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coondoggie writes with an update on the Mars Science Laboratory. From the article: "Even as it hurtles towards an August 5 rendezvous with the red planet, NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) is being fine-tuned for a more precise landing and better operations once it reaches its destination. NASA today gave a status report for the MSL which was launched November 2011, and is still over 17.5 million kilometers away from Mars. Of major interest today was the fact NASA said it has narrowed landing target for the Mars rover, Curiosity letting it touch down closer to its ultimate destination for science operations, but also closer to the foot of a mountain slope that poses a landing hazard, the agency said." From NASA: "The larger ellipse, 12.4 miles (20 kilometers) by 15.5 miles (25 kilometers) was already smaller than the landing target area for any previous Mars mission, due to this mission's techniques for improved landing precision. Continuing analysis after the Nov. 26, 2011, launch resulted in confidence in landing within an even smaller area [handy diagram], about 12 miles by 4 miles (20 by 7 kilometers). Using the smaller ellipse, the Mars Science Laboratory Project also moved the center of the target closer to the mountain, which holds geological layers that are the prime destination for the rover. ... 'We're trimming the distance we'll have to drive after landing by almost half,' said Pete Theisinger, Mars Science Laboratory project manager ... 'That could get us to the mountain months earlier.'"
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Concept maps and nursing theory: a pedagogical approach.
ABSTRACT Faculty seek to teach nursing students how to link clinical and theoretical knowledge with the intent of improving patient outcomes. The author discusses an innovative 9-week concept mapping activity as a pedagogical approach to teach nursing theory in a graduate theory course. Weekly concept map building increased student engagement and fostered theoretical thinking. Unexpectedly, this activity also benefited students through group work and its ability to enhance theory-practice knowledge.
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The Finance Concentration
Want to be in an area that is at the center of operations for all companies? Want to achieve high earnings? Want to move quickly into a position with decision-making responsibilities? Finance could be the choice for you.
With a concentration in finance, you will gain:
- the ability to analyze complex capital budgeting problems
- the ability to assess investment opportunities for institutes and individuals
- an understanding of the techniques needed to finance corporate operations and expansion
- the ability to communicate financial concepts to others
Finance graduates can choose from careers that include banking, financial planning, corporate finance, financial analysis, insurance, real estate, cash management and forecasting.
Courses in your freshman and sophomore years include management calculus, financial and managerial accounting, macroeconomics, statistics and marketing principles. In your junior and senior years, areas of study include business finance, operations management, management information systems, organizational behavior, capital planning and other courses depending on the particular track you follow.
Finance Concentration Brochure (pdf)
Click for a list of Finance Courses.
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Report of work to date delivered to the Hands off China AGM (held on 7 February, 2009) by the acting secretary, Carlos Rule.
As you know, Hands off China was set up in June last year on the initiative of the Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist), at a time when the imperialist (and much of the so-called ‘left’) media was awash with anti-Chinese propaganda. Many enemies of China felt that the preparations for the Beijing Olympics offered a unique opportunity to spread lies about China, in particular its human rights record and its alleged colonisation of Tibet. Luminaries of the social-democratic left were lining up to slander China. Indeed, Jeremy Corbyn wrote in the Morning Star: “What a fantastic wake-up call it would be for the whole world if the Olympic Games had to be suspended to allow the air to clear to make it safe for athletes to compete.”
No political organisation in this country was standing up for China in a meaningful way at that time. The British working class was getting a consistently anti-China message from the ruling class and its representatives in the left, and the British working class movement found itself in the curious position of not understanding and not trusting China - the strongest anti-imperialist force in the world today.
In setting up Hands off China, we established a set of clear aims, which continue to be relevant: defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the PRC against imperialism and its stooges; supporting the ‘One China’ principle and the PRC’s just stands on such issues of its vital national interest as Taiwan and Tibet; refuting hostile propaganda and misinformation of the capitalist media and others against the PRC; upholding the great revolutionary traditions of the Chinese communists, working class and people; supporting the achievements of the Chinese people in eliminating poverty and building a strong, powerful and modernised socialist country; supporting the PRC’s contributions to realising a multi-polar and peaceful world and to the independent, anti-imperialist development of the countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America; and supporting Chinese workers, students and other members of the Chinese community in Britain in their struggles against racism and for their rights.
Over the last eight months, we have made significant progress in relation to those aims.
Our launch meeting was held on 19 July, at the Kings Cross Neighbourhood Centre. Although organised at short notice, it was a well-attended and spirited event, with an all-star cast of speakers and an enthusiastic audience. The speakers included our honorary president, Jack Shapiro; two of our patrons, Kojo Amoo Gottfried and Avtar Jouhl; as well as comrades Keith Bennett and Harpal Brar. In addition to talking about the need to support China generally, the speakers all made reference to the Sichuan earthquake disaster that occurred in May 2008 and the Chinese state’s extraordinarily swift and decisive response to it.
The speeches highlighted the need to support China as a matter of proletarian internationalist duty. This is summed up very well by Keith, who said:
“The goal we have set ourselves of defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the People’s Republic of China is not simply something we seek to do as friends of China, although we are, of course, very good friends of China. This work is the cutting edge of the international class struggle, and it has a bearing on all the other contradictions at play on the international scene, on the peoples’ struggles in every part of the world. This work is our internationalist duty.”
It was a very vibrant meeting, and its effect was multiplied many times over when a report was featured in Xinhua and syndicated to news organisations across China and beyond. The report, entitled ‘Britain’s Communist Party launches Hand-0ff-China campaign’, was published along with a lovely picture of Comrade Harpal in front of the Hands off China banner (which had been produced just a few days earlier!).
The following resolution was proposed and unanimously adopted at the meeting:
“This launch meeting of the Hands off China campaign extends its condolences to the Chinese people in respect of the Sichuan earthquake disaster. We also express our highest appreciation to the leaders of China, the Communist Party of China, the People’s Liberation Army and the Chinese people for the extraordinary, heroic, widespread and thoroughgoing recovery that is taking place. This response demonstrates the unity of will of the Chinese people and leadership, and also the inherent superiority of socialism over capitalism.
“We also take this opportunity to offer our full support and best wishes for the coming Beijing Olympic Games, which we are certain will be a tremendous success, in spite of the desperate imperialist attempts to subvert them.”
The next public meeting of the campaign was held in Southall, west London, on Saturday 4 October, in celebration of the 59th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. A diverse audience of over 80 people packed into Southall’s Saklatvala Hall to attend this highly spirited meeting, which was jointly organised by Hands off China and the CPGB-ML. Speakers included Jack Shapiro, Kojo Amoo Gottfried, Taimur Rahman (Communist Workers’ and Peasants’ Party, Pakistan), Hardev Dhillon (Indian Workers Association), Keith Bennett, Mohammed Arif and Harpal Brar, and messages of support were read out from our patron Isabel Crook (a veteran communist revolutionary who lives in China) and Vidya Sagar Anand (writer and veteran political activist in the Asian community).
The text of the resolution passed at the meeting is as follows:
This meeting, organised by Hands off China and the Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist), in celebration of the 59th founding anniversary of the People’s Republic of China conveys its warm fraternal greetings to the Communist Party of China, the government of the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese people.
We take this opportunity to renew our heartfelt congratulations on the huge success of the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics as well as the Shenzhou-7 mission, in particular the space walk. Through these epic events, the people of the whole world have been able to see the enormous progress and tremendous achievements of socialist China, which stand in stark and growing contrast to the crisis, chaos and despondency now gripping the capitalist world.
We reaffirm our invariable solidarity with the Chinese party, government and people in their struggle to build a powerful, modernised and prosperous socialist nation, to reunify the country and to contribute to the building of an independent and peaceful world against imperialist aggression and war.
Long live Marxism-Leninism and proletarian internationalism!
Long live the People’s Republic of China!
Forward to the 60th anniversary!
This meeting was also reported in Xinhua and all other major Chinese print and online news publications.
The first meeting of Hands off China to take place outside London was held in Bristol on 12 October at the Malcolm X Community Centre, St Pauls. This meeting was addressed by Keith Bennett and chaired by Giles Shorter. Comrade Keith noted the significance of the meeting being held in the Malcolm X Centre - Malcolm X made a significant contribution to the struggle against imperialism, and was highly supportive and appreciative of the role played by post-revolutionary China in that struggle.
Following Keith’s presentation, there was a lively and useful discussion. Extensive discussion took place on the question of Tibet, as a small number of people in the audience were calling for Tibetan independence and criticising the PRC’s supposed aggression against the Tibetan people. The speakers, as well as members of the audience, pointed out that Tibet had been part of China for centuries and had made no claim for independence until a decade after the Chinese revolution (when the successful development of infrastructure under the PRC was undermining the feudal control of the Dalai Lama and his cohorts). Indeed, the very concept of ‘Tibetan independence’ was a creation of British imperialism.
Comrades noted that, as part of the PRC, Tibet has benefited from investment in infrastructure, provision of schools, books, healthcare and the abolition of the barbaric feudal system under which the Tibetan people had suffered for centuries. Furthermore, Tibetan culture and language have been consistently supported and have thrived. If Tibet were to break from China, it would certainly not become any more independent.
Another Hands off China public meeting was held in Woolwich, south-east London, on 25 January, at the Shaheed Udham Singh Asian Community Centre. This meeting was jointly organised by Hands off China and the Greenwich & Bexley Branch of the Indian Workers Association (Great Britain). The organisers did an excellent job mobilising people from the local community, and there were around 60 people, ranging from teens to people in their 80s.
The speeches, from comrades Harpal Brar, Keith Bennett, Carlos Rule and Hardev Dhillon, were very well received. The entire meeting was conducted in English and Punjabi, and the dinner after the meeting was provided free by a local restaurant sympathetic to our cause.
The Hands off China blog was launched on 18 June, very soon after the formation of the campaign. In that time, there have been nearly 70 blog posts – advertising meetings, displaying leaflets, or linking to important articles in the Chinese press and elsewhere. The blog gets a reasonably high volume of traffic, and there have been around 50 comments.
We also have a Facebook group, with around 300 members, and the YouTube videos of the speeches at the National Day meeting have been viewed hundreds of times.
We have also produced, and distributed widely, a leaflet entitled ‘Reasons to support China’. This leaflet contains bullet points about the incredible strides forward made by the Chinese people since 1949, the living standards in China, the effects of the poverty alleviation programme, China’s record of support for developing countries, and China’s focus on ecologically sustainable development. Thousands of copies of this leaflet have been printed and distributed.
Some Hands off China material has even been printed in Italian, in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland, where some comrades have set up a Giù le mani dalla Cina (Hands off China) group.
In just eight months, we have achieved a great deal. This year, with the contradictions of imperialism becoming ever sharper, there will doubtless be a great deal of antipathy to socialist China from the bourgeoisie and its social-democratic hangers-on. Therefore, there is a lot of important work for us to do. We must get our literature out far and wide and hold meetings in different parts of the country. We must take our message further afield and deeper into the working class, which must come to appreciate that China is a crucial ally in the struggle for progress.
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This week we had another visitor in our water tray!
There were 2 fish. The children were very brave and held them and touched them. They enjoyed describing what it felt like. Can you write what you think it might be like to touch a real fish? Or if you did hold it, can you tell us all what it was like?
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Drinking: Consumption and Harm
is much more than the price paid for a drink at the corner market or
in July 2008 a large gathering of public health experts, policymakers,
and community activitists ticked away in real time the incredible economic
costs ($1,200 per second) incidents of harm (100 per hour) and deaths
(1 per hour) associated with alcohol consumption in California. Alcohol
costs California $38 billion annually, far outpacing the costs of natural
disasters like earthquakes, fires, and mud slides in California. And
unlike natural disasters, which come along infrequently, the catastrophe
of alcohol in California happens annually, with devastating effects,
and can be prevented.
The cost is substantial, especially the cost of underage drinking.
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS), Institute of Medicine's landmark
report to Congress in September 2003, "Reducing Underage Drinking:
a Collective Responsibility" found that underage alcohol use costs
the nation an estimated $53 billion annually. The costs include:
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Bronski Beat Biography
FORMED: 1983, London, England
British pop band.
The band was set up by keyboard players Steve Bronski with Larry Steinbachek, and lead singer Jimmy Somerville.
This may have been the first openly gay pop group in Britain, or even the world. They first established themselves at gay venues in London, and then were given a support slot for a Tina Turner show. They were then signed by London Records. The group were successful in the British pop charts in 1984, and then in the US charts in 1985. Their song Smalltown Boy, with its video, referred to the dangers of being queerbashed in provincial Britain. It reached number 3 in the UK charts and also did well in the US and in Europe. Their debut album Age of Consent, which included a pink triangle on the cover, sold more than a million copies. Other hits were Tell Me Why and It Ain't Necessarily So.
In the summer of 1984 they supported Elton John at a concert at Wembley in London.
They went on a major tour of the UK in the 1984/5 winter.
Early in 1985 they teamed up with Marc Almond for a version of Donna Summer's I Feel Love which was interwoven with Love To Love You Baby and Johnny Remember Me. The single reached number 3 in the UK charts.
Jimmy Somerville left the band in April 1985 after disagreements over politics, and later was a member of the Communards.
John Foster was taken on as the replacement, and the group's single Hit That Perfect Beat reached number 3 in the UK charts.
John Foster was replaced in 1988 by the 22-year-old Jonathan Hollyer.
Please click here to submit the latest Bronski Beat biography
The following area is only for review,
Recommend the artist to your friends.
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The 18th Police District would like to cordially invite the members of our community to participate in our upcoming Crime Prevention Event.The event is scheduled for Friday March 29, 2013 from 10:00AM to 3:00PM at the Sayre High School parking lot, located at 5800 Walnut St in the rear.
Our goal is to spread awareness and participation of the below listed programs that will help combat property related crimes in our community. ALL PROGRAMS ARE FREE TO THE PUBLIC.
The Philadelphia Police Department would like to announce the implementation of a new program to help prevent and deter burglaries and thefts, as well as assist in the recovery of stolen items. The Operation ID program will provide to citizens, free of charge, a registration form, item stickers and window stickers which will be imprinted with a unique identifier. These stickers should be placed on any valuable items in your home. Citizens will also be provided with window stickers, announcing to would-be burglars that your possessions have been labeled and will be difficult to resell. It can be considered solid evidence of a crime if a person is found to be in possession of labeled property and labeled property can be traced with relative ease.
Operation ID will act as a crime deterrent, facilitate identification of stolen items and assist in criminal prosecution. For further information members of the public can go to their nearest Police District or information can be downloaded below.
Operation ID information brochure [PDF]
Operation ID enrollment form [PDF]
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The controversy over ‘new normal’—a concept of lower global GDP growth for the foreseeable future and coined by Bill Gross and his colleagues at Pacific Investment Management Co. (PIMCO)—continues to grow. Famed money manager Ken Fisher (left) called it “idiotic” at a recent gathering in Sydney, Australia, and it was a hot topic at this year’s Schwab Impact 2010 conference in Boston.
A report on Monday from Bloomberg will certainly add to the debate. The news service finds the rally that added about $2 trillion to U.S. equity values since July is telling money managers like Fisher that the new normal era of slower economic growth and lower stock returns has yet to arrive.
Bloomberg reports mining shares, automakers and retailers whose earnings are most tied to the economy have paced the 16% advance in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index since July 2. The gauge surged 13% in September and October, the biggest rally for the two months since 1998. The U.S. economy grew at a 2% annual pace in the third quarter, the government said Oct. 29.
As Bloomberg notes, PIMCO, which oversees the world’s biggest bond mutual fund, said in May 2009 that rising government deficits and regulation would hold gains in equities and bonds below historical averages. Mohamed El-Erian (left), PIMCO’s co-chief investment officer, said last week that his projection has a 55% chance of coming true.
“Of the leading economic indicators, one of the most important is the stock market,” Laszlo Birinyi, whose Westport, Conn.-based Birinyi Associates Inc. advised clients to buy stocks when the S&P 500 began rising from a 12-year low in March 2009, told Bloomberg. “The market’s saying something, and it’s saying the economy is going to be surprising on the upside.”
“Investors must respect this rather tortuous journey in the months and years ahead for what it is: A deleveraging process based upon too much debt and too little growth to service it,” according to a letter on PIMCO’s website.
El-Erian said last week that the firm hadn’t ruled out different outcomes.
“Like all our analytical work, the new normal scenario is subject to continuous refinement to incorporate new information and analysis,” El-Erian, who is PIMCO’s chief executive. “Upside risk scenarios speak to the possibility of a faster coming on stream of consumer demand in emerging economies and the return of full policy effectiveness in the U.S.”
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Biobanks have become a hot area in recent years as many hospitals and research institutes build up large collections of biological samples from healthcare and population cohorts. Such biorepositories are becoming essential in medical research and provide a powerful tool in the identification of biomarkers for disease and development of new analytical methods for diagnostics. Retrospective sample analysis is helping scientists discover and understand why some people develop particular diseases.
However, archived samples may have been handled with various protocols for collection, processing, and storage that may have caused sample degradation and thus affect analytical findings. When collecting samples from participants over a long time period (expectations of 25+ years storage are not uncommon) secure storage and integrity of samples is of absolute importance. Here are 7 practical tips for maintaining your sample quality.
- Try to minimize the number of freeze-thaw cycles as multiple cycles degrade the sample quality. More and more data is being published that is showing the impact of freeze-thaw cycles on the analytes in blood, serum, and plasma samples.
- Most assays require very small volumes, thus the trend is to fractionate samples into multiple 50–200 μL fractions in single-use tubes in 96 or 384 microtube formats.
- Storage at -80°C or even lower temperatures <150 °C in vapor-phase liquid nitrogen is essential for the long-term stability and for preserving the activity in viable cells.
- Manual freezers often contain samples that must be pulled into room temp. for researchers to pick out the correct sample—this task is not only awkward and labor-intensive but the temperature variation also puts sample quality at risk. Automated sample recovery overcomes these issues by reducing the sample exposure to higher temperatures during withdrawal.
- Automation at -80°C is now possible and this technology enables rapid access to any sample in the frozen archive without disturbing all samples.
- The use of heat-sealed tubes, especially for large-scale repositories, can save space and offer high sample integrity at low temperatures versus screw caps.
- Effective sample and process documentation and tracking processes are essential. Recording any freeze-thaw cycles and effective data tracking of a samples’ use through barcoding can avoid variation in results caused by intravariability of samples.
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| 0.918394
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Whether lounging by the swimming pool, relaxing on a beach towel on a family vacation or just curling up at home with a good book, many people make summer a time to tackle a good mystery, suspense thriller or romance novel that has been on their "to do" list.
Here is a list of "summer reads" suggested by local librarians and a book store manager.
From Deb Morford, a manager at Barnes and Noble Booksellers:
While not exactly a Top 10 list, Morford suggested a variety of different books that are popular summer reading choices.
Beautiful Sacrifice, by Elizabeth Lowell
Mayan artifacts have gone missing in this tale of an archaeologist who finds herself in the middle of an investigation into the missing items. But, finding the missing artifacts is only the beginning of the mystery.
The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros
Esperanza Cordero recollects her life living on Mango Street and all the people she meets while there. Although her family has not always lived there, it is perhaps the most important place she has lived, for it represents her heritage and upbringing. In small vignettes, Esperanza tells the tales of all the people and experiences she has with her little sister, Nenny.
1491, by Charles C. Mann
What were the Americas like in the year before Christopher Columbus landed here in 1492? The author reports on the findings of archaeologists and anthropologists to report on some previously unheard-of findings, including: In 1491 there were probably more people living in the Americas than in Europe and that the earliest cities in the Western Hemisphere were thriving before the Egyptians built the great pyramids.
Cronkite, by Douglas Brinkley
For decades, Walter Cronkite was in America's living rooms as "the most trusted man in America" as the anchorman of the CBS Evening News. This is his story.
To Heaven and Back, by Mary C. Neal M.D.
The author's true story of of a near-death experience following a kayak accident in South America, where she where she experienced God’s peace, joy and angels—and back to life again.
Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand
Story of survival from the author of Seabiscuit, this one tells the tale of a man who survived the crash of an Army Air Forces bomber, only to face the limits of his endurance as he was adrift in the Pacific Ocean, having to overcome almost insurmountable obstacles.
The Storm, by Clive Cussler
The latest in Cussler's popular series of thrillers about the the adventures of Kurt Austin, the one details a plot no less ambitious than altering global weather patterns
Driving Mr. Yogi: Ron Guidry, and Baseball's Greatest Gift, by Harvey Araton
Inside baseball from the perspective of baseball great Yogi Berra and Guidry, whose talks with the former St. Louisan and Yankee catcher, reveals a lot about the game of baseball and the game of life.
Kiss the Dead, by Laurell Hamilton
In the 21st book in St. Louisan Hamilton's "Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter" series, a 15-year-old girl is abducted by vampires. It’s up to U.S. Marshal Anita Blake to find her.
Stolen Prey, by John Sandford
The latest in Sandford's series of books about Detective Lucas Davenport, this one details an investigation of multiple murders by a killer who leaves a particularly gruesome crime scene.
Molly Pfeiffer, a librarian at the Jefferson County Library offers these choices:
Divergent, by Veronica Roth
Fans of The Hunger Games will devour Divergent. This is the first in a trilogy, set in a dystopian Chicago where young Beatrice discovers that she is dangerously different from the rest of society. This book is fast-paced; contains adventure and young romance; and presents the reader with a cliff-hanger of an ending.
Fifty Shades of Grey, by E.L. James
This first book in the Fifty Shades trilogy led to some serious blushing when I started reading it in public, not realizing how sensual it was. Young Ana Steele finds herself smitten and overwhelmed by the dashing billionaire, Christian Grey. However, his idea of a relationship turns out to be quite different from anything Ana has seen before. Whether you’re interested in some very adult romance, you liked Twilight but wondered what happened on Bella’s honeymoon when it ‘faded to black,’ or you just want to better understand the hype surrounding this book, it is worth taking a look at this summer.
The Song of Achilles, by Madeline Miller
Historical fiction, romance and Greek gods—this book has it all. Told from the perspective of Patroclus, this book is well-written and beautifully brings the story of Achilles and their companionship to life in a way The Iliad just never did.
Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline
Pop culture fans will geek out over all of the references made in this futuristic gaming tale. Wade Watts must call upon his knowledge of video games and 1980s music and movies in order to outwit a villainous corporate entity attempting to win a fortune. A very fun read.
The Language of Flowers, by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
This book is beautifully written! It tells the story of Victoria, an emotionally wounded young woman who takes refuge in flowers and their meaning. This book is replete with symbology of flowers, romance and self-healing.
The Paris Wife, by Paula McLain
For fans of historical characters in fiction, The Paris Wife is a must-read. It tells the story of young Ernest Hemingway and his first wife, Hadley Richardson, and their ups and downs in 1920s Paris. This one is one quite a few must-read lists this summer.
The Art of Fielding, by Chad Harbach
This story revolves around baseball, college, friends, family and life choices. It’s a bit on the lengthy side, but should appeal to fans of Eugenides’ The Marriage Plot.
A Thousand Lives: the Untold Story of Hope, Deception, and Survival at Jonestown, by Julia Scheeres
The story of Jonestown and the almost 1,000 people who died from ‘drinking the Kool-Aid’ is brought to life in this gripping new work of non-fiction. The author pulls on recently declassified FBI documents and interviews with survivors, to remind us that the Rev. Jim Jones’ victims weren’t members of a cult, but individuals who were betrayed while pursuing a society based on equality.
American Grown: the Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America, by Michelle Obama
While written by the First Lady, this book is in no way politically oriented. Mrs. Obama talks about planting a garden at the White House, and how families across America can do the same in their yard. It includes great photos and recipes and hopes to get adults and children alike excited about vegetable gardens.
The Third Gate, by Lincoln Child.
This book is both a thriller and an adventure, sure to appeal to fans of The Da Vinci Code. Explorer Porter Stone believes he has found the burial tomb of the ancient Egyptian god-king Narmer, but when a series of alarming incidents suggests a curse, history professor and enigmalogist Jeremy Logan is brought in to investigate.
Jennifer McBride, of the St. Louis County Library, sent along its summer reading list called "Step into New Worlds" that contains both fiction and non-fiction titles.
The Magicians, by Lev Grossman
Like everyone else, high school senior Quentin Coldwater assumes that magic isn't real, until he is admitted to a secretive college of magic. The Magicians is a dazzling and inventive coming-of-age tale where good and evil aren't black and white, and power comes at a terrible price.
American Gods, by Neil Gaiman
Gaiman’s masterpiece imagines a world where mythological gods are real, but their power depends on the belief of humans to exist. The new gods of American belief, such as the Internet and celebrity, have declared war on the old and an epic battle for the soul of America is brewing.
Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon
When Clare Randall touches a boulder in one of the ancient stone circles that dot the British Isles, she is hurled back in time to 1743 and a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans. Thus begins a work of unrivaled storytelling that has become a modern classic.
Embassytown, by China Miéville
In the distant future, humans have colonized a faraway planet. After years of uneasy peace, the colonists have yet to communicate with the natives, but they can sense that something ominous is changing. From a master of steampunk fantasy, Embassytown is a fascinating study of language and civilization.
Dune, by Frank Herbert
A stunning blend of adventure, environmentalism, and politics, Dune will be forever considered a triumph of the imagination. Set on a desert planet, Dune is the story of a young man who must avenge a traitorous plot against his noble family and bring to fruition humankind's most ancient and unattainable dream.
Snuff: A Novel of Discworld, by Terry Pratchett
The 39th installment in Pratchett’s comic fantasy series, Snuff brings back fan favorite Sam Vimes, the cynical yet honorable City Watch commander. In Snuff, Vimes faces a particularly onerous task: a two-week family vacation. But a copper can’t stop being a copper, and there’s plenty to investigate on this space-age country estate.
Blackout, by Connie Willis
Traveling back in time into the thick of World War II was a routine excursion for three British historians eager to study the heroism and horrors of war. Now marooned in 1940 England, they must avoid changing the outcome of the war Blackout and its sequel All Clear were awarded the 2011 Nebula and Hugo Awards for Best Science Fiction Novel.
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
At a time when America is seeking ways to sustain its innovative edge, Apple founder Steve Jobs stands as the ultimate icon of inventiveness and applied imagination. Acclaimed biographer Walter Isaacson presents the exclusive biography of Steve Jobs, an amazing life story filled with lessons on character, leadership, and values.
In Other Worlds: Science Fiction and the Human Imagination, by Margaret Atwood
The author of The Handmaid’s Tale and one of our most celebrated novelists, Margaret Atwood discusses her lifelong love of science fiction. In Other Worlds also collects several unpublished essays on sword and sorcery fantasy, superheroes, utopias and dystopias, flying rabbits and more.
Packing for Mars:The Curious Science of Life in the Void, by Mary Roach
Author of the bestseller Stiff, Mary Roach investigates space without ever leaving the earth through all manner bizarre space simulations. From the space shuttle training toilet to a crash test of NASA’s new space capsule, Roach takes us on a surreally entertaining trip into the science of life in space.
Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything by Joshua Foer
An instant bestseller, Moonwalking with Einstein recounts Joshua Foer's yearlong quest to improve his memory and compete in the U.S. Memory Championship. This is an electrifying work of journalism that reminds us that, in every way that matters, we are the sum of our memories.
The Wonderful Future that Never Was: Flying Cars, Mail Delivery by Parachute, and Other Predictions from the Past by the editors of Popular Mechanics
Between 1903 and 1969, scientists made hundreds of predictions in Popular Mechanics magazine about what the future would hold. Their forecasts ranged from ruefully funny to eerily prescient and optimistically utopian.
The World Without Us, by Alan Weisman
If human beings disappeared instantaneously from the Earth, what would happen? In his revelatory, bestselling account, Alan Weisman draws on every field of science to present an environmental assessment like no other, the most affecting portrait yet of humankind's place on this planet.
Sex on the Moon: The Amazing Story Behind the Most Audacious Heist in History, by Ben Mezrich
NASA fellow Thad Roberts had an idea—a romantic, crazy idea. He wanted to give his girlfriend the moon. Literally. In this madcap story of genius, love, and duplicity, Mezrich recounts how Roberts broke into the highest security laboratory at NASA and stole the most precious objects in the world: moon rocks.
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16-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Tuesday, April 18, 1911: I believe I have forgotten what I really did today. It was so much and yet so little. Toothache still continues.
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
I want to yell at Grandma’s parents and tell them to get their daughter to a dentist. NOW! For the past week or so, Grandma has complained about her tooth (see April 11 and 15). Maybe people didn’t go to dentists as quickly a hundred years ago—
According to The Compendium of Everyday Wants (1908):
TOOTHACHE—The most complete and speedy cure for toothache is to pour a few drops of compound tincture of benzoin on cotton and press it into the cavity of the tooth.
Filed under: Health
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DAKAR (AlertNet) – Thousands of children in northern Mali risk being recruited by armed groups after schools were forced to close because of conflict and instability in the region, aid groups have warned.
Children were forced to leave school and flee their homes with their parents after Tuareg rebels launched an uprising in mid-January. The rebels declared an independent homeland in the north in April, following a military coup in the southern capital Bamako.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says many schools were ransacked and teachers had to leave.
Local groups working with the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have reported that some school buildings are still occupied by rebels, increasing the likelihood of children being recruited by armed groups.
“We have reports from the ground that it could be that 1,000 children have been recruited (by armed groups),” UNICEF’s representative in Mali Theophane Nikyema told AlertNet.
Aid agencies say safety concerns are limiting their access to the country’s north, and their ability to assess the situation on the ground. The region is now under the control of separatists and militant Islamist groups.
“Some parents have demonstrated and called for the opening of schools for the sake of their children to sit for examinations,” Nikyema said on the phone from Bamako, Mali’s capital city.
Up to 40 schools have re-opened, accommodating more than 3,000 children, and local nongovernmental organisations have set up a communication system to relay information on school-age children and to encourage their parents to send them to school where possible, the United Nations said.
“The concern we also have is that the conditions for reopening schools in the north is that children be separated – girls separated from boys…basically the introduction of the Sharia (Islamic) law,” Nikyema added.
For many parents, the solution is to send their children to the south, particularly those who are due to take end of year exams.
Mali’s ministry of education says it has put in place a flexible timetable for examinations to allow children from the north to sit the exams.
More than 6,000 internally displaced children from the north of Mali are known to have enrolled in schools in the south, according to UNICEF.
Mali’s education ministry is carrying out further assessments to identify other children who have fled the north to the south and to develop strategies to accommodate them in schools.
“The schools have received instructions to allow them to register which is good, but with 6,000 students relocated to the south this has put an additional strain on the education system in the south,” Nikyema said.
Even before fighting erupted, Mali’s education system was struggling with overcrowded classrooms and a lack of teaching materials and affordable textbooks.
UNICEF plans to introduce recreational activities in schools hosting displaced children and offer psychosocial support for those who have experienced trauma. The agency has appealed for international assistance to fund these projects, Nikyema said.
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The word which came to Jeremiah about all the Jews who were living in the land of Egypt, in Migdol and at Tahpanhes and at Noph and in the country of Pathros, saying,
The Lord of armies, the God of Israel, has said: You have seen all the evil which I have sent on Jerusalem and on all the towns of Judah; and now, this day they are waste and unpeopled;
Because of the evil which they have done, moving me to wrath by burning perfumes in worship to other gods, who were not their gods or yours or the gods of their fathers.
And I sent all my servants the prophets to you, getting up early and sending them, saying, Do not do this disgusting thing which is hated by me.
But they gave no attention, and their ears were not open so that they might be turned from their evil-doing and from burning perfume to other gods.
Because of this, my passion and my wrath were let loose, burning in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are waste and unpeopled as at this day.
So now, the Lord, the God of armies, the God of Israel, has said, Why are you doing this great evil against yourselves, causing every man and woman, little child and baby at the breast among you in Judah to be cut off till not one is still living;
Moving me to wrath with the work of your hands, burning perfumes to other gods in the land of Egypt, where you have gone to make a place for yourselves, so that you may become a curse and a name of shame among all the nations of the earth?
Have you no memory of the evil-doing of your fathers, and the evil-doing of the kings of Judah, and the evil-doing of their wives, and the evil which you yourselves have done, and the evil which your wives have done, in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?
Even to this day their hearts are not broken, and they have no fear, and have not gone in the way of my law or of my rules which I gave to you and to your fathers.
So this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel, has said: See, my face will be turned against you for evil, for the cutting off of all Judah;
And I will take the last of Judah, whose minds are fixed on going into the land of Egypt and stopping there, and they will all come to their end, falling in the land of Egypt by the sword and by being short of food and by disease; death will overtake them, from the least to the greatest, death by the sword and by need of food: they will become an oath and a cause of wonder and a curse and a name of shame.
For I will send punishment on those who are living in the land of Egypt, as I have sent punishment on Jerusalem, by the sword and by need of food and by disease:
So that not one of the rest of Judah, who have gone into the land of Egypt and are living there, will get away or keep his life, to come back to the land of Judah where they are hoping to come back and be living again: for not one will come back, but only those who are able to get away.
Then all the men who had knowledge that their wives were burning perfumes to other gods, and all the women who were present, a great meeting, answering Jeremiah, said,
As for the word which you have said to us in the name of the Lord, we will not give ear to you.
But we will certainly do every word which has gone out of our mouths, burning perfumes to the queen of heaven and draining out drink offerings to her as we did, we and our fathers and our kings and our rulers, in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then we had food enough and did well and saw no evil.
But from the time when we gave up burning perfumes to the queen of heaven and draining out drink offerings to her, we have been in need of all things, and have been wasted by the sword and by need of food.
And the women said, When we were burning perfumes to the queen of heaven and draining out drink offerings to her, did we make cakes in her image and give her our drink offerings without the knowledge of our husbands?
Then Jeremiah said to all the people, to the men and women and all the people who had given him that answer,
The perfumes which you have been burning in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your fathers and your kings and your rulers and the people of the land, had the Lord no memory of them, and did he not keep them in mind?
And the Lord was no longer able to put up with the evil of your doings and the disgusting things you did; and because of this your land has become a waste and a cause of wonder and a curse, with no one living in it, as at this day.
Because you have been burning perfumes, and sinning against the Lord, and have not given ear to the voice of the Lord, or gone in the way of his law or his rules or his orders; for this reason this evil has come on you, as it is today.
Further, Jeremiah said to all the people and all the women, Give ear to the word of the Lord, all those of Judah who are living in Egypt:
This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel, has said: You women have said with your mouths, and with your hands you have done what you said, We will certainly give effect to the oaths we have made, to have perfumes burned to the queen of heaven and drink offerings drained out to her: then give effect to your oaths and do them.
And now give ear to the word of the Lord, all you of Judah who are living in the land of Egypt: Truly, I have taken an oath by my great name, says the Lord, that my name is no longer to be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, By the life of the Lord God.
See, I am watching over them for evil and not for good: all the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt will be wasted by the sword and by need of food till there is an end of them.
And those who get away safe from the sword will come back from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah, a very small number; and all the rest of Judah, who have gone into the land of Egypt and are living there, will see whose word has effect, mine or theirs.
And this will be the sign to you, says the Lord, that I will give you punishment in this place, so that you may see that my words will certainly have effect against you for evil:
The Lord has said, See, I will give up Pharaoh Hophra, king of Egypt, into the hands of those who are fighting against him and desiring to take his life, as I gave Zedekiah, king of Judah, into the hands of Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, his hater, who had designs against his life.
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Director, Water Technologies, Michigan Economic Development Corporation
In his various roles at the MEDC, Pezza helped establish economic development strategies that have become standard in Michigan. He played a key role with the MEDC in planning and designing the cluster-based approach, which helped launch alternative energy clusters. Most recently, the approach has driven the state’s water technologies initiative.
VIEW FROM THE TOP
“From an economic development perspective, if we can position Michigan — with almost 350 water-related businesses — as a platform for innovation in water, wastewater and storm water technologies, then we can attract new businesses, retain existing companies and help them expand. But the key thing is that innovation has to be implemented, and there’s a big financial gap. No one wants to or is able to pay for pilot programs to verify that a new technology works. We’ve got to be creative.
“One of the issues that this sector has come up against is that a lot of people think we have all this water, so what’s the problem? That is usually the first reaction. But from a quality perspective, the more water you have, the more problems you can have (e.g., algae overgrowth and invasive species). We’ve taken steps to improve our water, but there are a lot of challenges out there.”
Pezza has held a variety of positions at the MEDC, including (from most recent): vice president, International Development Unit; director, Program Review, Legal Affairs Unit; director, Special Projects; and director, International Business Development. Prior to the MEDC, he was with the Michigan Jobs Commission and held the positions of director, International Business Development; and director, Europe/Middle East /Africa Operations. Pezza was also previously an attorney at Butzel Long and practiced in its Business Law and International, Immigration and Customs practice groups.
• Juris Doctor degree, magna cum laude, Detroit College of Law
• Master’s degree, sports administration, Wayne State University, Detroit
• Bachelor’s degree, history and political science, Wayne State University
Pezza, born in Italy, holds a Fencing Master diploma from the Italian Academy of Arms. In the 1980s, he was one of the most successful NCAA Division I fencing coaches in the United States while serving as head coach of Men’s and Women’s Fencing at Wayne State University.
VOICE OF EXPERIENCE
“You can’t accomplish anything without the help of others. You have to be able to work within the framework of a team. At the MEDC, we each have our own areas, but we rely on a cross-functional matrix approach to get things done.”
— Interviewed by Ilene Wolff
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Sometimes a law-related adventure shows up where you least expect it. This week a new exhibit opened in the lobby of the New York City Bar in midtown Manhattan. "Crimes of Passion" features a collection of original murder trial transcripts in the sensationalized popular pamphlet style of the 19th century. Serving as the “Court TV” of their day, these illustrated contemporary accounts represent a “valuable storehouse of legal, economic, social and local history” depicting how scandalous crimes were mass-marketed to a pre-television audience. No time for a visit? Explore some of these fascinating “Crimes of Passion” trials and documents online at the Association of the Bar of the City of New York web site. Other exhibits from the City Bar Library--“Women in the Law” and “Slavery in the Courts”--are also featured.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat
Above the Law - A Legal Tabloid - News, Gossip, and Colorful Commentary on Law Firms and the Legal Profession
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An online collection of children displaced during the Holocaust reunited a South Florida man with his family in Italy.
In 1943, Renato Zarfati was 6 years old. He was a Jewish boy living in a Fascist Italy.
"A lady screamed in the street, 'Run, run! The Nazis are coming! They're taking women and children,'" said Elvira, Renato's sister.
A neighbor pointed out Elvira's father.
"They say, 'This is a Jew.' They take my father," said Elvira.
The Nazis took him to Auschwitz, where he was killed. From then on, the Zarfati family -- their mother and four children -- was on the run, living and hiding in the streets.
"They'd be in sewers, caverns, in cellars, and basements," said Marco Zarfati, Renato's son.
"That's why we're alive," said Renato Zarfati.
Fast forward 69 years -- Renato is now a retired singer and businessman who is living in Aventura in the age of technology.
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum started a project called "Remember Me," where the organization posted hundreds of pictures of children displaced during the Holocaust online. The images made their way around the world, and a family member recognized two faces.
"I take it. I see it's true. This is me," said Renato Zarfati.
There was a picture of Renato, and another one of his older sister as children. The two photographs are all that's left of their painful childhood.
"It was the first time I ever saw a picture of my dad at a young age," said Marco.
The images have reunited them with family members from Italy, and they have also acted as reminders of how much the children overcame.
"I defeated Hitler. I'm Jewish, I'm alive," said Renato Zarfati.
On December 9th, South Floridians can learn more about the "Remember Me" project when the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum visits Boca Raton. The day-long festivities will offer interactive workshops and film screenings rarely shown outside of the museum’s walls.
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Once upon a time, there were two dogs who lived together in one house. One of the dogs was big, and he had a self-assertiveness to match his size. The other dog was little and nervous.
Every time the big dog saw the little dog, he would run over and step on his head.
“Haw, what you gonna do about it? Whatcha gonna do about it, little dog?” the big dog would say.
“Please stop,” the little dog would whimper into the floor. “Quit it. Why do you always do this?”
“Because,” explained the big dog. “I’m a big dog and you’re a little dog, and so I can step on your head and you can’t do anything about it. Haw!”
“But you don’t have to do it just because you can,” said the little dog.
“How you like that, little dog? How you like having your head stepped on?”
The little dog tried to reason with the big dog. Then, he tried to avoid the big dog. Then, he tried to distract the big dog. Then, he tried to endear himself to the big dog. Then, he tried to see things from the big dog’s point of view. Then, he tried to fight back against the big dog. Then, he simply waited for the big dog to grow up, mature, develop some other interests.
But nothing worked. Every time he ran into the big dog, the big dog’s dull eyes would light up, the big dog would make a beeline for him, and before he even had time to say a word, the little dog would be kissing the carpet.
Now, at this point in the story, you’re probably waiting for the little dog to get some kind of revenge or outsmart the big dog somehow, or for the big dog to have some realization and become a more complex and sympathetic dog, or for the big dog to develop respect for the little dog because of some particular incident, and for their relationship to improve.
You’re expecting this because that’s how stories usually develop.
But I think you’re all old enough for me to tell you a truth: it’s not how life usually develops.
Try to be a big dog, if you can. And if you can’t, try to set your life up in such a way that you never have to interact with big dogs at all.
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Identity Despite the similarities in their names, the A Che are not the same as the Azhe people, another Yi subgroup located in Yunnan Province. The Azhe live in Mile and Yimen counties farther to the east and speak a different Southeastern Yi dialect. Because of their inclusion in the artificially constructed Yi nationality (made up of more than 100 distinct groups), the A Che are mostly unknown to outsiders. However, they were mentioned in the 1953 national census of China. The A Che do not believe they are related to other Yi groups, in much the same way many of the numerous Native American tribes in the United States do not consider themselves historically, culturally, or ethnically related to each other.
History Despite their marked present-day linguistic differences, the A Che and the Azhe share similar origins. They say they migrated south to Jianshui County during the Sui and Tang dynasties (581-907). They were enlisted in the armies of the Luodian Kingdom. After settling in Jianshui for a time, some crossed the mountains into Yimen and Shuangbai counties where they gradually evolved to become the A Che.
Customs There are two important festivals unique to the A Che of Shuangbai County. The Open Street Festival is held every eighth day of the first lunar month in Damaidi District, and the Dragon Worship Festival is held on the second day of the second lunar month in Fadian Community of Yulong District.
Religion The A Che are polytheists. In the past, they claim they were closer to the gods, but then their line of communication with the Creator was broken. Therefore, they are now unable to enter heaven.
Christianity Hidden away in some of the most remote areas of southwest China, the A Che are known to few outsiders. As a result, they are a completely unreached and unevangelized people. They have also never appeared in mission lists of people groups. The vast Chuxiong Prefecture experiences very little Christian witness. Added to the difficult task of reaching this group is the A Che's inability to read or speak Chinese. Evangelists to the A Che face a daunting communication challenge.
Approximately 35,000 A Che people predominantly live in Shuangbai (23,000) and Yimen (11,100) counties in the eastern part of Yunnan Province's Chuxiong Prefecture. Other A Che villages spill over into Lufeng and Eshan counties in Yuxi Prefecture. Most of the A Che in Shuangbai County are extremely isolated. In Yuxi Prefecture, on the other hand, some A Che villages are a mere five kilometers (three mi.) from Yimen City. (Source: Operation China, 2000)
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The ultimate question is whether one strategy produces more effective results than the other in terms of gaining company name recognition, or whether the adopted strategies allow differentiation in corporate culture to influence consumer choice. The answers lie in current global trends.
The last five years has been the most active in the brewing industry ever in terms of massive change in the landscape from mergers and acquisitions to changing consumer tastes to different branding strategies. Such activity is likely to continue over the course of the next ten years. As Interbrew’s Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Paul Cooke pointed out, “there is a lot at stake, with real converging forces out there, and consumers everywhere are demanding more choice in beers, moving from a habitual level of choosing mainstream brands to having a repertoire of brands.” Consumer loyalty has changed to “occasion-based,” hence opening up more opportunities to leverage more brands but posing a greater challenge to marketing efforts.
Cooke further laid out several key trends shaping the global marketplace for brew. One is “premium-tization,” causing a polarization of different markets where consumers are “demanding and willing to pay higher prices for real and perceived quality,” while at the same time discounting in prices is taking place, hence squeezing out the middle range. Supermarkets and clubs are undergoing mass consolidation and internationalization, causing a tighter squeeze for shelf space and leaving the bigger brands as winners. It is for this reason that the “premise sector” (hotels, restaurants, cafes, etc.) is very important to Interbrew “because consumers can try brands at low risk and price.”
Most analysts forecast that brewing is a good business to be in, with a 2-3% compound growth rate in volume worldwide. Growth is being fueled by the motions of new countries that are not traditionally in the beer business. The current lifestyle trend is to reduce the rate of alcohol intake, making beer more attractive than spirits and wine particularly in developing markets.
Interbrew is seeing the same trends in country after country, allowing it to have an integrated marketing approach. According to Cooke, “90% of a market’s demand is satisfied by local brands, which is different from other beverage industries as seen with Coke.”
With regard to market segments, premium lagers and specialty brands with higher alcohol and higher prices have a disproportionate share of volume growth at 4-5% per year, versus the 2-3% growth rate overall. These rates correspond with both a rise in GDP in developing markets and consumer demand for higher value propositions which is dominated by international brands. Therefore, brewers need to increase their portfolio and go global to overcome the home market. Both Interbrew and Heineken pointed out that brewing is a relatively fragmented market, with the top four brewers accounting for 22% of global beer volume five years ago and about 28% today (as compared to packaged goods at 70-80%, and spirits at over 40%). Cooke predicts that the top four brewers will account for about 34% in the next few years. “Beer is rather under-concentrated, therefore brewers are looking at growing on an international perspective,” says Cooke.
In order to sustain growth on an international level, Interbrew builds its business on four strategy pillars.
The underlying strategic approach of Heineken is somewhat similar to that of Interbrew’s. As stated by their spokeswoman, Manel Vrijenhoek, “Heineken is consistent in branding itself internationally as a premium brand, while maintaining a specialties portfolio,” including the well known Murphy’s (a Belgian beer).
- The first is to build a strong local operating platform and then leverage it over time to drive profitable growth through the right brands and distribution structure to supply a local national market.
- The second is to broaden the portfolio to include international brands to give access to the 10% not supported by the local brands and to leverage global insights to help optimize both the local brands and global brands. By rounding out the portfolio, Interbrew can both “better meet the consumer’s needs and better leverage local infrastructure costs.” According to Cooke, Interbrew spends about 22% of revenues on marketing and sales.
- The third pillar calls for a balanced portfolio of countries between mature and growing markets, whereby the mature markets such as North America and Europe provide the funds to invest in markets such as Korea and Russia that have lower GDP and higher potential for growth.
- Lastly, market consolidation will help secure positions and create shareholder value. Interbrew strives to be the number one or two brewer in each market, and has achieved this position in 16 out of its 20 operational markets.
Heineken CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board Karel Vuursteen explained during the annual general meeting in April this year that Heineken has “a two-track policy. Broad leadership has preference. This means that we are the leader in a specific beer market in virtually all segments with a portfolio of prominent brands.” In specific markets where such an approach is not feasible, they “aim toward segment leadership in which the Heineken brand makes [Heineken] the leading brewery group in the premium segment.”
The Heineken brand, the brand with a higher margin over Interbrew, “is the main pillar of both strategies. In countries where we are striving for segment leadership the leading role is set aside completely for the Heineken brand,” said Vrijenjoek. Heineken’s overall strategy is “to have a mainstream beer that can be a local beer such as Amstel.”
Interbrew’s strategy is more focused on diversity of the brand portfolio, with a three-tier strategy including international (Stella Artois), specialty (such as Hoegaarden, Leffe, Bass ale and Belle-Vue), and local (such as Jupiler and Labatt Blue) brands. At the same time, Interbrew has created a menu of global brands for countries to choose from and ultimately all could be available in each market. From a total of 140 brands, five are designated global, including Stella Artois, Hoegaarden, Leffe, Bass and Beck’s (to be introduced early next year). Interbrew can cover nearly every key segment in the world through these global brands in addition to what they provide locally. The portfolio of global brands is different in brand image, price and profile, and allows Interbrew to offer a range of choice to the consumer.
A fine example of this strategy is seen through Interbrew’s recent acquisition of Beck’s. Although critics have questioned whether this acquisition indicates a lack of faith in the fizz of Stella, Cooke confirmed that such is not the case. Rather, Beck’s will provide a “local platform in Germany on which Interbrew can build other specialty and premium brands and then add other national brands, thus building a complete and leading portfolio.” Furthermore, “getting into Germany helps with attaining the overall balance of mature and growing markets” while providing a global brand. Beck’s, the number one export brand in Germany, is priced in the US 10% below Heineken, while Stella is priced 10% higher, allowing Interbrew to offer a price spectrum satisfying various consumer brackets.
Although similar to Heineken’s strategy with regard to going global, the way Interbrew brings these global brands to its operators is different from its competitors. Cooke outlined that “competitors such as Heineken come into it with international lagers, usually two of them (Heineken and Amstel), and offer one as a premium lager with premium price points, and offer the second as a mainstream or averaged priced proposition.” Interbrew on the other hand makes all international lagers premium and super-premium offered at higher prices. Competitors to Interbrew tend to buy equity in a local brewer and use it as a distribution vehicle for the global brand, while Interbrew sees acquisitions as an opportunity to combine local brands with global brands to offer a complete brand portfolio.
Although Heineken has “been a benchmark on how other companies rate their performance,” Cooke has observed Interbrew’s competitors beginning to veer toward a focus on the local level for the sake of increasing global reach. At the same time, Interbrew may be the “fastest growing among major global brewers” (both in volume and financially), but Heineken is better recognized as a global brand in itself. In fact it was recently ranked at 82 in Interbrand and Businessweek’s Top 100 Global Brands. However, branding the company name is a “non-event” to Interbrew. Rather, Cooke stated that “Interbrew is a trading name, a stock name and the brand we have to build for imagery in the financial community,” similar to Procter &Gamble’s position in relation to its individual products.
Stella Artois as Interbrew’s flagship label has been a success story in its own right. With a compound growth rate of just under 20% for the past five years, Stella has become the fastest growing premium lager in the world, is the 6th largest international lager in the world, and the fastest growing premium in the US since its launch there in 1999. Brand alignment happens naturally as Interbrew focuses on levering core insights across different countries where commonality in consumer demand allows for an integrated approach.
Hence, Interbrew believes in “the power of the portfolio,” where a strong portfolio beats single brands in a highly competitive global marketplace. The success of such an approach is easily demonstrated in the US and UK markets. The US is the biggest beer market, including premium and specialty, accounting for 15% of the overall global market. Heineken is the number two import brand and provides 25% of the international market, growing at a compound rate of 11% for the past 3 years. Meanwhile, Interbrew has four of the top ten import brands (Labatt Blue at number 3, Beck’s at number 4, Tecate at number 5 and Bass at number 8), and its label Rolling Rock is the second largest domestic specialty. With an import portfolio growing at 17% per year, in the US, Interbrew has 6.5 million hectoliters in premium volumes versus Heineken’s 5.2 million hectoliters.
In the UK, Heineken has been poured since 1961 and currently has a 4% market share, which has been declining at a rate of 5% for the past three years. Interbrew has been in the UK for about 34 years, during which Stella has become the key brand (ranking at number 3 in the market and number 1 in premium lager). Combined with other labels like Leffe and Rolling Rock, Interbrew is growing at about 18% in the UK as premium-tization has taken place. Interbrew’s U.K. premium brand volume is at 4.8 million hectoliters compared with Heineken’s 2.3 million hectoliters.
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The Bush administration's rule change creates a loophole in the Clean Air Act's "new source review" program, allowing 17,000 power plants, refineries and other industrial facilities to install replacement equipment without updating pollution controls, even when the replacement increases air pollution.
"This rule change is a blatant violation of the Clean Air Act, and will dramatically increase air pollution," said Keri Powell, an attorney at Earthjustice, which is representing some of the coalition groups. "Millions of Americans will wind up breathing more polluted air if these revisions are allowed to stand."
Earthjustice is representing the American Lung Association, Communities for a Better Environment, Environmental Defense, NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), Sierra Club and U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG) in the case. Meanwhile, the Clean Air Task Force is representing seven state and regional environmental groups.
"Thirty years of environmental progress have taught us that the Clean Air Act works, yet the Bush administration continues to weaken this tried and true solution," said Nat Mund, an air quality expert with the Sierra Club. "Instead of protecting communities from air pollution, it has carved out a loophole in the new source review program that lets polluters off the hook for cleaning up their messes."
Air pollution from refineries, mills, chemical plants and power plants contributes to tens of thousands of premature deaths each year and hundreds of thousands of asthma attacks. This pollution also causes widespread environmental degradation, including acid rain that kills fish and harms forests, algae blooms in lakes and bays, mercury-contaminated fish, and haze that obscures views in national parks and wilderness areas.
"EPA's revisions fly in the face of myriad health studies showing the serious harm caused by exposure to emissions from these plants," said John L. Kirkwood, president and CEO of the American Lung Association. "We have conclusive evidence that air pollution increases asthma episodes, emergency room visits, hospital admissions and risk of death. What is lacking is a commitment by this administration to cleaner, healthier air for all Americans."
The new source review program was designed to reduce air pollution from industrial facilities by requiring them to install up-to-date pollution controls when they make physical or operational changes that increase air pollution. Many of the nation's older, grandfathered power plants have operated long beyond their expected lifespans largely because utilities have rebuilt them over time. Often they modified these facilities in ways that increased generating capacity and air pollution, without complying with new source review requirements. After long neglecting such violations, the EPA launched enforcement lawsuits against utility and refinery violators during the latter part of the Clinton administration.
The Bush administration is trying to derail these enforcement suits and eliminate future actions by changing the rules to allow companies to virtually rebuild their facilities without having to meet new source review program requirements. The loophole created by the new EPA rule would allow a facility to replace existing equipment with "functionally equivalent" equipment without undergoing the clean air reviews required by the new source review program if the cost of the replacement does not exceed 20 percent of that of the entire "process unit." This exemption would apply no matter how much the facility's air pollution increases as a result of the replacement.
"The Bush administration's twisted logic is that a loophole that allows more than 17,000 industrial facilities to pollute more will prompt these facilities to pollute less," said John Walke, director of NRDC's Air Program. "Essentially this loophole would allow a company to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to replace all of the components of a facility and dramatically increase its pollution. This pollution scam makes the Enron case look like a traffic violation."
"The pollution allowed by this rule will wind up in the lungs of millions of Americans, increasing their risk for asthma attacks, heart problems and even death," said Dr. John Balbus, Director of Environmental Defense's Environmental Health Program. "Americans already spend over $50 billion a year for the health related costs of air pollution. Why would anyone want them to spend more?"
In August 2003, the General Accounting Office issued a report finding that EPA used only anecdotal information provided by polluters to justify the new source review revisions. Meanwhile, 225,000 people submitted comments critical of the rule change, which U.S. PIRG staff attorney Zachary Corrigan says the EPA ignored. "Tens of thousands of Americans said no to these changes in writing, and hundreds showed up at public hearings to oppose them," Corrigan said. "We're filing this lawsuit to right the wrong committed by the Bush administration when it weakened the Clean Air Act. We're suing to protect the public from more asthma attacks and more premature deaths."
American Lung Association: Michelle Sawatka, 212-315-8727
Communities for a Better Environment: Scott Kuhn, 323-826-9771 ext. 108
Environmental Defense: Dr. John Balbus, 202-387-3500
NRDC: John D. Walke, 202-289-2406 or Elliott Negin, 202-289-2405
Sierra Club: Nat Mund, 202-675-2397 or Wendy Balazik, 202-675-2383
U.S. PIRG: Zachary Corrigan, 202-276-0159
For 100 years, the American Lung Association has been the lead organization working to prevent lung disease and promote lung health. Lung disease death rates continue to increase while other leading causes of death have declined. The American Lung Association funds vital research on the causes and treatments for lung disease. With the generous support of the public, the American Lung Association is "Improving life, one breath at a time." For more information about the American Lung Association or to support the work it does, call 1-800-LUNG-USA (1-800-586-4872) or log on to www.lungusa.org
Communities for a Better Environment is a California-based environmental justice organization that combines community organizing, science, and legal advocacy to work for environmental justice on behalf of its thousands of members. For more information go to: www.cbecal.org
Earthjustice is the nonprofit law firm for the environment, representing -- without charge -- hundreds of public interest clients, large and small. Earthjustice works through the courts to safeguard public lands, national forests, parks, and wilderness areas; to reduce air and water pollution; to prevent toxic contamination; and to preserve endangered species and wildlife habitat. More information is available at: www.earthjustice.org
Environmental Defense, a leading national nonprofit organization, represents more than 300,000 members. Since 1967, Environmental Defense has linked science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships to create breakthrough solutions to the most serious environmental problems. www.environmentaldefense.org
The Natural Resources Defense Council is a national, non-profit organization of scientists, lawyers and environmental specialists dedicated to protecting public health and the environment. Founded in 1970, NRDC has more than 550,000 members nationwide, served by offices in New York, Washington, Los Angeles and San Francisco. More information on NRDC is available at its website: www.nrdc.org.
The Sierra Club's members are 700,000 of your friends and neighbors. Inspired by nature, we work together to protect our communities and the planet. The Club is America's oldest, largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization. More information on the Club is available at: www.sierraclub.org
U.S. PIRG is the national lobbying office for the state PIRGS, a nationwide network of nonprofit, nonpartisan public interest advocacy organizations. For more information, visit: http://www.uspirg.org/
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deksman2, on Jun 9 2011, 08:35, said:
To my knowledge, Flash 'should' work on the Blade with current hardware, but for some reason, it's not.
Adobe decided to implement Flash on Android with certain requirements, one of them is that the ARM processor uses the ARMv7 instruction set architecture. The MSM7227 and MSM7227 Turbo use the ARMv6 ISA, and so do not meet Adobe's requirements.
These are typical characteristics of ARMv6 and ARMv7 processors.
ARMv6: clock-speeds 400-800 MHz, narrow cores (co-issue fewer instructions), no out-of-order execution, low memory bandwidth, 32 bit ARM SIMD.
ARMv7: clock-speeds 800-1000+ MHz, wider cores, out-of-order execution, higher memory bandwidth, 128 bit wide NEON SIMD.
The combination of the differences between current ARMv6 and ARMv7 processors mean that typically you will see an ARMv7 processor run code twice as fast (or more it you can make effective use of NEON) than an ARMv6 processor. That doesn't mean you can't build a fast ARMv6 or slow ARMv7, but generally companies don't.
Adobe could create a version of Flash for ARMv6 (flash has and does run on all sorts of processors) but it would not perform well on typical ARMv6 processors, so not unreasonably they decided not to support ARMv6, using the ISA as a way demarcating both features and performance required to run Flash well for contemporary Flash using sites.
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I found this small write up about pre-eclampsia in Pregnancy magazine. I found it at my OB's office and thought it might be of interest.
Scientists Identify Cause of Pre-Eclampsia
"Recent research shows how development of the placenta during pregnancy could cause the potentially life-threatening condition pre-eclampsia in some women. Pre-eclampsia, affecting up to 10 percent of pregnancies each year, starts in the second half of pregnancy. It causes high blood pressure and protein in the urine of the mother, which could lead to fits and even death for the mother and baby. The only "cure" for pre-eclampsia is to give birth to the baby.
A team from the University of Reading in the United Kingdom found that in pregnancies where the blood supply to the placenta is developed improperly (usually around 20 weeks), the placenta starts to produce large quantities of the hormone neurokinin B. Thie hormone seems to be inactive in the fetus. But the researchers discovered it was processed differently in the mother's blood stream.
Neurokinin B causes the mother's blood pressure to rise, which allows more nutrients to reach the fetus. But the mother's elevated blood pressure can threaten her and her baby. The researchers hope their discovery will allow for future methods of early diagnosis for pre-eclampsia, before it threatens the health of a mother and her baby."
This was found in the recent issue on page number 20. I personally do not think it is a well written piece because of the facts stated, but maybe there is something to the hormone they are mentioning?
Anne - Have you heard of this before?
DD 10/26/01 stillbirth
AND ~ It's a GIRL! Laura Elise edd 8/6/04
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Generally, in all Japanese language classes, the rule you're taught is that です does not follow い adjectives. Instead, い adjectives can act like stative verbs, and as such terminate a sentence by themselves. However, I have heard this usage frequently. I don't necessarily have a specific example in mind that I've heard, because it doesn't seem all that rare.
However, recently I got into a discussion with someone who suggested that い adjective + です is dangerous, and has the potential to be offensive and/or rude when used incorrectly so foreigners should avoid it. One specific example given was
美しいです sounding vulgar. They also said that い adjective + だ is flat out ungrammatical in all situations. When I've posed this same question to other Japanese speakers, they take no issue with 美しいです and they say it sounds fine.
My question is, there seems to be some disagreement. Does anyone have a definitive answer about why such a disagreement might exist, and how I should go about knowing whether or not it's safe to use い adjective + です in normal usage? Or maybe people here also have no issue with it, and think that the original person I spoke to was perhaps mistaken.
If it's not safe, then what do I do if I want to end a sentence with an い adjective politely? Follow it with ～のです perhaps?
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Employing shrewd survival skills after badly breaking her leg while hiking famed Mt. Hood, a plucky Portland, Ore., preschool teacher survived three cold nights in the wild, using moss for a blanket and making a meal out of bugs and slugs until searchers finally found her.
"I didn’t realize I had it in me … I definitely surprised myself," 28-year-old Pamela Salant told NBC News in a TODAY report Tuesday by Miguel Almaguer. "I just really felt like I wasn’t done yet."
Salant was planning an idyllic weekend with her boyfriend Aric Essig when the pair headed out for an overnight hike at Mt. Hood’s Bear Lake July 30. The couple dumped their gear at a campsite, but decided to split up and look around for an even better locale to spend the night.
But things went decidedly downhill from there for Salant. While hiking solo, she slipped and fell nearly 50 feet off a cliff. She fractured her left tibia and her leg was split open.
‘Where am I?’
Salant settled in where she fell, initially not realizing just how badly she was hurt. "I didn’t feel the initial pain, so I woke up the next morning and [was] like ‘Whoa, where am I, how did this happen?’ " she told NBC. "I had fallen asleep right where I had fallen."
Boyfriend Aric reported his girlfriend missing, but rescue workers were stymied in their search. Authorities initially found Salant’s shoe prints from where she fell, but no Salant.
The reason? The gutsy schoolteacher was scooting on her backside alongside Lindsey Creek trying to reach the Columbia River, where she figured she had a better chance of being spotted and rescued. Meanwhile, Salant battled for survival, clad only in a tank top and shorts and woefully short of any supplies.Story: Wife: Writing notes helped keep missing hiker alive
To keep water at hand, she stayed near the creek. For sustenance, she found salmon berries and raspberries. But as one day turned into another, her improvised menu became a bit wilder.
"I was trying caterpillars, and I tried a bite of a slug," Salant told NBC. "I didn’t know, I was just like, it was plump and juicy. It looked tasty. But it was not tasty!"
More Tales of Survival
Tiring and barely able to scoot any further, Salant said she passed the time mentally replaying her life, wondering if the thoughts might be her last. "I just had a lot of people that I loved, like faces in my head, and just kind of [put] my life on rewind."Story: Woman survives 2-story plunge from mountain
Salant tried to keep her hopes up through four days and three nights in the wilderness. She managed to scoot a mile and a half, but unfortunately, a nearby waterfall muffled the sounds of rescue helicopters when they began to zero in on her, leaving Salant oblivious to their effort.
Then, on Aug. 2, she got a big break. A helicopter crew spotted a woman wading in Lindsey Creek, waving her arms. A National Guard helicopter arrived on the scene and lowered a guardsman to Salant.Video: Hiker’s survival: ‘That drive to live was so strong’ (on this page)
Salant admitted she wasn’t sure whether she was actually being rescued, or just dreaming. "I was like hyperventilating, like I can’t believe it’s real."
But it was real: Salant's nearly 96-hour ordeal was over. She was transported to Legacy Emanuel Hospital, where doctors operated on her broken leg and treated her for multiple back injuries and severe cuts, NBC affiliate KGW-TV reported. A day after being rescued, her condition was upgraded from critical to fair.Story: Girl, 11, recounts her four-day ordeal in swamp
And though Salant is expected to be out of commission for two months while she nurses her injuries, her concerned friends and family are thankful Salant returned to them in one piece, and in awe of her determination.
"So that was Saturday, Sunday, Monday night — three nights," her friend and co-worker Desirae Marks told KGW. "She’s strong enough, she’s got it. Oh my gosh!"
© 2013 NBCNews.com Reprints
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- Superintendent's Office
- School Board
- Hot Links
Frogtown Mountain Puppet Show Visits LER
Frogtown Mountain Puppet show was a huge hit at LER today!! Our students enjoyed the show, Everybody Loves Pirates, which was a story about 2 eight year old children who find a treasure map. The two children, with the help of two crustaceans, must escape 3 pirates who steal the treasure.
The 3 actors had the children's attention throughout this hour long show! For more information about this production, please visit:
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Georges Boulanger logically interprets his own compositions created for records and radio. However, this composer also interprets classical repertoire-related contemporary authors. He is too demanding with his orchestra musicians. Boulanger displays a unique kind of magnetic hold over his audience. He plays his violin distinctively. His left hand plays the bow with much strength and his right one owns an unbelievable energy to achieve pizzicatos and chords. When Georges plays, everybody listens to him only to remain captivated by his single style. Nobody attempts to dance.
In 1927 he recorded 13 themes in VOX.
In 1936 /39 he recorded 69 themes in ODEON.
At the same time, he recorded 24 themes in PARLOPHON.
Many of these 78-rpm records are still currently obtained in online auction portals in Germany and specialized stores. There are many Boulanger ´s music collectors. Countless interpreters have played, and, even today, play Boulanger´ s themes.
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NAM Economist comments on Commerce Department report.January 29, 2008 -
According to David Huether, chief economist for NAM, the report on trade indicates that exports of manufactured goods continue to hold the economy afloat by increasing more rapidly than imports. Exports have accounted for 40% of economic growth over the past year, adding more to the GDP than the housing slump has taken away. Huether also said that the spike in the cost of oil accounted for 80% of the November rise in imports and Congress should expand access to domestic energy resources.
Rising Oil Prices Obscure Improving Trade Pattern
(Archive News Story - Products mentioned in this Archive News Story may or may not be available from the manufacturer.)
National Association Of Manufacturers (NAM)
1331 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W.
Washington, DC, 20004
Press release date: January 11, 2008
NAM Economist Says Exports Added More to GDP than the Housing Slump has Taken Away
WASHINGTON, D.C., January 11, 2008 - The crucial message in today's Commerce Department report on trade is that exports of manufactured goods continue to hold the economy afloat by increasing more rapidly than imports, said David Huether, chief economist for the National Association of Manufacturers.
"Rising exports are helping the economy weather the current housing downturn," Huether said. "In fact, exports have accounted for 40 percent of economic growth over the past year, adding more to the GDP than the housing slump has taken away."
Even though the monthly trade deficit increased to $63.1 billion in November - with exports rising a modest $0.6 billion while imports surged by $6 billion - this reflects the rising cost of oil. The dollar value of petroleum imports jumped 16 percent during the month.
"The spike in the cost of oil accounted for 80 percent of the November rise in imports," Huether said. "Our country's increasing dependence on overseas energy supplies is made clear by the fact that nearly half of the November trade deficit was in petroleum products. It's time for Congress to address this problem is by expanding access to domestic energy resources, a critical oversight in last year's energy legislation.
"Outside of the spike in petroleum prices 2007 was a good year on the trade front," he said. "In the coming year, it's important for lawmakers to expand exports and aid U.S. manufacturers by passing the three free trade agreements with Columbia, Panama and South Korea. This will lower tariff barriers currently imposed on U.S. goods overseas."
The National Association of Manufacturers is the nation's largest industrial trade association, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the NAM has 11 additional offices across the country. Visit the NAM's award-winning web site at www.nam.org for more information about manufacturing and the economy.
1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW - Suite 600 - Washington, DC 20004-1790 - www.nam.org
CONTACT: J.P. FIELDER (202) 637-3089
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BRUSSELS — European Union officials planned to make a fresh try Tuesday to reach a political accord on desperately needed bailout loans for Greece — an agreement that eluded them last week.
The Irish finance minister, Michael Noonan, said a main point of contention at the meeting in Brussels among officials of the 17 European Union countries that use the euro is whether to give Greece an extra two years to get to a point where it can raise its own funds — and how to finance that extension.
The finance ministers need to agree on the extension before they can pay Greece the $40.2 billion rescue loan that has been kept on hold for months. When previously frozen aid is considered along with further aid scheduled to be disbursed later this year, that total could reach $56.3 billion, said a spokesman for Jean-Claude Juncker, who chairs the eurozone finance ministers’ meetings. As he went into Tuesday’s meeting, Juncker said Greece deserved the aid.
‘‘It is clear that Greece has delivered, but we still have to agree on the details,’’ he said. ‘‘I expect the chances are good that we will come to an agreement tonight, agreed by all sides, but I am not completely sure about this.’’
The finance ministers had hoped to settle on the conditions for aid last week, but their meeting ended without agreement. That delayed the loan payment, pushing the country closer to bankruptcy and a possible exit from the euro.
Laboring under a mountain of debt, Greece has been relying since 2010 on international bailout loans, under terms supervised by the so-called troika — the International Monetary Fund, the European Central Bank, and the European Commission, which is the 27-country European Union’s executive branch. To receive the aid, Greece has had to impose strict austerity and reform measures. Two weeks ago, the coalition government narrowly succeeded in passing a $17.3 billion package of budget cuts, tax increases, and reforms to secure the latest loan payment.
The main aim of the bailout program is to right the country’s economy and get it to a point where it no longer relies on international aid and can independently raise money on the debt markets.
The reform program attached to the bailout was supposed to steadily reduce Greece’s debt to 120 percent of its annual gross domestic product — a condition imposed by the IMF, whose consent is needed if funds are to be released. The deadline for this target was 2020 but it’s been clear for months that the country is way off track for achieving that.
Last week’s meeting revealed disagreement on whether Greece should be given until 2022 to reach the 120 percent target. The IMF is insisting that Greece stick to the original deadline.
The question of debt sustainability is as important as it is divisive: If Greece’s debts can’t be reduced to a level where the country can afford to pay them, the billions of euros in bailout loans given to Greece will have been wasted.
Greece, however, was granted one extension at last week’s meeting — an extra two years until 2016 to implement its program of austerity reforms and deficit cuts.
By giving the government more time, it is hoped the impact on its struggling economy would be lightened.
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This article is in the form of hypertext, a non-linear genre that takes advantage of the Internet's potentialities. I wrote this article to demonstrate how free-ranging contemplation of various ideas, within an artificially strict scope, can reinforce a unifying pattern. As an artist, I then take this pattern, this abstraction, and weave a form to clothe it.
|Each page in this essay is marked with a glass bead. Links outside the scope of the essay are marked with this bead:
The complete set of pages make up a Glass Bead Game:
Addressing moral foundations for making and viewing art.
|Reliquary ©Scott Bodenheimer, September 12, 1997, revised November 26, 2003,d|
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Did you mean?Try your search again
President Theodore Roosevelt [USA] established a bird refuge on Culebra February 27, 1909, making it one of the oldest refuges in the system. Since then much of the island and the surrounding 23 islets, including Culebrita, have been protected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a nature preserve, making the islands one of only two nesting sites for giant sea turtles, including the leatherback, in the U.S. The Culebra National Wildlife Refuge, 600 ha, protects large colonies of sea birds (approx. 85 species), particularly terns, red-billed tropic birds and boobies.
Updated Dec 21, 2005
Of all the truly gorgeous beaches on the island of Culebra, nine miles off the main island's eastern coast, Flamenco leads the pack. This island municipality is a paradise of beaches so perfect they are almost impossible to believe.
The crowning jewel is Flamenco Beach, recently named one of the Best Beaches in America and Best Escape Beach by the Travel Channel. A magnificent mile or so of pure white coral sand framed by Culebra's arid, sun-toasted hills, it is protected as a Marine Wildlife Reserve by the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources. Here, you can escape from the crowds, jet skis and motorized sea vessels found on many of the major beaches on the main island of Puerto Rico.
Flamenco is only one of many unspoiled, pristine beaches on Culebra where you can enjoy blissful solitude as you swim in the blue green waters or explore some of the most stunning coral reef formations in the Caribbean.
Until 1975 Culebra was used for naval military exercises. Abandoned tanks and other military relics dot the area west of Flamenco Beach. If you tire of taking perfect beach scenes, you'll find interesting photographic material among the remnants of naval machinery.
Updated Dec 21, 2005
The Lelolai Festival is a fabulous program exposing visitors to typical Puerto Rican music and dance in authentic settings.
Offered throughout the year, this is undoubtedly one of the most all-encompassing and attractive cultural festivals in Puerto Rico. Specifically designed to showcase the Island's enticing blend of Spanish, Indian and African traditions, customs and heritage, the Puerto Rico Tourism Company has proudly organized this festival for more than 25 years.
Dress Code: Casual, island evening apparel and shoes, not flip-flops, because you might dance. This festival is in November only. Puerto Rican female dancers are zesty, and the guys have to love zest to stay with them.
Updated Apr 4, 2011
Overlooking the Caribbean Sea, the spirituality of a seashore vacation can provide a time of meditation and renewal for body-mind.
Written Dec 3, 2005
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Too Few Adults Getting Vaccinated, Says New Report [AUDIO]
When it comes to vaccinations, adults aren’t doing the best job at keeping up to date. That’s according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“Besides the flu shot, there are about 11 vaccines recommended for adults and we found pretty dismal rates,” said Dr. Carolyn Bridges, Associate Director for Adult Immunizations for the CDC. “For example, the Zoster vaccine which prevents shingles is recommended for everyone 60 and older. That vaccine coverage rate was only 16 percent.”
Other shots which saw low coverage rates included pneumococcal vaccine and hepatitis A and B.
“Only 12.5 percent of adults received Tdap, which prevents against whooping cough, tetanus and diphtheria,” said Bridges. “A lot of these diseases that these vaccines can prevent are quite common including shingles and pneumonia. Infants get whooping cough that spread to them from adults or teenagers in the house and that can be fatal for babies. So, it’s very important for adults to get the required vaccines.”
Why the Low Numbers?
“I think the problem is when we go and see the doctor, we’re often trying to address a specific issue or dealing with an urgent matter and often times, we don’t get around to talking about preventive measures,” said Bridges. “Adults also see so many different health care providers for so many different things and sometimes these things slip through the cracks. We clearly have a lot of work to do to raise awareness and make sure people know which vaccines they might need.”
The biggest improvements, according to the report, were seen among young women receiving the HPV vaccine or the human papillomavirus. Nearly 30 percent of women ages 19 to 26 had received at least one dose which is up from about 21 percent in 2010. Of men in the same age group, 2.1 percent had received the shot in 2011 which was up from 0.6 percent in 2010.
More information from the CDC on vaccines is available here.
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Jul 2, 2009
The following is a reprint from Uncle
John’s Bathroom Reader Plunges Into the Universe. A while ago, we
Things That Science Fiction Got Wrong" but believe it or not,
there are many things that sci-fi got right as well. From communication
satellites to robotic pets, here are a few of the things that science
fiction nailed before they happened.
Science fiction is supposed to predict future events – and to be entirely
honest, some of us are getting impatient waiting for our own rocket cars
to the Moon, which we understood we’d have by now. Be that as it may,
here are some things dreamed up by science fiction writers that are part
of our real world.
1. Moon Visits
of science fiction writers had this one covered, but the question is:
Who got closest to the real thing first?
The best candidate is good ol’ Jules
whose 1865 novel, From the Earth to the Moon, and the 1870 follow-up,
Around the Moon, nailed a lot of the minutiae of a moon visit,
including weightlessness, the basic size of the space capsule, the size
of the crew (three men), and even the concept of splashdown into the ocean
on return to Earth. In one of those fun coincidences, the fictional splashdown
in Around the Moon was just a few miles from where the actual
Apollo 8 capsule splashed down (and, interestingly enough, the
fictional launch pad was just a few miles from Cape Canaveral).
Verne was tremendously prolific, writing two novels a year for much of
his creative life and dying with quite a few novels unpublished. It’s
not entirely surprising that he’s credited with a number of other predictions,
including trips by balloon, helicopters, tanks, and electrical engines.
One "discovery" he’s famously credited for, the submarine, is
inaccurate, since submarines existed prior to the 1870 publication of
Leagues Under the Sea.
2. Robots (and Robot Pets!)
comes from the Czech word robota, which means "drudgery";
robotnik is a word for "serf." Since today’s robots
are typically found in industrial setting doing mindlessly repetitive
work, this is a strangely appropriate term.
The word "robot" was popularized in Karel Capek’s 1920 play
which stood for Rossum’s Universal Robots. In the play, robots were manufactured
humans who were used as cheap labor. One day they got fed up with this
and decided to have a revolution and kill all the humans, proving once
again that good help really is hard to find.
One thing people don’t seem to know about Capek’s "robots"
is that they’re not actually mechanical – they’re made out of synthetic
flesh, although that flesh was then put into a stamping mill to make the
The concept of robots as mechanical beings came later and was most famously
popularized in fiction by writer Isaac
in his Robot
It’s probably not a coincidence that a humanoid robot manufactured by
Honda is called "Asimo."
pets, like the Sony Aibo robot dog, have also been a staple of science
fiction. The most famous example of this is probably Do
Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?,
novel that was the source material for the movie Blade
The main character in the book is saving up to buy a realistic electric
sheep for his lawn, so he’ll be the envy of his neighbors (the movie had
none of this suburban one-upmanship going on).
Woody Allen, of all people, nailed the robot dog in 1973′s Sleeper,
in which we’re introduced to Rags ("Hi! I’m Rags! Woof woof!").
Allen’s reaction: "Is he housebroken? Or will he be leaving little
piles of batteries all over the place?"
3. Cloning and Genetic Engineering
haven’t been cloned yet (as far as we know), but sheep, cats, cow, and
rabbits have. And humans have used genetic engineering and gene therapy
to improve their bodies. In June 2002, for example, it was announced that
genetically modified cells helped to create functioning immune systems
in two "bubble boys" who were born without immune systems of
The most famous work of science fiction with cloning and genetic engineering
is also one of the earliest: 1932′s Brave New World
, by Aldous
Huxley. In it, humans are "graded" into jobs and social classes
based on the number of clones that were made from their originating embryos;
the higher the number of clones, the less bright they are and the more
menial their jobs (this was backed by a social agenda that assured each
level of humanity that they were actually the best, so everyone went along
4. The Internet
now, who wants to be blamed for this one? There are so many culprits.
Author William Gibson is credited with coining the term "cyberspace"
in his 1981 short story "Burning Chrome," and kick-started the
whole media fascination with computers and the Internet and all that geekiness
with his seminal 1984 novel Neuromancer.
But even before Gibson, John Brunner’s 1975 novel, The
posited a continent-wide information net, "hackers" who broke
into the net, identity theft (when someone pretends to be someone else
online), and most famously, computer viruses and worms – the terminology
for these, in fact, comes from Brunner’s book. Brunner imagined using
viruses and worms as part of warfare – something that worries today’s
military quite a bit.
It should be noted that in 1975 a proto-form of the Internet did exist,
thought not in the scope and complexity imagined by Brunner. It existed
in the form of ARPANET, a decentralized computer system that the US Department
of Defense created and which by 1975 also included several research universities
as "nodes." Internet features created by 1975 include E-mail,
online chat, and mailing lists. The most popular mailing list in 1975?
One on science fiction, of course.
5. The World Wide Web
which, despite the propaganda of the 1990s, is not the whole Internet,
just a subsection of it – was created in 1991 by Tim Berners-Lee and hit
the big time with the creation of the Mosaic Web browser in 1993.
The dynamic of the Net had been described before then. In 1990′s Earth,
David Brin imagined a streaming audio and video and clickable hypertext
links. And in a 1989 short story, "The Originist," based in
Isaac Asimov’s "Foundation"
universe, Orson Scott Card also created a linking system similar to today’s
Imagined (sort of) by every single science fiction author who ever wrote
about a picture phone. There are too many of those to bother counting.
waterbeds. Robert Heinlein used them in 1961′s Stranger
in a Strange Land
; the first modern waterbed was created in 1967 in San Francisco
by design student Charles Hall, who dubbed it the "pleasure pit"
Heinlein also thought up the idea of remotely controlled machines to
manipulate dangerous materials; he called them "waldoes," and
that’s what they’re called today.
8. Communications Satellites
Science fiction master Arthur C. Clarke is famous for having thought
of these in 1945.
9. Space Tourists
millionaire Dennis Tito put down his $20 million and hitched a ride into
space with the Russians, he became the first tourist in space.
The idea of punting rich folks beyond the stratosphere is not new; in
Fall of Moondust
, Arthur C. Clarke told the tale of some rich tourists who get stranded
in a moon crater.
More whimsically, author Roald Dahl imagined a "Space Hotel, USA"
in 1973′s Charlie
and the Great Glass Elevator,
complete with a staff of "managers, assistant managers, desk-clerks,
waitresses, bellboys, chambermaids, pastry chefs, and hall porters."
10. Miniaturized Surgery
these days use miniaturized tools to perform surgery that’s less invasive
and more precise than traditional surgery, a practice suggested by Isaac
Asimov in his 1966 novel, Fantastic
It’s worth noting, however, that along with miniaturized surgical tools,
Asimov also shrunk the doctors to fit into the patient’s body. We haven’t
managed that one yet.
The article above is reprinted with permission
John’s Bathroom Reader Plunges Into the Universe.
Since 1988, the Bathroom Reader Institute had published a series of popular
books containing irresistible bits of trivia and obscure
yet fascinating facts.
If you like Neatorama, you’ll love the Bathroom
Reader Institute’s books – go ahead and check ‘em out!
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There was high drama at Christie's latest decorative arts sale in London, when half the £3.1m total came from this Glasgow school panel by Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh, which sold to an American collector for £1.5m (plus premium).
The 3ft 3in (1m) square iconic panel, is one of two painted in
gesso on hessian that were created by Macdonald Mackintosh for the
Glasgow group's stand at the landmark 1902 International
Exhibition of Modern Decorative Art in Turin.
This example, titled The White Rose and the Red Rose,
and its companion, The Heart of the Rose, both featured in
the stand's Rose Boudoir. They were offered here by an American who
acquired them at Sotheby's New York in 1991 for $80,000 and
$120,000 (then £53,675 and £80,512).
Again offered separately, each was estimated at £200,000-300,000
and initially when this example was offered, it looked as though
Christie's estimate would not be far off.
But a masterful rostrum performance at the sale on April 30 from
auctioneer Philippe Garner turned the tide.
Bidding opened at £140,000 and London dealer Michael Whiteway,
acting for an unnamed institution, stepped up to the plate first.
He dropped out at £360,000 to the American collector, who was
bidding via the phone, and it looked as though the panel might sell
at £380,000, but another phone, manned by Christie's Impressionist
specialist Matthew Stephenson, decided to step in.
Over the space of several long minutes Mr Garner managed to inch
these two phones, bidding in increments as low as £10,000 for much
of the time, up to the final £1.5m, bringing down the hammer to a
well-deserved round of applause.
With this price achieved, all eyes were on the second panel.
Would there be another battle or, having lost the opportunity to
secure both, would the underbidder let the successful buyer take
the second relatively cheaply?
Things panned out rather differently. The successful purchaser
seemed happy with one Glasgow school panel and did not even contest
It was left to Michael Whiteway and the other phone to vie for
The Heart of the Rose at a much more muted level, with
Whiteway again unsuccessful, bowing out when his competitor bid
The same phone was left with money to spare for the sculpture
section, paying out some multi-estimate prices for Chiparus bronze
and ivory dancers.
The £1.5m paid for The White Rose and Red Rose
constitutes a new auction record for any Scottish work of art and
is far more than for any previous work by the artist.
Nonetheless, the price compares favourably with the
multi-million pound prices commanded by Macdonald Mackintosh's
contemporaries Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele, whose Secessionist
attenuated figure studies were part of the same pan-European
By Anne Crane
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If there is any one matter of a political
nature with which the Bible emphatically deals, it is the sin of
destroying, or attempting to destroy, good order in the land. In
the emphatic teachings of the week preceding his crucifixion our
Lord bade his disciples, “Render therefore unto Cæsar the things
which are Cæsar’s.”
By the hand of Paul, the Holy Ghost
wrote: “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there
is no power but of God; the powers that be are ordained of God.
Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance
of God.” Romans 13:1.
The same truth is presented in Titus
3:1, “Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers.”
And Peter echoes it in these words: “Fear God. Honor the king.”
A wide distinction must here be drawn
between two entirely different things; one, the effort to substitute
a new government in place of the old; the other, an attempt to destroy
government and substitute confusion in its place. For the one there
may be reason; for the other, none. The one has often been commanded
by God, as when he required Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt; the
One reason for this requirement of
obedience to the civil ruler would seem to lie in the fact that
the civil government is God’s representative. The king, or head
of the government, is the “minister of God to thee for good” and
“the minister of God to execute wrath.” Anarchy or sedition, therefore,
is more than resistance to a human organization; it is of the nature
of resistance to God.
Another reason would seem to lie in
the fact that good order on earth is necessary to the salvation
of souls and the work of the Church on earth. This is intimated
in 1 Timothy 2:2. Paul calls “for prayer for kings, and all that
are in authority,” and this for one special end, “that we may lead
a quiet and peaceable life,” and this with the further aim that
God “will have all men to be saved.” Disorder in the world distracts
attention from the Gospel and keeps men from thinking about their
souls. It dissipates the money which might be used in sustaining
the Gospel and sending forth heralds of the truth; often it closes
the sanctuaries and sometimes it burns them. Anarchy is an agency
for the obstruction of repentance and the perdition of souls.
In these two aspects there is reason
enough for the emphasis which God uses in his condemnation of anarchy.
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A World Leader in Diabetes Cure-Focused Research
The Diabetes Research Institute leads the world in cure-focused research. As the largest and most comprehensive research center dedicated to curing diabetes, the DRI is aggressively working to shrink the timeline toward the discovery of a biological cure for this disease.
Since its inception, the DRI has made significant contributions to the field of diabetes, pioneering many of the techniques used in diabetes centers around the world. Having already shown that diabetes can be reversed through islet transplantation, the DRI is building upon these promising outcomes by developing the BioHub, a mini-organ to deliver real insulin in real time. The DRI also collaborates with other leading researchers worldwide to develop and test new approaches to restore natural insulin production.
Pioneering New Therapies to Restore Insulin Production
With the development of the BioHub, the DRI continues its focus on the biological replacement of natural insulin function to restore blood sugar control. DRI scientists have already shown that insulin independence can be achieved through cell replacement strategies. Expert teams continue to make strides in the three over-arching research issues necessary for curing this disease:
1. Sustainability - The immune system – preventing the rejection of donor tissue and reversing the autoimmune attack which caused the onset of diabetes.
2. Supply - of Insulin-Producing Cells – identifying, developing and/or regenerating a limitless supply of cells to sense blood glucose levels and produce insulin.
3. Site - The Optimal Environment -- finding the best spot in the body to place insulin-producing cells.
The Hub of a Global Research Alliance
The DRI has an impressive track record of scientific collaboration and its most far-reaching initiative to date is the Diabetes Research Institute Federation. Researchers from more than 20 medical centers from all corners of the world have agreed to form a one-of-a-kind alliance. This international network of collaborators share knowledge, pool expertise in specific research areas, and apply a diverse set of skills to the eradication of diabetes. The DRI leads this expanding effort with an underlying belief that the best way to make transformative discoveries - in the shortest amount of time – is to work together towards a cure.
For more than 35 consecutive years, DRI scientists have been awarded competitive federal and state grants in the field of diabetes. The resulting discoveries have been published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and many of the DRI’s innovations are in current use at diabetes centers worldwide. As leaders in their respective fields, the Institute’s faculty serves on numerous national and international committees and provides leadership on many scientific review panels and associations.
The Strength of Private Funding
While competitive research grants are the mainstay of world-class research institutes, the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation provides the DRI with critical seed funding to gather data that is often a prerequisite for larger grants. This funding stream is at the heart of DRI’s ability to innovate and make quantum leaps in the race for a cure. Supported by private philanthropy, the DRI Foundation also fills the gaps in many stages of the research process for which there is little federal funding, or for areas in which federal funding falls short of actual need. Driven by its core mission, the DRI Foundation’s support also ensures the body of work conducted at the DRI remains cure-focused and will ultimately benefit those with diabetes.
A Community Resource
The DRI is a designated Center of Excellence at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, providing informative education and training programs for many types of health care professionals and industry representatives. For patients with diabetes and their families, the DRI’s Kosow Diabetes Treatment Center offers the highest standards of health care delivery, ongoing management and education support, and numerous clinical research possibilities.
The Best Hope for a Cure
The Diabetes Research Institute was created for one reason – to cure diabetes – which is and will continue to be its singular focus until that goal is reached. With an aggressive approach to curing those living with diabetes, along with its unique spirit of collaboration and notable accomplishments, the DRI is leading the international effort to eradicate this disease. For the millions of people affected by diabetes, the DRI is the best hope for a cure.
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Kidney health for life
The kidneys are an essential part of the human urinary system. The kidneys remove uremic waste products from the blood, thereby cleansing it before allowing it to recycle into the body. The kidneys also produce three vital hormones, erythropoietin (EPO), which helps create red blood cells in bones, renin, which regulates blood pressure; and vitamin D, which helps regulate and supply essential calcium for healthy bones.
Taking good care of your kidneys means taking good care of your life, and the nephrology specialists at St. Joseph Mercy Oakland (SJMO) are dedicated to keeping patients informed and aware of often subtle changes in the health and operability of their kidneys.
SJMO doctors are trained in diagnosing and treating chronic kidney diseases (CKD) such as:
- Kidney stones.
- Kidney cancer.
- Polycystic kidney disease.
Chronic kidney disease and African Americans
If you are African American, you may be at an increased risk of acquiring chronic kidney disease which if unchecked has the possibility of leading to renal failure and the necessity of dialysis or possibly kidney transplant. Please talk to your SJMO doctor about your risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD.)
Kidney disorders can lead to other difficulties as well, some more threatening than others, in the form of affected vision, anemia, poor nutrition, diabetes and stress.
High blood pressure is a kidney disease culprit
It's worth knowing that high blood pressure is the second leading cause of kidney failure. It's also worth knowing that onr out of six American adults has high blood pressure. To see if you're one of those at risk, consult your doctor or call SJMO at 800-372-6094.
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The snow is coming! Here are some snow related activities for you and your little ones.
Go outside and enjoy the snow…
“Paint” the Snow with Colored Water. I got this idea from Kids on the Grand. If you have an empty spray bottle and some food coloring you are ready for fun. Just add cold water to the spray bottle and give it a generous dose of food coloring. Send the kids outside with bottles of differently colored water and tell them to”paint” the snow [and not the dog. Or each other.]
Make a snowman. If you want to plan ahead, here’s what you will need to make a super cute one: black river rocks (2 for the eyes, 5 for the mouth, 3 for the buttons), 1 carrot for the nose, felt to make an easy scarf and a top hat. You can find the rocks or buy them at a craft store when you are looking for a plastic top hat.
Play with sandbox toys. We always think of pulling out our shovels when it snows, but don’t forget about your sandbox toys too!
Have your kids help you shovel. Surprisingly, even my 1 1/2 year old likes to shovel. It’s a great sense of accomplishment, they feel like they are being helpful and it’s satisfying to see immediate gratification of their work. And I hope I am preparing them to shovel for me or at least substantially pitch in with the family when they get older.
Then enjoy these activities while you stay warm in the house…
Make tents. We have made forts with umbrellas, blankets or sheets from one piece of furniture to another or just underneath a table! To keep everything in place I have some clips that I normally use for closing bags of chips etc, but you can also use clothes pins or binder clips.
Have an indoor “snowball” fight. My son’s teachers did this with them today at school. They had a bunch of paper and tissue paper (I wouldn’t recommend newspaper, unless you want to clean up dirty hand prints all over) and let the kids wad them up into balls. I’m sure this one has the potential to get crazy, but before you sense it getting crazy you can switch gears to another activity!
Have a picnic. Instead of eating lunch at your dinner table, spread a blanket on the floor next to the table. I don’t know about you, but I’m always cleaning up food under the table anyway, so might as well make it fun every once in a while!
Have a luau. Turn up the heat and pretend you are at the beach! Put on some bathing suits, t-shirts, shorts and sunglasses.
Make Snow Ice Cream. I got this idea from Mid-Mitten Kids. Here’s a recipe to try:
- 1 cup of milk or cream
- 3 Tbsp. sugar
- 2 Tbsp. mini chocolate chips
- vanilla extract
- *clean* snow
- 1/4 cup salt
- Mix milk, sugar, chocolate chips and a few drops of vanilla extract in a small ziplock bag; seal bag.
- Fill a gallon-size ziplock bag halfway with clean snow and add salt.
- Put smaller bag inside bigger bag; seal bigger bag, squeezing out air.
- Knead bags until milk mixture solidifies, 5-10 minutes.
- Remove small bag and rinse before opening
- Squeeze ice cream into a bowl and enjoy!
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- filed in design on 9. January 2010
A long time has passed since I wrote my first post on OSS alternatives to Macromedia and Adobe and a lot has changed in the field of open source graphic design software. Software has matured and most notably for me, the GUIs have become pleasant enough to be usable for everyday work. Read on and see the list.
- filed in applied on 7. January 2010
The Animata project is a cross-platform open source real-time animation software for live performance. It is controlled by OSC messages and there are example patches for connecting it to MAX/MSP and PureData, but it could just as easily be controlled from other OSC enabled software.
- filed in technology on 4. January 2010
The team behind the ever popular no-codec-pack-necessary video player VLC are preparing a video editor to be released shortly called Videolan Movie Creator. If you can’t wait for the first release of the software, you can build your own (probably very unstable) version now. It’s free and open source. To see it in action watch the video after the break. Heres hoping it could be an good alternative to Windows Moviemaker, Apples iMovie or perhaps even Adobe Premiere?
- filed in technology on 2. October 2008
The guys at GooSync have updated their service with a few killer features:
- A dedicated Apple iPhone sync client is now available – works with all versions of the phone.
- You can now synchronise up to 4 devices thru a single account.
- No longer do you need to provide GooSync with your Google login details.
- Tasks and Contacts can now also be synchronised between your Google account and your mobile phone.
- filed in technology on 22. August 2008
A recent interest in 3D have made my eyes open to a whole new world of DIY projects. From the scary thought of a DIY 3D printer that has the ability to replicate, costing about 400 USD to make yourself. To a commercial 3D desktop solution costing 4995 USD, that could make the rapid prototyping available to every design studio or school.
But the RepRap DIY solution is still a bit crude and not for everyone to build, and the desktop model from Desktop Factory is not available yet. So in the meantime, i’ve found this brilliant solution…
- filed in technology on 13. July 2007
Touchscreen mobiles are all the fuss with the iPhone finally being available.. One negative comment I hear a lot about the iPhone is that it’s not open for developers (other that webapps).
- filed in applied on 9. February 2007
Video tutorial on how to install a free legal MP3 track as a ringtone on your phone. From ccmixter.org over the air to your mobile phone. Using nothing but Creative Commons licensed music, your browser and you phone. (I used my Nokia N70)...
- filed in technology on 8. February 2007
Here’s a little something I have in the works for the Mac/Textmate envious Windows using Textpattern site building users out there :) – it’s a free alternative, but no way near as powerfull as Textmate with the bundle...
- filed in technology on 25. January 2007
Having searched for a remote-access MySQL host for a while, it came as a bit of a surprise that the only MySQL v5 database host I could find that looked credible was a free one. Freesql.org offers one free database per user and hosts > 10.000 databases on one server. The speed…
- filed in technology on 19. October 2006
It’s here.. The service I’ve been screaming for: Goosync. It allows you to sync Google Calendar via SyncML (OMA DS). This means that I can sync my Nokia N70 with Gcal really easy and free (it’s in beta, so who knows for how long it’s free)...
- filed in design on 15. February 2006
LED Throwies are an inexpensive way to add color to any ferromagnetic surface in your neighborhood. A Throwie consists of a lithium battery, a 10mm diffused LED and a rare-earth magnet taped together. Throw it up high and in quantity to impress your friends and city officials…
- filed in WebApps on 14. February 2006
I have been looking for a good calendar I can access from everywhere… Personally I don’t need all the “features” of Microsoft Outlook. I use Gmail for my email (one Gmail account for handling several IMAP4 non-Gmail accounts – and it does a better job than outlook), but the search for a good calendar app to replace Outlook has been long. Well – I FINALLY found…
- filed in technology on 14. February 2006
Heres a tool for distributing your video content. Revver allows you to upload a video clip of most formats, they’ll convert it to an Quicktime file, add an click-able advertisement on the last frame of the clip and host the file. Allows for easy sharing of video clips with the rest of the world, and an opportunity to earn a little cash with your next videoclip gone viral…
- filed in technology on 28. April 2005
One of the reasons not to make a site in Flash, is simply that search engines can’t index the vector graphics text Flash produces. The same guy that has made the DENG browser has come up with a method for replacing normal text with flash versions of the same text…
- filed in technology on 27. April 2005
Eventhough there is now SVG support in the nightly builds of Firefox, its a long wait untill we see XForms, XFrames and CSS3 support in common browsers.
So if you are dying to try your hand at XForms and CSS3, check out Claus Wahlers DENG project…
- filed in technology on 7. April 2005
Realm Systems are planning a revolution for the mobile computing world. Using bold statements such as: With Realm, any Computer, any Operating System, anywhere is your computer…
- filed in technology on 29. March 2005
One of the cool features with the Nintendo DS is the DS. On one screen you play the game, and on the other you get status info, see a map etc. I have mimicked this for my pc with an inexpensive Palm Zire
Its all pretty simple and should work with other Palm devices as well.
- filed in technology on 25. March 2005
If you need to collect donations for a campaign, dropcash has an easy to use, free for all (so far) service that uses PayPal for money transfer. All you need is a free…
- filed in technology on 22. March 2005
Yahoo has bought Flickr, the online photo sharing site. In their Flickrblog, Flickr promises to go around their business as usual, and that Yahoo has promised them not to interfere with anything… Of course this is a dream come true for the good people at Ludicorp (the company behind Flickr) cashing in on their hard work. But eventhough they promise status quo, I have a bad feeling about this. It might just be me and my dislike of Yahoo, but…
- filed in technology on 21. March 2005
A lot of developers are having difficulties in finding a host that has hosting packages with Ruby on Rails or simply will let them install Rails on their servers. So I am setting out to make a list of web hosts that either has Rails pre-installed or will let you configure it for your account…
- filed in technology on 19. March 2005
a shooting star in the linux world. One of the reasons could be that they ship free install CDs to anywhere in the world…
- filed in technology on 19. March 2005
Tags are great for cataloging all your content/data that does not necessarily fit into categories, you often have data that fit several categories, or sometimes none (cant wait to get site tag-powered instead of categorised).
But why stop at web stuff, why not take it further and utilise tags in operating systems
- filed in technology on 8. March 2005
Could it be that you can actually use one language all the way though the developement of web apps?
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The Gateway Solution
We don't fund cancer research to cure mice.
We fund cancer research to cure people.
Our goal is to speed research from the laboratory to the bedside to help today's cancer patients.
We believe that life-saving treatments and breakthroughs are just around the corner, but to find these breakthroughs, will take changing how traditional cancer research is being conducted.
It’s time for a change in how cancer research is funded and conducted.
At The Gateway, we live and breathe innovation, and we expect nothing less from the researchers we fund. The Gateway seeks out and funds scientific and medical doctors and researchers from around the world.
The Gateway for Cancer Research funds Phase I and Phase II human clinical trials specifically focused on providing cures and treatment methods that extend and improve the quality of life for cancer patients TODAY—not decades from now.
The Gateway for Cancer Research has been fighting the war on cancer for nearly 20 years. In that time, we’ve funded 96 studies—and raised $20 million for cancer research focused on helping patients NOW.
Today, thousands of cancer patients will hear the words, "there are no more treatment options." That is not acceptable.
Join The Gateway for Cancer Research as we help accelerate the discovery of life-saving treatments and breakthroughs for cancer patients today.
Learn about the research that The Gateway is currently funding.
|
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|
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|
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Okay, it’s absolutely none of my business, but when has that ever stopped anyone from blathering out their opinion on the Web?
So here goes: Why the hell is the British Parliament changing Big Ben’s name?
Yes, I know they are renaming it Elizabeth Tower in honor of the current queen’s 60-year reign.
Got it. The old girl’s been around for a long time. But not as long as Big Ben has.
I always thought two of the things the Brits did really well was keeping tradition and naming stuff. Now they go and do this. Damn.
Big Ben, the clock tower on Parliament’s building, was named for the famous bell that chimes out the hours across central London. The tower was completed in 1859. Everybody has always called it Big Ben. Until now.
Yanks are still going to call it Big Ben. Or, if they do begin calling it “Elizabeth Tower,” they’ll probably figure it was named for Elizabeth I, the so-called “Virgin Queen,” rather than her more recent namesake.
This is a sad come down from the British talent for great names. They really know how to name warships, for instance.
The HMS Warspite, the Exeter, Indomitable, Glorious, Courageous, Furious – now those are cool.
The U.S., unfortunately, has a habit of naming some of its ships for politicians, even some that are still alive. I like Jimmy Carter and he was a sub captain during his Navy days, but the USS Jimmy Carter? At least wait until the dude dies before you go naming a ship after him.
And the USS John C. Stennis? Come on, Stennis was a powerful U.S. Senator from Mississippi, but did we really need to name an aircraft carrier after him? He already has a space center in his home state that carries his moniker.
It appears we may have infected the Brits with our Name-Stuff-For-Somebody-Even-When-They’re-Still-Living virus, and its not a good thing.
If they wanted to rename Big Ben in favor of the Queen, the least they could have done was wait until she kicks the royal bucket.
Post Your Comment Below
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<urn:uuid:76f6597b-dd11-492f-9def-bddbf96fc441>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.dailyamerican.com/topic/wtxx-why-the-hell-are-the-brits-renaming-big-ben-have-they-caught-this-virus-from-us-20120626,0,6052394.story
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A few months ago dropbox was a Debian packge in non-free. Recently I noticed that there are several new versions available and tried to notifiy the maintainer and ask him to update the package. But unfortunately it looks like the package is not available any more (Here’s why).
However getting Dropbox is quite easy if you know what to do.
The obvious choice would be to go to dropbox.com and download either the source package and compile it yourself or try to install the precompiled Ubuntu packages. The first option is not really an option for most users and the second one does currently not work on Debian/Sid (aka unstable).
However, there is an easy solution: on the download page search for the CLI script (currently it is named dropbox.py) Download that and run it with
python dropbox.py start -i. That will download the propritary binaries into
~/.dropbox-dist. Now go into that folder and start
dropboxd. There you go, you have a fully working systray app for dropbox.
Depending on your desktop environment you might want to put
dropboxd in your “autostart”. So you don’t have to start the daemon every time you login. And that’s it.
It is not really ideal, since a Debian package would be much better for updates, security, yada yada, but it’s still better than nothing.
The last weeks I spend quite a lot of time hacking on a Python library for the AR.Drone. The AR.Drone is a nice toy for nerds. You connect to it via WIFI and soon you’ll realize that it has 4 ports open. Reading the specs you’ll find, that on one port it listens for AT-Commands with which you can remote control the drone, on the other two ports it waits for an incoming package which will trigger the drone to send the navdata (speed, angles, battery status, etc) and the video stream. Heck, you can even telnet into the drone…
Unfortunately it comes without a proper software to control the drone, only an iPhone app (w/o iPhone of course). But given the documentation, it should be easy to write your own. While getting the beast to fly was relatively easy, decoding the “almost”-jpg-video-stream was not. Almost-jpg, since the images the drone sends are more or less jpg with a small difference which makes it impossible to decode them using standard multi-media libraries. Anyways, the format is documented and implementing a decoder was not that hard. The tricky part was to get the framerates from unacceptable 0.5 FPS to 12-22 FPS — the whole decoder is written in Python. I’m cheating a bit by using psyco, but the code in arvideo.py is heavily optimized to minimize calculations and to please psyco.
In the code is also a small demo app which uses Pygame to display the video stream and allows to control the AR.Drone with the keyboard. It should be ready-to-use as soon as you are connected to the drone via WIFI.
The git repository is here, the license is MIT. Suggestions and patches are welcome.
Here is a video of the drone flying through the office.
After todays or yesterdays daily package update (Sid) several kernel modules, namely
snd-hda-intel and probably others are not loaded automatically anymore. So my Thinkpad T500 had no support for audio and several power management functions anymore. Once I found out that the missing kernel modules where the problem, the fix was easy: just add the corresponding module names to
/etc/modules to enforce loading of the modules. But I wonder what caused the sudden change? Why are the modules not loaded automatically anymore? I usually update my Sid packages every morning so some package update from yesterday or today might have caused this. Looking at the packages which where updated, I found nothing suspicious. Has anyone an idea at which package I should look?
Update: Looks like the problem was related to the recent update of
base-files to version 6.2 which introduced the new
/run directory in combination with udev. Downgrading
base-files to version 6.1 (via snapshot.debian.org) fixed the problem.
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Seven weeks after one of the deadliest earthquakes of the last 100 years pulverized Haiti, another one, 500 times more powerful, did the same to Chile. Now with two million people homeless and a death toll climbing over 700, the world is watching as aid workers from all over the country scramble to help. And the stories they tell once they get there sound eerily familiar.
Every corner is another cry for help, as desperate people sob for their families. Piles of rubble line the streets. Locals dig through them with nothing but their hands. The same scenes I witnessed last month in Port-au-Prince seem to be unfolding all over again nearly 4,000 miles away. There, the air was filled with the thick, pungent smell of death. It is a race against the clock to make sure the same stench doesn’t settle over Chile.
Click Image to View Our Gallery of the Devastation in Chile
The challenges of the two countries, of course, are bound to be different. The Haitian disaster leveled the dense, urban capital of a poverty-stricken nation, filled with shoddy buildings that were lucky to be standing in the first place. Chile’s quake, though stronger, struck a less densely populated area in a country that was better prepared.
But rescue workers who were there say that the still-fresh lessons of Haiti can be applied in Chile to start saving lives today.
Six American teams working in Port-au-Prince were able to dig out more than 40 survivors in the first 11 days after the earthquake. Working in eight to 12-man reconnaissance teams, they began identifying hospitals, schools, and multi-storey buildings that required their immediate attention. Then they pinpointed trapped survivors using dogs that were trained to pick up live human scent. They confirmed the discoveries by snaking listening devices and search cameras through tiny breaches in the concrete. Register a positive hit, and in came the full rescue squad with all the breaking equipment. Three or four hours later, the victim was out and rushed to medical attention.
• Cari Pick: What I Saw in Chile The Haiti disaster marked the first time that American search and rescue teams were fully deployed for their original purpose—25 years after the first truly organized large-scale operation in the aftermath of a Mexico City earthquake.
“From the technical search, to the canine search, to the breaching and breaking, we’re on the right track,” said Dave Downey, a chief in the Miami-Dade Fire Department who led one of six American search and rescue teams under the umbrella of FEMA.
Locals, with both their knowledge and their hands, become a precious resource. “They understand their environment better then anyone else,” Shachar Zahavi, chairman of IsraAID, an Israeli NGO, wrote in an e-mail. They become guides to the rescue workers, pointing out buildings where they know people are stuck. And frequently, locals themselves become amateur rescue workers. The professionals can afford to leave people in less precarious situations to them and focus on the heavy-lifting jobs.
But in a strange way, Haiti’s abysmal construction standards facilitated the rescue efforts. Downey said his team found salt water and sand in the concrete mix, with no reinforced steel to speak of. “If you give me a building in Haiti and a building in Chile, I’m going to bust through the one in Haiti a heck of a lot faster than the one in Chile,” Menocal said. It stood in stark contrast to his experience at the World Trade Center, where he spent days fighting the tangled mess with a blowtorch and jackhammer to make any progress.
The thin concrete structures also meant than when the walls and ceilings came down, they broke into large slabs, often entombing people rather than crushing them. Under those conditions, they were able to survive well past the normal five-day limit that search and rescue teams normally set.
How to help those people once they are out of the rubble, however, remains a challenge that Chile is far better equipped for. For one, there are many more ways to get help into the country — Chile has the advantages of functional airports and not being an island. It will not have to deal with coordinating a never-ending chain of flights or U.S. military personnel taking over the only working runway at the airport, as they did briefly in Port-au-Prince.
Over the last decade, Chile has also invested time and money into preparing emergency measures for dealing with earthquakes, according to Nan Buzard, senior director of international response and programs for the American Red Cross. It is, after all, on one of the most geologically active spots on the plant. “Any disaster, you need a chain of command and decision-making,” she added. “All of that, I think, was lacking in Haiti.”
Despite the swarms of aid workers, people in tent cities all over Port-au-Prince still complain that there is enough food, water, and shelter. Buzard, who knew that the Red Cross had supplied nearly a third of all material aid to Haiti, was dumbfounded. It wasn’t until she went and saw the chaos for herself that she understood how people could miss the aid entirely. The scale of the city’s 500 densely packed camps made it clear.
“But I don’t think it’s going to happen in Chile,” she explained. “It’s a better organized country with much stronger infrastructure.”
CORRECTION: This article originally misstated the Chile quake was 30 times as powerful as Haiti's. It has been updated to 500 times.
Joshua Robinson is a freelance writer based in Manhattan. He graduated from Columbia in 2008 and has covered everything from the London stock exchange to the World Series.
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Under First Past The Post (FPTP), everyone picks their favourite option, and the one with most votes wins. Simple, right? Under the Alternative Vote (AV), the one with fewest votes is eliminated, and this process repeats until one candidate has a majority — or until only one candidate is left; it makes no difference. No2AV will tell you that this can hand victory to the second- or third-placed candidate. But what does that mean? The winner is by definition the first-placed candidate — what they mean is that AV sometimes returns a winner who would not have won under FPTP. The Yes campaign will tell you that that is sort of the point — if AV always returned the same winner as FPTP, nobody would care which we used.
The thing is, elections are so engrained in the public consciousness that it’s hard to dislodge the idea that after one there’s a very clear “best candidate”, and any system that doesn’t elect that person is fundamentally broken. But is that true?
And what if there was more than just FPTP and AV on the ballot this May?
What if we added Runoff Voting? This is the system used in France, whereby the two most popular candidates after round one face a second round, the winner of which is duly elected. We could also add Approval Voting. This is essentially exactly the same as FPTP, but you’re allowed to vote for as many options as you like. Lastly, we could add Range Voting. With Range Voting, you can score each option, usually out of 10 or 100, and the one with the maximum score is the winner. There are still more options, but let’s stick to these five for now.
Let’s ask an imaginary population to vote on which system they want. The population is made up of:
- 40 “Reds”. The reds like FPTP, but would settle for Approval. They’ll have no truck with numbers or multiple rounds.
- 21 “Yellows”. The yellows would like Runoff voting, and would be happy enough with AV. They would settle for Approval, but not Range or FPTP.
- 20 “Greens”. The greens would like AV, and would be happy enough with Runoff. They too would settle for Approval, but not Range or FPTP.
- 19 “Blues”. The blues are desperate to have Range voting, but otherwise have identical preferences to the greens.
Let’s assume nobody votes tactically.
Clearly, FPTP has most votes. So that should win, right?
Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. “Having the most votes” is only how you win under FPTP. If we used Runoff voting, the red and yellow vote would get FPTP and Runoff into the second round, where the blues and greens would side with Runoff, granting it a 60:40 win.
This graph shows an interesting fact: even though FPTP got the most votes in the general ballot, the population as a whole prefers Runoff. But what would happen under AV?
In round one, Approval voting would be eliminated, as nobody voted for it. In round two, Range voting, with only the 19-strong blue vote to its name, would also be eliminated. In round three, with Range gone, the blues vote like the greens, taking AV up to 39 votes. This puts Runoff into last place, and it is eliminated. Round four, therefore, is between AV and FPTP. The reds stay loyal to FPTP, but the yellows, greens and blues all prefer AV, which wins with a 60:40 majority.
Again, it is clear that the population as a whole prefers AV to FPTP. In fact, the population as a whole also prefers Approval to FPTP. This is a serious flaw with FPTP: it is possible for the “Condorcet Loser” to win. The Condorcet Loser is any candidate who would lose a two-horse race against each of the other candidates. (In our hypothetical example, however, Range Voting is the Condorcet Loser and so FPTP has not messed up as badly as it might.) AV and Runoff voting are immune from electing the Condorcet Loser, because such a candidate would by definition be defeated in the final round (if they got there).
Let’s have a look at the less well-known systems now. Range Voting is the only system to measure strength of feeling. I mentioned earlier than the blues are desperate for Range to win — so they rate it a 10. Then, they rate AV 3, Runoff 2 and Approval 1 — as do the greens. The greens have opted not to give the full 10 points to any system. That is their right. The yellows vote in a similar way, giving Runoff 3 points, AV 2 and Approval 1. The reds give 3 points to FPTP, and two to Approval. Anything I haven’t mentioned gets zero points.
In total FPTP has 120 points, all from the reds. Approval has 140 points, from everyone. Runoff slightly beats it with 141, from the yellow, green and blues. AV does a little better with 159, from the same ballot papers. But the sheer strength of feeling from the blues is enough to hand Range Voting the win, with 190 points.
Even though the majority would rather have anything but Range Voting (i.e., it is the Condorcet Loser), the theory goes that Range would make the most total happiness, albeit concentrated in a small minority of voters.
Lastly, what would happen under Approval Voting?
Only the reds approve of FPTP. Everyone else approves of AV and Runoff voting. Range gets only 19 votes, from the blues, but since everybody would be happy with Approval voting, it scores an easy win.
All five systems have elected themselves — and yet the voters’ preferences are the same in each case. Obviously this population was engineered so this would happen, and it’s very unlikely in real life. But it should illustrate some of the problems with the current system, and indeed with all systems. It is mathematically impossible to design a system without tactical voting.
Here is the issue: looking at the voter’s preferences, I don’t think there’s a single system that clearly ought to win. No2AV would tell you FPTP should win because it “came first” in terms of first-preference votes, but 60% of the population would rather have Alternative, Runoff or Approval Voting, and it’s hard to argue that democracy dictates that they mustn’t.
This makes designing a fair system almost impossible. For example, a criterion mathematicians use to judge voting systems is “independence of irrelevant alternatives”. Range and Approval Voting satisfy this criterion: if any losing system were removed from the ballot, it would not affect the scores for the remaining ones and the result would be the same. Under FPTP, removing Runoff Voting from the ballot would hand the victory to AV. In this example, AV would elect itself with any combination of opponents, but this is not generally the case.
Even though all five systems elect different winners, none of them is inherently biased. Nor do any of them give any voters more than their fair share of sway over the result, whatever No2AV might tell you. Nor, whatever Yes To Fairer Votes may have you believe, are any of them a panacea that will automatically usher in a “new politics”. We simply have to agree a system beforehand, so that going into the election everyone knows the rules. That way, while the result may not be popular, at least everybody can accept that it is fair, and knows that they have a chance to do something about it the next time around.
Can AV rob a rightful winner of victory? Yes. But so can FPTP, and and at least AV will never elect the single least popular candidate.
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Five Things to Start Your Day: Nov. 21
A few facts, figures and tidbits to start your Wednesday.
Wednesday: More clouds than sun. Dry roads all over New England though. Highs in the low 50s. Breezy across the Cape.
Thursday: Happy Thanksgiving! A mix of sun & clouds with highs from 52-57. Little to no wind.
Friday: Mostly cloudy skies. Highs in low 50s.
2. WALK-IN WEDNESDAYS AT APPLE VALLEY: You are invited to learn more about a Montessori education by coming to the school and observing classes in session at 1 p.m. No pressure, no obligations, just call, come in and see for yourself. Programs offered are for children ages 15 months through 12 years old. For more information, visit www.avms.org.
3. FALL & WINTER PROGRAM REGISTRATION: Acton Recreation offers a great variety of classes and programs for all ages from arts & crafts to Zumba, show tickets, bus trips, concerts and special events. Registration is available online at www.acton-ma.gov/register and by mail or in-person.
All offerings are open to Acton and non-Acton residents.
4. WHAT TO CELEBRATE TODAY: Today is World Hello Day.
The objective of World Hello Day is to promote world peace. The theme of this day is "Greet ten people for peace." It is really easy to participate in World Hello Day. Simply, say hello to the people today. And, voice your concern for world peace. World Hello Day was created during the 1973 conflict between Egypt and Israel. The creators of this day, Brian McCormack and Michael McCormack, believe your efforts can help to promote global peace. They believe it starts with communications, hence the greeting to 10 people.
5. THIS DAY IN HISTORY: 1789: North Carolina became the 12th state; 1922: Georgia's Rebecca Felton was sworn into the U.S. Senate, becoming the first woman U.S. Senator; 1934: Cole Porter's musical Anything Goes opened in New York City; 1969: For the first time since 1930, the U.S. Senate rejected a Supreme Court nominee, Clement Haynsworth; 1973: The 18 1/2 min gap in the Richard Nixon Watergate tapes was revealed.
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Return to story
However, I know that they will not, because education is not a priority with this group. Sadly, this attitude will eventually come back to cause the county heartache in the future. People will not move to a county where the educational system is inferior to surrounding counties.
The starting salaries featured on the front page are just one of the major problems facing Stafford public schools.
On Sept. 27, 2011, Stafford was ranked No. 7 on the list of the 15 richest counties in the nation with a median household income of $94,317.
Using Sperling's Best Places, on the Internet, to compare and contrast the cost of living in various surrounding areas I found the following:
Stafford is 33 percent more expensive than the city of Richmond and housing is 114 percent more in Stafford, yet a beginning teacher in the city of Richmond makes $43,059 and the beginning teacher in Stafford makes $36,685.
Stafford is 10 percent more expensive than Woodbridge and housing is 27 percent more expensive in Stafford. A beginning teacher in Prince William makes $44,048 vs. Stafford's $36,685.
Stafford is 11 percent more expensive than Spotsylvania with housing 28 percent more expensive in Stafford. Spotsylvania's first-year teacher makes $39,200 and Stafford's $36,685.
Compared to Louisa County, Stafford is 29 percent more expensive and housing is 85 percent more expensive in Stafford! Yet in Louisa, a beginning teacher makes $40,370. compared to Stafford's $36,685.
When you look at these numbers (even though Stafford's steps are somewhat higher than Spotsylvania), why would a first-year teacher come to Stafford? Even if he or she wanted to come, or is independently wealthy, how can he or she afford to live here?
Yes, Stafford is a wealthy county, but we cannot afford to pay our teachers what they are worth. Thus, we cannot attract the best and the brightest to teach here. What a sad situation for our children and our future.
Anne M. LeDoux
Anne M. LeDoux is a retired Stafford County teacher.
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Michelle Grabowski, UMN Extension Educator
Canna Yellow Streak Virus (CaYSV) causes yellow to brown streaks along leaf veins of infected plants. Severely infected plants may have poor growth and reduced or no flowers.
Although many viruses are transmitted from plant to plant by an insect vector, there is no known vector for CaYSV other than humans. Cannas are propagated by splitting the rhizome of one plant, and growing the pieces into many new plants. If the original plant is infected with the CaYSV, all new plants arising from that plant will also carry the virus. Once infected with CaYSV, a canna is infected for life. The only effective control is to throw out infect rhizomes and start over with healthy virus free plant material.
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In his video, Michael Goodwin talks about the freedom to fail, claiming there is a ‘mania’ for reducing the freedom to fail. Unfortunately, his position seems to be at odds with how the world works.
Freedom to fail doesn’t mean you must suffer horrendous consequences should you fail. It means should you fail you will not gain the benefits of success, that failure is an option. Mr. Goodwin seems to equate the US social safety net with fewer sparks of ambition. The US social safety net is nowhere near as effective as similar nets in most other first-world powers, like Finland and Sweden, yet those countries still manage to quietly contribute to global inventiveness and a healthy global economy with new electric vehicles, reduced carbon emissions and the giant Nokia corporation.
I agree when Mr. Goodwin says that social promotion in US schools is a problem; but the answers we have given students to date include extra tests and extra homework without extra attention or access to different teaching styles that may mesh better with their style of learning. Passing students who haven’t learned along to the next subject up the learning pyramid is a mistake. Not teaching them effectively is an even greater mistake. Matching students to learning styles would be considerably more effective and keep more students in school, yet we fail to do this at very high human costs.
When it comes to freedom to fail, there have been people throughout history who have had the freedom to fail without dire consequences. These people have been wealthy or have had something they could easily fall back on to maintain a reasonably good life. Benjamin Franklin had the freedom to invent due to his successful printing business. Henry Ford would not have experimented on gasoline engines without the security of his Edison salary. They had the freedom to fail, and they used it to help build the modern world.
Success brings its own rewards, including money, fame, political power, social clout and personal satisfaction. These are all potent motivators for improvement, be it from learning a trade, shooting for athletic stardom or working on the newest mobile computer. However, desire for success has to grapple with caution built from fear. People worrying when the next meal is coming, uncertain of a roof over their heads, or unsure of surviving to the next day don't shoot for success. They strive to survive. The only way they will shoot for success is if their fear of staying put is even greater than their fear of failure. Desperation is a merciless motivator.
We need a system where people have the freedom to fail, yes. But we also need a system where failure does not mean doom. We built that system in the 1950s-1970s. We should stop shredding it like we have been since 1980.
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Do anthropology, archaeology, zoology, botany, numismatics, literature or music attract you? Then you will certainly embrace the wide range offered by the Moravian Museum in Brno, in which a respectable number of interesting items from the natural and social sciences are concentrated. The museum was created back in 1817 by means of an imperial decree by František I, and nowadays it contains over six million items. Take a closer look at prehistoric life in Pavilon Anthropos where you will see a life-size mammoth and all the things a prehistoric family had to face. Immerse yourself in the world of the musical composer Leoš Janáček in his preserved study. You will also learn more about the “Teacher of Nations” John Amos Comenius and about Mendel’s research legacy.
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Tobacco control and prevention efforts are usually targeted at current and potential tobacco users - but there's more to it than that. Although the health effects for smokers are a deadly reality, we also know that the smoke from cigarettes affects everybody around it.
For college students, the campus environment can be really dangerous since there are many locations where they can be exposed to secondhand smoke - places like residence halls, student housing, outside of building entrances and in bars and buildings where smoking is permitted. So what's the big deal about being exposed?
- Even 30 minutes of secondhand smoke exposure daily can cause heart damage similar to that of a habitual smoker.
- People who are exposed to daily secondhand smoke have a 30% higher death and disease rate than that of non-smokers.
- Secondhand smoke is the third leading cause of preventable death in this country, behind smoking and alcohol/drug abuse.
- It is estimated that secondhand smoke causes 3,000 lung cancer deaths and more than 50,000 coronary heart disease deaths every year.
- Secondhand smoke is also associated with sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and unhealthy (lower birth weight) infants. Smoking by mothers is linked to a higher risk of their babies developing asthma in childhood.
- Babies and children raised in a household where there is smoking have more ear infections, colds, bronchitis, and other respiratory problems than children from non-smoking families.
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Pretoria — President Jacob Zuma is in Russia for a meeting on Libya hosted by the International Contact Group on Libya.
On his working visit the President will participate in the meeting in his capacity as a member of the African Union's Ad hoc High Level Committee on Libya mandated by the African Union Peace and Security Council to engage the opposing parties in Libya in order to find a peaceful and lasting solution to the current conflict.
"President Zuma's participation to the meeting follows the invitation extended to him as the member of African Union Ad hoc High Level Committee on Libya by the Russian Federation," said the Department of International Relations and Cooperation.
On Thursday President Zuma along with other AU leaders attended a summit that focused on the leadership crises in Libya, Sudan and Somalia, as well as accelerating youth empowerment.
There has been mounting calls for Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to leave office. In addition the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Gaddafi.
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Obama has been all out in his assertion that we need to tax the rich to bring in more revenue so that we can get this pesky deficit under control. He doesn’t mention that he accelerated the level of deficit spending so we are now careening off a fiscal cliff. His logic and thought process to higher taxes equating higher levels of revenue are also very much off base.
Much is being made of his new proposal to lower corporate tax rates. Like most things Obama, the headline is good but the details leave a lot to be desired. This is a President that hates private industry and believes solely in big government solutions to fix problems. Remember, he destroyed the bankruptcy process with car companies and we are left with government holding 26% of GM equity. It’s a loser, just like his new plan.
Instead of a blanket lowering of the rate on all corporations, Obama picks winners and losers and offers incentives for things like green energy. He eliminates loop holes for his least favorite kinds of companies, and opens or extends them for his favorite kinds of companies. The corporate tax proposal is simply another campaign document that gives Obama a good soundbite for the uninformed.
It brings us back to the question I proposed at the top of this post. Why don’t higher taxes bring in higher amounts of revenue? It has to do with calculus. Think of tax revenue as a curve. Here is a parabola. A parabola that looks like this is the way most people think of tax rates.
The lower you make the rate, the lower amount of revenue you generate. That is the accountants way to look at taxes, and why government numbers are always wrong no matter which party is quoting them. Even in the Republican numbers designed to poke holes in the Obama budget, I see usage of accounting numbers to make their point when convenient.
In reality, people's behavior changes significantly in response to tax rates. "At the margin" is what you need to focus on and get familiar with. Will the incentive to increase production and income increase if tax rates decrease on the next dollar made? Of course they do. More production then leads to higher amounts of revenue generated, even at lower rates. Of course, there is a limit to how low the rate can go before the curve starts to turn the other way.
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Demonstrates the power of mindfulness and how it can be harnessed to effect change in both our personal lives and the world through learning, growing, and healing.
COMING TO OUR SENSES is a major statement from Jon Kabat-Zinn, who draws on his years of experience in mind-body medicine and his studies of Eastern thought to addresses timely concerns of the 21st century. Saying that we appear to suffer from what he calls an autoimmune "dis-ease" and a collective ADD, Kabat-Zinn exhorts us to become more awake and more aware, or, in his words, "more fully human," through mindfulness, a practice which allows us to "live in the moment." As the title suggests, Kabat-Zinn explains that we first need to become more aware of, and in touch with, our senses--sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing. He presents a thorough explanation of meditation, its practice and purpose. He also addresses busy behaviors, such as our attention to cell phones and email which are symptoms of our "continual partial attention." Full attention is the remedy here. Kabat-Zinn extends his mind-body healing approach to the political realm, making specific reference to 9/11, the War In Iraq, global warming, and other newsworthy topics. He says that mindfulness can clear our heads so we might make good decisions, and that mindfulness and democracy can go hand in hand. Each chapter, or lesson, in this long and dense book includes selections from poets such as Rumi, Kabir, Derek Walcott, Mary Oliver, and other "intrepid explorers of what is so, and articulate guardians of the possible." Kabat-Zinn covers a lot of ground, and COMING TO OUR SENSES amounts to a virtual course in mindfulness. At some points an iconoclastic manifesto, this grand statement moves logically from the personal to the political. It is a wake-up call that may be summed up as: Heal your body and mind, and the rest will follow
- Education, Psychology, Health + Wellness, Body + Mind + Spirit
- General, Healing / General, Mental Health, Healing, Study Skills
- Hyperion Audio
- January 1, 2005
- January 1, 2005
- Jon Kabat-Zinn
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Is Joe Romm a 'Global Lukewarmer'?
“On our current emissions path, we’re going to … warm more than 4°C by century’s end.”
- Joseph Romm, Climate Progress, August 11, 2009
“I will be happy to bet anyone that the 2010s will be the hottest decade in the temperature record, more than 0.15°C hotter than the hottest decade so far using the NASA GISS dataset. Any takers? Andy [Revkin]?”
Joseph Romm, Climate Progress, September 22, 2009
In a fit of rage, uber-alarmist Joe Romm of ClimateProgress has recently offered a temperature warming bet that he can win even if more than 85% of all climate models are shown to overpredict future warming.
Has Joe seen the light and become a “lukewarmer”—that is, someone who thinks that the human CO2 emissions will result in only a modest rise in global temperature, somewhere at or below the bottom end of the IPCC range of projections? Might he even be a closet ‘skeptic’–not a skeptic of climate change or anthropogenic climate change, but a doubter of climate alarmism?
For someone so strident on this issue, I would have thought that Joe Romm, would bet on climate catastrophe, not climate-model catastrophe.
Romm issued his bet after hyperventilating about Andy Revkin’s recent article in the New York Times, which suggested that the lack of change in the world’s average surface temperature since the turn of the century (or in some instances, a few years prior) has the potential to make it difficult to get CO2 emissions regulated in the name of “global warming.”
For what it is worth, I agree with Revkin on this (tune in next week to see why), as do an increasing number of science writers who are hedging their bets in line with recent data and what new peer reviewed articles are suggesting. And Romm is furious that Revkin has ‘mainstreamed’ lukewarming in the pages of the newspaper of record, the New York Times.
States Romm: “I will be happy to bet anyone that the 2010s will be the hottest decade in the temperature record, more than 0.15°C hotter than the hottest decade so far using the NASA GISS dataset.”
Well, many climate realists the world over would feel vindicated if the average temperature of the 2010s was only 0.15°C hotter than the decade of the 2000s (the current warmest decade). For that would provide more strong evidence that the earth’s climate was responding to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions in a far more benign manner than the ensemble projection of climate models.
In fact, the rejoicing wouldn’t be limited to climate realists but to just about anyone overly concerned about the potential for large negative impacts from climate change given a slower-than-model-predicted evolution of global temperatures. I imagine, though, that Joe Romm would be an exception because while he would have won the bet, he would have lost his Hell-or-High-Water war. He is emotionally attached to the issue with a public record of alarmism that is beginning to put Paul Ehrlich in the shade. (John Holdren, with his billion-death climate scare still on the table, might be another story.)
How Will the Bet Play Out?
When the final global temperature numbers are tallied at the end of this year, the hottest decade on record will be the most recent one, that is 2000–2009. The average global temperature anomaly in the GISS dataset for this period will be somewhere around 0.51°C.
Joe wants to bet that the next ten years, the “2010s” (2010-2019) will average at least 0.15°C hotter, or, that the global average temperature anomaly for the period will be at least 0.66°C.
Obviously, there are many ways for this to happen. I’ll examine a reasonable and straightforward one—I’ll assume that the evolution of global average temperature during the next 10 years will be just like it was during the last 10 years, but that each year will be 0.15°C hotter than the corresponding year 10 years prior. This reasonably captures interannual variability and is as good a guess as any as to how the temperatures could change and Joe could still win his bet. The resulting temperature history, from 2000-2019, is presented in Figure 1.
Figure 1. A reasonable temperature evolution in which Joe Romm would win his bet that the decade from 2010–2019 was at least 0.15°C hotter than the decade from 2000–2009. The closed circles are the observed data from the GISS dataset, and the open circles are the temperatures for the period 2010–2019 under the assumption that each is 0.15°C warmer than the corresponding year 10 years earlier.
The trend in global temperatures over the 20-yr period depicted in Figure 1—one in which Joe would win the bet—is 0.136°C/decade.
In Figure 2, I plot the distribution of the temperature trends as projected to occur during the first 20 years of the 21st century by all the climate models included in the IPCC’s Fourth Assessment Report when run under the mid-range emissions scenario called A1B (note: Joe thinks that this emissions scenario is far too conservative—which means it produces too little temperature rise for his taste). There are 55 model runs from among the 22 individual climate models.
Figure 2. (top) Frequency distribution of climate model projected temperature trends during the first two decades of this century under the SRES A1B emissions scenario (55 model runs in all). (bottom) Percentile plot of the model projected temperature trends from the 55 individual model runs with Joe’s winning bet indicated.
I indicate in Figure 2 where the trend 0.136°C (Joe’s winner) falls in this distribution. It falls at the about the 13th percentile, meaning that 87% of the model runs project that a greater temperature rise should have occurred during the first two decades of the century.
In other words, Joe won his bet and yet 87% of climate model runs (using an emissions scenario that Joe considers to be too conservative) projected that the climate should have warmed up faster than what occurred. Hopefully, by then, Joe would have reassessed his stance on the pace and impacts of global warming.
If Joe were really serious that he thought that climate models were getting things right (or even underestimating what is to come), then he should not have offered such a wimpy bet.
Man Up: A Real Romm Bet
At the very minimum, Romm should have offered a bet for a temperature rise during the coming decade that would at least have fallen in the middle of the distribution of model projections (if not higher since he considers that A1B underestimates the forcing changes to come). The 50th percentile of the model distribution is a 20-yr trend of 0.21°C/decade. For that to happen, the 2010s need to average about 0.25°C above the average of the 2000s (Figure 3).
Figure 3. A reasonable temperature evolution in order to bring the overall trend from 2000-2019 up to the model median value of 0.21°C/decade. Each of the coming 10 years would have to be 0.25°C hotter than its counterpart 10 years prior.
Clearly Joe needs to rethink his bet. For I am sure that he doesn’t want to include the possibility for it to result in a Pyrrhic victory. So, instead of offering up something on the namby-pamby side of things (which seems to run counter to his character), he ought to put something strong and confident out on the table—at least a bet that the 2010s will minimally average 0.25°C above the past decade’s average temperature, but even more impressive would be 0.30° or 0.35°C.
Come to think of it, if he really believes the “doubled” warming projections from the MIT study that his is so keen on touting, he ought to man-up and proffer a 0.50°C average temperature rise during the next decade as a reasonable 50-50 value. That would certainly cement his reputation as a true believer.
Offering anything less, would indicate that Joe really isn’t all that convinced that global warming is going to progress at rate leading to “unmitigated catastrophe.” Offering to bet on a 0.15°C rise is more like something I would put up (if I were the betting sort)!
So is Romm a closet “lukewarmer?” Or is he starting to become a bit worried that global warming is being a bit overblown? He has already reversed course to endorse a very weak climate bill (Waxman-Markey, what James Hansen called a “monstrosity”) as “the only game in town.” Perhaps he is unwittenly softening his physical science view as reality too.
So here’s a challenge to Joe (‘I’m-right-you’re-wrong’) Romm: will you offer a global warming alarmism bet instead of a ‘global lukewarming’ one? Will you walk your scary talk?
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WASHINGTON (Nov. 9, 12:05 p.m. ET) — San Mateo County has become the eighth county in California to ban the use of single-use plastic bags in the unincorporated areas of their jurisdictions.
Starting April 22, retail stores in unincorporated areas of San Mateo County will no longer be permitted to distribute plastic bags and must charge 10 cents for paper and reusable bags with that fee escalating to 25 cents Jan. 1, 2015. The county board of supervisors adopted the ordinance Nov. 6.
Exempt from the San Mateo County ban are garment bags; bags without handles that are used to transport prepared food, produce, bulk food or meats; bags used to hold prescription medication dispensed from a pharmacy; and bags used to segregate food or merchandise that could damage or contaminate other food or merchandise when placed together in a reusable bag or recycled paper bag.
In the Northeast, a ban on plastic bags in Barrington, R.I., will go into effect Jan. 1. That measure, passed last month, has exemptions for plastic bags used to transport fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, small hardware items, fresh, frozen or prepackaged foods including meats and fish, unwrapped prepared foods or bakery items and wrapped flowers and potted plants.
Barrington, with a population approaching 17,000, is the first community in Rhode Island to enact a plastic bag ban.
Boulder, Colo., is not banning plastic bags, but it has also approved a 10-cent fee on plastic and paper bag sat retail. But council must receive approve the legislation again at a Nov. 15 city council meeting because of changes made at the Nov. 1. council meeting.
Altogether, there are 84 U.S. communities with plastic bag bans, including 41 cities and eight counties in California that encompass more than 16 percent of the state’s population.
Plastic bag bans are in place in three of the 14 largest and five of the 29 largest cities in the United States: San Francisco, San Jose, Calif.; Austin, Texas, Seattle and Portland, Ore.
In addition, Los Angeles — the nation’s second-largest city with a population of 4 million — this summer set in motion a plan to ban single-use plastic bags.
More than half of the plastic bag bans in the United States—46—have been enacted this year. In addition, three communities—Aspen, Colo.; Washington, D.C., and Montgomery County, Md.—have fees on plastic carryout bags, with Boulder set to become the fourth.
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As much as we hate to think about it, school is already in session or just around the corner for many of us. Soon it will be back to the struggle of finding a working pen or a pencil with lead, rushing to get that huge final project done on time and cramming for tests, promising ourselves that we’ll do better next year as the stress rises.
Of course, there are always some aspects of school that we look forward to, whether it’s the big game against the school rival, socializing with friends again, or the upcoming play production.
As summer comes to a close, many Top of Utah teens have been thinking of ways to make this school year different than the last. Instead of New Year’s resolutions, we are talking about back-to-school resolutions.
Pump it up
One thing that many teens mention as a back-to-school resolution is the desire to do better in school. This is especially true for those closer to the end of their high school experience who have a desire to get good ACT scores and work on getting scholarships.
Other just want to bump up that GPA or maybe try to achieve a 4.0 for the year.
“I want to start studying more, not just waiting until the last minute before a test — I actually have to study for it,” said Tobin Niebrugge, a junior at Bonneville High School.
There are those classes we’ve taken this year that we look forward to — while dreading some of the others — but there’s no way to completely escape the fact that there are always those necessary credits to graduate. While completing those requirements, many have already started to look toward college and taking early college classes.
“I want to push myself harder in school, to do early college, try to jump at the opportunities that are available to me before I graduate,” said Vanessa Vasquez, a junior at Bonneville High.
Make it count
Many also want to make the last year of their high school experience count before heading off to college or starting their careers.
“Going into my senior year I want to make it memorable, have a lot of laughs, make new friends, get into trouble, not a lot though, (and) regret nothing,” said Jim Adams, a senior at Northridge High School. “I’ll try to do this by being the most outgoing I’ve ever been and get out of my comfort zone. I want to do this because the past 11 years for me have been really dull and I want to go out with a bang, so to speak.”
Even as we joke about how school drags on forever, some are quickly coming to the end of high school so getting more involved is another goal that some Top of Utah teens have for this upcoming school year, as well as becoming more social.
“I would like to be able to be more involved this year. I am going to find a buddy and drag them with me to lots of activities and such,” said Taylor Deem, a junior at Fremont High School.
The screaming crowd, the adrenaline pumping, the clock ticking away precious seconds are all some of the aspects of the big sporting event. Sporting events have become a big part of the high school experience for many teens, whether it is the desire to letter, or to play on varsity as much as possible.
“I’m going to try and do track this year, and I want to letter by senior year. I’ve been running, and I’m just working on getting better at my pacing,” said Kenzie Stokes, a junior at Bonneville High School.
Just one thing
So, whether it’s waking up 10 minutes earlier to get to school on time, working on homework right away to avoid procrastination, or trying out for a sports team or part in the school play, make your back-to-school resolution and become determined now. Setting little steps to reach your goal can really pay off.
Meghan Jones will be a junior at Bonneville High School. Contact her at email@example.com.
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Running a business is not for everyone but I still believe that through experience, thorough evaluation, tips from the pros, and doing your homework can help you become an entrepreneur. I personally did not see myself being a small business owner but luckily, I got majority of the motivation from friends who have been successful with their venture. Today, there are situations when I find myself giving tips for business starters and I must say, I am proud to be a help to them.
When I was still starting, I do my homework and rely on information and articles in the web to help me further during the business startup stage. Articles like the one written by Nathan Furr, a contributor of Forbes, were great of help to me aside from those that are advised from my friends who are already running their own small businesses. Nathan Furr wrote the article Entrepreneur Trap: Going After Too Many Customers where he provided a basic list for new entrepreneurs and what traps them during the operation. His approach is friendlier and more understandable so I opt to share them to you.
What New Entrepreneurs should Know:
I. The Basics of Testing Your Ideas
As an entrepreneur, you have to start by recognizing that whatever you believe is just a guess. Not the actual facts. If you had the facts, you could move forward with more confidence and radically increase your chances of success.
I believe that more than three of your friends already told you to do what you love doing. That means if you love making crochets then you can start running a small business that makes crocheted accessories. However, Nathan advised that you need to test your idea first. A better way of testing is that you try to sell some crocheted accessories to your close friends and if you can see that they are interested by your product then you have a chance of making the idea work.
II. How to Save Yourself $100,000 or More
Unless you have been in the industry you are targeting for 15-20 years, I guarantee you will find out two things. First, that your guess was wrong. Second, after you find out that you are wrong you will discover how you could change and turn your guess into something customers will want. In other words, you will find out that despite your utter confidence in your idea, it was just a guess, but now you have some facts you can act on! Finding this out early can save you $100,000 or more. Finding it out late can cost you success.
If you haven’t tested your business idea you might end up selling a product that no customer is interested on buying. This will save you a lot of money from the capital that you might have put up only to realize that the business is not profitable.
III. The Two Things that Scare Entrepreneurs
While this process sounds simple and works astounding well. There are two fundamental fears that stop entrepreneurs from actually following the basics. First, finding out you are wrong. Second, entrepreneurs are scared their crappy products and ideas will ruin their chances to win customers. In fact this fear has some grounding in reality. It would ruin your chance if you are going after the entire customer base at once. Herein lays the trap.
I understand that we are just humans, and we have that tendency to repel from negative ideas. However, these ideas should not be something to be scared of. Finding out what is wrong with the idea will allow you to address and make the necessary changes. On the other hand, you’ll never know if your crappy idea will work not unless you will give it a chance to have somebody evaluate it.
IV. The Hidden Trap: Going After too Many Customers
Entrepreneurs are driven, almost by nature, to go after as many customers as possible, as soon as possible. But when you are testing your ideas, you have to remember it is a TEST. You don’t test your ideas on the whole world, you choose a small sample, learn from the test, make changes, and test again.
Majority of the business starters become excited for the new venture that they are planning to put up. This enthusiasm is healthy for as long as you know your limit. Moreover, when it comes to testing you need to run the trial to a chosen few samples.
Being an entrepreneur is not an overnight process but with the help of tips and techniques from the experts the journey won’t be too hard for you. Remember that you can’t be complacent when you are still starting so my advice is do not stop asking until you are confident that you are on the right path.
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A geneticists who is among the scientists who placed the entire human genetic code in proper order, unveiling the blueprint for life, will give a public lecture in Roanoke Thursday.
Richard Gibbs directs the Human Genome Sequencing Center at Baylor College of Medicine, which was one of three U.S. academic institutions to place the human genetic code in order.
Gibbs is the latest guests to take the lecture podium as part of the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute’s Distinguished Visiting Scholars Series.
He is expected to talk about how people’s individual genomes can be sequenced on an individual basis, and how the cost of doing that is rapidly declining, said Michael Friedlander, executive director of the research institute.
“He will address what we can do to use this information to make health and lifestyle decisions that can affect our heart health, cancer risk and risk for other diseases,” Friedlander said.
“He is leading modern medicine into the age of cancer diagnosis, autism and developmental disabilities with the powerful new generation of tools of modern genomics and computation of which he is a world leader in developing,” Friedlander said.
The lecture is Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at the institute. A public reception will precede the lecture at 4:30 p.m.
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Friends and fellow foodies, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Dharshan Munidase decided to create Ministry of Crab as a celebration of Sri Lanka’s seafood, particularly of her wonderfully sweet and succulent crabs.
Ministry of Crab is the first restaurant in Sri Lanka dedicated to serving export quality Sri Lankan crabs, as well as the island’s best seafood, locally. Co-owned by Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Dharshan Munidasa the restaurant is housed inside the newly opened 400 year old Dutch Hospital, in Colombo Fort.
The best of Sri Lanka’s crabs have for decades been more easily available internationally than here in Sri Lanka itself. It was a common interest in rectifying this situation, among other things, which brought Dharshan, Mahela and Kumar together to form Ministry of Crab. For Dharshan Munidasa, owner of the acclaimed Japanese restaurant Nihonbashi,using the best of Sri Lanka’s produce is nothing new. 14 years ago he began intercepting the best of Sri Lanka’s tuna before it was sold abroad, and now he’s set to retain the best of Sri Lanka’s crabs. The difference between export crabs and those usually found in Sri Lanka is vast, Dharshan explains. Not only do export crabs grow to be up to 2kgs in weight, it is also necessary that they have both claws intact.
In an export quality crab the two claws will be roughly equal in size, and therefore provide a significant quantity of claw meat, which is darker and richer in flavour than the white meat, which is sweeter. Though crabs are undoubtedly the star attraction of Ministry of Crab, the owners are allquick to stress that the restaurant will be serving a selection of other dishes in addition to their export quality giants. Largely seafood based, there will also be alternatives – such as chicken and vegetable dishes. In fact Mahela (who was elected chairman of the Ministry by coin toss) is proud to say that the Chicken Curry Rice is one of his major contributions to themenu. He hastens to add that he’s not involved in the cooking process - but says that since Dharshan made it for him, during the cricket world cup matches played in Sri Lanka, it’s been one of his favourite dishes.
Given Dharshan Munidasa’s involvement in the new restaurant people may assume that Ministry of Crab is a Japanese restaurant, which is not the case. Though Dharshan is of mixed Japanese heritage, and though Kumar, Mahela and Dharshan all share a love of Japanese food, Ministry of Crab is something entirely new and different for all three o theco-owners. That being said Dharshan’s Japanese heritage certainly has influenced some of the dishes – the menu features such unusual combinations as Olive Oil and Soy Prawns. However the Ministry of Crab menu demonstrates various culinary influences – from Baked Crab, to the Singaporean classic Chilli Crab, to our very own Sri Lankan Crab Curry.What’s more the ingredients used at the Ministry of Crab aren’t just the best, but also the freshest; think about it – there is no way these crabs can be served to you as fresh anywhere else in the world. Employing a daring no freezers policy Ministry of Crab claims, “the only use we’ve found for freezers is to store our food refuse prior to disposal.” All the seafood is served absolutely fresh, with the crabs kept live in a tank at the back of the kitchen. Guests are welcome to come and have a look at their dinner before it’s cooked.
he reason for the no freezer policy is that Dharshan believes freezing seafood detracts from the taste. What’s the point ofbuying fresh seafood (something we are privileged to be able to do in Sri Lanka) – if wefreeze the produce, he questions.The involvement of Kumar and Mahela, huge names in cricket, but lesser known in culinary circles has been causing something of a stir. Some might assume that their involvement is simply as investors who add some PR punch however this does not seem to be the case. Dharshan Munidasa emphasised the fact that he could only ever work with people who love food, which both Mahela and Kumar do. Though neither claims to be a cook themselves -Mahela says cooking is certainly not on his C.V., but they both love to eat. Kumar added that he loves to watch cooking shows on TV, as he admires the unique creativity needed to be a chef – a sort of creativity he feels his friend and co-owner of the restaurant DharshanMunidasa is able to provide to Ministry of Crab.
In fact the friendship between the three coowners is clear, with Mahela even saying that it was really the chance to do something different with two of his close friends that got him involved in the project. Another key factor in the creation of the Ministry of Crab was the building. Ministry of Crab is to be housed in the Old Dutch Hospital in Colombo Fort. Dating back to 1677 the building is thought to among the oldest in Colombo, and is visually stunning. Mahela, Kumar and Dharshan all say that they found the building entirely inspirational. In fact Dharshan Munidasa says that though the project was in motion already, it was only once he saw the building that things just started to fall into place. The building which is being overseen by Minister Gotabaya Rajapaksa, not only looked ministerial but fitted in perfectly with thetheme of the restaurant. The Ministry of Crab has kept all the original design features of the building intact, including the high beamed ceiling and the tiled floor while adding a striking orange and black colour scheme.
|Ministry Of Crab Resturant Images|
Ulitmately the Ministry of Crab is the result of a truly unique combination of exceptional people, excellent natural ingredients and an outstanding heritage location. A project like no other, it aims to highlight the beauty, and bounty of Sri Lanka. From its participation in the Dutch hospital project, which marks the regeneration of the fort, to the involvement ofworld renowned Sri Lankan athletes and the use of Sri Lanka’s finest produce the opening of Ministry of Crab signals the beginning of a new era in Colombo’s culinary scene.Ministry Of Crab
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The event your organization plans is only as good as the number of people who attend. College students are bombarded with promotions about events on campus, from Facebook events to flyers – so try to find ways to generate interest through other outlets.
Partner with another student organization
Double your promotional power by co-sponsoring with another student organization that could align with the theme of your event. Possible partners could be through Greek Life, health and wellness centers, and performance groups. Not only does it increase the number of people spreading word, but it can also attract a bigger and more diverse audience. Don’t forget about reaching out to outside charities as well.
Working in a group can be an uncomfortable experience — especially if you don’t know the people you are grouped with. Often, not getting off on the right foot can be harmful in the long run, so it is important that you have a good start. Luckily, after three years of group-project experience, I have come up with five suggestions that can make the collaboration process a lot easier.
When people meet for the first time, it can be a little uneasy. Thoughts of not knowing what to say or do in certain situations are constantly running in the back of our minds. Try breaking the tension with a fun game, or simply engage in small talk to get to know everyone a little better. Breaking the ice helps to lighten up the mood and can get people to open up.
When a deadline approaches, there seems to be nothing better than re-watching the entire first season of The O.C. or visiting every bar near campus. And, surprisingly, the closer it gets to our exams, the more enjoyment we seem to get out of these activities. Unfortunately, these procrastination activities can have horrible consequences. Here are some of the ways I avoid the dreaded “all-nighter” and make my schoolwork a bit more manageable.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is likely to call elections in mid-February 2013, more than six months early, Israeli media and ministers said on Wednesday.
In recent weeks, speculation has been rife that Netanyahu, who continues to ride high in the polls, might bring forward elections scheduled for next October, rather than try to pass a controversial new budget before the vote.
Media reports pointed out that the premier himself, during a closed meeting on Tuesday, said he would not hesitate to call early elections if it looked impossible to pass the budget beforehand.
Multiple media reports cited February 12 as the likeliest date.
Netanyahu is trying to pass an austerity budget -- prepared by Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz -- that commentators say has virtually no chance of being adopted by the end of this year.
"The prime minister is still trying to present a responsible budget, but if it isn't possible there will be elections in mid-February," Transportation Minister Israel Katz, a Netanyahu confidant, told Israeli public radio.
He said parliament could be dissolved just a few days after it begins its winter session on October 15.
Interior Minister Eli Yishai, head of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, told military radio that early elections "are a fait accompli given that discussions on the budget haven't even started yet."
Other signs pointing to early elections include unprecedented criticism by Netanyahu of Defence Minister Ehud Barak, who left the Labour party to form his own faction and enter the government.
For nearly four years, the two politicians have presented a united front, but in recent days Netanyahu has reportedly accused Barak of "maneouvering behind his back" with the United States in a bid to present himself as a "moderate" compared to Netanyahu's "extremist" positions, local media said.
And Israel's Channel 10 reported on Tuesday that Netanyahu had rejected a request by Barak that be guaranteed the defence portfolio in the country's next government.
Katz offered his own criticism of Barak on Wednesday, saying the defence minister "plotted against the prime minister in recent discussions with the United States, where he wanted to present himself as a better partner," he said.
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Ah, although we had a very short wet spring, summer in New York is in full effect; temperatures have already reached the high 90’s in parts of the country, and at least the high 80’s on Long Island and it’s only June.
If you are a pet owner (and I assume you are since you are reading this blog), there are some things that you should be aware of.
Pets in Cars
Most pet owners (particularly dog-owners) will agree that there is nothing better than seeing their pet stick his/her face out the window, tongues hanging out while the wind hits their faces. If you are a going on a long road trip, remember to take frequent stops so they can hydrate and relieve themselves. Just because you are making great time to visit grandma in South Carolina and you’re not hungry, doesn’t mean that they aren’t; give everyone’s legs a stretch every few hours.
When traveling to other states, be sure to bring several gallons of bottled tap water from home for your pets; the water in other states may be sensitive to your pet’s digestive system.
IMPORTANT: Never, under any circumstance, leave your pets unattended in the car, ever! Think about the size of your animal and the toaster oven you are baking them in when you leave them unattended. Even with the windows cracked, the heat in the car can raise 25 degrees very quickly, leading to heat exhaustion or more extreme unforgiving consequences. Not for 5 minutes, don’t do it.
During the grueling hot summer months, your pets should be in air conditioned environment most, if not all of the time… but we understand that is not possible for everyone, especially if there is a block party down the street or your bringing your furry friends with you to the beach, on picnics or to vet visits, etc. If your animals are going to be outside, make sure there is a nice, shaded area for them to cool down; also make sure they always have plenty of water (especially the smaller animals), as well as a way to get back inside or under a cover.
Believe it or not, some animals are lazy and will stay in the sun. If that’s the case, it’s time to step in and be a parent and motivate them or manually move them; heat exhaustion and/or dehydration or even sun burn are large possibilities. Sun burn and skin cancer is typically more likely on those with a white or light coat/fur but all types should be protected. Yes, your pet’s fur is there to look pretty but it’s main purpose is to protect them from cold in the winter and from the sun in the summer; make sure your animals are well groomed the entire year.
For more information, visit us at www.willowpethotel.com
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How Demographics Are Affecting the Racing Scene
Races are getting bigger and slower
For decades -- a century, almost -- road racing was a world of competitive men. Since emerging from the first running boom, however, the sport has quickly evolved. The competitive core is still there, leading the pack. But now that core is being chased through the streets by thousands upon thousands of new runners, many of them motivated by very different factors.
The numbers really began to change in the early 1990s when aging running boomers filled out the masters ranks. By 2000, 44 percent of marathon finishers were 40-plus. Growth of the women's division was even more dramatic. Just 10 percent of marathon finishers in 1980 were female. That figure is now 40 percent, while women now make up more than half the finishers at many shorter distances.
Though these demographic shifts have slowed, overall growth continues. Runners are flooding road races in unprecedented numbers -- and with that flood are coming more subtle changes. No event has benefited more than the half marathon, the fastest-growing distance on the roads with more than 1 million finishers annually now; more than a quarter of them are women under the age of 35. According to the Running USA data, in the last two years the average age of a female road racer has dropped nearly a full year, to 38.6.
Running USA surveys runners every year on their motivations, and their answers today are telling. Fifteen percent of men began running to compete in school, but even more say they began to run for exercise. On the women's side of the ledger, "exercise" and "weight concerns" account for nearly 40 percent. A study conducted by sociologist Elizabeth Loughren found that men more often were motivated to run their first marathon for "competition" and "personal goal achievement," while women more often said "self esteem" and "weight concerns" were among the motivating factors. And for those who chose to run a second marathon? The response that men selected more than women: "lower finish time."
Road racing has become a growth industry, but what impact are these new runners having on the sport?
For 33 consecutive Septembers, Philadelphia area runners have targeted a half marathon on their own streets. The Philadelphia Distance Run grew out of the first running boom to be one of the greatest events of its distance in the country and a centerpiece of the local running community.
World and U.S. records were set there in the 1980s. Female participation soared in the 1990s, to match the national trend. And the 2000s brought expansion across the board -- men, women, masters; all were increasing. As the race grew along with the sport, countless PRs were set on the fast Schuylkill River course. By 2006, the race had 11,063 finishers. The volunteer board of directors was overwhelmed and sold the event.
Bill Reifsnyder, a two-time U.S. marathon champ in the late '80s and early '90s and now an event director, was paging through an old Distance Run results book earlier this year. "There's my picture!" he said. "That's cool." He'd run his own PR in Philly and has fond memories. "You'd go to Philly and run the race, and you'd get the flavor," Reifsnyder recalls. "My favorite races were the ones where I felt like a part of the city, [but] a lot of the races today are becoming nondescript."
Fast runners are still showing up in Philadelphia, but they may no longer recognize what they're seeing -- and it may soon become harder to get into the race. This year, for the first time, the Distance Run was dubbed the Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon, and with that came a wave of fans of the Rock 'n' Roll brand. Event organizers were expecting 18,000 entrants in Philadelphia, and the race's general manager, Adam Zocks, said registration would be closed if they reached 20,000.
As runners have flooded the marketplace, road racing has grown in every direction. Small races are multiplying, and big races are getting even bigger. The Cherry Blossom 10 Mile went to a lottery system this year and received 27,000 applications for 15,000 slots. The Peachtree 10K filled 45,000 spots in just four hours. Boston Marathon qualifiers were turned away for the first time this past year when that race sold out in record time. Through July, Running USA had counted 29 events of 10,000-plus participants that sold out or set new field records in 2010. The sport's biggest stages are full.
"There's a push-back at a lot of events from the long-standing participants," says Sean Ryan, race director of the Green Bay Marathon. "[They] start to lose interest in an event because they get disenchanted with the size of the crowd."
"There's a front end, a middle, and a back end. Years ago it was just the front end," says Dave McGillivray, who estimates he's put on 900 events in 30 years. "Now you've got all three at once."
When 37,000 people entered the 100th Boston Marathon in 1996, race organizers had to temper competitive expectations. The race was to be a celebration of running unlike any other, they said, but with that, sacrifices would have to be made. "Don't expect to run a PR this year unless you're in with the elite runners," the Boston Athletic Association's president announced three months before the race.
|
<urn:uuid:ead68b99-957c-456e-bd09-099b5b07ce20>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.runnersworld.com/rt-columns/how-demographics-are-affecting-racing-scene
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s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.980313
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The Mad Woman
|The Mad Woman
by , translated by Albert M. Cohn-McMaster, A. E. Henderson, Louise Charlotte Garstin Quesada, and Others
"I can tell you a terrible story about the Franco-Prussian war," Monsieur d'Endolin said to some friends assembled in the smoking-room of Baron de Ravot's chateau. "You know my house in the Faubourg de Cormeil, I was living there when the Prussians came, and I had for a neighbor a kind of mad woman, who had lost her senses in consequence of a series of misfortunes. At the age of seven and twenty she had lost her father, her husband, and her newly born child, all in the space of a month.
"When death has once entered into a house, it almost invariably returns immediately, as if it knew the way, and the young woman, overwhelmed with grief, took to her bed and was delirious for six weeks. Then a species of calm lassitude succeeded that violent crisis, and she remained motionless, eating next to nothing, and only moving her eyes. Every time they tried to make her get up, she screamed as if they were about to kill her, and so they ended by leaving her continually in bed, and only taking her out to wash her, to change her linen, and to turn her mattress.
"An old servant remained with her, to give her something to drink, or a little cold meat, from time to time. What passed in that despairing mind? No one ever knew, for she did not speak at all now. Was she thinking of the dead? Was she dreaming sadly, without any precise recollection of anything that had happened? Or was her memory as stagnant as water without any current? But however this may have been, for fifteen years she remained thus inert and secluded.
"The war broke out, and in the beginning of December the Germans came to Cormeil. I can remember it as if it were but yesterday. It was freezing hard enough to split the stones, and I myself was lying back in an armchair, being unable to move on account of the gout, when I heard their heavy and regular tread, and could see them pass from my window.
"They defiled past interminably, with that peculiar motion of a puppet on wires, which belongs to them. Then the officers billeted their men on the inhabitants, and I had seventeen of them. My neighbor, the crazy woman, had a dozen, one of whom was the Commandant, a regular violent, surly swashbuckler.
"During the first few days, everything went on as usual. The officers next door had been told that the lady was ill, and they did not trouble themselves about that in the least, but soon that woman whom they never saw irritated them. They asked what her illness was, and were told that she had been in bed for fifteen years, in consequence of terrible grief. No doubt they did not believe it, and thought that the poor mad creature would not leave her bed out of pride, so that she might not come near the Prussians, or speak to them or even see them.
"The Commandant insisted upon her receiving him. He was shown into the room and said to her roughly: 'I must beg you to get up, Madame, and to come downstairs so that we may all see you.' But she merely turned her vague eyes on him, without replying, and so he continued: 'I do not intend to tolerate any insolence, and if you do not get up of your own accord, I can easily find means to make you walk without any assistance.'
"But she did not give any signs of having heard him, and remained quite motionless. Then he got furious, taking that calm silence for a mark of supreme contempt; so he added: 'If you do not come downstairs to-morrow--' And then he left the room.
"The next day the terrified old servant wished to dress her, but the mad woman began to scream violently, and resisted with all her might. The officer ran upstairs quickly, and the servant threw herself at his feet and cried: 'She will not come down, Monsieur, she will not. Forgive her, for she is so unhappy.'
"The soldier was embarrassed, as in spite of his anger, he did not venture to order his soldiers to drag her out. But suddenly he began to laugh, and gave some orders in German, and soon a party of soldiers was seen coming out supporting a mattress as if they were carrying a wounded man. On that bed, which had not been unmade, the mad woman, who was still silent, was lying quite quietly, for she was quite indifferent to anything that went on, as long as they let her lie. Behind her, a soldier was carrying a parcel of feminine attire, and the officer said, rubbing his hands: 'We will just see whether you cannot dress yourself alone, and take a little walk.'
"And then the procession went off in the direction of the forest of Imauville; in two hours the soldiers came back alone, and nothing more was seen of the mad woman. What had they done with her? Where had they taken her to? No one knew.
"The snow was falling day and night, and enveloped the plain and the woods in a shroud of frozen foam, and the wolves came and howled at our very doors.
"The thought of that poor lost woman haunted me, and I made several applications to the Prussian authorities in order to obtain some information, and was nearly shot for doing so. When spring returned, the army of occupation withdrew, but my neighbor's house remained closed, and the grass grew thick in the garden walks. The old servant had died during the winter, and nobody troubled any longer about the occurrence; I alone thought about it constantly. What had they done with the woman? Had she escaped through the forest? Had somebody found her, and taken her to a hospital, without being able to obtain any information from her? Nothing happened to relieve my doubts; but by degrees, time assuaged my fears.
"Well, in the following autumn the woodcock were very plentiful, and as my gout had left me for a time, I dragged myself as far as the forest. I had already killed four or five of the long-billed birds, when I knocked over one which fell into a ditch full of branches, and I was obliged to get into it, in order to pick it up, and I found that it had fallen close to a dead, human body. Immediately the recollection of the mad woman struck me like a blow in the chest. Many other people had perhaps died in the wood during that disastrous year, but though I do not know why, I was sure, sure, I tell you, that I should see the head of that wretched maniac.
"And suddenly I understood, I guessed everything. They had abandoned her on that mattress in the cold, deserted wood; and, faithful to her fixed idea, she had allowed herself to perish under that thick and light counterpane of snow, without moving either arms or legs. "Then the wolves had devoured her, and the birds had built their nests with the wool from her torn bed, and I took charge of her bones. I only pray that our sons may never see any wars again."
|This work published before January 1, 1923 is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.|
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<urn:uuid:adeadfef-5429-4e77-8b89-56361b94bf7e>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Mad_Woman
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Mission & History
The Paleontological Research Institution serves society by increasing and disseminating knowledge about the history of life on Earth.
Gilbert Harris entered Cornell University as a professor of geology in 1895. Over the next 40 years, Harris established himself as one of the most important American invertebrate paleontologists of his generation. Frustrated at delays in getting some of his own research published, Harris established his own scientific printing enterprise, founding the Bulletins of American Paleontology in 1895, and printing it himself on a press located in McGraw Hall on the Cornell University campus. He worried that Cornell would not care for his legacy after he retired, and so he urged University administration to provide new space on campus for his collections and printing enterprise, and guarantees that these would be maintained in perpetuity.
Cornell rebuffed him, and so Harris decided that he would found his own separate scientific organization. In early 1932, he received a charter from New York State for an educational organization he called the Paleontological Research Institution. On June 28, 1932, Harris held a simple but formal ceremony with family, friends, and former students to lay the cornerstone for the first PRI building on a small plot of land adjacent to his home behind Cornell’s north campus. Harris laid out high scientific standards for his organization and, together with his large collections and widely respected journals, PRI's reputation in the scientific research community was established. PRI was envisioned as, and for decades largely remained, an enclave for Harris and people who wanted to study fossils.
By the late 1950s, growth of the collections and activity was making the PRI building increasingly cramped. In 1965, PRI purchased a large stone building and 6.3 acres on Ithaca's West Hill, across Cayuga Lake from Cornell. The 10,000 square-foot tudor-style structure had been built in 1926 as an orphanage by a fraternal organization, the International Order of Odd Fellows. By the end of 1969 the move to West Hill was completed. The new building allowed for an area to be devoted solely to public education: in a 600 square-foot room on the first floor, PRI set up a "mini-museum."
In 1993, PRI began thinking about building a new physical structure to serve as a public museum space. The New York architecture firm of Weiss/Manfredi was hired to design the building, and began work in January 1999. On September 27, 2003, the Museum of the Earth held a private reception for everyone involved in building the Museum and opened to the public two days later. Today, the Museum welcomes approximately 30,000 visitors a year. The building's design has received regional and national architectural acclaim. The Museum and its exhibits and programs have received national and international media attention. It is a significant regional tourist attraction as well as an major educational resource for central New York, and it is also a popular spot for community events.
On January 24, 2011, the Board of Trustees of the Paleontological Research Institution voted to start an official merger process with the Cayuga Nature Center. Located five miles away, the Cayuga Nature Center cultivates awareness, appreciation and responsibility for the natural world through outdoor and environmental education and has a long history of providing nature-oriented camp and educational programs to the Ithaca community. The merger will capitalize on the unique strengths of these two organizations to offer high-quality natural history programming to the central New York region, and improve joint and separate programmatic capacity at both organizations.
Excerpted from The Paleontological Research Institution: The First 75 Years by Warren D. Allmon.
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<urn:uuid:e156e6ea-c4a5-4cbc-ac95-631b7cee2e2e>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.museumoftheearth.org/about.php?page=who_we_are/PRI_history
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|
en
| 0.968477
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There is NO speedup coming from hyperthreading on the hyperthreaded machines, since hyperthreads don't have dedicated caches, and the bzip2 is very cache-dependent. Expect degraded performance if you try utilizing hyperthreads.
The compression process requires more memory than the normal bzip2 -- some 15Mb average for 2 CPUs, 30Mb for 4 CPUs, etc. This should not pose any problem on a typical memory-rich server/workstation hardware, though.
The resulting archives are bit-by-bit identical to the ones produced by the normal bzip2, at least as of version 1.0.2.
No decompression is supported. The compression is stdin-to-stdout only.
If you need the missing features, you are welcome to implement them. Maybe someday the program will be fully interchangeable with bzip2, as a result. For now, it is not. Please also note that there is a similar program out there, pbzip2. Unfortunately, it does not support compression from stdin (meaning no "tar | pbzip2"), it does not produce the archives equal to the original bzip2 (although compatible, they are larger), and it felt overall a bit too amateur for me to trust my production backup data to it. So I coded my own one.
This program incorporates the modified libbzip2 sources (part of bzip2). The sources have to be modified because it was not feasible to split the rle compression, block sorting and bit-storing stages apart with the stock library design. This separation was merely hacked in -- to make it the clean way, the library has to be redesigned. This was not the goal, though.
The program was only tested under Linux, kernel 2.6. It should work on any Posix system with pthreads support, but this was not tested, so expect compilation problems. See INSTALL file for details.
The program is meant to be used in production environment. It should be sufficiently stable, but more testing is welcome. I use it myself, but I still don't guarantee you anything. You use it on your own risk, don't blame me if something goes wrong -- send bug reports and patches instead.
Copyright (c) 2005 Konstantin Isakov. Based on the original libbzip2 sources, part of bzip2, version 1.0.2, Copyright (c) 1996-2002 Julian R Seward. The source was taken from the Debian source package, 1.0.2-10, so it contains some Debian patches, too. Distributed under the original BSDish license, see the LICENSE file please.
The homepage is at http://bzip2smp.sourceforge.net
Mail your suggestions, bugs, patches and other stuff to firstname.lastname@example.org
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://bzip2smp.sourceforge.net/
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s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
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Gold will give decent returns, but is risky: experts
By Manisha Natarajan | Published On: May 12, 2012 19:00 (IST) | Duration: 26 min, 54 sec
Let's Talk Money takes look at gold as an investment and whether it continues to be an attractive option. Ketan Kothari, director, Riddisiddhi Bullions, says one need not look at gold prices on a weekly basis due to fluctuations in dollar rates. Kunal Shah, head-research commodities, Nirmal Bang Commodities, however, says that gold is trending towards a riskier asset class rather than safe asset class.
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<urn:uuid:4b675873-7eb9-40f6-ab7d-3c10e1a4630c>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://profit.ndtv.com/videos/lets-talk-money/video-gold-will-give-decent-returns-but-is-risky-experts-232127
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s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00050-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.913974
| 134
| 1.679688
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|
Orders concerning the silver trumpets, ver. 1 - 10.
The removal of the Israelites to Paran, ver. 11 - 28.
The treaty of Moses with Hobab, ver. 29 - 32.
His prayer at the removal and resting of the ark, ver. 33 - 36.
|10:2||Two trumpets - For Aaron's two sons: though afterwards the number of the trumpets was much increased, as the number of the priests also was. These trumpets were ordained, both for signification of the great duty of ministers, to preach the word; and for use, as here follows.|
|10:6||For their journeys - As a sign for them to march forward, and consequently for the rest to follow them.|
|10:9||Ye shall be saved - If you use this ordinance of God with trust and dependance upon God for help.|
|10:10||In the days of your gladness - Days appointed for rejoicing and thanksgiving to God for former mercies, or deliverances.Your solemn days - Your stated festivals.For a memorial - That God may remember you for good to accept and bless you. God then takes pleasure in our religious exercises, when we take pleasure in them. Holy work should be done with holy joy.|
|10:12||Paran - From which they travelled to other places, and then returned into it again, Numbers 12:16 .|
|10:21||The others - The Gershonites, and Merarites, who therefore marched after the first camp, a good distance from, and before the Kohathites, that they might prepare the tabernacle for the reception of its utensils, which the Kohathites brought some time after them.|
|10:29||Raguel - Called also Reuel, 2:18 , who seems to be the same with Jethro; it being usual in scripture for one person to have two or three names. And therefore this Hobab is not Jethro, but his son, which may seem more probable, because Jethro was old and unfit to travel, and desirous, as may well be thought, to die in his own country, whither he returned, 18:27 , but Hobab was young and fitter for these journeys, and therefore entreated by Moses to stay and bear them company.|
|10:30||I will not go - So he might sincerely say, though afterward he was overcome by the persuasions of Moses.|
|10:31||Thou mayest be to us instead of eyes - To direct and guide us: for though the cloud determined them to a general place, yet many particulars might be unknown to Moses, wherein Hobab, having long lived in those parts, might be able to advise him, as concerning the conveniences of water for their cattle, concerning the safety or danger of the several parts, by reason of serpents or wild - beasts, or enemies, in the parts adjoining to them, that so they might guard themselves better against them. Or, this is to be understood of his directing them not so much in their way. as about great and difficult matters, wherein the counsel he had from God did not exclude the advice of men, as we see in Hobab's father Jethro, 18:19 - 27. And it is probable, this was the wise son of a wise father.|
|10:33||Three days - With continued journeys; only it seems probable, that the cloud made little pauses that they might have time for sleep and necessary refreshments. The ark went before them - Altho' in their stations it was in the middle, yet in their marches it went before them; and the cloud was constantly over the ark whether it stood or went; therefore the ark is said to go before and direct them, not as if the ark could be seen of all the camps, which being carried only upon mens shoulders was impossible; but because the cloud, which always attended upon the ark, and did, together with the ark, constitute, in a manner, one sign of God's presence, did lead and direct them. To search out - A metaphorical expression, for discovering to them; for the ark could not search, and God, who knew all places and things, needed not to search.|
|10:34||By day - And by night too, as was expressed before. So we must learn to compare places of scripture, and to supply the defects of one out of another, as we do in all authors.|
|10:36||Return - Or, give rest, that is, a safe and quiet place,free from enemies and dangers.|
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<urn:uuid:a5e56333-c223-4562-81b7-b1737749a851>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/wesleys-explanatory-notes/numbers/numbers-10.html
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|
en
| 0.969954
| 994
| 2.25
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Last month, Kathleen Wynne became Ontario's premier after winning that province's Liberal leadership race. There are now six women premiers in Canada. While it is a great sign of our progress on the path to gender parity in Canadian politics, there continues to be a general lack of diversity in that arena. Today, only 25 per cent of our provincially and federally elected officials are women, and less than seven per cent are from ethnic minorities.
A similar critique can be made about government appointments to Canada's agencies, boards, and commissions. Each year, governments across Canada appoint thousands of people to serve on the boards of agencies such as Crown corporations, health authorities and post-secondary institutions. These boards make important decisions that affect all Canadians. It is therefore crucial that they represent the perspectives of the diverse citizens that they serve. Yet, an analysis of Canada's board appointments indicates a surprising lack of diversity.
There are many benefits to recruiting diverse board members. Board diversity has been shown to improve decision-making, help legitimize the organization's mandate, and build social cohesion. In the corporate world, businesses benefit from the inclusion of varied perspectives and a commitment to social responsibility. Returns on equity are a third higher in companies with more females in upper-level management.
Similarly, there are benefits to political leaders who demonstrate a commitment to diversity. Note that Mitt Romney's loss in the U.S. presidential election was attributed in part to his inability to garner support from women and non-white communities.
In British Columbia, the guidelines for public appointments refer to the importance of diversity. However, most appointments are still white males. While half of B.C.'s population is female and 28 per cent are ethnic minorities, the 68 appointments in December 2012 and January 2013 included only 23 (34 per cent) women and seven (10 per cent) people from ethnic minorities. A review of the boards of BC Hydro, BC Ferries, BC Assessments, the major universities, and the various health authorities (a total of 14 boards), further demonstrate this lack of diversity. Only three were made up of 50 per cent women, and most were less than 30 per cent. While most have at least one member from an ethnic minority, none had more than two.
Similar numbers can be found in Ontario, Alberta, and at the federal level. In Ontario, just over half the population is female and 23 per cent are from ethnic minorities. Yet, of Ontario's 40 recent board appointments, only 15 (37 per cent) were women, and five (12 per cent) were from ethnic minorities.
An analysis of eight boards in Alberta including the universities, Alberta Health Services, and the Alberta Human Rights Tribunal, revealed even less diversity, with the majority comprising less than 25 per cent women and many with either zero or one minority representative.
At the federal level, nine major boards, including the Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board, the Immigration and Refugee Board, and the Bank of Canada, revealed none with more than 35 per cent women, and some lower than 20 per cent. The Bank of Canada board of 14 includes only two women (14 per cent). Most of these boards contain two minority representatives or fewer.
The recent departure of Justice Marie Deschamps leaves three women on the nine-seat Supreme Court of Canada. She has lamented that, "Numbers do count. ... I was sad that I was not replaced by a woman."
Not enough is being done to ensure that government-appointed boards reflect the diversity of the country. While the policy is there, it is not being met. Governments at all levels should increase the amount of resources dedicated to identifying candidates with the necessary expertise who are also demographically representative. This process should be open and transparent.
There is always a risk of simply appointing "token" females and members from minority groups in order to meet policy requirements. We must make sure that appointments are still merit-based, and that the required expertise is sought from throughout Canada's diverse population. Recruiting for diversity will ensure that our institutions bring together the perspectives of all Canadians.
Inclusive leadership is essential to an inclusive society. If we believe in the importance of representative democracy, and if we want our children to grow up in an open and caring society, we need to lead by example.
If our government and institutions demonstrate a commitment to equality, we can hope to see this reflected throughout all aspects of our society.
Barj S. Dhahan is national chair of the Canada India Foundation
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<urn:uuid:78e40506-e0a4-4d29-8fad-76da8c7f4a2c>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Work+needed+make+Canada+leadership+diverse+inclusive/7924780/story.html
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en
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(if you saw the series I am basing this off of then GOOD FOR YOU :D if not, then you will get a hang of it :) )
Most would think the world has been completely explored. Every little detail has been looked over and inspected. This is, however, not true. There is a place called furtopia. No one knows how to get there, or how to get off. Most stumble upon it by accident. It lays on an island in the middle of the ocean. The island is so large it could almost be considered a continent. Why is it that a land so large has not been explored? That is because you can only see it if you go through the brewing storms that reside around it. On this land there are humans, furs, and other strange creatures. They live in harmony, but the furs make up most of the population. Humans generally are the ones who work in the markets and help the creatures who cannot speak. There are many cities, but the main city is waterfall city. Here it is beautiful, however, there is an underlying darkness that is slowly consuming the streets of Furtopia. Can you stop it?
The time period doesn't really matter because Furtopia is set in different time periods. The "welcome" section (a marketplace town where humans look more like native americans) is set to a more medieval time period, while waterfall city is almost futuristic. You are not from Furtopia and stumble upon the land (you decide how). You will reach an area that appears to have no humans or furs at all. You have to find others and find your way to Furtopia. I will allow two residents of Furtopia but please ask me with a full bio ^-^ You can either introduce your character in paragraph form or fill out a "sheet".
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<urn:uuid:18f9ea2f-5fe6-493a-a36a-2508ec5dd0a5>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://furnation.com/forums/topic/785/furtopia/view/post_id/108465
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en
| 0.962021
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Risk, benefit, burden and paternalism
Ethics of dementia research
Risk is sometimes described as ranging from minimal to greater than minimal with various degrees of risk between those two poles such as a minor increase over minimal risk (Alzheimer’s Association, 1997, American Psychological Association, 1981). Risk is often discussed along with burden and balanced against possible benefit. There are limits to the degree of risk and burden that is considered acceptable for research involving people who are unable to consent, with greater restrictions being placed on research which does not entail personal benefit.
A risk is generally considered as being low if it does not exceed that associated with the kind of routine medical or psychological examinations that are typical for people from the same group as the participant (e.g. a person with dementia). The US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) defines minimal risk as “the probability and magnitude of harm or discomfort anticipated in the research are not greater in and of themselves than those ordinarily encountered in daily life or during the performance of routine physical or psychological examinations or tests”. The International Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical Research of 2002 allow for levels of risk which are slightly higher than those linked to routine medical or psychological examinations if there is an overriding scientific or medical rationale for the increased risk and provided that an ethical review committee has approved the study. An example of a high risk would be that detected in the phase II trials into the AN-1792 Alzheimer vaccine in which 6% of participants developed severe brain inflammation resembling meningoencephalitis which led to the trial being abandoned in 2002.
Benefit, which has already been discussed in relation to the issue of consent, is also relevant to the assessment of risk. Perceptions of risk are often balanced against perceptions of possible benefit. As mentioned earlier, the definition of benefit is often too narrow to take fully into account the kinds of benefits that are possible and important to people participating in dementia research, such as spiritual, emotional or psychological benefit.
Burden, like risk and benefit, is subjective as it depends on people’s values, what they are willing to tolerate and what they do and do not find acceptable. Examples of possible burden include having to fast before research interventions, travelling to the research centre in bad weather or when one has reduced mobility, accepting changes in one’s daily routine, carrying out activities or tasks which are stressful, boring or repetitive, experiencing performance anxiety when asked to perform cognitive tests, having to spend long periods of time waiting or filling out forms and so on.
Paternalism is relevant to the issue of risk as it is one approach to minimizing risk. Paternalism usually involves the intentional restriction of a person’s freedom (e.g. the freedom to decide for oneself) on the grounds that the restriction will protect or promote that person’s wellbeing (Jansen and Wall, 2009). Usually the restriction applies to the person whose own good is allegedly being protected. However, in the case of indirect paternalistic interference, it may apply to other people (Dworkin, 1972 in Jansen and Wall, 2009). An example would be the refusal to grant authorisation to researchers to carry out a particular study in order to protect the wellbeing of willing participants (Jansen and Wall, 2009).
Balancing personal risk and benefit to society
The two following quotations reflect different positions regarding the possible gain to society and the risk or burden on/to participants.
“….ethics is a matter of principled sensitivity to the rights of others … Ethics say that while truth is good, respect for human dignity is better, even if, in the extreme case, the respect for human dignity leaves one ignorant of human nature.” (Blumer cited in Dench et al., 2004, p4).
“It is not cruel to inflict on a few criminals sufferings which may benefit multitudes of innocent people through all centuries.” (Celsus cited in Sodeke, 2005)
The first statement emphasizes human rights and dignity, and clearly suggests that the pursuit of knowledge at all costs is unjustified and undesirable. It suggests that we must not lose sight of the safety, interests and wellbeing of the research participant through the relentless pursuit of knowledge. The second statement, which was made by a 1 st century physician, seems to suggest that suffering may be justifiable if a greater number of people benefit from it but also that it may be more acceptable to allow certain groups or categories of people to suffer for the benefit of others who are considered more worthy. Whilst criminals may have had few or no rights in the days of Celsus, the same argument could all too easily be applied to other groups of people who become marginalized or devalued based on a range or combination of factors such as age, mental health status, prognosis, gender, ability to contribute towards society, sexual orientation and ethnicity.
In the International Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical Research of 2002, benefit to society is defined as being “generalizable knowledge”. This reflects a positivist approach to research. Whilst these guidelines are clearly linked to biomedical research, it is important to bear in mind that generalizability is not the main aim of qualitative research. Whilst the results of a small-scale qualitative study may have relevance to other groups of people sharing similar characteristics, this is something that readers can decide for themselves based on the details provided by the researcher. It is not determined by statistical analysis.
The risk of considering one group of people as sufficiently unworthy as to justify their suffering for the good of the rest of society may be higher if members of that group are stigmatized or lack the power or capacity to protect their own interests, hence the necessity to ensure that people with dementia who take part in research are sufficiently protected. On the other hand, care must be taken to respect the autonomy of people with dementia and to avoid stereotyping them as defenseless victims, treating them as children and even limiting their opportunities to contribute towards research.
Making sense of risk
Historically, risk was considered as something that could be either good or bad, resulting in loss or gain, but Lupton (1999) claims that it has been transformed into something that is entirely negative. Within the social and healthcare system, risk has often been viewed as something that is objective and measurable (Kemshall, 2000), whilst others argue that it is socially constructed and value-laden (Lupton, 2005). Risk can also be perceived as opportunity in that it may result in change.
When weighing up the seriousness of possible risk, the possibility of such an outcome occurring should also be considered. In everyday life, for example, certain drugs for relatively trivial health problems have possible side effects which although extremely rare would be devastating if they occurred. Yet large numbers of people take them every day either without reading the information leaflets or in full knowledge of the risk involved. The likelihood of certain risks occurring may be affected by the situation in which one lives (i.e. whether a person lives alone or has the support of family, friends and the local community).
As a unique individual, each person with dementia has his/her own perception of danger and of the level of risk that s/he is willing to take. Having dementia may even be an additional motivation to take part in research (e.g. to benefit relatives and other people who may develop dementia in the future or as a means to contribute to society in some way). However, as the disease progresses, the capacity to give informed consent to research is likely to deteriorate. For many people, another person will eventually be consulted whose assessment of acceptable risk may determine whether or not they participate in research.
In the context of consent to research, none of the interventions are actually necessary for the participants (except perhaps in the case of emergency research) and people with dementia are considered as being potentially vulnerable research participants. There is therefore a risk of overprotecting people with dementia, infantilising them and depriving them of their autonomy. This could in the long run deprive people with dementia of the possibility to benefit from the results of studies into their particular condition. In some cases, such over-protection may reflect concerns about litigation processes in case of harm as well as genuine concern for the wellbeing of research participants.
The perspective of risk and benefit at the end of life
Glannon (2006) suggests that the relative significance of a possible benefit or risk depends on one’s perspective. With regard to a particular study, outsiders and the potential participants may consider the possibility of benefit occurring and the possible risks involved differently. A person with dementia receiving end-of-life care may place great value on even the fraction of a hope of benefit despite an awareness of a much greater probability of harm occurring, including the emotional consequences of having one’s final hopes shattered. In such cases, focusing on an improbable but possible benefit (even though this is not the purpose of research) would not be a therapeutic misconception as the person would be fully aware of what was likely and what was at stake.
With regard to benefits which are not directly linked to health, Casaret, Jason and Karlawish (2000) point out that when people are approaching death, the things that they find important may change. They may, for example, place a greater value on dignity, meaning, control, strengthening relationships and addressing unfinished business of a personal nature. In the case of people with advanced dementia, the expression of such concerns or priorities may be difficult but this does not mean that they do not exist. Participating in research may, for some people with dementia, correspond to these new priorities (e.g. by providing meaning or enabling them to feel part of something). For others, it might actually interfere with current goals and priorities (e.g. by taking up valuable time they might prefer to spend with relatives or friends).
Similarly, a person who is very close to death might not assess the possibility of serious risk in the same way as a person who has not yet reached that stage. Some risks may be considered as being more significant and others less so (Casarett, Jason and karlawish, 2000). This would depend greatly on the individual as well as on his/her awareness of his/her prognosis.
One-off or continuous assessment of risk and burden
Robley (1995, in Aita and Richer, 2005) points out that many qualitative studies are unpredictable and that this does not permit a proper evaluation of the benefits/risks ratio which in turn raises concerns about the rights of participants. This is because qualitative research tends to be a flexible and iterative process in which the data is analysed continuously rather than at the end of the data collection process. This may lead to insights which are fed back into the process and may lead to changes in the way data are collected or in any other aspect of the research process (Maxwell, 2005). Whilst ethical approval may have been sought and obtained from the appropriate ethics committees prior to the study, such approval often fails to take into account the iterative nature of qualitative research. Committees therefore oblige researchers to provide precise details (such as interview schedules) and describe various aspects of the study and then grant or refuse approval on that basis. This may result in researchers feeling uneasy about their own scientific integrity and could be interpreted as a failure to accept the validity of research based on the interpretivist paradigm. Obtaining research ethics approval and governance approval (e.g. from government health services) can be an extremely lengthy process (at least in the UK) and it would be impractical to submit every change along the way to additional approval (although there may be procedures in place for “substantial amendments”).
It has been suggested that studies which clearly do not involve more than minimal risk should perhaps be dealt with more expediently than those involving a higher degree of risk by the IRB (an institutional review board which is a committee that performs ethical review of proposed research) (Emanuel and Menikoff, 2011). It is further suggested that as for many studies the main potential risk is linked to the confidential handling of data, it should be possible for research to commence immediately after the study has been registered and after a one-page form has been submitted accompanied by a commitment to observe data-security protections. However, whilst the ethical review of safety issues does seem exaggerated and clearly inappropriate for many studies, there are other ethical issues to be considered by ethics committees. The National Research Ethics Service (2011) defines its objectives as follows: “to facilitate ethical research that is of potential benefit to participants, science and society …./…. to provide robust, ethical review of proposed research via Research Ethics Committees (RECs). These independent committees put the rights, safety, dignity and well-being of research participants at the centre of their decision making.” Consequently, there may be a need to simplify the approval process for projects involving minimal risk but not at the expense of ensuring the pursuit of good science.
Jansen and Wall (2009) consider the arguments for and against paternalistic interference in the context of research. First, they argue that paternalistic interference (in clinical trials) is only ever justifiable in the case of studies which impose a serious risk of harm to participants or if the therapeutic benefits do not outweigh any risks of harm. This argument could perhaps also apply to other types of research, such as psychosocial research which might involve psychological risks. According to the principle of distributive fairness, research involves risks as well as benefits which should be shared equally amongst members of society in the sense that specific groups of people should not have an unequal share of these (neither harms nor benefits). Jansen and Wall (2009) identify four different types of harm which paternalistic interference may help protect against: physical harm, psychological harm, social harm and economic harm.
The main arguments against paternalistic interference are that individual liberty (the right to decide for oneself) should take precedence over issues related to welfare and distributive justice and that paternalism is insulting to the individual whose liberty is being restricted (Jansen and Wall, 2009). These arguments are mainly relevant to people who have the capacity to make their own decisions about research and the level of risk they are willing to take (which would nevertheless include many people with dementia, at least but not necessarily limited to those in the early stage), even if such decisions seem foolish.
Miller and Wertheimer (2007) suggest that a person who appears to be willing to seriously endanger his/her life or wellbeing for the sake of science must be insufficiently informed or be subject to some form of “autonomy bearing pressure”. However, it must be borne in mind that people may be taking part in research for altruistic reasons which could be considered as a good reason. Taking part in the same study out of self-interest might be considered as a bad decision in view of the risk to oneself. Bearing in mind the fact that foolish decisions are ethically acceptable provided that the person has sufficient capacity, this is no reason to impose restrictions on participation. Also, there is no reliable method of ascertaining whether a person wants to participate in a study for altruistic reasons or for self-interest. Another category of participant might include people who have no concern for their own personal wellbeing. This might be attributed to depression but could presumably exist in the absence of any disorder.
Jansen and Wall (2009) argue in favour of paternalistic interference on the grounds that it is unfeasible to have different rules and levels of protection for different research participants as it would be necessary to determine for each person which set might be applicable. A level of protection that is too lax would put the people who are at greater risk of making a bad decision at a disadvantage. Stricter regulations are therefore justifiable.
The second argument outlined by Jansen and Wall is that paternalistic interference is insulting in that even if it does not violate the right to autonomy, it implies that the potential participant is not capable of making a decision. They argue that this is an unfair assumption as regulations are not targeted at individuals and cannot therefore be justifiably perceived as a personal insult. Nevertheless, it may still be argued that it is unfair to restrict the liberty of some people for the sake of protecting the interests of others which could be perceived as an individualist approach which does not recognise the value of distributive fairness.
- People with dementia (and their carers, provided that the person with dementia agrees), should be involved, to the greatest extent possible, in assessing the level of risk they are willing to take and the level of burden they are willing to accept when designing studies.
- An inventory of possible risks and burdens should be made for each study.
- Researchers should be transparent about potential risks and burdens, and communicate these to participants in a way that the latter can understand.
- Strategies should be devised to address or minimize risk and burden.
- Researchers should strive to find the right balance between protection and the promotion of autonomy.
- Paternalistic practices and attitudes should be avoided.
- People with dementia should not be treated like children or stereotyped as helpless.
- It should be recognised that zero risk may be a worthy aim in the development of medication but that it is not necessarily realistic or even desirable in all other aspect of people’s lives.
- Researchers should have an insurance for any harm resulting from the research.
- Potential participants should be invited, if possible, to speak about possible expected benefits linked to participation in a particular study and details of their responses should be noted.
- Participants should be asked after the study about their experience of it (including details of benefits and burdens) and details of their responses noted.
- Details of the responses from participants (or in some cases their proxies) about the perceived risks, benefits and benefits of participation should be taken into consideration by researchers when designing subsequent studies.
Last Updated: jeudi 29 mars 2012
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110 W. New York Ave.
DeLand, FL 32720
Beware as rains follow drought
By Pat Andrews
posted Jan 28, 2013 - 7:15:54pm
As sinkholes go, it isn’t spectacular. However, it could be the harbinger of more yawning holes opening up in the ground.
The sinkhole that appeared at 4733 Mills Road in DeLeon Springs Jan. 24 gobbled up some fencing, a tree and a few power lines.
David Griffis, director of the University of Florida-Volusia County Extension Office, keeps up with local sinkholes. Volusia County Fire Services checked out the Mills Road sinkhole, and estimated it at 25-30 feet in diameter and about 20 feet deep, he said.
Griffis also looked at photos of the sinkhole, and talked to the landowner, a man who identified himself only as “Jerry,” Griffis said.
Griffis said the property owner didn’t seem panicked or worried about the sinkhole.
“It’s a normal, average sinkhole,” he said.
Because it’s on private property and didn’t endanger any homes or structures, Griffis said, neither he nor any other agency will take further action.
Sinkholes collapse suddenly and dramatically. When a depression forms gradually, it isn’t a sinkhole, he said.
“I’m surprised that we haven’t had more sinkholes with the drought that we’ve been having,”
Tom Carey, groundwater-resources manager for Volusia County, agreed with Griffis.
For the calendar year 2012, rainfall was down almost 8 inches, Carey said. For Volusia County, the average annual rainfall is 55 inches.
Over the past four years, the rainfall shortage has totaled just over 25 inches.
“That comes out to about 523 trillion gallons of rain that haven’t fallen on Volusia County,” Carey said.
When it does start raining after a drought, sinkhole activity increases, especially with heavy rains, he said.
Here’s why: During a drought, the groundwater levels drop, and underground limestone caverns don’t have hydraulic pressure holding them in place anymore. They become weak and crumbly.
With heavy rains, the caverns can’t sustain the weight of the saturated ground above, in combination with the sudden influx of groundwater. The cavern collapses, forming a sinkhole.
“Nice, moderate rains” will ease the drought without contributing to sinkhole development, Carey said.
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Chimneys: repair or replace?
Building code update forbids new wood-burning fireplaces
As the temperatures drop, many people's thoughts turn to wood crackling in a fireplace.
But homeowners who haven't maintained their chimneys may find that they must change the fuel for their winter traditions.
November 2010 updates to the Palo Alto building codes put the city of Palo Alto in compliance with Bay Area Air Quality Control Management District requirements aimed at reducing wood-smoke air pollution. The codes prohibit one-for-one replacement of a damaged wood-burning fireplace or the construction of a new one.
"You can't build a new one, but you can keep an existing wood-burning fireplace in operational shape," Larry Perlin, chief building official, said.
Serious deterioration often goes unnoticed or unrepaired until a new homeowner inspects the property, according to local chimney professionals.
"We're still repairing chimneys damaged in the '89 earthquake," John Klein, owner of Redwood City-based Mr. Chimney Cricket, said.
In addition to structural damage from earthquakes, TV antennas, strong winds and cracks caused by exposure to sun and rain, Palo Alto fireplaces often have damaged firebricks in the back wall of the firebox, repairmen said. The bricks settle or deteriorate after being subjected to hot fires and eventually fall apart, leaving regular brick in direct contact with heat.
"Behind those firebricks are regular bricks, which will transfer heat to the wood behind it. It puts the homeowner at risk for house fires," Klein said.
Even a sound fireplace poses dangers for a home if it isn't properly cleaned, so homeowners might lose a lot more than their existing fireplace.
"These fires are 2,000 to 3,000 degrees in temperature and produce creosote, which is highly flammable. As it cools down traveling up the chimney, it goes from smoke to solid and begins to line the chimney. It can light like a match-head," he said.
Those who'd like to keep a safe and legal wood-burning fireplace need to have it regularly maintained.
"My rule of thumb is that after two years of heavy use without cleaning, you should have your chimney cleaned and inspected," he said.
In his 35 years in the field, Klein said that he hasn't often found serious damage during routine cleanings. Many chimneys only need a cleaning or minor repairs to maintain safe operation. During a recent inspection, he unjammed a half-open damper that had been keeping a Palo Alto house heat-inefficient and prone to smoky rooms on the special occasions that call for a warm hearth.
Palo Alto homeowners who in the course of regular maintenance find that their chimney needs repairs need to apply for a city permit.
"If an existing chimney were not up to code, there would be a trigger point: If the repairs being done didn't involve bringing it up to code, then part of the permit would require updating the chimney," Perlin said.
This doesn't mean that any wood-burning fireplace can be maintained indefinitely.
"If the integrity of the chimney structure itself has been compromised, as in if the back wall physically sways or if the chimney rocks at roof level, then repairs aren't a good idea," Klein said.
Homeowners who can't maintain a wood-burning fireplace because of building codes or environmental concerns can resort to other heating options, local fireplace salesmen said.
The traditional alternatives are several varieties of gas fireplace, according to Alan Karcinich, general manager at San Carlos-based Energy House with more than 30 years in the trade.
A gas line that goes to the fireplace is necessary for each, which can be installed by a licensed plumber.
But these can only be done if there is no major structural damage beyond cracking.
A gas log set can reproduce the look— but neither the feel nor the warmth of — the crackling fires of yesteryear for around $500, Karcinich said.
It consists of ceramic logs set above grate with a gas insert and uses "ember wool" to emulate the look of glowing embers beneath and beside logs, Drew Stancliffe of San Carlos ABA Hearth and Home explained.
"It's decorative heating appliance and is below a certain efficiency rating. Decorative heating appliances use a lot of gas but don't produce much heat," Stancliffe said.
Gas inserts, though much more expensive at around $12,000, have their own liner and flue systems, Stancliffe said. Old cracks in the existing liner would need to be repaired prior to installation, though.
Behind a fixed-glass front, gas-fueled flames go around ceramic logs, stones or glass, producing greater heat then a gas log set provides.
"Gas logs go into an existing fireplace and all that you're doing is changing the type of fuel that it's using," Stancliffe said.
Homeowners seeking gas-alternatives for their heating needs can still legally install EPA wood-burning fireplaces as well as a novel option, alcohol-burning stoves.
These space-heating stoves can be placed in any fireplace, even one with a damaged chimney. As the only byproducts of burning alcohol are water and carbon dioxide, the chimney can be closed off with a filling material.
Darlene McDermont replaced her fireplace with two wood-burning stoves from a Mountain View shop during a green remodel of the Palo Alto home she shares with husband Tom.
She said she enjoys the blue flames, the heat they produce, and the fact that they don't contribute to air pollution.
"They're great space heaters. I don't miss burning wood."
While the idea of replacing a traditional fireplace may alienate traditionalists, no mandatory phase-out is currently in the works, and even local chimney repairmen validate city efforts to comply with environmental regulations.
"Building codes get better when they need to get better, and stronger air standards make the air cleaner for everyone," Klein said.
Editorial Intern Sarah Trauben can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org.
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Peace among All Peoples. That all peoples may grow in harmony and peace through mutual understanding and respect.
During Advent as we prepare for Christ-mas, we also pray for the coming of God‟s Kingdom. We commit ourselves to prepare the world to receive its Savior, not only in the present, but at the end of time. Only when the world receives Christ and his Kingdom is fully established will there be true peace in the world.
In the meantime, we live in a kind of “armed stand-off” of powers. In 1986 Blessed Pope John Paul II wrote that devo-tion to the Heart of Jesus is the key to over-coming violence in our world. He said that through this devotion, “on the ruins accu-mulated through hatred and violence, can be built the civilization of love so greatly desired, the kingdom of the Heart of Christ.”
This month of Advent and Christmas we pray with Pope Benedict that all people may grow in harmony and peace through mutual understanding and respect. Peace will come only when all people recognize the God-given rights of each person. Only through genuine dialogue will we grow in mutual understanding that leads to harmony and peace.
In a Christmas message, Pope Benedict said: “God is not distant: he is „Emmanuel,‟ God-with-us. He is no stranger: he has a face, the face of Jesus…. „Emmanuel‟ has come as King of justice and peace.”
May the Heart of Christ reign over every human heart so that the daily prayer which Jesus taught his disciples and us may be fulfilled: “Thy Kingdom come!” Then we shall have peace.
How can you promote mutual understanding and respect among the people in your community who are in conflict?
Ephesians 2: 14-17 He is our peace, he who made both one and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his flesh.
Children and Youth. That children and young people may be messengers of the Gospel and that they may be respected and preserved from all violence and exploitation.
A few years ago at Christmas Midnight Mass, Pope Benedict said: “In every child we see something of the Child of Bethlehem.” Unfor-tunately, many in the world do not see Christ in every child; they do not see human dignity in those to whom the Christ Child joined himself.
The Holy Father went on to pray specifically for “children who are denied the love of their parents,” for “street children who do not have the blessing of a family home,” for “children who are brutally exploited as soldiers,” and for “children who are victims of the industry of pornography and every other appalling form of abuse.”
Pope Benedict called for the safety of every child saying: “Only through the conversion of hearts, only through a change in the depths of our hearts can the cause of all this evil be overcome.”
So we join the Holy Father this month in praying for conversion. We pray that all children and young people may be respected and pre-served.
Part of our respect for children is the recognition of the essential role they play in spreading the Gospel. Jesus blessed children and pointed to them as an example of how to receive the Kingdom of God.
When Pope Benedict met with children who are part of the Pontifical Society of the Holy Child-hood, a missionary group, they asked him: “How can we children help you to proclaim the Gospel?” He he told them to pray, listen to Jesus, share with others, and help people who are “disagreeable.” He continued: “Sharing, …prayer, reciprocal listening, and solidarity [are] missionary work because [they help] to make the Gospel a reality in our world.”
How can the children and young people of my community become more involved in parish life and evangelization?
Matthew 18: 1-5 Whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.
Prayer of the Month
Lord Jesus, Emmanuel, in your Heart we find the eternal love that urged you to descend into human misery to redeem us from sin, the cause of injustice and conflict. For thousands of years humanity was far from God in the shadows of death. You crossed over the wide abyss of sin which separated us from our Creator. On the cross you have reconciled us with God and one another. Heart of Jesus, our peace and reconciliation, have mercy on us. Amen
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Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Good morning. Today is the 47th day of the year. On this day in 1898, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported on the explosion in Cuba that sank the U.S. battleship Maine. The battleship was in Cuba to protect U.S. interests amid the background of a Cuban revolt against Spanish rule. Within days, newspaper publishers William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer, without any actual proof, started to blame Spain for the explosion. The saying, “Remember the Maine, To Hell With Spain!” became widespread, and the U.S. declared war on Spain later that year.
Well-known people who were born today include rapper-actor Ice T (“Law & Order: SVU”), singer-songwriter James Ingram (“If Loving You Is Wrong”), Hall of Fame tennis player John McEnroe, actor LeVar Burton (“Roots,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation”) and actor Barry Primus (“Cagney and Lacey”)
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A collection of news and information related to Muscular Dystrophy published by this site and its partners.
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WindsorEaster Seals Capital Region and Eastern Connecticut is pleased to announce that it has received a $2,500 grant from Farmington Bank Community Foundation, Inc. to support the expansion of their School-to-Work Transition program. The Farmington Bank...
Jerry Huang left his wheelchair at the side of the pool before gliding through more than 400 meters of water at this year's Coast 2 Coast Swim Challenge. From beginners to experts, people of all abilities swam laps to raise money for free swimming lessons...
When I contacted Clay Harrison, Readers' Choice winner of the 2013 Daily Press poetry contest, to chat with him about his work, he told me he'd been in his yard, tending his garden. It didn't take more than a few minutes of conversation for me to...
Tags: Poetry, Sports, Alzheimer's Disease, Hampton Roads
Oct 22, 2012 |Story| Daily American
Sep 16, 2012 |Story| Daily American
Aug 6, 2012 |Story| Daily American
Apr 19, 2012 |Story| Daily American
Jun 14, 2013 |Story| Chicago Tribune
Jun 14, 2013 |Story| Los Angeles Times
Jun 13, 2013 |Story| Los Angeles Times
Jun 12, 2013 |Column| Allentown Morning Call
Jun 11, 2013 |Story| South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Jun 8, 2013 |Story| Hartford Courant
Jun 8, 2013 |Story| Los Angeles Times
May 27, 2013 |Story| Hampton Roads Daily Press
Original site for Muscular Dystrophy topic gallery.
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King County highlights mental health successes
June 7, 2011
By Warren Kagarise
King County used dollars set aside for mental-health programs to serve more than 27,000 people last year — a jump from 19,000 in 2009.
County Council members received the information May 9 in a report about the Mental Illness and Drug Dependency sales tax, a revenue source for mental health and criminal justice programs.
The report also indicated a 23 percent reduction in jail bookings among mental-health clients and a 23 percent reduction in jail days between Oct. 1, 2009, and Sept. 30, 2010. In the same period, psychiatric hospitalizations decreased by 19 percent for clients included in the sample.
“I sponsored the legislation authorizing the MIDD in 2007 because the costs of our jail being a de-facto mental institution were unacceptable and because I knew we could do better,” Councilman Bob Ferguson, the council’s Law, Justice, Health and Human Services Committee chairman, said in a statement.
In 2005, state legislators authorized counties to implement a one-tenth of 1 percent sales tax to support chemical dependency or mental-health treatment services. King County Council members authorized the tax in a 2007 decision.
The tax generated about $41 million last year. The county uses the dollars to fund efforts such as Mental Health Court — a groundbreaking program to place defendants in treatment for mental illness. Mental Health Court expanded to the Issaquah Courthouse last summer.
“This investment is transforming our system to a more humane model for treating those suffering from mental illness and chemical dependency,” Councilwoman Kathy Lambert, the council’s Law, Justice, Health and Human Services Committee vice chairwoman and the Issaquah representative, said in a statement. “The report shows that funding these strategies that focus on recovery is working, and it is saving significant money in our criminal justice system while also reducing recidivism and positively changing lives.”
In addition, the council proclaimed May as Mental Health Month to raise awareness about mental health issues and treatment options.
“Even with our society’s many technological and medical breakthroughs, there remains significant misunderstandings regarding the nature of mental illness,” David Stone, CEO of Sound Mental Health, King County’s largest mental health services provider, said in a statement. “I appreciate what the council has done to address these issues and its continued commitment to raising awareness of mental health and recovery in our community.”
Warren Kagarise: 392-6434, ext. 234, or email@example.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.
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“The design goal was to build two stone-faced houses on [an approximately 43,000-square-foot] hillside lot near Jerusalem,” said architect Meira Kowalsky of Israel. “The site overlooks a beautiful panorama of the Jerusalem mountains, so the design aimed at providing maximum open views from all spaces within the houses. At the time, in order to gently integrate the buildings into the topography, the architecture keeps a low, horizontal and solid profile.”
One of the homes was designed in a “Bauhaus” style, which used to be the main architectural style in Israel in the 1930s. This style of design is now making a comeback, and it is currently being used for many new residential projects in the area.
From the initial start of the design, it was determined that stone would be the primary building material. “Building regulations in Jerusalem - and in its vicinity - require the use of stone for the building envelope,” explained Kowalsky. “Our client wished for a stone house as well. So, designing in stone was a given. We chose the Ramon Grey limestone since we wanted a local stone, and we liked the color.”
The stone for the project was quarried and supplied by Jerusalem Marble A. Grebelsky of Jerusalem, Israel. “Ramon Grey is a grey/taupe-colored limestone originating from the Ramon quarry located in the Negev desert in the south of Israel,” said Arik Grebelsky of Jerusalem Marble. “In fact, the grey layer is the one located above the Jerusalem Gold layer.”
According to the architect, no other building materials were considered. “Our client owns a big infrastructure and earthworks company, and he is a stone connoisseur,” she said. “He introduced us to the company Jerusalem Marble. We spent much time with the client and with Mr. Grebelsky choosing the right stone.”
For the exterior walls of the home, the Ramon Grey limestone pieces were given a bushhammered finish. Additionally, the landscape walls in the garden are clad with natural cleft veneer stone in a random pattern, and above them are 4-inch copings in a fine-chiseled finish. Around the pool, the same stone was used both for the pool pavers as well as pool copings in a fine-chiseled finish. Ramon Grey limestone tiles - measuring 48 x 24 inches and featuring a “heavy patina” finish - were employed as flooring for the outside patio.
The interior design features an open and airy layout, making the living space appear expansive. Further contributing to the look and feel of the design are 48- x 24-inch floor tiles, which were also given a “heavy patina” finish. “The use of the antique finish, which was produced in this case with straight edges rather than antique ones, creates a nice blend of antique and modern styles,” said Grebelsky.
To develop the contemporary look that was desired, much consideration was given to the stone installation, explained the architect. “We wanted to design a contemporary house that reflects the local heritage of modern architecture,” she said. “The professional challenge was to clad the house with stone, as required in Jerusalem, without using traditional stone masonry details. Our strategy was to emphasize the cladding method by stacking large stone panels in rows and organizing them in a grid, rather than staggering them. Also, we constrained our design to a single stone detail - an L-shaped piece for all corners, heads and jambs.”
In the end, all those involved with the project were pleased with the final results. “The clients loved the house,” said Kowalsky.
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TULSA, Okla. – Citing jurisdictional issues, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma dismissed a lawsuit Thursday from the Thlopthlocco Tribal Town.
The tribal town, headquartered in Okemah, Okla., had requested a permanent injunction to keep the Muscogee (Creek) Nation’s judiciary from hearing its internal government disputes. A traditional Muscogee (Creek) community, Thlopthlocco is one of three Muscogee (Creek) tribal towns with separate federal recognition and many of its almost 900 citizens have dual citizenship with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.
“The court lacks subject-matter jurisdiction as no federal question exists,” judge James Payne wrote in his 18-page decision. “Intra-tribal disputes are not the subject of federal question jurisdiction.”
Payne also ruled that since the Muscogee (Creek) Nation did not waive its sovereign immunity, the tribe’s judges, who were named as defendants in their official capacity, are immune from the suit.
Filed in 2009, the federal lawsuit stems from two tribal court cases concerning a 2007 internal dispute within the Thlopthlocco Business Committee. Thlopthlocco Tribal Town officials argued that the Muscogee (Creek) Nation judiciary violated the Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act and three Constitutional clauses by hearing those cases, even though they had previously acknowledged that the Muscogee (Creek) Nation had the authority to hear its legal disputes due to pre-existing self-governance compacts and the town’s history as part of the tribe’s confederacy.
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Keep Safety First In Your Plans
November 30, 2012 — As you decorate for the holidays Entergy reminds you to keep safety first and foremost in your plans. A few tips: Be sure to stay away from overhead power lines as you string lights, use a fiberglass or wooden ladder that doesn't conduct electricity, inspect your lights before stringing them, and be careful not to overload extension cords or outlets.
"People light candles this time of year, open flames, that kind of thing, near a tree of near decorations. We're just asking them to be safe," says Liz Duhon, spokesperson for Entergy in Lafayette.
For greater efficiency and safety Entergy suggests you use smaller, cool-burning LED lights. They will save you money on your electricity bill and they do not get as hot as incondescent lights. The LED bulbs use up to 90 percent less energy than a traditional bulb to produce the same amount of light.
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Court rules for plaintiffs in school finance case
The Kansas Legislature has violated its constitutional duty to provide suitable funding for public schools, a three-judge panel ruled today.
In a 326-page opinion released today, a three-judge panel that presided over the case effectively ordered the legislature to fund public schools at $4,492 per pupil.
Today's opinion, written by Shawnee County District Judge Franklin Theis, reflects guidelines handed down by the Kansas Supreme Court in 2005 when it ruled in the case Montoy vs. Kansas that the legislature has a constitutional duty to base funding on the actual cost of providing all the educational services required by law.
Although the current funding law calls for base funding of schools at that level, Kansas lawmakers have not appropriated enough money to fund it since the economic downturn began in 2008. Instead, lawmakers have appropriated smaller amounts of money in the state budget, resulting in pro-rated funding for schools.
The ruling amounts to a 16-percent increase to the $3,838 in per-pupil state aid Kansas public schools are currently receiving, but some area educators aren't sounding any victory bells just yet.
"District officials will be reviewing the court's ruling to determine potential impact, and we are aware that the decision will likely be appealed," said Shawnee Mission school district in a written statement. "Any final determination may not be known until an appeal is heard."
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LAWRENCEVILLE -- At any given time in Gwinnett, more than 6,000 people are staying in roughly 100 hotels and motels in the county.
When a fire starts in a hotel guest room, the occupant has, on average, two minutes to get out alive, the National Fire Protection Association found last year.
Statistics like those weigh heavy on the minds of not only firefighters, but on those responsible for keeping Gwinnett's lucrative tourism industry in good repute.
Accordingly, the county's Fire Department launched an initiative this week in conjunction with the Gwinnett Convention and Visitors Bureau called "Rest Safe." The program aims to put emergency personnel and hotel owners, engineers, maintenance supervisors and others on the same page when it comes to keeping lodging safe.
Evidence of the "Rest Safe" initiative will be popping up in hotels and motels across Gwinnett in the form of informational pamphlets, stickers and general safety reminders. The program, leaders say, is among the most comprehensive new initiatives of its kind in the nation.
The goal is "a cultural change, a paradigm shift toward safety," said Deputy Fire Marshal Brandy Mitchell, who spoke at a seminar outlining the program Monday morning.
Lisa Anders, Gwinnett Convention and Visitors Bureau deputy director, said the lodging industry accounts for a yearly economic impact of roughly $200 million and is one of the few tax-generating industries on an upswing. Visitors spend about $1 billion per year in Gwinnett, Anders said.
"One of our biggest markets is youth sports lodging, so safety is vital," said Anders. "It's part of our reputation and our draw -- a safe, family-friendly destination."
All those visitors can be taxing to the Fire Department.
Firefighters and EMTs responded to 500 calls reporting fires and medical emergencies at area hotels last year, or 1.4 calls per day. Large-scale, disastrous hotel fires have been avoided in recent years.
The behavior of hotel occupants -- who commonly disable smoke detectors, throw away lit cigarettes and leave kitchenette stoves burning -- is partly to blame, officials said.
With visitors, "human behavior is always going to be unique," said Mitchell. "There's multiple languages and (in the case of a fire) they always want to go out the same door they came in."
From a hotelier's perspective, Andrew Wolf, general manager of CountryInn and Suites in Buford, said the "Rest Safe" program allows him access to emergency responders' knowledge, such as CPR training, which he can impart to his staff.
Deputy Fire Marshal Aaron Blackwell summed up the program's objective as so: "'Rest Safe' will save lives -- that's all there is to it," he said.
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Through a series of bilateral meetings, U.S. and Canadian officials are busy working out the details of the perimeter security action plan. This includes a recent joint crime forum that dealt with border and law enforcement issues. These various discussions are part of the implementation process which when finished would bring about the complete transformation of the northern border and another step closer in the creation of a fully integrated North American security perimeter.
In early March, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano met with Canadian Justice Minister Rob Nicholson and Public Safety Minister Vic Toews as part of the Cross-Border Crime Forum. On the agenda was, “transnational crime issues such as organized crime, counter-terrorism, smuggling, economic crime and other emerging cross-border threats.” Both countries also signed a memorandum of understanding on the Dissemination and Exchange of Information to combat human smuggling and trafficking. The meetings were used as an opportunity to further advance U.S.-Canada cooperation in areas of law enforcement, criminal justice and intelligence. This ties in with my previous article which detailed the Obama administration’s new counter-narcotics strategy for the northern border that includes closer collaboration with Canada in the war on drugs. Much of the joint crime forum discussions focused around the progress being made on the Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness Action Plan, announced in December 2011.
A readout of Attorney General Holder and Secretary Napolitano’s visit to Ottawa explained that talks with their Canadian counterparts centered largely around promoting the perimeter security agreement. It highlighted, “efforts to develop the next-generation of integrated cross-border law enforcement operations, and improve information sharing practices.” Attorney General Holder stated, “Our productive discussions today at the Cross Border Crime Forum go a long way toward advancing a key pillar of the Beyond the Border initiative that President Obama and Prime Minister Harper announced last year: integrated law enforcement that adds value to our relationship by leveraging shared resources, improving information sharing and increasing coordination of efforts.” Secretary Napolitano emphasized that, “We will continue to work with Canada to further enhance information sharing and integrate our cross border law enforcement operations, strengthening the national and economic security of both our nations.” As part of the perimeter security deal, both countries are moving ahead with harmonizing intelligence sharing capabilities.
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently hosted stakeholder meetings regarding programs and initiatives found in the Beyond the Border action plan. CBP Acting Deputy Commissioner Thomas Winkowski confirmed that the, “agreement forged by President Obama and Prime Minister Harper is about strengthening and expediting trade and travel between our countries.” He went on to say, “It’s about finding common-sense solutions to our most complicated problems. And it’s about extending national security for both of our nations, well away from the border.” CBSA President Luc Portelance acknowledged, “As these joint meetings with stakeholders indicate, we are committed to working with our U.S. partners to bring about greater consistency, efficiency and predictability in the management of our shared border.” The perimeter security deal will mean deeper integration between both border agencies. Some have warned that it might force Canada to harmonize its immigration and refugee policies with U.S. practices. Over a period of time, this could lead to the creation of a binational institution that would manage the northern border.
Steven Chase of the Globe and Mail reported that during recent border security discussions, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary of International Affairs, Alan Bersin commented on how, “he believes the time will come when Canada and the United States have a joint organization to handle border controls – what he described as a NORAD border.” Bersin is quoted as saying, “Why should we have separate admissibility processes … if, in fact, North American security would suggest that a Canadian and a U.S. immigrations and customs official ought to be working together to clear people in Frankfurt who are coming into Canada, to clear them such that they would be able then to come seamlessly across (the joint border into) the United States.” An article by Christopher Sands of the Hudson Institute also included another top level Homeland Security official using the same NORAD analogy to describe future joint border controls. David Heyman explained that this, “could be a model for how the two countries might handle the protection of citizens against 21st-century threats from terrorism, pandemics, cyberattacks, and organized crime.”
On February 16, the Conservative government introduced the Protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act. The legislation proposed, “reforms to the asylum system to make it faster and fairer, measures to address human smuggling, and the authority to make it mandatory to provide biometric data.” The new changes would put Canada in line with the U.S. and other international partners. Immigration Minister Jason Kenney praised the use of biometrics as an, “important new tool to help protect the safety and security of Canadians by reducing identity fraud and identity theft.” He added, it “will improve our ability to keep violent criminals and those who pose a threat to Canada out. In short, biometrics will strengthen the integrity of Canada’s immigration system while helping facilitate legitimate travel.” Under the section about sharing relevant information to improve immigration and border determinations, the U.S.-Canada action plan calls for implementing, “systematic and automated biographic information-sharing capability by 2013 and biometric information-sharing capability by 2014.” There are fears that a joint biometric identification system would be used to track Canadians and Americans alike.
U.S.-Canada bilateral dialogue on strategic issues concerning the Beyond the Border deal continues as the action plan lays out deadlines where initiatives will be incrementally implemented over the next several years. The proposed changes promise to bring about a radical transformation of the northern border. This will further bring Canadian security practices in line with American ones and under the reach of the Department of Homeland Security.
About the author: Dana Gabriel is an activist and independent researcher. He writes about trade, globalization, sovereignty, security as well as other issues. Click here to visit his blog, or to mail him.
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If you are fanatic of indoor gardening then LED grow lights will be beneficial for you. This LED grow lights are perfect for indoor gardening because they offer sufficient amount of lighting to the plants that helps them to grow faster. Moreover, they are also beneficial in other ways because they enhance the process of photosynthesis. The LED grow lights are perfect for almost every plant including different flowers, trees, and fruits and even for vegetables. These LED lights consume far less power in comparison to other indoor grow lights. They are energy efficient thus making this LED grow light an effective and efficient light option when consumption of energy becomes major concern.
LED indoor grow lights are considered as the cost effective alternative for indoor gardening. It may be a bit costly when you will purchase it but once you install it in your indoor garden then they will quickly pay for themselves. These LED grow lights for indoor gardening not only saves your money on electricity bills but also last for long years to come. Moreover, they don’t produce very high heat so there is no need of any expensive air conditioning or any blowers. As there are various types of LED light bulbs available. So, you should install LED grow light according to the stage of growth and type of plant. You can even use the combination of red and blue light which is considered to be more effective for any plants. You might be aware that color temperature plays a vital role for yielding. Plus these grow lights provide flexibility so you can customized them while installing in your indoor garden. These grow lights offer sufficient heat required by a plant to grow. So, you don’t have to worry about anything because they don’t overheat the young plant while growing.
It is very simple and easy to install LED grow lights. You simply have to plug it in. You may use UFO LED grow light because they create directional light and with this light you don’t have to use any reflector as well. Once you install this LED grow light you don’t have to maintain them again and again because they require very less maintenance thus offer you hassle free performance for long years to come. These LED grow lights for indoor gardens are not manufactured by using any harmful substances such as mercury thus making them a safe option for indoor gardening.
The LED indoor grow lights come with various functionalities. These grow lights are considered as the perfect alternative of sunshine, they are capable enough to increase the growth rate of any plant in an indoor garden and they are also responsible to holdup blooming of a plant for certain period of time. Apart from saving money on electricity bills they also last for long years. It is estimated that if these LED grow lights are used for 10 hours a day then it will last for 50,000 hours which is equal to 10 years.
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ATLANTA -- For years, Alan Carter worried what would happen to his wife, Mary, if a car wreck left them both unconscious.
Emergency medical personnel would have no idea she suffers from a brain injury --- the result of a 1989 head-on car crash that left her in a coma for 40 days, partially paralyzed, and unable to see out of one eye.
The sooner people with past brain injuries can receive the right treatment, Carter said, "the better chance they'll have overall."
Now, people such as his wife can voluntarily opt to list medical conditions on the back of their Georgia driver's license or state identification card by filling out an application and getting verification from a doctor.
The Georgia Department of Driver Services currently has 16 conditions --- including pacemaker, autism, hearing loss, seizures and diabetes --- from which drivers may choose. Others could be added in the future, agency spokeswoman Susan Sports said.
Advocates say having the option could aid emergency responders in knowing how to best treat people who may be unconscious. It also can help law enforcement officers who pull someone over determine whether a medical condition, such as a brain injury, may be a factor, said Carter, who leads a brain injury support group in Valdosta.
The designation may be especially helpful for people with hearing loss who are unable to hear instructions or someone with Tourette syndrome, a neurological disorder that can cause people to involuntarily blurt things out, said Mark Johnson, director of advocacy at the Shepherd Center, a rehabilitation hospital specializing in spinal cord and brain injuries.
"People make assumptions when people don't walk like everybody else or talk like everybody else or have a tic," Johnson said.
The department's decision to add the medical condition designations was spurred by a state Senate bill signed into law last year that allows people with post-traumatic stress disorder to put a notation on their licenses.
Sen. Ronald Ramsey, D-Decatur, said he got the idea from a veteran with PTSD who became anxious when he heard sirens or other loud noises. When a law enforcement officer pulled the veteran over, he felt the man was guilty of something, Ramsey said.
Veterans without any visible signs of injury should have some protection, he said. While privacy concerns were raised by some veterans groups, getting the notation is completely voluntary, Ramsey added.
"It could make the difference in saving a life," he said.
Added earlier this year, brain injury was the most recent medical condition to be included as an option. An estimated 1.7 million Americans suffer traumatic brain injuries each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Carter, 50, said he has spoken to state trooper cadets about the signs someone may have a brain injury instead of being under the influence of alcohol or drugs. They often don't have the outward appearance of someone who's been drinking, such as the smell of alcohol or a red complexion, Carter said. However, they may lean on the car for balance or hesitate to look a person in the eye, he said.
"Some of them have a tendency to get confused," Carter said. "They become nervous because of the challenge of answering questions."
A notation on the driver's license may help take away some of the guesswork, he said.
The brain injury Mary Carter suffered forced her to relearn how to get dressed and how to eat. It takes her longer to process information, and she tends to speak more slowly.
The 43-year-old, who doesn't drive but got the condition added to her license last month, said she thinks the option is a good idea. She has lost two medical alert bracelets in the past.
"If I was incapacitated, I could not tell them what was wrong," she said. "Who knows what would happen."
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|Impressionist Artist Pierre Auguste Renoir was born in Limoges, France, on February 25, 1841, the sixth of Leonard Renoir and Marguerite Merlet's seven children. Renoir´s father was a tailor, and his mother was a dressmaker. The Renoir family moved to Paris in 1844. Showing a remarkable talent for drawing, Pierre–Auguste Renoir became an apprentice in a porcelain factory where Renoir painted designs on fine art china. After the factory had gone out of business, Pierre Renoir worked for his older brother, decorating fine art fans, blinds and signs. Throughout these early years Pierre Auguste Renoir made frequent visits to the Louvre where Renoir studied and developed a deep respect for the art of 18th Century French Rococo Masters.
In 1862 Pierre Renoir began to study art seriously and entered the studio of the painter Charles Gleyre, where Renoir met other artists such as Claude Monet. The 1860s were difficult years for Pierre August Renoir. At times Renior was too poor to buy paints or canvas, and the Paris Salons (national exhibitions) of 1866 and 1867 rejected Renoir´s art. In 1868 the Paris Salon accepted Renoir´s portrait of his girlfriend, Lise Trehot. Pierre Auguste Renoir continued to develop his art and to study the paintings of other artists of the day such as Manet and Courbet.
During the 1860´s a revolution was beginning in French painting. A group of young artists began to rebel against the traditions of Western painting which was steeped in Realism. These artists began to paint outdoors, using nature as their inspiration, in an attempt to capture the nuances of light and atmosphere with quick bold strokes of color. As a result, their art revealed a look of freshness that rapidly departed from the style of the Old Masters. This new art style were initially shunned by the public and art critics who considered them unfinished, underdeveloped and mere ‘impressions´ of subjects. The critic´s insult stuck and Impressionism was born. The group of artists, which included Renoir, Monet, Sisley, Cassatt, Degas and others, were unable to gain acceptance into the official Salon and eventually created their own series of exhibitions called the Salon des Refuses.
Although the Impressionist art exhibitions were the targets of much public scorn, Renoir's popularity gradually increased, and in time, Pierre Auguste Renoir was backed by loyal art dealers and devoted collectors. Renoir´s artworks depicted men and women together in casual social settings, vibrant intimate portraits, voluptuous nudes and lush landscapes full of emotion. In 1890, at the age of 49, Pierre Renoir made his first etching La Danse a la Compagne, based on Renoir´s 1883 painting, which featured Renoir´s brother Edmond and painter Suzanne Valadon. Pierre Auguste Renoir would eventually create approximately 55 different etchings and lithographs.
In 1890 Pierre Renoir married Aline Charigot, Renoir´s companion of almost ten years. They would have three sons in all. Pierre Auguste Renoir quickly incorporated the Renoir family into his later works. It was during these later years that Pierre Renoir further developed his unique style–a blend of Classicism and Impressionism which featured radiant nude bathers and tender familial scenes.
Renoir's health declined severely in his later years. In 1903 Pierre Auguste Renoir suffered his first attack of arthritis and settled for the warmer climates at Cagnes–sur–Mer, in the South of France. The arthritis made painting painful, yet Pierre Renoir continued to work, at times with a brush tied to Renoir´s crippled hand. Pierre Auguste Renoir died at Cagnes–sur–Mer on December 3, 1919, but not before experiencing a major artistic triumph: the State had purchased Renior´s 1877 portrait Madame Georges Charpentier and Renoir traveled to Paris in August to see it hanging in the Louvre.
"You come to nature with all her theories, and she knocks them all flat."
– Pierre Auguste Renoir
Phillips Collection, Washington
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Getty Museum, Los Angeles
Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena
Metropolitan Museum, New York
Frick Collection, New York
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago
Musee d´Orsay, Paris
The Louvre, Paris
Musee de l´Orangerie, Paris
National Gallery, London
Tate Gallery, London
British Museum, London
Hermitage Museum, Russia
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Featuring portfolios by: Samantha Appleton, Sean Hemmerle, Roger Hutchings, Bruno Stevens, Susan Meiselas, Sheryl Mendez, Daniel Pepper and an essay by Amir Hassanpour. In this issue of Daylight Magazine, Iraq is presented from a number of perspectives. As individuals living far from the front lines, images we foreigners see on television and in newspapers define our perception of the current situation in Iraq. For many of us, this is an armchair war consisting of images released by corporate-controlled media conglomerates and government censors with undeniable agendas. This issue of Daylight presents the work of photographers who have spent time in Iraq working to present their audience with an individual perspective of the region. What a photographer chooses to capture reflects a personal interest or desire to share a very specific moment with the universal spectrum of potential viewers. Susan Meiselas' images of the Kurdish mass graves in southern Iraq came to light ten years ago when the burial sites were exposed to the world. These images have gained contemporary relevance as they are once again being reproduced and reviewed as evidence in the current legal case against Saddam Hussein. Sean Hemmerle's photographs concentrate on landscapes of war-damaged Baghdad. Also featured in the issue is the first appearance of the self-representative photographic project 'Iraq from Within' which later became the travelling exhibition 'Photographs by Iraqi Civilians, 2004'.
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BRIGHTON — Hundreds of angry property owners gathered Jan. 24, incensed over a county mandate to implement a stormwater utility, and the soaring fees accompanying the measure.
Those fees, levied against impervious surfaces on each property, resulted in annual payments due to the county in many cases in the hundreds of dollars where none existed before.
Promising “total transparency,” Adams County Deputy Administrator Todd Leopold addressed the throng, reassembled in a maintenance bay after overflowing a classroom at the station. Both Leopold and Adams County Stormwater Coordinator Andrea Berg shared the floor, taking questions while providing details of the project’s implementation.
The pair faced a tough crowd, disillusioned by county efforts to inform and involve residents in the process leading up to levying what most see as a tax on their property.
The county says it adopted the fee schedule in response to an unfunded Environmental Protection Agency mandate, with the funds collected to “address water quality regulations, capital improvement drainage projects and flooding to the maximum extent practicable. Often drainage problems are not easily attributed to a single source, and are usually the result of a combination of things that increase the amount of impervious surfaces (roads, driveways, and development) and affect water quality (erosion, fertilizers, and petroleum products).”
Critics see it as a carefully crafted tax to boost revenues more than $5 million annually, on the backs of unincorporated residents with little or no recourse.
Most rancorous was the estimation of fees owed, which most saw as wildly inaccurate in relation to their actual impermeable surface areas. Some claimed hundreds of dollars assessed on properties with no impermeable surface whatsoever, such as farm fields and pasture.
Taken from aerial surveys, the estimations were based largely on shading of roadways and rooftops, with a clear margin of error. The estimations ran into hundreds of dollars per year for properties with rooftops similar in size to suburban homes.
By way of comparison to the three-figure bills meted out in the county, stormwater fees in municipalities average $5.22 monthly, or $62.64 per annum.
Admitting that the data collection and estimation methods used to assess the fees were inaccurate in many instances, Leopold called the aerial survey “the most cost-effective method available.”
That answer didn’t satisfy the majority in attendance, many saddled with bills that made no sense based on personal assessments. Not taken into account in numerous instances, for example, were driveways constructed of recycled asphalt rather than asphalt paving. Identical from an aerial survey standpoint, the two types are vastly different in water permeability and runoff characteristics. With the majority of unincorporated county private property roadbeds dirt, gravel or recycled asphalt, the potential for miscalculation via aerial survey is high.
Adding to the collective anger, property owners found that they are required to pay the assessed amount up front and on time, based on assurances that the county will return any overage as soon as possible. With more than 27,000 properties on the list for the staff of three to review, the county’s deadline of October for a collective reassessment struck many as a physical impossibility for the utility’s three employees. Coordinator Berg noted that property evaluation and reassessments averaged about one per day, furthering doubts.
One deadline property owners will not want to miss is April 1, when appeals are due to the utility offices. For more information on the process, and the required forms, contact the Adams County Stormwater Quality Office at 720-523-6400, or visit www.co.adams.co.us.
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The City’s Archives most important source for the family historian are the records of the poor law authorities which contain over one million applications for poor relief.
Our Poor Law leaflet provides further information on the records we hold.
To comply with Data Protection legislation, records relating to adults are normally closed for 75 years and for 100 years in respect of children.
Poor law authorities were responsible for children separated from their parents and the records can contain information about children who were fostered or adopted.
There are restrictions on access to these records if less than 100 years old. If your enquiry concerns records of this nature, please contact Glasgow City Council’s Families for Children department for assistance:
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If you’re like countless others who anxiously await St. Patrick’s Day, you have likely already begun to plan your celebration. You’ve rummaged the closet in search of green clothing, decorated your home with shamrocks and leprechauns, and searched countless cookbooks for Irish specialties. Before you finalize your menu, be sure to include soda bread. Sliced thick, slathered with butter, and served alongside corned beef and cabbage, soda bread adds a festive flair to every St. Patrick’s Day meal.
With a history spanning more than two centuries, soda bread is a traditional Irish specialty. The first loaf, consisting of little more than flour, baking soda, salt, and sour milk, made its debut in the mid-1800s when baking soda found its way into Irish kitchens. At the time, bread-making in rural Ireland was performed domestically using minimal ingredients, equipment, and experience. Baking soda offered home cooks the opportunity to broaden their repertoire of recipes. Providing a quick, convenient, and reliable leavener, baking soda was simple to work with and easy to store. It also produced a better-tasting bread than what was originally available in the 19th century, making soda bread a staple of the Irish diet.
Today, soda bread is enjoyed throughout the world. Many take pleasure in its tangy flavor, dressing it with butter and preserves for breakfast, eating it with cheese for a light snack, or serving it as an accompaniment to a celebratory feast. As a quick bread, it is simple to prepare. The ingredients come together in a matter of minutes and the loaf is ready to eat in under half an hour. Soda bread can be made with a variety of flours and may include a number of added flavors and textures from dried fruits, herbs, and seeds. The Culinary Institute of America’s version, prepared with the addition of sugar, raisins, and caraway seeds, uses white cake flour for a light, tender crumb.
“Like most baked goods, soda bread doesn’t keep for long,” says John Reilly, associate professor in Culinary Arts at The Culinary Institute of America. “If properly cooled, wrapped well in plastic, and stored at room temperature, it will maintain its quality for about two days.”
To keep the bread moist and preserve its unique texture, some traditional recipes recommend wrapping freshly baked loaves in a clean tea towel while they cool. When serving, divide the bread into quarters using the cross on top of the loaf as a guide. The characteristic marking, cut into the dough before baking, allows ample room for the loaf to expand in the oven and provides four pre-portioned sections, also known as “farls.” Legend suggests that the cross is sliced into the bread to scare away evil spirits. Truth or folly, soda bread wouldn’t be soda bread without it.
This recipe, along with more than 175 others, is explained and illustrated in The Culinary Institute of America’s Breakfasts and Brunches cookbook (Lebhar-Friedman 2005), which is available for purchase at bookstores nationwide or at www.ciaprochef.com/fbi/books.html.
Makes 2 loaves or 16 rolls
- 4 cups cake flour
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
- 1 cup dark raisins
- 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
- 1 cup cold milk
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet by spraying it lightly with cooking spray or lining it with parchment paper.
- Sift the flour, baking soda, sugar, and salt together into a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut the shortening into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse meal.
- Add the raisins, caraway seeds, and milk. Mix the dough until just combined; avoid over-mixing as this will cause the dough to toughen.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Press the dough into a ball. Form the dough into two equal loaves, or cut into 16 equal pieces to make rolls. Dust with flour and lightly score an “X” across the top of each roll or loaf with a sharp knife.
- Bake the soda bread until it is lightly browned and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, about 8 to 10 minutes for rolls and 25 minutes for loaves. Wrap the bread in a tea towel directly out of the oven.
- Cool the soda bread in the tea towel on a wire rack before serving. It can be held at room temperature for up to two days or frozen for up to four weeks.
Nutrition analysis per 2.5-ounce serving: 210 calories, 4g protein, 41g carbohydrate, 4g fat, 520mg sodium, 0mg cholesterol, 1g fiber.
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Bolivia is one of the most diverse countries, not only in terms of
biodiversity, but also in its many regions and ethnic communities. A
young child from a black Bolivian community in the Yungas region poses
for the camera with shining eyes.
A young girl with the Bolivian flag in Ulla Ulla Wildlife Reserve.
Located in the Bolivian Altiplano, many of the Bolivian protected
areas are inhabited by different communities, which are dependent
on natural resources for subsistence.
Bolivia's economy has been sustained by natural resources such as
gas, oil, mining, and forestry. However, while it is a rich country
of natural resources, there are high poverty rates, especially in
rural areas, from which people are forced to move to cities looking
for better opportunities. Children in La Paz city.
With a rich culture and many different traditions throughout Bolivia,
typical dances use feathers of Andean ostrich.
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A Technique from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
By BJJ.Org Featured Contributor Michael Jen
These techniques should only be practiced with the supervision of an experienced instructor.
Practicing the moves incorrectly could result in serious bodily injury or death.
This information was originally published on www.jenbjj.com. It is made available on BJJ.Org by the express permission of featured contributor Michael "Bolo" Jen.
1. Michael has his opponent in the modified scarf hold.
2. Controlling his opponent's right tricep, Michael slides his right leg back while moving his left leg over the opponent's head.
3. Planting his foot on the left side of the opponent's neck, Michael arches his hips forward while pushing the opponent's right arm backward with his left tricep.
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All of Existence Should Be Revered: Hinduism & The Environment
photo: Jose Pereira/Creative Commons
The following is the first in an ongoing series of posts outlining how the world's major religions have traditionally viewed the environment and are putting those beliefs into practice today.
Hinduism is the oldest of the world's major spiritual paths. Though it only became known by that name in much more recent history, the oldest of its sacred texts date in their written form to the second millennia BCE and reference astronomical alignments as far back as 10,000 BCE.
For those people unfamiliar with Hinduism basic tenets, the Himalayan Academy has good overview. As for its traditional and contemporary views on the environment, keeping reading:A quick sidebar: Hinduism is really an umbrella term for a vast faith, with many different sects occupying that space. They don't always agree in teachings, interpretation, or emphasis, even if there is ultimately more commonality than difference. Also, as with every philosophy there is sometimes a gap between belief in practice, and in that Hinduism is no different. With that in mind, let's continue.
Entire Universe Is Looked Upon As Sacred
When it comes to traditional Hindu views on the environment, one statement for the Ishavasya Upanishad sums up the reverential attitude Hindus are urged to take. In English it reads, "The entire universe is to be looked upon as the Lord." That means that there is everything in existence is essentially, practically and metaphorically, connected together. Everything is seen as aspects of Divinity--humans, animals, plants, rivers, mountains, the Earth, the Universe and everything in it. Scripturally, these are seen as parts of God's body.
More specifically, this broad outlook can be broken down into a number of key principles with direct implications for the environment, as we talk about it within the green movement.
- Divinity In All -- The attitude of Vasudeva Sarvam, or Divinity in All, bestows reverence for all things. This contrasts starkly with the dominant outlook today in which humans are separate from nature and God is separate from both. While Western civilization considers human life to be sacred, Hinduism views all of life, all of existence as sacred.
- Global Village -- Or Vasudhaiva Kutumbatam... If you view everything and everyone as an aspect of Divinity, viewing the entire globe as a village easily follows. A paraphrase from the Hymn to Earth, from the Artharva Veda: "Mother Earth supports us with Her abundant endowments and riches; it is She who nourishes us; it is She who provides us with a sustainable environment; and it is She who, when angered by the misdeeds of Her children, punishes them with disasters." Obviously a more poetic and metaphorical than literal reading of the causes of disasters, but on the whole not off base in its recognition of the web of life.
- Welfare of All Beings -- Once you view the entire world as a global village and understand Mother Earth's protection of life (maintaining the conditions for life, in scientific terms), Sarva bhuta hita or "enhancing the common good of all beings" follows. When you believe all life to be sacred and we are all children of Mother Earth, your behavior and desires change, balancing our individual needs and desires with those of the extended family of life.
- Restraint & Limitation -- Not restraint (sanyam) and limitation (maryada) as we popularly conceive of them, but deeper than that. Professor Arvind Sharma explains, "You refrain from drinking or eating too much not because there are laws against doing that, but out of a sense of propriety and decency." You practice restraint and limitation not because you are forced to, but because it's part of your lifestyle.
There are a number of other Hindu concepts which figure into the discussion--both karma and the principles of ahimsa (non-violence), santosha (contentment) and aparigraha (non-posessiveness, non-stealing), all are important--but the above highlighted principles are a good overview.
photo: Mat McDermott/Creative Commons
Ancient Law Placed Fines on Deforestation, Polluting Rivers
These principles have been put into practice in various ways since time immemorial. In some of Hinduism's oldest law books, fines are specified for illegally cutting trees and if you need to clear an area of forest new trees must be planted in its place, discharging bodily waste into rivers and lakes was also prohibited. In the 15th century, the Bishnoi sect first placed environmental protection, conservation, protection of trees and animals as a central part of religious duty. They still exist and practice these principles today.
photo: Mat McDermott/Creative Commons
Pollution Won't Be Stopped Until People Take Ownership of The World Around Them
Jumping forward quite a bit, Hindu groups have begun taking the lead to clean up environmental pollution in the Ganga and Yamuna rivers and pressuring politicians to take the issue seriously. Swami Chidanand Saraswati (pictured above at center) has been quite outspoken in this regard (his ashram has its gates perhaps 100 feet from the banks of the Ganga in Rishikesh) and hits on a crucial point for a number of environmental issues, what do you take figurative ownership of and care for:
People think, "My home is my home, but the street, that's not mine. My farm is mine, but the road is not mine. That's the government's road, the borough's road, or the municipality's road; it's not mine." But that's not correct. It's not just "your home is your home." The street is also yours. Until we have this kind of relationship with the environment, [awareness and action about pollution] will not come.
video: Ahimsa Milk
A Big Step Beyond Organic is Slaughter-Free Milk
A further, and truly excellent, example of putting Hindu principles into practice comes from Bhaktivedanta Manor, located just outside London.
Recognizing that even within more stringent animal welfare conditions imposed by organic certification schemes cows are stilled killed when they stop producing milk and young bulls have no better a fate than in industrial farming, the residents of the Manor (given to the community by George Harrison in the early 1970s) have created a model for compassionate, environmentally sustainable and low-carbon dairy farming for the 21st century. At the center of it is a way of managing a cattle herd virtually unique in modern farming (though it wouldn't have been far out of place in pre-industrial times): No cows, bulls or oxen are killed at all; all cows are hand-milked; cows suckle from their mothers; and bulls are given work. At the end of the animals' working life they are kept on the farm and cared for until they die a natural death. Furthermore, the milk is marketed under the Ahimsa, Slaughter-Free Milk designation.
For more information on Hinduism and the environment, a longer, more in-depth version of this article appeared in the April/May/June 2011 issue of Hinduism Today.
More on Religion & The Environment:
Environmentalism Ignores the Power of Religious Communities At Its Peril - Lets Change That
Religions May Be Powerful 'Joint Venture Partners' in Conservation Efforts: Study
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The Legendary Shots may prove to be a slam-dunk of a marketing gimmick for the city of Birmingham.
The local troupe of young basketball trick shot artists who parlayed a viral YouTube video into a national Hampton Inn commercial last year have been making remarkable shots around town recently. On Sunday they banked in an 80-footer from a hot air balloon in Railroad Park. It turns out the group of high school students has been making these shots at the invitation of the Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Bureau President Jim Smither said the idea was to create low-budget Internet buzz for the city. Consider the mission, managed by Birmingham's BIG Communications, accomplished.
The group's "Free Fall" shot video, filmed on a ride at Alabama Adventure, and its "World's Farthest Basketball Shot" video, filmed at Vulcan, collectively have been viewed more than 6.5 million times.
What did this cost the CVB? "It's a few thousand dollars," Smither said. "It's nothing."
As for allegations that the group of about a half dozen Hoover teens uses CGI or other trickery to fake their shots, hogwash. We were there on Sunday. They had 90 minutes of misses before getting one to go down. Up next: Look for a shot from atop one of the towers at Sloss Furnaces.
And no. None of the teens who make up the core group play high school basketball.
This item was published in The Insider, a weekly column in The Birmingham News Business section.
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Palermo Pizza Workers Entering Fourth Week of Strike
Workers at the Palermo pizza factory in Milwaukee, Wisconsin are entering their fourth week on strike, demanding recognition for a union and demanding the reinstatement of workers who have been terminated for organizing and participating in the union drive. Palermo Villa, Inc. prepares and markets frozen pizza under many brand names across the United States and Canada.
Striking workers are joined every day by supporters on the picket line outside the factory, calling for a boycott of Palermo's pizza until it recognizes the Palermo workers union. Members of the AFL-CIO, Madison Teachers Inc. (MTI), Milwaukee Teachers' Education Association (MTEA), United Steelworkers Union (USW), and others have joined the striking workers, carrying umbrellas to keep the hot sun off their backs as they march back and forth in front of the factory. The "nuns on the bus" who are traveling around the country in opposition to Representative Paul Ryan's austerity budget, also visited the striking workers, sending a message of support and solidarity.
Workplace Safety Concerns Prompted Union Drive
Workers at the Palermo's factory in Milwaukee have been organizing collectively to address issues of workplace safety, sick leave, and violations of fair labor practices since 2008. In the fall of 2011, they launched an effort to create a union, and on May 29, 2012, they filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) with the signatures of about 180 workers, requesting that their union be recognized by their employer. Workers at the factory organized work stoppages in response to retaliatory actions by Palermo's management, and in an attempt to encourage their employer to recognize their union. Palermo's began to retaliate against those workers who had been organizing, which led the workers to take further action and begin their strike on June 1. Almost two weeks into the strike, the NLRB set a date for an official vote on unionization, which was slated to take place on July 6, but now may be postponed.
Workers started to organize to address workplace safety concerns after a series of accidents, including instances of amputation, that resulted from what they say were unsafe production line speeds and insufficient training. One man had his hands caught in a production line and his fingernails were torn out. He was examined by the company doctor and told to return to work the next day despite his request for further medical attention.
"From my point of view, there's been a lot of exploitation," says Roberto Silva who described being forced to work 70 to 80 hours a week, even while sick, and being threatened with job abandonment when he asked for a break. "You have to work until you can't," Silva told In These Times.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration has fined Palermo's for safety violations twice. Both instances involved a worker having a body part amputated in a workplace accident.
Palermo's Retaliates Against Organizers
Voces de la Frontera, an immigrant and workers rights group based out of Milwaukee, has been working closely with the largely Hispanic workforce at Palermo's on their concerns for many years.
When it became clear to Palermo that its employees were working towards forming a union, it started to retaliate. According to Voces about 150 workers originally went on strike, and about 25 of them have returned to work since the strike started. The remaining workers who are on strike have all been terminated or suspended indefinitely, with some workers receiving letters saying that Palermo's was accepting their resignation, even though they never submitted a resignation.
To fight the unionization drive, Palermo's hired notorious anti-union firm Jackson Lewis, and sent out notices to dozens of workers on the day they handed in their petition to form a union, saying that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was requesting further proof of citizenship.
Palermo's unfurled a professionally printed banner next to where workers are picketing, that said, "A union will not change your immigration status, only the right documents will," in English and in Spanish. ICE confirmed after the strike began that they had suspended any immigration or employment audit at Palermo Villa as a result of the strike, as is their policy, but Palermo's management continues to cite the audit in its communications with the workers.
One of the PR tactics Palermo's has used is inflating the number of employees that they have, in an attempt to make the number of workers on strike seem less significant. Voces believes that only about 200 workers would be eligible for the official NLRB union vote, but Palermo's has told the press that they have over 450 employees.
"No Justice, No Pizza" Support for Workers Growing
The workers have set up a strike fund and have been receiving donations from supporters who have brought boxes of food and other supplies to the picket line. People have also showed their support through a Sign-on petition, started by one of the workers to garner support for the strike, which has gathered over 10,000 signatures. Allies are asking for a national boycott of Palermo's frozen pizzas in order to put added pressure on the company to recognize the union.
At a press conference that Voces held with the workers, Christine Neumann-Ortiz said: "The Palermo workers' struggle is a struggle of national significance. In the wake of the recall election that was bought and paid for by billionaire contributions this struggle reminds us that you cannot buy people's dignity."
Ultimately, the decision on whether to form a union will be decided by the workers themselves. United Food and Commercial Workers recently petitioned the NLRB to intervene in the case on behalf of striking workers. This means the date that workers will vote on unionization has been postponed for now.
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Paul Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, half of the folk-singing duo Simon and Garfunkel who continues a successful solo career. In 2006, “Time” Magazine called him one of the “100 people who shape our world”.
In 1957 he and high school pal Art Garfunkel wrote and recorded the single “Hey Schoolgirl” under the name ‘Tom and Jerry’. After some failures they broke up. Simon still wrote and recorded music as ‘Tico and The Triumps’ and ‘Jerry Landis’.
He and Art Garfunkel got back together as Simon and Garfunkel and recorded “Wednesday Morning 3 a.m.”. After the commercial failure of the album they broke up again. Simon left America for England where he played in folk circuits and made a solo album. Back in America the producer of their first album, Tom Wilson, dubbed bass, electric guitar, and drums to the all acoustic song, ‘Sound of Silence’, which propelled him into the folk-rock scene. Simon and Garfunkel were back and in 1966 they had popularity with the albums “The Sound of Silence” and “Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme.
In the seventies Simon emerged as a singer/songwriter with albums such as Paul Simon, Still Crazy After All These Years, Hearts and Bones, Graceland, and Songs from the Capeman. Aside from music he wrote and starred in the movie One Trick Pony (1980) and reunited with friend Art Garfunkel in 1981 to give a concert in Central Park.
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My career in pediatric oncology began 35 years ago in the exhilarating times when we were just beginning to learn how to use combinations of anti-cancer drugs to prevent recurrence of childhood cancer and death from cancer. The enduring theme of my work has been to improve cure rate through better chemotherapy while reducing side effects. My personal goal and that of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is for cancer patients to emerge from cancer treatment as least as good as they were before their therapy. Central to the goal of reducing side effects has been reducing the amount of radiation therapy needed to cure a tumor by replacing radiation with chemotherapy.
Over this time I have had the opportunity to direct many clinical trials at Children's Hospital or in the major national pediatric oncology research group, the Children's Oncology Group (COG) -- and at the same time to collaborate with scientists to discover better treatments with less serious side effects. My first research trials were in Hodgkin's disease. More chemotherapy and less radiation showed improved cure rates and eliminated the problem of growth failure in irradiated areas and long surgical procedures needed to locate all possible areas of involvement in the abdomen. This approach is now used in most children and many adults with Hodgkin's disease.
By the early 1980s, my research extended to trials in leukemia and then to trials in brain tumors -- and continues in these areas today. Radiation of the brain has been responsible for improving cure rates in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common childhood cancer, and in brain tumors, the most common childhood solid tumor. However, the higher the dose of radiation and the younger the child, the more severe the side effects. The most serious side effect is cognitive impairment, specifically, problems in paying attention and then remembering, thinking, planning and doing all these things relatively quickly.
Reducing and eventually eliminating radiation for younger children with leukemia has to a large extent reduced problems with learning. However, some children with leukemia still need brain irradiation -- and some of the chemotherapy used in leukemia also impairs cognition. Additionally, children with brain tumors often have learning problems from the tumors themselves.
Many cognitive problems don't become evident immediately, particularly in leukemia survivors: what may become a progressive problem first manifests itself two or three or more years after treatment. There have been some trials to improve established cognitive deficits using either stimulant medications or cognitive psychotherapy and working with the special educational system. The results have been modest and limited to small numbers of children. Thus cognitive impairment is the most important unsolved problem in the area of cancer treatment complications.
I am one of a growing group of investigators at Children's Hospital and in COG committed to reshaping the field of cognitive impairment. There is emerging evidence that cancer survivors with established cognitive problems also can benefit from systematic cognitive re-education. This re-education can be accomplished with computer-based cognitive remediation programs that involve parent and child participation at home or in the outpatient clinic, with oversight by a trained coach. We are currently developing supervised computer-based trials for children known to have problems. This can be done with relatively low cost and can be made available to almost all children. We are also planning trials to use computer-based programs to diagnose cognitive problems earlier -- allowing us an opportunity to train young minds before the problem occurs. Our hope is to treat the problem before it occurs.
Essentially, we are using the same paradigm as we used when we began to use chemotherapy before a cancer recurs.
« Back to Previous Page
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As IT evolves, data center environmental standards must also change. When mainframes ruled IT, the conventional wisdom was to keep them as cold as possible. Water cooling was the norm, and cryo-cooling through the use of pumped refrigerants was Hollywood’s preferred manner of showing supercomputers in use.
But the use of
As the need for more computing power grew, the use of rack systems began to replace the use of towers. Standard-sized racks drove commoditization of computer equipment into different multiples of height units (1U, 2U, 4U, etc.) within a 19-inch rack. Such equipment density made cooling even harder – radial fans gave way to axial fans, which can shift lower volumes of air.
The data center facility itself became more important. Computer room air conditioning (CRAC) units became the norm, chilling and treating air to ensure it could cool the equipment as required, without causing condensation through the moisture content of the air being too high, or the growth of dendrites which could cause electrical shorting through being too dry.
However, for many organizations, getting this right was a bit hit-and-miss, as no official guidelines existed for environmental conditions for cooling air within a data center. To this end, the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) produced a document in 2004 with a set of best-practice guidelines as to what the environmental parameters should be for running a data center.
The design parameters in the original ASHRAE document of IT equipment had to be quite prescriptive. ASHRAE also had to deal with predicted growth of equipment densities and thermal output from the equipment. ASHRAE could not depend on predictions of improvements in thermal and environmental envelopes of future equipment, however, which led to advised parameters well within the requirements of equipment launched even soon after the guidelines were produced.
In 2008, ASHRAE updated its data center standards to reflect that the pace of change in IT equipment was different than expected. The rise of blade servers and multi-core CPUs in multi-CPU chassis meant that equipment densities had massively increased. The chip manufacturers had done much to improve both the thermal performance and resiliency of their chips through the use of such upgrades as selective shutdown of parts not in use.
This second set of guidelines put the focus on maintaining high reliability of the equipment in a data center in the most energy efficient manner – a change from the 2004 guidelines which just focused on reliability. The increasing focus on energy usage within data centers means that measures such as power usage effectiveness (PUE) have become more important, and just maintaining reliability within a data center without ensuring low energy usage is no longer valid.
ASHRAE data center standards in the future
To this end, ASHRAE has now expanded its data center class definitions from two to four to provide a greater range of options to organizations where a better balance between reliability and energy efficiency could be gained while still following best practices. As well as high-end enterprise class data center guidelines, ASHRAE now covers server rooms and less mission critical environments. Provided that an organization understands where its technical and business risks reside on its IT equipment, having four different sets of guidelines creates greater flexibility in the environmental choices for different parts of a data center.
The 2008 document gave general guidelines of a dry-bulb temperature between 60 and 89° Fahrenheit (recommended 65 to 80°F) with an allowable relative humidity range of 20 to 80% and a maximum dew point of 62°F at a maximum elevation of 2 miles above sea level for a Class 1 data center. The allowable ranges for a Class 2 data center were marginally higher, but the recommended levels were pretty much the same. These guidelines extended the upper limits of recommended temperature limits by a few degrees, and the upper recommended limit for relative humidity by 5%. This could have had a major impact on data center cooling costs, except the majority of data center owners still preferred to use the “carbon life-form guidelines” – keeping the data center at a temperature more suited for employees or around 70°F.
The 2011 guidelines still retain the same overall recommended temperature ranges, relative humidity and elevation across the four data center classes, but the allowable operating ranges now cover 59 to 90°F for enterprise-class servers (A1 data center) through 41 to 113°F for volume servers, storage, PCs and workstations (A4 data center). Therefore, by “free air cooling or other lowest-cost approaches.
It is good to see that ASHRAE is keeping its data center standards dynamic and balanced between the needs for reliability and energy efficiencies. When combined with facilities best practices in building and use of low-cost cooling approaches, along with equipment best practices in the use of hot aisle/cold aisle and complex fluid dynamics (CFD) hot spot identification and eradication, an ASHRAE-class data center should enable IT and facilities management to ensure that the technical platform along with the physical data center meets the needs of the organization. However, data center managers will have to realize the data center is built for silicon-based systems, not carbon-based ones – and that cooling to 70°F is just throwing away good money.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Clive Longbottom is the co-founder and service director at Quocirca and has been an ITC industry analyst for more than 15 years. Trained as a chemical engineer, he worked on anti-cancer drugs, car catalysts and fuel cells before moving in to IT. He has worked on many office automation projects, as well as Control of Substances Hazardous to Health, document management and knowledge management projects.
This was first published in June 2012
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Arusha — The United States of America has pumped $4 million to Tanzania to boost a multi-million-dollars horticultural industry growth.
The grant was provided to Tanzania Horticultural Association (TAHA) through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)'s Feed the Future Initiative.
The grant details seen by The Arusha Times show that the four-year grant aims to develop horticulture sector at the Southern Agriculture Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT).
"The $4 million grant will support TAHA in expanding its membership and services to the SAGCOT, a region identified by the government as having significant potential for local horticultural growing" reads part of the statement.
TAHA Executive Director, Jacqueline Mkindi. She has played a crucial role in the development of the horticulture industry.
As an active partner with SAGCOT, TAHA committed to implementing inclusive and sustainable horticulture in the SAGCOT region.
This commitment was part of the New Alliance for Agriculture and Nutrition launch at the G8 summit in Washington, DC in May, 2012.
It is anticipated that with the help of the USAID grant, TAHA will be able to increase its staff by 50 percent and double the number of smallholder farmers that it represents.
Currently, TAHA with its base in Arusha, has 212 member-companies representing about 10,000 smallholder farmers.
The grant comes as part of USAID's Feed the Future Initiative, which aims to reduce poverty in Tanzania by targeting key areas of the agriculture sector.
"The Feed the Future Initiative benefits smallholder farmers and their families through horticulture development programs. As a USAID partner, TAHA will play a key role with Feed the Future" reads the press release issued by U.S.A embassy in Dar-es-salaam.
It is understood that since 2004, TAHA has provided technical support, market analysis, and political advocacy services to a wide range of Tanzanian businesses in the Horticulture sector.
TAHA Executive Director, Jacqueline Mkindi said as a result in recent years, the horticulture industry has seen 8-10 percent increases in growth, making it the fastest-growing sub-sector of the national economy.
"TAHA has played a crucial role in representing this $350 million industry by providing technical guidance to farmers, advocating for policy changes, and promoting horticulture products locally and abroad" Ms Mkindi explained.
Representing its member organizations, TAHA successfully campaigned for numerous policy changes that have increased business for large and small horticulture operations.
Recently, TAHA played a crucial role in persuading the government to waive the 18 percent VAT placed on airfreight for horticulture goods, allowing Tanzanian businesses to become more competitive while increasing their earnings.
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Jenny Maddox is the Lange Middle School Registrar and organizes a fundraising event for students to bring awareness and help in finding a cure for Batten Disease.
Lange Middle School students are raising money for a classmate, Austin Hein, who was diagnosed with Batten disease early in his childhood.
Batten disease is an inherited disorder of the nervous system.
The disease is fatal and the most-common form of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses.
Symptoms include mental impairment, worsening seizures and the progressive loss of sight and motor skills.
It is estimated to occur in 2 to 4 of every 100,000 live births in the United States.
The eight 6th and 7th grade teams competed amongst each other with a "Penny War," donating all funds to Batten research.
The competition ran from Monday through Thursday.
The students and staff of Lange Middle School raised $700.
The donation will be presented to the family tomorrow evening during a trivia night to benefit Batten research. Doors open for the trivia night at 5:30 p.m. Friday at the Lange Middle School Cafetorium. The first round of trivia begins at 7 p.m. The cost is $80 for a table of eight or $10 per individual at the door.
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