fixture, T-5 bulbs, watertight tray and casters.
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The A-10 Thunderbolt II is an American single-seat, twin-engine, straight-wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic in the early 1970s. The A-10 was designed for a United States Air Force requirement to provide close air support (CAS) for ground forces by attacking tanks, armored vehicles, and other ground targets with a limited air interdiction capability. It is the first U.S. Air Force aircraft designed exclusively for close air support.
The A-10 was designed around the GAU-8 Avenger, a heavy automatic cannon which forms the aircraft's primary armament. The aircraft's hull incorporates over 1,200 pounds (540 kg) of armor and was designed with survivability as a priority, with protective measures in place which enable the aircraft to continue flying even after taking significant damage.
- Custom soundpack by IRIS AudioworX
- 3D Gauges for silky smooth operation and optimized performance.
- A wide variety of visual models covering the A-10A with various loadouts
- Superb flight models for the A-10A.
- A wide variety of paintschemes in various resolutions to suit your individual systems.
- Custom in cockpit audio for the pilot, airborne warning controller, tanker operator and more.
- Working GAU-8 Avenger cannon with sound effects and mission capable model for droppable ordnance saved games.
- New design techniques including 'Lotus Style' landing light effects, in-game night vision capability and more.
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| 0.935708
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For things like images or html documents, cache headers make sure that the data is deleted when the browser is closed.
Mr Unscrupulous Ninefingers the cybercafé owner has just recompiled Firefox to make it totally ignore cache directives.
My point being you cannot necessarily trust the client side to actually implement properly any of the protocols to which it should conform. Mostly, this is just because the developers felt it was unnecessary and the software is say 98% conforming, but it could be done maliciously.
The scenario is surfing on a shared computer where you don't want to leave behind documents, yet you cannot expect the user to delete the temp-folder themselves.
The honest answer is that if it is important that your files are not on that computer, don't put them there in the first place. At all. Ever. Use a laptop with an encrypted hard disk and an encrypted VPN via free wifi so that the data is both protected at rest and in motion, assuming it might not get deleted.
I should also point out that deletion does not guarantee removal of the data. Literally, it means the entry of that file in the filesystem has been dropped so that the filesystem will happily overwrite it. Stopping the operating system immediately following your access and examining the hard disk would with a fairly high probability of success give me that file.
Edit: I would like to make some additional points regarding client side access:
- A live cd image (on an actual CD) might help here. Once created, it cannot be modified except as it runs, so that pushes potential attack attempts to some form of pre-boot intercept, which makes any attack much more difficult. Clearly, however, there is an obvious downside: you need access to the appropriate network configuration information (subnets, proxies etc). Your local cyber cafe may not appreciate this. Another company's corporate network definitely won't.
- Proxy servers. Unless you access this over a trusted, encrypted channel, a proxy server could well cache your document and still pass you the delete request, deleting the content from the client but not the proxy.
- If you trust the shared workstation, i.e. it is part of your corporate network, I'd use another means to ensure this. No local storage would help, since then even physical access to the workstation isn't going to be of any use.
If your aim is just to remove the pdf, I can't really help. I've no idea how you'd do that. I'm not entirely sure how responses containing pdf files behave given http cache headers. However, I do think that even if I knew a way, it wouldn't represent security in the sense that it does not give you any real level of assurance as to the integrity of that file. Even if you encrypt the pdf, you must still ensure that your environment is free from key loggers and that the reader software you have installed can be trusted to decrypt the passwords without reasonably being subverted.
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Neptune Technology Group Celebrates 120 Years Of Service To Utility Customers
Neptune Technology Group Inc. (“Neptune”) employs 715 who produce ARB Utility Management Systems for utility customers across North America. In the last 40 years alone, the company has produced more than 54 million meters. Since 1998, it has produced more than 10 million radio frequency meter interface units (RF MIUs). However, the biggest number for Neptune is 120 – as it celebrates twelve decades of leadership and continual innovation in the water industry.
Neptune President Chuck DiLaura said, “We’re proud to have reached such a milestone. We’ve accomplished quite a bit in 120 years in the midst of an ever-evolving industry. We’re pleased that many of the products and systems we’ve introduced have become today’s industry standard, and we’re dedicated to maintaining that position of leadership in our efforts to be our customers’ most valued partner.”
Since the production of its first Trident meter in 1892, Neptune has amassed a number of industry firsts, including the first compound meter in 1909; the first fire service meter (the PROTECTUS) in 1915; and the first absolute encoder register in 1964, which provided accurate meter data for both visual and remote readings, making Neptune the first supplier of both measurement products and data collection products to the waterworks industry. Four years later the company introduced the original Automatic Reading and Billing System, ARB.
In 1972, Neptune was one of the first large-scale manufacturing operations to relocate to Alabama for industry expansion, having moved its headquarters from Long Island City, New York. The following year, Neptune added a foundry to its facilities.
Over the next four decades, the company has continued to expand its scope, moving from the manufacturing of mechanical water meters to the design and production of sophisticated automatic meter reading (AMR) and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) systems based on radio frequency (RF) technology. During this time, Neptune has employed and trained an increasingly skilled local workforce that includes mechanical, electrical, and software engineers and programmers.
Neptune initiated a series of bold initiatives as the company entered the 21st century. In 2001, Neptune became the first manufacturer in North America to convert its foundry to a 100 percent lead free bronze alloy operation. In 2003, Neptune introduced the E-Coder, the first solid state absolute encoder with 8-digit registration, allowing for advanced leak, tamper, and reverse flow detection. The E-Coder)R900i debuted in 2008 as the industry's first integrated combination of solid-state absolute encoder and RF transmitter. That same year, Neptune unveiled its R450 System, whose two-way communications support time-synchronized meter readings, priority alarms for leak and reverse flow conditions, and monthly, daily, or hourly customer usage data.
Reflecting its continuing commitment to innovation, in April 2010 Neptune made a significant investment in the 19,000-square-foot Donald J. Kullmann Engineering Center, a state-of-the-art research and development facility. In 2011, Neptune was recognized by the community with the River Region Ethics in Business and Public Service Large Business Award, for its engagement in volunteerism and community service, efforts toward employee health and safety, company diversity, training, and education, and adherence to high ethical standards.
This year, Neptune introduces its cloud-based N_SIGHT™ IQ™, an intelligent data management and analytics system designed to store and analyze vast amounts of meter usage data, providing utilities advanced analytics without investing in new infrastructure, and offering utility customers the ability to manage their water usage directly, improving customer service and supporting utility conservation programs.
“It’s an exciting time of innovation for us,” said DiLaura. “But then, that’s the Neptune legacy.”
Neptune Technology Group Inc. is a pioneer in the development of automatic meter reading (AMR) and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) technologies for more than 47 years. Since 1892 Neptune has continually focused on the evolving needs of utilities – revenue optimization, operational efficiencies, and improved customer service. The company offers a fully integrated migration path for its utility customers to meet their needs now and in the future. For more information, visit www.neptunetg.com.
SOURCE: Neptune Technology Group Inc.
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An Apple for the Whole School
The vast majority of school buildings in the United States were built before the evolution of networking technology, probably before computers themselves were invented. Installing fiber optic backbones, classroom drops, server facilities, or concentrators, and completing a ‘power upgrade’ to minimize electrical interference to ensure the stability of the network, are very expensive propositions. A local area network (LAN) for a typical school of 1,000 students could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Additional workstations, server software, network licenses for applications and information sources, Internet connectivity, training, and technical support could add significantly to the overall bill.
At the same time, there is enormous pressure from almost every end of the spectrum for schools to provide students with access to the Internet. Unfortunately, the significant expense involved in installing a proper LAN has forced some school systems to opt for ‘interim solutions’ that are geared more to public relations than true technical requirements. These ‘quick fixes’ often involve coaxial or twisted-pair cable jury-rigged from room to room, ‘daisy-chained’ work stations, multiple servers running different versions of NetWare or AppleShare, and heavy-duty appliances like air conditioners and heaters sitting on the same power circuit as the servers and workstations. These systems may work fine as a temporary fix, but their performance is poor, maintenance is a nightmare, and their functional life is severely limited. The political capital gained by installing a cheap LAN will eventually dissipate when the school board is informed that the whole thing has to be replaced and ‘done correctly.’
When politics, school funding, and complex technical decisions mix, it’s often the students and school programs that suffer. There are still thousands of derelict filmstrip projectors, partially used phone answering systems, dust covered video disc players, and Betamax™ video recorders sitting around schools that demonstrate the problem. Schools genuinely want any new technology that offers an advance, but the central office either can’t afford the technical expertise to make the right decision or politics intercedes to cloud the technical issues.
The political pressure to ‘LAN’ the schools, the inherent cost in doing it right the first time, and the potential pitfalls in purchasing the ‘wrong technology’ have been mitigated by a new technological breakthrough from Apple Computer and Lucent Technology that could revolutionize the way school systems approach this challenge. The recently announced Apple iBook offers both wireless connectivity and extraordinary power with an amazingly affordable price tag. The iBook may represent the greatest advance in educational technology since the invention of the ballpoint pen!
The ballpoint pen? On the surface, that may seem like misplaced hyperbole, but please indulge me for a moment. Let’s first talk about what the iBook offers schools. For around $1,600, you get a ruggedly built laptop computer that’s faster than any non-Apple laptop computer on the market today, along with a beautiful 12.1 inch TFT screen, a 56K modem, 24 X CD-ROM drive, a 3.2 gigabyte hard drive, a full size keyboard, and USB and fast Ethernet ports. The machine is perfect for students to either carry in their ubiquitous backpacks or check out of a media center.
If that’s all the iBook offered, it would be reason enough for schools to seriously consider a purchase. The main attraction for schools, however, is wireless connectivity. Each iBook comes with a built-in antenna that can communicate wirelessly with an ‘AirPort Hub’ anywhere within 150 feet, and the hub can in turn be connected to a local network and/or an Internet Service Provider. Up to 10 iBooks can connect to a single hub at a speed roughly approaching 10BaseT Ethernet speeds—and that is fast! iBooks can communicate with each other via the hub or directly in the absence of a hub. It’s also possible to use one iBook as a temporary hub, dial up the net, and share access with other iBooks in proximity.
Thus, the iBook offers schools a functional alternative that provides Internet connectivity for a fraction of the cost of a standard LAN installation. At the same time, the iBook’s mobility, coupled with Apple’s solid system software, makes it ideal for media center checkout providing connectivity options to the whole school. And better still, the iBook is perfect for cooperative learning grouping because the iBook goes where the student goes… which brings me back to the ballpoint pen.
Some years ago, when I made the grand transition from 2nd grade to 3rd grade, I was very excited about the ‘inkwell’ in my desk and could hardly wait the two or three weeks that passed before we would begin using a straight pen and ink. For me, it was the first great technological leap; inkwells were cool. Straight pens were serious business. I loved filling my inkbottle, dipping the pen and letting the excess run off, and scrawling my letters on lined paper.
It didn’t take long, however, to realize that as long as we used straight pens, I was as tied to my desk as present day users are tied to network workstations. When learning was accomplished elsewhere, it was necessary to return to the inkwell to record official ‘pen written’ results in composition notebook. Pencils wouldn’t do, as they were usually broken when you needed them most, and the good Sisters of St Joseph looked down on anything that could be erased.
The ballpoint changed all that by letting you record information while still immersed in the learning process. On a slightly more sophisticated scale, that’s exactly what the iBook now offers. Location is crucial as the more proximate the processing is to the learning activity, the more students will be engaged and the more representative will be the results.
The Apple iBook is the ideal machine for students, teachers, parents, and administrators. It offers an inexpensive, flexible, and dynamic approach to accessing the Internet and, like an intellectual turbocharger, delivers processing power exactly where it is needed. Students will love its functionality and style; teachers will like the way it fits seamlessly into learning activities; parents will appreciate the price, and administrators will be delighted to embrace a technology that can provide Internet access to the whole student body without requiring the expensive installation of a business network. Meeting the needs of all the ‘stakeholders,’ the iBook is truly an “Apple for the Whole School.”
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Not just another balloon launch, HEARTSAT will analyze the composition of Earth's atmosphere while utilizing a unique flight vehicle.
We're almost there...!
STRETCH GOAL #3: A second copy of the flight vehicle and computer. In the unlikely event the vehicle is lost, a fully-functional backup will be available and include a copy of the flight computer and atmospheric sensors to ensure that data is captured. In addition, both flight computer PCBs will be professionally manufactured with schematics and a parts list made available to all backers. $4000 goal - Funding needed!
STRETCH GOAL #2: Slow-scan television (SSTV) signal live during flight. You'll see pictures from near space close to real-time! - $3000 goal - Funding reached!
STRETCH GOAL #1: Open-source spectrometer and integration: costs include spectrometer, overseas shipping costs, and additional electronics necessary to integrate it with the other flight electronics. - $2500 goal - Funding reached!
It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a UFO! No, it's HEARTSAT.
Though the acronym "High Elevation Atmospheric Research Tool SATellite," is a mouthful, the project is quite elegant. The project is easily separated into three sections, as shown below:
The Flight Vehicle
The flight vehicle is the key to the HEARTSAT mission. It’s flight characteristics and design are the result of research this past summer at the University of New Hampshire, which I was involved in. This open-top design utilizes no parachute yet maintains a stable ascent and descent back to Earth. Experiment room is abundant, both inside insulated areas and exposed areas for a plethora of gas sensors, spectrometers, or almost anything imaginable.
The primary mission of HEARTSAT is to analyze radiation and prevalent gasses of the troposphere and stratosphere. It will utilize a completely custom electronics system designed and built from the ground up. If the project is successfully funded, you are ensuring it flies with top notch sensors that will provide truly meaningful scientific data. You are helping to acquire:
- A Geiger–Müller counter
- Carbon dioxide gas sensor
- Methane gas sensor
- Barometric pressure sensors
- An open-source spectrometer
- Two HD cameras to record the flight
Using a scalable electronics platform, I will take advantage of additional sensing opportunities if funding exceeds the initial goal. All data will be recorded to flash memory and retrieved after flight, at which time the raw data file will be available online for anyone to use in their research, or just for fun.
Tracking and Recovery System
Since high altitude balloon payloads can travel hundreds of miles laterally, HEARTSAT will contain a 2x redundant satellite tracking system. Instead of relying on line-of-sight communication through amateur radio, the primary tracking system will first acquire a GPS fix and then transmit it’s location through the Globalstar satellite network, which works virtually everywhere. A near-live position will be available to the HEARTSAT recovery team, and available online for you to monitor as the flight takes place.
Proven to work already.
HEARTSAT is not just a sketch, an idea, or a concept. It is reality. On July 23rd, 2012, I helped launch the SMARTSAT with two peers and mentors from the University of New Hampshire. We showed that it was possible to return a high altitude balloon vehicle to Earth with no parachute and that the flight electronics were functional. It was a beautiful proof of concept. In fact, we were quite noticed by news sources, including:
This is where you come in.
I'm a student entering my senior year of high school, where the project will be overseen by my science teachers and my parents. Though I was a part of the team that launched the "SMARTSAT" prototype to near space, I am working on the HEARTSAT independently. I no longer have access to university-level funding or facilities. That's alright though, because I will demonstrate that space is truly within the reach of anyone in 2012, with the support of Kickstarter!
Some of the necessary supplies to make this project possible are already in my possession, or have been pledged already, such as the helium tanks and satellite trackers. Your support will pay for costly items that are required for HEARTSAT's launch including the electronics such as printed circuit boards, sensors, and microprocessors. In return, you can expect some very unique rewards you wont find elsewhere on Kickstarter.
Physical rewards will be delivered no later than November, depending on the chosen launch date. We will contact you ahead of the launch to customize rewards that will be launched to near space, if applicable.
International backers, it is appreciated if you add $10 to your contribution for increased shipping costs.
Let's go to near space!
"Like" us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to follow our progress!
The still photographs, video footage, and raw sensor data will be made available to everyone via Kickstarter and our website, www.heartsat.com. We encourage others to use the data recorded from the mission in their research, or just for fun. No restrictions on any data will be placed other than a simple request for attribution to the project.
pledged of $1,900 goal
seconds to go
Aug 13, 2012 - Sep 12, 2012 (30 days)
Pledge $5 or more
Your name will be included on the flight manifest that will be launched to near space, and you will receive a neat 5" mission sticker.Estimated delivery: Dec 2012
Pledge $10 or more
You will receive the above reward, plus a limited edition 5x7 print of a photograph taken at any time or altitude you request.Estimated delivery: Dec 2012
Pledge $25 or more
A tweet to space! You will receive the above rewards, plus the opportunity to include a 140 character message permanently affixed to the flight vehicle that will be flown to near space. Makes a great gift.Estimated delivery: Dec 2012
Pledge $40 or more
15 backers Limited (5 of 20 left)
Your name will be included on the flight manifest flown aboard the satellite, you will receive two 5" mission stickers, a limited edition 5x7 still photograph from any time during the flight, a "tweet" (see above reward) to space, PLUS a unique postcard that has flown aboard the HEARTSAT vehicle to near space!Estimated delivery: Dec 2012
Pledge $60 or more
An aspiring astronaut! Your name will be included on the flight manifest. You will receive two 5" mission stickers, two limited edition 5x7 still photographs from any time during the flight, PLUS a large 5" x 4" section on the flight vehicle to include a small photo and message of your choice to be flown to near space.Estimated delivery: Dec 2012
Pledge $100 or more
5 backers Limited (10 of 15 left)
A piece of the puzzle! You will receive the above reward plus an actual piece of the vehicle after it has flown to near space. It may be a shred of the balloon, a piece of insulation foam, or something else. You'll be surprised!Estimated delivery: Dec 2012
Pledge $250 or more
1 backer Limited (4 of 5 left)
You will receive the $100 level reward, plus a hand-written and signed thank you note, but not before the note is flown to the edge of space aboard HEARTSAT. In addition, you'll receive a short phone call via satellite from our rural launch location after we launch the payload. You will be the first to know the moment your backed project has begun it's ascent to near space!Estimated delivery: Nov 2012
Pledge $500 or more
1 backer Limited (2 of 3 left)
You love science, don't you? You will not only receive the standard reward including stickers and unique photographic prints, but you will also receive something special. I will work with you to include your name, brand, or picture in large format on the HEARTSAT vehicle to be flown to near space. In addition, you will receive a one-of-a-kind 16x20" poster with a photograph taken at an altitude of your choice. Plus, I'll call you on launch day to update you on the project's launch and landing, making you one of the first to know of its success!Estimated delivery: Nov 2012
Pledge $700 or more
You're an astronaut! Kind of. You are truly a supporter of our project and will be eternally remembered. You will receive a limited-edition kit and be among the first in the world to build a vehicle just like ours. Included in this nice big box you will find all the parts to build the vehicle-portion of the HEARTSAT project. To see what else is included, see our project update. You will need to provide your own balloon, helium, and decide what you want to include in your payload, such as a phone to track it as it soars to the edge of space. If you have questions, please contact us through Kickstarter before pledging.Estimated delivery: Dec 2012
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Back to Daily News
Bobby Beck discusses Animation Mentor’s new Animals & Creatures Master Class
By Randi Altman
|January 11, 2011
EMERYVILLE, CA — Two years in the making and with input from major visual effects houses worldwide, online school Animation Mentor has added a new course to its core curriculum, which up until now focused on character animation.
Animals & Creatures: Master Class (www.animationmentor.com/school) focuses on animating quadrupeds, flying animals and fantasy creatures in a realistic animation style. The course also covers integrating animation with live-action footage.
Animation Mentor was started by visual effects pros Bobby Beck, Carlos Baena and Shawn Kelly and features classes run by working VFX artists from such studios as Weta, ILM, Pixar, Pixel Liberation Front, Tippet Studio, Sony Imageworks and many more.
We recently chatted with Bobby Beck to discuss how this idea was formed and what went into making this course valuable for both students and mentors.
POST: So in talking to the visual effects houses out there you discovered artists with a strong creature and animal skill-set was a priority?
BOBBY BECK: “Yes, and we always kind of knew that. There is really nothing out there that teaches this kind of animation at this level. I come from a visual effects background. I worked at Tippet Studio back in ’98 and Shawn Kelly, a cofounder of Animation Mentor, has worked in visual effects for 13-14 years now. This is the type of work he has done, although he can flip flop between a full feature animation film, the type of thing you’d see with a DreamWorks or a Pixar, to a Transformers-type of film with the live action and integration. It leverages a similar skill-set yet it requires more understanding of workflow and pipeline and how to integrate characters into backgrounds.
“So we spoke with visual effects studios like Rhythm & Hues, Weta, Industrial Light & Magic, Double Negative and Framestore, the types of studios that do this kind of work, and they said, ‘We love Animation Mentor and we do hire people from there, but it’s kind of a gamble for us because they do full character animation —characters talking and acting — and we don’t do a lot of that kind of work. We do dragons and big monsters crushing cars and picking people up. So it would be great if there something was more tailored to that type of animation.’
“We went into development really early on with Tippet and shortly thereafter with Industrial Light & Magic, and they both really helped us along the way to make sure we were creating something that turned out graduates they would really be interested in after the course.”
POST: Tippet creates big-time characters and ILM produces both, do you see this course as an additional skill-set that will make them more employable or as a full-time specialty?
BECK: “I it’s an additional skill-set that makes people more employable. They will appeal to a broader range of people. If you have good character animation background, a studio like ILM or Tippet might hire you but if you have something that is tailored to exactly the type of stuff they do, even better. Even Davy Jones from Pirates of the Caribbean is a visual effects character that requires integration into background plates, and before this course the only place you could learn that was on the job.
“So, it will be complimentary to a character animation background, but it might also appeal to people who think, ‘I get and understand body principals and body mechanics and I’m ok with the acting stuff, but what I really want to do is work on the next Jurassic Park, and this class speaks to those people.”
POST: It seems you got a lot of input from a lot of pros.
BECK: “The thing we are super excited about is this new course is such a collaborative effort. When we first started Animation Mentor nobody knew who we were. So Shawn, Carlos and I had to do a lot of legwork, and we pulled in our friends here and there to create the curriculum and refine it.
“But now we’ve created this course with full support from the industry – from top supervising animators at these incredible studios like Tippet Studio, Industrial Light & Magic and Sony Imageworks. Having that collaboration and allowing us to use their footage is huge. One of classes, the final class in the program, is A Day in the Life of an Animator at Industrial Light & Magic with Shawn Kelly. He goes through a day in his life. It shows him working on Rango, so we have footage. We got to interview the director Gore Verbinski. We also got access to other feature film properties as well. Rango isn’t even out yet and we have access to all this great stuff!
“And all the instructors will working at visual effects pros. They will be working on the stuff these students want to work on. They will not only be teaching them but cherry picking the people out who are a great fit at their studios.
POST: How long is a course? How often will you be running them?
BECK: “We register for classes each term, so winter, spring summer, fall. Registration will be open immediately after the launch for Animation Mentor alumni for the spring term in April. On April 11, it will be open for the general public to register for the summer term.
POST: Do students use multiple software packages during the course?
BECK: “We utilize Maya. We think it’s the industry standard. In this program, we provide students with three new characters — cat, dragon and an ogre — that were created in Maya. And we have a suite of production-type tools they can use within Maya to leverage best industry practices, like how to do arcs on the screen and how to get more refined movement out of their characters.”
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Polls Reflect Voter Reality, Not Pundits' Preoccupations
A Commentary By Scott Rasmussen
Friday, October 12, 2012
According to Political Class pundits, the race for the White House was turned upside down by a single debate. The reality, however, is that a very close race shifted ever so slightly from narrowly favoring President Obama to narrowly favoring Mitt Romney. Either way, it remains too close to call.
The difference is that voters base their decisions on the substantive issues in the world around them. The Political Class is distracted by superficial imagery, an obsession with the game of politics and the sound of their own voices.
While it might be boring to those in the Political Class, Election 2012 has been stable all year. Oh, sure, there have been occasional mini-surges where one candidate gained a little ground temporarily. But it's been close all along.
That's because elections are primarily about fundamentals. In January, the most important fundamental was that the president's job approval rating had been stuck around 47 percent or 48 percent for two full years. That's good enough to be competitive but not good enough to ensure victory. An Electoral College analysis in January showed that four states were likely to be decisive -- Ohio, Virginia, Florida, and North Carolina.
Fast forward to the final month of the campaign, and nothing has really changed. The president's job approval has barely moved because nothing in the real world has caused people to think differently of his performance. Voters are not better off than they were four years ago -- but they're not worse off, either.
As a result, the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll shows that the two candidates have been within 3 points of each other in 89 of the past 100 days. Considering the 3-point margin of error, that's a toss-up almost every day. All four of the key states are just as close as the national numbers, and they're still just as important as we expected they'd be back in January.
In other words, nothing has really changed for 10 months, but that isn't unusual.
In 2004, on the night after John Kerry wrapped up the Democratic nomination, he trailed George W. Bush by 3 points. Ten months later, he lost to President Bush by 2.5 points.
In 2008, after wrapping up the Democratic nomination, Barack Obama led John McCain by 5 points. On Election Day, Obama won by 7. Fundamentals matter more than campaign consultants.
This background helps put the recent debate performance in context. Before the debate, the president was narrowly ahead. After his poor showing, he was narrowly behind. But, for all the noise, only about 2 percent of voters changed their opinion from grudging support of Obama to grudging support of Romney. For the other 98 percent, nothing changed beyond the fact that they might feel a bit better or worse about their candidate.
While impossible to measure precisely, it is likely that the shift took place among voters who were disenchanted with the president but unsure whether Romney would be any better. After the debate, some may have concluded that Romney looked like a plausible president and was worth a shot.
Where will it go from here? If nothing changes in the real world, the race will remain close until Election Day. If perceptions of the economy or events in the Middle East shift, the election could shift, as well. But the bottom line is that whatever changes take place will be driven by voter perceptions of reality, not the petty preoccupations of the Political Class.
COPYRIGHT 2012 SCOTT RASMUSSEN
DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM
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To learn more about our methodology, click here.
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Blackstone, a private equity fund, recently paid Rs 225 crore for an undisclosed stake in the Rs 846 crore Jagran Prakashan, the publishers of Hindi daily Dainik Jagran. The deal is being used as an example of how “regional media” has a lot of potential.
It may seem like a ridiculous question, but what really is “regional media”? Is Dainik Jagran, with 54.6 million readers, a “regional” daily? It talks to a potential audience of 500 million people, roughly five times more than the audience that the “national” The Times of India (English) talks to.
Is Sun Network a regional broadcaster? Its share of audience as a network on most days is equal to or more than that of Zee Entertainment or Star India, which are called “national networks”. Sun makes a bulk of its money from its clutch of 24 channels in the four South Indian languages, while Star and Zee make it largely from Hindi language channels.
Now that Star and Zee have about half a dozen channels in Indian languages other than Hindi, what are they? National broadcasters with a regional footprint?
The Andhra film industry makes more Telugu films than Mumbai does every year, so is it “regional” or “national”?
The fact is that in India, language media has always been bigger than English in terms of audience size. Going by the Indian Readership Survey (IRS) 2008 data, the top-four Hindi dailies have more than thrice the number of readers of The Times of India, the largest-selling English daily. However, in terms of perceptions of purchasing power, the non-English media has lagged behind.
Typically, even top Indian language brands cannot charge more than, say, one-third the ad rate of an English language publication. While the ratios may vary, the story is true for news television as well. (For some reason though, the rate differential does not apply to entertainment TV.)
This, however, is not about Hindi versus English or North versus South, or small-town India versus metros. This is about the “Indian” market and recognising that heterogeneity is genetic to us. It is built into the soul, the body and the mind of the Indian consumer. Most Indians know two or more languages — English, their mother tongue and usually Hindi or the language of the state they live in. We eat almost every variety of Indian food, either at home or outside. Most homes in the North would do an idli/dosa kind of meal, just like many in the South would eat parathas. Pongal, Parsi New Year or Gudi Padva, all mean the New Year, around the same time of the year. We live, eat and breathe in a multilingual, multi-cultural ethos.
Indians have had multiple personality syndrome for centuries. Heterogeneity defines this market. Yet, investors, marketers and even the media find it difficult to deal with it. In an recent interview with me, Santosh Desai, CEO of Future Brands and one of the best observers of Indian consumers, said that heterogeneity is very “reluctantly acknowledged” in most Indian companies. If a company does well in a particular state, then it would start crafting a strategy for that state or region. This reluctance to look to acknowledge heterogeneity is true for the media as well.
That is strange. Because as regular people, we lead what would seem like socially schizophrenic lives. Yet, when we become marketers or investors, we are not able to see the same trait in the markets we work in. Every time a foreign investor, who probably gets the point better than most of the Indian media, puts money into a language paper or TV firm, there is a sense of wonder.
Maybe it is just a manifestation of our ignorance. There exists, as any language media owner will tell you, a Delhi-Mumbai corridor of power which cannot see beyond English and these two markets. So, every time it is confronted with the fact that other markets exist, there is wonder.
Just for fun, we could declare that Mumbai and Delhi are suburbs of each other and consist of one single market joined by its imperviousness to the rest of India. Let us celebrate the emergence of the first truly homogeneous market in India.
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Over the last almost 30 years of doing critiques at my workshops I have come to realize that I say the same few things over and over again. It is not because I am unimaginative or at a loss for better words. And it is not because I don’t see some really great images every workshops (I do!) Its more that all photographers (including me sometimes) make the same mistakes no matter how long they have photographed or how many workshops they have attended. Here are my most common critique comments followed by a short explanation.
1. “Tell me what you were thinking”
Thinking is a really good habit to get into when you are photographing. You are not just out there pointing your camera at things and hoping for the best. You are being deliberate and composing with consideration and forethought. It doesn’t make any difference how many pictures you take on an outing. It only matters how many good pictures you take. So stop and think and consider what you are doing. In other words, slow down. If you aren’t sure what it is you are doing or what it is you like I promise when I see them I won’t either and that is not a good thing! Take your time, think about what you are doing and then take a picture.
2. “Tell me what you liked about this scene”
A good composition is a clear representation of your creative vision so a viewer should have a clear idea what it you liked about a particular situation. Usually what happens is that I have an idea of why the person initially liked but because he or she has added so much other stuff to the composition- the sky, framing branches, more to the left or right, top or bottom- the initial creative idea is lost, drowned in a sea of other mediocre stuff. Be confident in what you liked and just photograph that. Don’t add stuff- it only diminishes the final image.
3. “Did you mean to include this?”
People seldom look at the edges of their compositions. I mean really, why would they? The subject is somewhere in the center of the picture, who cares about the edges? I care and you should to. Edges can be very distracting and will pull the attention of your viewer away from your intended subject. Bright spots, anomalous colors, weird parts of animals or things, bad blurs are all bad compositionally. Before you push your shutter scan you eye around the edge of your viewfinder and look for odd bits of stuff. If you have a less than 100% viewfinder (and chances are you do) zoom back a wee bit to see all that is going to appear in your image.
4. “You have over sharpened/over saturated this image”
Here is my rule: Move the slider or the dial or whatever it is you move to adjust your picture in your processing program to where you like it and then back off. Here is another way of saying this- make an adjustment until you go ooh and then back off. Ooh is always too much. I know in this supersized world of excess we all live in saying this is practically anti-American but in photography excess is bad. Think of the Puritans. Would they ever go ‘ooh!’ to anything? NO! Process like a Puritan. If you have to, supersize your drink and but not your processing.
5. “You’ve cut off the feet (ears, hands, top of the head, etc)”
We all spend so much time concentrating on the head and trying to get the focusing point squarely there that we tend to forget that animals (people!) have feet and ears and tips to tails. Eventually you will learn to attend to all of the animal when you are photographing but at first it is a really hard thing to do. So let your eye look away from the head and notice the extremities before you push the shutter.
6. ” Nice composition but bad light”
I have saying this on every workshop I have ever taught and at every critique I have ever done- “dull light = dull photo.” There are no exceptions, no excuses, no way to get out of it. So if dull light is always bad why photograph? Either wait for different light or change the light with a flash or reflector or your shadow. Do something just don’t be satisfied with dull/bad light.
7. “That bright spot is very distracting”
Your eye will go to the brightest part of your composition. If it is not part of your subject your picture is going to suffer. Now sometimes a blown out highlight can’t be avoided, I understand that but it can’t be on an important part of your subject. It’s best that there aren’t any blown out highlights, mind you. So wait for better light and pay attention to those blown out whites. This is what your histogram is for!
8. “You just missed the focus”
Proper focus is not relative. It is either in focus or out of focus- there is no sort of in focus. Focus is like pregnancy and hemorrhoids- a straight yes or no- you can’t be sort of pregnant or sort of have a sore ass. Same with focus. For wildlife/people the eyes have to be in focus. For everything else where you want us to look has to be in focus. Besides, things that are slightly out of focus are really, really distracting. Better to be way out of focus (the mind doesn’t try to resolve it) than just off.
9. ” Just because you see the moon you don’t have to include it”
This happens all the time- I see a nice picture but there is something wrong- it is oddly stretched. Then I notice that the moon has been included. Okay, the moon was there when you were taking your photo, I get that. But was it what attracted you to the shot or did you just add it at the end. Chances are you added it at the end- bad move, never works. If the moon is near (and I mean right on) the horizon, okay. Otherwise, don’t compromise your composition just to add the moon.
10. “Photograph animals at their eye level”
Memorize this: The most compelling wildlife photographs are those in which you enter the world of the animal. You do this by photographing wildlife at their eye level. This also applies to your little wildlife- children, pets, friends, family. This will likely mean bending your knees but that’s okay, they unbend.
11. “Thank you for contributing this magnificent image to my files!
How do you think I get all those great pictures? Sometimes the files are a bit small but that’s fine. Keep those photos coming! ;-)))
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That time is once again upon us! This coming Monday, October the 10th, is our second installment of the Monthly Monday Microcontroller Madness series!
This month’s workshop will feature the concept of motion sensing in relation to microcontrollers. We’ll be taking a look at passive infrared sensors (PIR) for motion detection, ultrasonic range finders for distance measuring, and even looking at how to integrate a webcam into your Arduino project for motion analysis. These sensors and techniques are great for adding to your Halloween projects (wink, wink).
In addition to talking about motion, we will be offering our usual advice and guidance to those currently working on projects, or looking where to get started. All skill levels are welcome and we look forward to seeing you on Monday!
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Away With That Ugly Old Bridge
By EGP News
There is a bridge on Soto Street at the entrance to Lincoln Heights and El Sereno that links those neighborhoods to Boyle Heights, which as far as we can remember has never had a recognizable name, or recognizable good purpose for that matter.
It’s an ugly bridge that becomes a two-way narrow roadway where Soto St. and Huntington Drive North and South meet, and does little to enhance traffic through the area.
For most of its 77 years, the bridge has been edged by weeds and cement abutments, creating an eyesore, unlike many of Los Angeles’ more aesthetically pleasing historic bridges. The lower part of the bridge is a labyrinth of cement where motorists often get confused as to which lane will get them to Huntington Drive, North Broadway or Mission Road.
Now there is a plan afoot to demolish the bridge as to eliminate the confusing mix of streets underneath the bridge. We believe this decision would improve traffic flow through the area, which is often used as a bypass or shortcut to downtown Los Angeles or points east when freeways near the area are jammed.
An added benefit from the bridges demise is the planned landscaping that will surely enhance and beautify the area which up to now has been impossible due to the concrete barriers that compose the bridge’s under girth. Removal of the bridge will help the area feel more like a community, rather than an abandoned industrial site.
Planning for the project started in 2002 but was halted due to funding restrictions. Now there is a chance to move forward, and forward the city should go.
Why any group of residents would be against the project is beyond us. Just because a bridge is old doesn’t mean it’s worth saving.
We say, give us flowers and greenery and clean traffic lanes, and do away with the ugly old Soto Street Bridge.Print This Post
February 7, 2013 Copyright © 2012 Eastern Group Publications, Inc.
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IPFilter is an open source packet filter software package written by Darren Reed. It was originally written for SunOS and Solaris, but now runs on a number of Unix platforms. It is now the standard packet filter package for Solaris 10, and one of the three shipped with FreeBSD and NetBSD. It shipped with OpenBSD until 2001, when, after failed license negotiations between Theo De Raadt and its author, it was replaced by pf.
IPFilter is a stateful packet filter that also ships with a small suite of proxies to handle difficult protocols like FTP, H.323 and TFTP. It supports state tracking for TCP and OSPF and state approximation for all other IP protocols. It supports both IPv4 and IPv6.
IPFilter is supported under many Unices, including AIX, IRIX, HP-UX and Tru64 Unix. Though it works under Linux, Linux includes a packet filter called Netfilter which is equally featureful and better integrated.
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Unless you have a container of old store bought decorations sitting up in your attic this year consider forgoing store bought decorations and make your own. Most decorations that have been produced recently are made in China from cheap and often toxic materials that contain things like phalates that off gas and on top of it are not recyclable. Save money and the planet by getting creative.
Bring in the outdoor and decorate with nature. Pick up pine cones either from your winter nature walks or worse case scenario from your local florist. Ask you local Christmas tree yard for extra tree branches that are headed for the mulching machine (often times they will give to you for free) or make decorations out of old stuff you have lying around.
I took old moth hole ridden sweaters (some of my own and some picked up at a garage sale) and made a really cool sweater wreath using a wire hanger. I cut up little pieces, bent the wire hanger into a circle and looped the pieces onto the wire circle. I have a wreath fro years to come. I just have to make sure the moths don’t get to it now.
What kind of decorations have you made?
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View Full Version : rut
10-17-2005, 02:59 PM
What effect does the moon play in starting the rut activity?
Will a call work this time of year?
10-17-2005, 03:05 PM
Only effect I can think of is that there will be more activity at night and less during the day! (full moon)
10-17-2005, 03:14 PM
There are a lot of theories on the effect of the moon phase. Some people subscirbe to the belief that the new moon phase or exxentially the dark phase following the full moon phase is the change that triggers the rut to kick into full speed. I have read a quite a bit on it the last few years but have never really found anything that I can hang my hat on. I think the rut occurs right around the same time every year within an area regardless of most of the outside factors.
10-17-2005, 03:29 PM
second week of november, regardless of the moon phase is absolutley deadly.
10-17-2005, 03:41 PM
It is certainly something special when you can hit it right and be in the woods when it is happening big time. You get to see a ton of deer running everywhere. Once you have been in the woods when the "frenzy" was on you will certainly be able to recognize it from that point on.;)
10-17-2005, 04:18 PM
The Rut Is Always The Same Time Of Yr...its The Amount Of Daylight That Triggers The Rut...
10-17-2005, 04:41 PM
The argument supporting the moon phase explains that the rut it triggered by the total amount of light activity. This would include both daytime and nighttime. And once you go from the full moon phase over to the new moon phase you lose almost all of you night light and thus giving a rapid change in the overall light. This rapid change theoretically triggers the start in a lot of the deer.
I am not saying that I believe in this theory but simply stating what I have read over the years concerning it. If that were the case the next new moon is like October 31st and that would start the peak rut earlier than I have ever known it. The next new moon phase beyond that is almost the end of November and that would be a lot later.
A few years ago I had gotten my buck two consecutive years only one day apart and both years the frenzy was on. Those dates were November 10 & 11. Right around that date it pretty much when I usually expect things to get crazy. I really like hunting the week or two prior to that because I have found that I stand a better chance of nailing a resident buck then before he takes off all over the countryside. Once the does kick in it is hard to tell where the bucks in your territory end up and also where the ones that show up come from. They really spread their travel area out at that point. I think that is why you hear so often of someone shooting a big buck curing the rut or even slug season and commenting that they had not seen him prior to shooting him. He may not have been around the area for long.
10-17-2005, 05:06 PM
I'll be in te stand the first and second weekend in November. Come on bucks!
Excellant analysis BKR. Good read.
vBulletin® v3.8.7, Copyright ©2000-2013, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
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Distance Learning in Archaeology and Ancient History
Why study archaeology and ancient history by distance learning at Leicester?
All of our courses are based on our extensive experience in developing and teaching both archaeology and ancient history and our world-leading research. The outcome of the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) confirmed our place as one of the leading Archaeology and Ancient History departments in the UK. No less than 65% of our research was rated in the top two brackets of international excellence (4*, 3*). This proportion puts us second equal among UK Archaeology departments, and first equal among departments teaching both disciplines. Our research strategy exploits the disciplinary mix within the School. Staff work all over the world on research projects in Britain, Ireland, France, Italy, Greece, central Europe, Egypt, Libya, North America, Iran, Syria, Pakistan, Southeast Asia, Venezuela and elsewhere. We cover all periods from the earliest humans to the recent past. This means you will be taught by staff at the leading edge of developments in your specific research area, allowing you to benefit from these developments as they occur.
All distance learning students are invited take part in the Burrough Hill Iron Age Fort project, pictured here, whether working there as part of the undergraduate Fieldschool module, or to gain extra field experience.
We received a maximum 24 in the most recent QAA teaching assessment, so you can be confident that we can translate our leading research into effective and relevant teaching, allowing you to gain maximum benefit.
We have some of the most satisfied students in the country, with consistently high student ratings in the National Student Survey. The University has been a winner in the Times Higher Education Awards for five years running, including the title of Times Higher Education University of the Year 2008/9, and we also won their award for Outstanding Support for Students 2009/10.
Pioneering approach to distance learning
The University of Leicester has more than 20 years experience of offering high quality distance learning courses and we fully understand the specific needs of distance learning students, wherever they are based. The School of Archaeology and Ancient History pioneered archaeology distance learning with the introduction of our MA Archaeology and Heritage in 1997 and we have been going from strength to strength ever since.
Structured, supportive framework for study
Our courses are designed to be studied at a distance, giving you the flexibility to study from any location within a structured and supportive framework. Each of our modules is developed and written with the specific needs of distance learning students in mind and students from more than 25 countries have chosen to study archaeology by distance learning with us. We provide excellent learning support, delivered by the same expert archaeology academics and professionals as our on-campus courses. Because we understand that many of our students are combining study with demanding careers and family lives, we provide a range of entry and exit points onto our courses, along with the opportunity to move between full-time and part-time study if circumstances change.
Our courses have been designed to enable you to develop your skills and knowledge, whether you wish to study to enhance your career prospects, proceed to further study, or for general interest. Our modules cross the traditional academic boundaries of archaeology and ancient history, enabling you to gain a wider knowledge in your chosen area. There are opportunities for you to develop and enhance your practical skills, and employability skills are embedded throughout our curriculum. Consequently, our courses are highly valued by employers who will recognise the key transferable and subject-specific skills gained. Our courses will enable you to focus on your specific interest, and enable progression in archaeology, ancient history, or elsewhere.
Our brilliant dissertations
Were late period Neanderthals behaviourally innovative?
Peter Heyes’ dissertation, by Distance Learning,, was awarded the Prehistoric Society’ 2012 prize for the undergraduate dissertation that made the greatest contribution to the study of prehistory, an award open to students from any University in Britain and Ireland. It was also winner of the annual Garner prize for scientific work associated with the arts, open to all postgraduate and undergraduate students of the University of Leicester.
From Prehistoric Past to Saxon Christian Present: the reuse of prehistoric sites in Wessex
Alistair Thompson's dissertation (2012), by Distance Learning, was awarded the annual Medieval Research Centre's prize for the best undergraduate dissertation on a medieval topic. His dissertation discussed the appropriation of prehistoric monuments for early medieval church and monastic enclosures, focusing on the heartlands of Wessex (Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire and Dorset).
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Smokers' arteries stiffen twice as fast as those of nonsmokers, possibly increasing their risk for myocardial infarction, stroke and other problems, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC).
For the study, researchers at Tokyo Medical University evaluated the brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity--the speed at which blood travels from the heart to the brachial artery, the main blood vessel of the upper arm and the faraway ankle--of 2,054 Japanese adults across five to six years. They found that the annual change in velocity was higher in smokers than nonsmokers, signaling that smokers had stiffer arteries. In addition, the study determined that smokers' medium- and large-sized arteries stiffened at double the rate as those of nonsmokers. The researchers also identified a dose-response relationship between cigarette consumption and accelerated arterial stiffening.
Commenting on the findings, an associate professor of medicine and cardiology at New York City-based Mount Sinai Medical Center notes that the results emphasize the cumulative nature of smoking-induced damage and suggests that physicians use the findings when urging patients to quit smoking (Tomiyama et al., JACC, May 2010 [subscription required]; Edelson, HealthDay, 4/26).
As reported in today's Daily Briefing, gene-expression profiling may be a safer and more effective method to test for heart transplant rejection than the traditional biopsy technique, a study in NEJM finds.
Currently, endomyocardial biopsies--in which providers insert a catheter through a neck vein to snip a small piece of heart tissue--is the standard method of monitoring organ rejection in cardiac transplant recipients. However, biopsies may be uncomfortable for patients and are associated with rare but potentially serious complications, according to the study.
Noting these drawbacks, researchers from Stanford University Medical Center conducted a study to test the effectiveness of a new, noninvasive technique known as AlloMap, which examines 11 genes to determine the likelihood of a rejection episode. For the study, the researchers assigned 602 patients who had a heart transplant six months to five years earlier to undergo either routine biopsies or gene testing.
After an average 19-month follow-up that assessed patients for rejection, graft dysfunction, death or a new transplant, the researchers found that 14.5% of patients who received genetic testing had experienced at least one of those events, compared with 15.3% of individuals who underwent biopsies. The groups' two-year mortality rates were also similar, at 6.3% among those who had genetic testing and 5.5% among those who had biopsies.
However, the genetic testing group had fewer rejection episodes--34 compared with 47 in the biopsy group. Additionally, the genetic testing group's satisfaction scores increased across the study, while scores in the biopsy group remained stagnant. The researchers note that their study was limited because it did not include patients who had recently undergone transplant surgery; therefore, the patients were at a lower risk of rejection.
The findings call into question the frequency of testing for rejection episodes, writes a deputy editor at NEJM in an accompanying editorial. He notes that among the genetic testing group, only six of the 34 rejection episodes were found through test results, while the rest were identified through symptoms or an echocardiogram, the Los Angeles Times reports (Pham et al., NEJM, 4/22; Jarcho, NEJM, 4/22; Pollack, Times, 4/22 [registration required]; Maugh, Los Angeles Times "Booster Shots," 4/22 [registration required]).
Eating large amounts of sugar may hurt cardiac health, according to research published in JAMA.
For the study, researchers from the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta analyzed the dietary habits of 6,113 adults between 1999 and 2006 and grouped them based on their sugar intake and cholesterol levels; the highest sugar-intake group consumed 46 teaspoons per day, compared with three teaspoons daily among the lowest sugar-intake group. On average, nearly 16% of individuals' daily caloric intake came from sugar, compared with about 11% in the late 1970s.
The highest sugar consumers--those who got 25% or more of their daily calories from sugar--were more likely to have higher risk factors for heart disease, such as lower levels of good cholesterol and higher levels of triglycerides, compared with individuals whose sugar intake accounted for 5% of their daily caloric intake.
Although efforts to promote cardiovascular health have focused on low-fat and low-cholesterol diets, the researchers say their findings demonstrate a need to reassess dietary recommendations and further investigate how carbohydrates and sugars influence heart health (Welsh et al., JAMA, 4/21 [subscription required]; Smith, MedPage Today, 4/20; Steenhuysen, Reuters, 4/20; Edelson, HealthDay, 4/20).
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Flat Track Rules
Roller derby takes place on a circuit track. Offense and defense are played simultaneously. The two teams playing send five players each onto the track — one jammer (scorer), three blockers (defense), one pivot. Helmet covers are used to display the players’ positions: a cover with two stars is used for jammers, a striped cover is used for pivots and no cover is used for blockers.
Pivots and blockers from both teams start the game by forming a single pack (8 players). The track has two lines marked across the track 30 feet apart, a pivot line and a jammer line around which the players build their initial formation. Pivots line up on the pivot line and all blockers must line up behind them in any order they choose. The two jammers, who are not considered to be part of the pack, are positioned on the jammer line 30 feet behind the pivot line.
The referee signals the start of jam formation by blowing a single whistle. During jam formation, the entire pack moves counter-clockwise, during which time players can change position. All pivots/blockers must remain in the pack (i.e., no more than 20 feet in front of or behind the largest group containing blockers from both teams). When the last person in the pack has passed the pivot line, the referee blows the double whistle, signaling the jammers to take off, and play begins in earnest with a jam.
A jam is a 2-minute countdown period during which both teams attempt to score points. Points can only be scored by the jammers, who, moving counter-clockwise, attempt to pass the pack and lap around as many times as possible. After passing the pack the first time, jammers earn one point each time they legally pass an opposing blocker/pivot. During a jam, all pivots/blockers must remain in the pack. Pivot/blockers attempt to assist their jammer through and out of the pack while simultaneously stopping the opposing jammer from exiting the pack.
The first jammer to legally pass all pivots and blockers once the jam begins wins the status of lead jammer for the remainder of the jam. The lead jammer can decide to end the jam at any time before the 2 minutes are up. She does this by placing her hands on her hips repeatedly, which signals the referee to officially call off the jam.
After a lead jammer has been established, both jammers have the option of passing their positions to their teams’ respective pivots (passing the star). This is done by removing the 2-star helmet cover and handing it to the pivot. The pivot then becomes the jammer, and the jammer becomes a blocker for the remainder of the jam. If the original jammer was the lead jammer, the position of lead jammer is not passed on; the position is forfeited for the remainder of the jam.
To impede the progress of the opposing team’s jammer, players may block using body parts above the mid-thigh, excluding forearms, hands, and head. Elbows may not be used in blocking, and cannot be swung at other players or used to hook an opponent’s or teammate’s arm. If a player forces an opposing jammer out of bounds, the jammer re-enters behind the player. The newly developed “Western Style” strategy is for the player to skate backwards immediately, forcing the jammer to re-enter further behind the pack.
Each game consists of two 30-minute periods. At the end of each jam, teams field another line up of players and the next jam starts exactly 30 seconds later.
Penalties are given to skaters who skate or blocks illegally, engage in misconduct, and for other illegal procedures. Penalties can be minor or major. Four minor penalties accumulated by same player or a major penalty leads to the player being sent to a penalty box for 1 minute (during which the opposing team may score 1 point for each skater in the penalty box as soon as they score their first point in each pass). The time spent in the box by a jammer can be less than 1 minute if a given set of circumstances occur.
Skaters will foul out after 7 visits to the penalty box and cannot return to play. Egregious acts of misconduct, including all fighting or attempted fighting lead to expulsion, wherein the skater must leave the gaming arena and cannot return until play is over. Skaters may also receive additional game suspensions or other disciplinary action for such actions.
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Nov. 17, 1999 DALLAS, Nov. 16 -- A new imaging technique predicts the risk of a second heart attack or death among coronary patients better and sooner than the widely used exercise stress test, according to a study in today's Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
The technique called vasodilator perfusion imaging -- can be used as early as two to four days after a heart attack with no complications, allowing treatment decisions to be made quickly and potentially preventing further heart attacks, shortening hospital stays and reducing costs, says lead author Kenneth A. Brown, M.D., professor of medicine and director of the nuclear cardiology and cardiac stress laboratories at the University of Vermont.
"I think this is something that should be much more widely applied," Brown says, adding that smaller hospitals are more likely to have the equipment necessary for this test than they are to have advanced cardiac care laboratories.
"Substantial cost savings can be realized in appropriate patient populations" if this technique is widely adopted, writes Frans J. Th. Wackers, M.D., director of the cardiovascular imaging and exercise laboratories at Yale University School of Medicine, in an accompanying editorial. It could be particularly useful for helping smaller hospitals quickly determine which patients should be transferred to larger medical centers.
The study compared patients who were given the new imaging test two to four days after their heart attacks and then also had an exercise stress test six to 12 days later, to a control group who had the exercise stress testing only in a total of 451 patients. The patients who underwent vasodilator perfusion imaging were first given a drug called dipyridamole, which increases blood flow through the heart by dilating blood vessels while the patient is lying down. After the drug is administered, a mildly radioactive drug is given to the patient to provide an image of blood flow using a technology called single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT).
The drug's effects cause less strain to the heart than exercise testing, which consists of walking briefly on a treadmill while an electrocardiogram provides readings, Brown says. During exercise the heart muscle works harder, causing increased heart rate and demand for oxygen and blood flow. This stress is the reason exercise testing is not generally performed until five to seven days after a heart attack, although further cardiac events may occur during that time.
Brown and his colleagues found that not only could the technique be used earlier than conventional exercise testing, but it was also better at identifying patients at greatest risk of future heart attacks.
For instance, patients whose images showed they had only small or intermediate areas of permanent heart damage and little or no additional heart muscle at risk had the lowest risk of death or another heart attack -- less than 1 percent over the year following their initial heart attack, Brown says. Those with more heart muscle at risk had second heart attack or death risks ranging from 6 to 17 percent.
By contrast, exercise stress testing, also known as ECG testing did not predict cardiac events in this study, Brown says. "This is another piece of evidence that stress ECG testing may not be adequate to predict future heart attacks or death," says Brown.
In his editorial, Wackers points out that this study confirms and surpasses a pilot study of 50 patients that Brown and his colleagues published in 1990, and it provides further evidence that patients who appear to recover well from a heart attack can be evaluated safely and effectively using this imaging technique.
Brown says that since this latest study focused only on heart patients who had no complications as a result of their heart attack, further study on different patient populations is needed.
Co-authors are Gary V. Heller, M.D., Ph.D.; Ronald S. Landin, M.D.; Leslee J. Shaw, Ph.D.; George A. Beller, M.D.; Michael J. Pasquale, M.D.; and Stephen B. Haber, Ph.D.
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December 4, 2006
"Cognitive dissonance" refers to the practice of resolving a conflict between our observations about the world and our beliefs about the world. The usual interpretation is that we resolve that conflict in favor of our beliefs. That is, we do not alter our beliefs to fit new observations about the world.
Leon Festinger, a professor of psychology at Stanford, developed the notion and study of cognitive dissonance in the late 1950s. In today's Wall Street Journal Cynthia Crossen has a wonderful column about Festinger and cognitive dissonance, available here. The column contains a marvelous story about a 1950s cult centered in Chicago and led by Marion Keech. (Professor Festinger had two infiltrators in the group, something that would surely not pass muster under current IRB understandings.) Mrs. Keech and her followers believed that she was receiving transmissions from a planet called "Clarion" and that those transmissions were telling her that the Earth was to end on a date certain through a worldwide flood. The inhabitants of Clarion informed Ms. Keech that they would send a spaceship at midnight on the cataclysmic day to pick her and her followers up and carry them to safety. So, the faithful gave away most of their possessions and gathered on the appointed day and waited for the arrival of the spaceship. Midnight came and went. No spaceship. At 4:15 am Ms Keech reported a new transmission --this time apparently from God -- informing her that the faithfulness of her and her followers had so impressed Him that He had decided not to unleash the flood.
One might have thought that this experience would have caused some of the faithful to question their beliefs. Quite to the contrary. Almost all the faithful fit the observations into their beliefs (as vindication of their beliefs) and returned to their proselytizing efforts with a new energy.
I can't help but contrast the notion of cognitive dissonance with this marvelous quotation from John Maynard Keynes, who had been chided for changing his position on some important issue: "When my information change, I change my opinion. What do you do, Sir?"
December 4, 2006 | Permalink
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- Historic Sites
The Trumpeter Of Doomsday
William Miller applied good Yankee arithmetic to biblical prophecies and convinced thousands that the hour of Christ’s Second Coming was upon them
April 1964 | Volume 15, Issue 3
On October 22, 1844, thousands of Americans in widely scattered localities left their homes tor what, they were perfectly convinced, would be the last time. Their leaders had meticulously corrected an earlier prediction that 1843 would be the final year. Now they were ready.
Many of them had given away or abandoned their property; some had let their crops go to ruin. They went in solemnly excited groups to meetinghouses and tabernacles to witness the Second Coming of Christ and the imminent destruction of the world. In the great moment now at hand, they fervently believed, they would “go up” to blissful eternal life, while millions of sinners and scoffers would be thenceforth doomed to the ineffable tortures of hell.
In an atmosphere increasingly strained they waited, looking for the first fearful sign of the Advent. The day wore on, while their leaders exhorted them to stay calm and assured them that the time of the Lord was indeed upon them. It was only a question of hours or minutes. Darkness fell. The hours passed, each more tense than the one before. Surely, they now felt, midnight must be the appointed instant. …
The man who was chiefly responsible for the mathematically precise expectations of these people was William Miller, of Low Hampton, New York, in the Champlain Valley—a plain, honest, self-educated farmer with a flair for arithmetic persuasively applied to what he believed to be literal and infallible premises. Everyone agreed that he was “a man mighty in the Scriptures,” who always seemed to know what he was talking about. But the secret of his great success with his audiences, despite the fact that he was said to be slow of speech, was stated by Miller himself. “If you wish your people to feel ,” he said, “ feel yourself .”
The intensity of Miller’s feeling still clings to the words of one of his typical “Second Coming” exhortations:
Ah! what means that noise? Can it he thunder? Too longtoo loud and shrill—more like a thousand trumpets sounding an onset. It shakes the earth … See how it reels. How dreadful! How strange!
The very clouds are bright with glory … See, the heavens do shake, the vivid clouds, so full of fire, are driven apart by this last blast, and rolling up themselves, stand back aghast—And O, my soul, what do I see? A great white throne, and One upon it … Before him are thousands and thousands of wingèd seraphim, ready to do his will.
The last trumpet sounds—the earth now heaves a throb for the last time, and in this last great throe her liowcls burst, and from her sprang a thousand thousand, and ten thousand times ten thousand immortal beings into active life … I saw them pass through the long vista of the parted cloud, and stand before the throne …
The air now became stagnated with heat; while the dismal howling: of those human beings who were left upon the earth, and the horrid yells of the damned spirits … filled my soul with horror not easily described.
It is hardly surprising to learn from a contemporary report that words such as these, uttered repeatedly in the iSgo’s, created “much excitement … a great breaking down, and much weeping’ in places such ax Montpelier, Vermont; or that in Lansingburgh, Xew York, “infidels, deists, Univeisalists and sectarians were all chained to their seats in perfect silence for hours—yes, days—to hear the old, stammering man talk about the Second Coming of Christ, and show the manner, object, time, and signs of His Coming.” Fire and-brimstone preaching was nothing new in that part of (he country. But the operative phrase which distinguished this revivalist from all his fellows was “the time and signs” of the Awful Last Day, for which he was prepared to furnish copious and resounding Bible proofs. He first announced the end of the world as fixed between March 21, 184^, and March 21, 1844. After the latter date had passed uneventfully, the prediction was revised to October 22, 1844. These rash prophecies set off one of the greatest mass delusions in American history; and the prophet’s converts have been charged with a greater variety of ridiculous and fanatical acts than perhaps any religious group in modern times. Before the “crisis” years of 1843—44 were reached, Miller’s followers must have numbered in the hundreds of thousands, most of whom, on that October night, were awaiting the Day of Judgment.
Miller was anything but a rabble-rouser at heart. The oldest of sixteen children, he was bom in Pittslield, Massachusetts, on February 15, 1782. \Vhen he was four years old, his father, Captain William Miller, a veteran of the Revolution, moved to a farm in Low Hampton, New York, close to the Vermont line. The boy grew up in that small village, which afforded only about three months of schooling each winter. Books were scarce in the hard-working Baptist household, his father’s whole library consisting of a Bible, a psalter, and an old hymnbook. Most of William’s early reading was done in books he earned by wood-chopping. Later he was able to borrow volumes on ancient and modern history from more affluent neighbors.
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AUGUST 25, 1950
CAMPOBELLO ISLAND, New Brunswick, Thursday—Mixed news from Korea yesterday morning left me worrying all day. We seem to bomb successfully in the rear but still expect a major attack on our thin lines. Our troops have withstood so much harrassment around Taegu that they must long for the re-enforcements promised from Hong Kong.
Not having electricity in the cottage here, and not having brought a radio that works on a battery, every morning, I go out before breakfast, start my car to be sure my battery won't run down, turn on the radio and listen to the news.
I have not driven a great deal since I arrived on the island. In the years when I spent long summers here we always walked or went by boat so I find it hard to remember to use the car, besides, when one has driven across the island to Herring Cove and up to the head harbor end of the island, one has been about everywhere that one can go by car, whereas by boat there are endless trips to take. One can go up the St. Croix River to Calais, or stop at St. Andrews and see the fashionable world in the big hotel, and buy hand woven rugs and tweeds in the cottage industries shop which has flourished for many years. By now one can probably get some English china and pottery which was not available during the war, and is still not too plentiful in England itself. One can travel in a little boat among endless islands up the coast of Newfoundland, and even out to Grand Manan, and all the way around Campobello Island itself, joining the fishing fleet if one wants to fish.
The seining of a weir here is one of the sights no stranger should miss, for it takes one back to the days of the Bible as one watches the fisherman pulling up the seine and filling their dories with fish. One can stay in American waters and find endless picnic spots up the Denny River which flows down to the west of Eastport, as the St. Croix does on the east.
There is a little Indian village north of Eastport where the Indians still sell some of their baskets and other wares in the town, but on this visit I have not been to Eastport.
I am no happier about the way the Indians have been treated in this part of our country, than I am anywhere else in the United States. Had we done a really good job it seems to me that our Indians today would be educated; there would be no need of reservations; they would be fully capable of taking their places as citizens, and the tribes would have had full compensation for the lands they owned. Our inability to work out this small problem satisfactorily and fairly is one of the real blots on our history.
We don't seem to be able to deal with dependent people, and that is why I have always been anxious to see us admit Alaska and Hawaii as states. Once they are an integral part of our country we will have a completely different attitude toward them and their inhabitants. They will be fully represented in Congress and no other state's interests will be more important than theirs.
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Smart Energy Country Profile – South Africa
South Africa is changing rapidly, and the ANC government of Jacob Zuma has big plans. This blog will examine the changing picture in terms of its energy supply and its plans to become a primary supplier to the growing global fuel cell industry.
The South African economy is closely tied to the energy sector, with demand of 127.8 million metric tons of oil equivalent (Mtoe) primary energy consumption (2007), which is growing at 4.4 percent a year.
One of the aims of the 2008 Energy Act was to diversify the country’s energy portfolio. According to the BP Statistical Review of World Energy, South Africa has some 9.2 percent of the world’s coal reserves (anthracite and bituminous) at 33.5 million tons
The South African utility, Eskom, produces and supplies over 95 percent of all electricity in South Africa, and over 45 percent of all electricity used in Africa. The company got something of a wake up call in 2008 when the country experienced a number of rolling blackouts causing the country millions of rand in lost revenue, and seeing platinum and palladium reach global highs in price. The issue, as was reported at the time, was that the power generation reserve margin was only 5 percent. The two fall-outs of this were creation and enactment of the Energy Act and the opening up, at least in theory, to other fuel generation sources.
To date, the South African economy has been overwhelmingly dependent on coal, and during the apartheid-era developed world-leading coal-to-liquid technology. Now, though, the government has plans to develop 42 GW in new electricity capacity by 2030. This total includes a target of 18 GW (approximately 42 percent) from so-called green energy sources. In reality, 23 percent of this is planned to be nuclear, 15 percent new thermal power plant capacity, and the rest from wind, solar, biomass, and hydroelectricity.
The implication of this is likely to be the development and deployment of substantial distributed generation technologies, and potentially, a thriving market for energy storage. The reason why I am confident of the DG option is that a large percentage of South Africa’s population is still without access to grid electricity. Policy is to push for deployments as quickly as possible, so when we see development of technology such as wind and solar we are likely to see this tied to some form of DG, possibly at the village level.
To help pay for all this change the residential users in South Africa are taking something of a beating. Residential energy users have historically enjoyed some of the lowest electricity prices in the developed world, but since the blackouts of 2008, Eskom has been seeking annual price hikes of up to 31 percent to raise funds to build new capacity. The following increases have been approved:
- 24.8 percent increase for 2010/11 financial year
- 25.8 percent for 2011/12
- 25.9 percent in 2012/13
To put this in perspective, in 2008 residential users were paying 55 cents/kWh (according to the IEA), lower than any just about any other developed nation.
The core mission of the Southern Africa Power Pool (SAPP), a consortium that includes electricity providers from 11 sub-Saharan nations, is to facilitate the development of a competitive electricity market across the region. SAPP is looking to invest some $5.6 billion in transmission projects by 2015. Thus, South Africa’s recognition of potential renewable energy pathways could serve not only to open up new market potential for its own businesses, but also help to develop the economies and business of a vast swath of the continent.
Article by Kerry-Ann Adamson, appearing courtesy the Matter Network.
|Tags: energy consumption energy storage energy supply Eskom fuel cell south africa||[ Permalink ]|
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This resource is provided by one of our library partners.
Boston has over half a million inhabitants and is the largest of New England's cities. As its most important commercial and financial centre, the city on the Charles River has always played an historic role and was the cradle of Independence. In the centre of Boston, Copley Square features the Trinity Church, which contrasts with the modern Hancock Tower that dominates the skyline. Park Street Church was where, in 1829, William Garrison gave his first anti-slavery speech. In the adjacent Granary Burial Ground some of America's most famous sons are buried, such as John Hancock, Samuel Adams and Paul Revere. Beacon Hill has hardly changed over the past 150 years, an architectural gem with narrow, winding cobbled streets and even today the wrought ironwork of its balconies and banisters indicate that this is one of Boston's most sought after areas.
Downloadable video file.
Mode of access: World Wide Web.
System requirements: OverDrive Media Console (file size: 136905KB).
Title from title screen (viewed on Aug. 21, 2008).
Originally produced in 2007.
Also available as VHS.
"Globetrotting sight seeing tours. Tour the world with global television."
Digital content provided by OverDrive; access may be restricted to users at subscribing institutions.
What is the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer?
The Tomatometer measures the percentage of Approved Tomatometer Critics who recommend a certain movie --
or the number of good reviews divided by the total number of reviews.
A good review is denoted by a FRESH tomato.
A bad review is denoted by a ROTTEN tomato.
In order for a movie to receive an overall rating of FRESH on Rotten Tomatoes, the reading on the Tomatometer for that movie must be at
least 60%. Otherwise, it is ROTTEN. The ratings and reviews are licensed by the Phoenix Public Library from Rotten Tomatoes. For more information,
please visit the Rotten Tomatoes website at www.rottentomatoes.com
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The only thing that will work for African American evolution is reading, writing and producing. Unless you can read and write, forget about it. access to the 21st century is denied.
As far as donating funds to black causes the black causes must be acceptable to white America. Creflo Dollar and others had the blessing of white America. White America contributed their camera, studios, directors ,news correspondents and other resource to insure that Creflo Dollars and others had maximum exposure to get their messages out.
When White America grew tired and bored with them the turned on them and severely restricted their access to their resources and as a result Creflo Dollars and other quickly disappeared from the landscape. There is no mystery here.
President & CEO Mubarak Inter-prizes
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A Repair and
By Sam Tracy
ISBN: 978-1-933108-01-8 (PB)
11" x 8.5", 232 pages, paperback
At their finest hours bikes exist on a level above mere machines, and there’s no reason why the joy should end when the ride is over.
Bicycle!, written by a working bicycle mechanic, covers everything you need to know to feed and care for your ride. This book cuts through the obtuse techno-speak and delivers maintenance clarity with a touch of humor and radicalism, while categorically denying mechanistry’s supposed dreariness. Bicycle! is about encouraging society to learn for themselves how to make their bikes work, not because they have to, but because they want to.
With detailed descriptions of all maintenance tasks and repair situations, clearly illustrated with photographs and drawings, this guide will serve the need for a serious rider’s manual. Professional bicycle workersmessengers, mechanics, pedi-cab driversas well as bicycle commuters have been waiting for this book.
Sam Tracy began producing the zine Biker Pride in the early 1990s, and the project later broadened just enough to become the urban cyclingfocused Multiplier. He is the author of Roadside Bicycle Repair: A Pocket Manifesto and How to Rock and Roll. Having toiled as a bicycle mechanic and messenger for more than a decade, Tracy is now taking a break from the industry to serve in the Peace Corps.
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Sometimes progress really does appear in the numbers. Consider what we spend to fill our tables.
Since 1929, the percentage of disposable income that the typical American spends on food has been steadily dropping from about one-quarter of our available cash to just 10 percent. Quite simply, it takes less for us to feed ourselves than virtually any other people on Earth.
Technology has been revolutionary in its ability to help us obtain and store food. But essential tools like refrigeration and long-haul transit have only been feasible for the past 150 years, barely a speck in the long view of human history.
Even the advent of organized agriculture and the domestication of food animals, which took place about 10,000 years ago by most estimates, was just a tick on the evolutionary clock. Most modern sources of calories simply weren't available to prehistoric hunter-gatherers.
In other words, we, meaning most residents in highly technological nations like the United States, are truly among the first handful of generations never to worry about where to get our food.
"This is the first time in human history that's been the case for large numbers of people," says George Mason University professor Peter Stearns, author of "Fat History."
Built for famine
Modern life may have solved most of our food-gathering problems, but human evolution has not kept up. Our bodies are still wired for hunter-gatherer biology: Eat all the food you can and store it — in body fat — in case your supply of food runs out, as in the case of famine. A dangerous configuration for a society with all-you-can-eat buffets.
Our ancient ancestors, especially those on the African plains, hunted far leaner animals than we now eat — species closer to modern deer and elk than the typical meat cow. Processed grains and sugars have no counterparts in ancient foods.
And modern taste combinations like concentrated fat (butter) and concentrated sweetness (sugar) rarely co-exist in nature, notes Loren Cordain, professor of health and exercise science at Colorado State University.
"You get fat on the types of foods that have been introduced since the agricultural revolution," says Cordain, author of "The Paleo Diet," which advocates emulating prehistoric eaters. Think South Beach without any grains, salt or sugar, and lots of fish and broccoli.
Cordain argues that when it comes to food, evolutionary mechanisms simply can't match the fast pace of human innovation. The result in the United States, he suggests, is heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, to say nothing of obesity.
Not every anthropologist goes so far, but most acknowledge that rich nations are all but drowning in food. And as developing nations grow, people once threatened by famine are quickly facing the opposite problem .
Remember those dinner-table threats about starving kids in China? The percentage of obese Chinese doubled from 1992 to 2004, and nearly 23 percent are overweight. India faces similar problems.
One major problem is that quick changes to long-established dietary traditions can be unhealthy, even devastating. Arizona's Pima Indians suffered from their genetic adaptability to famine after being introduced to an American diet around World War II. Now they face epidemic obesity and Type 2 diabetes. Sudden wealth and access to processed foods prompted an even more drastic diabetes crisis in the Pacific island nation of Nauru.
Feeding our brains
"What I think we can say conclusively, is that the evolutionary success of our species is ultimately a nutrition story," says Bill Leonard, chairman of Northwestern University's anthropology department.
One crucial step forward, he says, came with the development of the brain of Homo erectus about 1.5 million years ago.
Leonard analyzed the brain sizes of human ancestors and found they started growing rapidly with the first human species, Homo habilis, about 2 million years ago. About 600 cubic centimeters, the Homo habilis brain was far larger than the brains of earlier australopithecine species. Then, between 2 million and 1.5 million years ago, brain size quickly grew to 900 cubic centimeters, surpassing modern apes' brains.
That's an important change because larger brains require more energy. According to a 2003 article by Leonard, Homo erectus devoted 17 percent of calories to its brain; chimps use about 9 percent. We modern humans use nearly a quarter of our resting energy on our brains.
Shrinking stomachs are another piece of the evolutionary puzzle. Homo erectus appears to have had a smaller gut than its predecessors, with a stomach and intestine that grew more compact as higher-quality foods became available.
What kind of grub? Most theories credit the ability to butcher and distribute meat, plus a move from low-nutrition forage plants to fruits and quality grains such as oats and wheat. (One alternate theory credits our learning to cook tubers and other fibrous plants.)
Better foods meant more calories for less work, an evolutionary step favoring hominids that could hunt meat and collect more nutritious plants.
Energy in, energy out
Before you exult in this ascent up the food chain, remember that energy intake is only half the equation. Along with nearly universal access to food, the modern economy has allowed an unprecedented number of Americans to survive using our big, evolved brains and little else. We're getting fat off our own evolutionary success and, says University of Wisconsin paleoanthropologist Henry Bunn, "I don't think biological evolution has really had a chance to react."
A high caloric intake isn't so much to blame as an imbalance between calories in and calories out. Though developing nations generally consume fewer calories than industrialized nations, Leonard found subsistence societies that match developed societies calorie for calorie. The reindeer-herding Evenki people of Siberia consume more than 2,800 calories a day, and far more animal foods than the typical American, yet have lower cholesterol and body mass indicators.
The difference is how we burn energy. In this land of fitness clubs and freeways, we're all mixed up when it comes to expending calories — and our bodies are evolutionarily configured to crave more than we can possibly burn the way we live today.
Katharine Milton of the University of California, Berkeley, sees this discrepancy each time she visits remote Brazilian tribes like the Matis and Parakana. These societies at least approximate ancient hunter-gatherer lifestyles. Adults endure more than eight hours of strenuous work each day, mostly gathering low-quality food: lots of high-fiber starches like manioc, plus tiny bits of game meat, fruit and nuts. Obesity? Almost non-existent.
"I'm sure I'm considered the world's laziest woman in the Amazon basin," she says.
Thinner thighs in six ... centuries
So just mimic an ancient lifestyle, right? Not necessarily. Healthy diets exist throughout the world, Leonard notes, but they've often been developed over centuries as cultures evolve and adapt to available foods. That doesn't work on a fad-diet timeline.
Similarly, the evolution of human traits — especially as Darwin laid it out — can't necessarily turn on on a dime and adjust to new foods.
Peter Stearns believes nothing short of "an adverse evolutionary consequence" — drastically shorter life spans, or perhaps a hampered ability to reproduce — will force large-scale behavioral changes.
Just how adverse? In a much-debated report released in mid-March, researchers calculated obesity could shorten Americans' lives by two to five years in the next half-century.
Hard to know if that's drastic enough, but short of huge changes in the American diet — and in developing nations, too — you can expect plenty more such headlines.
© 2013 msnbc.com Reprints
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Scoutmaster Minutes Starting with the Letter "C"
If you have a Scout Master Minute you'd like to submit please feel free to Submit a Scoutmasters Minute. You'll get credit for it on the site!
Coal And Diamonds
Scouts, I'm sure you've all seen a diamond. It's very hard, very bright and very beautiful. Most of you have probably seen coal, too. It's dull black and it crumbles easily.
Now a little chemistry lesson. Who can tell me how coal and diamonds are alike? That's right - both are made from the element carbon. But a diamond has great value because it is rare. I compare the diamond to a man of sharp mind, hard body and shining bright spirit. The coal might be compared to a man who is not mentally sharp, physically tough or spiritually bright.
Someone once said that a diamond is just a piece of coal that stuck to it. Over many millions of years, its brilliance was caused by the heat and pressure inside our earth.
My hope is that like that diamond you will stick to it by following our Scouting ideals. If you do, you will become an example of what a man should be.
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Under the baton of maestro Barry Brisk, the program featured short and familiar works.
Beginning a veritable fashion show of fabulous gowns, the first soloist was 13-year-old pianist Erica Mineo, a Palos Verdes Peninsula seventh-grader dressed in a cherry-red satin gown with a long-sleeved bolero jacket, her hair pulled back in a ponytail with a big red hair clip.
She had chosen the beautiful first allegro movement of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat Major, composed in 1777. In true Mozart style she showed off her light touch in the many question-and-answer passages between orchestra and soloist. And using her arms in addition to her tiny fingers she executed the fast passages, including the many clean trills, with excellent technical skills.
The next soloist was 16-year-old pianist Susan Wang - wearing a strapless turquoise chiffon gown with silver trim - playing Sergei Rachmaninoff's fast and furious "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini," a real showpiece of 24 variations composed in 1934. What a contrast to Mozart.
A student of Anli Lin Tong, a well-known pianist on the South Bay scene, Wang has adopted many of her teacher's techniques, especially the decisive, often brutal way she attacks
After intermission, it was time for the opening moderato movement of Joseph Haydn's Cello Concerto in C Major, composed around 1765, featuring soloist Kristi Kim, a seventh- grader at Bert Lynn Middle School in Torrance.
Wearing a pink strapless satin gown, black hair in corkscrew curls, she demonstrated her virtuosic skills in the rapid sections, fingers shimmering on the fingerboard as they worked on vibratos, while the bow played see-saw games on the strings. Reportedly a favorite of Yo-Yo Ma, the piece requires rapidity to be effective, and Kim repeatedly seemed to want to go faster than the maestro's baton indicated.
Appearing in a bright red sequined, body-hugging strapless gown, Karen Su, an eighth-grader at Ridgecrest Intermediate School in Rancho Palos Verdes, concluded the solo performances with the third allegro energico movement of Max Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, composed in 1866.
Daughter and student of Palos Verdes music teacher Elmer Su, she played the gorgeous themes that echoed back and forth between the orchestra and soloist with great poise, navigating the many double- stops along the way.
To bookend the fine individual performances, Brisk selected two well-known overtures.
He opened the concert with Jacques Offenbach's overture to "La Belle Helene (The Beautiful Helene)." And although the slower tempo failed to foreshadow the lighthearted humor of the operetta, the orchestra gave a nuanced performance with well-calibrated dynamics and a dulcet tone. A charming oboe solo by principal Larry Tunick shined through.
A lovely cello solo by principal Vladimir Zherdev likewise enhanced the light and melodic "Poet and Peasant" overture by Franz von Suppe, but as in Offenbach's overture, the overall tempo was too slow.
Kari Sayers is a freelance writer based in Rancho Palos Verdes.
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Renewing how your home looks and feels can be costly and takes planning. We spend a lot of time at home and how it looks is something we can be fiercely proud of, which is why we want to maintain and keep a modern look, yet keep it comfortable to live in. This Lesson, which is a part of our premium Lifehack Lessons service will provide you a good process on how to set about identifying what needs to be updated and how to decorate on a budget in an organized manner. It also provides useful tips for common decoration problems and useful resources to help you through the choices you need to make.
Here’s a look at the lesson introduction:
Your living environment has great impact on your quality of living.
Think of all the popular axioms about home. “Home is where the heart is.” A man’s home is his castle.” “A home is a sanctuary”. Even Dorothy in the ever-popular Wizard of Oz reminds us, “There’s no place like home.”
It’s important to design and create a space where you are comfortable, inspired, and able to enjoy your leisurely hours with family and friends. Your home offers refuge from the world. Not to mention, traveling in today’s economic times can be expensive, and the safety of air travel is a concern for some; which has made “stay-cations” more popular than ever before.
If you’d like to make the most of your home, while spending the least amount of money, this lesson is for you. You’ll discover tips, tools, and techniques to make your place more attractive, functional, expressive, and a source of pride.
There’s an extended guide that covers the basics, how to identify your goals, decorating tips and strategies and reducing clutter. Decorate on a budget and make your home the place you love to spend time in. This lesson is free for the first 7 days for you to try out. If you like Lifehack Lessons, it only costs $4.99 per month to get access to all the lessons.
Editors Note: This Lesson is written by Jennifer Brown Banks
Featured photo credit: hotel interior via Shutterstock
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Volunteer for NIAID-funded clinical studies related to pneumococcal pneumonia on ClinicalTrials.gov.
Your healthcare provider usually will prescribe antibiotics to treat this disease. The symptoms of pneumococcal pneumonia usually go away within 12 to 36 hours after you start taking medicine.
Some bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae, however, are now capable of resisting and fighting off antibiotics. Such antibiotic resistance is increasing worldwide because these medicines have been overused or misused. Therefore, if you are at risk of getting pneumococcal pneumonia, you should talk with your healthcare provider about what you can do to prevent it.
Last Updated February 16, 2011
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Homeowners facing foreclosure or a short sale may be able to save their credit rating if a new buyer assumes their loan. But this seemingly simple solution is fraught with potential problems.
In 2008, 620,000 consumers contacted the National Foundation for Credit Counseling about housing issues, triple the number of calls received in 2006. The number of homeowners in financial trouble has increased, but their options remain few.
One possibility is to find a buyer who will assume your loan if a traditional real estate transaction is unlikely. The downside to this may be losing your equity. The upside could be saving your credit and reaping the benefits of this next time around.
Assumable or not assumable?Mortgage notes include a clause indicating whether or not the loan is assumable. If it is assumable, a third party may take ownership of the home, and the balance of the loan is transferred to them. The interest rate remains the same, and the lender may charge a fee for the transaction.
Loans backed by the Federal Housing Authority, or FHA, are often assumable, provided the loan is at least a few years old. Neil Viotto, a mortgage broker and executive vice president of Mortgage Express in Cedar Knolls, N.J., says that although most FHA loans were assumable in the past, this has changed with new loans in today's economy and he hasn't seen as many.
Assuming a VA loan has time constraints. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, VA loans that closed before March 1, 1988, may be assumed without approval from the VA or the lender. Applicants who wish to assume VA loans closed after March 1, 1988, must be approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs or its authorized agent.
Time may work in favor of homeowners with assumable loans who are seeking a buyer before they lose the property or have to settle for a short sale. "Banks are taking anywhere from three to four months to approve short sales, and foreclosures generally take about six months," says Viotto. However, he warns that if the homeowner is behind on payments, a mortgage note may indicate that an assumable loan may not be assigned to a new buyer.
An assumable loan cannot be transferred to a new homeowner without approval from the lender. "This is so that people with poor credit don't end up with a mortgage that normally would not be approved," says Stefanie N. Devery, from the Devery Law Group in Mineola, N.Y.
She adds that when a buyer is looking to assume someone else's mortgage, it may be because they cannot qualify to purchase a home the traditional way and may not qualify for the assumption either.
Desperate measuresThis was the situation that Ann Petersen confronted. Petersen couldn't sell her Athens, Ga., house before a job transfer moved her out of state. As a result she was unable to purchase a new home and struggled to pay her new rent on top of her mortgage on the empty house. Six months after the move, her house was still on the market and she decided to rent it. The rent that Petersen received was less than the mortgage and she was financially slipping -- fast. She warned her tenants that she may lose the house and would understand if they wanted to move.
"They expressed an interest in buying the home, but didn't have a credit history and have been turned down for home loans in the past," says Petersen.
Her loan was not assumable, but desperate times called for risky measures: She offered to transfer the deed to the renters if they paid her the full amount of the mortgage each month; she would in turn pay the bank.
"We hired an escrow company to do the transaction with the stipulation that if they were unable to get their own mortgage within three years, ownership would return to me."
The new owners secured their own mortgage two years later, which paid off the amount Petersen owed on the house, and her credit was saved.
Petersen was fortunate, and her outcome is more the exception than the rule. Not only was her loan not assumable, it had a due-on-sale clause, otherwise known as an acceleration, which means the bank can demand the balance of the loan. "If you sign the deed to the house over to someone else, the bank has the right to foreclose," says Devery.
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7-16-1 Election at general election--Oath and bond--Licensed attorney required.
Election at general election--Oath and bond--Licensed attorney required.
attorney shall be elected in each organized county of this state at each general election, who shall
qualify by taking the oath of office and giving a bond as provided by law.
No person shall be eligible to the Office of State's Attorney who is not duly licensed to practice
as an attorney and counselor at law by the Supreme Court of this state.
Source: RPolC 1903, § 9271/2; RC 1919, § 5997; SDC 1939, § 12.1301; SL 1965, ch 27, § 1.
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If your child's school says she's enrolled in "Honors Algebra," here's a bit of advice: Check the work she's doing.
A new analysis of textbooks, curriculums and transcripts of nearly 18,000 students nationwide suggests that millions of kids in so-called "honors" algebra and geometry classes are actually getting intermediate-level work - or worse.
"It's a lot of kids that are obviously getting courses that are called one thing, but difficulty-wise look like they're something else," said Jack Buckley, commissioner of the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics. There's "little truth-in-labeling" for high school math courses, he said.
The agency's analysis, out Tuesday, began as an attempt to solve a mystery: Researchers were trying to find out why more students were taking "advanced" classes in 2005 than in 1990 but weren't turning in better results on nationally administered 12th-grade math and science tests.
Tuesday's findings suggest that their course offerings were often "advanced" in name only: Fewer than one in five high school graduates who took an "honors" Algebra I class in high school got "rigorous" work in the course. A full 73% got what researchers called "intermediate" level work, while 9% in honors classes got "beginner" level work. In fact, a greater proportion of students enrolled in regular algebra classes got advanced work, the study found - 34% vs. 18% in "honors" courses.
Results in geometry were similar, if less stark: Only one in three "honors" students got rigorous work.
The study has a few limitations, Buckley said. For one thing, researchers didn't observe classes, so they don't know exactly what material teachers covered. Also, the sample comprises only about 80% of high school students, since 20% take algebra in middle school. He said results would likely be similar for those kids if researchers looked at their middle-school classes.
But the findings, extracted from 2005 school transcripts, would likely hold up now, Buckley said, since the courses "haven't changed very much."
Buckley cautioned against judging schools too harshly, saying the mislabeling is "almost certainly not an intentional thing." They're likely not trying to puff up their academic reputations. Rather they're relying on mislabeled textbooks and curriculums.
Parents, he said, should query school board members or, in big districts, math committees, on how they make decisions about textbooks. "The only way to do this is to pay attention," he said.
Copyright 2013 USATODAY.com
Read the original story: 'Honors' math classes often don't add up
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What do you get when you take one of the most beloved Nintendo games of all time, upgrade the graphics, toss in new content and control mechanics, and slap it on a portable? Super Mario 64 DS, you say? Well... ok, you got me.
The original Super Mario 64 was the game that, to many, showed off the benefits of running around a 3D game world. The possibilities for immersion in gaming were raised exponentially, and the potential gameplay applications were unfathomable.
Unfathomable, that is, until Zelda. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time took the design sensibilities of previous games in the series—the overworld, the dungeons, the puzzles, the ease of control, the character interaction—and transferred them into a polygonal environment so rich and detailed that many still consider it the finest game ever crafted. Thirteen years later, Nintendo is attempting to sell us on another kind of 3D technology: stereoscopic. With this in mind, an updated Ocarina on the 3DS isn’t just a good idea; it is easily the finest title released on the platform to date.
Ah... I'm home.
First, the burning question: What’s changed in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D? Simultaneously, ‘not much’ and ‘a lot’. Nintendo and co-developer Grezzo have taken great care to preserve the magical experience of the original game while updating it to take advantage of new hardware, as well as a few minor tweaks here and there.
For those who haven’t played the original game (for shame!), the basic premise is that you’re a boy named Link who lives in the forest with his tribe of elf-like people called the Kokiri. Unlike all of his friends, Link was never given a fairy that follows him for life, so he is always picked on by most other kids in the village. That all changes when he is summoned by the Great Deku Tree, which watches over all life in the forest. After procuring a sword, a shield, and a fairy and breaking the tree of an evil curse, it tells him about the Triforce, a magical object whose bearer has unimaginable Power, Courage, and Wisdom. Dark forces are attempting to procure the Triforce, and so the most logical solution is to send a young boy who’s never left his forest to stop them. So, Link embarks on an epic quest involving the fair Princess Zelda, the evil Ganondorf, and a magic ocarina that can, among other things, send him back and forth through time.
That was the basic summary for the original game, and nothing’s changed here. The Zelda formula has remained constant throughout the series—you go through a dungeon, solve some puzzles, get a new item to help you solve more puzzles, fight a boss, talk to some characters, get the sacred object you’re looking for, and repeat. Veterans won’t find anything new or changed in the way of dungeon layouts, object placements, character development, or story. So, if you played the original, you’ll instantly know your way around Kokiri Village, Hyrule Castle Town, and of course, the much-maligned Water Temple.
What has changed is that the game’s graphics have been updated to modern standards for new hardware, while still being true to the vision of the original game. With the added polygons, Link’s character model looks less abstract and more in line with the concept art that went along with the original game. Textures are at a much higher resolution, and objects that should be round actually are this time, but the ‘mystical’ feeling that always pervaded Hyrule remains. This is all aided by the near-silky-smooth framerate, which makes the game world flow much better than it did on the N64. However, hills, some buildings, and certain other key structures do look a little blocky still, and the action still slows down once in a while when there are lots of enemies and breakable objects being destroyed at once. All in all, though, the game looks stunning.
As opposed to 2D images, shop backgrounds are now fully rendered.
Said mystical feeling is magnified by the 3D. If there was ever a poster-child for the tech in the 3DS’ top screen, this is it. There is a great sense of depth in this game world—when you fall from a high height, there is a palpable sense of vertigo as the inevitable pain rushes toward you. Rain in certain cutscenes made me instinctively blink as it jumped out of the screen, as if I was going to get splashed in the face. Of course, the basic thrill of dashing around Hyrule Field on your steed, Epona, is magnified when you can see her and Link dashing far off into the distance.
Aside from the graphics, most other additions and changes are more of the ‘subtle’ variety. As opposed to the original game, where you had to pause, scroll over to a required item, assign it to a button, then unpause, inventory use in Ocarina 3D is much more streamlined. Simply tap ‘Items’ or ‘Gear’ on the lower screen, tap the item, then assign it to a button. You have one more ‘quick item’ slot in this game than the original’s three, as you can assign things to the ‘X’ and ‘Y’ buttons, as well as two virtual buttons on the touch-screen. In an appreciated touch, the ocarina (one of the most-used items in the game) doesn’t take up one of the slots, instead occupying its own permanent space in the lower-left of the touch-screen. You can also view the notes to your songs while holding the instrument now, eliminating even more of the original’s annoying menu hopping. The 3DS’ motion-sensing capabilities are put to good use, too. Any item that sends you into first-person mode, like the slingshot, boomerang, or hookshot, can now be aimed either with the Circle Pad or by physically moving the system around. I found the former to be much quicker and more fun, using the latter only for finer adjustments.
Hello, Water Temple, my old frienemy.
Content-wise, the only real addition to the package is the ability to replay any bosses you’ve defeated. By sleeping in Link’s bed in Kokiri Village, you can relive your fights against Queen Gohma, King Dodongo, Dark Link, and all of the others. If you beat them all again by this method, you unlock ‘Boss Rush’ mode, in which you can attempt to beat all of them in a single life—a worthy challenge, to be sure, but nothing worth buying the game over. Also included is The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest, a bonus first included in the GameCube port of the original N64 game. This is essentially ‘Hard mode.’ Master Quest is the same game, but the world has been flipped horizontally, and dungeon layouts and puzzles have been changed to be significantly more challenging. Master Quest benefits from the same graphical updates and other tweaks as the main game.
Unfortunately, for as many enhancements as have been made to the game, some core features that could have done with an update were either left as-is or made worse. There hasn’t been much of an update from an aural perspective, for instance. While Link’s yelps and sword swipes come in clearer this time, and the tunes are still great, the audio is still in a computer-generated MIDI format. This was understandable in 1998, as this file type doesn’t take up much space and the game was limited to a 32-megabyte Nintendo 64 cartridge. The 3DS’ cartridges are a gigabyte, at the minimum, and with the fantastic graphical update, the decade-plus-old sound sticks out like a bombed dodongo. It would have sounded amazing if all of the ocarina’s songs were recorded on an actual ocarina. Hearing Epona’s Song in all its fully-orchestrated glory would have brought a tear to my eye.
You look very... *puts on sunglasses*... Shiek. (YEEEEEAAH!)
In addition, there’s Navi the fairy. To anyone who’s ever played the original, I don’t think I need to say more. Honestly, I think Link should have been ecstatic that he was the only one without a fairy, as she still yells ‘Hey! Listen!’ every thirty seconds. If you actually do press her touch-screen button to listen, she either has something completely irrelevant to say, or she’s saying you must go to Kakariko Village when you’re already in Kakariko Village. In fact, she’s even worse in this version of the game. Once in a while, she’ll offer you a hint movie that shows little snippets of what you need to do. Now, I haven’t had as much issue with that one as other critics, as the first time I was presented with a video was over halfway through the game. What did annoy me even more was that, if I was in the middle of a lengthy play session, I would pause the action to see what she had to say, only to have her tell me I should take a break. I can't stand when a game tells you to stop playing itself.
If you’re concerned about how much bang you get for your buck here, let me break it down. If you haven’t played it before, the main game can easily take at least forty hours to beat, and even then you’ll likely still have a fair amount of sidequests to complete. There are dozens of Gold Skulltulas to find and defeat, and you get some nifty prizes for killing milestone numbers of them. You can become a travelling mask salesman, go for the top prize in all manner of minigames, and scour the world for every last life-extending Piece of Heart. Boss Rush mode will probably add another couple of hours. Then there’s Master Quest, which will take you at least as long again. All told, I can easily see new players getting a hundred hours out of this package.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D is the first game that I honestly feel justifies owning a 3DS. The system has some other great titles, but Zelda is the first to really hammer home just how much the capabilities of this new system can add to a game. Beautiful graphics, effective motion control, and touch-screen use that eliminates a lot of monotony, all layered on top of an already top-of-the-class game. Even if you’ve already beaten it ten times, I would still recommend Ocarina 3D because it is easily the definitive version of the game. Despite a few issues like the odd framerate hitch and music quality that should have been upgraded, this game has done the improbable and exemplified the benefits that a 3D world can bring to video gaming—twice.
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The Last Horse Tram at Nechells 1906
The last horse trams from the City to Nechells were withdrawn in favour of an electric service on September 30th 1906.
Birmingham began the process of electrification around 1900 and opened the first overhead electric line on the Bristol Road on the 13th May 1901. By June 1902 the City of Birmingham Tramways Company were operating 21 overhead electric trams, 54 cable trams, 89 steam engines, 76 Double Decker steam trams, 10 horse cars, 45 horse buses and 608 horses.
The tram in the image above was one of only 10 special narrow gauge horse drawn trams produced for the route from Birmingham to Nechells. The route wasn't considered worth the expense of running steam trams as it didn't make enough money.
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Today and tonight, millions of people across the world will be getting ready for a job interview tomorrow. You yourself may be thinking of your next job, or thinking of your performance at your existing place of work. At the same time, you may probably be wondering as to how a future interviewer, employer, or an existing employer may view your job integrity based on how you act outside of work. In today’s world, where the online activities seems to be slowly getting more attention than life itself in several circles, many people say that it is important for you to realize how your online activities can hurt your existing or future job opportunities. I want to ask you if you think employers and interviewers should pay any attention to your online social profiles which reside outside of your work.
Today I ask a very important question that applies directly to you: Should employers and interviewers look at your MySpace, Facebook, Flickr and other social online profiles in order to judge your work and related performance and integrity?
Poll for you and your future and existing job:
Does social network profiling result in discrimination and prejudice?
It is interesting to see that more and more companies are starting to think that your behavior outside of the workplace is an important factor to consider when figuring out whether or not you are useful to the company and your job. My question is: What does the non-work online life of anyone have to do with the work life? Employers should only care about something that affects the workplace or the job at hand by following the golden rule: mind your own business.
Can employers and interviewers use the social profiles of job applicants and employees as a way to base biased decisions against the stereotypically-stereotyped people, like homosexuals, females, minorities, politically minded, certain races, and more?
Employers should not care about the online social activities of employees outside of the workplace.
Employers have to learn how not to judge an employee because of a social online account not related to work. Employers also have to come up with better ways to analyze candidates than to use online posts of employees and candidates as one of the main deciding factors. Many times, if not most, using MySpace or social profiles as a way to “weed out” candidates is a cheaper and faster way for interviewers and others to not do the extra work of figuring out who is a good applicant for the job at hand.
According to a CareerBuilder survey in June of 2009, “Forty-five Percent of Employers use social networking sites to research job candidates. Jennifer Van Grove on Mashables says “Though this may seem as a big downer for those of us who are oversharers, the reality is that there’s still opportunity to use your social presence to land that job.”
Background online profiling can be the same as stalking
Snooping around to check an existing or prospect employee’s private or online life, which may have nothing to do with one’s work, is the same as stalking employees or prying into places which should not be used for judging the professional working ability of someone.
This may mean that the act of checking the social profiles may be considered bad in more than just the “unethical” banner, like considering it stalking. One example is an employer cyberstalking his restaurant employee in a private discussion group on MySpace, built solely to vent and share the personal frustrations at work, and then using her private posts as a basis for firing her.
Employers are also known to create fake accounts just to find out more information about private accounts of workers. BBC has a story of a woman recently fired because of being on Facebook through her iPhone while resting in bed, after she had taken a day off from work for being sick. She says that one of her mysterious Facebook friends online was probably one of her co-workers or boss, who mysteriously vanished from her Facebook friends list after she got fired. While there is a lot of focus on the general media advising the general public to either not post many things online or to protect such online postings further, there has been a slow increase in the amount of attention people are giving to the idea of suing employers for discriminating against and stalking the online profiles of potential and existing employees.
The same way following a person to bars, the public park, library, movie theaters and other places is a form of stalking and does not contribute in any significant manner, in many cases, to the value and integrity of an employee, should employers snoop around the online public profiles of job applicants and existing employees, when such profiles are not related in any manner to the employer or a job?
Censorship is the main reason many employers check employee’s social profiles
One of the reasons employers monitor their worker’s profiles is because of censorship: many employers do not want their employees to say anything bad about the company outside of the workplace, as BBC Video reports in the case of 16 year old Kimberley, who got fired by Ivell Marketting & Logistics for saying on facebook “ma job it poingLESS” to her friends. Kimberley’s co-workers had forwarded Kimberley’s Facebook status updates to their boss.
Also, companies seem to be taking extreme action even if someone voices a strong disapproval of the company actions. A very good example of this is Dan Leone and his facebook account. Dan Leone was fired from his job as a game-day employee for voicing his disapproval of the team on his Facebook account. No one sat down with Dan, and he was not offered a chance to express his side of the story and the situation. It should be known that the thousands of Eagles fans voiced the same exact opinion that Dan did. The only difference was that Dan was working for the very organization that he voiced an opinion against.
Another example, as reported by CNN, is of anonymous bloggers being fired by their companies and employers for having blogs and for posting opinions on them. Also, CNN itself has fired senior producer Chef Pazienza for having his own opinionated blog under his own name while working for CNN and not adhering to CNN’s journalism standards. It should be noted that Chef’s blog is personal, and was not in any manner related or competing with the “journalism” offered by CNN.
What logic is used to consider unrelated online activities as being 100% related to work performance?
My question to all the employers and other people suggesting that people should be careful in their online activities because of the impact of such online details over one’s job: Why? Why should one be scared to post stuff online? What about in countries, like in Europe, where smoking a joint or eating hash cookies, is legal? Would posting pictures of someone smoking hash in Europe get them into trouble in Florida?
What logic and reason, including any logical connection, exists between posting a picture of yourself smoking a joint, and with your actual job performance? Why should an outside bias against any action be allowed to affect our image of someone’s working professional life and qualities, when the two have not intersected so far? Should employers and interviewers allow their own personal judgment and any opinion of things like smoking a joint, affect and cloud their judgment over completely unrelated things like a job performance?
Overall, the very question of whether or not employers should look at such profiles, when they are unrelated to the work at hand, should be brought up in order to make sure that the unrelated activities of people do not affect their job prospects because of the employers putting unnecessary emphasis on such online profiles.
Random examples of online social profiling resulting in bias and prejudice
Different things that are used to form biased judgments about someone’s working abilities can include the following.
- A person cannot drink on a job but drinks every night at home and at parties and gets wasted. Is that a disqualifier for an existing job? Will religious or other interviewers who are opposed to drinking count this into their final interview decision, yet still say that the online profile of the applicant does not play a “significant” role in the hiring process?
- A person goes around smoking marijuana in Europe but has a perfect job and professional record around their city of work. Should they be disqualified by someone who is against illegal drugs in America?
- A person has had more than one abortion and posts publicly about it on her blog. Would a pro-life interviewer have any interest in checking our her blog when the job may be about something like computer hardware repairs?
- Would a “hard core republican” have his chances of employment at a “hard core democrat” management corporation ruined because of his pro-republication status messages on twitter?
Such points and interests can give interviewers prejudice, since such points are usually pursued by employers and interviewers for no reason other than to find out anything bad that the employer or the interviewer may not agree personally outside of the workplace. Employers and interviewers usually say that they do not use online social profiles as an important element in deciding whether or not someone should be an employee. My question to employers and interviewers: If online social profiles do not affect your judgment in a hiring process, as you, the employer and the interviewer claim so many times, why do you check out the social profiles of people in order to find out qualities, like what a person does at 11pm, which has nothing to do with what a person may do between the stereotypical hours of 9am and 5pm?
Many employers are spending heavy resources on finding out what kind of MySpace and Facebook pictures job applicants and existing employees have on their MySpace and Facebook profiles, instead of interacting with those people directly to find out what kind of job qualities and skills they have.
Is checking an employee’s or potential job applicant’s online social accounts, if those accounts are not related to work, the same as stalking and cyber-stalking someone? Many entities think that spying on people is an acceptable behavior. An example of this on a massive government level is the case of the city of Bozeman in Montana asking all existing and prospect employees to hand over their usernames and passwords to their Facebook, MySpace, and other social networking accounts. A Millersville University teacher Stacy Snyder was denied a teaching credential because of her online MySpace picture, shown to the right, which shows her drinking beer with a pirate cap on.
A so-called conservative interviewer could disqualify a job applicant who drinks heavily every other night and posts the pictures on MySpace, while a very so-called liberal interviewer could then disqualify a job applicant who preaches about religion a lot through their blog. A Christian employer could deny a job to a Muslim job applicant who talks openly about the war in Iraq on Twitter, while a Muslim employer could deny a job to a Jewish job applicant who talks openly about Palestine and Israel on their Facebook. A gay interviewer could deny a job to someone who is against same-sex marriages through their Facebook groups, while a religious man-to-woman-only-marriages employer could be harsh on a gay job applicant who runs and promotes pro-same-sex-marriage groups on MySpace. A white interviewer could ignore a black job applicant who runs pro-affirmative-action groups on Xanga, while a black employer could deny a promotion to a white or a non-black person who runs anti-Obama groups on LiveJournal. In all these and other cases, a stereotypical person could easily use the non-work related online social profile activity trait of a worker as a way to affect the work-related progress of that worker in a completely unrelated real of someone’s life.
According to the article “Googling your Nanny” on Care.com, in which caretakers were asked if they were comfortable having their non-work related MySpace, Facebook and other online accounts researched by parents who wanted a caretaker, people like Erika W. said “I think it’s a great idea because then parents will know if their babysitter is honest and responsible! I’m a great babysitter, so please come check out my profile!” while people like Dawn said “MySpace and Facebook are about friends and child care is about work. Obviously at your job you’re going to be professional and attentive to the children…The things I do in my personal life have no reflection on the things in my professional life. ”
What Jason Falls thinks about online profiles, employers and employees
Here is a very interesting presentation Jason Falls about your online social accounts, and how they are visible to employers,.
- by Jason Falls
Employers should pay heed to employees directly, and not the online social stereotypes
Employers and interviewers should stop using social profiles and non-work related habits of people as one of the main ways to figure out whether or not an employee is fit for a job. Employers and interviewers should actually be fired for relying too much on online social profiles instead of their own offline abilities to figure out whether or not an employee will do good at work, and whether or not the actual work, educational and other skills of the employee would help the company and employer in question.
Val Calvert says “You wouldn’t air your dirty laundry in the backyard, so why would you air your dirty laundry on MySpace?” My question: how are those two things related? MySpace is a personal profile for many, and if someone wants to post something personal about themselves online, why should an outside employer, who is not part of the personal life and only part of the professional life, decide to use that information to form judgments about the working qualities of an employee or an applicant? Also, Jason Falls considers people who smoke joints in their pictures to not have a job soon. That is a very important thing to consider, because of the stereotypical trend in the business world where employers and interviewers assume that the online life of a person should greatly help in deducing whether or not a job applicant or employer is a good candidate for the future.
Kit Eaton at Fast Company talks about the unjust horrors of not censoring your Facebook page from your future and current employers. Of course, more and more companies have already been firing people because of social media, as mentioned before by Doug Caverly of WebProNews. Mark Glover of The Sacramento Bee says that employers must set up online social networking ground rules for employees to follow.
My question to everyone who wants employees to hide and change their life habits online solely because of upsetting an employer: If something is online and accessible, like the social profiles of job applicants, should employers simply take such information and use it as an element in their analysis of the prospect employee?
The online activities of employees, if not related to actual work, should be ignored by employers.
The act of expressing ourselves online is being used against us by entities which would prefer us to express things they want to express in order to promote their image and business in the personal lives of people, outside of the workplace. That is prejudice and unjust bias, similar to what many entities experience because of their background culture, race, color, religion, political views, gender, sex, and age. To put it simply: the idea of being able to express ourselves, using the online world, is being discriminated against and targeted heavily.
Do you think it is important to put emphasis on the social profile and online activities of a job applicant? Does the “Getting wasted Friday night & barfing all over the car” picture of a job applicant affect their performance at work? Should a company really require you and other employees to exhibit a typical “professional” attitude throughout your life, outside of the workplace? Are employers and interviewers putting too much emphasis on the public image of their employees than the job performance and potential of those employees? Is such a trend, of heavily factoring in the social profiles of job applicants into the interview process, a sign of the non-adapting nature of corporations and workers who want to hire drones that exhibit a workplace attitude 24 hours a day? Are interviewers and employers discriminating and being unethical when searching out and profiling your online social profiles?
Just because you are an employee of a company, it is not a stated fact, nor should it be a requirement, to never have feelings or judgments against the company you work for. Businesses should not ask for blind patriotism, nor should employers enforce a robotic environment where any emotion that the company, as a money making machine does not share, results in the termination of such emotion holders.
Have you ever been asked or told by an interview or an employer about anything related to your social profiles? Have you ever had your social profile researched and viewed by employers, interviewers or co-workers and then brought to your attention?
Please let me know what you think by leaving a comment below. Now I must go and try to take a few pictures of some toys so that I can post them online to share with everyone in the professional and non-professional world.
Thank you for reading. I really appreciate it.Follow @besz
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We are learning new details about Asa Coon's troubled background.
The anger that touched off the tragedy began in the heart and mind of Asa Coon at a very young age.
"Are there a lot of Asa's out there? There probably are," Cuyahoga County Children's Services Director Jim McCafferty
McCafferty says between 1998 and 2002 the county agency twice investigated the Coon family for neglect and once for physical abuse.
Asa had mysterious burns on his arm, McCafferty says his older brother, Stephen, may have been to blame.
"As these boys got older and more out of control one has to wonder how much control was in their lives," McCafferty said.
Stephen Coon has a history of committing violent crimes including assault, weapons and drug charges.
One day after the shooting, Cleveland Police arrested Stephen outside his home on an outstanding warrant.
"His environment was living with an older brother who has a long violent history of criminal activity not only in juvenile court and adult court," Chief Juvenile Prosecutor Carmen Naso said.
In January 2006 Asa Coon was convicted of domestic violence.
At the age of 12 he attempted suicide. Asa was prescribed antidepressants and pills for attention deficit disorder.
After a psychiatric evaluation specialists suspected he suffered from a bipolar disorder and recommended psychotropic drugs.
"He was a troubled youth. In January of 2006 that resulted in violence against his own mother and that should have told us something," Naso said.
Whatever it told healthcare professionals, the juvenile and child welfare systems, it was not enough to prevent this from happening.
Police say they've gone to the Coon household five times since 2006.
They were responding to complaints of domestic violence, assault and some property crimes.
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Graves of Diseased Animals Spur Shift to Evian in S. Korea
More than 1,000 kilometers from Tokyo, Seoul is having its very own crisis of faith in tap water, and radiation isn’t to blame.
In South Korea, the carcasses of 9.7 million cattle, pigs and poultry were buried in mass graves across the frozen countryside after outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease and bird- flu last winter. That’s raised concerns that pollutants may enter groundwater now that the soil has thawed, said Jun Kwan Soo, a professor of environmental engineering at Yeungnam University.
“Health has to come before everything else regardless of the expense,” said Lyu Soon Ha, a 63-year-old grandmother who is buying bottled water from remote Jeju Island because she fears supplies from the mainland could be contaminated. “I want to give my grandchildren good water when they come to visit.”
The failure to contain foot-and-mouth disease and properly dispose of the animals prompted Agriculture Minister Yoo Jeong Bok to offer his resignation on Jan. 28, while Prime Minister Kim Hwang Sik on March 24 estimated the financial cost of the outbreak and cleanup to be about $2.8 billion. South Korea is monitoring more than 4,000 burial sites after repairing 417 to ensure pollutants are kept out of the water supply, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters said March 31.
Lyu’s concerns are proving a boon for bottled-water importers including Danone SA and local plumbing suppliers and chemicals companies.
Nongshim Co., which holds the exclusive rights to market the Jeju Samdasoo bottled water favored by Lyu, gained 23 percent since Nov. 29, when the agriculture ministry announced the first foot-and-mouth cases. Jeju Island is about 100 kilometers south of the Korean peninsula and is free of foot- and-mouth disease.
About 3,000 tests from wells near animal graves have not revealed any groundwater contamination, the environment ministry said in a statement on March 29. Tap water is safe to drink, Lim Chea Hoan, a spokesman for the ministry, said on April 11.
Lyu said her concern is that warmer weather may change that. Yeungnam University’s Jun said while work to repair grave sites has reduced the chances of contamination, risks remain.
The average daily temperature in Andong, the rural district 200 kilometers southeast of Seoul where the first case of foot- and-mouth was reported, was minus 5.5 degrees Celsius in January at the height of the cull, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. The daily average in April is about 12 degrees.
Water Lime, an online retailer of imported bottled water, said demand for Danone’s Evian and Volvic brands is increasing as South Koreans question the quality of local supplies.
“We expect many more consumers to drink imported water,” Water Lime Chief Executive Officer Shin Hyung Chul said March 31.
Evian and Volvic sales may increase as much as 20 percent by value this year, partly on growing fears about water quality, said Lim Sun Young, the marketing manager for Danone (BN) Waters Korea, the Paris-based parent’s local unit. She declined to provide exact figures.
Some graves were dug near rivers and on mountain slopes, and typically lined with sheets of vinyl that weren’t sealed at the seams, Lee Byoung Guan, Deputy Director of the National Veterinary Research & Quarantine Service, said by telephone on March 31. In the worst cases, animals were buried alive, he said.
“The disease spread so fast beyond our control that some local governments scrambled to kill and bury the livestock in a hurry, not always following the rules,” said Lee.
In Tokyo, concerns about radiation contamination in tap water from a crippled nuclear power plant prompted Coca-Cola Co. to run its bottled water plants in Japan 24 hours a day to meet demand. Levels of iodine-131 found in Tokyo’s tap water on March 22 and March 23 exceeded the recommended limit for infants.
Shares of South Korean plumbing suppliers Gentro Co. and Nuvotec Co. rose 80 percent and 56 percent respectively since Nov. 29, partly on speculation the cleanup would require new tanks, drainage pipes and other equipment for the sites.
Park Yang Ju, an analyst with Daishin Securities Co. in Seoul, said stocks that rose sharply such as Gentro and Nuvotec may not sustain gains unless sales meet the speculation.
While concerns linger about the effectiveness of the cleanup, the alert level for foot-and-mouth disease itself was lowered today to “caution” from “warning,” indicating it is under control, the agriculture ministry said in a statement.
Gentro has won work rebuilding burial sites and expects more contracts, Park Kwang Ho, the Seoul-based company’s general manager for planning, said on April 1. Nuvotec also forecasts higher sales, said Lim Ki Tae, a deputy general manager of the company’s administration team.
Woongjin Chemical Co., a fabrics manufacturer that also makes membranes for water filters, and Kolon Corp. (002020), with investments in water purification, may rise on concern about water pollution, Park Jae Chul, an analyst with Mirae Asset Securities Co. in Seoul, said by phone on April 1.
The outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in South Korea, the worst reported in the country, coincided with the return of bird-flu viruses in poultry.
Prices for agricultural, dairy and fisheries goods in South Korea increased almost 15 percent in March while inflation accelerated to a 29-month high and breached the central bank’s target range for a third month.
Bloomberg moderates all comments. Comments that are abusive or off-topic will not be posted to the site. Excessively long comments may be moderated as well. Bloomberg cannot facilitate requests to remove comments or explain individual moderation decisions.
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By RICHARD J. MURPHY, Sr.
Re: The Barack Obama Computer Center opening in Clifton.
Collin T. Mason, U.S. Army, was killed while serving his country in Iraq on July 2, 2006. He was all of 20 years of age, a Staten Islander and an African-American.
Would there have been any more fitting a tribute to him and to the Mason family than to have named the newly-opened facility in his memory?
I suppose the photo-opportunistic Sen. Diane Savino, Councilwoman Debi Rose and Congressman Michael Grimm (a vet himself) had neither the time nor the inclination to influence the naming decision prior to their willingness to say “cheese”?
After all, who better than the president, right?
Naming it after the current White House occupant was an ill-timed (election-year) farce if I have ever seen one, as he could not possibly care less about Staten Island or its minority population.
Next time, honor a true American hero, a man who gave his life for his country — someone who DESERVES it.
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Kyoto Prize Symposium
The Kyoto Prize is Japan’s highest private award for lifetime achievement in advanced technology, basic science, and the arts and philosophy. The Prize is given each November in Kyoto, Japan by the Inamori Foundation. The Inamori Foundation was established by Dr. Inamori, the founder of the Kyocera International.
The US presentation is in San Diego each spring as the Inamori Foundation Board and Dr. Inamori bring Laureates for lectures, celebrations, and presentations. The 2013 Symposium will begin on PLNU’s campus on March 12 where the Laureates will participate in opening press events. The Laureate presentations for the symposium will be hosted by other local universities on March 13 and 14. Additionally, the symposium includes several dinners, funds competitive scholarships for high school students, and provides introduction of the Laureates to the local scientific and educational communities.
Attendance is free, but registration is required. To register for the laureate presentations, or to hear more about the laureates’ notable achievements, click HERE.
In the spirit of the Kyoto Prize to honor the men and women who have made significant contributions to the betterment of society, PLNU, in support of the San Diego-based Kyoto Prize Symposium, offers Fall and Spring Fellowships, open to journalists in North America, to provide educational opportunities in the various Prize categories.
Learn more about the Fellowship program HERE.
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Over the last several years, short-throw projectors have been popping up in many education institutions. These video or data projectors can be positioned unusually close to the projection surface, minimizing installation constraints and maximizing presentation applications.
Imagine being able to get a bright, vibrant, 80-inch diagonal image from a projector placed only a few inches from the screen. Think about not having to worry about blocking the projector light path and casting huge shadows on a presentation, and never having to squint against the glare of the lamp. The short-throw projector makes it possible.
Short-throw and ultra-short-throw projectors are the “in” technology tool for educators. Much of their appeal comes from the ability to use them with interactive whiteboards.
Short-throw projectors can display large images while only inches away from the screen. In fact, when the projector is placed flush with the screen's surface — in other words, a throw distance of zero inches — it displays a 70-inch diagonal 4:3 image. From 3 inches away, the image is nearly 80 inches diagonal.
These new projectors deliver more than 2,000 ANSI lumens in their brightest mode. Short-throw projectors now on the market give enough lumen power that ambient light should not be an issue unless the sun is shining directly on the screen.
One of the problems in education facilities is how to get a big image in a small room. A variety of just-on-the-market short-throw projectors perform well in classrooms, conference rooms and auditoriums where the space is limited to a stage area, or locations where the one-and-a-half times the width of the screen mounting distance is not possible. The best benefit of using a short-throw projector is that it reduces shadows more than standard projectors when used with an interactive whiteboard. These projectors come with automatic keystone correction, networking connectivity and a remote.
Ultra-short-throw projectors, which are mirror-based, don't look like a standard multimedia projector. The lens has been designed to produce big-screen presentations from a short distance (typically 3 to 19 inches) between projector and screen. Short-throw projectors enable a user to have more space during a classroom presentation and eliminate shadow effects caused by people and objects in front of the screen. To produce this size image on a standard business projector, it would have to be at least 6 to 10 feet away from the screen.
Now for the bad news: progress comes with a price. You can expect to pay more for the short-throw because it has a specialized lens. But if you have a small room or want to be closer to the audience, short-throw projectors may be a worthwhile investment.
Day is former senior analyst at KBD Planning Group, Young Harris, Ga., a firm specialized in educational facilities and technology planning.
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Acupuncture is a technique that has its roots in China and its theories can be found in Tao Te Ching, one of the earliest known written books. Acupuncture has been used for treating wellness and health of people for over 2000 years, making it one of the oldest known forms of healthcare treatments. Currently there is research documenting proof of its effectiveness for many health disorders. Acupuncture therapy uses areas on the body to access the bodies Qi. Qi can be described by many as energy or vital force. This energy or Qi flows through the 12 regular meridians or channels of the body. This Qi can be accessed with needles through hundreds of points on the bodies’ surface.
It is important for the Qi to be circulating through the body smoothly in order to maintain health. When this Qi gets stuck or stagnated, disharmony or illness can occur. There are many things can lead the Qi’s lack of movement like the environment, wind, cold, heat and damp, a traumatic injury or surgery, an individual’s emotions like anger, depression, sadness or excitement, diet or lack of exercise, and also our constitutions, the energy that we are born with.
With Acupuncture, the goal is to get the Qi flowing freely again so balance and harmony can be restored. Tiny needles can be inserted into points on the bodies’ surface, to access the channels of the body. There are hundreds of points on the bodies’ surface, only a few chosen points will be used with each treatment.
In addition to needles, or sometimes instead of needles an herb called moxibustion (mugwort) may be burned on (direct moxa) or near a point (indirect moxa). This herb is very powerful in warming and stimulating the flow of Qi. Indirect moxa can be burned at the top of the needle, the heat will go down the needle and penetrate deep into the channel. With direct moxa, a tiny tread sized piece of moxa will be burned directly on the skin/point, and will be extinguished before it is to burn the skin. The patient will most likely feel a local warming sensation with either technique.
Cupping is another technique that is often used with Acupuncture. Glass cups are placed on the body with suction. These cups will help dredge the muscles of toxins and stagnation. When the cups are moved up and down the back it often feels like a deep massage technique. Cupping can often lead to bruising because it is pulling the blood and toxins out of the muscles below. This bruising may last for a few days.
Acupuncture works well treating many different disorders and is also good to use for maintaining health and wellness.
Find out more how Acupuncture can help you.
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The Corporate Tax Is Dying!
Time to (carefully) bid it farewell.
THE CORPORATE INCOME TAX HAS ALWAYS HAD ENEMIES. Introduced in 1909 as an effort to close the country's worst budget gap since the Civil War, economists and capitalists almost immediately began to argue that it was inefficient and slowed down business. More recently, Presidents Reagan and Carter, as well as conservative economist Milton Friedman and liberal economist Lester Thurow, have all recommended that the country scrap it. In May 2001, then-Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill called the tax system of the United States an "abomination" and proposed the abolition of the corporate income tax.
Efforts to repeal it, however, haven't gone far. Taxpayers have long been more frustrated by the taxes they must each pay personally, such as property and individual income taxes. The corporate income tax just doesn't sting the way writing a check on April 15 does.
But there is a long list of shortcomings associated with corporate taxes. Many companies pay more for their accountants' time than they do in taxes, and the Congressional Budget Office has estimated that because of the many inefficiencies the corporate tax creates, it drains as much from the economy as it actually collects. These facts, combined with the country's increased recognition of the incentives that drive American companies abroad, mean that the corporate income tax finally seems to be on its way out.
THE CORPORATE TAX ENTERED A WORLD without commercial airplanes, much less e-mail. At the time, if a company set up its headquarters in Chicago, its top executives likely couldn't even get to Bermuda. Now a Chicago company can relocate its entire headquarters there with limited effort. This ease of mobility has brought global competition, and companies can leave countries that aren't friendly places to do business.
Unfortunately, however, American corporate tax rates are higher than those imposed by most of our trading partners, and that disadvantage takes its toll. Meanwhile, lower corporate tax rates connect to higher growth. Ireland's recent economic success, where per capital GDP went from well below European Union averages to well above, is attributed in part to the country's reducing its top corporate tax rates from over 40 percent to 12.5 percent.
U.S. corporate earnings are also subject to double taxation. If Microsoft makes a dollar, the federal government takes a cut before the profit can be passed on to Bill Gates, other employees, or other shareholdersat which point the government takes another cut. From the shareholders' perspective, as partial owners of the corporation, they bear part of the first round of taxes on corporate income, and they bear the second on income received through dividends. Whether you view these taxes as distinct or as duplication, it would be more efficient if the government took a single bigger bite at one point.
Compounding the problem is that in order to reduce the problem of double taxation, many of our trading partners have gone further to integrate their individual and corporate income taxes than we have. For example, Germany exempts 50 percent of dividend income from the income tax, and Greece has eliminated it entirely. Though a measure to reduce the U.S. tax rate on dividend income was recently made law, the change is only a temporary one.
Companies incorporated in the United States face still another challenge. The U.S. tax system is a worldwide system, meaning that the federal government taxes the income of U.S. companies no matter where it is earned. If a company is headquartered in Hartford and has manufacturing plants in Mexico City and Guangzhou, money the company earns abroad is taxed as if it were earned here. Most other industrialized countries use territorial systems where companies pay taxes only on what they earn domestically. This gives companies an incentive to structure themselves as subsidiaries of foreign corporations in low- or no-tax countries. Although companies that choose this course of action risk being denounced as Benedict Arnolds, the tax savings still seems compelling to many of them.
Rather than engaging in a fundamental debate about the corporate income tax, Congress has often addressed aspects of it and tried to plug corporate tax holes by reducing tax rates or providing additional deductions to companies. But even on the rare occasions when these efforts prove successful, a new leak has invariably been sprung somewhere else. Consider the 2004 corporate tax bill. The World Trade Organization determined that part of the U.S. tax system had to be changed to comply with international law and to prevent what the WTO considered to be the illegal subsidization of American goods. Attempts to keep any company or industry from being overly burdened in the process led to a bill with a hodgepodge of tax breaks for tackle box producers, NASCAR track owners, and barge operators.
IT MAY SEEM INAPPROPRIATE TO FLOAT THE IDEA of getting rid of the tax at a time when corporate America's reputation has dropped precipitously. The Enron scandal, United Airlines's pilfering of its employees' pension fund, and the Tyco collapse make it unlikely that Congress would find much support for giving American businesses a free tax pass. They are already getting a pretty good deal, it would seem, given that the percentage of federal revenues coming from corporate taxes has dropped from one third during WWII, and over a quarter during the 1950s, to only 9 percent today.
With large budget deficits also projected to last ad infinitum, politicians who want to maintain old spending programs or develop new ones have to offset the costswhich makes it even more unlikely that the Congress will now go for eliminating the corporate tax. It has political support, it is administratively feasible, and it has been a part of the American tax system for decades.
But, as the old-but-valid economics adage goes, corporations don't pay taxes, people do. While corporate CFOs may write the checks, the real burdenor, in economic parlance, the incidence of the corporate taxfalls elsewhere. Corporations are merely legal entities structured to pass along profits to their owners and investors. Taxes are just another cost of doing business, one that is also passed along, just as when the price of one of the inputs increases for a company. If the cost of cocoa were to go up, that would be compensated for with some combination of responsesan increase in the price of Hershey's Kisses, a few Hershey's employees losing wages, or a decline in the quarterly dividend of shareholders. The same thing would happen if Hershey's had to pay higher taxes. The cost to consumers would be hidden, but that doesn't reduce the costs to those who bear them.
IT'S SAFE TO BET THAT THE CORPORATE TAX will contribute far less revenue to the bottom line of the U.S. government in the next decade than in the last one. That trend is well underway and, if the corporate tax rate doesn't change, companies will continue to have a big incentive to leave the country, reducing what they pay to the U.S. government as a result.
But there are still a few reasons why we should be careful in eliminating the corporate tax. First of all, current budget deficits leave no room for further tax cuts. With federal revenues as a share of GDP at their lowest level of the past five decades, tax increases would be far more appropriate. If Congress is to reduce or eliminate the corporate tax, then the move needs to be accompanied by a way of increasing revenue, like broadening the income tax base or introducing what is known as a consumption tax. While many consumption taxes are highly regressive, a "progressive consumption tax" with tax rates levied on spending would be both efficient and fair.
Second, the corporate tax is relatively progressive, since much of it is passed on to shareholders, who tend to be well off. Reducing or eliminating the tax out of economic good sense should not have the undesirable effect of shifting the overall tax burden away from the wealthiest to those on the lower end of the income spectrum. With inequality growing, the tax system should be made more progressive, not less.
Finally, eliminating the corporate tax could allow individuals to incorporate and avoid income taxes. It might be hard to imagine your next door neighbor going to the trouble, but for professional athletes and movie stars, corporations created as tax shelters could spring up with abundance. That the corporate tax serves as a backstop against sheltering income is probably the strongest reason today for keeping the tax. At the very least, it argues for keeping the move toward extinction a gradual and managed one.
But arguments for working carefully to eliminate the tax are different from arguments that we should keep it, and there are few of those. The longstanding arguments against the taxfor example its inefficiency and complexityare still there. And now they've been joined by the argument that the tax, in an age of globalization, is driving companies out of the country. All of that combined means that it's finally time to rid the country of a bad economic policy that has been around for nearly 100 years.
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This article was originally distributed via PRWeb. PRWeb, WorldNow and this Site make no warranties or representations in connection therewith.
SOURCE: Jujuba Software
Hexadecimal format is a useful tool for understanding massive streams of data in the PC and is a method commonly used by computer programmers. Jujuba Software recently released a Modern UI app for Windows 8 that offers an easy way to view and understand PC files in hexadecimal format.
(PRWEB) February 24, 2013
Various PC files use the hexadecimal number system to organize large amounts of data which is stored in a computer. The hexadecimal system is a number system that uses 16 characters to represent a file value. The system can become rather complex when it comes to identifying specific files and PC error messages. Jujuba Software has taken the guesswork out of viewing and locating files that use Hex format with the introduction of the Windows 8 Hex Editor Pro Modern UI app.
The app provides a way to browse files in Hex format to understand different types of data which is stored on a PC simply by looking at the Hex output. Hexadecimal format can be easily converted into binary bits which make it easier for programmers to work with logic and bit-oriented instructions.
Hex Editor Pro offers two user friendly screens which include a Hex Viewer and Resource Extractor. The screens allow specific files to be saved and extracted in addition to providing a way to easily search for headers of known formats such as MP3, MP4, JPEG, PNG, GIF and a wide variety of other formats. Windows 8 Hex Editor Pro also provides a tool which allows the end user to search, scroll, or make edits in the file itself.
Hex Editor Pro is a convenient tool for viewing small text files and images and is an efficient app for those who want to change small parts of files or learn how to create them from scratch. The default file extensions are displayed as .bin and .dat and can be easily viewed by reverting back to the main screen and adding the extensions of the files you want to view. The files can also be easily viewed in terms of type, offset, and file size.
The Windows 8 Hex Editor Pro app is available in the English language, offers a compact download size of 455 KB, and supports x86, x64, and ARM platforms. All Jujuba Software Modern UI apps for Windows 8 are offered with easy access to expert technical support.
An unpaid Modern UI app for Windows 8 that removes the complexities of viewing and working with hexadecimal format: what could be easier and more convenient?
About Jujuba Software
Jujuba Software is a small and agile software company located in Redmond, WA. The company consists of two experienced software developers with strong entrepreneurial mindset working to find ways to simplify daily tasks for mobile users through the release of innovative Modern UI apps for Windows 8.
Jujuba Software is dedicated to providing top quality software solutions. The development team is constantly working on developing new product lines and improving existing ones. People on the development team have been creating software for a long time and pride themselves in creating products that push the boundaries of efficiency and reliability.
Check out the expanding line of software products at Jujuba Software or contact by writing an email to info (at) jujubasoftware (dot) com.
For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2013/2/prweb10432217.htm
2362 U.S. Hwy 11
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ACTA, the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement being negotiated by wealthy nations, continues to make headlines due the secrecy surrounding its drafting. Despite the fact that the agreement may include provisions like ISP filtering that are likely to affect huge numbers of people, no draft of the treaty is available. What's worse, there appears to be a worrying trend among governments to consult early and often with copyright holders and only later let the public in on the action.
That appears to be especially true in Canada, where law professor Michael Geist found that the government had put together a group of "insiders" to advise on the treaty. Included, of course, were representatives of the recording, video game, and movie businesses; not included were privacy representatives, NGOs, or digital society groups.
Geist revealed the existence of the group in a Toronto Star column this week, based on documents he received under Canada's "Access to Information Act" (similar to the US Freedom of Information Act).
According to his information, the "Intellectual Property and Trade Advisory Group" was planned to include 12 government departments and 14 industry groups, and all would be a part of "in-depth exchanges on technical negotiating issues." In other words, they would be brought in to hash out the nitty-gritty of the treaty, which means they would direct input into its formation and access to the negotiators.
It makes sense to invite affected parties in to consult on legislation; they certainly know their business better than the government and are in the best position to understand the effects of legislation. But that means all affected parties. At least the US, while still releasing few details about the fast-tracked negotiations, has solicited public comment and has made those comments publicly available. That's how we know, for instance, that the MPAA favors jamming some kind of "three strikes and you're off the Internet" law into the agreement, while the RIAA wants to criminalize even noncommercial piracy.
ACTA negotiations are going on today, in fact, at an important three-day Washington meeting that wrapped up today. IP Justice, an NGO that deals with such issues, obtained a leaked memo (PDF) that "concerned business groups" submitted to "ACTA negotiators." It's nothing particularly sinister, and doesn't appear concerned with the Internet issues that have so interested some copyright holders, but it shows just how organized the business lobby is. (A previously leaked RIAA memo showed that Big Content has been leaning on negotiators for months, too.
Such important changes to public policy need robust public debate; let's hope Canadians, Americans, Europeans, and everyone else gets some before the treaty is signed.
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Other studies from this week's reading:
So you tune into a “Christian” television broadcast of someone that is obviously setting a bad example, or you’re presented with a “Christian” book that fails on many doctrinal points, or there is someone in your church that is out-and-out wrong in their teaching and/or lifestyle. What do you do? Is it up to someone else, someone “more qualified” or possessing greater credentials? At what point—if any—do YOU have to make a stand, to draw the line with them?
s interesting to note David’s true motivation to go out and take on Goliath, who told Saul after hearing Goliath’s challenge: “Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear, and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God.” (1 Samuel 17:36)
Sometimes you have to be more jealous for God than for yourself.
1While Israel remained at Shittim, the people began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab. 2For they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3So Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor, and the Lord was angry against Israel.
Q: What is significant about “Shittim” in terms of Israel’s travels?
A: It is the very last place they will reside in the wilderness before embarking on the conquest of Canaan.
Q: How do we know that this event didn’t come about by chance, but was a specific plan of spiritual attack against Israel?
A: It’s later revealed that this came about on the advice of Balaam, the man who couldn’t curse Israel but apparently did not have any qualms in advising Israel’s enemies how to overcome them through spiritual corruption.
And Moses said to them, “Have you spared all the women? Behold, these caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor, so the plague was among the congregation of the Lord.”
But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality.
A: “Baal” means “lord” or “master” and “Peor” is a mountain in the region. The real name of this false god worshiped by the Moabites is “Chemosh” and “Baal-peor” describes a high place of Chemosh worship. The worship of Chemosh involved the worst kind of public, sexual practices. In other words, sexual immorality was an actual part of their worship.
Q: What is the key phrase in these verses that describes the Israelites both literally and spiritually?
A: “...the people began to play the harlot” (v.1) They are not just being literally unfaithful by engaging in sexual immorality with the Moabite women, but spiritually unfaithful to God in that the sexual enticement was a part of worshiping a false god. This is what is meant in v.3 by the phrase, “Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor”; it was spiritual intercourse as much as earthly.
Q: How was this a test for Israel regarding the Promised Land?
A: They were experiencing the real dangers God had foretold of not completely destroying such influences, and in turn being enticed by them.
Point: What could not be accomplished by an attempt at war or effected by sorcery and divination, came about by sexual immorality. The attack is on one’s personal relationship with God.
Application: Have you ever known of a cult or false teacher that incorporates sexual practices into their overall teaching? (Examples are David Koresh, Jim Jones, etc.) False teachers justify the introduction of sinful practices into their congregations in the name of God and in the places that people meet in His name. They make it seem like a “natural” extension of worship and fellowship.
4The Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight before the Lord, so that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.”
5So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you slay his men who have joined themselves to Baal of Peor.”
Q: How seriously does Moses take what is happening? What is his course of action?
A: Moses orders the public execution of the offenders as a very visible lesson to Israel of the consequences of spiritual immorality.
Q: Why is it not recorded that Moses first went in to seek God’s Word on this affair as was his normal custom so many times in the past? How is this similar to a very famous past event?
A: Moses didn’t need an additional Word from God to explain all the commandments that were being broken that had already been given. It’s basically the same action Moses took when he came down from God’s mountain with the tablets and found Israel worshiping the golden calf.
Application: Do you know what you should do in the presence of clear violations of God’s Word? Have you ever been in this position? What did you do? What reasons prevented you from acting as you knew you should?
|6Then behold, one of the sons of Israel came and brought to his relatives a Midianite woman, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of all the congregation of the sons of Israel, while they were weeping at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 7When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he arose from the midst of the congregation and took a spear in his hand, 8and he went after the man of Israel into the tent and pierced both of them through, the man of Israel and the woman, through the body. So the plague on the sons of Israel was checked. 9Those who died by the plague were 24,000.||
Q: How are the actions of the man in great contrast with Moses and those at the doorway of the tent of meeting?
A: Whereas Moses and company were assembled before God to weep and mourn for the sins and abominations being committed, the man had such disregard and contempt that he openly and publicly practiced his sin before them.
Point: This is one of the worst aspects of false teaching/false worship, that there is no regard for the presence of things of God. Sinful practices are openly encouraged to give them an air of legitimacy.
Q: Just as Moses acted similarly to the golden calf incident, who does Eleazar seem to emulate?
A: Just as the Levites heeded Moses’ call to action, so here does Eleazar.
Observation: The Hebrew word used for the man’s “tent” is not the normal word, and in fact is used elsewhere to describe a brothel. The implication is that this man was not simply intending to engage in personal sin restricted to just himself, but establishing a center from which to defile many, many more. This event is so important that it is mentioned 4 other times in Scripture: Deuteronomy 4:3-4, Psalm 106:26-29, Hosea 9:10, and 1 Corinthians 10:8.
|10Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 11“Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned away My wrath from the sons of Israel in that he was jealous with My jealousy among them, so that I did not destroy the sons of Israel in My jealousy. 12Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give him My covenant of peace; 13and it shall be for him and his descendants after him, a covenant of a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the sons of Israel.’”||
Q: How does God describe Phinehas’ actions?
A: “...he was jealous with My jealousy”. (v.11) In other words, Phinehas reacted and acted exactly as God would. Phinehas’ example is godly, not earthly.
Q: What is the biblical definition of godly jealousy?
A: The consuming, single-minded pursuit of God’s will and ways.
Q: In v.13, how does God define the results of what Phinehas did?
A: “...made atonement for the sons of Israel”. The price of sin is always death and blood. This is what “cleanses” something so it can be accepted in God’s presence. This is the net effect of Phinehas’ actions.
Q: What is the lesson that is being taught by God making a covenant with Phinehas regarding the priesthood? As the grandson of Aaron, isn’t that promise already given to him?
A: Phinehas is now distinguished by receiving a personal covenant with God based on his actions, not his lineage. It’s a teaching that every generation must enter into its own faithful relationship with God and can’t rely on it simply being handed down them.
Q: How is Phinehas’ actions an example of Christ’s actions to come?
A: Both made atonement for the sins of the people by satisfying the law and justice. It’s interesting to note that Phinehas’ name signifies “the face of him that spares”. It’s not the violence that is highlighted, but the salvation result on everyone else’s behalf.
Point: False teachers/false teaching must be dealt with aggressively and out in the open, not in the same manner as resolving a personal issue with another member of the body.
Application: Do you see that battling false teachers and false worship has a greater affect on the church and a greater purpose than just a personal call to arms? How will you approach such a person or teaching the next time you encounter them? Will you find strength in the fact that this is not just a personal battle, but encompasses both God and the body of Christ?
14Now the name of the slain man of Israel who was slain with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, a leader of a father’s household among the Simeonites. 15The name of the Midianite woman who was slain was Cozbi the daughter of Zur, who was head of the people of a father’s household in Midian.
16Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 17“Be hostile to the Midianites and strike them; 18for they have been hostile to you with their tricks, with which they have deceived you in the affair of Peor and in the affair of Cozbi, the daughter of the leader of Midian, their sister who was slain on the day of the plague because of Peor.”
Q: Is there a practical reason for providing the names of the man and woman killed by Phinehas?
A: Besides lending credibility to the account, there may be something to the fact that Zimri was a Simeonite; that is, of the tribe of Simeon. In the following chapter, a census will be taken before the final invasion of Canaan, and it should be noted that whereas Simeon’s male population for the first census was 59,300 (Numbers 1:23), it is now 22,200 (Numbers 26:14). If mainly Simeonites were involved in this incident—further indicated by Zimri’s possible intention of establishing a brothel of false worship—it would greatly explain a large part of the reduction in numbers.
Q: The women involved are specifically identified in v.1 as coming from Moab. Why then does God direct Moses to strike Midian?
Q: Is there a teaching in the fact that this came about through Midian? What was Midian’s previous relationship with Israel?
Point: An overall teaching may be that they are a group close enough to Israel that they can, from time to time, gain their trust and confidence. In other words, they represent internal infiltration rather than an external, overt enemy. And whenever the opportunity presents itself, they turn on them.
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What is marital property? What is individual property? What if my spouse and I disagree about marital property?
A sound marriage is a partnership of equals. That idea is the basis for Wisconsin's Marital Property Act, enacted in 1986. The law presents benefits and pitfalls. This brochure examines both. Below you'll find answers to several commonly asked questions about the Marital Property Act. It's a complex law, full of exceptions. The intent here is not to present legal advice, but rather to cover a few basics to acquaint you with the law. Individual situations vary. If you have additional questions, talk to your lawyer.
The law recognizes that both spouses contribute to supporting a marriage – even if only one earns a salary, or if both draw an income but one earns more than the other. The law says that, with limited exceptions, whatever the couple acquires during their marriage should belong to them equally. This translates into certain advantages. For example, a nonemployed spouse has easier access to credit, and each spouse can make individual decisions about bequeathing assets (more on this later).
Marital property includes all income and possessions a couple acquires after their "determination date" (with certain exceptions). The determination date is the latest of: the couple's marriage day; the date when they both took up residence in Wisconsin; or Jan. 1, 1986.
Two concepts bear special mention:
- Survivorship marital property – This passes directly to the surviving spouse upon the other's death. It does not pass under a will. An example would be a residence that has both spouses' names (and only their names) on the title.
- Deferred marital property – This is a tricky concept; a brief explanation must suffice here. This term applies to property that would have been classified as marital property except that it was acquired before the couple's determination date. Say a couple moved to Wisconsin in 1995. All the property they brought with them did not automatically become marital property just because they moved to Wisconsin. But if one spouse dies, the survivor may have rights to a certain amount of money, based on the value of what would have beenmarital property if the Marital Property Act had been in effect during the entire marriage. The upshot is that the surviving spouse in this situation has some economic protection, even if not the beneficiary of the other's estate.
Yes, you can have individual property. Usually this is property you owned before marriage. A personal gift or inheritance, no matter when received, also is individual property. For an item to be individual property, however, you must have records that prove it belongs solely to you. Otherwise the law presumes that all property owned by spouses is marital property, belonging to both of you equally.
Simply having only your name on the title to an item does not make it individual property. The spouse named on the title does, however, have the right to manage and control that property. The law requires the titled spouse to treat the nontitled spouse fairly if the item is marital property.
Yes. During a marriage, individual and marital property can get jumbled together. The law presumes this mixed property to be entirely marital property, unless records prove that some portion is individual property.
For instance, say you had a savings account before you were married. Over the years, you deposit portions of your paychecks, which are marital property, and the account continues to earn interest. You often withdraw money to pay family expenses. That account has become mixed property and at least partially marital property. It becomes extremely complicated to trace a portion of that account as individual property because multiple deposits, interest earnings, and withdrawals have moved in and out of that account during the marriage.
Another example: You've owned a summer cabin since before you were married. After marriage, your spouse builds an addition to the cabin, without receiving compensation for his or her labor. That extra room boosts the cabin's value. The amount of increased value is marital property, even though the cabin's original value could remain individual property, if documentation so proves.
On the other hand, suppose you owned 100 shares of publicly-traded stock before you were married. You buy no more shares during your marriage, and the stock grows in value due to market changes. That stock, along with its increased value, remains individual property.
It bears repeating: If you wish to maintain an item as individual property, you must have records to trace the ownership.
The law makes it easier for a nonincome-earning spouse to get credit. When deciding one spouse's creditworthiness, the creditor must consider the value of all marital property, including the other spouse's income.
But the Marital Property Act also presents some risks. Debts you incur during marriage are presumed to be in the interest of your marriage. To collect on such a debt, a creditor can go after not only the debtor's individual property, but also all marital property. For example, if one spouse borrows money and then becomes unemployed and can't pay the debt, the creditor can garnish the other spouse's paycheck.
If you and your spouse are prone to disagree on credit matters, consider entering into a marital property agreement. This could limit each spouse's liabilities for the other's debts. But you must give a creditor a copy of such an agreement before obtaining credit.
Upon death, your estate will consist of your individual property plus half of all marital property. You may leave your estate to whomever you choose. A word of caution, however. Suppose you leave everything to a charity. The charity would receive your individual property, plus half your marital property. The latter could include half of property still half-owned and used by your surviving spouse, such as the family car. Your surviving spouse would end up co-owning the car with a charity, which may not be what you had in mind. Be sure your bequests are exactly what you intend.
In this case, your entire estate goes to your surviving spouse, unless you have children from outside your marriage. Then your spouse gets half the marital property and half of your property that is not marital property. The rest of your estate goes to your children, both from this marriage and from outside it.
People often pay into life insurance and deferred retirement plans before and during a marriage. Thus, special formulas exist to calculate which portions are marital or individual property.
You should name beneficiaries for life insurance and deferred retirement benefits. Then these assets can pass directly to your beneficiaries, rather than by a will. For life insurance, if you name someone besides your spouse as beneficiary, your spouse still may have a marital property claim to part of the death benefit. Keep this in mind if you wish to name children from another marriage as life insurance beneficiaries.
A spouse has a marital property interest in the other spouse's deferred retirement benefits – but only while alive. In other words, the spouse who dies first can't will away half of the survivor's retirement benefits.
One spouse may give away marital property to a third party, if that spouse's name is on the title. If both spouses agree to the gift, it can be of any value. But if one spouse disputes the gift, and its value is more than $1,000 (or a larger "reasonable" amount based on the couple's economic situation), that spouse can go to court to void the gift.
If you have disagreements you can't settle, you could go to court to seek legal remedies. Among others, these include:
- recovering property the other spouse gave away to a third party, if that gift exceeded the limit described above
- having your name added to a property's title, so you and your spouse have joint management and control rights over that property
- removing a spouse's name from a title, to limit his or her management and control rights
- asking for an accounting of your financial situation
The Marital Property Act applies during marriage and upon a spouse's death. Wisconsin has other laws that cover the division of property upon divorce.
You and your spouse may want such an agreement if you disagree on credit matters. A marital property agreement can serve other purposes, as well. Perhaps you both wish to avoid the marital property system. You'd rather keep some or all of your property separate, as individual property. Or, you may wish to have some or all of your individual property reclassified as marital property.
A marital property agreement allows you to either opt into or out of the marital property law. Deciding if either is a smart move for you depends on such factors as your tax situation and estate planning needs. An attorney can help you sort out the best options and also draft the agreement. Or you may be able to use the statutory form agreements. Either way, the agreement must be in writing, and both spouses must sign it voluntarily and with reasonable knowledge about the spouses' financial circumstances.
If you seek legal help to draft the agreement, you may be able to hire one attorney on both spouses' behalf. But if the agreement would seriously affect one spouse's property rights, it may be best for each of you to have your own lawyer.
Last revised: 8/2012
This is one in a series of consumer information pamphlets sponsored by the State Bar of Wisconsin. This pamphlet, which is based on Wisconsin law, is issued to inform and not to advise. No person should ever apply or interpret any law without the aid of a trained expert who knows the facts, because the facts may change the application of the law.
The State Bar publishes a series of consumer pamphlets addressing common legal issues that many people face sooner or later in their lives, such as buying a home, going through a divorce or small claims action, and preparing a will or estate plan. Each pamphlet conveys basic legal information and answers frequently asked questions in easy-to-understand language. Pamphlets are available here.
Other titles include: Arrest; Bankruptcy; Buying/Selling Residential Real Estate; Choosing a Process for Divorce; Custody and Placement; Divorce; Durable Powers of Attorney; Guardians Ad Litem in Family Court; Health Care; Hiring/Working with a Lawyer; Landlord/Tenant Law; Marital Property; Personal Injury; Probate; Revocable Living Trusts; Small Claims Court; Starting a Business; Traffic Accidents; Wills/Estate Planning.
© State Bar of Wisconsin
Jefferson County Bar - Real Life Marriage and Divorce
Curriculum outline in basic form for a 13-week course designed to fit into a high school human relations course that informs students about the realities of marriage. Teachers are encouraged to prepare their own course materials and identify the appropriate speaker to discuss the identified outline topics.
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The Department of Curriculum and Instruction/Literacy Studies prepares future educators and administrators who aspire to research, develop, and implement effective and innovative curricula for individuals ages pre-K to adult. Students are integrated in the field through practical experiences in diverse educational settings like subject-specific clinics, professional development classrooms, research-based approaches, and study abroad. Programs in elementary education, secondary education, curriculum and instruction, reading, higher education administration, and public education administration provide the knowledge and foundations to engage their students to excel in the classroom and beyond.
CILS in the News
- CEHS professor wins College’s first Information Literacy Enhancement Award
- CEHS CILS professor receives research fellowship for book on Appalachian progressive education
- WVU course teaches educators to incorporate holocaust curriculum in the classroom
- WVU Reading Associate Professor receives outstanding teacher educator in reading award
- WVU Benedum Collaborative receives award for exemplary professional development school achievement
- Office for Diversity and Global Initiatives host Tea at Three program
- Graduate of WVU Benedum Collaborative Program receives oscar of teaching
- Holocaust survivor to speak with area students- 2011
- Education students share passion for science at children’s discovery museum
- 10 years later: WVU colloquium looks at 9/11 impact
- Robert A. Waterson wins Heebink award for Distinguished State Service.
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As I note in my article for Tuesday’s Times, humpback whales spend summer after summer just a stone’s throw from the coast of Massachusetts, yet scientists are still only beginning to learn fairly basic things about them. In our modern world of satellites and chips, it’s amazing how little we know about whales.
At least it seems amazing, until you realize how difficult it is to watch a whale go about its business. The waters of the northeastern Atlantic, where Stellwagen Bank is located, are murky green with phytoplankton. Once a humpback lifts its tail and slides beneath the ocean’s surface, it becomes invisible. So until technology like the DTAG was developed in the 1990s, scientists didn’t know what a whale did between breaths at the ocean’s surface.
And considering that whales spend only a sliver of their time at the surface, that’s a big gap in knowledge.
One major hurdle to learning about their underwater behavior is simply affixing the tag to the whale safely. “We don’t want the tagging to influence the behavior of the animals at all,” said Ari Friedlaender, an ecologist at Duke University who has spent many years slapping DTAGs with suction cups onto the backs of humpbacks.
The challenge is getting close enough to a wild animal that is roughly the size of a school bus and then firmly attaching the DTAG to its slick back — all within a matter of seconds.
Dr. Friedlaender is a pro at tagging whales, and he makes it look easy in the video accompanying my article. He remembered tagging humpbacks on their Antarctic feeding grounds as they slept bobbing at the surface, sometimes with layers of ice built up on their backs.
Food is so plentiful in the pristine Antarctic that humpbacks would enter what Dr. Friedlaender jokingly called a “food coma,” sleeping so deeply that sometimes they did not even awaken when he slapped the tag down — an optimal situation.
A couple of years ago, I took part in a North Atlantic right whale tagging project myself while working as a biologist with the Whale Center of New England, a nonprofit research and conservation group based in Gloucester, Mass.
Part of my job was to help the person actually doing the tagging — the project’s leader, Susan Parks — figure out when and where to plop the tag onto a right whale’s back while dangling the tag from a 55-foot-long pole extended past the bow of the inflatable.
Dr. Parks, who at the time was an ecologist and acoustician at Pennsylvania State University and is now at Syracuse University, would hold onto her end of the pole and wait for an opportunity to pivot it up and smack the tag down on a whale’s glistening backside.
Looking back at the experience, Dr. Parks remembers the pressure she felt. “Everyone’s waiting,” she said of her fellow researchers. “There are so few opportunities where you actually get the whale at the surface.” So when you do get a chance, you want to succeed.
The first time or two, she fell short and hit water: staring down the length of the pole challenged her depth perception. But she soon got the hang of it.
Another reason she did not want to miss the whale was that by law, she had only a handful of tries. The permit she needed to approach critically endangered right whales allowed her to make physical contact with the animals 10 times. If she hit a whale with the tag and it didn’t stick, she had wasted one of 10 chances to collect important data.
Despite the seriousness of it all, tagging a whale is exhilarating. You idle behind it, sometimes for the better part of an hour or more, waiting for a perfect alignment with the whale’s back when it rises for a breath.
When you decide you have a good shot, you have only a second or two to thrust the pole upward with a mighty force, snapping the tag downward. The whale shudders and dives, and you barely have time to glimpse the tag on its back before the animal is enveloped by the ocean.
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Editor's note: Julian Zelizer is a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University. He is the author of "Jimmy Carter" and of the new book "Governing America."
(CNN) -- Election night could be a long one. Many of the polls continue to show a tight race with the candidates remaining in a dead heat in the swing states. Whoever wins the election, it might not be by much.
Close elections have produced challenges for the victor once he starts his term in the White House. If voters don't provide a clear mandate, presidents often find that they have added challenges when dealing with Congress, as legislators have far less fear about the commander in chief.
In 1916, for example, President Woodrow Wilson won reelection against former Supreme Court Justice Charles Evan Hughes by 23 electoral votes and 3.1 percent of the popular vote. The victory, which depended on Wilson's assurances to keep the U.S. out of war, hardened the lines of partisan battle. Republicans returned to Washington angry about how he had used the potential for war against them, even as he ushered the nation into World War I soon after the election.
During the war, and especially during the fight over the peace treaty that followed, Wilson found little cooperation from Republicans who felt confident that they could take him on in the home front.
When Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kennedy defeated Vice President Richard Nixon in 1960 by 84 electoral votes and only 0.2 percent of the popular vote, the conservative coalition of Southern Democrats and Republicans in Congress read the close outcome as evidence that the young senator did not have a popular mandate.
The fact that Democrats didn't enjoy any coattails from his victory even made liberals and moderates nervous about going out too far on a limb for the president. On domestic policy, Kennedy found most of his legislation stifled in congressional committees through the time of his assassination.
When former Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter squeaked out victory against President Gerald Ford in 1976, the same pattern recurred. Though Carter had excited many Democrats during the primary by promising voters that they could trust him in the aftermath of Watergate, he won by only 2.1 percent of the popular vote and 57 electoral votes. The nation was "hopeful, sort of," quipped Time.
During his first two years, Carter struggled to win support from his own party on issues like energy conservation, while Republicans such as Ronald Reagan felt emboldened to take him on over issues such as tax cuts and foreign policy. From the moment he entered office, the fragility of his election victory motivated Democratic and Republican opponents, who both played a role in his defeat in 1980.
Texas Gov. George W. Bush came under fire in 2000 when the Supreme Court ordered an end to a recount in Florida, resulting in his winning the presidency against Vice President Al Gore by five electoral votes. Bush lost the popular vote to Gore by 0.5 percent.
Many Democrats felt that the election had been stolen from them. Bush was not deterred and governed as if he had a mandate, pushing through a massive tax cut in 2001. His political standing was helped by the fact that the attacks of September 11, 2001, created a sense of national emergency and inspired a "rally around the leader" effect.
But stalemate soon set in, as Democrats had little appetite to help him.
The 2004 election, which Bush won by 35 electoral votes and 2.4 percent of the popular vote, also generated controversy as some Democrats felt that there had been voter suppression and rigged voting machines in the crucial state of Ohio by Republican-supporting groups. Republicans claimed there had been voter fraud in other states, like Pennsylvania. Bush never received the political capital he expected from his reelection victory and saw most of his domestic legislative proposals languish.
In today's political era, every president -- even those who enjoy landslide victories -- faces immense challenges working in the current congressional environment. Partisan polarization, interest-group politics and the 24-hour media make legislating difficult.
But narrow elections only make things worse, and this would be the case for either a second term for President Barack Obama or a first term for Mitt Romney. The situation would be even worse if certain states are contested, as occurred in 2000, and if the chaos from Hurricane Sandy results in logistical problems in parts of the East Coast. The winner would walk into a toxic Washington environment with the perception that their mandate is thin.
Added to all of this is the fact that the winner of the electoral college vote might not be the winner of the popular vote, as has occurred a handful of other times in U.S. history.
Of course, the polls could be off and we might be heading to another Truman defeats Dewey moment, such as occurred in 1948 when the president proved the pollsters wrong and enjoyed a comfortable reelection victory. But since that's probably not the case, we'll be heading toward some rough times on Capitol Hill in the years ahead.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Julian Zelizer.
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As Catalonia goes to the polls, Sid Lowe looks at one of the region's great cultural sporting icons and its role in Catalan identity...
Sports and cultural identity of a region are often intertwined. As Catalonia is poised to break from Spain, this video shows how the local teams (especially FC Barcelona) are at the center of political identity and part of the very fabric of the political movement that is pushing for independence. For more, see this recent GITN.
Tags: sport, Spain, Europe, devolution, autonomy.
Via Seth Dixon
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Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Marathon (village), New York
The Village of Marathon is within the Town of Marathon.
Marathon is located at 42°26'37" North, 76°2'12" West (42.443633, -76.036846).
The village is adjacent to Interstate highway 81.
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 1,063 people, 419 households, and 286 families residing in the village. The population density is 363.2/km² (941.4/mi²). There are 439 housing units at an average density of 150.0/km² (388.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the village is 98.97% White, 0.38% Black or African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.00% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.09% from other races, and 0.38% from two or more races. 0.56% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 419 households out of which 36.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% are married couples living together, 13.4% have a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% are non-families. 26.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.54 and the average family size is 3.03.
In the village the population is spread out with 29.2% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 82.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 81.9 males.
The median income for a household in the village is $32,639, and the median income for a family is $42,000. Males have a median income of $31,538 versus $23,500 for females. The per capita income for the village is $16,379. 12.4% of the population and 11.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 10.9% of those under the age of 18 and 17.5% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
The contents of this article is licensed from www.wikipedia.org under the GNU Free Documentation License. Click here to see the transparent copy and copyright details
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This list is completely arbitrary and not a genuine analysis of the relative merits of state fossils.
BBall: Age limit seems unlikely
At least according to this Rocky Mountain News article. About 70% of NBA players are against moving the minimum age to 20. 10% are undecided, and 20% are in favor. I don't think a straight limit is the way to go, though. Having Lebron in college would be pretty farcical. My solution? Glad you asked.
I think the correct idea is to let anyone 18+ enter the draft but to only allow them to be drafted by a certain point. If you're 18 you have to go in the top 5. If you're 19 you have to go in the lottery. If you're 20 you have to be a first rounder. Past that it's open season. This would require the NCAA to alter its eligibility rules a little bit, but they already allow high schoolers who are passsed over in the draft to retain eligibility, so it wouldn't be a huge philosophical leap.
Another thing I think would help would be revamping the draft status to something similar to what hockey has. Almost every forward on Michigan's hockey team has been drafted by the NHL but since they haven't employed agents or signed contracts, they retain their eligiblity. If you're drafted by the NBA you can't play college basketball any more, even if you didn't retain an agent. The NCAA used to justify this by claiming that hockey players were automatically entered in the draft when they hit a certain age and weren't opting in. This caused most NCAA hockey players to be drafted a year later than their CHL and European counterparts. Recently, however the NCAA allowed college players to opt-in early and retain their eligibility, so the NCAA's rationale for not applying a similar scheme to basketball has disappeared.
Though the NBA players seem opposed to it, since it doesn't really affect anyone already in the league, if the owners dangle a carrot, any carrot, in front of the players in exchange for some age concession, look for them to abandon their principles faster than Bill Self at a Luther Head court hearing.
None of this helps the Pistons with Darko, but they're NBA Champions, so shut up, Bill Simmons.
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Coco's Closet, Apparel
Coco's Closet, the online shop where women who love fashion at budget-friendly prices go to surround themselves in style, announced its reaching out to support breasts in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The shop will offer 20% discount throughout the month of October on any product at Coco's Closet that has to do with boobs.
Coco's Closet founder Carolyn Akel said the discount is just one way it's supporting the community and giving back to those in need.
"We've been so fortunate to connect with such wonderful women through Coco's Closet; career-minded women, family-minded women, and women at various stages in their lives. We strive to give stylish things that but we also like to give back by supporting causes that are dear to the people who support Coco's Closet," Akel said.
The discount in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month isn't the only way Coco's Closet gives back to the community. The company recently announced that it's also donating a portion of proceeds to The CHILD Cancer Fund and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
The CHILD Cancer Fund is a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting Jacksonville children and their families through the challenges of a childhood cancer diagnosis and treatment. The grass roots organization was established in 1994 by a group of Jacksonville parents whose children were receiving treatment for Cancer at Wolfson Children's Hospital and Nemours Children's Clinic. The fund was established to assist other families in the Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia in similar situations to help children live a more normal life.
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is a pediatric treatment and research facility. Discoveries have been made at St. Jude that have had significant impact on how the world treats children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases.
Coco's Closet invites every boob fan to take advantage of its 20% discount on boob-related products at the store but also to take a few minutes to educate themselves about breast cancer. The discount is good through the month of October at http://www.cocoscloset.com
About Coco's Closet
Coco's Closet is the place fashion-forward women go to find fun and irresistible trends. Like browsing through a best friend's closet and private dressing room, Coco's Closet curates and collects great gifts and fashion finds for the busy, independent and intelligent woman. Find undiscovered products ranging from beautiful wardrobe basics to fabulous products that can make a busy lifestyle a little easier, as well as the occasional trendy bargain that fits in with Coco's Closet's chic offerings. Coco's Closet namesake Carolyn Akel is passionate about cool hunting and has an eye for trendy items that also happen to be budget friendly. Whether it's stylish accessories, eco-friendly products or other items that fit into your lifestyle; if it's fabulous it's in Coco's Closet.
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A Sustainable Business is a successful and profitable business. It is one that continuously improves its productivity by taking action on the economic, social and environmental impacts of its business.
That means a Sustainable Business takes a sustainable approach to what it produces,
Carey Ambrose have created a unique Business Life cycle Review to help business and organisations understand how to become more sustainable.
Our Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a management tool. It allows you to collect and evaluate data on the inputs and outputs of materials, energy and waste of a product or service over its entire life cycle.
You can then identify how to minimise the overall impact your product or service has on the environment. In addition it acts as a valuable tool to identify opportunities to save money straight from the bottom line!
of businesses have suffered rising fuel costs in the last year.
of consumers said they would be more likely to buy from a company that supports and engages in activities to improve society.
of employees would rather work for an ethical and reputable company than receive a higher salary.
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Coming soon: a Christmas tree that won't shed its needles
Not everyone agrees on what makes a perfect Christmas tree, but one that doesn't shed its needles would be high on most lists.
(Page 2 of 2)
"There will be absolutely no needles left on some branches," Chastagner said with a chuckle. "You don't want to be growing too many of those."Skip to next paragraph
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But a small percentage of branches will hang onto their needles for weeks, even when bone-dry. "Those are the trees I'm looking for."
Just about any Christmas tree will stay fresh for three weeks if it gets enough water. But people cram trees into stands that barely hold a pint — then let them run dry.
"It's one thing if the tree goes dry," Chastagner said. "It's another if the tree goes dry and all the needles fall off."
Northwest trees are shipped as far as Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Hong Kong and Mexico, said Dennis Tompkins, an industry consultant from Bonney Lake. That means some trees are cut as early as October, making them more susceptible to drying and needle loss.
Chastagner hopes to eventually find genetic markers to quickly single out trees with outstanding needle retention. But in the meantime, the work is laborious. Trees must be tested over multiple years to eliminate the effects of variable weather. Once a grower identifies the winners and culls the losers, it still takes seven to eight years to grow a new crop from the improved seed source.
"Anything with genetics is a long-term project," said Heater.
Like most Northwest growers, his bread and butter is the noble fir — sometimes called the Cadillac of Christmas trees. The species is excellent at hanging onto its needles, Chastagner said. So much of his needle research is focused on promising species from other parts of the world. That includes Europe's most popular Christmas tree, the glossy-needled Nordmann fir.
A few Northwest tree farms offer Nordmanns and their close cousin, Turkish firs. Both species resist many pests and diseases, including the root rot that has become a major problem for some noble-fir plantations, Chastagner said. But both species can be prone to needle loss, hence the need for testing and improved varieties before they're more widely adopted in America.
As for the perfect Christmas tree, tastes vary so widely that there will never be agreement on whether bushy is better than sparse, or fir more fragrant than spruce, Chastagner said. But everyone wants a tree that doesn't shed.
Facts about popular Christmas trees
Pros: Good needle retention, fragrant, inexpensive
Cons: Branches can't hold heavy ornaments
Pros: Excellent needle retention, strong branches
Cons: Expensive, susceptible to root rot
Pros: Glossy foliage, strong branches, disease-resistant
Cons: Not widely available, needle retention varies
Editor’s note: For more on gardening, see the Monitor’s main gardening page, which offers articles on many gardening topics. Also, check out our blog archive and our RSS feed. You may want to visit Gardening With the Monitor on Flickr. Take part in the discussions and get answers to your gardening questions. If you join the group (it’s free), you can upload your garden photos and enter our contests.
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in Paris is perfunctory, while the author’s certainty that another war was the inevitable outcome, contrary to the views of Margaret MacMillan and other historians, is simply stated without documentation, let alone proof.
In general, though, this powerfully written, often moving work i s thoroughly worthwhile. I t makes excellent use of the printed sources as well as parts of the National Archives to shore up old conclusions with
WHIRLWIND AFFAIRS MILLIONS LIKE US: WOMEN’S LIVES
IN WAR AND PEACE 1939–1949
By Virginia Nicholson
(Viking 508pp £25)
MILLIONS LIKE US is the title of a film made in 1943 by Sidney Gilliat (later to be best known for his St Trinian’s films) and Frank Launder. Starring Patricia Roc and Eric Portman, it told the story of a wartime aircraft factory. Its propaganda purpose was to show both the vital contribution to the war effort made by women drafted to make aircraft components (the film ends with planes from Bomber Command flying overhead on yet another mission), and how women from very different social backgrounds learned to rub along together during wartime in a way that would have been unthinkable in their peacetime lives.
The t i t l e i s an appropr i a t e choice for Virg in i a Nicholson’s book, which essentially gives the same message as the film, though its canvas is much broader – and more nuanced. What Nicholson has done with great aplomb is tell the story of the Second World War through the optic of women’s lives. She has assembled a large cast. Some are young girls at the outbreak of war, eager for adventure and new challenges; others are housewives and mothers, wearied at the thought of the dangers and privations to come. This enables her not just to plot the usual narrative of women’s experiences of war as civilians – evacuation, rationing, make do and mend, Women’s Voluntary Service (WVS) work – but to weave into this the stories of women who served in more direct ways. The account of the evacuation of Dunkirk is told largely in the words of the nurses who tended the wounded men, while the war in the western desert is filtered through the accounts of Vera Lynn and Joyce Grenfell, who went out to entertain the troops. The tensions of DDay are brought alive by the testimony of Wrens and medical staff, and the halting words of a Queen Alexandra nurse evoke the horrors of Belsen concentration camp. Millions Like Us is a richly polyphonic story extraordinarily well told. Nicholson has used some memoirs that new insights. It is not another study of the familiar anti-war Union of Democratic Control publicists in A J P Taylor’s famous roll call of dissenting ‘troublemakers’. It focuses, more narrowly but with new intensity, on often humbler men and women who gave their energies, and sometimes their lives, to help to build a more civilised world. To order this book for £16, see LR bookshop on page 22
will be familiar to anyone with an interest in the Second World War. There are the published diaries of Nella Last, a frustrated Barrow-in-Furness housewife who kept her diaries – as did several of Nicholson’s sources – at the behest of Mass-Observation, the ‘people-watching’ organisation founded in 1937 which came into its own as an acute barometer of home front morale during the Second World War. Nicholson also fillets, among others, the wonderfully racy memoirs of Joan Wyndham, the flighty ar tist-model tur ned WAAF (member of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force), the tragic wartime experiences of Helen Forrester, later a bestselling novelist, and the memoirs of the Bloomsbur y pacifist Frances Partr idge, the social scientist Phyllis Willmott, and Madeleine Henrey, a refugee from France. Intermixed with these eloquent sources, which are well known (although it would have been foolish to exclude them for that reason), is the account of the war of the author’s own mother, Anne Popham (who, as Anne Olivier Bell, would later edit the diaries of Virginia Woolf), as well as numerous other first-hand accounts – from interviews, diaries and letters of women whose stories have never been told.
And those stories are complex ones: sometimes underlining the experience of men, usually deviating sharply from it. While the war wrought monumental changes in the lives of most people, it proved a cul-de-sac for many, delaying their lives and their ambitions for six long years: for women there was little chance of establishing a home and having a baby during that time. Yet for many the war provided wider horizons in every sense. It proved to be a forcing house for maturity, endurance and a sense of purpose.
The war affected lives in many ways. It could be a ‘whirlwind’, sweeping up what Nicholson calls ‘the ‘demure, retir ing, unambitious woman of 1938’ and depositing her in a very different world of danger, duties and deprivations. It could bring her undreamed of opportunities to leave the safety – or claustrophobia – of home, or to quit a boring, repetitive job taken only to fill in time before marriage. It could bring her new responsibilities and unimagined competencies – decrypting codes at Bletchley Park, talking down an air crew, plotting enemy aircraft, working at anti-aircraft gun sites, deliver ing Spitfires, welding ship’s hulks, driving ambulances or operating behind enemy lines in Occupied France. It deprived some women of Tangee lipsticks and reliable knicker elastic while teaching others that the best cure for seasickness
LITERARY REVIEW May 2011
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UK House of Lords Select Committee states naval 'Operation Atalanta' has turned the tide on Somali pirates but should extend. The House of Lords EU Committee for External Affairs has praised the success of Operation Atalanta in curbing piracy off the Somali coast. However, they say that the operation must be extended beyond its current end date of December 2014 if it is to make a lasting difference in combating the threat. The Committee say that Operation Atalanta has made clear progress in reducing the number of ships pirated, with only 8 vessels and 215 hostages held in June 2012 compared to 23 vessels and 501 hostages in the same month in 2011. Nonetheless the report makes clear that it is vital this effort is extended beyond 2014 to show the EU will not walk away from confronting piracy in the Indian Ocean. Otherwise organisations and individuals that organise piracy will simply wait out the operation before returning to their previous activities. Other findings in the report include: • Somali piracy will never be completely eradicated until the root causes of the problems in the country are addressed. The Committee welcome EU efforts to increase aid to the country and say that aid should be focused on providing alternative livelihoods for the Somali people to reduce the incentives to engage in piracy.
Piracy remains a major issue, especially for Greek owners, says the Club. The Hellenic War Risks Club is celebrating its 50th year of operation in 2011. The Association’s founding Directors, which included J C Carras, J E G Kulukundis, C M Lemos, D J Chandris and F P Lykiardopulo, recognised a need for Greek shipowners to come together on a mutual basis to provide the most competitive war risk insurance premiums, which, at the time, were difficult and expensive to obtain
Somalia's government signed a deal with a US maritime security firm to fight rampant piracy in the waters off its unpatrolled coast, according to a report in the Taipei Times. Waters off the coast of Somalia are considered among the most dangerous in the world. Pirates firing rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns earlier this month tried to board a US-owned cruise liner about 160km off the Somali coast. New York-based Topcat Marine Security Inc signed a deal worth more than $50
Seafarers’ organisations, shipping companies together with business leaders and the biggest ever grouping of shipping industry associations, which have joined forces to campaign against Somali piracy, have received a welcome boost from the British and Philippine Governments confirming their support for the global SOS SaveOurSeafarers campaign. In the UK, correspondence between members of the SOS campaign and the British MP Henry Billingham, Minister for Africa, the UN
www.SaveOurSeafarers.com (SOS), the international anti-piracy initiative backed by 30 of the world’s largest maritime organisations, is to lobby support from business leaders to increase international pressure on Governments to take firmer action against Somali piracy. This violence and hostage-taking is costing the world economy an estimated $12 billion a year. SOS SaveOurSeafarers Campaign Chair Giles Heimann
Piracy off the Somali Coast falls to lowest levels in years as result of tough measures on land & at sea. As Kenyan Defense Forces continue to weaken Al-Shabaab on the ground in Somalia, new reports indicates Somali pirates off the coast have similarly been weakened this year. According to the International Maritime Bureau’s Piracy Reporting Center, “The number of ships signaling attacks by Somali pirates has fallen this year to its lowest since 2009
ESPS INFANTA ELENA, a Descubierta class corvette, joins the EUNAVFOR operation ATALANTA against piracy ESPS INFANTA ELENA, commissioned into the Spanish Navy in April 1980 is a patrol ship of 1200 tonnes. The Spanish ship joins OP ATALANTA operations with the mission to protect vulnerable shipping and World Food Programme vessels, in addition to deterrence and disruption of piracy in the Somali Basin and Horn of Africa
The SOS SaveOurSeafarers campaign welcomes the extension of the EU counter- piracy operation until end 2014, and the EU decision to broaden the scope of its naval operation in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean by extending the naval forces’ area of operations to include Somali coastal territory which allows it to take more robust action on the Somali coast. This is a bold step towards the goal that the shipping industry and its seafarers embrace - that of seeing
Russia to send new anti-piracy force for patrols off the Somali coast A task force from Russia’s Northern Fleet, led by the Udaloy class destroyer Vice Admiral Kulakov, is to depart on an new anti-piracy mission off the Somali coast, the fleet’s spokesman Capt. 1st Rank Vadim Serga said. The destroyer is currently on a training mission in the Barents Sea as part of the preparations for the upcoming tour-of-duty in the Gulf of Aden.
Remarks by Andrew J. Shapiro, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, given to the Center for American Progress in Washington, DC (March 27, 2012). Thank you for inviting me here today. I want to thank the Center for American Progress [CAP] for having me here to speak on the important subject of piracy off the Horn of Africa. CAP is a tremendous leader in developing new ideas and in approaching issues in new ways
Somalia wins extra cash, military aid, at the recent London donor summit. Britain will help boost radio communications on the Somali coast to combat piracy that the World Bank has estimated costs the world economy $18 billion despite the dramatic drop in incidents so far this year
Maritime piracy is both ageless as a threat as well as ductile in its dramatically changing nature both in and around the Indian Ocean and, increasingly, in other parts of the world. Somali piracy erupted in the western Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden and commercial vessels transiting the area
The Operation Commander of the EU Naval Force, Rear Admiral Bob Tarrant, has issued a renewed warning that Somali pirates are still determined to get out to sea and, if presented with an easy target, will attack. “I am very concerned that seafarers and nations will lower their guard and
"The revelation this week that the owner of an Algerian cargo ship whose crew was held by Somali pirates paid them $2.6 million in ransom is yet another indication that the rewards these denizens reap for their illegal, life-threatening work remain a serious stumbling block to ending maritime
London-based Holman Fenwick Willan (HFW) announce the election of Paul Dean as head of the law firm's shipping practice. Paul Dean has taken over from current head George Eddings who becomes the firm's new Managing Partner effective from 1 April 2013.
The US Naval Meteorology & Oceanography Command named a 2013 Computerworld Honors Laureate for its counter-piracy predictive modelling. The Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (NAVMETOCCOM) received the award for a modeling capability developed by Naval oceanographers at Stennis Space
Dryad Maritime, a U.K. commercial maritime intelligence company, welcomed the Japanese government’s plans to submit a bill to the National Diet which will permit the carriage of armed guards on Japanese-flagged vessels but advise that a number of other precautions must also be taken.
The Club has received the following update on Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea from its correspondents in the area. “In the Gulf of Guinea, we would remind you that the pirates' zone of action now spreads from the Cameroonian Peninsula up to the Ivory Coast
The fight against global piracy is as old as the seas themselves. Recent years have seen huge increases in pirate attacks against commercial shipping and, while the risk of piracy off East Africa is now believed to be somewhat diminished, the threat remains in the region and the cost to the global
The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) advises vigilance though attacks decline. IMB's latest quarterly report on 'Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships' recorded a total of 66 incidents worldwide in the first three months of 2013
Release of 'MV Leopard' crew hostages by Somali pirates, prompts Denmark researchers 'RiskIntelligence' to give general ransom & pirate 'investment' insights. Economic terminology such as “market” is used in the below to describe the criminal activities of hijacking and ransom.
The United States will join partners from over 85 countries, international organizations, & the private sector at the United Nations in New York on 1st May, 2013. The Contact Group is a growing diplomatic effort that is taking action against criminal activity that threatens commerce and
On June 3, 2013 the United States begins a capital murder trial against three alleged Somali pirates, accused of killing four Americans at sea. If convicted, the defendants could be sentenced to death. While more pirates are being convicted in courts around the world
The United Nations Trust Fund for the Fight against Piracy approves projects in support of anti-piracy efforts in Somalia & other affected States in the region. Other affected States in the region, include Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Maldives and the Seychelles.
The Department of State (DOS) issued a news release stating that the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) met in New York on May 1. Participants agreed that while piracy has been reduced dramatically through the concerted efforts of the international community and the Somali
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Office of University Communications
From Martha Mitchell’s Encyclopedia Brunoniana:
Materials Research Laboratory
The Materials Research Laboratory, devoted to the study of the capabilities of existing materials and the search for new types of materials, was established in 1962. The Advanced Research Projects Agency of the Defense Department (ARPA) entered a $3.5 million contract with Brown in 1961 for materials research to be conducted by the Departments of Chemistry and Physics and the Divisions of Applied Mathematics and Engineering. Chemistry professor Robert H. Cole was appointed coordinator of the program with engineering professor Gerald Heller as associate. In 1969 Heller became director of the Laboratory with physics professor Charles Elbaum as associate director. In 1967 ARPA initiated a program which brought together twelve major universities in a cooperative search for new materials with “super-properties.” The other institutions in the program were Cornell, Harvard, M.I.T., Northwestern, Princeton, Purdue, Stanford, and the Universities of Chicago, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. The five departments involved in the program are Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, Applied Mathematics, and Geology. In 1973 the National Science Foundation took over funding of the laboratory and directed the definition of specific targets of its research. Four major areas of research were defined: Fracture of solids, led by engineering professor James E. Rice, – Microscopic and macroscopic dynamic plasticity, under engineering professor Rodney J. Clifton – Inorganic gasses, under chemistry professor William M. Risen – Chemisorption and related surface interactions, coordinated by physics professor Peder J. Estrup. In 1977 the laboratory was awarded a three-year $4.72 million grant from the National Science Foundation to explore the development of lightweight high-strength metals resistant to corrosion and extreme temperatures, and electronic materials for lasers and solar cells.
The above entry appears in Encyclopedia Brunoniana by Martha Mitchell, copyright ©1993 by the Brown University Library. It is used here by permission of the author and the University and may not be copied or further distributed without permission.
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This weekend I travelled to Washington D.C. (Arlington VA to be exact) to participate in a panel called WE HAVE DECIDED NOT TO DIE for the Arlington Arts Center‘s amazing TRANSHUMAN CONDITIONS show, curated by Jeffry Cudlin.
While preparing for this panel discussion (and because I tend to over-prepare), I re-read an essay by my current academic crush, Ollivier Dyens, currently a Vice-Provost at Concordia University. In his essay from 1994, The Emotion of Cyberspace: Art and Cyber-ecology he writes:
“The role of the artist, moreover, is destined to change. New emotions structured by the symbiosis of human and computer memes are about to appear: emotions flooded by the cheerfulness of technology, drunk with the recognition of cyber-ecology, but also imprinted with the profound sorrow of the human artist’s expression.”
As someone who is concerned with making things, I find Dyens’s writing inspiring, or maybe I mean poetic. In any case, with these ideas in my head, I came across John Gerrard’s work while touring the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.
Gerrard describes the process of creating his “Realtime 3D projection” entitled Dust Storm (Dalhart, Texas) of 2007:
Production of the work involved the virtual reconstruction — based on hundreds of the artist’s own photographs and video — of a ten mile square section of Texan landscape close to the town of Dalhart, an area scattered with windmills, farms and fences. This documentation was subsequently enhanced by publicly accessible satellite and topographical data.
Once activated, a virtual storm unfolds in a sculptural and constantly random manner within the reconstructed landscape.
Dust Storm (Dalhart, Texas) is a visual, spatial and temporal representation of a place, as the animation is programmed to work on a “realtime” cycle. When it is night in Dalhart, TX, it is night in Dust Storm (Dalhart, Texas). The stars in Dust Storm (Dalhart, Texas) coincide with the stars in Dalhart, TX.
Like Dyens predicts, Gerrard’s work is “flooded by the cheerfulness of technology, drunk with the recognition of cyber-ecology, but also imprinted with the profound sorrow of the human artist’s expression.” It is neither here nor there, existing either as light coming out of a projector, or as an integrated circuit processing a giant batch of code. What we experience as the work is something completely immaterial, ephemeral. It’s thrilling to see this barren environment, the giant dust cloud appearing to approach but never reaching us, the wild traveling shots of “the camera,” pointing to some sort of nonhuman consciousness, moving us in circles through this landscape. The phantasmagoric realness of the scene being created in front of us is completely mesmerizing and haunting.
While on a purely aesthetic level it has a relationship the work of James Benning and J.M.W. Turner to mention but two, Gerrard’s work feels like it is approaching a “nodal point” (to use William Gibson’s terminology) in artmaking, in the way that (and I REALLY hate to make this comparison) James Cameron’s Avatar approaches this same point in narrative filmmaking.
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May 01, 2011
The Venetian (1)
The Venetian (3)
On November 26, 1996, eight years after it was bought by Sheldon Adelson, the Sands Hotel was imploded to make way for The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino. Ground was broken April 14, 1997.
The resort opened on May 3, 1999 with flutter of white doves, sounding trumpets and singing gondoliers, with actress Sophia Loren joining The Venetian Chairman and Owner, Sheldon G. Adelson, in christening the first motorized gondola. Built at a cost of $1.5 billion, it was one of the most expensive resorts of its kind when it opened. A brief time line of the hotel's history:
September 24, 1997 — Announcement that the Venetian's Grand Canal Shoppes will be managed by Forest City Commercial Management.
November 14, 1997 — $1,000,000,000 financial package secured.
August 18, 1998 — Venetian Resort tops out.
August 24, 1998 — Venetian begins accepting room reservations, by phone and on-line.
May 3, 1999 — Grand opening of first phase of complex.
October 7, 2001 — The Guggenheim Hermitage Museum opened within the resort, featuring its first collection: Masterpieces and Master Collectors: Impressionist and Early Modern Paintings.
August 30, 2002 — The museum opened its second collection: Art Through the Ages: Masterpieces of Painting from Titian to Picasso.
May 15, 2003 — Museum opens third exhibit: American Pop Icons.
June 27, 2003 — The Venezia at the Venetian opened as an additional tower, adding 1,013 suites and a new wedding chapel.
November 7, 2003 — Museum opens exhibit: A Century of Painting: From Renoir to Rothko, featuring paintings by Gauguin, Matisse, Picasso, van Gogh, Renoir, and others.
March 19, 2004 — "The Nevada Gaming Commission Thursday imposed an agreed-upon $1 million fine on The Venetian for rigging contests and violating state gaming regulations but only after chastising other state agencies for not pursuing the case more vigorously. Chairman Peter Bernhard and Commissioner Art Marshall, who called the violations the "most serious" they have dealt with during their tenures on the commission, criticized the state attorney general's office and the Gaming Control Board for taking a year to bring the eight-count complaint before the commission. ... "This is the most serious complaint I've seen since I've been on the commission. The issues go to the heart of the integrity of the industry," Bernhard said. ... The Asian high roller at the center of the case, was preselected to win a Mercedes-Benz. The complaint said a Venetian executive who rigged the drawing with a cohort hid the winning ticket in his shirtsleeve and pretended to draw it randomly from a batch of entries before announcing the "winning" ticket."
October 10, 2005 — Blue Man Group officially opens at the Blue Man Theatre.
June 24, 2006 — Phantom - The Las Vegas Spectacular opened at a new theatre at the Venetian.
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April 27, 1999
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WASHINGTON, D.C. ---- FALEOMAVAEGA EXPRESSES CONCERN WITH
POTENTIAL U.S. SUPREME COURT RULING
IN CASE ON NATIVE HAWAIIANS
Congressman Faleomavaega announced today that he has written Governor Tauese Sunia forwarding to him a decision by a U.S. Court of Appeals upholding special elections in the State of Hawaii for trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, who must be Hawaiian. A different decision in the case would place in question not only the election of the trustees in Hawaii, but also the Samoan system of land tenure and chief titles.
"While I am pleased with the decision of the courts so far," said Faleomavaega, "last month the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the case, and that court can obviously overturn the decision of the lower courts."
The case was brought in federal court by a palagi U.S. citizen challenging the legality of the State of Hawaii to hold elections in which only Hawaiians can vote. These special elections are for the election of trustees who govern the use of public lands held in trust for Native Hawaiians. The trialcourt ruled that the special elections were legal and the appeals court upheld that decision.
"Should the Supreme Court rule against the Native Hawaiians and hold that this U.S. citizen was being discriminated against, the decision will have far reaching implications for American Samoa's future -- as this would allow any U.S. citizen living in American Samoa to challenge American Samoa's laws," continued the Congressman. The citizen would not necessarily have to be a palagi, it could be a Vietnamese-American, African-American, Chinese- American, Korean-American, or a U.S. citizen of any racial background.
If the Supreme Court were to rule against the Native Hawaiians, the decision may also give U.S. citizens legal grounds to challenge the rights of American Indians, who supposedly are given special rights under the U.S. constitution. We have been told we also have some of these special rights.
"This raises my concern because legal scholars in the U.S. do not consider our "treaties" with the U.S. to be "treaties" in the technical sense, but "deeds of cession", which are considered of lesser authority than the U.S. Constitution. Should the courts interpret the U.S. Constitution differently, the U.S. will have to adjust its policy, which may not always be in the best interests of the Samoan people," concluded Faleomavaega.
For those wishing more information on the case, the opinion of the appeals court can be found at Rice v. Cayetano, 146 F.3d 1075 (9th Cir. 1998), cert. granted, 119 U.S. 1248 (1999). Printed copies are available at either of the Congressman's offices.
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HARTWELL — State Representatives Alan Powell of Hartwell and Tom McCall of Elberton have started a caucus of state lawmakers they hope will force some changes in how the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages the Savannah River Water Basin.
The Savannah River Caucus, a group of lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, met for the first time Feb. 12 in Augusta to discuss goals and share ideas. The caucus is made up of representatives and senators from districts along the entire Savannah River District. Powell said the main purpose of the caucus is to get federal lawmakers involved.
“I understand politics and as state legislators, we can write all the letters we want to, but the Corps of Engineers doesn’t have to listen to us. They don’t fall under the state of Georgia; they fall under the federal government,” Powell said. “It takes an assemblage of U.S. congressmen and U.S. senators. There are six or seven congressmen in Georgia and South Carolina and two senators. That might be enough to get the corps to take another look at what they’re doing.”
Powell said the caucus hopes to appeal to all of the Georgia congressman and the two U.S. senators from Georgia. He said South Carolina lawmakers are looking at forming their own caucus.
“Our counterparts on the South Carolina side, I understand, might be trying to put together a similar caucus,” Powell said. “Then we would have a multi-state caucus that could force some change because the issues we’re concerned about on the Georgia side are the same issues they’re concerned about on the South Carolina side.”
One of the issues discussed last week, according to Powell, is the problem of inter-basin water transfers.
Powell said legislation he and McCall put forth several years ago has largely stopped the Atlanta Metro Water Authority from being able to tap into the Savannah River Basin or the Tennessee River.
However, he said, it’s a different story in South Carolina, where water is being taken out of the Savannah River and sent to Greenville and Greenwood.
Other issues the caucus plans to address in future meetings include the corps’ management of water levels in Hartwell and Russell lakes.
“I have continually heard over the years that the mission of the corps’ management of these lakes is flood control and power generation,” Powell said. “If recreation was put into the federal statute as part of the purpose of these reservoirs, then they (the corps) might have to look at their policy regarding the drawdown on these lakes.”
Those state lawmakers near Savannah, Powell said, are concerned with issues such as the new port dredging among other things. Powell said the caucus plans to meet weekly.
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ThinkProgress Green is reporting live from the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting in New York City.America’s labor unions are banding together to accomplish what Wall Street bankers and multinational corporations have chosen to ignore and Republicans have fought to prevent — putting people back to work rebuilding the United States. A billion-dollar collaboration between unions and public pension funds is spearheading a nationwide effort to invest in energy efficient infrastructure projects, labor leaders announced today at the start of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) annual meeting.
With his initial announcement of the unions’ accomplishments, Bill Clinton praised their willingness to seize an opportunity the nation’s bankers have ignored — figuring out innovative ways to make money by putting more people back to work, instead of increasing profits by laying off employees. “They are America’s employment banks,” Clinton said of the union-pension fund partnership. “This is a huge deal.”
This summer, at CGI’s first meeting dedicated exclusively to challenges within the United States, the AFL-CIO and the American Federation of Teachers established the goal of using union pension funds to invest in American infrastructure, particularly energy efficiency projects, with the goal of creating good, long term jobs for American workers:
This commitment, made by the AFL-CIO and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and developed in collaboration with the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) and Center for American Progress (CAP), encourages union pension fund managers and trustees to invest up to $10 billion in assets of working families into energy efficient infrastructure as an opportunity for America to create hundreds of thousands of jobs, develop new industries, enhance our global competitiveness, and reduce the threat of climate change.
In less than three months, these unions have made great strides. The AFL-CIO and AFT are now working with many other employee unions, including SEIU, AFSCME, NEA and the Firefighters. In California, the public pension funds CalPERS (public employees) and CalSTERS (teachers) have already pledged $1.1 billion for specific green infrastructure investment projects. Moreover, CalPERS hopes to expand its $800 million investment in California green infrastructure to a $4 billion nationwide effort.
AFL-CIO has surged past their initial $20 million commitment for energy retrofit projects, as the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust (HIT) has funded a $134 million dollar energy efficiency and asbestos removal project in New York City. The union has committed several hundred million dollars towards projects around the nation, working with Fannie Mae and the Department of Housing and Urban Development to renovate homes and businesses.
This project represents not just an investment in cleaner infrastructure, but also a smarter workforce, with a deep commitment to worker training.
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There is an increasing trend right now of using palms for decorative purposes. If you are a regular driver, surely you have noticed that majority of the public roads are now dotted with some of the best palm trees that stand tall and line up the sidewalks and at night these palm trees glow to complement the lights produced by some buildings. Palm trees are also selected by some urban designers to help design and soften the impact of the concrete jungle so don’t be surprised to see some city blocks that are designed and lined up by these palm trees. But keep in mind that these palm trees are not just best for public spaces; these are also highly recommended for residential properties. Given the right types of palm trees, these can be used to transform the looks of the residential property to make it more appealing. If you are planning to incorporate palms into your residential property, then you can use the following details and information.
Things to keep in mind when planning your garden
If you want to update the looks of your landscaping through the use of palms, make sure that you have a plan to begin with. It may seem like an easy task but designing your landscaping can be a tough job as well since there are a number of things that should be kept in mind. For example, you need to pay attention to the kinds of palms that will be used, the density of the trees, the location of the pathways and work areas. Just before you start the project; it’s also best if you can dig a few holes here and there to check on the quality of soil and to make sure that the area is getting enough drainage. Palms require a good supply of water for it to grow well. If you have noticed that drainage for the area leave much to be desired, then it’s recommended that you work to add a small amount of sand and add leach lines too. If there’s a need for an irrigation system, then this must be installed just before you start the planting of the palms. It is also a good investment if you can come up with a separate nursery for palms so that the selected species of palms will acclimatize to the surroundings.
Other tips to keep in mind when planning and planting palms
You also need to be careful when planting palms. These should be planted in the right locations, making sure that the expected size and height of the trees are anticipated. Since some species are larger than others, it would be a good design move to partner larger palms with smaller ones. Palms are best for offering shades but there are only selected areas where you can use these kinds of palms. Surely these are not required around your pool. Another style is to group similar species together. Palms can do wonders for landscaping but it must be properly used and planned out.
GHTime Code(s): nc
Palm trees are known for their top benefits to people, from the fruits that it can produce (dates and coconuts) to the lumber and cordage that can be made from the bodies. These are the reasons why palm trees like the coconut trees are considered as the ‘tree of life’ due to the number of benefits that people can get from its many parts. But did you know that there are other top benefits that can be sourced from carefully selected palm trees? Another benefit of the use of palm trees is in the realm of landscaping and design- homeowners and artists are now using different kinds of palms for landscaping purposes. There’s something about carefully selected palms that can bring a sense of style to a property. Parties and events are made extra lively through the use of these palms and when these are carefully planted in appropriate areas.
There are different kinds of palms that are used for landscaping purposes. These palms that are used for decorative purposes come in different sizes and height. Most of the palms that are grown in some properties can develop to 20 feet, and some of the bigger ones can grow to as tall as 80 feet. There are mini palms that can be used for smaller homes and can be partnered with larger-sized palms for maximum effect.
Suggested uses for smaller palm trees
Smaller palm trees that will not grow beyond 20 feet are usually seen in many residential properties. There are many ways on how to use these kinds of palms. Here are some top suggestions for your smaller-sized palms if you want to include these in your landscaping plans.
- You can use palm trees for your yards as accents or in front of the house;
- Palms can be used as well to provide shade on certain parts of the house. If your living room gets too much light from the sun, palm trees can be planted in front of the area of the living room;
- Palms can also be used to create privacy on property line, or these can be used as the perimeter around your property or pool;
- These can be used as backdrops as well for certain styles and architectural elements inside the property. These trees can complement a fountain or can serve as the focal point of a circular drive. It is now common to see different sizes of palms used as focal points for the circular drive.
Palm trees are also used outdoors and by the local governments to come up with public landscaping and beautification projects. In the state of California, it is no longer surprising to see some roads that are lined up with carefully selected and maintained palm trees. Highways too are treated to the use of palm trees as a way to soften the concrete jungle. The same goes to the concrete jungle of major cities. Rows of palm trees are more than just sources of food, these trees are best for landscaping purposes as well.
GHTime Code(s): nc
Date palms, with a scientific name Phoenix dactylifera belong to the palm tree family Palmae. These trees can often be found in the Middle East, Northern Africa and Pakistan. Date palms grow higher as it points toward heavens. For centuries these are cultivated in various nations due to a number of benefits, starting off with the dates that are treasured by many cultures and communities. The thing that adds up to its popularity is the fact that these are easy to cultivate- just irrigate these palms well and these will grow productively. For this reason, it would be an advantage to irrigate the place where date palms are cultivated. Irrigation may come from wells, rivers and streams.
History of date palm
In early years, date palms are known to be big sources of energy food. Most Jews are fed by the fruits of date palm. It also serves as a shade for those who are travelling to the deserts. Travelers make use of date palms as their habitats especially when desert winds are looming and unpredictable. Date palm trees are planted close to an oasis, thus offering travelers with respite from the long hour’s worth of travels.
Pollination of date palm during ancient times
Female flowers of date palm underwent artificial pollination. It was a complicated process for farmers. If the pollination will depend on the wind, half of the tree population needs to be male and the other half should be female. This makes artificial pollination in farming costly. However, as time passes the need for this type of crop has increased. Thus, farmers were forced to do the manual process of pollination for the reproduction of date palm.
Benefits of the many parts of date palm
The date palm’s benefits are comparable to that of a coconut tree. Every part of the date palm has numerous benefits. Products are created from the roots, trunk, leaves, flowers, and fruits. The sap of the date palm is added to fermented and fresh beverages. It is known that extraction method can injure date palm so only those that have little fruits are considered for sap. Leaflets can be used for making baskets. The leaves’ midribs are applicable for making furniture and crates. The fibers of date palm are used for making cordage while its seeds are added to stock feeds. Another important benefit of date palm is its fruits known as the dates. Dates are rich in vitamins and minerals needed by the body. These fruits are essential in keeping the body in good condition.
Did you know that date palms are some of the oldest trees
This tree is considered as one of the oldest fruit-bearing trees in the world. Date palm tree can survive in temperature ranging from 50 to 60 degrees Celsius. However, this tree needs significant amount of heat energy in order to complete its productive cycle. Determining if a land is suitable to date palm is one way to ensure its productive cycle completeness. Production may last for a year or more depending on how it is cared. The environment also has vital role in ensuring high agricultural productivity for date palm.
GHTime Code(s): nc
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A military maneuver whereby counter-insurgency and reconstruction efforts spread outwards from secured key areas – as an ink spot expands on paper.
Reporting from Afghanistan for The Washington Times, David Axe revealed:
U.S. forces are testing a modified strategy dubbed “ink spots” in which coalition forces pick certain districts to flood with reconstruction projects and permanently defend from Taliban insurgents.
In Logar province, 50 miles south of Kabul, a newly arrived contingent of U.S. and Czech troops is putting the ink-spot idea into practice. …
Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal ordered U.S. commanders to withdraw their troops from remote areas of Afghanistan in September. Rather than attempting to control the whole country, troops will instead concentrate counter-insurgency efforts on key population centers, expanding slowly from these secured areas.
According to Axe:
In a recent article in Small Wars Journal [PDF], Maj. Mehar Omar Khan, a Pakistani officer attending the U.S. Army’s staff college, advocated “creating and building examples” in a handful of Afghan districts. Above all, “don’t try to arrest the sea,” Maj. Khan advised. Instead, “create islands.”
This has worked before. The U.S. Marine Corps embraced the ink-spot strategy in western Iraq in the middle years of the Iraq war. Gradually improving security resulting from that approach provided the basis for Gen. David H. Petraeus’ later population-centric “surge” strategy.
Afghanistan, however, presents a different challenge. Unlike Iraq, its population is mostly rural and dispersed among small villages. Also, Afghanistan is more populous, and there are far fewer coalition and native troops in Afghanistan than in Iraq.
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Peter Paul Rubens
Siegen 1577 - Antwerp 1640
oil on panel
447 x 336 cm
Inventory number 298
A colourful procession enters the ruins of an ancient structure. On the right, Mary presents her
son to the three magi, who are accompanied by servants, soldiers, horses and camels. She is not
central to the composition, yet she attracts the viewer's attention, because the magi and their
companions are all facing her. Gaspar kneels and offers frankincense. Melchior, the old man in red,
gives gold. And the Moorish King Balthasar, in a turban, has brought myrrh. The three men represent
the lands and races who knew of the birth of the Messiah. With their gifts, they honour Jesus as a
human and a lord, and as God.
After a long period abroad, Peter Paul Rubens returned to Antwerp in the early 17th century. He would become one of the most celebrated and successful artists of his era. In the 1620s, he received several commissions for large series of works and prestigious altarpieces. The Adoration of the Magi was commissioned by Matthias Yrsselius, the abbot of the Abbey of St Michael in Antwerp.
The painting has a complex symbolic programme. The ancient pillar refers to the ravaged palace of David. According to the bible, it was from his bloodline that the Messiah was born. The ox stands for faith. Attentive viewers may have noticed the spider in its web in the top right of the composition; it symbolises evil, which Jesus, in his capacity as the Saviour, will overcome.
In 2008, this painting was the focus of an extensive study by the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp.
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Hanh's Story Pt 2 (of 2): Vietnamese-American Immigrant Talks about Overcoming Cultural Barriers to get Bipolar Diagnosis, Help
Continuing Hanh's riveting story from Part 1, Hanh describes how she turned her life around in Pt 2. Hear about the conversation that changed her life--the words a loved one said that motivated her to get professional help! Hear how she persevered and overcame American and Vietnamese cultural barriers to finally get a diagnosis. Hear how Hanh is doing today; learn about the steps she took to transform her life. Also discussed: Hanh's suggestions for people trying to explain their depression or bipolar disorder to their parents. Hanh also gives advice for parents trying to support children with bipolar disorder.
- Were you encouraged by how Hanh turned her life around?
- Could you relate to any of Hanh's struggles?
--Jessica Lynn Gimeno
To play podcast, press black triangle in grey rectangle below.
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Cockburn, Patrick (DNB00)
|←Cockburn, John||Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Volume 11
|Cockburn, William (d.1529)→|
COCKBURN, PATRICK (1678-1749), Scottish divine, eldest son of John Cockburn, D.D. [q. v.], was born in 1678 at Udny, Aberdeenshire. It is not known whether lie accompanied his father to France as a child, or where he was educated, but he was in Holland in 1705, for on 17 Aug. he received the degree of M.A. from the Edinburgh University, he being then 'in Batavia agens.' Early in 1708 he married Catharine Trotter [see Cockburn, Catherine], and is said to have shortly afterwards obtained the perpetual curacy of Nayland, Suffolk, but he was probably only a temporary curate-in-charge. He went to Nayland in June 1708. The sole reference to him in the Nayland registers is the entry of the baptism on 13 April 1712 of 'Mary, daughter of Patrick Cockburn, curate, and Catharine his wife.' From Nayland he removed to London, where he was curate at St. Dunstan's, Fleet Street, but soon lost this employment through refusing the oath of abjuration in 1714 (he is not mentioned in the list at the end of Kettlewell's 'Life,' 1718, 8vo). For a time he made a scanty living by teaching Latin at a school in Chancery Lane. On 29 Nov. 1726 (having taken the oath) he was appointed minister of St. Paul's episcopal chapel, Aberdeen (erected 1722). He resigned this incumbency on 1 June 1739. Soon after his Aberdeen settlement he had been preferred to the vicarage of Long Horsley, Northumberland, but did not reside until compelled to do so in 1737. He died on 4 Jan. 1748-9, and was buried on 7 Jan. at Long Horsley. He published : 1. 'A Penitential Office,' &c., 1721, 8vo. 2. 'The Duty and Benefit of Praying for our Governors,' &c., 1728, 8vo (sermon from 1 Tim. ii. 1-4, on accession of George II). 3. 'The Lawfulness and Duty of Praying for our present King and Governor,' &c., 1735, 8vo (in reply to a pamphlet criticising No. 2 ; there were later pamphlets in the controversy, which Cockburn does not seem to have answered). 4. 'An Enquiry into the Truth and Certainty of the Mosaic Deluge,' &c., 1750, 8vo (defends the universality of the flood). He published also, according to Birch, in the 'Weekly Miscellany,' a 'defence of prime ministers in the character of Joseph.' But Cockburn's chief service to literature was his edition (the 6th) in 1726, 8vo, of Henry Scougall's 'Life of God in the Soul of Man,' with brief preface, dated from St. John's, Clerkenwell, and the addition of Scougall's 'Nine Discourses' (all, but two, previously unprinted) and the funeral sermon by George Garden, D.D. (then first printed), of much moment for Scougall's biography. Garden was Cockburn's uncle, and Scougall his father's first cousin. Cockburn's edition was reprinted, 1735, 8vo, 'the second edition.'
[Birch's Life of Catharine Cockburn, prefixed to her Works, 1751, i. xxxiii sq. ; also Works, ii. 206; Watt's Bibl. Brit. 1824; Cat. of Advocates' Library, Edinburgh, 1873, vol. ii. ; information from the late David Laing, from Rev. S. Clark, of St. Paul's Chapel, Aberdeen, and from the vicars (in 1873) of Nayland and Long Horsley.]
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|Marc van der Chijs|
Marc van der Chijs:
The New York Times decided to host the site outside the Great Firewall, which is probably a necessity because they would have likely never received a Chinese Internet publishing license. But by doing that they run the risk that the site can by blocked at any moment. It is difficult to judge how likely that is, but for sure the government doesn’t like it when foreign media companies start targeting their population in simplified Chinese. YouTube is a good example, they were allowed in China until they launched a simplified Chinese language site.
So far the NYT was not blocked in China, although sometimes specific articles were censored. But with a Chinese site that may be different. One wrong article could lead to the whole nytimes.com domain being blocked (for some reason they did not use a separate domain name for their Chinese site, something I would have done to test the waters), meaning that also English language content won’t be available anymore.More on Marc van der Chijs' weblog.
Marc van der Chijs is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers' request form.
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|Uploaded:||February 15, 2013|
|Updated:||February 16, 2013|
I’m sure most of you are familiar, and have seen the legendary Wizard of Oz. Well for those of you that don't know, come March 8th of this year the movie ‘Oz the Great and Powerful’ will be in theaters. The movie has an all-star cast starring James Franco as Oz, Glinda the Witch, and even the wicked witch. Back when Dorothy and Toto were in a search for Oz to get back to Kansas, there was one monster or “villain” that always stood out, and that was 'the flying monkeys' who worked for the Wicked Witch of the West. This lesson is going to show you "how to draw Finley the Flying Monkey", only he is not bad. Finley is actually Oz’s friend who travels with Oz on his journey to find himself. Unlike how The Wizard of Oz portrayed flying Monkeys, in this movie a flying monkey named Finley actually turns out to be a loyal friend and ally. If you have ever wanted to know if it’s hard drawing a flying monkey, now is your chance. This lesson will do just that. Let me know if you are looking forward to seeing this film. Peace out mi amigos.
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Garden Talk: October 12, 2006
From NGA Editors
Research Links Acid Rain to Sugar Maple Decline
Colorful fall foliage is one of the characteristic signs of autumn throughout much of the eastern United States, and sugar maples, with their brilliant orange and red leaf colors, are one of the signature trees. Acid rain is threatening to reduce the number of sugar maples in our forests, alter the forest ecosystem, impact the maple sugar industry, and reduce the colorful fall brilliance. Although pollution controls since the 1960s have reduced the amount of sulfuric acid in the atmosphere, the amount of nitric acid from automobile pollution has not decreased. This has resulted in highly acidic forest soils.
Researchers at Cornell University investigated the influence of acid soils on sugar maple growth. Because nitric acid and sulfuric acid leach calcium -- an essential plant nutrient -- from the soil, in 1999 the researchers added calcium to a sugar maple test plot at their research facility in North Woodstock, New Hampshire, to replicate the soil conditions that existed 25 years ago, prior to the acid rain era. Every year since then, sugar maple growth in the test plot and in a similar, non-treated plot has been evaluated.
Within a few years the acidity in the top levels of the soil on the calcium-treated plot had neutralized. The sugar maples' response was better seed production, seedling germination, and root growth. Adult sugar maples in the untreated plot continued to decline and produced fewer seedlings.
This research suggests that highly acidic soils resulting from nitric acid pollution are creating a soil environment that's harmful to sugar maple growth and reproduction.
For more information on this research, go to: Cornell University.
Gold Medal Dogwood
Since 1978 the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) has annually recognized outstanding trees, shrubs, and woody vines. These plants are awarded the PHS Gold Medal for their eye appeal, performance, and hardiness in USDA zones 5 to 7. For 2007, PHS has added three new plants to their Gold Medal list.
The most outstanding of the new award-winners is the 'Venus' dogwood (Cornus Venus). Flowering dogwoods are beloved, small, spring-flowering trees that grow in the eastern United States. Unfortunately, they struggle in many yards due to diseases such as anthracnose and powdery mildew. Venus, however, is resistant to both diseases. It grows 25 feet high and wide at maturity and produces 6-inch-diameter pure white blooms in spring. This fast-growing tree can be grown in USDA zones 4 to 7.
For more information on this Gold Medal-winning tree, go to Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.
New Technique for Protecting Blackberries
Trailing blackberry varieties such as Siskiyou and Chester Thornless are popular for their large-sized fruits and heavy production. But little commercial production of trailing blackberries takes place in areas colder than USDA zone 6 because of their lack of winter hardiness. A new technique developed at the Agricultural Research Service in Kearneysville, West Virginia, may help expand the growing range of these fruits.
Blackberries are normally grown on trellises to keep the canes erect. Researchers created a rotating, cross-arm trellis system that allows growers to bend the canes to the ground in winter. Then the canes can be covered with insulation, such as a floating row cover or plastic sheeting.
Trials on protected and non-protected canes of Siskiyou blackberries revealed that protected canes produced 3 to 5 times more fruit than non-protected canes and produced three weeks earlier. This technique may allow gardeners in areas colder than USDA zone 6 to consistently produce a good crop of trailing blackberries.
For more information on this research, go to: Agricultural Research Service.
Warmer, Wetter Winter?
Trying to predict the severity of the upcoming winter in October is like trying to predict the winner of the Super Bowl in November. But over the years atmospheric researchers have found that one phenomenon seems to consistently impact global weather. El Nino.
El Nino is the cyclical warming of the waters in the tropical Pacific Ocean that affect temperature and rainfall around the globe. This fall El Nino has started to develop and may strengthen through the winter. If El Nino continues, predictions for winter weather in the United States include warmer-than-average temperatures across the west, the southwest, the plains states, the Midwest, most of the northeast, the northern mid-Atlantic, as well as most of Alaska. Wetter-than-average conditions are expected across the southwest from southern California to Texas, and for Florida and the southern Atlantic coast. Drier-than-average conditions are expected in the Tennessee valley, the northern Rockies, the Pacific Northwest, and Hawaii.
For more information about El Nino and its effects on the weather, go to: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration.
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Non-toxic Shot and Fishing Tackle
At this time in Iowa, choosing non-toxic ammo and fishing tackle is still a personal choice. To help you learn about non-lead alternatives and to locate manufacturers please see the links below.
SOAR does encourage all hunters and anglers to "go lead-free."
While this information is intended for those hunting in California condor habitat, this chart contains useful information and manufacturer contact information.
Catch It! Tackle Company is the creator of the Eco-Jig lures and Tin-kers. Catch It! products are lead free and designed to achieve the best fishing experience for anglers now and for years to come. Generations of anglers and wildlife will benefit from these eco-friendly products.
Environmentally friendly fishing tackle! Be sure to check out their 'About Us' page for links to other great groups!
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency: Let’s Get the Lead Out: Non-lead alternatives for fishing tackle
Information about how lead-based fishing tackle causes harm to wildlife, a two-page flyer encouraging folks to "Get the Lead Out," and a link to a directory of companies offering non-toxic tackle alternatives.
This page gives information to big game hunters and meat processors and includes tips and information for using non-lead ammo.
This site lists nonlead tackle suppliers and manufacturers, both national and in or near Wisconsin.
This company produces lead-free, frangible bullets in proven calibers for hunting and law enforcement. If you hunt deer, elk, moose, bear with a rifle check this company out.
From their website: "We are conscious about the environment and with the trend toward lead free ammunition we are one step ahead of our competitors. Our core is encapsulated in copper just like others, but we use a core of powdered metal not lead. We start with a fine mesh powder to make the core (much like the mesh of face powder). Once completed you have a projectile with unheard of accuracy at distance with terminal ballistics ensuring your trophy is down where you hit them."
Wisconsin DNR has produced an informative brochure about non-toxic shot. Download the brochure and share with your friends and family that hunt. Rest assured, Wisconsin is not the only state where you can find non-toxic shot. Look for steel and other non-lead shot alternatives at your favorite sporting goods retailer. Also, look for copper slugs, sabots, and bullets now for deer season. This 2012 brochure is about 3 mb.
Non-toxic News and Notes for More Learning
Association of Avian Veterinarians announces position statement
The Association of Avian Veterinarians RECOGNIZES that lead is a potent toxin to wild birds that can have individual-and population-level effects. Therefore, the AAV advocates the replacement of lead-based sporting ammunition and fishing tackle with non-lead alternatives.
New York State Dept. or Environmental Conservation
Check out this article in their bi-monthly conservation magazine about choosing non-lead ammunition (October 2012 edition) for your deer hunt - the best part, this guy walks that walk and is the Chief Wildlife Biologist!
Also see this state's information about non-lead ammunition.
Lead poisoning a hazard for birds of prey
This is not an Iowa issue, it is not an upper Midwest issue... scavengers eat lead in gut piles or from shot, yet never found animals. Read this story from CTV in Calgary, Alberta (11/29/12).
Lead poisoning in eagles worries researchers
Check out this CBCNews article about researchers testing eaglets blood lead level on Prince Edward Island to gather data to estimate what lead levels eagles are born with, 6/20/12)
Oregon Public Broadcasting report from Oregon Field Guide -- Condors and Lead
Learn about the captive breeding program at the Oregon Zoo and about the Yurok Tribal hunters (northern California Tribe) that encourages the use of non-lead ammunition.
A review of Federal Premium Trophy Copper Shotgun Slugs on US Shooter website.
Copper bullets in the news... It's about accuracy!
Check out these two newspaper articles that appeared late October.
- Minnesota deer hunting: Copper bullets gain support - Twin Cities Pioneer Press, 10/27/12
- Copper bullet use hinges on education - Grand Forks Herald, 10/28/12
Article in Whitetales summer issue interviews hunters using copper
If you don't know of any hunters that have used copper ammunition for deer hunting, read this article! The authors interviewed 8 Minnesota hunters that used both rifle and shotgun with slugs to harvest deer... some for many years.
National Park Service biologist and area hunters test copper hunting ammo
Check out this page where hunters compare the performance of lead and non-lead bullets and also discusses the potential impacts of lead bullet fragmentation on wildlife and humans.
National Park Service Public Health Project
Read about innovative outreach materials created at Pinnacles National Monument about non-lead hunting ammunition.
First Nations, Canada, support use of non-toxic ammo
Helene Van Doninck, DVM, from the Cobequid Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre (read this rehab center's blog about lead poisoning from spent ammo ) in Nova Scotia recently spoke to a First Nations conference about the impacts of lead-based hunting ammunition on wildlife. The video below is from a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation news cast where a local tribal wildlife law enforcement agent was interviewed and supports the use of non-lead ammunition:
Hunter's federation takes aim at lead ammunition
Check out this Chronicle Herald news article about local hunter's federation encouraging members to use non-lead alternatives in their hunting ammunition.
Yeah to them for taking this stand!
North American Falconers' Association
NAFA has released a position statement on lead in hunting ammunition and fishing tackle. Read the statement on Fly Rod and Reel's Blog from May 28, 2012.
Whitetales summer 2012 article
The authors interviewed 8 Minnesota hunters that used both rifle and shotgun with slugs to harvest deer... some for many years.
Report about hunters voluntarily using copper bullets!
Craighead Beringia South, located in the Jackson, Wyoming area has been testing blood lead levels of ravens and eagles before, during, and after hunting season at the National Elk Refuge and finding donors to help fund the voluntary use of copper bullets for the elk and bison hunt (i.e. give to interested hunters). Read the full article that was printed in the winter 2012 edition of Jackson Hole Magazine and learn the exciting results.
Wander on over to the Craighead Beringia South website to learn more about their non-lead ammunition program.
As the leading scientific and educational organization representing and serving wildlife professionals, The Wildlife Society (TWS) has a responsibility to carefully analyze local, regional, national and international policies, and human activities that have the potential to impact wildlife and their habitats, in North America and beyond.
Izaak Walton League of America passes resolution...
At the League's annual convention in July 2011, a resolution was passed encouraging the use of non-lead ammunition and fishing tackle. Click here to read the full resolution.
Raptor Research Foundation supports use of non-toxic ammunition
The Raptor Research Foundation is an international, scientific society whose primary goal is the accumulation and dissemination of scientific information about raptors world-wide.
Read the RRF position statement written in July 2011 in support of non-toxic ammunition for hunting and refutes the claiim of "no credible science."
Breckenridge (MN) Chapter of the Izaak Walton League Takes Action!
A resolution on lead bullets, shot, sinkers, and jigs was passed by the Breckenridge Chapter on March 8, 2011 and passed by the Minnesota Division of the Izaak Walton League on April 9, 2011. Download and read the complete resolution (531 KB PDF). Check out their website!
Central Iowa radio station daily poll about lead shot
KNIA / KRLS Radio Station in Knoxville / Pella, Iowa has a daily viewer poll. Below is the poll and restults from May 15, 2012. No this is not a scientific poll... but station staff reported that this poll received more total votes than most polls.
Governor Branstad has overruled his appointees to the Iowa Natural Resources Commission, determining that leadf shot can be used in dove hunting. Is the use of lead shot a good idea?
- No, lead shot should be banned (71%, 115 votes)
- Yes, lead shot is OK (29%, 47 votes)
Total voters: 162
Eagles getting sick on food they eat
While this is an old article (3/1/2010) from Native Village Youth and Education News, it is still relevant today.
Lead cuts short flight of some Minnesota bald eagles
Tackling toxic tackle: Minnesota Conservation Volunteer
This May-June 2003 article still hits home almost 10 years later... with the issues of getting the lead out of our recreation pursuits.
This 2001 National Wildlife Federation article: Lead fishing tackle kills loons; with no national policy to fight the problem, conservationists are convincing anglers to switch to nontoxic alternatives.
- Home page
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A Nebraska state senator says she has a solution to help foster care youth transition into adulthood.
Sen. Amanda McGill of Lincoln proposed a bill Tuesday that would help 19 and 20-year-old foster care youth find housing, Medicaid and case management assistance.
McGill says young people leaving the foster care system face significant barriers in looking for employment and entering college.
She says research shows these young adults have greater success transitioning into adulthood when they are supported with state services. McGill says offering support right out of foster care would save the state money down the road.
Nebraska Appleseed, a nonprofit public advocacy group, says it fully supports McGill's bill.
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This past Sunday, The Washington Post published a troubling front-page article about Social Security's financial status and its future. The article repeated widely held misconceptions and used biased language to create the impression of a system in crisis.
In response, a number of progressive leaders have spoken out on blogs and in statements provided to Media Matters.
Dean Baker, economist and co-founder of the Center for Economic Policy Research, writes:
News outlets generally like to claim a separation between their editorial pages and their news pages. The Washington Post has long ignored this distinction in pursuing its agenda for cutting Social Security, however it took a big step further in tearing down this barrier with a lead front page story that would have been excluded from most opinion pages because of all the inaccuracies it contained.
Economist, Nobel laureate, and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman writes:
Dean Baker is angry at the Washington Post for spreading disinformation about Social Security. He's right, of course -- and it's shocking that a well-known fallacy is the subject of a "news analysis" that purports to inform readers.
You see, the WaPo makes a big deal of the fact that Social Security is currently taking in less in payroll taxes than it's paying out in benefits. Yet this means nothing, except as a favorite point used to create confusion by those who want to kill the program.
What you can't do is insist that the trust fund is meaningless, because SS is just part of the budget, then claim that some crisis arises when receipts fall short of payments, because SS is a standalone program. Yet that's exactly what the WaPo claims.
This is what you call negative journalistic value added.
In a post at Campaign for America's Future's blog, Richard Eskow writes:
How can a 2,363 word piece in on Social Security be so densely packed with inaccuracies, falsehoods, and downright lies?
It almost takes a cryptographer to unpack the deceptions contain in an article published Saturday with the headline, "The debt fallout: How Social Security went 'cash negative' earlier than expected."
The piece's author sits us down by the campfire, holds the flashlight up to her chin, and spins a yarn filled with quotes from right-wing ideologues from both parties. Most of her "sources" have a long history of trying to gut Social Security, often under the employ of billionaire former Nixon Cabinet member Pete Peterson (whose own organization, Fiscal Times, provides financial journalism services for thePost. Coincidence? You decide.)
How many quotes are included from the organizations and groups defending Social Security? None.
How many quotes from economists like Paul Krugman, Joseph Stiglitz, and Dean Baker, who have a proven record of accuracy of domestic economic matters? None.
How many quotes from truly nonpartisan observers like Harry C. Ballantyne, the Chief Actuary for Medicare and Social Security appointed by Ronald Reagan who coauthored a report which put the lie to many of these claims? None.
A director of the AARP is quoted, but only so that he can be characterized as the spokesperson for an 'interest group.' conducting a "public relations campaign."
In a letter to the editor of The Washington Post obtained by Media Matters, Max Ritchman, President and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, wrote:
On behalf of millions of Americans who have worked for and earned their Social Security benefits, I take strong exception to Sunday's front-page piece by Lori Montgomery titled "Social Security adding billions to U.S. budget woes." This story is so riddled with factual inaccuracies and biased rhetorical flourishes it has no business in the news section of a major, or that matter, any newspaper.
The entire premise of the piece is built on a foundation of falsehoods that have been perpetrated for decades by those who oppose Social Security with virtually no balance provided for the reader. Bias reported as fact is the hallmark of this story. For example, Social Security's short-term shortfall is not a "treacherous milestone," but indeed a natural consequence of the programs' funding mechanism. Surpluses have been built up in Social Security since the last major reforms in 1983 precisely so funds would be available to pay benefits of the baby boom generation as they began retiring
I strongly urge the Washington Post to limit its editorializing to the appropriate editorial pages and stop disguising opinion as news reporting.
Statement from Edward F. Coyle, executive director of the Alliance for Retired Americans:
We cannot allow politicians or those in the media who have never liked Social Security to use this budget climate as political cover for misleading attacks on a great American success story that has kept generations of seniors out of poverty. Social Security has amassed a $2.6 trillion surplus to prepare for upcoming retirements, and the Treasury Department pays interest to the Social Security Trust Fund on what it borrows.
Statement from Hilary Shelton, director of the NAACP Washington Bureau and senior vice president for advocacy and policy, obtained by Media Matters:
The Washington Post Sunday front page article on Social Security was particularly troublesome in that it recklessly presented erroneous data that led to faulty conclusions on a matter crucial to so many elderly, disabled and young Americans. The article omitted important information about the practice of the government raiding the Social Security Trust Fund at its most robust times. If the American public reading this article had been informed of these strategically important facts, they too would find themselves echoing Harry Reid's words when he asked the detractors of the program to "simply leave it alone."
Statement from Heather Ansley, director of veterans policy at VetsFirst, a program of the United Spinal Association, obtained by Media Matters:
Our veterans have paid into Social Security and that it must be there for our wounded warriors and for veterans entering retirement. Also, we know that Social Security does not contribute to the deficit and believe that it should not be part of the supercommittee discussions.
Statement from Daniel Mintz, campaign director of MoveOn.org, obtained by Media Matters:
More than a year ago, MoveOn sent an email to our 5 million members listing the Top 5 Social Security Myths and debunked them. This Sunday, the Washington Post published a front-page article that, incredibly, managed to present all five myths as if they were fact. This wasn't an accidental misstatement of a detail or two. It was, instead, just the latest instance of a continued campaign in Washington to force an austerity agenda down the country's throat to protect the 1% at the expense of the 99%. Those who subscribe to the Washington Post deserve better, and at the very least, they deserve the truth. The Post should issue a retraction immediately, and needs to keep opinion pieces where they belong, on the opinion pages.
Statement from Heidi Hartmann, president of the Institute for Women's Policy Research, obtained by Media Matters:
The campaign to reduce Social Security benefits is an attack on women, since women rely on Social Security for more years and for a larger share of their income than do men; women are also the majority of Social Security recipients. That the campaign has been able to lease space on the front page of the Washington Post is insidious. The scare headline and language, not to mention the misstatements of the current strength of the system's finances, mislead the public. That the Post's editorial page represents the 1% and not the 99% is well known, but the incursion of the editors' views onto the news pages by masquerading an opinion piece as news is a step too far.
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1/18 - 21 Westminster Host Martin Luther King, Jr. Activities
Brought to you by Westminster’s Diversity Department
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Krista DeAngelis (801) 832-2682
Jan. 11, 2010
SALT LAKE CITY – Westminster will host the following activities to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr.
Monday, January 18: MLK, Jr. Day of Service and March
Westminster's Diversity & International Center and The Center for Civic Engagement will sponsor a January service project focused on collecting items needed by the International Refugee Committee. We will collect items from Jan 4-18, and sort and package them on the 18th. We will also participate with the U of U in the MLK, Jr. Day March.
Tuesday, January 19: “The American Quilt of Song” performance by Charles Holt.
7:30 p.m. Vieve Gore Concert Hall
Some of you may remember Charles Holt’s one-man performance of Black Boy from January 2005. For this year’s performance, he combines discussion and song to highlight the ways that music has historically served as a tool for those with no to little political voice. Holt’s presentation spans the 20th Century; and for you Marvin Gaye fans, he notes that he’s heavy on the 1960’s.
Thursday, January 21, The Power of Dialogue, Shatki Butler, Bastian Foundation Diversity Speaker.
7:30 lecture in Vieve Gore Concert Hall
Dr. Shakti Butler has worked as a creative and visionary bridge builder for over 20 years. Her work challenges and inspires—prompting people to learn about racism, sexism, homophobia, and classism for over 20 years. While executive director of World Trust Educational Services, Dr. Butler created and implemented Heart-to-Heart Conversations, a national program of public dialogue designed to help people learn together and share deep feelings about race and culture. She has also produced and directed documentary films—including The Way Home, Light in the Shadows, and Mirrors of Privilege: Making Whiteness Visible—aimed at facilitating difficult, productive conversations to promote change and understanding among and across groups.
Westminster is a nationally recognized, comprehensive liberal arts college. With a broad array of graduate and undergraduate programs, Westminster is distinguished by its unique environment for learning. Westminster prepares students for success through active and engaged learning, real world experiences and its vibrant campus community. Westminster’s unique location, adjacent to the Rocky Mountains and to the dynamic city of Salt Lake, further enriches the college experience. For more information, visit http://www.westminstercollege.edu or follow WestminsterSLC or WestminsterPR on Twitter.
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France’s lower house of parliament rejected a bill to legalise gay marriage by 293 votes to 222.
The Associated Press reports:
French lawmakers on Tuesday rejected a bill presented by the opposition Socialist Party seeking to legalize same-sex marriage, despite growing public support for gay rights.
The vote reflected opposition to gay marriage among President Nicolas Sarkozy’s governing conservatives and the strain of traditional values that runs through many parts of France — away from the gay-friendly bars and neighborhoods of Paris.
The National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, turned down the measure by 293 votes to 222. Opposition was led by Sarkozy’s UMP, while Socialists and other leftists supported the bill, which said “marriage can be contracted by two people of different sexes or of the same sex.”
Supporters say France has fallen behind the curve on gay rights, as nearby countries like Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands have legalized gay marriage.
Read the full article via THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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On 13th of January 2009 the Finnish newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat, reported on another dispute related to the department store, Stockmann, and particularly, its trade mark HULLUT PÄIVÄT (translation: ‘crazy days’). The trade mark is used as a name of the department store’s bargain sale that takes place twice a year. The last dispute in relation to the mark was concluded in 2005.
According to the newspaper, a small clothing boutique, Crazy, located just a few blocks away from the famous department store, is using an identical mark for their bargain sale. Things are not that clear-cut however, as according to the owner of the boutique, she has been using the trade mark since 1974, whereas Stockmann’s use did not begin until 1986. She claims to have derived the name ‘Crazy days’ for the bargain sale from the name of the boutique, but taking into account the fact that the English language skills were yet to penetrate the Finnish society of the seventies, she decided to use the Finnish translation of instead.
In any case, we might not get to write a case summary on this one. Stockmann has stated that, instead of litigating, it is seeking an amicable settlement of the matter. (The earlier case concluded in 2005 did, however, involve litigation.)
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From John Palmer's How to Brew Chapter 17:
"Sparging is the rinsing of the grain bed to extract as much of the sugars from the grain as possible without extracting mouth-puckering tannins from the grain husks. Typically, 1.5 times as much water is used for sparging as for mashing (e.g., 8 lbs. malt at 2 qt./lb. = 4 gallon mash, so 6 gallons of sparge water). The temperature of the sparge water is important. The water should be no more than 170°F, as husk tannins become more soluble above this temperature, depending on wort pH. This could lead to astringency in the beer."
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What will happen as President Barack Obama enters his second term – Obama to-do list?
The big question – What’s next on the newly re-elected U.S. President Barack Obama agenda – Obama to-do list? He may be the most powerful man in the world, but his real power is limited, as close to half of Americans oppose him and his political adversaries have made a firm decision to undermine his every move.
Here’s what one of the most powerful Washington Insider thinks is going to happen, one of the top lobbying firms in D.C., Patton Boggs has released its forecast for what it expects will happen as the president of United States of America Barack Obama enters his second term.
Afghanistan and Pakistan - President Barack Obama will stand by his decision to withdraw U.S. combat troops from Afghanistan by 2014. United States will continue to be clear with Pakistan’s civilian and military leadership that it will refuse to take off the table future drone strikes and other potential operations involving Al Qaeda-affiliated targets in Pakistani territory.
Iran and Syria- the Obama Administration will continue to focus on enforcing and selectively expanding multilateral (and corresponding unilateral) sanctions in order to intensify the pressure against the Iranian Government as it pursues its nuclear enrichment program — It is doubtful the Obama Administration will intervene militarily in Syria.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton - Hillary Clinton will depart as President Obama’s second term begins, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry is a candidate to succeed Secretary Clinton. Other candidates to replace Clinton include:
- U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice, “as befitting her rapid rise through the Democratic foreign policy establishment.”
- Departing Senator Richard Lugar (R-Ind.)
- Congressman Howard Berman (D-Calif.), who just lost his seat to fellow Democratic Congressman Brad Sherman as a result of redistricting.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano - The report predicts that Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano will likely remain in Obama’s Cabinet for a second term … she is rumored to want the Attorney General job if Eric Holder departs.
If Janet Napolitano moves to Eric Holde position, Here’s who Patton might replace her if that happens:
- Retiring Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT)
- New York City Police Chief Ray Kelly
- Former Los Angeles Police Chief and former New York City Police Commissioner Bill Bratton
- Former Congresswoman Jane Harman (D-CA)
- Former Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen
Secretary of Defense- With Leon Panetta stepping down as Secretary of Defense, former Undersecretary of Defense Michelle Flournoy is the likeliest candidate for the job. According to Patton Boggs, “most Pentagon watchers consider [Flournoy] to be the leading candidate to succeed” Panetta. Other leading candidates named in the report include Senate Armed Services Committee Member Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Deputy Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, and former Clinton Secretary of the Navy Richard Danzig.
Treasury Secretary – As Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner prepares to exit, Here’s the shortlist to replace Tim Geithner at the Treasury:
- Former Clinton White House Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles
- White House Chief of Staff Jacob Lew
- Evercore CEO and former Deputy Treasury Secretary Roger Altman
- BlackRock CEO Larry Fink
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Franklin Furnace, Ohio – The Ohio Boating Education Course will be offered December 8, 2012 at the Scioto County Watercraft Field Office, Franklin Furnace, Ohio 45629, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Watercraft. The fee for the course is $5 which covers the cost of course materials. Interested persons may register to take the course by calling 740-353-7668.
The Ohio Boating Education Course covers a variety of boating topics such as the navigation rules of the road, boating and personal safety equipment, navigational signage, Ohio boating laws and much more. Approximately 12,000 Ohioans complete an approved boating safety education course each year.
Ohio law requires any person born on or after January 1, 1982 to be able to show proof they have successfully completed an approved boating safety education course if they operate any watercraft powered by a motor greater than 10 horsepower. For additional information on Ohio’s boating requirements, education classes and other boating opportunities and programs, contact the Division of Watercraft at (local phone number) and visit the agency’s web site at HYPERLINK “http://www.ohiodnr.com” www.ohiodnr.com.
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MALDEF Blocks Texas’ Discriminatory Voter-ID Law in Federal Court
Court Holds Texas Law Will Harm Minority Voters
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, a federal court in Washington DC issued a ruling in Texas v. Holder denying preclearance under the Voting Rights Act for Texas' proposed voter ID law. The court concluded that Texas was unable to show that its voter identification law was non-discriminatory. Moreover, the court found that the law will weigh more heavily on the poor and racial minorities in the state, which is likely to reduce minority voter strength overall. This is precisely what the Voting Rights Act was enacted to prevent. MALDEF along with other civil rights organizations intervened in the lawsuit – brought by Texas against attorney General Eric Holder – to defend the rights of minority voters.
After examining the law's discriminatory effect on minorities, the court further concluded that Texas' voter identification law was "the most stringent in the country." While the court did not rule out all voter identification laws, the decision makes clear that voter identification laws must be flexible to ensure that all voters have a way to secure identification for the purpose of voting. This is a significant victory for Latino voters in Texas that underscores the continuing need for the Voting Rights Act.
Thomas A. Saenz, MALDEF President and General Counsel, stated, "Democracy in Texas has a brighter future today as a result of this decision. The court saw through the obfuscation that characterizes so much of the policy debate around voter suppression measures that masquerade as efforts to target virtually non-existent voter fraud. The fact is that voter identification requirements impose real costs on democracy and specifically on voters whose views need to be valued and expressed in our democracy."
MALDEF Vice President of Litigation Nina Perales, added, "The court found that Texas not only enacted the strictest voter ID law in the nation but also that the state legislature rejected amendments that would have lessened the burdens on voters, such as allowing voters to present student ID or Medicare ID cards. Today's decision demonstrates the continuing need for the Voting Rights Act to protect voters from discriminatory and onerous laws such as this."
In the case, MALDEF represented the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project and Mi Familia Vota Educational Fund as well as Latino voters who lacked voter ID. This decision follows the August 28th ruling by a different federal panel in Texas v. United States denying preclearance under the Voting Rights Act to three Texas redistricting plans. Voter ID and redistricting are the two most significant voting laws that Texas has passed since 2003, and both have now been deemed discriminatory by federal courts.
To access the court’s decision, click here.
Founded in 1968, MALDEF is the nation's leading Latino legal civil rights organization. Often described as the "law firm of the Latino community," MALDEF promotes social change through advocacy, communications, community education, and litigation in the areas of education, employment, immigrant rights, and political access. For more information on MALDEF, please visit: www.maldef.org.
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Green Building Best Practices
The top 4 things to consider before choosing your interior finishes and adhesives:
Toxicity - some common building products emit unpleasant and even dangerous fumes that can persist long after homeowners have moved in.
Durability - Building materials that hold up to the rigors of family life are worth the investment, reducing the frequency of repairs or replacement and making interiors less troublesome to maintain.
Resource conservation - Reusing salvaged materials or choosing products that have been made with recycled material means fewer resources have to be committed to making something new.
Sustainability - The best choices are products that are renewable
Green Seal, an independent nonprofit organization that offers green product certification has created criteria for evaluating paint that prohibit some toxic compounds and limit others. Methylene chloride, benzene, vinyl chloride, phthalates, and ketones, for example, are on the list of materials that are completely banned. Standards also require paints to meet performance standards for hiding power (opacity), scrubability (abrasion resistance), and ease of maintenance (stain removal).
Interior finishes come as one of the last stages of construction. Decisions about these materials are important for their potential effect on the health of the people who will in the house, as well as how much money they'll spend to maintain it.
Choosing a Paint
Choosing a low/no-VOC paint is only half the battle. You also have to consider any tints that are added to color the paint. Choose the color you want first, then find out from the manufacturer whether the tints needed to make it add VOCs back into the paint. Pastel colors typically have the fewest VOCs and dark colors have more.
Low-VOC paints should be applied with plenty of ventilation, just like conventional paints. When possible, keep windows and doors open. You can keep fumes downwind by placing a fan in the doorway so it blows air out of the room, or an exhaust fan in a window. Work your way through the room so you're always upwind of fresh paint.
Wood finishes, particularly solvent-based floor finishes, can be especially harmful to the health of children. There are a range of water-based products that perform almost as well without the potential hazard. But be aware, they don't behave or look exactly like their solvent-based equivalents - they don't penetrate the wood in the same way, so they don't impart the same amber quality to bare wood.
Consider BonaKem for low-VOC floor finishes with various levels of durability and AFM Safecoat for VOC water-based finishes and very low-VOC, no formaldehyde Polyureseal BP® that can be applied as an alternative to solvent-based finishes.
Low-VOC Adhesives and Caulks
The highest concentration of known carcinogens are found in solvent-based adhesives. There is no reason to continue using these products. Virtually all major manufacturers offer urethane-based adhesives that are not only stronger but bond to wet wood, a problem for solvent-based adhesives.
Look for the VOC content on the tube or can, it should be less than 150 g/l and lower if possible.
No matter what kind of drywall you use it will need priming and painting. An alternative for indoor wall finishes is natural plaster, a popular finish material available in a variety of colors that's applied to primed and sealed gypsum drywall, blue board, or other suitable substrate. Plasters are thought of as living finishes and may take some extra care to maintain if you experience a crack or chip in the surface. They are very natural, breathable surface covers that are often preferable for clients with chemical sensitivities, as they do not contain any VOCs.
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When most of us think about a bus, the instant image that comes to mind is that old dilapidated school vehicle that, as children, ferried us to and from a hard day of education and even a harder day on the playground.
But today there are many benefits to chartering a bus for an organisation and the quality of the transportation received guarantees that there will be no sticky chewing gum under the seats.
Enhance Business Opportunities in a Bus
First and foremost, a bus is an ideal way to bring people together and break down some of those barriers that can often build at the beginning of a business meeting or corporate event.
Though travelling for work can be a very solitary process, by using a bus for charter it is possible to bring employees, clients and potential customers together in an informal setting encouraging early relationships and ensuring that less time has to be taken up on arrival trying to break the ice between the people that really need to connect.
Look for a vehicle that offers a professional service with multimedia opportunities for a great way to disseminate even the most detailed of information to your passengers. With such a captive audience everyone is ready and willing to watch any entertainment provided in an attempt to avoid boredom and it is an ideal way to set the mood for the day.
If long introductions are required at the beginning of a meeting or if a formal briefing is needed, why not use the journey as a time to complete the initial formalities so that the arrival will be just the break required to change the mood and prepare everyone for a productive and enjoyable day.
Along with the benefits of bringing people together, a bus for charter also stops passengers having to worry about drink driving. With the appropriate transport provided, guests can relax with a glass of wine over dinner or party into the night without having to concern themselves about how they are going to get home.
Create Some Mystery
For corporate events and achievement trips, bus travel can provide a level of anticipation to any occasion. By picking up the team at a designated point and then taking them to their final destination, it is possible to create an air of mystery and excitement that will make the run up to an event even more intriguing and add an element to the day that is quite unexpected.
Don’t Forget the Journey Home
It is usually the case that when you leave an important meeting or business opportunity that you reflect and consider how the day went. This could include who you weren’t able to speak to and points you did not have time to get across.
Well, instead of wasting the journey home wishing things were different use the bus journey to provide the opportunity to consolidate the benefits of the day and tie up those last few ends to make a bus for charter one of the best decisions you have made for your business.
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Sound Consumer | January 2004
by Bart Walton, M.Ac., L.Ac.
(January 2004) — There are many possible reasons for insomnia. Stress, emotional upset, indigestion, pain, dysfunction of the organs, hormonal imbalance, internal heat, toxicity or any combination of these can disrupt our sleep. And some people simply have difficulty establishing and maintaining a consistent cyclical sleep pattern — what I refer to as a bio-rhythmic imbalance.
But in all these cases, the one common factor is that insomniacs experience too much activity in the brain at night when they're trying to sleep. In conventional medical terms, the sympathetic nervous system is dominant over the parasympathetic. In traditional acupuncture terms, heat or energy in the body is not grounded and is rising to the head at night.
Acupuncture and moxibustion work beautifully together in order to balance the autonomic nervous system and help the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems work together in a harmonious way. Or, put another way, acupuncture and moxibustion help remove blockages so the body's energy will be distributed in a balanced way. Often this is enough to restore a normal and restful sleep pattern.
If a patient comes to see me shortly after the onset of a sleep disturbance, it's usually a simple matter to resolve the problem within one or two treatments. But more often, the patient comes after months or years of sleep disturbance and after having tried several other therapies. In cases like this, insomnia is usually more stubborn and, in addition to a number of acupuncture treatments, I will prescribe diet and lifestyle changes. In some cases, herbal medicine may be recommended for a brief period to help correct the imbalance.
Aside from acupuncture and herbal medicine, here are a few home remedies that many of my patients have used successfully to help regain a regular and healthy sleep pattern. These recommendations are very safe and effective 75 percent of the time.
- Diet — Most people are unaware of the stimulating effect of many common foods and spices. For insomniacs, it is very important to avoid all stimulants, particularly after the noon meal. Aside from the obvious stimulants such as coffee, tea and soft drinks, certain spices stimulate the nerves or create heat in the body, which can disturb our sleep. Try to avoid spicy foods or at least try to eat them in the middle of the day, so that by bedtime their effect has diminished. In the evening, eat a lighter meal and avoid fried, broiled or greasy foods. Also, in the evening, avoid alcohol (including beer and wine) black pepper, cayenne, ginger, cloves and garlic. And keep salt to a minimum.
- Supplements — People with insomnia often have a calcium and/or magnesium imbalance. First, I suggest magnesium citrate (200 mg in the morning and 200 mg before bed). If magnesium alone does not help after a few days, add 200 to 400 mg calcium at bedtime.
- Herbs — Avoid herbs that can increase heat in the body. Also, I would not use sedative herbs such as valerian, passionflower and hops — for the same reason that I'd avoid prescription medication. It's best to allow the brain chemistry to right itself naturally, which it usually will do over time if habitual stimulation is brought under control. If herbs are needed, I recommend formulas specifically designed to tonify and nourish the nervous system. In this case, seek the advice of a professional Ayurvedic or Chinese herbalist.
- Exercise — Of all the self-help advice, nothing is more effective than daily exercise in order to balance the body's energy, improve the circulation and assist in the elimination of toxins. If you have a serious health condition, it is important to exercise carefully and not overdo it.
- Hot footbath — Soak the feet and ankles in a bucket or tub of hot water for 20 minutes before bed.
- Foot rubbing — Before bed, sit cross-legged or in a chair and stroke one foot at a time (with the opposite hand) lengthwise and with medium to strong pressure, at least 200 strokes. Use a few drops of sesame oil on each foot during this process. Then put on some warm socks and go to bed.
- Avoid napping during the day, avoid eating and exercise after 7 p.m. and avoid hot baths. (Warm baths are fine, but hot baths are counter productive)
- Above all, if you can't sleep for a few nights, don't worry. No one ever died from insomnia. Even if you just lay quietly in a dark room for six to eight hours, you're getting more rest than you might imagine. The next day, you'll probably function better than you think.
If you have tried all these suggestions and still can't sleep, you may have a bio-rhythmic imbalance. In this case, I recommend the book Desperately Seeking Snoozin' by John Wiedman (Towering Pines Press). This is by far the best book on the market for insomniacs who have a problem maintaining a normal sleep pattern. Mr. Wiedman's protocol requires some discipline, but it works over the long term and for many people has proven to be a godsend.
Bart Walton, M.Ac., is a Washington-state-licensed acupuncturist with a private practice in the Green Lake area of Seattle. He has a master of acupuncture degree from Northwest Institute of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and specializes in Japanese style acupuncture and moxibustion. Contact him at 206-527-9672 or
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One of Envision Schools's four principles is about building relationships. Often, the difference between a student graduating and going to college and a student not finishing school or going on to college is the relationship that student has with just one adult at school who knows him or her well, believes in the student's ability to succeed, and will not let him or her fail.
Before she attended a summer leadership event sponsored by Girl Scouts of the U.S.A., Allie, a sixteen-year-old from Pasadena, California, says she had heard both of these words: social and entrepreneur. "But," she adds, "I had never put them together before." Now, after taking part in the Girl Scouts Challenge and Change program, she feels inspired to become a social entrepreneur herself.
I first met Greg Tuke a decade ago when he was running a program called Powerful Schools. The nonprofit organization was working to strengthen schools serving some of the lowest-income and most culturally diverse neighborhoods in Seattle.
The theme for this first year of our arts@newman program could best be expressed with the statement "We live storied lives." Throughout the year, we have been exploring how the arts can help us both understand our stories more deeply and express those stories to others.
When teachers talk about how much they and their students gain by connecting with learners in other parts of the world, their enthusiasm is downright contagious. Yet for all the promise of learning across distances, these wonderful flat-world projects still seem to be the exception rather than the norm.
When Ashraf Ghani talks about world events, his words carry the weight of experience: After twenty-three years of exile from his native Afghanistan, he returned after the fall of the Taliban to serve as finance minister for the transitional government. A veteran of the World Bank and recently on the short list of finalists to head the United Nations, he continues working to rebuild societies torn asunder.
When Debbie Heimowitz talks about cyberbullying at school assemblies or presents training events for teachers, she speaks with authority. She knows the statistics. She understands the potential for real harm if bullies use the anonymity of technology to gang up on their victims.
I spent the weekend extending a stone wall I have been working on over the years. Now, before you get too impressed, please understand that my effort this weekend was only about 8 feet long and about 2 feet or so from the ground to the capstones.
My family and I were witnesses to a magnificent display of courage and fortitude last year as our Natalia Independent School District girls' and boys' basketball teams faced the teams from the nearby Lutheran school.
I am writing this at the end of the annual conference of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), in New Orleans, where 10,000 attendees chose from over 400 sessions. But the big news, as far as I am concerned, is that social and emotional learning (SEL) is alive and well, represented by presentations from all over the United States and internationally.
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Beirut: Falling back on the tactics that have kept his family in power for more than 40 years, Syrian President Bashar Al Assad is gambling that fear — not reform — will break the popular revolt against his autocratic rule.
Al Assad's initial reaction to the uprising that began last month was to couple dry promises of reform with force to quell the discontent and keep his grip on power.
But when protests only grew, he turned to his overwhelming military power, intimidation, and terror — methods perfected by his late father, Hafez, who crushed an uprising in 1982 by shelling the town of Hama. Amnesty International has claimed that 10,000-25,000 were killed, though conflicting figures exist and the Syrian government has made no official estimate.
For the next two decades, until his death, Hafez Al Assad ruled uncontested and the massacre was seared into the minds of Syrians.
Though Bashar Al Assad has not done anything on the scale of the Hama massacre in his 11 years in power, his crackdown in recent days has evoked memories of his father's brutal legacy.
"There is an element of ‘shock and awe' to the operation," said Joshua Landis, an American professor and Syria expert who runs an influential blog called Syria Comment. "Tanks are clearly not useful for suppressing an urban rebellion, but they demonstrate the superior firepower of the state and the determination of the president."
The escalating crackdown, relying more each day on military force, has killed more than 150 Syrians just since the weekend.
In a new phase that began this week, Al Assad sent thousands of soldiers rolling into cities, backed by tanks and snipers. His security forces made sweeping arrests, dragging people from their homes along with their families.
One Syrian in a city under military control said a man, his father and brothers were arrested just because they had an internet connection.
In Daraa, the now-besieged southern city where the uprising began five weeks ago, soldiers were stationed at cemeteries, keeping tabs on relatives of those killed protesting.
Water and power have been cut in Daraa, with at least 42 people killed since troops stormed in, a rights activist said yesterday.
"The situation is worsening. We have neither doctors nor medical supplies, not even baby milk. The electricity is always cut and we haven't any more water," Abdullah Abazid said in Nicosia by telephone from Daraa, 100 kilometres south of Damascus.
The military deployment was an abrupt shift in strategy, from reacting to protests with force to pre-emptive military occupations of restive cities, towns and suburbs of the capital Damascus.
The use of overwhelming brute force to quell an uprising worked for Syria's close ally Iran when it quelled the 2009 ‘Green Revolution' triggered by a disputed presidential election.
Deadliest day of rebellion
On the deadliest day of the Syrian rebellion last Friday — when more than 100 people were killed — US President Barack Obama accused Al Assad of seeking Iranian help to use "the same brutal tactics" unleashed against demonstrators almost two years ago in Tehran.
Still, the stepped-up use of force show no signs of quelling the uprising in the short-term. To the contrary, the opposition has broken the barrier of fear, keeping up and stepping up their street protests despite the brutal crackdown that has killed more than 400 people since mid-March.
If anything, protesters enraged by the mounting death toll are escalating their demands to nothing less than the downfall of the regime. With that, the possibility of a drawn out and bloody conflict looms.
And unlike in Egypt and Tunisia, where popular uprisings succeeded in short order in upending a long-standing autocratic ruler, Syria's power structure is dominated by Al Assad's long-reigning Alawite sect that will be much harder to overturn.
Al Assad has played on fears of sectarian strife — so clearly destructive in neighbouring Iraq and Lebanon — to persuade the public that the protests will bring nothing but chaos.
Syria has multiple sectarian divisions, largely kept in check under Al Assad's heavy hand and his regime's secular ideology. Most significantly, the majority of the population is Sunni Muslim, but Al Assad and the ruling elite belong to the minority Alawite sect.
Bleak outlook: army battles dilemma
The armies of Egypt and Tunisia sided with demonstrators in a final blow to the regimes, but Syria's protesters, cannot count on that kind of support.
Bashar Al Assad, and his father before him, stacked key military posts with members of their minority Alawite sect, ensuring the loyalty of the armed forces by melding the fate of the army and the regime.
So far, the military has stuck behind Al Assad, although there have been smatterings of dissent within the ranks. Two witnesses in Daraa said soldiers were refusing orders to detain people, instead allowing them to pass through checkpoints to find food and water, days after the water and electricity services were cut. Still, the resolve of protesters could buckle under a prolonged campaign of killings, beatings and torture.
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