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A Tapestry Woodland- In The WoodsOctober 04 2012, 15:36
In The Woods Festival from Twenty8Twelve on Vimeo.
A Poetic Review
By Greta Bellamacina
‘In The Woods’ festival is an enchanting one-day festival, but actually it is a truly one-off festival. So intriguing is it, it makes for a paradise of slanting trees and whispering lights. Origami and simmering voices ink the beautiful pathways and wood-laced coves of the British countryside. It captures a magical trance. Fates written on paper wishing trees, a tapestry woodland where poetry and spoken word stages are hushed into tombs of timeless thought. The band highlights include, Fiction, AlunaGeorge and Alt-J. Music. Dancing fabricates the lingering brambled night, as the last beats of summer seduce the first moments of September. Just as the night floats by, a bonfire is lit to luminous flames, emanating glittering luminous lunacies to the new season.
Artist Heath Lowndes - Talks to Twenty8Twelve UnheardSeptember 12 2012, 10:47
‘Around the Corner in Darkness’ - By Greta Bellamacina
Federation of British Artists presents Heath Lowndes; plucked from his 2012 art degree show at Brighton University and placed in the prestigious Threadneedle Space in the Mall Galleries. Heath’s work has caused quite a storm amongst art lovers and non-lovers alike. His oil painting, ‘Around the Corner in Darkness’, is reminiscent of a bay of mystery. A dance in the trees. A painting of both strong commitments to the wild desire of the night amongst lived tales, remote from any other neither told nor sold to the day. Flooding to a first glance of a dream. The towering trees seem to be in motion, flying by like a bike ride through dawn.
Heath describes his main influences as “horror movies and pagan mythologies”. This could describe the succession of dark layers in his latest collection of ‘day and night in the forest’ paintings. Heath plans to travel to India in the New Year to discover the Vedas, an ancient form of storytelling. Lost in both language and population, a philosophical lyric combined with hymns.
Heath has an awareness of the challenges he must overcome as an artist; he talks freely about his agony with his latest collection of paintings, wanting to “translate moving imagery into his oil paintings”. He describes his most creatively rewarding time in Canada, “being disconnected in a small town in winter, with a 24-hour studio and isolated social life”. Heath reveals that like most industries, the art market has become a sanctuary of fame and money. He recently wrote an article on the ambiguity of pricing art, controversy questioning the significance and value of the art world. Concluding that an artist makes their value sometimes regardless of talent.
Like most things moving, Heath has been asked to showcase his work in a pop-up show on Rivington Street, East London, on 1-5th of November. Heath’s direct trust with painting is an on going tale born in eyes similar to ours. Young and real.
Olympian Apollo TwentyTwelve for Twenty8TwelveAugust 16 2012, 12:11
A Poetic Review
by Greta Bellamacina
According to Greek mythology there were twelve Olympian Gods who ruled the world. Standing on the pivot of this hour, two thousand and twelve it seems, that the world has turned a full heart turning circle. Placed in the centre of the Olympic stadium to watch the athletics of Gods and Goddesses of torch bearing war, all travelled elements form the Olympian twelve reasoning the heroic wilderness.
For those who dream for gold
It hung in a torch beyond
Fantasy. Hanging. Locking
And recovering in the finishing line.
It travelled in the interlocking
Glints to rays of instant
Time. Pressed between
Bronzed bodies in the moving,
Anchoring in repetition
Of those precise, movements.
Forming in the exchange. Cupped.
Faster in the sporting twist of
Quarters. Opening wild visions,
Of those who leaped. Stronger in shape,
Created in the folding heights
Of a game. Symbols ordered.
Adapting to shifting strengths.
In a taken dawn. Packed
In collections of splendour. To
Awaking bones, full, alive in moment.
Followed by a showcase of senses,
Foreign, a circle is moulded.
Not finishing but starting.
In silver sums of two. A grid
Immediately rooted. In a remote need
Of running runs of distant pace,
Fanning solid peaks up and afar
For neither you nor I to underestimate.
An ivory glow in a collection, of daring speeds.
Volumes of bursting thrills, skipping
Bare-handed, playing backwards
In refined ambition. Understood.
Their bodies fall like petals.
Back to accomplished dreams. In altering
Voids of infatuation. Crossing worlds ringed
In a spirited blaze of
Minds Black and WhiteJuly 26 2012, 12:10
Minds Black and White from Twenty8Twelve on Vimeo.
“An expression of words reeling the fantasy of poetry. An innocent portrayal of two parts, playing with unknowing pretences and positions. A progression of intimacy, where the mood reflects a collision that is only ‘accidental when realised’, illustrated when their hands touch. And the reality creeps into their playful state, withdrawing them back to the social norm of silence”. – Chloe Primrose Pemberton.
“Interludes between two minds, black and white, passing between notes in moments of chance.” – Greta Bellamacina
Directed By: Chloe Primrose Pemberton
Featuring: Greta Bellamacina
Make-up Artist: Karen Beadle
Assistant cinema photographer: Eve Mahoney
Underground Sensation of SohoJuly 23 2012, 10:37
A Poetic Review
by Greta Bellamacina (photos by Jacob Perlmutter)
The slanting streets of Soho disappear in and out of diffused light. A reality of the night, dampened into the electrifying mystery of the day. Sunken back streets play a fable to a time of blasting mayhem. Milk & Honey a windowless secret, serving pink ladies to interlacing strangers. The taste transcends sweet elegance and a comforting getaway from the cascading roads of central London. Masked in a coloured chameleon dress from Twenty8Twelve, casts a wild underground sensation from a quite corner of Soho.
A passing in Soho
An endless void,
For pink ladies, double. Flowerless.
A number, no door.
To cross worlds of broken silences,
Infatuation vaporised. In these vacant times,
Time to turn inwards.
To see how those intervals crazed thee.
In dwellings of,
Inky Son Business and Marketing
Elsa Elphick Creative Director
Vanessa James Design Director
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September 10, 2009
Streetcar Plan Outside-In
Yesterday, City Council adopted the Portland Streetcar System Concept Plan on a 4-0 vote.
But at the beginning of the hearing Mayor Adams expressed his "legislative intent" that we seriously look at building the system from the outside in, rather than from the central city outward. Neighborhood representatives from places like St. John's, Hazelwood, and Powellhurst-Gilbert supported this in their testimony, pointing out that Streetcar is an excellent tool to help create 20-minute neighborhoods.
The Portland Plan will need to do some significant work to make these outer corridors viable, but if we can pull that off, this could be truly transformative for these outer neighborhoods.
September 10, 2009 12:56 AM
Daniel Ronan Says:
A quick question: do streetcars play into the transit corridors v. transit centers debate, or is this more for light rail systems? If the former, will the goal in starting streetcar systems apart from downtown be to create corridors or centers within those areas?
September 10, 2009 7:48 AM
Chris Smith Says:
Streetcar, stopping every 3-4 blocks, is definitely about creating an environment in a whole corridor, not just connecting centers or station areas.
September 10, 2009 11:52 AM
i don't see any references at all to an "outside-in" mentality in the plan at all. more specifically, it gives priority to the routes which will generate more ridership which happen to be closer in to downtown. is this going to change?
September 10, 2009 12:06 PM
Cora Potter Says:
Because the concept plan describes existing conditions, it can appear that inner city lines have more priority because the existing zoning and ridership conditions are currently more supportive.
But, if in the actual implementation and coordination with the Portland Plan, we correct for the deficiencies in the outer areas (and make a real priority of it) then working from the outside in could provide a better ROI, both socially and from a development and ridership standpoint.
Mayor Adams' "legislative intent" is exactly that type of action/implementation.
September 10, 2009 1:38 PM
Dave H Says:
I definitely think that it's a good idea to consider lines outside the central city for the streetcar. Lombard Street in St John's seems like a great corridor to start with to connect the Yellow Line to that area.
Another obvious route that strikes me would be to extend the LO Streetcar (once built) to Bridgeport Village and 'downtown' Tualatin. It would allow for better access to WES by LO residents, as well as allow for a future connection to Sherwood if the 99W MAX line gets built.
Definitely I could see Hawthorn getting a line connecting to the Eastside Streetcar as well, as well as extending up MLK to Lombard to connect with the aforementioned Lombard Streetcar. It's a bit over a mile East of the Yellow line so they wouldn't really compete with each other, and could be a nice catalyst for the underdeveloped properties along the MLK corridor.
It would be even more interesting if Beaverton or Hillsboro would look at using a streetcar as a local connection to MAX as well. Even just a starter loop from the MAX via Hall and Watson could be interesting to study and see if the ridership would be there (or if the development potential) could make it pencil out.
Have any of Portland's suburbs (other than Lake Oswego and Vancouver) even discussed adding streetcars?
September 10, 2009 1:57 PM
al m Says:
Just think, we will be the only city in the world where the GOOD OLD DAYS CAME BACK TO LIFE!
The tourist possibilities are endless!
September 10, 2009 2:03 PM
A line between Lake O and the 205/217 corridor (whether it be WES, Barbur MAX, or just destinations like Bridgeport Village) would be nice--but make it MAX, not the streetcar. It's far enough and "regional" enough that light rail is probably a better solution. Country Club and Boones Ferry roads runs too fast for mixed-traffic streetcar, and if you are widening the road and putting tracks in the median (or doing something even more exotic), MAX is probably a better bet long term.
Ideally, the LO Streetcar line would be MAX instead as well; but apparently running MAX down the Jefferson Branch would be a lot more problematic than streetcar service. The recently-published corridor strategy indicates that if MAX comes to LO, it would be connected somehow to the Tigard/Durham/Tualatin area, and would connect to Milwaukie MAX via a bridge.
I might mention too that the Portland Streetcar System Plan only looks at things within the city limits of Portland--the LO streetcar is an exception due to the existing right of way.
September 10, 2009 3:08 PM
R A Fontes Says:
Someone's been rattling my chain...
Any kind of rail connection between downtown LO and 217/Bridgeport/Tualatin etc. would need to be an extension of a major eastside rail project. There isn't enough of a market within LO to justify it and Portland to that area will be accommodated with whatever HCT project we get along I-5, Barbur, etc.
LO has had the 37 bus to Bridgeport/Tualatin park and ride for years, and you might remember that it was one of the lines that was on the chopping block last spring because of low ridership. It got saved by going to a 90 minute headway along with the 36. There is exceptionally low density along much of the route with a golf course, schools, and large lots. My wife used to commute on it to the Kruse/Meadows office park area and would consistently be with very few if any other riders. (She would still have to walk over a mile to her building on Meadows because of poor connections with the 38.)
I still believe that the best transit solution along these lines is a MAX extension from Milwaukie on another expensive purpose built bridge with bus and pedestrian/cyclist capability. The trip time to downtown Portland would beat streetcar. It would be cheaper to operate than streetcar because the extension is less than half the length of the WSL route. The 78 could be extended across the river and would see a jump from PCC Sylvania students alone. Once in LO, it could be extended along Country Club/Boones Ferry or the PWR. Either would be problematic, but there would be a big payoff if solid transit systems on the east and west sides could be connected directly.
The unfortunate part is that we're going to extend the streetcar first and then be stuck with exorbitant costs to provide a safe route for pedestrians and cyclists between here and Johns Landing.
September 10, 2009 3:18 PM
Lenny Anderson Says:
Inner/outer, whatever, but let's start on extending Streetcar up Broadway/Weidler to Hollywood now.
Plenty of capacity...at least to NE 24th, can accommodate bikes as well by continuing in the left lanes of both streets to that point. B/W is a couplet that needs calming, that has capacity, that has already seen higher density development, and is zoned for a whole lot more.
September 10, 2009 10:53 PM
vancouver resident Says:
Why would the Streetcar need to run up Broadway/Weidler? I used to ride the 9 bus for a number of years. There are several bus routes on Broadway and I don't see why a streetcar is needed at all on a route that already has adequate bus service.
I looked at the streetcar report Chris linked to and here's what it said (page 7)
"There are additional benefits from investment in streetcars instead of buses. These include (numbers are added by me):
1. Streetcars are flexible; not one size fits all.
2. Economic analysis has shown a high return on the capital investment of streetcars (140:1 in
downtown Portland and 9:1 projected in east Portland).
3. Streetcars encourage development and transit use.
4. The streetcar will play an important role in the City’s Peak Oil Strategy; however, it is only one mode of an integrated transit system that will be needed. Other transit modes may include expanded LRT lines, bus rapid transit and electric trolley buses."
1. What does Point 1 even mean? They are flexible? Even if this is a euphemism, I have no idea what the word means in this context. A bus can run with just as much schedule flexibility as a streetcar. A bus can even take a detour if there is an accident on the route. A streetcar can't.
2. It is difficult to determine exactly what causes development. Correlation does not equal causation (my age continues to grow along with the population of Portland. People are not moving here because I am getting older and I am not getting older because more people are moving here). Also, if the streetcar is intended to be a cause for development, then the return on the streetcar investment needs to be compared with the returns of other forms of urban renewal investment. Just stating that it's 140:1 in downtown and 9:1 on the East side doesn't mean anything. These numbers need to be compared to other alternatives. If something else would be 18:1 on the Eastside, than it is a better investment to spur development.
3. See 2 above for development. The argument that the streetcar increases transit use might be true in cases like the current streetcar, in which it is basically free to ride and is serving areas that had very poor public transit options prior to the streetcar. If the streetcar were to run down Sandy Blvd, or Broadway, which already have transit options, then the marginal increase in future ridership would need to be examined based on the cost of implementing and operating the streetcar. If ridership goes up 3% for a $300 million investment (just numbers I pulled out of thin air) then it probably is not worth $300 million. My point is that the streetcar increases ridership where there was none before, but there is no proof that putting a streetcar into an existing bus line would increase ridership to the extent to justify the investment.
4. Another great way to get around Peak Oil is to use Biodiesel. Another is to continue to invest in battery technology development so that eventually all vehicles do not need petroleum. I have no idea as to what sources of energy will propel vehicles 50 years in the future, but using Biodiesel right now solves the Peak Oil problem immediately.
I just don't see why the investment in the streetcar is needed when there already is an adequate bus system in place.
September 10, 2009 11:23 PM
Please tell me the planned LO Streetcar is not going to run on Macadam, it sure sounded like that is the latest plan according to a recent update. I could not think of a worse idea when there is a perfectly good existing private right of way.
September 10, 2009 11:35 PM
Chris Smith Says:
Both the Willamette Shoreline and 'hybrid' options for the LO Streetcar will go into the EIS study process. The two versions of hybrid options have the Streetcar in Macadam in the Johns Landing business district (to serve the businesses there) and otherwise in the existing right-of-way.
There is very strong neighborhood preference for the hybrid option, both from the business community that wants service and the condo owners who want the Streetcar away from their residences (the right-of-way runs as close as 10 feet to some condos).
The history of Streetcar in Portland suggests that local interests almost always prevail in this kind of issue.
September 11, 2009 3:53 AM
Waste another billion on ineffective transportation, increase congestion, decrease Portland's cost effectiveness, and encourage development of industrial areas to drive out more family wage jobs.
September 11, 2009 10:44 PM
Nick theoldurbanist Says:
"Just think, we will be the only city in the world where the GOOD OLD DAYS CAME BACK TO LIFE!
The tourist possibilities are endless!"
>>>> I have a feeling that's why the mayor of LO is so gung-ho on a streetcar line coming down there. Well, if you really want tourism, do the line with Tampa-style 'birneys.'
Just don't try to justify an obsolete mode of transit as an contemporary mode.
September 12, 2009 10:41 AM
dan w Says:
I'm not completely sold on the LO Streetcar as anything other than a tourist/excursion vehicle either (though extending it further south into Johns Landing and perhaps even across the river into Sellwood might be viable). If the goal is to have a transit link between PDX and LO, why not run WES-style vehicles on the existing tracks linking PDX-Milwaukie-LO, which would have the additional advantage of continuing southwest to Lake Grove, Tualatin, Sherwood, etc.
OTOH, the Lombard/St Johns corridor looks pretty promising. And if it's coupled with converting Lombard to a primarily residental/commuter thoroughfare while shifting freight traffic to an upgraded Columbia Blvd corridor, all the better.
September 12, 2009 3:16 PM
No Spam Says:
There's a HUGE problem with Portland's streetcar.
The average speed is only 5MPH! Other similar systems can manage 14mph. Why is Portland's so slow, and what can be done to correct this travesty?
September 12, 2009 3:34 PM
Chris Smith Says:
There are two primary factors that govern the rate of progress of the Streetcar:
1) The number of passengers that get on and off.
2) How far apart the stops are spaces.
I assume you don't want us to discourage passengers (we could run much faster empty), so I'll focus on the second factor. It's a tradeoff between access and speed. In the original alignment there was a very heavy bias towards accessibility, with stops about every two blocks in downtown.
While I think access is a very good thing, there is a general recognition that we may have gone overboard. The extensions to RiverPlace and South Waterfront have a wider stop spacing and you'll see this replicated in the Loop on the east side, where stop spacing will be more like 3-4 blocks.
September 12, 2009 4:20 PM
R A Fontes Says:
A third 'primary' factor: alignment type.
Almost all the current track is on shared alignment with regular traffic. We can expect much faster average speeds (including stops) on the exclusively aligned extension beyond SOW; just not the 24 to 30 mph predicted by project analysts. Those are MAX speeds alongside freeways or beyond 185th in Washington County.
September 12, 2009 4:41 PM
The Streetcar vehicles have a top speed of around 40MPH or so--they cannot travel at freeway speeds, even on an exclusive ROW.
September 17, 2009 5:00 PM
"1. What does Point 1 even mean? They are flexible?"
Well, the six-times-articulated streetcars in Budapest are certainly flexible! :-)
I think what it really means is that you can size them to match demand (one-car streetcars or trains of them) and they can both run in slow, in-traffic running and in fast, exclusive right-of-way. Theoretically buses can do this, but busways are an expensive waste of money because they wear out fast, plus which buses are unpopular and uncomfortable *especially* at high speeds.
Now, Portland may have bought vehicles with a top speed of 40mph, but they really don't have to do that next time they buy streetcars; 60mph streetcars are cheap and straightforward to purchase. There is no fundamental technology difference between MAX and Streetcar.
September 18, 2009 11:24 PM
Vancouver Resident Says:
I don't see how Streetcars have a flexibility advantage over buses. While Streetcars come in many sizes, so do buses. No streetcar is going to be moving in traffic at a high speed - the max speed limit on surface streets in Portland is 35 mph (is there a street with 40 or 45?). I ride a commuter bus from Clark County from time to time and we hit 60 mph with no problems. The new C-Tran buses are very quiet, are not "stinky with exhaust" and have excellent AC and are comfortable.
I don't see why a more expensive permanent investment should be made in streetcars when the current bus network in Portland operates fairly well. I'm not anti-streetcar; I'm anti-"replacing something that works with something that if even if it is better is only marginally better and is not worth the extra investment cost".
September 19, 2009 4:52 AM
D Blume Says:
A few comments back I saw noted that streetcars are designed with the purpose to stop every 3 or 4 blocks to pick up passengers. With this concept, I cannot understand the logic and expense of running a streetcar for miles to L.O. to one destination. I predict it will be the least used portion of the line. There are greater needs elsewhere and I do not understand how this was railroaded through, pardon the pun. L.O. does not have the density to support this line.
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News reports say the President’s proposed deal includes the “chained CPI,” which would impose drastic Social Security cuts and tax hikes for everybody but the wealthy. And House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi says that “Democrats will stick with the President.”
They should both think again.
The “chained CPI” is being offered as part of a “deficit reduction” deal, even though Social Security is forbidden from contributing to the deficit. Even if you accepted this unreasoned act, it remains morally unacceptable to reduce spending on the backs of the elderly, women, the poor, veterans, disabled Americans, and the poor.
It’s even more unethical to do it when other options available could save much more money, And it’s even worse when we see who isn’t “sharing in the sacrifice” – a list that includes hedge fund managers, Wall Street gamblers, billionaires, drug companies, defense contractors, and tax-dodging corporations.
Independent estimates say that the “chained CPI” will slash Social Security benefits by $122 billion over the next ten years. Here are eight solutions that will save more money - and really will reduce the deficit – without compromising either our ethics or our sense of fairness:
1. Close multiple loopholes in the capital gains law: $174.2 billion. (1.42x)
Lawmakers could save nearly one and a half times as much money as they’ll get from stripping seniors, the disabled, veterans, and children of their benefits - 1.42 times as much, to be precise – by closing capital gains loopholes.
They include the “carried interest” loophole, which taxes hedge fund managers’ service fees at the low “investors’” rate; the ‘blended rate,’ which taxes some quick derivatives trades as if they were long-term investments; the ability to ‘gift’ capital gains to avoid taxation; a dodge for bartering capital gains; and the ability to ‘defer’ gains to future years.
A more aggressive approach – eliminating the capital gains altogether – could yield more than $900 billion in savings, but that might affect middle-class families and seniors. By using the “chained CPI,” America’s seniors, vets, and disabled are taking a hit so that hedge fund managers can keep their loopholes.
(Source: Calculations based on figures cited by the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities.)
2. Refuse to compromise on the President’s $250,000 figure for increased taxation: $183 billion (1.5x)
The President’s initial tax plan – the one he and his party ran on, the one that voters endorsed - called for letting the Bush tax cuts expire for income above $250,000. That would bring in an estimated $366 billion in added revenue over the next ten years. Now, say reports, he and the Republicans will agree on a figure that’s “somewhere in the middle.”
If true, the deal’s deficit reduction impact will be reduced by $183 billion. That’s one and a half times as much as the “chained CPI” will take from seniors, the disabled, veterans, and their dependents. They’ll pay — so that people earning $250,000 and up don’t have to.
(Source: CBPP estimate, divided in half.)
3. Reduce the budget for US overseas military bases by 20 percent: $200 billion. (1.6x)
The United States maintains 702 military ‘installations’ in 63 foreign countries (it has 4,471 bases altogether), according to the Defense Department’s annual budget statement.
These figures don’t include bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. We’re talking about our military presence in nations like Germany, South Korea, and Japan. While the total cost of these bases is kept secret, the best analysis I’ve seen estimates their ten-year cost at approximately $1 trillion.
A twenty percent cut in that budget is extremely modest under the circumstances, and would save 1.6 times as much as the “chained CPI” cut.
4. Allow the government to negotiate with drug companies: $220 billion. (1.8x)
Current law specifically forbids the government from using its negotiating power to obtain lower rates for Medicare prescriptions – even though much of the research behind the drugs involved was performed at government expense.
If we allow the government to negotiate with drug companies, that will save an estimated $220 billion. That’s 1.8 times as much money as the “chained CPI” – and it comes from the drug companies, not vulnerable Americans.
(Source: Outterson and Kesselheim, Health Affairs.)
5. Enact DoD-friendly cuts to military budget: $519 billion. (4.25x)
A defense think tank conducted an exercise to help the military prepare for the possibility of forced spending cuts under sequestration (the so-called “fiscal cliff”). It convened what it called “a series of strategic choices exercises,” using “experts from across the defense community,” in order to decide how best to cut $519 billion from defense spending cuts over ten years.
The participants were not peaceniks – most were in the defense community, while some were Congressional staffers – and the think tank’s staffed by ex-military and military-friendly consultants. Nevertheless, they were able to come up with options that seemed acceptable by balancing short-term readiness with long-term preparation.
It was a surprisingly smart exercise – and it sounds like a very good way to build consensus around defense cuts (even though that was not its intent). A project leader described the exercise as “listening to the future,” while the report itself said that “Failing to recognize and make strategic choices is effectively a form of self-sequestration.”
We can listen to our future selves, since we’ll all need Social Security some day, and say: Make these cuts. That’s better than “self-sequestering” by letting politicians cut Social Security.
(Source: “Strategic Choices: Navigating Austerity,” Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments)
6. Enact Rep. Jan Schakowsky’s ‘Fairness in Taxation Act’ for very high earners: $872.5 billion. (7.15x)
In 2011 Rep. Jan Schakowsky introduced the “Fairness in Taxation Act,” which would have created additional tax brackets for very high earners. As Rep. Schakowsky noted at the time, today’s tax structure “fails to distinguish the merely ‘well-off’ from the ‘super-duper rich.’”
The bill adds the following tax brackets:
• $1-10 million: 45%
• $10-20 million: 46%
• $20-100 million: 47%
• $100 million to $1 billion: 48%
• $1 billion and over: 49%
It also taxes capital gains and dividend income as ordinary income for those taxpayers with income over $1 million.
The very wealthy would still be paying much less than they paid under Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower, when the top rate was 91 percent. For that matter, these rates are lower than those we had under most American Presidents of the last century.
This bill brings in more than seven times the “chained CPI” savings by asking the ultra-rich to pay their fair share, instead of targeting seniors and other Americans in need.
(Sources: Rep. Jan Schakowsky; Economic Policy Institute.)
7. Eliminate corporate tax loopholes: $1.24 trillion (10x)
A 2007 Treasury Department report (prepared under President Bush) concluded that “corporate tax preferences” – that is, loopholes – resulted in lost revenue of $1,241,000,000,000 over a ten-year period.
That number looks pretty good – especially when it’s stacked up against the “chained CPI” figure of $122 billion.
If we can’t afford to honor our commitment to America’s veterans and their families, or to our seniors, or to the disabled, we sure can’t afford these corporate tax loopholes – excuse me, I meant “preferences.”
(Source: United States Department of the Treasury background paper.)
8. Create a financial transactions tax for high-volume Wall Street trading: $1.8 trillion (14.75x)
And here’s our grand prize winner: A financial transaction tax like the one they’ve imposed in the United Kingdom. The UK tax rate is tiny – 0.25 percent of each transaction, levied on both parties – but the overall impact is substantial.
Not only would this tax bring in substantial revenue, it would also discourage the massive volume of ultra-high-speed computer-driven transactions that have turned the stock market into both an imperceptible ‘black box’ and a real-time mega-casino operating in nanoseconds.
‘Algorithmic trading’ and other forms of Wall Street speculation don’t build economic value or encourage wise investment. Instead they’re used to drive the kinds of speculation that’s driving out smarter investments – and brought our economy to its knees in 2008.
Dean Baker of the Center for Economic and Policy Research estimates that a UK-style tax would bring in $1.8 trillion over ten years. It could also lead to healthier investment – and potentially might even help prevent another crash. More than 200 economists signed a letter supporting the concept of a financial transaction tax.
So the choice is clear: Tax the folks who ruined the economy, and protect the rest of us in the process, or ask seniors, etc. to sacrifice needed benefits. Guess which one they’re leaning toward right now?
(Source: Dean Baker, “The Deficit-Reducing Potential of a Financial Speculation Tax“)
These figures don’t even include the tax hike that the “chained CPI” will impose on all but the highest levels of income. But even without those numbers, the public already hates the idea. Confirming our interpretation of polling data yesterday, a new Washington Post poll shows that 60 percent of the people polled found the idea “unacceptable” and only 34 percent found it acceptable.
Imagine how they’ll feel when they learn that’s it coming anyway – and that it’s being used to protect hedge fund managers, Wall Street tycoons, Big Pharma, military contractors, and tax-evading corporations?
Democrats should not “stick with the President” on this one – and the President should not stick with this proposal.
(You can go here to tell President Obama: No deal that cuts Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid.)
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Second language skills are seen as an asset enhancing the study of all other fields and which provide students with practical as well as theoretical bases for a variety of paths after graduation. You will be prepared to continue graduate studies in second language-related areas such as linguistics and literature or you may use your undergraduate experience and background as a complement to careers in fields such as the arts, government or public service, volunteer work, technology, business and management, law, and other areas in which proficiency in a second language and knowledge of other cultures is of great benefit.
With a Degree in Russian Studies at Vanguard University of Southern California you will typically have majored in Modern Languages allowing you to acquire communicative language proficiency in your language of specialization. You will typically have taken courses in culture and civilization providing you with a solid foundation in the main currents in national literatures as well as artistic and social movements. You will typically have integrated study of cultures with skill development in reading, writing, and aural/oral communication. In addition, as a major in Modern Languages you will have developed a perspective on the learning and use of second languages, from both a social and cognitive point of view, within the society in which you live and in an increasingly global communal environment. As a language major you will have been guided to develop personal interests by taking courses in other disciplines such as the fine arts, history, psychology, philosophy, and other humanities and social sciences.
If you choose a study program which involves ‘Studies’ i.e ‘Indian Studies’, for example, you will, along with acquiring the necessary language skills, also be introduced to the literature, religious and socio-cultural heritage of the country/countries, and you will also look at the historical, socio-political and economic aspects of the relevant society.
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The original file is ODF (Open Office). I know this information *should* go on the wiki but the reality for me is OO gives me a much easier editing environment than the wiki provides. This is not designed to replace the wiki, but it is better for my purposes. One day I'll probably write an exporter to wikify this document but for now please don't post OT about the pros and cons of wikis.
This thread is for feedback on the accuracy of the information in the guide. I know many sections need more information but for now assume that I will expand the information and number or examples but haven't got around to it yet (or don't understand the topic well enough). Most of the current content deals with code and concepts I have actually used so it is a bit light on stuff I have no experience with (eg, map scripts). This is probably a good thing because writing about something you've never done is a good way to spread misinformation.
Feel free to drop missing information and corrections in this thread or via email (spliff/at/warriorhut.org) or PM.
Last edited by SpliFF on 01 Nov 2009, 15:32, edited 1 time in total.
Some of the optimization info text is logicaly incorrect (twisted "slower" with "faster" etc.). At best you check the source of those tips directly: CA's LuaPerformance Wiki
I know you wrote the tests but are you sure? I think there might be some confusion based on the grammer i used, ie:
runs slightly slower than: (do it the second way)
runs faster as: (do it the second way)
That second line might be accidently read as "runs faster than".
I'll improve the grammar but if I really did make a mistake could you be more specific? Also I've included these examples for the same reason I wrote the manual in the first place, often in free communities like this things get lost or moved. It's frustrating to have a manual say "check out these tips" and then get a 404. I haven't plagiarized your work, just reported your conclusions and put a credit and the original link at the top of the section.
OO gives me a much easier editing environment than the wiki provides. This is not designed to replace the wiki, but it is better for my purposes. One day I'll probably write an exporter to wikify this document but for now please don't post OT about the pros and cons of wikis.
P.S. I read that, but I'd like to put it on the wiki, becaus the current information in it is very usefull, I'll keep the page updated if you improve the guide.
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Cloud services have gained huge popularity in recent years, especially cloud storage for archiving and backup of digital data. It lets you bring documents, photos and videos anywhere and share them with teams and friends easily. It also enables users to backup files via its amazing drag and drop option or simply uploads it on the cloud server.
In a stiff competition with leading enterprise cloud solution providers, Dropbox emerges as one of the highly admired service provider with more than 100 million users across the globe.
It was founded in 2007 by two MIT students, with the purpose to provide extended online storage and backup protection for valuable digital data on a reliable platform.
Dropbox activity at Somewhere around the World
Recently Dropbox makes an appearance at University of Massachusetts; it goes into the campus for good reasons against some of the established digital services including Moodle, UDrive and Spark.
Dropbox’s mobility is expected to be acknowledged by the students, as it allows them to archive files over the virtual servers. Uploading files from their accounts, accessing them via remote device and sharing them with mates & teachers are among the big advantages incorporated with their service.
On free account one can get 2GB storage space on Dropbox Cloud, initially. However, additional 500 MB will be awarded by Dropbox on every successful referral up to 18GB – an overwhelming offer indeed. By opting paid account, you can get 100 GB for a price $9.99 per month to 500 GB for $49.99 per month.
What Features make Dropbox a perfect solution for Students?
- One of the most considerable features is the Dropbox account folder installed on your system; it seems like a simple folder placed on your desktop and also work like other folders. However every file stored in this folder will be instantly SYNC with your virtual space – users do not require to separately upload each file.
- The collaborating sharing option of Dropbox is even more useful. Once a folder is shared with a group, it easily accommodates members to access and place files over it. Putting files in or taking files out over personal computer is quite easy. User who created the sharing folder to grant limited or full access to shared members. This intuitive feature could work in classroom environment, instructor and students both can be connected via single folder – assignments, progress or any task can be easily shared.
- The wide accessibility option provides convenience to students while accessing their files around the campus like in the classroom, library, hostel etc. They do not have to carry USB flash drive, external hard drive or self-email – Dropbox can be accessed via web interface also for robust and secure accessibility. Students can upload & download documents and other files directly from the web interface.
- Multiple dropbox apps are available for Android and iOS devices, that enable students to view, upload and download their files. Photos and videos can directly be uploaded through the app to view and share with friends. Word document can be directly edited through application without downloading them.
Moving ahead with Dropbox – Students, you are on the right path
Considering the reliable services and viable backup support provided by Dropbox in recent years, it is for sure considered to be as a streamlined cloud storage service – offering fast and easy access to stored files.
We hope that the discussed information is of some importance to you, especially for students who want touch base with their classmates, teachers and friends. For more information about Dropbox – you can visit Dropbox profile to explore more out of it.
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More than 18 months after the Tea Party burst onto the U.S. political scene, liberals in the media still don’t seem to understand what animates the movement.
Take Lesley Stahl of CBS News. She gave voice to media bafflement about the Tea Party on MSNBC’s Morning Joe program shortly before the election. “I wanted to ask all the gurus here why so many of the Tea Partiers are women,” she said in an exasperated voice. “I find that just intriguing and don’t quite understand why that has happened.” All that her fellow panelists could come up with at first was something about the charisma of Sarah Palin. But what’s the real story?
At a recent Tea Party rally in Richmond, Virginia, I noticed just how much the Tea Party is powered by women. A Quinnipiac poll found that 55 percent of Tea Party members are women; the pollster Scott Rasmussen says women make up about 40 percent of voters who say they support the Tea Party. At the organization level, women are clearly very important in the Tea Party. Although it prides itself on not having a central leadership, to the extent the movement does, it’s often female. Six of the eight national coordinators of the Tea Party Patriots, which organizes the efforts of hundreds of individual local groups, are women.
Tammy Bruce, a former liberal who now hosts a nationwide talk show, says, “The liberal feminist movement never imagined that women would take seriously the encouragement to become our own heroes and claim life for ourselves. Pro-choice and pro-life, Christian and not, poor and rich, black, white, gay and straight. It is a dream we all hold dear, and it’s called the Tea Party.”
But even a few liberals are starting to concur with Bruce. Peggy Drexler, an assistant professor of psychology at Cornell Medical School, grudgingly acknowledge that Sarah Palin has a point when she says the “Momma Grizzlies” of the Tea Party are the real feminists. “These are women rising up to confront a world they feel threatens their families. They are loud, determined, unafraid and—politically speaking—have very big teeth,” she wrote on the Huffington Post website this fall. And they also have sharp tongues. One of the signs I spotted in Richmond was a protest against President Obama burdening children with future debt: “My kid is not an ATM machine.”
The Tea Party provides women who have often been given short shrift by party establishments a natural home. “For a long time people have seen the parties as good-ole-boy, male-run institutions. In the Tea Party, women have finally found their voice,” says Rebecca Wales of Tea Party Patriots. A new film, Fire from the Heartland, done for the conservative group Citizens United by filmmaker Steve Bannon, interviews only women in exploring the Tea Party movement. The sole male voice comes from a clip of the February 2009 on-air rant of CNBC’s Rick Santelli, whose criticism of home mortgage bailouts touched off the formation of the Tea Parties.
The women interviewed in the film believe their children will be the losers as government pushes a “dependency” agenda and the country loses its competitive edge. “The current administration is promoting T-ball nation,” says Doreen Borelli. “With T-ball, you hit the ball, everyone gets on base, everyone supposedly wins and everyone goes for ice cream after the game. But life isn’t like that.”
“I WAS BORN to a crackhead and grew up in the projects,” says Sonnie Johnson of the Frederick Douglass Foundation. She now supports the Tea Party because she wants local governments to have more autonomy. “How can you make a change locally if your community is run by the federal government?” she asks. Ms. Johnson told me she is irritated by liberal attempts to paint the Tea Party as racist. She notes that such charges are essentially a political strategy and points out that Mary Frances Berry, the former Democratic chairwoman of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission under Bill Clinton, acknowledged as much when she said: “Tainting the Tea Party movement with the charge of racism is proving to be an effective strategy for Democrats.…Having one’s opponent rebut charges of racism is far better than discussing joblessness.”
Liberal attempts to smear the Tea Party take many forms. One prominent black professional from Virginia received a phone call warning against attending the Richmond event by falsely saying the crowd would be all white and displaying Confederate flags.
But the Tea Party seems to grow regardless of attempts to pigeonhole or marginalize it. A Washington Post poll in October reported that 43 percent of Democrats and 57 percent of Republicans were intensely interested in voting in the November elections. Among Tea Party supporters, the number was 74 percent. Given that a pre-election Rasmussen poll found that three out of 10 Americans consider themselves Tea Party members or have close friends or family members who are, support like that can reshape the political environment.
A man of faith in a godless age is hitting Americans where it hurts.
Mr. and Mrs. American Spectator Reader, let P.J. O’Rourke talk sense to your kids.
In Britain, defending your property can get you life.
It won’t take long for conservatives to scratch this presidential wannabe off their 2008 scorecard.
Was the President done in by the economy, or by the politics of the economy?
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Sun December 11, 2011
Congress May Be Tied To The Hill For Holidays
Originally published on Sun December 11, 2011 9:58 am
AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:
Whoever winds up winning the Republican nomination will get a chance to be president, and one of the most trying parts of that job is dealing with Congress. Joining us now is NPR congressional correspondent David Welna to walk us through the issues still on the table as Congress approaches its Christmas recess. Hi there, David.
DAVID WELNA, BYLINE: Hi, Audie.
CORNISH: So far this month it seems like the payroll tax holiday has been the main topic of discussion on the Hill, but there hasn't been a whole lot of progress. So, give me a sense of where things stand now.
WELNA: Well, Audie, things are pretty deadlocked right now. You have this very strange situation up here where Democrats are arguing for extending a tax cut - something they haven't been doing for the past decade or so - and Republicans, who've been big defenders of tax cuts, are afraid that they'll be accused of raising taxes. And so, in the Senate they have spent the past two weeks arguing over competing proposals that both extend the tax rate but there are significant differences. The Democrats would like to increase the tax rate by 50 percent for employees; Republicans want to keep it at the same level. But Democrats say they would want to pay for this by taxing millionaires - about 2 percent on their income - Republicans say that would be terrible. That would hurt job creation. And so, in the end both proposals have been voted down now twice in the Senate. Things are not moving very much from where they were even a week ago in the Senate.
CORNISH: So, what does that mean for those of us who are going to be looking at our paychecks in the next couple of weeks? Are people going to see taxes rise? I know President Obama wants to remind voters about that every chance he gets, basically when he's been out pushing Republicans on this.
WELNA: Yes. I mean, especially if in fact this payroll tax holiday ends at the end of the year, he would say this is your Christmas gift from Republicans. And, of course, Republicans don't want that. So, in the house they've had quite a pickle because there are a lot of Tea Party sympathizers who think that the payroll tax holiday is not a good idea at all. And they don't want to extend it. So, Speaker John Boehner has had to find some other ways to get them onboard. And the way that he's doing it is he's finding things that President Obama doesn't want, and the main thing is an oil pipeline from Canada to Texas that's been proposed. It's called the Keystone Excel pipeline. President Obama at the White House said he would reject any proposal that included this pipeline, and Speaker John Boehner the next day came out with this proposal explicitly including the pipeline. So, you've got this scenario of the House voting on Tuesday and probably approving an extension of the payroll tax cut but it will have the baggage of this pipeline on it also and they'll be sending it over to the Senate and daring Senate Democrats to vote against it and be accused of having stopped the payroll tax cut extension. So, you see, the politics of this is pretty complex and in the end there's going to have to be some other deal probably to get that payroll tax cut extended.
CORNISH: So, David, we've also got the emergency unemployment insurance benefits that are set to expire at the end of the month as well. So, what's the prospect of Congress dealing with that?
WELNA: Well, you know, this is something that Congress has never failed to do, to extend those benefits. The one big difference now is that Republicans are demanding that there be some kind of an offset to pay for them. But if those benefits run out, millions of people who've lost their jobs could see their sole source of income end in January. And this could have an effect on the larger economy. So, I think there's a will in Congress to extend those benefits. Just how they're going to do it isn't clear yet.
CORNISH: And there's one more deadline, right, that Congress has to meet this week.
WELNA: Yes. It's a much more immediate deadline. On Friday, temporary spending bill will run out and if Congress does nothing, we will have a government shutdown. This time, I don't think that we are going to have a shutdown because it looks like there is going to be an agreement for something that will keep the government going at least into next year and possibly for the entire fiscal year. And whether that will include an extension of the payroll tax cut remains to be seen. Each year it seems that they get closer and closer to the brink, and the brink this year is December 31st.
CORNISH: NPR congressional correspondent David Welna. Thank you so much.
WELNA: You're welcome, Audie. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio.
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On September 16, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, actor and director Andy Garcia, and entrepreneur William K. Bowes, Jr. were honored at the Independent Institutes A Gala for Liberty. Each honoree received the Alexis de Tocqueville Award in recognition of their contributions to advancing the ideas and ideals of liberty, entrepreneurship, innovation, and peace.
In the 1960s, civil rights victories dealt a blow to racial discrimination, and yet 40 years later many blacks remain left behind. Has affirmative action sabotaged the gains of the civil rights movement? What is the role of personal accountability in improving the standing of minority groups?
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SAN FRANCISCO, CAŚNovember 21, 2010Ś Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease (GIND) in San Francisco have discovered a new strategy to prevent memory deficits in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Humans with AD and mice genetically engineered to simulate the disease have abnormally low levels of an enzyme called EphB2 in memory centers of the brain. Improving EphB2 levels in such mice by gene therapy completely fixed their memory problems. The findings will be published in the November 28 issue of the journal Nature.
In both humans and mice, learning and memory requires effective communication between brain cells called neurons. This communication involves the release of chemicals from neurons that stimulate cell surface receptors on other neurons. This important process, called neurotransmission, is impaired by amyloid proteins, which build up to abnormally high levels in brains of AD patients and are widely thought to cause the disease. But how exactly these poisonous proteins disrupt neurotransmission is unknown.
"EphB2 is a really cool molecule that acts as both a receptor and an enzyme," said Moustapha Cisse, PhD, lead author of the study. "We thought it might be involved in memory problems of AD because it is a master regulator of neurotransmission and its brain levels are decreased in the disease."
To determine if low EphB2 levels actually contribute to the development of memory problems, the investigators used gene therapy to experimentally alter EphB2 levels in memory centers of mice. Reducing EphB2 levels in normal healthy mice disrupted neurotransmission and gave them memory problems similar to those seen in AD. This finding suggests that the reduced EphB2 levels in AD brains contribute to the memory problems that characterize this condition.
"What we were most curious about, of course, was whether normalizing EphB2 levels could fix memory problems caused by amyloid proteins," said Lennart Mucke, MD, director of the GIND and senior author of the study. "We were absolutely thrilled to discover that it did."
Increasing EphB2 levels in neurons of mice engineered to produce high levels of human amyloid proteins in the brain prevented their neurotransmission deficits, memory problems and behavioral abnormalities. The scientists also discovered that amyloid proteins directly bind to EphB2 and cause its degradation, which helps explain why EphB2 levels are reduced in AD and related mouse models.
"Based on our results, we think that blocking amyloid proteins from binding to EphB2 and enhancing EphB2 levels or functions with drugs might be of benefit in AD." said Mucke. "We are excited about these possibilities and look forward to pursuing them in future studies."
Also contributing to this study were Gladstone scientists Brian Halabisky, Julie Harris, Nino Devidze, Dena Dubal, Bin-Gui Sun, Anna Orr, Gregor Lotz, Daniel H. Kim, Patricia Hamto, Kaitlyn Ho, and Gui-Qiu Yu.
The study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and a fellowship from the McBean Foundation.
Lennart Mucke's primary affiliation is with the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, where he is Director/Senior Investigator and where his laboratory is located and his research is conducted. He is also the Joseph B. Martin Distinguished Professor of Neuroscience and Professor of Neurology at UCSF.
Gladstone Institutes is a nonprofit, independent research and educational institution, consisting of the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, the Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology, and the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease. Independent in its governance, finances and research programs, Gladstone shares a close affiliation with UCSF through its faculty, who hold joint UCSF appointments.
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
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The Child and Adolescent Traumatic Stress Services Center of Southern Arizona (CATTS) is a collaboration of Jewish Family and Children's Service of Southern Arizona, Arizona's Children Association, the Pima County Attorney's Office/Victim Witness Program, and La Frontera Center. The center provides services to children and adolescents and their families in Tucson/Pima County, Arizona, who have been exposed to trauma including sexual or physical abuse, domestic violence, school and community violence, and natural disasters. With particular sensitivity to Latino and Native American cultures, CATTS provides culturally informed, evidence-based, socioecologically valid, developmentally appropriate services. CATTS also collaborates with and trains key community stakeholders such as child welfare agencies; law enforcement; schools; family resource and wellness centers; social/behavioral health agencies; and consumers including caregivers, children and adolescents, and their families. The center also works with children and families at Davis Monthan Air Force Base and Fort Huachuca.
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Do you or does your child's teacher suspect your son or daughter has ADHD? If so, what's holding you back from getting an evaluation? Securing a proper ADHD diagnosis could do your child a world of good.
by Ben Glenn
It's back-to-school time and that means that many kids, particularly those who struggled in school last year, are really wishing that summer would never end. A lot of these kids have either attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD), a learning disability (LD), or both. But not everyone who has the conditions has been diagnosed, and not everyone who has been diagnosed is getting the academic support she or he needs -- and that means that going to school is not something to look forward to! I'd like to think that it doesn't have to be that way.
For starters, if you are a parent or a teacher who is seeing a student struggle in school and there is any question in your mind, please get them evaluated! It seems like such an obvious thing, but it's amazing how many children remain untested and spend their entire school career in misery, constantly being dealt the "Sarah is so smart, if only she applied herself" card. What an unfortunate conclusion to make!
In my years of speaking on the subject, I've found that there is a disheartening pit that some adults fall into regarding their young people with ADD/ADHD: They willfully ignore the fact that a student or child may have ADD/ADHD. Case in point: At a summer youth conference some time back, I was asked to lead a workshop about ADD/ADHD. I happily obliged sharing personal experiences and talking about the symptoms, the highs and the lows of having ADD/ADHD. After the workshop, I was approached by a teenage girl who was visibly distressed.
"For years, I’ve experienced what you described today," she said. "After my teachers confronted me about my struggles in class, I told my parents, but my dad wouldn't listen." In spite of the teachers' concerns and the girl's own belief that she needed help, he wouldn't get her tested, afraid of her getting an official ADD/ADHD diagnosis and then being stuck with the lifelong label. He came up with all kinds of explanations for her symptoms, except the one that made the most sense -- that his daughter did in fact have ADD/ADHD. Although his reaction was misguided, I do understand why he might have felt the way he did. Parents want their kids to excel and be the best. The general perception is usually that those who are different or special face a much harder road. In the case of ADD/ADHD, those with the condition are often pigeonholed as distractible, disorganized, lazy, and disruptive, making them less socially accepted and putting them at risk for being misfits or outsiders. With all that in mind, the girl’s father may have had good intentions but unfortunately, he was hurting her in the long run. How could the girl even begin to overcome her challenges without first identifying them and second, getting support from the people closest to her? She couldn't of course!
Pretending an issue, any issue, does not exist will not make it go away, nor does it give you the opportunity to help a person overcome their struggles. The best way that father -- or anyone whose child is struggling with undiagnosed and untreated ADD/ADHD and LD -- could help his daughter would be to become educated about ADD/ADHD and LD, about the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatments. Those who buy into the many myths about ADD/ADHD might be surprised by the information they find. In case you are concerned about unnecessarily medicating children, remember this: The best treatment for ADD/ADHD is multimodal. There are plenty of options and a diagnosis does not have to mean giving a child medication. A comprehensive ADD/ADHD treatment plan includes some combination of special accommodations at school; behavioral training for the child (and the parent); education about ADD/ADHD for classmates, teachers, and parents; medications; and alternative treatments.
Failure to accept that your student or child might have ADD/ADHD or LD limits the possible positive outcomes of understanding the condition, such as learning how to harness its positive characteristics.
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For U.S. Army Sgt. Pam Smith, a new set of household appliances is coming at just the right time.
Smith, a Pembroke Pines resident and single mother of three, was the first recipient of new appliances in Operation Appliance Aid, a partnership between the United Way of Broward County and Cross Country Home Services. Smith, who has been in the Army for more than 20 years, works in IT and has supported operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition to raising three children on her own, Smith is recovering from multiple back injuries sustained in Egypt and the U.S.
"It's very challenging being a single mother," Smith said. "I don't have a strong support system."
Through Operation Appliance Aid, Smith is receiving a new washer, dryer, stove and refrigerator. Smith said the new appliances are a help because the old ones weren't in the best condition.
The program for veterans grew out of the United Way's Military Families Advisory Committee, which was formed to assess the needs of veterans in Broward and fill in gaps in service. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, as of 2011, there are more than 16,000 veterans in Broward ages 17 to 44.
"We wanted to find out what are the greatest needs of veterans getting into civilian life," said Stephen Moss, the committee's chairman.
In working with veterans organizations, Moss said the greatest needs were in employment, financial assistance for housing and pro bono legal services.
"The reality is that returning vets are coming back to high unemployment, foreclosure, bankruptcy, suicide and divorce," said Kathleen Cannon, president and CEO of the Broward United Way. "It's not fair. It's not right."
Through Operation Appliance Aid, Cross Country will provide new appliances to veterans in Broward.
"We were looking for something to do on an ongoing basis," said Sandra Finn, the company's president. "These needs are not a one-shot thing."
As Smith recovers, she's waiting for a determination on whether her physical condition will allow her to remain in the Army. That will probably be determined by September, she said, adding that more resources like Operation Appliance Aid are needed.
"A lot of people don't see that veterans are coming back with multiple issues like emotional and physical injuries, [traumatic brain injury and post traumatic stress disorder]," Smith said. "A lot of vets have difficulty coming back and transitioning to the civilian world."
For more information, visit http://www.unitedwaybroward.org and www.operationapplianceaid.com.
Chris Guanche can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org.
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Why Can't Americans Work the Fields?
How ironic that for all the protests going on about unemployment these days there is a parallel, if less shrill, debate happening in our agricultural sector involving what to do about a shortage of workers to pick crops and care for livestock on U.S. farms.
In most immigration debates we hear the familiar refrain: "Illegal immigrants are taking Americans jobs." But the reality seems to be quite the opposite, at least according to the farmers who rely on migrant labor.
Their high dependency on immigrant workers, who often are undocumented, comes from the fact that there are not enough"documented" Americans willing to do the labor-intensive farm work.
Mr. Harold, a 71-year-old Vietnam War veteran who drifted here in the late '60s, has participated for about a decade in a federal program called H-2A that allows seasonal foreign workers into the country to make up the gap where willing and able American workers are few in number. He typically has brought in about 90 people from Mexico each year from July through October.
This year, though, with tough times lingering and a big jump in the minimum wage under the program, to nearly $10.50 an hour, Mr. Harold brought in only two-thirds of his usual contingent. The other positions, he figured, would be snapped up by jobless local residents wanting some extra summer cash.
"It didn't take me six hours to realize I'd made a heck of a mistake," Mr. Harold said, standing in his onion field on a recent afternoon as a crew of workers from Mexico cut the tops off yellow onions and bagged them.
Six hours was enough, between the 6 a.m. start time and noon lunch break, for the first wave of local workers to quit. Some simply never came back and gave no reason.
Twenty-five of them said specifically, according to farm records, that the work was too hard. Read full article here???On a lighter note, check out this Daily Show video that shows what effects anti-immigrant legislation is having on the country.
On a much lighter note...
Check out this Daily Show segment by "correspondent" Jason Jones documenting (pun intended) the effects of anti-immigrant legislation:
|The Daily Show With Jon Stewart||Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c|
Ivone Guillen is Sojourners' Immigration Campaigns Fellow. A native of Washington State, where she lived and worked amongst immigrant communities, Ivone graduated from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash., in 2009 with a degree in international studies and Spanish, and worked with Tierra Vida (Land of Life) as program coordinator for C.A.S.A. and was a immigration policy fellow at Bread For The World before joining Sojourners in September.
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Greg Vizzini, Peter Boyd
In the wake of recent school shootings, should schools be more fortress-like? Here are the viewpoints of two CTA members.
Greg Vizzini, Moreno Valley Educators Association, Canyon Springs High School.
Why not? Schools can be beautiful fortresses. A fortress does not have to be unattractive. Disneyland has a large fence around it and all of my visits have been safe and pleasant. The fence did not detract from the good experience.
Of course, educators should know that a fortress doesn’t guarantee safety — especially if the threat comes from within.
I think most of us realize that we now live in a different time. Existing school sites should be proactive, making safety changes as they are able. Fences, a controllable entrance, surveillance cameras and even metal detectors could all play a part. And the protection of students should be an even higher priority in the future of campus designs.
I didn’t always worry about safety, but when a shooting was recently averted at my school site, it was a wakeup call. A threat was made against someone in my department. She teaches right next door to me. A student left a threatening note targeting that teacher, and when police searched his home, they found a rife and ammunition. The student was arrested. Everyone was relieved and thankful the threat was resolved without further incident. We have been lucky.
I know our campus is not as safe as it could be. My school’s Safety Committee, which I agreed to chair, expressed serious concerns in 2008-09, only to be disbanded. Currently a 6-foot chain-link fence exists on the back of our school, and the district is committed to extending the fence on the side of the school, while leaving roughly 25 percent of the perimeter open in front.
At other schools in our district, visitors and would-be intruders alike need to check through a supervised entrance or climb over a very tall fence. Anyone familiar with Canyon Springs High School knows that it is a beautiful campus, but the porous design is an added safety challenge other schools in the area do not face.
We have unarmed campus supervisors and an armed police officer dedicated to the site. This is a good balance. But part of the problem is that our administration does not enforce the laws and policies that are already in place, so some teachers don’t bother. By not following and enforcing school policies, we actually create a less safe environment. When students think they can get by without adhering to the rules, they try to get away with more. I worry that at my school site, we are encouraging the very behaviors we all want to change.
Based on my experience as a classroom teacher, the best defensive safety asset is an environment where students are comfortable reporting potential threats to the adults charged with their safety. Creating this kind of environment doesn’t cost money, but it takes a lot of work. I believe a school cannot reach its potential until a safe culture exists.
Peter Boyd, Santa Ana Educators Association, MacArthur Fundamental Intermediate School.
I’m certainly not a Pollyanna and realize that there can be safety issues, but I wouldn’t say I worry about school safety in general. I believe that the majority of schools have already adopted reasonable measures that ensure the safety of staff and students. These measures may include a closed campus, a fence around the perimeter and a single point of entrance.
The level of school safety that’s required depends on the neighborhood. A one-size-fits-all approach for school safety won’t work.
I believe the school where I work is exceptionally safe. My child attends a wide-open campus in a public school — and I feel my child’s school is extremely safe. My wife teaches in a public school, and I feel her school site is very safe. I think most people think the school their child attends is pretty safe.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, schools are among the safest places both adults and children can be. Some neighborhoods where schools are located are very dangerous and violent — yet schools within these neighborhoods are safe havens for children and adults. You are much more likely to die in a car accident than at school.
That being said, I am in no way minimizing the horrific events in Connecticut. Sandy Hook Elementary School, by all reports, was following the recommended protocols.
Instead of turning schools into fortresses, we should be making our schools safer by offering more resources to troubled kids. This might include additional counselors, social workers, school nurses and school psychologists, and making anti-bullying programs part of the curriculum. My school has 1,300 kids and just two counselors.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of school violence is committed by students or former students of that school. So we need to help students who are stressed out, fearful or concerned. We need to find a way to enforce discipline and correct students’ behavior without squashing their spirit. Creating a nurturing environment clearly promotes student learning. It is as simple as Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: Higher level skills can’t be learned while the lower level needs are unmet.
I believe that instead of being more fortress-like, schools need to be more welcoming — especially in immigrant communities. Immigrant parents may not feel welcome if they feel as though they are entering a fortress. It’s hard enough to get these parents on campus, and you don’t want to intimidate those who may not feel comfortable in the system — sometimes because they are undocumented. You don’t want to expand on their concerns. We need these parents to feel welcome so they become involved with their child’s school and therefore involved in their child’s education.
Again, I am not a Pollyanna. I know that bad things happen to good people. But turning our schools into fortresses is not the answer.
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When an alternating current is applied to a conductor, such as copper wire, a magnetic field develops in and around the conductor. This magnetic field expands as the alternating current rises to a maximum and then collapses to zero. If another electrical conductor is brought into close proximity to this changing magnetic field, current will be induced in this second conductor. Eddy currents are induced electrical currents that flow in a circular path.
The association with electricity and magnetism give this NDT method a history unmatched in Non-Destructive Testing. Whether it was Democritus in 400BC, or Benjamin Franklin in the 1700’s, trying to wrap their heads around the theory of electromagnetic induction, or Maxwell’s work “A Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism”, written in 1873. Scientists have continued to develop and refine this theory for more than two millennia.
Today’s eddy current testing has made advances that are light years ahead of even where the technology was a decade ago. Whether the standard is speed, resolution, frequency selection, filters,or mix suppression, these enhancements have improved the reliability, and accuracy, of the eddy current test.
Training and Personnel
Training is essential to a good eddy current test. The ability to draw on thousands of analysis man hours, and physical analysis of defective parts, is the most important way to ensure your inspections are worth the costs. None of the eddy current equipment improvements will mean anything if your technicians don’t have the experience and training to make the correct call. If the personnel performing the test can’t differentiate between a damage mechanism and a benign anomaly your critical inspections will become suspect. NDE Technology provides this level of expertise. All our technicians meet, or exceed all of the many code requirements, required in today' nuclear, fossil, and aerospace industries.
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The answers to those questions can vary greatly and usually there isn't a right answer. Answers are highly subjective and tend to be based on what you're trying to do.
- I guess assets should be as low-poly as possible. So when is a Mesh/Model considered low-poly? Or do I just have to adjust the Models to the performance of my Editor?
One possible triangle count I've heard for onscreen characters (think player models in Team Fortress 2...or any shooter) are in the 2-3 thousand triangle range. But this really depends on what you're trying to do in your scene (e.g. LOTS of moving highly detailed characters) and what the object is. An ammo crate for example, that you run over in a FPS game should not be as highly detailed as the weapon your character is holding. Using another TF2 example, the weapon that your guy holds in the game (called a "view model") is a lot more detailed than a weapon you see on other players, because that model is right in the player's face all the time. So if you have content in your scene that may just be background fluff, you want that to be as low detail as possible because then the player might not notice or care because they're not prominent/high interest objects.
Sometimes its also an illusion, where you have a wall that's literally several triangles, but the player can't go beyond it so there's nothing beyond it (because there doesn't need to be anything beyond it) so from the perspective of the player it's a complete structure, but if you go outside where the player can't go, it's not.
This is also another thing with lots of games, where they have some sort of triangle budget they try to define up front. In a TF2 game you're generally in a closed environment with a set limit of characters running around. So you only have a handful of highly detailed objects, and a somewhat detailed map, and props that can range from tens of triangles (e.g. structures in the distance, outside the map bounds...) to hundreds of triangles or thousands of triangles if its a highly detailed point of interest that is very rare. This may or may not fly right in say a MMO where you potentially can have hundreds of highly detailed characters in the same area...
- What other Information should be saved to the Models while it still is in the modeling software (3Ds-Max, in my case)? Materials, Light...?
It depends on your model format. If you're working with 3DS, the default FBX (or X I guess..) model loader I don't think will do anything with cameras or lights in your scene. But basically it'll convert materials, node hierarchy (XNA seems to lump these in with "bones" to describe hierarchical transforms), as well as animations, that all can be used by the default XNA model. In XNA 4.0 you also get built-in animation.
However, you -may- want stuff like lights also imported (e.g. using 3DS as a sort of a scene editor), but you're going to have to tweak the XNA content pipeline for that I think.
- How to choose the right scale for the Models? What is a reasonable size for models which are later loaded into xna?
This varies a lot. Some modeling tools don't actually have a notion of meters or feet, just "units"...whatever they are. Some editors like 3DS do have a notion of working in feet or meters, but XNA doesn't have any idea what units are. A position at (3, 10, -5) has no implied meaning, except what you make it as. E.g. Every "unit" is a foot or a meter (so (1,0,0) is one foot or meter along the positive X axis).
Generally to help keep scale, you use a reference. E.g. say you define a character to be Y in height, and when building level geometry, you place that character and ensure your doors/hallways are just right. For another TF2 reference, say you're making a hat for one of the player models, the common way to do that is to import the player model into your modeling tool, and build your hat geometry using the character's head as a reference.
This of course means if you're loading assets from different sources, you will encounter a variety of scales. Some will have huge scales, others small scales.
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Construction is booming in the East Valley, and those in the industry say success is a double-edged sword.
With housing starts at record levels and new homes being snatched up by eager buyers — many of whom are entering lotteries or camping outside developments awaiting lot releases — the construction industry has been given a lesson in popularity.
The sizzling market translates into a shortage of workers skilled in the construction trades, from carpenters to masons to brick and foundation layers.
As contractors across the East Valley say they’re desperate for dependable, experienced and qualified workers, developers say they’ve had to institute different methods to handle the thirst for their prime product — a new home.
"The skilled labor pool out there is almost nonexistent. It’s at full capacity, full employment," said Rob Cross, Phoenix division president for Ryland Homes and a board member of the Arizona Home Builders Association.
Data from the Arizona Department of Economic Security backs Cross up, revealing the construction industry’s conundrum.
During the month of August, the industry added 1,400 jobs, bringing the number employed in the field to 195,400. While that’s a substantial number, it means that there are fewer than 200,000 workers of all types and trades to build homes in one of the fastest growing housing markets in the nation.
Analyst RL Brown said the Valley housing market continues to break its own records. From January through August of this year, 40,700 singlefamily residential building permits were issued across the region.
That marks "a 30 percent increase over the same time last year, which was an alltime record," said Brown, publisher of the Phoenix Housing Market Letter.
"At that rate, the total number of permits could run from 55,000 to 60,000 for the year if we keep the same pace."
"It’s really ironic. We’re up at a record level in the construction industry right now both nationally and in Arizona," said Mark Minter, executive director of the Arizona Builders Alliance. "But we’re hearing from our members that they’re having a hard time finding people for any kind of position."
John Krecek of JFK Electrical, a commercial and industrial contracting firm in Gilbert, said the response to classified ads is just one indication of how tight the labor market is for both residential and commercial jobs.
"In 1988, we’d run an ad for electricians and we’d get 35 to 50 from a weekend ad. Now, if we get 35 to 50 in six months, it’s surprising," Krecek said.
With about 70 employees, the firm specializes in commercial and industrial work. including Arizona State University’s new School of Agribusiness at the ASU East Campus on Williams Field Road in Mesa.
Michelle Flynn, of Mesa’s ASL Construction, said even a strong bite from a want ad doesn’t guarantee success.
"We need carpenters with custom home experience. Dependable. Reliable. We’ve had people answer our ad, get hired and then get directions to a job site. And then, they don’t show up," she said.
While Krecek said he’s got a continual need for electrical journeymen and foremen, he’s tapped into temporary agencies when he’s got more work than workers.
Using a temporary electrician that’s already been vetted by an agency "is really more of a six-week interviewing process," Krecek said.
Dennis Porter, president of Porter Brothers Construction in Gilbert, said he would love to add a dozen carpenters to his employee roster. But at this point, that’s pie-in-the-sky thinking.
"It’s increasingly becoming a more and more difficult issue to find carpenters that are qualified — that have the experience and the expertise to do a job right," Porter said.
"It seems like there’s just so much work going on, that all the good ones are busy. They’re certainly not looking for new jobs," Porter said.
Because of the crunch, Porter has subcontracted out work on some jobs, something that he doesn’t want or like to do. Subcontracting doesn’t always solve his labor problem, because "the subcontractors are having the same problems that we’re having," Porter said.
Flynn, who co-owns ASL with her husband, Michael, said they’ve had to juggle projects and workers like a circus act.
"It’s hard to keep our generals happy. We’ll pull from one job to get another one finished. We’re doing the best we can," Flynn said.
The record number of housing starts and a shortage of skilled labor has combined to create a domino effect in the industry. While contractors juggle jobs, developers say they’ve had to pace buyer demand.
"You can’t sell double the number of houses and automatically assume that you’re going to double the labor force," said Scott Coleman, vice president of Toll Brothers and its designated broker.
A highly competitive industry, builders were hesitant to speak in detail about turnaround times. Most agreed, however, that the labor shortage and strong demand for their products mean that a new home is taking about two months longer to build over last year.
"What’s really occurred is that because so many houses have been sold, it takes your foundation longer to be laid and for your house to be framed because basically you’re waiting your turn," Coleman said.
Developers also want to balance the number of sales with the number of scheduled housing starts so buyers can move into their new home in a palatable time frame — anywhere from six to 10 months.
"We are really trying to keep it under the seven-month time frame. We’re not trying to sell beyond that," said Rick Carpinelli, executive vice president for the Phoenix division of KB Home.
Builders, including Ryland’s Cross, said they could sell all the lots in any given development throughout the East Valley in one clip, but that’s not a preferred way of doing business.
"We could sell way beyond our ability to build these homes, but all that does is lengthen the time that it takes to start the home and complete it for our buyers. . . . If we can’t get the homes built, we’re not going to sell way out," Cross said.
Instead, they are trying to pace demand by instituting lottery systems, slowing sales of new lots to weekly releases or establishing waiting lists.
"With a lot of builders right now, you can’t just walk in and buy a house. You have to go to a waiting list or get into a drawing. That’s a fairly common scenario in the Valley right now," said Dennis Herrig, designated broker and vice president of sales and marketing for Standard Pacific Homes.
"If you go to any Standard Pacific subdivision right now, in order to buy a house 90 percent of the time, you would have to come back on a Saturday to enter a drawing," Herrig said.
But drawings, waiting lists and lottery systems aren’t a cure-all for the pent up frustration of contractors who would love to take on more jobs, developers who want to sell and build more homes and new home buyers anxious to pull into their driveway.
"We are all really trying to balance that. There’s probably not a good answer as far as what the best business practice is. There’s not many times you experience a market like this," KB Home’s Carpinelli said.
Developers say they’ve instituted quality assurance and quality control policies, new ways of working with contractors and have strengthened communication with buyers to deal with the hot housing market.
Meanwhile, contractors and trade associations say they’ve started recruiting more heavily and are more likely to take on and train an inexperienced, yet goaloriented worker through apprentice and formalized training programs.
"It’s really the ability of the market to gear up in a given period of time. And it’s going to take time. There’s a lot of jobs available to people in the construction field, good paying with job security. We want them and we’re looking for them," Carpinelli said.
Arizona Builders Alliance Executive Director Mark Minter agreed.
"This is still an industry that when you’re 35, you might own your own business. We’re looking for those kind of people, with a little bit of entrepreneurial drive," he said.
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Dense fog played a role in a multi-car pile up on Highway 52 north of Kingstree. On the morning of January 29, eight cars and a tractor-trailer were involved in the crash at the intersection of Highway 52 and McCutcheon Road. Vehicles were strewn across the highway, blocking the south bound lane for hours. South Lynches Fire Department responded to the scene and was assisted by the Williamsburg County Fire Department.
Low visibility from the fog may also have contributed to another car crash on the same highway. Within hours of the eight-car pile up, two vehicles collided in the same south bound lane. Incredibly, no one was seriously hurt in either of the morning destruction.
Photo by Michaele Duke
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hypsometryArticle Free Pass
hypsometry, the science of measuring the elevation and depth of features on Earth’s surface with respect to sea level. Data collected using hypsometers, wire sounders, echo sounders, and satellite-based altimeters is used to quantify the distribution of land at different elevations across a given area and the surface-area distribution of the oceans and their marginal seas with depth. Scientists can show how the areas of oceans, marginal seas, and terrestrial basins change with elevation and depth using a special curve known as a hypsometric, or hypsographic, curve.
What made you want to look up "hypsometry"? Please share what surprised you most...
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Founded in 1857, Saint John’s was originally established to educate young men for the priesthood; Saint John’s Seminary was the first Catholic institution of higher education in Minnesota. From the beginning, Saint John’s educated monks for the priesthood while also welcoming diocesan seminarians and members of other religious communities.
The establishment of the Benedictine Institute of Sacred Theology in 1958 by Saint Benedict’s Monastery led to a cooperative arrangement whereby Saint John’s Seminary became the first Roman Catholic theologate to offer graduate degrees to women. From this evolved a dynamic model of education for collaborative ministry at Saint John’s. In 1979, the academic program for seminarians, known as the School of Divinity, and the graduate program in theology were merged to form the School of Theology. In 1988, the seminary formation program was brought together with the academic program to form what is now known as the School of Theology·Seminary.
Today, the school remains committed to the education and formation of monastic seminarians, religious sisters and brothers, and lay people.
Saint John’s School of Theology·Seminary is one of only four Catholic theological schools in the upper Midwest. The distinctive essence of the school is shaped by the Roman Catholic and Benedictine traditions and the liturgical and ecumenical heritage of Saint John’s Abbey. Students come from all walks of life and all corners of the world.
The school’s vibrant community is enriched by the presence of Saint John’s Abbey, Saint Benedict’s Monastery, the Collegeville Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research, the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library, The Saint John’s Bible, the Episcopal House of Prayer, and the Liturgical Press, as well as the undergraduate programs at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University. It is also enriched by the school’s membership in the Minnesota Consortium of Theological Schools.
"Saint John's is special, probably the most special single institution in the American Catholic Church-a center for social action, scholarship, ecumenism, and liturgical renewal. In the case of the last two it is fair to say that both began at Saint John's and of the last three that they continue to flourish at Saint John's even though they are in retreat in most of the rest of American Catholicism." Fr. Andrew Greeley
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At least some Illinois legislators say the ruling will help calm the violence in Chicago, where the nation's strictest gun controls have failed to quell growing numbers of gang shootings this year.
Within six months, lawful citizens in Chicago – the site of 2,364 shootings and 487 homicides so far this year – can carry concealed weapons in public for defense, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday.
The closely watched ruling, which said it's unconstitutional for Illinois to keep citizens from carrying legal weapons in public, struck at the last bastion of gun prohibition in America. All other states allow people to carry concealed weapons, with some states demanding that authorities "shall issue" permits if applicants meet stated requirements.
The question of whether more guns in the hands of lawful citizens increases or reduces crime continues to be hotly debated throughout the United States, highlighted by incidents like the Trayvon Martin shooting earlier this year and the Jovan Belcher murder-suicide that ended at the Kansas City Chiefs training facility on Dec. 1.
But in Chicago, where the nation's strictest gun controls have failed to quell growing numbers of gang shootings this year, at least some legislators believe the ruling will help calm some of the violence, some of which has claimed innocent bystanders.
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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en
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No biographical notes
1781 - 14th Jun 1863
Member of the Baillie of Dochfour family. London and Bristol merchant and banker (Baillie, Ames & Baillie), major recipient of slave compensation across the Caribbean.
Visit the people of interest section
This project has benefited from many contributions sent in by users and we very much welcome further contributions and corrections.
© Copyright Legacies of British Slave-ownership - UCL Department of History 2013
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http://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/person/view/8577
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| 0.90848
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Principles for eradication of bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) infections in cattle populations.
Systematic eradication of BVDV without vaccination started in Scandinavia in 1993. In principle, the schemes include; (1) identification of non-infected and infected herds using different combinations of serological herd tests such as bulk milk tests and spot tests (sample of animals in a certain age), (2) monitoring/certification of non-infected herds by repeated sampling, applying one of the above-mentioned methods and (3) virus clearance in infected herds aimed at removing persistently infected (PI) animals in a cost- and time-efficient manner. In the virus clearance protocol described, an initial test is performed on all animals with subsequent follow-up of calves born as well as of dams seronegative in the initial test. It is generally recommended to perform an initial antibody test on all samples. This should be done not only to screen for seronegative animals on which virus isolation should be attempted (i.e. possible PI animals), but more in order to identify non-immune animals in reproductive age, that is, the key animals in herd-level persistence of infection. In Sweden, a common finding has been self-clearance, where the infection ceases without any other intervention than controlled introduction of new animals. Other epidemiological observations concern the course of events following virus introduction. Important risk factors for spreading BVDV are discussed, where livestock trade is perceived as the most central to control. Live vaccines, imported semen and embryos constitute special hazards, since they may act as vehicles for the introduction of new BVDV strains. The importance of making farmers aware of herd biosecurity and their own responsibility for it is stressed, and in order to maintain a favourable situation after a scheme has been concluded, effort must be put into establishing such a persisting attitude in the farming community.
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http://www.citeulike.org/user/gilesweaver/article/11478232
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I would say this is a question that might not be resolved yet.
Going back to the earliest days of DNA - a billion years ago - its hard to imagine circular DNA being the first sort to show up. Its speculated that in the transition from RNA world to DNA world, early on each gene had a separate piece of nucleic acid coding for it which would not have been circular. It's been proposed for example that RNA viruses might have been a next step to cellular life. Although I can see an old electron microscopy reference, not it does not seem as if any RNA viruses with circular RNA have ever been found. How the first DNA chromosomes came about and what they looked like seems unclear to me.
In any case, though not typical, its not unusual to find linear chromosomes in prokaryotes. I could not find reference to archaea with linear chromosomes, but in prokaryotes, the link above points to the observation that even close relatives can have linear or circular chromosomes.
A remarkable property of the 8.2-Mb chromosome of S. erythraea was that, contrary to the expectations and the earlier data (Reeves et al., 1998), it proved to be circular. The chromosomes of its close relatives, Streptomyces coelicolor and Streptomyces avermitilis, are both linear, as is the chromosome of Rhodococcus sp. strain RHA1. These chromosomes are the largest in actinobacteria (8.7, 9.0 and 7.8 Mb respectively) and comprise some of longest DNA molecules in the prokaryotic world. In contrast, the shorter chromosomes of other actinobacteria are all circular.
It seems that linear vs circular genomes are a 'lifestyle' choice or connected to selection critera we don't understand yet:
Hence, it was tempting to speculate that the linearity of streptomycetal chromosomes was somehow linked to and perhaps beneficial for the maintenance of these extremely long DNA molecules, even though it resulted in the instability of their termini. This idea has been contradicted by the discovery of equally long but circular chromosomes in the acidobacterium Solibacter usitatus (9.97 Mb), δ-proteobacterium Myxococcus xanthus (9.1 Mb), cyanobacterium Trichodesmium erythraeum (7.8 Mb), and, now, in the actinobacterium S. erythraea.
I really doubt the instability of the chromosomal terminii is a real consideration - there must be genes that help maintain those, just as there are in eukaryotes. S coelicolor is a soil bacterium that is so common most people can find it in the dirt right outside their door - its not hard to live with a linear chromosome as a bacterium.
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http://biology.stackexchange.com/questions/3767/is-it-more-likely-that-the-very-first-living-organisms-had-a-linear-genome?answertab=votes
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WHO/REMPAN Collaborating Centres and Liaison Institutions
Assistance provided by Collaborating Centres and Liaison Institutes in radiation emergencies may include:
- Human Resources Specialists: Specialists in radiation medicine, health physics, radiology, haematology and other appropriate specialities (e.g.of Burn departments), as well as skilled nurses and technicians.
- Equipment: most centres are well-equipped to provide special medical assistance to overexposed persons. They have portable equipment for radiation monitoring.
- Medical Services: Assistance is provided for the diagnosis, prognosis, medical treatment and medical follow-up of persons affected by radiation.
- Scientific Services: Expertise can be provided to assess radiation doses to exposed persons (most of the REMPAN institutions have bio-dosimetry laboratories).
- Transportation: Advise on the transportation of affected persons.
- Specialized Teams:WHO could organize multinational teams on rendering medical assistance on site.
How WHO/REMPAN is alerted.
Under the Early Notification Convention, the IAEA is the designated international organization that is officially notified by the accident or affected country and provided with relevant information about the accident. WHO, as well as other co-operating international organizations, are notified and provided with further relevant information through the IAEA.
WHO helps establish a link between the country making the request and REMPAN assisting centre(s) and Regional Offices, keeping all REMPAN centres informed about the details of the accident and progress in its management.
Biennual meetings are held between REMPAN members to promote cooperation within the network, to exchange information and experience, and to maintain the network in a permanent operating state.
One of the meeting objectives is the strengthening of activities related to radiation emergency medical and public health preparedness and response that WHO carries out with international organizations, such as PAHO, IAEA, EC, NEA/OECD and ICRP.
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http://www.who.int/ionizing_radiation/a_e/rempan/en/index3.html
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Safe at Church
Jeffrey Black, former rector of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Kansas City, Missouri, knows the pain that child sexual abuse can cause a church. In May 1993 a 15-year-old parishioner came forward and indicted the church's music minister for molestation. The minister confessed, and the church terminated him after seventeen years of service.
Although the boy chose not to file legal charges, the incident tore deeply into the congregation's spirit. Nearly fifteen families left the church, and those who remained felt anger, confusion, and mistrust.
"It was damaging to everyone and extraordinarily sad," Black says. "It took a lot of ministry to deal with this. We developed a clear policy about sexual misconduct and put our staff through extensive training on these issues."
No one likes to think about sexual abuse of children. But the potential damage to the child and to the church—not to mention the possibility of wrenching lawsuits—has caused many churches to take steps to protect its children.
Based on interviews with pastors, abuse-prevention experts, attorneys, denominational officials, and insurance companies, here are important practical steps to minimize the risk of sexual misconduct and to keep your church's children safe. The good news, writes attorney Richard Hammar, is that "church leaders can take relatively simple yet effective steps to significantly reduce the likelihood of such an incident occurring."
1. Develop clear policies
A vital first step is to develop clear, specific policies. "Churches need a clear policy that says you can't work here if you are going to act this way," says Elizabeth Stellas-Tippins, program specialist for the Center for the Prevention of Sexual and Domestic Violence. "This itself is a strong prevention mechanism."
A church policy manual should include definitions of sexual abuse, standards of conduct, guidelines for screening and training workers, and procedures to follow if an incident is reported. (For information on how to write policies, see "Where to Learn More" on page 103.) Be sure a lawyer reviews policies before you implement them, since state laws vary on employment and reporting obligations.
2. Screen workers carefully
As youth organizations like Big Brothers/Big Sisters have toughened their screening of volunteers in recent years, pedophiles have scurried to other agencies, including churches, to find children.
For a church, it's painful to think about screening potential Sunday school teachers and youth leaders. It takes time; it takes money; it can cause hard feelings; and it can reduce the number of willing volunteers when most churches need every one. But the fact is, churches are legally responsible for volunteer workers. Careful selection and supervision guidelines must apply, especially with positions that regularly work with children. "Negligent hiring" and "negligent supervising" are the two main issues battled in church sexual misconduct cases.
Have applicants for a paid or volunteer ...
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/1997/summer/7l3098.html
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en
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Is the UK headed for a Break-Up?
By Ken Ferguson
The stunning victory in last week’s elections by the pro-independence
Scottish National Party was a result which was supposed to be
Scotland, after all, ceased to be an independent country in 1707, when it was
forcibly joined with England to form Great Britain.
The union took place against a background of popular riots put down by
troops and has been controversial, to a greater or lesser degree, ever
In 1999, following years of agitation and its endorsement in a
Scotland-wide referendum, the Scottish Parliament reconvened with
powers over a wide range of domestic matters such a health, education,
The new parliament was designed with an electoral system designed so that it
would supposed be impossible for any one party to win a majority -- the explicit intention being to prevent the SNP from using it a stepping stone
The May 5th result, which gave the SNP 69 seats in the 129-seat
parliament has thrown all this into the melting point and raises the
real possibility of Scotland taking the next step to becoming a full-fledged independent country.
SNP leader Alex Salmond who master-minded the stunningly successful campaign, plans to wait until the second part of the parliament’s five-year term before
putting the question of secession to an all-Scotland referendum for decision.
Pro-British forces in Scotlant, which include the three main UK parties -- Labour,
Conservatives and Liberal Democrats -- oppose independence and question
whether a vote for the SNP equals a vote for independence rather than
a vote of confidence in its last four years in power, when it lead a coalition government.
Certainly opinion polls show support for independence lagging behind
support for the SNP, but the unknown is how a having a majority SNP
government might change that.
Since the election, the Scottish leaders of all three pro-union parties
have resigned, indicating the magnitude of their defeat.
All this is happening in the midst of a perfect storm, with the UK
government set to slash public spending on vital services—a policy
path bitterly opposed by the SNP, which the party will work flat out to
For the rest of this article by Scottish correspondent KEN FERGUSON in ThisCantBeHappening!, the new independent online alternative newspaper, please go to: ThisCantBeHappening!
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THE MOBILE HOT SHOP IS A SURE CROWD-PLEASER!
Offering both education and entertainment, the Mobile Hot Shop attracts and intrigues people of every age and social group. A fully equipped glass blowing studio, the Mobile Hot Shop drives to your doorstep and presents the best of the Museum of Glass to your audience. The experience includes a complete glassblowing demonstration, with highly skilled artists working with molten glass while a trained commentator explains the art and science of glass and answers questions.
Watch our video overview
The Mobile Hot Shop truck itself generates excitement, with eye-catching graphic art. The truck holds everything needed to blow glass, including the cullet (clear glass recycled from the Museum of Glass hot shop), a red-hot furnace, an array of tools, a work bench and a beautifully designed tent for the artists and equipment. A state-of-the-art audio-visual system enhances the interactive and educational experience. Your audience will share in this right-before-your-very-eyes creative process, holding a collective breath as molten glass is transformed into a work of art and applauding when the piece is successfully completed—or groaning in sympathy if the glass falls to the floor.
Carefully crafted glass-blowing demonstrations are designed specifically for the school environment, with lesson plans and curriculum aligned with state standards (EALRs and GLEs). The Kids Design Glass and Spontaneous Design fascinate and educate young learners while they watch glass artists create work—designed by the students themselves! For grades 6 and up, hands-on lessons teach basic glass making skills, giving students the opportunity to create a float or paperweight!
The Mobile Hot Shop will add a touch of magic to your community festival through the alchemy of glass! Choose a traditional glass-blowing demonstration or the crowd-pleasing Kids Design Glass or Spontaneous Design programs. Another program allows artists from your community to apply for a stint as a Mobile Hot Shop Visiting Artist, giving them an opportunity to create their own artwork with the Museum of Glass Team during your event.
The Mobile Hot Shop is available for private functions. Live glassblowing will add an unforgettable dimension to any special event. From personal celebrations to corporate gatherings, your family, friends or employees will be thrilled to make their own work of art with the help of the Museum of Glass Team—or to watch as professional glassblowers create Venetian-style goblets. Glassblowing requires planning, communication and cooperation, a perfect exercise in team-building!
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<urn:uuid:3b19ecc1-ddd2-4418-9ba7-7557a2322cb0>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://museumofglass.org/mobile-hot-shop
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en
| 0.911097
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Skip to Main Content
Current technology scaling is leading to increasingly fragile components, making hardware reliability a primary design consideration. Recently researchers have proposed low-cost reliability solutions that detect hardware faults through software-level symptom monitoring. SWAT (SoftWare Anomaly Treatment), one such solution, demonstrated with microarchitecture-level simulations that symptom-based solutions can provide high fault coverage and a low Silent Data Corruption (SDC) rate. However, more accurate evaluations are needed to validate such solutions for hardware faults in real-world processor designs. In this paper, we evaluate SWAT's symptom-based detectors on gate-level faults using an FPGA-based, full-system prototype. With this platform, we performed a gate-level accurate fault injection campaign of 51,630 fault injections in the OpenSPARC T1 core logic across five SPECInt 2000 benchmarks. With an overall SDC rate of 0.79%, our results are comparable to previous microarchitecture-level evaluations of SWAT, demonstrating the effectiveness of symptom-based software detectors for permanent faults in real-world designs.
Date of Conference: 12-16 March 2012
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http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/articleDetails.jsp?reload=true&arnumber=6176660
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| 0.900607
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About The Charts and Nutrition Facts
- For accuracy, the calorie chart and fat chart are based on the biggest serving size available.
- These nutrition facts came directly from the USDA or manufacturer/restaurant.
- If you're using a calorie counter, remember that Fat, Carbs, and Protein calories are just close estimations based on the Atwater factors:
Fat: 9 cal/g Carb: 4 cal/g Protein: 4 cal/g
- Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Please remember this when using this information to make healthy food choices for your diet.
Calories - One serving has a total Calorie count of 120 Calories. This breaks down as 20 Calories from Fat, 100 Calories from Carbohydrate, and 0 Calories from Protein. See the calorie chart below.
Fat - The Total Fat grams for one serving is 2 grams. There is no Saturated Fat and there is no Trans Fat, according to the data provided to us. The remaining 2 grams are unaccounted for.
Cholesterol - This is one of the healthy foods if you're watching your Cholesterol intake. There are 0 mg of Cholesterol.
Carbohydrates - For this food, the total Carbohydrate count is 25 grams, which includes 20 grams of Sugar and 1 gram of Fiber. There are 24 Net Carbs per serving (total Carbs minus Fiber), which is good to know if you are watching your blood sugar or on a low carb diet.
Protein - There is no Protein in this food.
Minerals - This food is not a significant source of Calcium. It does have 1.8 mg of Iron, however. In addition, t1 gram of Fiber.
Vitamins - This food has both Vitamin A and Vitamin C. One serving contains 300 International Units of Vitamin A and 12 mg of Vitamin C.
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http://www.quitehealthy.com/nutrition-facts/haagen-dazs/L184511.html
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| 0.906597
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NEW DELHI: The water crisis in the city is set to get worse. With the Haryana and the Delhi governments involved in a stand-off over the supply of raw water, the production at two main treatment plants - Haiderpur and Wazirabad - has been badly hit. Parts of south, southwest, west and northwest Delhi, already reeling under the crisis, will be the worst affected.
"Haryana has curtailed the supply of raw water for over four days due to which treatment plants are not functioning to their full capacity. This has reduced water supply in certain areas," said a DJB official. The drop in the pond level at the Wazirabad plant may also affect its production. A Delhi Jal Board spokesperson said that the issue of restoring water supply has been taken up with the Haryana government.
The Haiderpur treatment plant produces 210 million gallons per day but due to restricted raw water supply, its production has been compromised by over 20 million gallons.
In the midst of the crisis, some legislators have alleged that nearly 15 million gallons of water is being released by the Haryana government into the Najafgarh drain even as neighbourhoods in the city remain parched. Haryana government officials, however, clarified that raw water is being released into the drain for dilution of sewerage and maintaining ecological balance.
On Saturday, Haryana provided 565 cusecs of water to the Wazirabad plant and the state has been providing 425 cusecs of water to the Haidarpur plant as against mandated 610 cusecs, said an official.
Meanwhile, residents continue to be at the receiving end. "There has been no supply for two days. I even went to the DJB office to request for a tanker but they haven't sent any till now," said Sarita Singh, a resident of Kalkaji. In Mehrauli, a DJB official was allegedly beaten up by the locals protesting over the shortage.
Residents of other areas like Sant Nagar, East of Kailash, Gulmohar Park, Janakpuri, Mayur Vihar and Punjabi Bagh are also suffering because of the shortage.
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<urn:uuid:1c670b80-92e7-4879-99a4-76c211716248>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-06-03/delhi/32005514_1_haiderpur-treatment-plants-djb-official
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| 0.970606
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Carstairs is a small farming, dairy, and ranching center 67 kilometers (42 miles) north of Calgary. The town’s tree-lined streets are dotted with grand old houses, and the grain elevators associated with all prairie towns stand silhouetted against the skyline.
The official attractions are outside of town, including PaSu Farm (10 km/6.2 mi west of town, 403/337-2800, Tues.–Sat. 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Sun. noon–4 p.m.), a working farm with a dozen breeds of sheep. It also displays a wide variety of sheepskin and wool products, as well as weavings from Africa. The farm’s restaurant serves light lunches plus scones, homemade apple pie, and various teas Tuesday–Saturday noon–4 p.m., along with a Sunday lunch (noon–2:30 p.m.).
Much of the wool from PaSu Farm is sold to Custom Woolen Mills (403/337-2221, Mon.–Fri. 9 a.m.–3 p.m.), on the other side of Carstairs, 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) east on Highway 581 and 4.5 kilometers (2.8 miles) north on Highway 791. At this working museum, the raw wool is processed on clunky-looking machines—some of which date to the 1880s—into wools and yarns ready for knitting (and sale). A self-guided tour is offered.
Olds is a little more than halfway between Calgary and Red Deer . Surrounded by rich farmland, it’s the home of Olds College (403/556-8281), which has been a leader in the development of Canadian agriculture for the last 100 years. Visitors are free to wander around the campus, admiring colorful beds of well-tended, prairie-hardy plants. The 600-hectare (1,480-acre) campus is along Highway 2, south of the main street.
Red Lodge Provincial Park protects a forested stretch of the Little Red Deer River 28 kilometers (17.5 miles) northwest of Olds. The park is situated within an ideal habitat for deer and moose. The campground (403/224-2547, mid-Apr.–mid-Oct., $22–28) has a kitchen shelter, coin-operated showers, and firewood, and the river is good for swimming, floating, and fishing.
Torrington, on Highway 27, 28 kilometers (17.5 miles) east of Olds, has more gophers than residents. This wouldn’t be unusual for a prairie town, except that Torrington’s gophers are all stuffed. The Gopher Hole Museum (208 1st St., 403/631-3931, June–Sept. daily 10 a.m.–5 p.m., $2.50) is described as “a whimsical portrayal of daily life in our tranquil village.”
And that it is—approximately 40 dioramas house stuffed gophers in various poses, including gophers in love, gophers playing sports, trailer-court gophers, and even gophers wearing shirts declaring that animal rights activists, who were incensed at the idea of the museum, should “Go stuff themselves.” Admission includes a copy of the words to the Torrington Gopher Call Song, which wafts through the quiet streets of the village whenever the museum is open.
The 1,180-hectare (2,900-acre) Dry Island Buffalo Jump park is named for both an isolated mesa in the Red Deer River Valley and the site where natives stampeded bison over a cliff approximately 2,000 years ago. The buffalo jump—a 50-meter (164-foot) drop—is much higher than other jumps in Alberta and is in an ideal location; the approach to the jump is uphill, masking the presence of a cliff until the final few meters. Below the prairie benchland, cliff-like valley walls and banks of sandstone have been carved into strange-looking badlands by wind and water erosion.
A great diversity of plantlife grows in the valley; more than 400 species of flowering plants have been recorded. The park is a day-use area only; apart from a picnic area and a few trails, it is undeveloped. Access is along a gravel road east from Highway 21. From the park entrance, at the top of the buffalo jump, the road descends steeply for 200 vertical meters (660 feet) into the valley (it can be extremely slippery after rain) to the bank of the Red Deer River.
Innisfail Historical Village (in the fairgrounds at 42nd St. and 52nd Ave., 403/227-2906, summer Mon.–Sat. 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Sun. noon–5 p.m., donation) has re-created historic buildings, including a stopping house, a school, a store, a Canadian Pacific Railway (C.P.R.) station, and a blacksmith’s shop, on a one-hectare (1.5-acre) site.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Police Dog Service Training Centre (four km/2.5 mi south of town, 403/227-3346, free) is where police dog handlers and their four-legged companions come from across Canada to receive training in obedience, agility, and criminal apprehension. Through summer, public demonstrations are given every Wednesday at 2 p.m. Bookings are not required, but the small grandstand is usually full by start time, so arrive early for the best seats.
Markerville, 16 kilometers (10 miles) west then three kilometers (1.9 miles) north of Innisfail, was originally settled by Icelandic people in the 1880s, who had settled in eastern Canada but after finding the land unproductive continued west. Today, around 100 people—most of whom trace their heritage back to the original settlers—call Markerville home. It’s a pretty village, with smartly painted homes and well-kept gardens. The only official attraction is Markerville Creamery (403/728-3006, mid-May–early Sept. Mon.–Sat. 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m., Sun. noon–5:30 p.m.). Between 1902 and the time of its closure in 1972, the creamery won many awards for its fine-quality butters, as you’ll learn on a self-guided tour ($2) of the butter-making process. Part of the creamery has been converted to a kaffistofa (café) with a choice of Icelandic specialties.
The most famous of the Icelandic immigrants was Stephan A. Stephansson, one of the Western world’s most prolific poets. He spent the early part of his life in his homeland, but most of his poetry was written in Canada. Just north of Markerville is his restored 1927 home, the distinctive pink-and-green colored Stephansson House (403/728-3929, mid-May–Aug. daily 10 a.m.–6 p.m., adult $3, senior and child $2). Interpretive panels beside the parking lot tell the story of Stephansson and his fellow immigrants, while a short trail leads through a grove of trees to the house itself.
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The following two claims are true:
- The universe is 13.7 billion years old.
- The universe has always existed.
It might seem that these two claims contradict one other, but they don’t if you recognize that time is finite. The universe has existed for all time, and therefore the universe has always existed. The only reason to think that these claims contradict one another is if you assume that time is infinite. But all the evidence says otherwise. Time is finite.
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The founder of whistle-blowing website Wikileaks, Julian Assange, has been granted bail in London on conditions including cash guarantees of £240,000.
But he will remain in prison pending an appeal against the bail decision lodged by Swedish prosecutors.
Mr Assange is fighting extradition to Sweden, where he faces claims he sexually assaulted two women this year.
He denies the allegations, which he says are politically motivated and designed to discredit him.
His lawyer Mark Stephens said the case was turning into a "show trial".
A large crowd including demonstrators, reporters and a number of Mr Assange's high-profile supporters gathered outside City of Westminster Magistrates' Court for the bail hearing on Tuesday.
Journalists inside the court were given permission by the judge to report on proceedings live via micro-blogging website Twitter.
Mr Assange was granted bail on condition he provides a security of £200,000 to the court, with a further £40,000 guaranteed in two sureties of £20,000 each.
Mr Stephens said almost half the bail money had been raised and he was confident they would have all the cash before the appeal hearing.
Mr Assange must also surrender his passport, obey a curfew at an address in Suffolk, wear an electronic tag and report to a local police station every evening.
Mr Stephens said the High Court would hear the challenge to the bail decision within the next 48 hours.
Speaking outside court, he said: "The Swedes won't abide by the umpire's decision. They want to put Mr Assange through yet more trouble, more expense, more hurdles.
"They clearly will not spare any expense but to keep Mr Assange in jail."
In his first appearance at court last week, Mr Assange was refused bail on the grounds he could flee - despite the offer of sureties from figures including film director Ken Loach.
Lawyer Gemma Lindfield, representing the Swedish authorities, argued on Tuesday that the court had "already found that Mr Assange is a flight risk" and "nothing has changed since last week to allay the court's fears in this regard".
But District Judge Howard Riddle disagreed, saying that questions about Mr Assange's place of residence and the circumstances of his arrival in the UK had both now been cleared up.
Following the bail decision, human rights activist Bianca Jagger said: "I was very pleased with what happened and I am glad that due process has taken place. I trust the British legal system and I hope justice will be done."
But she expressed concern that the case had been "politicised".
Before the appeal against release was announced, Mr Loach said such a move by the Swedish authorities would "show there is some vindictiveness that goes beyond this particular case".
He added: "It would show there is some political element to the case, as clearly he is entitled to be given bail."
Author Yvonne Ridley said: "It is a victory for common sense. If he had been refused bail, it would have meant the court had become a political arena."
Mr Assange is accused of having unprotected sex with a woman, identified only as Miss A, when she insisted he use a condom.
The Australian is also accused of having unprotected sex with another woman, Miss W, while she was asleep.
The extradition case is due to return to the magistrates' court on 11 January.
Earlier on Tuesday, Mr Assange's mother told Australian television station Channel 7 that she had spoken to her son in prison.
"I told him how people all over the world, in all sorts of countries, were standing up with placards and screaming out for his freedom and justice, and he was very heartened by that," Christine Assange said.
"As a mother, I'm asking the world to stand up for my brave son."
Mrs Assange also read a statement from him, which she had copied down when he spoke to her from Wandsworth Prison. In it, he defended the actions of Wikileaks, adding: "My convictions are unfaltering."
Mr Stephens said his client had not been given any of his post - including letters relating to legal letters - since being remanded in custody.
"He has absolutely no access to any electronic equipment, no access to the outside world, no access to outside media," he said.
The lawyer said the only correspondence his client had received was a note telling him that a copy of Time magazine sent to him had been destroyed because the cover bore his photograph.
In recent weeks, Wikileaks has published a series of US diplomatic cables revealing secret information on topics such as terrorism and international relations.
The latest release, published by the Guardian newspaper, shows that the US had concerns after the 7 July bombings that the UK was not doing enough to tackle home-grown extremists.
Another cable claims British police helped "develop" evidence against Madeleine McCann's parents after she went missing.
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/mobile/uk-11989216
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The number of trips made to Ireland in the second quarter of this year was up by almost 250,000 compared with the same period last year, official figures show.
The Central Statistics Office said there were just over 1.78 million trips made to Ireland in the three months, up 15.6% or 240,200 from a year earlier.
The biggest increase came from continental Europe, with visitor numbers to Ireland up 24%.
Visits from Ireland's biggest tourism market, Britain, grew by 8.5%, while trips from North America were up 17%. Trips from other countries rose by 21.3%.
For the first six months of the year, visits to Ireland were up 12.7% - or 333,000 - compared with the same period last year, with the strongest growth again from continental Europe, which was up 17.6%.
The CSO said Irish people made 1.77 million trips abroad during the second quarter, up 5.9% from a year earlier.
This figure had been on a downward trend since late 2008. The figure for the first half of 2011 is still 2.3% lower, however, compared with the same period in 2010.
The total number of trips made - which includes trips made into and out of Ireland - was up 10.5% from a year earlier to 3.55m in the second quarter.
Minister for Tourism Leo Varadkar said that although comparisons with the first half of last year were distorted by the impact of severe weather and volcanic ash, the figures confirmed indications that travel to Ireland was recovering.
He said Britain, which was also affected by ash, recorded slower growth of 6% in the first half of this year.
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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Posted on February 5, 2013 at 8:01 AM
Tuesday, Feb 5 at 11:28 AM
AUSTIN -- A brand new study shows how much time Austin drivers spend stuck in traffic and how much money it's costing us to wait in those traffic jams.
According to the report:
- Austin drivers spent 44 hours stuck in traffic in 2011
- Nationwide, drivers spent 38 hours in traffic
- Austin drivers used 20 extra gallons in fuel because of traffic
- Nationwide, drivers used 19 additional gallons of fuel because of traffic
- The congestion cost Austin drivers $930 more a year
- Nationwide, drivers spent $818 more a year
Austin city leaders are working on ways to improve those numbers. The Austin Transportation Department began sifting through more than 300 ideas submitted to the City last year.
Recommendations include road signs to warn drivers of back-ups so that they can plan alternate routes, as well as adding more toll lanes.
The Urban Mobility Report agrees with such improvements, along with timing traffic lights and adding new streets or lanes.
More intensive solutions include new streets and highways and expanded public transportation. Some of the potential fix falls on employers. The study recommends flexible work hours to relieve rush hour jams.
However, before any substantial changes are made, the study predicts conditions will get worse. Two of the biggest factors in rush hour come down to population and employment growth, and both are expected to climb over the next seven years
The report predicts that national congestion costs will grow from $121 billion in 2011 to $199 billion in 2020 - with the average commuter spending $1,010 in 2020, wasting 45 hours and 25 gallons of gas sitting in traffic.
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Razor wire surrounds Hanford’s makeshift borders while tattered signs warn of potential contamination and fines for those daring enough to trespass. This vast stretch of high desert plains is rural Washington at its most serene. And it is, by all accounts, a nuclear wasteland.
After 40 years of operation — which included producing the fuel for the “Fat Man” bomb that killed upward of 80,000 Japanese in Nagasaki in 1945 — Hanford changed from a nuclear-weapons outpost to a massive cleanup project in 1987. During its lifespan, 475 billion gallons of radioactive wastewater were released into the ground. The site has become the largest and most costly environmental remediation the world has ever seen.
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.inlander.com/spokane/article-17125-of-nuclear-proportions.html
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“My sister was my best friend when we were growing up, but that changed when we were teenagers,” she said, standing in the spotlight on stage amidst the other members of the chorus. She paused. “She became interested in boys and I didn’t.”
All of us in the audience laughed, but our laughter faded as she described what happened next. She told her family she was gay and they refused to accept it. She told them she loved a woman, but her family would not acknowledge them as a couple. Instead, they called the woman she loved a “roommate.”
When her younger sister announced her marriage plans, the woman’s family gave her ultimatum–come alone to the wedding or don’t come at all. “I did not go,” she said.
Their relationship improved over the years as members of her family tried to mend the rift. Her sister divorced. Her parents divorced, and still her own partnership endured.
But now, her sister is re-marrying. “I want to go the wedding and bring my partner, the woman I have loved for over 20 years,” she told us. But again, her family said, “Come alone.”
“What should I do?” she asked the audience.
“Don’t go,” someone shouted from the back of the theater.
She nodded and paused. “I’m not going,” she said and people started to cheer. “I refuse to go if they don’t recognize who I am and the woman I love.”
Alone in the spotlight, she paused and looked out at us in the audience. We were still applauding as she left the stage.
It is days later and I am still thinking of her courage, which is humbling and immense. It reminds me how, many years ago, I said “no,” to my family when they objected to the man I loved and wanted to marry because of his religion. Like the woman in the theater, I said “no” to the people who were supposed to love me unconditionally, and in doing so, I claimed my own happiness. In fighting for the life I wanted, with the man I loved and still love, I have taken a new path in life which has brought me immense joy.
History books are written about people with courage. We erect statues to them. Perhaps they battled against governments, against invading armies, against oppressors, against diseases, against basic human rights. But there are thousands of others who fight nearly alone, who take tremendous risks to do what their hearts and minds tell them is the right thing to do. And in doing so, they stake their own claims for happiness. This is what you and I do when we break from the old scripts, the old paths and start anew. It is not easy. In fact, saying “no” was one of the hardest things I have ever done. But it has liberated me, just as it will liberate you. It will take us into new territory, and fill us with unexpected joy.
And so, I wish you courage, my friends, as you say no to the people who want to write your scripts, who want to tell you how you should live your life. I applaud you as you say “no” and stake your claim to happiness.
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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For a good game we just need a level pitch
IF I DID not feel the obligation to do my own work when writing this column, I would fill the space today by lifting a recent study word for word from the McKinsey Quarterly and just leave it at that.
It would possibly take up all of this page but it would still be the best thing that Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa and his senior officials could read all this year on what they can do to help Hong Kong's economy.
Forget education, says McKinsey alumnus William Lewis in the article The Power of Productivity. Forget high technology initiatives. Forget foreign capital investment. Forget development loans. Forget assistance to small and medium-sized enterprises. The only thing that really counts in building wealth is ensuring that every individual and corporation has a level playing field and can compete in an open market.
Take education. It is widely considered of crucial importance for upgrading skills to the level required by a sophisticated economy and Mr Tung and his colleagues certainly subscribe to this. They talk endlessly of investing in education and 'improving the quality of our people', an insult to us if ever there was one.
But Mr Lewis says McKinsey's research over many years has shown that it does not really help much. Workers in any poor country suffering from low education standards are quickly trained to produce at the same levels as their counterparts in countries that have high education standards as long as they are given full scope to develop their productivity.
'If illiterate Mexican immigrants can reach world-class productivity levels building apartment houses in Houston, illiterate Brazilian workers can do so in Sao Paulo. Poor countries don't have to wait until they build bigger and better school systems and educate a whole generation of workers.'
Similarly, he disparages the idea that massive capital investment is required. All too often, he points out, the gains made through this route come not from more efficient work but from a low rate of return on ever higher amounts of capital inefficiently employed. Japan has been a fine example of this and Japanese workers have paid the price in lower living standards than they ought to have enjoyed.
But money will always find uses in which it is put productively to work and, for poor countries, massive injections of foreign capital are not a prior requirement for economic success.
'If local businesses followed the proven approaches for organising production and managing a workforce, poor countries could grow much faster than people realise. Domestic savers and foreign investors hungry for good returns would also supply these countries with plenty of capital for new investments.'
The underlying problem, says Mr Lewis, is that for the last 60 years, economists and international institutions have focused on the macro approach, first in stressing development aid, infrastructure and technology and then macroeconomic policies such as flexible exchange rates, low inflation and government solvency.
'But that's like trying to learn about the physical universe by using only the telescopes of astronomy; most real understanding in physics has actually come from studying the interaction of the tiniest particles in the universe.'
The real key to growth, he says, is the microeconomic ability of companies to compete with each other on a level playing field.
Unfortunately, there are pervasive obstacles to this in many countries, in part because people favour social objectives that inspire high minimum wages, small-business subsidies and other such policies.
'They may not be aware of the unintended adverse consequences that create major barriers to growth. Instead of attempting to achieve social objectives by limiting competition, countries should allow fair competition and thereby generate more national income, which can then be redistributed through taxes and government subsidies for the desperately poor.'
Such countries often also suffer because they adopt policies that favour special interests. These may be presented as helpful to growth but inevitably they hinder it because they limit competition and stop inefficient enterprises from failing and making room for efficient ones.
The immediate answer to this, says Mr Lewis, is for governments to focus on consumers rather than producers: 'Goods have value only if consumers want them. Otherwise sheer production does little to raise standards of living.'
Read it, Mr Tung. It is a superb study and every word of it applies to Hong Kong. Here is a signpost to the path that you should have taken and can still take.
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Negative pressure therapy, the application of vacuum technology for wound care, is helping thousands of people cut down their risk of post-surgical infection.
A scary 1 in 20 surgical patients experience post- surgical infections, as reported by Daily Mail. In a clinical trial with over 200 volunteers, vacuum-assisted treatment cut the risk of infection and wound re-opening by 50 percent.
By drawing in blood to the wound or incision site, negative pressure therapy speeds the healing of cells and helps prevent infection from taking hold. The suction power also pulls away excess fluid and pus, cleaning out any foreign objects which might prove problematic. People who heal
(Photo via Apple's Eyes Studio)
faster start moving on their own faster, something doctors claim is vital to a speedy and uneventful recovery.
The healing method is made practical by the use of a PICO machine. In the hospital setting, this large vacuum made of sterile drapes, dressings, and suction tubes is heavy and bulky, and most people in need of the treatment must remain hospitalized. A smaller version, which still requires the use of a backpack, was the only alternative if someone wanted to perform the therapy at home. Because most of the individuals with wound issues are elderly, large, bulky equipment—even in a backpack—wasn’t reasonable.
Thanks to the company Smith & Nephew, a smaller negative pressure PICO machine is now available for at-home use.
The lighter and less expensive unit uses absorbent gel pads for fluid removal and storage rather than a large canister. The pads hold approximately 300 milliliters of fluid and last about a week, depending on the size of the wound.
Kathy Leak, a medical professional at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been using the new machine for the last 9 months. “Negative pressure creates the ideal environment for wound healing,” she said. “However, until recently, it was only used in hospitals because the equipment was so heavy. The new device means more patients can benefit from the therapy.”
The PICO machine is being used to treat issues like diabetic foot ulcers, hip surgical sites, and breast surgical sites. Ideally, it is used in any hard-to-reach place or for areas where incisions are close to joints.
The views, opinions and information expressed in articles and blog posts published on imperfectparent.com and all subdomains are those of the authors alone. They do not represent the views or opinions of The Imperfect Parent or its staff, nor do they represent the views or opinions of any entity of, or affiliated with, Imperfect Parent. The Imperfect Parent
is designed for entertainment
purposes only and is not meant to be a substitute for medical, health,
legal, or financial advice from a professional.
of material from any of Imperfect Parent's pages without written
permission is strictly prohibited.
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Rep. Edward J. Markey, Rep. Rick Boucher, and Rep. Henry A. Waxman released a report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which examines changes in the wireless industry over the past decade, consumer and stakeholder perspectives of regulatory policies and industry practices, and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) strategies to monitor industry competition. GAO recommends that the FCC expand its data collection on such metrics as special access rates, prices, and capital expenditures in order to improve its monitoring and annual reporting on competition in the wireless market.
"Today's report offers important insights into the wireless industry and the FCC's efforts to assess industry competition and consumer protection," said Rep. Markey. "The GAO has noted that the FCC has made progress to improve its data collection and assessment activities with more work to be done. Over the past decade, consumers have benefited from significantly lower prices for wireless services and better coverage. Still, issues such as early termination fees charged by carriers -- which raise concerns both from a consumer protection and a competition standpoint -- handset exclusivity arrangements, acquisition of spectrum and industry consolidation all should be closely examined."
"The GAO's report holds good news for consumers -- they generally benefit from lower prices for wireless phone service and better coverage," said Rep. Boucher, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet. "But the report also indicates that the Commission should improve its data collection with respect to the effects that some industry practices may have on consumers. I urge the Commission to consider the GAO's analysis and to continue to work with stakeholders to ensure that all Americans continue to benefit from widely available and reasonably priced wireless communications services."
"Today's report underscores the need for the FCC to expand its collection and review of data to monitor wireless competition and its impact on consumers," said Rep. Waxman, Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. "It is time for the FCC to complete its evaluation of special access pricing. Pro-competitive policies in the special access market are essential to maximize choice, affordability, and technological innovation in the wireless market. "
The GAO report, "Enhanced Data Collection Could Help FCC Better Monitor Competition in the Wireless Industry," reviews the changes in the wireless industry since 2000, noting an increase in consumer usage of wireless services and the consolidation among wireless carriers during this period. These changes have benefited consumers through lower prices and better coverage. However, industry consolidation has also reduced the ability of small and regional carriers to be competitive, raising concerns that a lack of competition in the market could result in higher fees and deteriorating service for consumers.
GAO recommends that the FCC more closely monitor industry practices that may jeopardize wireless competition as part of its statutory reporting and monitoring of wireless competition. It also recommends that the FCC collect original data on pricing, capital expenditures by wireless carriers, and other metrics, and continue to examine the impact of early termination fees and exclusive handset arrangements.
GAO conducted the report in response to a request by Rep. Markey when he was chair of the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet.
Read the full report here: http://energycommerce.house.gov/documents/20100826/GAO-10-779.Report.July.2010.pdf
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- A senior political analyst says the recent wave of racial killings in the US is the result of the hate ideology promoted by the 19th-century Ku Klux Klan organization, which should be considered as a brutal act of terrorism, not hate crime.
"The organization, which has now been stripped of its name, still exists and splinters into different manifest forms: racial hatred, religious hatred and ideological hatred," Ismail Salami wrote in an article published on Press TV on Thursday.
The expert added that the Ku Klux Klan is not extinct and is estimated to have more than 10,000 dedicated "hatetivists" in the United States alone, "who spare no efforts in giving vent to their racial and religious hatred by intimidating and liquidating those they deem as the wretched of the earth."
Salami stated that despite their heinous crimes, the group is "innocently" called a hate group and the crime they commit is categorized as a hate crime rather than an act of terrorism.
"According to a lame definition for the unfortunate term provided by the FBI, 'A hate crime is a traditional offense like murder, arson or vandalism with an added element of bias,'" he added.
The expert said what the new followers of Ku Klux Klan do "is more than a crime against an individual; rather, it is a systematically organized crime targeting certain human races who do not easily fall into their definition of humankind."
"They put themselves in place of God and decide who lives and who doesn't. This insanity has claimed the lives of others including Trayvon Martin, Kendrec McDade and Shaima Alawadi to mention only a few," Salami said.
Referring to the murder of Trayvon Martin on February 26, by a white man claiming to have killed the teen in self-defense, the author added, "Crimes of this nature are basically put a lid on and soon forgotten."
"The perpetrators of these organized crimes work under the aegis of those who keep manufacturing a phobia of race and religion in order to maintain their supremacy over a certain religion or race," he said.
The author concluded that people committing such crimes have a mindset "built upon an ideology rooted in blind ignorance and prejudice; they are indeed benighted souls trapped in their cocoon of ignorance."
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, officially the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in the City and Diocese of New York, is the Cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. The cathedral is nicknamed St. John the Unfinished.
Located at 1047 Amsterdam Avenue New York, NY 10025 (between West 110th Street, which is also known as "Cathedral Parkway", and 113 Street) in Manhattan's Morningside Heights, the cathedral is claimed to be the largest Cathedral and Anglican church and fourth largest Christian church in the world (although the title is disputed with Liverpool Anglican Cathedral).
The cathedral, designed in 1888 and begun in 1892, has, in its history, undergone radical stylistic changes and the interruption of the two World Wars. It remains unfinished, with construction and restoration a continuing process.
An unbroken piece of property of 11.5 acres (47,000 m²), on which the Leake and Watts Orphan Asylum had stood, was purchased for the cathedral in 1887. After an open competition, a design by the New York firm of George Lewis Heins and C. Grant LaFarge in a Byzantine-Romanesque style was accepted the next year.
Construction on the cathedral was begun with the laying of the cornerstone on December 27, 1892, St. John's Day. The foundations were completed at enormous expense, largely because bedrock was not struck until the excavation had reached 72 feet. The first services (in the crypt, under the crossing) were held in 1899. After the large central dome made of Guastavino tile was completed in 1909, the original Byzantine-Romanesque design was changed to a Gothic design. Increasing friction after the premature death of Heins in 1907 ultimately led the Trustees to dismiss the surviving architect, Christopher Grant LaFarge, and hire the noted Gothic Revival architect Ralph Adams Cram to design the nave and "Gothicize" what LaFarge had already built. In 1911, the choir and the crossing were opened, and the foundation for Cram's nave began to be excavated in 1916.
The first stone of the nave was laid and the west front was undertaken in 1925. The Cathedral was opened end to end for the first time on November 30, 1941, a week before the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Subsequently construction on the cathedral was halted, because the then-bishop felt that the church's funds would better be spent on works of charity, and because America's subsequent involvement with the Second World War greatly limited available manpower. Although Cram intended to dismantle the dome and construct a massive Gothic tower in its place, this plan was ultimately never realized. The happy result is that the Cathedral reflects a diversity of architectural styles, with a Gothic nave, a Romanesque crossing under the dome; chapels in French, English and Spanish Gothic styles, as well as Norman and Byzantine; Gothic choir stalls, and Roman arches and columns separating the high altar and ambulatory. The Very Rev. James Parks Morton, who became Dean of the Cathedral in 1972, encouraged a revival in the construction of the Cathedral, and in 1979 the Rt. Rev. Paul Moore, Jr., then Bishop, decided that construction should be continued, in part to preserve the crafts of stonemasonry by training neighborhood youths, thus providing them with a valuable skill. In 1979, Mayor Ed Koch quipped during the dedication ceremony, "I am told that some of the great cathedrals took over five hundred years to build. But I would like to remind you that we are only in our first hundred years."
One architect who worked for Cram and Ferguson as a young man, John Thomas Doran, eventually became a full partner. (Cram and Ferguson became known as Hoyle, Doran and Berry. The firm exists today as HDB/ Cram and Ferguson). The November 1979 edition of LIFE magazine featured St. John the Divine Cathedral. To quote the magazine: (p.102) One architect from Cram's firm survives. At 80, John Doran is among the last architects able to draw gothic plans - the difficult style is not taught in schools. He is helping St. John's new generation of builders. "Nothing I've done," Doran says, "has held my interest like the cathedral. Everything since then has just been making a living." Construction on the towers continued in fits and starts until the early 1990s, when a lack of funds forced its abandonment, the Cathedral having largely spent its endowment. Unused - and largely rusted - scaffolding had been covering the south tower until the summer of 2007, when workers began removing it. Apparently, some sections of the tower itself were removed in the process, as the tower appears shorter and gaps have appeared in its upper section.
Under master stone carvers Simon Verity and Jean Claude Marchionni, work on the statuary of the central portal of the Cathedral's western façade was completed in 1997. The Cathedral has since seen no further construction, and the new generation of trained stonecarvers has gone on to other projects.
The building as it appears today conforms primarily to a second design campaign from the prolific Gothic Revival architect Ralph Adams Cram of the Boston firm Cram, Goodhue, and Ferguson. Without slavishly copying any one historical model, and without compromising its authentic stone-on-stone construction by using modern steel girders, Saint John the Divine is a refined exercise in the 13th century High Gothic style of northern France. The Cathedral is almost exactly two football fields in length (601 feet or 186 meters) and the nave ceiling reaches 124 feet (37.7 m) high. It is the longest Gothic nave in the United States, at . Seven chapels radiating from the ambulatory behind the choir are each in a distinctive nationalistic style, some of them borrowing from outside the gothic vocabulary. Known as the "Chapels of the Tongues" (St. Ansgar, St. Boniface, St. Columba, St. Saviour, St. Martin, St. Ambrose and St. James), their designs are meant to represent each of the seven most prominent ethnic groups to first immigrate to New York City upon the opening of Ellis Island in 1892 (the same year the Cathedral began construction).
In the center, just beyond the crossing, is the large, raised High Altar, behind which is a wrought iron enclosure containing the Gothic style tomb of the man who originally conceived and founded the cathedral, The Right Reverend Horatio Potter, D.D., LL.D., D.C.L., Bishop of New York. Later Episcopalian bishops of New York, and other notables of the church, are entombed in side chapels.
Directly below this is a large hall in the basement, used regularly to feed the poor and homeless, and for meetings, and multiple crypts.
On the grounds of the Cathedral, toward the south, are several buildings (including a Synod Hall and the Cathedral school), as well as a large bronze work of public art by the Cathedral's sculptor-in-residence, Greg Wyatt, known as the Peace Fountain, which has been both strongly praised and strongly criticized.
On the night of December 18 2001, a fire swept through the unfinished north transept, destroying the gift shop and for a time threatening the sanctuary of the cathedral itself. It temporarily silenced the Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ. Although the organ was not damaged, its pipe chambers had to be removed and laboriously cleaned, to prevent damage from the fire's accumulated soot. Valuable tapestries and other items in the cathedral were damaged by the smoke.
In 2003, the Cathedral was designated a landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission; however, shortly thereafter the designation was unanimously overturned by the New York City Council, which favored landmark status for the cathedral entire grounds, rather than just the building. However, no move to designate the entire grounds has formed. Thus, the cathedral is not officially a New York City landmark at this time.
In January 2005, the Cathedral began a massive restoration that will remain in progress until Sunday November 1, 2008. A state-of-the-art chemical-based cleaning system is being utilized, primarily to remove smoke damage resulting from the 2001 fire.
The Cathedral houses one of the nation's premiere textile conservation laboratories to conserve the Cathedral's textiles, including the Barberini tapestries to cartoons by Raphael. The Laboratory also conserves tapestries, needlepoint, upholstery, costumes, and other textiles for its clients.
In early November 2006, vandals beheaded a statue of George Washington near the high altar of the Cathedral and left a dollar bill with George Washington cut out on what was left of the neck.
In 1991, avant-garde musician Diamanda Galas performed 'Plague Mass', a culminaton of her work dedicated to the victims of the AIDS epidemic. Galas' performance consisted of covering her body in cattle blood and reinterpreting biblical texts and classic literature as a protest against the ignorance and condemnation towards people with AIDS from religious and political groups.
The Congregation of Saint Saviour, a separately incorporated congregation, makes its home at the Cathedral. It offers events, classes and programs. The Cathedral requires employees and volunteers undergo a criminal background check, claiming that it is due to the dozens of adults and children who pass through the Cathedral. However, the requirement applies to all, whether they have any significant interaction with those who pass through the Cathedral or not.
The cathedral was forced by financial realities to sign a long term land lease on the southeast corner of its property, which was formerly wooded with the AvalonBay Communities. A modern, glass apartment tower, the Avalon Morningside Park now occupies the space.
Cynthia Sugars and Gerry Turcotte, eds. Unsettled Remains: Canadian Literature and the Postcolonial Gothic.(Book review)
Dec 01, 2009; Cynthia Sugars and Gerry Turcotte, eds. Unsettled Remains: Canadian Literature and the Postcolonial Gothic. Waterloo: Wilfred...
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Saturday, April 30, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Saturday September 27, 2008
Two women MPs in the Netherlands are giving animals a voice in Parliament.
On Nov 22, 2006, the world was stunned when Party for the Animals won two seats in the Netherlands’ House of Representatives. The event made history as it was the first time animals had representation in Parliament.
Their two MPs - Marianne Thieme, 36, and Esther Ouwehand, 32, are a breath of fresh air, and no longer ridiculed for wanting to create a more humane world.
The ladies literally stand out in Parliament, not only for their noble cause but for what they wear. In contrast to other MPs who are dressed in suits, the women wear jeans and trendy jackets over short tops, accessorised by simple chains.
Thieme attributes their slim figures and stunning good looks to their vegetarian diet. But don’t be fooled, the ladies are no pushovers when it comes to parliamentary debates.
“I took it as a compliment when the Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality who is responsible for the animals, nature and environment portfolio, had to take on two extra civil servants just so she can answer all our questions in Parliament,’’ says Thieme in an e-mail interview.
“In the past, no one paid any serious attention, even to the existing laws that protect animals. Today, we take to task any governmental body that doesn’t protect animals, and take legal action if necessary,” says Thieme, a lawyer by qualification, who lives with her seven-year-old daughter and two cats she adopted from a shelter.
Her autobiography, The Century Of The Animal, is as much about animal welfare as it is about her, she says. Few consumers realise they are supporting animal cruelty when they make certain purchases.”
Released in 2004 in the Dutch language, the book creates awareness about her party. Its English version is scheduled for release in the Netherlands next February.
Today, the party’s influence is growing at a tremendous pace. It won an additional nine seats in eight provinces in the Netherlands in 2007, and one of the 75 seats in the Dutch Senate.
Thieme adds that as part of her party’s campaign, it wants consumers to learn how to shop intelligently, and choose brands that are animal and environment friendly.
“The public hardly suspects that their purchase of cosmetics, pet food, toothpaste, eggs and other common items have, in all likelihood, caused some form of animal suffering. Is this morally justified when alternatives are easily available?
“A lot of animal experiments consider only commercial interests. We want to ban all animal experiments as soon as possible and we are seeking funding to find more alternatives for consumers.”
Thieme adds most people are not aware that almost all eggs come from battery hens, if there is no label to state they are from “free range” hens. These are hens confined in cages so small they can hardly move. The stress causes them to mutilate other hens. To prevent that, farmers cut off their beaks without anaesthetics (debeak). Billions of male hatchlings that are of no use to hen factories are thrown alive into a grinder.
“Politicians and corporations have always placed economic interests above moral interests. This is now hurting the entire planet,” Thieme recently told the International Press Association members in a speech at The Hague.
Meat for Truth, a documentary produced by Party for the Animals, shows us the livestock farming industry is affecting global warming as it accounts for some 18% of greenhouse gas emissions. That is more than the emissions contributed by all the cars, lorries, trains, boats and planes on earth, which amounts to only 13%.
“The documentary also shows that plant-based food is not only a healthy substitute for meat, but a means to end deforestation and world famine, because much of the grains produced in the world is going towards feeding livestock bred for slaughter,” says Thieme.
Small farmers who practise humane farming are being eradicated by huge conglomerates that treat animals like products and not creatures with feelings.
In her speech, Thieme criticised Al Gore’s documentary An Inconvenient Truth for ignoring the greenhouse effect of livestock farming and the plight of animals which is intricately linked to man’s own well-being.
“I didn’t know why Gore didn’t address it. Perhaps it was too inconvenient,” she remarked to laughter from the international media.
Even the Netherlands’ Queen was not spared. Thieme wrote a letter to the Prime Minister objecting to the Queen serving foie gras to guests at a State dinner for international dignitaries.
Foie gras is derived from ducks that are force-fed until their livers, abdomens and oesophagus are damaged. Her complaint resulted in the Queen having the item removed from the palace menu.
The Party for the Animals is the only political party that has working groups set up at various locations throughout the Netherlands. They deal with animal welfare issues at a municipal or regional level, and work to influence animal welfare policy.
“In the long term, these working groups may develop into party branches, which may participate in municipal elections. In this way, it is possible that we will eventually also be represented at a municipal level,” says Thieme, who gave up eating meat at 23.
In her book, she says when she realised how animals were tortured by her wrong choices as a consumer, she immediately vowed, “No more in my name!” and took the first step by turning vegetarian.
According to Thieme, her party has today forced other political parties in the Netherlands to adopt a position on animal issues. Since no one wants to appear cruel, politicians are suddenly falling all over each other to say how humane they are.
Party for the Animals also recently launched WorldLog, which is a blog-cum-diary that Thieme updates each week, to inform the international public of their work. It is now available in nine languages at the party’s website http://www.partyfortheanimals.nl/
Inspired by the success of Party for the Animals, political parties representing animals have now been created in Austria, Germany, Brazil, and Spain. Thieme will celebrate World Animal Day in Hollywood where Meat For Truth is being screened on Oct 5.
A 19-year-old man killed a kitten by throwing an empty beer bottle at it because he "didn't like cats".
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
HUNDREDS of dogs avoided becoming the main course after they were rescued by about 200 Chinese activists.
More than 400 dogs were crammed into a truck, which was forced to stop on a Beijing highway on April 15, after a motorist swerved his car into its path before alerting animal activists via his microblog.
About 200 activists reacted and gathered at the scene and surrounded the vehicle transporting the dogs, some of which had collars and name tags still on them.
The dogs were eventually rescued after a 15-hour standoff.
The motorist who sent the alert told China daily that he's known about trucks transporting dogs on the highway for a long time and happened to see a shipment that night.
China Daily reported that the truck was transporting the dogs to restaurants in Jilin province in the northeast.
The consumption of dog and cat meat, both of which are believed to promote bodily warmth and are thus popular in winter, remains widespread in China despite a surge in popularity as pets.
However, earlier press reports have said authorities were looking into drafting a law that could outlaw the practice.
SOURCES: AP, AFP, China Daily.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
"So here's the thing - this election season, let our elected representatives know how we feel. We are not second class citizens who matter less than complainants, many of whom are not even held accountable because they are anonymous. Caregivers are committed, concerned and ready to help - so why are they treated as if they don't matter? "
Friday, April 22, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
|Rescued Chihuahua, looks to be about 3 to 4 years old|
|Wally the Maltese, malnourished and extremely thin|
|Baxter, exhausted and resigned to his fate|
|Eyes of desperation and hopelessness|
|Sweet Ole Molly|
|No longer able to use her right hind leg|
|A botched up job; her stitches would have been left on for at least 4 months!|
|Molly's right hip and hind leg was so badly fractured, it can no longer be saved. An amputation is inevitable. I can't begin to imagine the emotional and physical pain and abuse she has gone through.|
|Some visible foetuses in Molly's abdomen|
How could the breeder have the heart to continue mating her despite her old age (imagine your grandmother giving birth time and time again!), broken right leg and raw Caesarian wound… I shudder at the thought of her puppies’ health, having been produced from such a frail, old mother dog plagued with issues of her own.
At such an age, dogs like Molly should not be giving birth as their bodies and legs are no longer able to take the weight of the full pregnancy. The decision by the vets and volunteers was to spare her the pain of yet another birth and one that would hopefully turn her life for the better. In other words, Molly would have to undergo:
1) An abortion of the puppies she was carrying because of her frail health, infected wound, badly fractured leg and hip; not to mention, old age.
2) Amputation of her right hind leg a month later as her leg can no longer be saved
With wicked breeders who treat dogs like Molly as puppy-churning machines, the onus really lies on the consumer to be discerning and alert when buying puppies from a pet store. Not only should breeders be subjected to regulations that encourage a certain humane breeding standard, proper medical living and quality of life for their dogs, consumers MUST do their homework and find out more about the puppy and its parents before committing to a lifetime of responsibility. Instead of creating more demand for such puppies and more suffering for dogs like Molly, why not adopt and save a life?
1) Molly’s vet bills
2) Boarding fees while they wait to be adopted
3) Adopting / fostering any of these four dogs who are looking for a good home
Thursday, April 21, 2011
The kindness of an old uncle who collects paper cartons for a living, and a community cat called Ah Kat
At a vet clinic on 20th April 2011
A lady wrote,
"Ah Kat - an old uncle saw him lying on his side brought him in to Pet Clinic. Urinary blockage, very dehydrated, Dr. Au drained urine n discharged... At the counter thhis uncle Ah Hwa only has 76 dollars to pay.... I told him ah kat got to keep indoor. He said he cannot bring home. I told him I will take over the cat. I dont think he can survive on the street. Esp today s weather. I hospitalised him."
"Ah Kat is already neutered."
"The uncle collects paper cartons for a living :-("
Ooi wrote, "I happen to b ther too. E uncle reali touch my heart.. He's a old uncle who collect paper carton(lik garang guni, 1kg of paper cartons @ abt 15¢ only) for living. Yet he brought e stray cat to e vet immediately when he realise e cat is not ...well. When payin, he dint had enuf & he empty every single cent he has in his wallet, $76.. Reali touch by his love for e animal~ T.T
So blessed tat SY happen to b ther. Reali nice of her to take over e badly dehydrated cat when e uncle cant bring home. If not, ther's no chance tis cat will survive at all.. Will pray for e cat to stay strong n get well soon! !"
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Woodlands Ring Primary School
Cat (an adult male) at the vet clinic; vet's assessment: few teeth chipped. Upper palate cracked. He kept sneezing because of saliva back-flow."
Read this ...
Mynah rescued from glue trap released!by ACRES: Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Singapore)
This is a well loved community cat in the mall of a heartland. A caregiver/feeder got her neutered a long time ago. The staff of a hair salon provides food and water for her. She is an icon of the mall.
SPCA will counsel the bakery staff who trapped the mynah on a board smeared with rat glue, but this was not the only case, said a spokesperson. Kittens were also seriously injured in the past.
This was in response to a blog post which detailed how bakery staff trapped a mynah with a board smeared with rat glue that left many STOMPers horrified.
Said the SPCA spokesperson in an email (Apr 20):
"We refer to the post about a mynah bird being stuck on a glue board trap outside a bakery at Tampines Blk. 826 yesterday.
"The SPCA responded to a call informing us of the bird’s plight. As in all emergency cases, the caller was advised over the telephone in advance that there would be no guarantee that the bird would survive –- this would depend on the creature’s condition following an examination by a veterinarian.
"Our top priority is always to ensure that injured animals are taken to a veterinarian without delay and we would do our best to save the animal.
"Our staff on arriving at the scene, was informed by the caller, that he would keep the bird and be taking it to a veterinarian for treatment, rather than risk it being euthanased, so our rescue officer took pictures as evidence for our investigation and proceeded back to the SPCA.
"This is not the first time that we have attended cases where various species have been trapped on glue board traps (commonly used for trapping rats). Kittens have been seriously injured in the past.
"For the record, the SPCA strongly objects to the use of glue board traps for any species and has previously written in to the authorities to ban them, but without success.
"There have been some positive results though: Following feedback from members of the public two years ago, we wrote to NTUC Fairprice informing them of the suffering caused to animals in the process of using this device, and they immediately removed the item from their stores.
"The SPCA recently received feedback from a Home-Fix DIY store customer that glue board traps were on sale there, but following our advice to the company that the use of this product inflicts pain and suffering to trapped animals, they pledged to remove this product from 21 stores as of 15 April. In order to address SPCA’s and the customer’s concerns, they have also informed their suppliers not to bring in any similar products to their stores in the future.
"There have also been other incidences reported to us over the years, in relation to glue board traps; we have followed up with advice to individuals/companies to refrain from using them.
"In this current case, we will be advising the staff of this bakery shop (and its head office) to stop employing this cruel method and to impress upon them that the suffering or abuse inflicted on a bird or any other species, is no laughing matter.
"We will be following up closely on this matter and would ask STOMPers to report any further sightings of glue traps at the location.
"We thank STOMPers who have voiced their concern for the injured mynah bird, and for helping to Stop Animal Abuse."
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The Tea Party movement has given us a number of colorful candidates this election cycle. Now we can add to the list one Rich Iott, the Republican nominee for Congress from Ohio’s 9th District. It turns out that Mr. Iott enjoys wearing Waffen SS uniforms as a one-time member of a Nazi reenactment group. Of course, Mr. Iott claims no sympathy with the Nazi cause apart from a respect for “a relatively small country that from a strictly military point of view accomplished incredible things.” I’m not sure what those incredible thing included, but let’s leave that for now.
What I find interesting is the description found on the group’s website explaining why members chose to portray men in the Wiking Division. Iott and others seem to believe that there is something historically and – by extension morally – significant about the unit’s service on the Eastern Front against the Russian Army:
Nazi Germany had no problem in recruiting the multitudes of volunteers willing to lay down their lives to ensure a “New and Free Europe”, free of the threat of Communism. National Socialism was seen by many in Holland, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and other eastern European and Balkan countries as the protector of personal freedom and their very way of life, despite the true underlying totalitarian (and quite twisted, in most cases) nature of the movement. Regardless, thousands upon thousands of valiant men died defending their respective countries in the name of a better tomorrow. We salute these idealists; no matter how unsavory the Nazi government was, the front-line soldiers of the Waffen-SS (in particular the foreign volunteers) gave their lives for their loved ones and a basic desire to be free.
Of course, historians of World War II take issue with such a characterization as unhistorical and overly romantic. Hmm…I think I’ve seen this before:
Asked whether his participation in a Nazi re-enactor’s group might not upset voters, particularly Jewish voters, Iott said he hoped it would not: “They have to take it in context. There’s reenactors out there who do everything. You couldn’t do Civil War re-enacting if somebody didn’t play the role of the Confederates. [This] is something that’s definitely way in the past. … [I hope voters] take it in context and see it for what it is, an interest in World War II history. And that’s strictly all.”
It’s interesting to reflect on another example where the history is distorted so as to allow for the commemoration, celebration, or reenactment of the lives of soldiers without having to confront the tough moral questions.
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Discharge inks are experiencing a renewed interest among garment screen printers. This article describes the types of ink systems available, proper use of these formulations, and the safety precautions you should employ when working with them.
By Mike Ukena
ZFS discharge is safer on press. It won’t evaporate quickly, and very little ZFS can become airborne at this level. Proper procedure is most important during the curing stage. Dryers used for discharge curing should be properly vented. Unvented dryers should never be used for discharge curing.
Thiourea dioxide also should be handled carefully. It is a strong oxidizer and must be kept in a sealed container. All of the same precautions that are recommended for ZFS are also applicable to thiourea dioxide.
Both products are strong oxidizers and should be kept in sealed containers. When pouring the crystalline powder into the mixing container, efforts should be made to minimize dust. Neither product generates measurable volatile organic compounds, and no special reporting of use is required. Occasional direct contact exposure is not considered an immediate health threat.
Waste (leftover) discharge ink
Waste discharge ink, like all inks in a liquid state, is considered a hazardous waste. But even though it will no longer discharge after the pot life has expired, you can still use the ink to produce soft prints on light or white fabrics. An ink that would print a nice red on black fabric will give you the exact same color on white fabric. Many print runs have the same print on light and dark fabrics. In these cases, always print the darks first and then use the time-expired discharge inks on the lights. This workflow minimizes waste and improves cost control.
Garments printed with ZFS discharge have measurable levels of formaldehyde. Washing the garment removes all traces of the chemical. Garments that are allowed to sit for a time after printing in an unconfined state will outgas most of the formaldehyde within a few days. If at all possible, avoid folding and packing ZFS-discharged garments immediately after printing.
The best recommendation I can make is to let the end consumer know, through the use of a sticker or hang tag, that the garment should be washed before wearing. In my shop, we used a sticker that explained the wonders of the unique printing process and advised buyers to wash the fabric before wearing—all in one breath.
The European Union has a formaldehyde-exposure threshold of 75 ppm for apparel for small children and infants. A ZFS-discharged garment that has not been aired out for several days or washed after printing will not pass this test.
Discharge printing can be a valuable addition to your operation. It can improve productivity and print quality on dark fabrics, help increase the number of colors you can print, and produce extremely soft prints.
Discharge is not a panacea. It is not a turnkey use-it-and-forget-it product. Discharge printing comes with safety precautions, issues with finished goods, and considerations for shop health. None of these issues is that difficult to deal with, but none can be ignored. If you’re not prepared to properly handle the discharge products, don’t even try them. But if you’re ready to make the effort, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the result. n
Mike Ukena is a 15-year screen-printing veteran who has owned a textile-printing company and worked in technical services for the Specialty Graphic Imaging Association Int’l as the director of education. A member of the Academy of Screen Printing Technology, Ukena is a frequent speaker on technical and management topics at industry events. He is currently a technical sales representative for Union Ink Co., Inc.
Did you enjoy this article? Click here to subscribe to the magazine.
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Dr. Joseph Bordogna
Chief Operating Officer
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
International Workshop on Neutrinos and Subterranean
Science (NeSS) 2002
Washington Hilton & Towers
September 19, 2002
Good morning and welcome to this robust assembly -
one that brings together so many of the world's leading
figures in underground research.
I want to thank the organizers from the University
of Maryland and the international steering committee
for their dedication and hard work in shaping the
proceedings. We're looking forward to the presentations,
and to the perspective they will provide.
The National Science Foundation derives much of its
strength from listening constantly and carefully to
the community. This gathering is part of that ongoing
effort. But we are also supporting it in fulfillment
of a pledge made seven months ago. Our budget request
for Fiscal Year 2003 includes the promise to underwrite
"a major workshop" on neutrino research and other
underground science applications.
Judging from the extraordinary roster of participants
and expertise assembled at this event, I think we
can safely call it "major."
There are many reasons why this convocation is of such
significance and value to NSF and to the Nation, but
two in particular stand out.
The first is the remarkable range of science and engineering
issues under discussion, which extends from particle
physics and cosmology to national security, geosciences
and engineering, and the study of microbial life miles
below the Earth's surface . . . and perhaps others
not yet imagined. The list includes some of the most
important and fascinating topics ever to challenge
the human intellect.
Diverse as they may seem, they share a common element:
depth. Not just depth of scientific interest and complexity,
although those are certainly apparent. But literal
All of the current and proposed investigations to be
discussed here must take place in special environments
hundreds or thousands of meters below ground level.
Conducting research in those conditions often entails
substantial complications, large infrastructure expenses,
and multi-year obligations.
And that brings us to the second and equally important
reason why this workshop is so significant: Namely,
the nation's urgent need for authoritative and objective
advice on potential science and engineering research
and education investments.
For federal science policy in general, and for NSF
in particular, this is an era of competing and occasionally
On one hand, the Foundation's mandate to support discovery
at the outmost frontiers of knowledge requires that
we fund numerous state-of-the-art tools and visionary
programs that will advance understanding dramatically.
On the other, we recognize that we live in a period
of severe budget constraints, and that each of our
investments must be considered in the fiscal context
of America's war on terrorism - a war that, sadly,
promises to be long and costly before it is ultimately
So it is particularly essential now that the community
formulate and express its best counsel on emerging
opportunities and make the most cogent and convincing
arguments for potential new expenditures.
As NSF reviews the proceedings, it will, as always,
do so with particular attention to those ideas that
integrate research and education, and that will have
the greatest impact on the next generation of scientists
and engineers. In that respect, we are pleased to
see that so many of the projects to be discussed at
this meeting have multidisciplinary aspects, and that
their planners have incorporated education and outreach
components from the beginning. Some have interagency
and international dimensions.
There have been several meetings on related subjects
over the past few years, and NSF has followed their
progress. In addition, the National Academy of Sciences
has undertaken a study of the worldwide needs, priorities
and capabilities in subterranean research. The Academy
panel, too, will be watching this week's presentations,
and will factor the results into their deliberations.
Meanwhile, NSF will continue -- in partnership with
the community -- to do what it does best: Namely,
to evaluate each opportunity exclusively on its merits,
and to make difficult, responsible decisions about
which ideas have the maximum potential for progress
in research and education.
That is never easy when working at the frontier, where
there are few, if any, precedents, and no one knows
exactly what to do. In those circumstances, we have
to evaluate scrupulously the entire spectrum of advice
and listen carefully to the varied voices that arise.
Many of the topics and projects that you will be discussing
this week have already developed broad and highly
motivated constituencies. That is all very well. In
fact, it is inevitable in a democracy. But NSF's rigorous,
multi-stage procedure for determining the value of
any particular investment obtains throughout. Large-scale
expenditures for facilities face an exceptionally
tough assessment process.
Any candidate proposal for NSF's limited pool of facility
funding must first survive critical peer review, and
must show extraordinary intellectual merit and considerable
potential for broader impacts.
Then it must demonstrate that it has the determined
support of the community. And then it must be convincing
that it is worth a sizable fraction of NSF's resources.
Candidate projects are examined in meticulous detail
through several stages at NSF and eventually by the
National Science Board.
If approved at all steps, NSF then will include the
project in an annual budget request, which is produced
in extensive negotiations with the Office of Management
and Budget. And finally, when and if the proposal
becomes part of the President's budget, Congress may
or may not decide to fund it.
From start to finish, this course of review can take
many months, or even years with every step focused
on intellectual merit and a project's value to the
Nation's science and engineering research and education.
Thus, we are keenly interested in hearing the presentations
and dialogue at this workshop. On behalf of the Foundation,
I want to thank each of you for your willingness to
provide indispensable expertise, insight, and excitement.
We all look forward to a successful and highly productive
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Pope Benedict XVI urged Muslim leaders to join Christians to help defeat the intolerance which he said was at the root of the terrorist violence seeking to poison ties between the two religions.
At a gathering of Germany's Muslim officials, the leader of the Catholic Church on Saturday decried the "cruel fanaticism" of terrorism and called out to Muslims to join Christians in trying to combat its spread.
"I am certain that I echo your own thoughts when I bring up as one of our concerns the spread of terrorism," he said in the most extensive remarks on terrorism so far during his four-month papacy.
"Terrorist activity is continually recurring in various parts of the world, sowing death and destruction, and plunging many of our brothers and sisters into grief and despair," he told the 20 Muslim leaders, including three women, gathered in Cologne to meet with him.
It was his first major address to Muslim leaders since becoming pope and Benedict chose a straightforward and forceful language to underscore the immediacy of the issue. He did not mention specific attacks and responsible terrorist parties nor did he refer directly to suicide bombings, but it appeared significant that he chose a Muslim audience for his remarks on terrorism.
"Those who instigate and plan these attacks evidently wish to poison our relations, making use of all means, including religion, to oppose every attempt to build a peaceful, fair and serene life together," he said, admonishing the religions of the world to work together to prevent terrorism. If they do not, he warned, the world will be exposed to "the darkness of a new barbarism."
Stressing inter-religious dialogue
His speech on Saturday was given in the same vein, stressing that all believers had to do their part in fighting terror: "If together we can succeed in eliminating from hearts any trace of rancor, in resisting every form of intolerance and in opposing every manifestation of violence, we will turn back the wave of cruel fanaticism that endangers the lives of so many people and hinders progress towards world peace."
"Terrorism is the common enemy of Christians and Muslims," he said and added that he hoped the meeting would serve as a "motivation for the individual believers in the churches and in the mosques to participate in a positive dialogue." He regretted that all too often, "both sides lacked the courage and the trust" to reach out to one another.
A better understanding and tolerance needs to be installed through education, Elyas said. Christians and Muslims share many topics of common interest such as the loss of moral orientation among youth and the increasing absence of religion in young people's lives, he pointed out.
Duty of religious teachers
The pope agreed and stressed the duty Islamic teachers had in forming young people. "You guide Muslim believers and train them in the Islamic faith. Teaching is the vehicle through which ideas and convictions are transmitted. Words are highly influential in the education of the mind. You therefore have a great responsibility for the formation of the younger generation," he said.
Early in the day, the pope was reported to have told German politicians he was in favor of introducing Islamic instruction into the German school curriculum as an equal to the currently Catholic and Protestant religion courses provided. When the classes are offered in German in the schools, the instruction
is conducted by state-trained teachers with material authorized by state educational authorities.
At the moment only three federal states offer Islam as an official school religion course, leaving the majority of the country's 3.2 million Muslims to turn to private (non-state supervised) Koran schools for religious education. Several German bishops have called for placing Islam on an equal footing with Christianity in schools as a means to help integrate Muslim children and control fundamentalist teaching.
Tunisia was the first Arab Spring country and it could become the first Arab Spring country to adopt a democratic constitution. But negotiations between secularists and Islamists have taken a toll on the country.
Pulling the plug on Germany's Euro Hawk project won't have consequences for NATO's surveillance program using "Global Hawk" models. But critics argue a joint European drone project would have been better.
The Shiite Hezbollah are fighting alongside regime troops in Syria. Much is at stake for the militant group: if Assad's regime falls, Hezbollah will be weakened in Lebanon.
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Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2007.09.07
Susan C. Shelmerdine, Introduction to Latin. Revised first edition. Newburyport, MA: Focus Publishing, 2007. Pp. xii, 351. ISBN 1-58510-270-9. $29.95.
Reviewed by Benjamin Victor, Université de Montréal (firstname.lastname@example.org)
Word count: 1098 words
This textbook of Latin, first published in 2005 and now available in a revised edition,1 is thoughtfully conceived and contains noteworthy innovations. Assessment of it will vary according as certain issues of principle are judged, but even one who prefers a very different approach must recognize its merits.
Introduction to Latin is arranged in 32 chapters, each of which can be covered in three classroom hours. Vocabulary is introduced at slightly more than 20 words per chapter. Appendices include the predictable: morphological tables, alphabetical glossaries and an index of grammatical subjects. Others are less standard: a list of ancient sources cited or adapted, a summary of core vocabulary, a list of verbs whose principal parts do not follow the usual scheme (pres.-pres. inf.-pf. act.- pf. part.). Comparison is introduced late (ch. 25), as are the subjunctives and their uses (ch. 26-32); progression is not otherwise remarkable. Distinction of sentence-types (transitive, intransitive, linking, factitive) and clause-types (nominal, adjectival, adverbial) provide much of the organization.
The book itself is supported by a number of ancillary materials. An answer key to the exercises and a study guide (of which the publisher has kindly shown me three sample chapters) are to be published in the coming months. Supplementary exercises can be had online; Centaur Systems has produced versions of its electronic morphology and vocabulary drills for use with Introduction to Latin; finally, audio recordings of readings can be heard at the audio page.
Each chapter contains explanations of morphology and syntax accompanied by exercises, including translation into English and into Latin. In most there is also a brief narrative reading, usually adapted from an ancient source (and there are in addition some readings standing outside the chapter structure). These give way to unadapted passages in the later chapters. Shelmerdine thus stays for the most part within the tradition known as "grammar-translation". I confess that I am personally dissatisfied with that approach as being out of touch with progress in linguistic pedagogy.2 At the same time I add that mine is a minority position among classicists, and certainly among those classicists who write textbooks.3 In any case, Shelmerdine does make one important break with tradition: her exercises are not exclusively exercises of translation. Many of them consist in identifying cases or other forms underlined in sentences, or in finding the agreements; frequently students are given sentences with an ending left out in each and invited to supply it. Or again, they will be asked to change perfect verb-forms to the pluperfect, and so on. Such tasks are a staple in the teaching of modern languages, where they have proved their worth. They promote an active engagement with mechanisms of the language, and because each individual problem can be worked in an instant they develop a more instinctive sort of skill than does the slow, laborious job of writing a sentence from scratch.
I would have liked to see more of the innovative exercises, and especially of those that require the student to supply Latin endings, words or phrases. The value of filling blanks, responding to stimuli and working simple transformations is to build reflexes in the target language, but reflexes cannot be built by the half-page or so of material found in a chapter of this book. It takes a much greater quantity: several pages for each lesson is normal in teaching living languages. Such volume is feasible because the exercises can be done quickly, much more so than translating or composing entire sentences. The shortage is partly made good by a website with additional exercises (see above); even so, more would be better. The ancillary study guide I have mentioned will apparently not fill this particular lacuna, though it will provide other activities. This study guide, not prepared by Susan Shelmerdine, follows a stricter grammar-translation programme than she does herself: it gives more elaborate explanations of grammatical concepts; its exercises, if the sample I have seen is representative, are limited to recognition of constructions and other features in unseen Latin texts.
Another criticism: Shelmerdine's "made Latin" is not as natural as might be wished, and occasionally it is faulty. P. 41: "Graeci et Troiani bellum longum pugnant" ('bellum pugnare' is poetical and rare even in the poets; normal Latin says 'gerere'). P. 48: "Nautae trans multos pontos errabant" ('pontus', beside being out of place in prose, is exclusively singular). Finally, the sentences used as samples and in exercises would be more effective if their subject-matter were more striking and memorable. Of course, I am aware how much easier that is said than done in a beginner's manual, with its constraints of vocabulary and grammar.
I regard the following as the strengths of this book.
1) Vocabulary is introduced at a sensible pace and well selected, leading by the end of the course to a useful basic lexicon.
2) The innovative exercises set this textbook apart from nearly all others. I have complained that there are not enough of them; even so, they mark an advance over books that require only translation.
3) The grammatical explanations are clear and free of superfluous detail. Though downplayed by more modern approaches, I doubt that grammatical rules and analyses can work any real harm, so long as they do not crowd out other matter.4 Susan Shelmerdine has done a fine job of them. She has a gift for lucidity and concision and above all assumes no prior familiarity with grammar. Sometimes she actually provides exercises to work on a concept in English before taking it up in Latin: so in chapter 17 voice is introduced with examples from English and a half-page English text in which students must distinguish the active verbs from the passive; they must then abstract the rules of passive-formation in English. Shelmerdine has also included instructions (and even exercises) on matters most textbook-writers don't think of: how to read a dictionary-entry, for instance. In all of this one recognizes a teacher of experience, devotion and much innate skill.
On balance, this book is quite a good one. I have seen no other beginner's manual, of any approach whatever, so very friendly to the student. While urging classicists to follow the lead of the modern languages, I understand that few will be ready to abandon wholly the grammar-translation method by which they were themselves taught and for which their techniques are designed. For those who do not take that step, Introduction to Latin is an excellent choice. In fact, I consider it their best choice wherever students lack basic grammatical knowledge, that is to say in all but the most elite institutions.
1. The revisions concern matters of copy-editing and formatting, not substance.
2. There is a vast literature on the theory and practice of language teaching, almost entirely ignored by classicists. For those who wish to explore it, two excellent surveys provide an entrée: Patsy Lightbown and Nina Spada, How languages are learned, Oxford, 3rd ed. 2006 (on the theory of language acquisition); Jack C. Richards and Theodore S. Rodgers, Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching, Cambridge, 2nd ed. 2001 (on practical classroom techniques). Bibliographical searches, I warn, are more complicated than in classics: Linguistics & Language Behavior Abstracts, ERIC and PsycINFO (as well as other tools) can all be used, though no one of them relied upon exclusively. If one's aim on the other hand is just to sample good recent work, much of it can be turned up by old-fashioned thumbing in: Applied Linguistics, The International Journal of Applied Linguistics, International Review of Applied Linguistics, Language and Education, Language Learning, The Modern Language Journal, Second Language Research, Studies in Second Language Acquisition. The writings of Stephen Krashen deserve mention as having been particularly influential. Note: Second Language Acquisition and Second Language Learning, Oxford, 1981; The Input Hypothesis: Issues and Implications, London, 1985; Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition, Oxford, 1982.
3. Of the complete introductions to Latin available at this date in the Anglo-American market, most belong in the grammar-translation camp (Wheelock and Jenney being the most familiar of these). A few others (Cambridge Latin Course, Oxford Latin Course, Ecce Romani) use a more inductive, reading-based approach, which still incorporates only a tiny part of good modern-language practice; methods fully those of the enlightened modern-language class are found only in Lingua Latina per se Illustrata by Hans Orberg. In saying that I leave out of account Milena Minkova and Terence Tunberg, Lingua Latina Perennis: an Introductory Course to the Language of the Ages (Wauconda: Bolchazy-Carducci), since it will not be available until 2008 (Global Books in Print has shown it as already out, an error repeated by the annual survey of textbooks in Classical World). When it does appear it is sure to be unconventional, or rather seem so to classicists.
4. I am here speaking of the text itself. If the study guide is used, there is a danger that abstract questions of grammar will absorb the student's time and thought.
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Travel in 2007 was plagued with long delays, high gas prices, increased air travel, record lows for the dollar, and new passport regulations. These factors may contribute to many people staying closer to home in 2008.
A recent CNN.com report predicts what the upcoming year will hold for travel, based on the previous year's numbers. People will continue to travel, but most will try to conserve money by cutting down their vacation time, staying with friends or relatives, and avoiding far-off destinations with unfavorable exchange rates. National park visits increased last year, and the numbers will likely continue to rise in 2008. Hawaii also rated as a favorite stop for U.S. travelers.
A few of the other predictions include:
- Two-hour delays may become the norm for air travel, if the previous year's trend continues.
- With the dollar weakening, people will seek out alternative accommodations such as apartments or rentals in Europe.
- Travel to Latin America will continue to increase as more Americans realize the dollar stretches further in these places.
- Canada will see a further decrease in U.S. travelers, due in large part to the new passport requirements and the strength of the Canadian dollar.
It would be nice if we were surprised in 2008 by the airlines treating passengers more humanely, prices fairly reflecting the service and amenities, and the dollar making a comeback. However, all we can do at this point is to be polite to other travelers, as we really are all in this together.
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Rensselaer Central Schools
We pride ourselves in our commitment to student learning, outstanding teachers, and
quality programs. Renselaer offers a diverse education experience that is student-centered allowing all children to succeed. Feel free to contact us at anytime about your student's success.
iPads in the Classroom
Beginning in the fall of 2013, RCSC will provide an iPad for each student to enhance their education. Primary School students will utilize an iPad Mini that will remain in the school for student use. Students in grades 3-12 will use a full size iPad for use at school and at home. Classroom teachers are busy planning for implementation in our 1:1 Digital Device Implementation. More information about the implementation will be available soon.
RCSC Extended Care
Designed for students enrolled in grades Age 4 Pre-School through Grade 5, these programs provide quality care for students before the school and after school dismisses when families have a need for child care. The program will be in session each elementary school day.
Before School Care: 6:30 am – 7:45 am
After School Care: 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Beginning in the 2013-2014 school year
Student safety is of the utmost importance at Rensselaer Schools. To anonomously report bullying, drugs, violence, or any situation that needs addressed call the Safe School Helpline or visit them on the web. When an issue is reported to the Safe School Helpline, Safe Schools contacts RCSC. All issues are reported are investigated by RCSC and results reported to the Safe School Helpline. The helpline will then contact you with the results of your inquiry.
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PUBLISHER : E. & J. B. Young, New York, 1881-1903
Eyre & Spottiswoode had an American branch for Bible publishing from 1848 or earlier. In 1868, already on Cooper Square, ownership passed to "Pott & Amery, who were succeeded in 1871 by Pott, Young & Co. From 1881 until [February] 1903, the year of the merger [with the Bible house of Thomas Nelson & Sons], the business was conducted as E. & J. B. Young & Co." (Tebbel). The firm submitted catalogs to PTLA 1881-1883, 1885-1902; Lucile is included 1887-1888, but is not mentioned 1885-1886 or 1889-1898, 1902; catalogs for 1881-1883, 1897, 1899-1901 have not been checked.
LUCILE’s ISSUED BY E. & J. B. Young:
PW 24 September 1887: 6 Cooper Union, "Red-Line Poets. Two new series of silk plush bindings. Copper - Bronze - Ornament $3.00. With celluloid (Antique Ivory) ornament. Novel and Showy, $3.50. Both lines are padded and have round corners and gilt edge. They are supplied in eighteen of the most salable authors. Each book put up in a box." List includes Meredith [Works] and Lucile with * note: "* These are Large-Print Editions and do not have Red Lines." Illustration of Shakespeare volume.
Last revised: 28 January 2011
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Even the healthiest baby depends on you for basic maintenance. But what's the best way to clean your little one's eyes and ears, trim his tiny nails, deal with dry skin, and give him a bath? Find out how to clean and care for your new baby from head to toe. Plus, learn about baby acne, your baby's genitals and belly button, and other newborn features.
Bathing a tiny, squirming newborn baby for the first time may seem a little scary at first. Before your baby's born, see our tips on choosing a bathtub. And be sure to watch our step-by-step video to prepare for that first bath.
Your baby's body may seem like a bit of a mystery to you. Get advice on taking care of your baby, from how to soothe him with infant massage to fighting a flaky scalp and helping his belly button area heal.
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| 2
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Telecoms and technology innovations
A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT? THERE'S AN APP FOR THAT...
Creek Watch is a new iPhone application that enables people to help monitor the health of their local waterways. Whenever they pass by waterways they can take a picture and report what they see, from how fast the water is flowing, to how much rubbish is present. Creek Watch collects the data and shares it with water control boards to help them track pollution, manage water resources and plan environmental programmes.
Mobile technology is increasingly being used to mobilise the public to monitor their local environment. French organisation Montre Verte recruits citizens to monitor the air quality around Paris, while the Urban Forest Map allows people to map the trees of San Francisco.
See how it works
Innovators: IBM Research, Living Environments Lab, California State Water Control Board.
REDUCING BUSINESS TRAVEL THROUGH VIDEOCONFERENCING
New technology means it’s possible to be present at a meeting almost anywhere in the world without actually having to travel there. Videoconferencing technology is well established and easily accessible, and is improving all the time. Substituting telepresence for business travel saves time and money, and substantially reduces carbon emissions. This combination makes a very appealing business case. If large UK and US businesses implemented 10,000 telepresence units – 5.5 million metric tonnes of CO2 emissions will be saved from reduced business travel.
Benefits: carbon reduction
Innovators: Cisco, HP, Polycom, AT&T
ENVIRONMENTAL SENSOR NETWORKS
Networks of cheap micro-sensors – mini-computers that collect high resolution, real-time data – could transform the way we monitor and manage our impact on the natural environment. One project in the Australian rainforest is using solar-powered sensors to measure variables such as temperature and moisture, and analysing audio and video to estimate species numbers.
Possible benefits include better ecosystem health monitoring for critically endangered habitats, and more accurate resource management for fisheries, forest carbon, watersheds and aquifers. Environmental sensor networks are also being used in adaptive buildings that automatically respond to changes in temperature and weather to manage heating, cooling and lighting.
Benefits: biodiversity; energy efficiency
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Types of Cancer: Colon
Research Institution: Queensland Institute for Medical Research, Brisbane (QIMR)
Research program leader: Professor Emma Whitelaw, acknowledged, globally, as a world leader in epigenetics. is expanding her research to cover the role of epigenetics in human disease, including cancer.
Senior Scientists: Professor Georgia Chenevix-Trench, Professor Nick Hayward
Featured Outcome: A research program identifying genes involved in maintaining the genome in the ‘correct’ epigenetic state. ACRF’s funding will provide fit-out of equipment for The ACRF Centre for Cancer Epigenetics where this important research is to be conducted.
Background / overview: Epigenetics is the study of mechanisms which modify DNA structure, and thus change gene expression, without influencing the DNA base sequence. This program will have particular interest in the molecular mechanisms of epigenetic modification and how these mechanisms influence phenotype.
Such information has relevance to our ability to understand the genesis and development of cancer both for familial and sporadic cancer. This is a very new area of research and will enable the identification of genes which increase susceptibility to tumours.
This research program at QIMR is the first of its kind in the world and will use the power of forward genetics to identify new genes involved in a range of human cancers.
The research will contribute to the development of personalised presymptomatic health care for members of families found to have inherited mutations in chromatin caretakers.
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| 2.203125
| 2
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(Same as Bioengineering M227.) Lecture, four hours; outside study, eight hours. Designed for graduate students. Introduction to networking, communications, and information infrastructures in medical environment. Exposure to basic concepts related to networking at several levels: low-level (TCP/IP, services), medium-level (network topologies), and high-level (distributed computing, Web-based services) implementations. Commonly used medical communication protocols (HL7, DICOM) and current medical information systems (HIS, RIS, PACS). Advances in networking, such as wireless health systems, peer-to-peer topologies, grid/cloud computing. Introduction to security and encryption in networked environments. Letter grading.
This course will be offered by the Information Studies Department in Fall 2012.
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http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/programs-and-outreach/easton-technology-leadership/related-technology-courses-available-elsewhere-on-campus/medical-information-infrastructures-and-internet-technologies-(m254)
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David McNew/Getty Images
People line up before dawn for free healthcare service at the Remote Area Medical (RAM) clinic at the Los Angeles Sports Arena on April 27, 2010 in Los Angeles, California.
The Los Angeles Sports Arena will host another free medical and dental clinic this fall. The nonprofit Remote Area Medical helped organize two previous clinics at the Sports Arena, but this time a new operator will sponsor the event.
The nonprofit group CareNow is putting together the fall clinic, which will run from Oct. 20 to 23. Patients will be able to sign up for free medical, dental and vision care.
Donald Manelli says this time around, there will be more of a focus on follow-up care. Manelli, the president of CareNow, also helped oversee the two previous clinics at the Sports Arena.
In addition to the volunteer doctors and dentists, representatives from local clinics and private practices will be on site. “So as you go through, if your dentist sees something, or the eye exam shows that you have Type 2 diabetes ... you’ll go to a referral desk before you leave the building and you’ll walk out with an appointment at a follow-up provider who will see you and take care of you, " said Manelli.
He said even patients who don't have insurance will receive follow-up care if they need it.
Organizers also plan to use the clinic to train first responders for disaster situations. The clinic's operators are working with L.A. County's disaster preparedness agency.
“The way we’re set up with registration and triage and the way the services are set up, the way the patients move through, the hierarchy of professional command within the event, all those things are pretty parallel to what you would do in a disaster situation,” said Manelli.
As with the previous clinics, the organizers will hand out wristbands in the days before the clinic opens to cut down on the lines. Manelli is looking for volunteer doctors and dentists to help at the event.
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.scpr.org/news/2011/07/11/27667/free-clinic-returns-la-sports-arena-fall/
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|
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Your view on paintball may change after you've seen all of these artistic paintball creations. Paintball guns are typically used to play paintball, but recently artists have been using them to create original and classic works of art. Paintball guns allow artists to paint quickly and from a distance, both of which help greatly when creating large-scale paintings. Shooting a paintball gun can also be a lot of fun too.
These artistic paintball creations include classic and original works of art. Both the classics and original works are amazing and wonderfully creative, but when it comes to playing favorites, the nod has to go to the classic paintball art. There's nothing (at least in the world of paintball art) quite like seeing the Mona Lisa recreated using a gun that shoots paint.
11 Artistic Paintball Creations
727 clicks in 10 w
More Stats +/-
From Paintball Murals to Paint-Splattered Skulls
Published: Mar 11, 2013
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.trendhunter.com/slideshow/artistic-paintball-creations
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en
| 0.94782
| 199
| 1.617188
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|
We wanted to get beyond the two catch-alls of American politics, the Democratic and Republican parties, and see where people actually stand. Parties can bring together people with marginally differing values and make collective action easier. But party platforms can misrepresent their constituents, and blind loyalty to a party can convince individuals to harbor inconsistent views.
The goal of this test was to exactly classify your personal politics, without the traditional labels. We avoided the edgy party issues and focused on fundamental values. Your score is a measure of what you believe in, economically and socially.
Higher permissiveness, on either axis, indicates a "live and let live" philosophy. Of course, we're almost conditioned in America, "Land of the Free", to think positively of such a philosophy. But practically speaking, permissiviness (or its opposite, regulation) can create any number of outcomes:
For example, on the economic axis, a highly permissive system, like the American system of the early 1900s, might mean things like low taxes and increased scientific innovation. It might also result, as it did back then, in unrestricted child labor and millions of poor people with black lung.
At the other end of the economic spectrum, a highly regulated system might conserve the environment, establish national health care, and eliminate poverty. But as we've learned from the Soviet system, extreme regulation can also lead to stagnation, sameness, and unhappiness.
If you liked the test, forward it. Thanks for participating.
Sharing Your Results
A link to the test itself:
Your results, for a blog, livejournal, FaceBook, or MySpace:
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<urn:uuid:6b7e4567-0f24-4546-8fbc-349d1b2d225e>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.okcupid.com/politics?describe=Democrat&score=2137
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en
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Q. I just learned that my spayed dog isn’t really spayed. She was spayed in Germany, where they only take out the ovaries. My vet here says she might get a serious infection or even cancer and wants to operate again. I don’t know what to do.
Your dog is spayed. Whether we take out the ovaries alone or the uterus and the ovaries, as it’s commonly done in the United States, the procedure is still colloquially known as a “spay.”
European vets can’t figure why their U.S. colleagues take out the whole shebang when removing two small bits of tissue is all that’s required to prevent pregnancy. Meanwhile, most vets on this side of the pond argue that getting rid of the uterus can help prevent serious issues down the road.
Uterine infections and cancer are still theoretically possible if the uterus is left behind. European studies, however, have not found infections to be a significant problem. That’s because removing the ovaries eliminates the hormones and hormonal fluctuations that give rise to infections. And uterine cancer? At a prevalence of 0.003 percent, it’s not a compelling reason to operate.
In fact, when you consider that excessive bleeding, anesthetic risk and incision infections top the surgical complication list for spay patients, it makes sense that we would remove as little as possible, as fast as possible, with as tiny an incision as possible. And that’s exactly why European vets prefer it.
So why do we still spay the way we do in this country? Because that’s how we learned to do it. Still, a “leftover” uterus is not a good reason for follow-up surgery.
Dr. Patty Khuly has a veterinary practice in South Miami and blogs at www.dolittler.com. Send questions to firstname.lastname@example.org, or Dr. Dolittler, Tropical Life, The Miami Herald, 1 Herald Plaza, Miami, FL 33132.
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/12/08/3131476/european-us-vets-spay-differently.html
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en
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The IBM 7090
Announced in late 1958, IBM replaced the aging 709 (the last of the 700 line we saw a few pages ago) with the 7090. In fact, in many ways, the 7090 was essentially a 709 made with 50,000 transistors rather than vacuum tubes. However, there were many benefits because of it, including both speed and reliability.
The 7090 and its later upgraded form, the 7094, were classic, powerful, and very large mainframe computers--and they were very expensive. The 7090 cost around $63,500 a month to rent in a typical configuration, and that did not include electricity.
Despite its cost, the speed of this machine could still make it very appealing. It was roughly five to six times faster than the 709 it had replaced, and was capable of 229,000 additions or subtractions, 39,500 multiplications, or 32,700 divisions in one second. The 7094, announced in 1962, was capable of 250,000 additions or subtractions, 100,000 multiplications, and 62,500 divisions per second. It could use 32,768 36-bit words of core storage.
However, outside of implementing the newest technologies (core memory, RAMAC, transistors, etc.) and the consequent improvement in speed, power use, and reliability, it was not functionally very different from its predecessor. Jobs were executed by collecting them on reels of tape and were run in batches, and the results were given back to the programmer when done.
While the performance, capacity, and reliability of these machines were impressive (mainly due to the move to transistors and other new technologies), it would be a stretch to call this a groundbreaking machine that pushed the boundaries of computing.
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.tomshardware.com/picturestory/508-11-mainframe-computer-history.html
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|
Once upon a time a little candle stood in a room filled with other candles, most of them much larger and much more beautiful than she was. Some were ornate and some were rather simple, like herself. Some were white, some were blue, some were pink and some were green. She had no idea why she was there, and the other candles made her feel rather small and insignificant.
When the sun went down and the room began to get dark, she noticed a large man walking toward her with a ball of fire on a stick. She suddenly realized that the man was going to set her on fire.
“No, no!!”, She cried, “Aaaaagghhh! Don’t burn me, please don’t burn me!!” But she knew that she could not be heard and prepared for the pain that would surely follow.
To her surprise, the room filled with light. She wondered where it came from since the man had extinguished his fire stick. To her delight, she realized that the light came from herself.
Then the man struck another fire stick and, one by one, lit the other candles in the room. Each one gave out the same light that she did.
During the next few hours, she noticed that, slowly, her wax began to flow. She became aware that she would soon die. With this realization came a sense of why she had been created.
“Perhaps my purpose on earth is to give out light until I die”, she mused. And that’s exactly what she did.
Lord created you and me to produce light in a dark world. Like that little candle, we all can produce the light and enlighten the world, no matter how small we are or of what color we might be. But we can’t produce light until we receive it from an outside source. And that source of light is ‘ALLAH’, our Lord, the creator of the world.
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.sunniforum.com/forum/showthread.php?12483-The-Little-Candle
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|
en
| 0.989004
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|
This post is from the Spring 2012 edition of B. Magazine
There is an allure to country living. Rural residents revel in songbirds, vibrant night skies and a pace of life that rewards quiet and solitude. But like their urban brethren, when health issues arise country residents desire quality, accessibility and affordable care. Unfortunately, statistics show that compounding circumstances are giving rise to a crisis in rural health care.
A recent United Health Group study reveals that in remote areas of the United States, 18 percent of residents are now more than 65 years old, versus the 13 percent national average. Families in rural areas are disproportionately living below the federal poverty level, and people living outside of metropolitan areas have a higher rate of chronic illnesses (hypertension, diabetes, cancer and arthritis) induced, in part, by increased smoking and obesity. The grim picture? Rural residents in our country are older and sicker than urban residents.
These factors alone are enough to have a large impact on insurance coverage and availability in rural areas. To complicate matters, nearly one third of the older rural population is utilizing Medicare or Medicaid as its primary source of coverage versus one quarter of that population in urban areas. Rural Americans are more likely to be uninsured compared to city dwellers, and private insurance coverage rates in rural areas lag behind their counterparts in urban areas by 6 percent. (more…)
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://blogs.stthomas.edu/opusmagnum/tag/rural/
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|
en
| 0.940097
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|
This awesome 84 page set includes books, activities, a chick crafty, and so much more. And, it is ALL ABOUT CHICKS!!
Included in this set is:
-4 pages about the chick life cycle
-13 page non-fiction book about hens, roosters, chicks, and the chick hatching process
-a 20 page (1/2 sheet) mini book "All About Chicks" that the students will construct. This goes directly with the non-fiction book mentioned above. Directions are included.
-a can, have, are chart
-a KWL chart
-3 class graphs "Which Chick Will Hatch First?" (available for 8 eggs, 10 eggs, and 12 eggs)
-a 10+ page (1/2 sheet) mini book called "___'s Chick Journal". This is where the children record observations from the incubator and chick hatching process. Directions are included.
-a 8 page (1/2 sheet) mini book called "____'s Chick Hatching Book". This is a book that goes over the whole chick hatching process, but it is all mixed up. Students cut out pages, illustrate, and put in the correct order.
-3 chicken labeling pages
-7 egg Math pages (includes addition, subtraction, and mixed)
-a chick crossword puzzle (with key)
-2 ABC order pages (with keys)
-a chicken word scramble (with key)
-12 chicken writing pages...2 different line styles (3 sets-you can mix and match fronts and backs!)
-5 pages for the chick crafty writing activity. Shows example and gives pieces and directions. So cute!
-a 2 page (12 problem) Chick Test
This is a fabulous set for your kindergartener, first grader or second grader. This covers everything you ever wanted to know about chicks and hatching chick eggs in an incubator!
Thank you for "Chick"in' this out! : ) Remember to follow me! For every 20 followers I get, I add a new freebie!
I absolutely LOVE this pack!! I am so glad I purchased it! It includes SO much!!! I was wondering if it would be possible to for you to make a "Which Chick Will Hatch First" graph that would allow to choose amongst 30 eggs? I know that would mean a lot more columns, and if it is not possible, I will understand. (Also would it be possible to make the y axis starting at 0 instead of starting at 10?) Thanks so much for considering. :)
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/ALL-ABOUT-CHICKS-and-Chickens-Books-Crafty-and-Activities-255768
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en
| 0.915284
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|
Gary Lutz, “The Sentence is a Lonely Place,” reprinted in The Believer in 2009 and brought to my attention by Ben Lansky. This is as good an essay on writing as I’ve read, and it satisfies a requirement for a good discussion of craft which David Cole called “determinacy.” Writing about craft is determinate when it provides concrete, actionable knowledge.
Lutz is specific; he gets into details, documents the relations between letters, thinks about the components from which, after all, writing is made. An astonishing amount of writing-on-writing (and the overwhelming majority of writers themselves) fail to do so, preferring the heights of feelings and ideas and politics and so on.
In her story “The Blood Jet,” Schutt ends a sentence about “life after a certain age” by describing it capsularly as “acutely felt, clearly flat”—two pairs of words in which an adverb precedes an adjective. The adjectives (felt and flat) are both monosyllabic, they are both four letters in length, and they both share the same consonantal casing: they begin with a tentative-sounding, deflating f and end with the abrupt t. In between the two ends of each adjective, Schutt retains the l, though it slides one space backward in the second adjective; and for the interior vowel, she moves downward from a short e to a short a. The predecessive adverbs acutely and clearly share the k-sounding c, and both words are constituted of virtually the same letters, except that clearly doesn’t retain the t of acutely. The four-word phrase has a resigned and final sound to it; there is more than a little agony in how, with just two little adjustments,felt has been diminished and transmogrified into flat, in how the richness of receptivity summed up in felt has been leveled into the thudding spiritlessness of flat. All of this emotion has been delivered by the most ordinary of words—nothing dredged up from a thesaurus. But what is perhaps most striking about the four-word phrase is the family resemblances between the two pairs of words. There is nothing in the letter-by-letter makeup of the phrase “clearly flat” that wasn’t already physically present in “acutely felt”; the second of the two phrases contains the alphabetic DNA of the first phrase. There isn’t, of course, an exact, anagrammatic correspondence between the two pairs of words; the u of the first pair, after all, hasn’t been carried over into the second pair. (Schutt isn’t stooping to recreational word games here.) But the page-hugging, rather than page-turning, reader—the very reader whom a writer such as Schutt enthralls—cannot help noticing that the second phrase is a selective rearrangement, a selective redisposition, of the first one—a declension, really, as if, within the verbal environment of the story, there were no other direction for the letters in the first pair of words to go. There is nothing random about what has happened here. Schutt’s phrase has achieved the condition that Susan Sontag, in her essay about the prose of poets, called “lexical inevitability.”
Writers who aren’t thinking of this level of detail, who aren’t working on their sentences in this manner, aren’t writing; they’re talking in text. Poetry is typically the densest, most-perfected composition, where nothing is incidental, extraneous, automatic, empty, or indifferent to form; prose can approach poetics quite closely if written with attention and concern, with equivalent obsessions for form and content; but most writing is just content: ideas that might as well be written another way, stories that could be told (and are appreciated) as memes or mirrors for selves.
I was delighted to see DeLillo cited repeatedly in the essay (which would be worth reading if only as a sample of extraordinary sentences). I adore his sentences, which combine concreteness and poetics, plainness and depth, with such easy facility that I can stare at them for minutes, come back to them again and again trying to work them out; they seem either like magic or like the result of more-than-sufficiently advanced technology, operated with cold and perfect precision.
All of Lutz’s examples and analyses are a delight, worth reading whatever one’s relationship with prose.
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<urn:uuid:f8626135-4e48-4b37-b5dd-0274df7479c1>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://bencourts.tumblr.com/post/26161741634/it-took-me-almost-another-decade-after-graduate
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s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00046-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.962444
| 971
| 1.9375
| 2
|
(Rising 4th - 6th grades)
This is your chance to choose what you want to do. Each week campers "Explore" in one of the following activities: Sports & Games, Art & Drama, Great Outdoors, Challenge Course, or Horseback Riding (Colt Camp) for the entire week. Each camper will have the opportunity to do other activities on the Triple C grounds to enhance their exploration area, such as daily swims and spending time on the ropes/challenge course which includes climbing the 35 foot tower. Explorers can stay at camp for overnights in our summer cabins, fully equipped with bathrooms and showers.
Sports & Games will emphasize both individual and team play. Campers will learn new skills in a variety of sports such as basketball, soccer, tennis, archery, softball, and golf. Other activities will include great camp games like capture the flag, the pursuit relay, British Bulldogs, and much more.
Art and Drama is a combination of creating art projects and mini performances. Campers will sing, act, draw, and paint. Group projects may include designing sets for plays or a mural for one of the camp buildings. Individual activities may include water colors, pastels, sculpture, wood working, and more.
Great Outdoors will be a combination of camping, science, and nature activities. This gives campers time to explore our streams, hike the trails, tend the camp animals, and learn outdoor living skills. When it's time for the overnight, campers will have a great outdoor overnight experience.
Colt Camp focuses on the equine and will include daily riding instruction, learning to care for and feed the horses, stable management, and horsemanship. Tack and helmets are provided by camp. Campers must be prepared to wear proper riding attire (long pants and sturdy shoes).
Challenge Course Team building, experiential education, and individual high challenges on OUR OWN Challenge Course make this Explorer choice a non-stop adventure while building self-esteem, confidence and communication skills. Each camper will have the opportunity to climb our 35-foot tower and ride the 500-foot zipline.
Other Age Programs:
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<urn:uuid:30417b19-3ee1-418f-9ea2-728c6bb08d72>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://tripleccamp.com/Day-Camp/Camp-Programs/Explorers--Rising-4th-6th-Graders.aspx
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|
en
| 0.938884
| 448
| 1.96875
| 2
|
Instead of using an Intel Atom N570 processor with really poor integrated graphics, the new Samsung Chromebook 550 uses an Intel Celeron 867 processor with much better graphics. From an Atom CPU to a Sandy Bridge CULV processor, there's an important step up. Intel Celeron 867 is a low-end processor that lacks many features that are available in Core i3/i5/i7, but it's 3 times as fast as the old CPU (according to Google).
The new Chromebook doesn't meet Intel's requirements to be called an ultrabook, but it's almost there. It has an Intel Core CULV CPU, the height is 20 mm instead of 18 mm and the battery life is more than 5 hours (it's actually 6 hours).
The old Chromebook was pretty expensive for a netbook, but the new one is cheap for an almost-ultrabook that actually has a matte screen, a great keyboard, a powerful touchpad, it boots almost instantly and is not hindered by an operating system that gets in the way. Now that Chrome OS has a more familiar interface and Chrome can run native apps, the new Chrome devices could gain more traction.
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<urn:uuid:6ed2daee-8ec8-44f7-993e-181c42116fd5>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://googlesystem.blogspot.de/2012/06/chromebook-ultrabook.html
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s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
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en
| 0.964258
| 243
| 1.53125
| 2
|
[erlang-questions] erlang flagship product (was The Beauty of Erlang Syntax)
Tue Feb 24 22:41:56 CET 2009
> Show me reliable system in Java with million SLOC. Java is
> "academic". Be fair, Java system should have about ten or
> more million SLOC to be compared to AXD 301.
It's a great story but why is the AXD301 (a project from the 1990s) still held up as the flagship example of the virtues of erlang? Is this still the best we have?
The software development universe has evolved from where it was in 1997. Surely there are more recent examples of projects where erlang delivered functionality and reliability quickly and cheaply.
Stay connected to the people that matter most with a smarter inbox. Take a look http://au.docs.yahoo.com/mail/smarterinbox
More information about the erlang-questions
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<urn:uuid:46778a19-222e-4899-ae10-19a1c08fa175>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://erlang.org/pipermail/erlang-questions/2009-February/041991.html
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en
| 0.902643
| 196
| 1.59375
| 2
|
Photo © Garth Lenz
This week, we learned that the Harper Government is using closed-door intimidation tactics against Canadian charities. They’re trying to silence groups that question our government’s plans to push the Enbridge western pipeline and supertankers project through overwhelming local opposition, and recklessly expand the tar sands at all costs.
A whistleblower just revealed that the Prime Minister’s Office threatened to revoke the charitable status of Tides Canada if they continue their support for ForestEthics, an environmental group that has engaged thousands of Canadians in the public hearings about the Enbridge project.1
According to the whistleblower, a former senior communications manager for ForestEthics named Andrew Frank, the Prime Minister’s Office told Tides Canada they consider ForestEthics to be an “enemy of the Government of Canada” because of the group’s opposition to the Enbridge pipeline and tar sands expansion.1
This is about more than our jobs and environment. It’s about our rights and our democracy, and we need to speak out now. Together, we can stop these closed-door intimidation tactics by shining a bright light of public attention on our government’s actions.
While we don’t know exactly what was said behind closed doors, the Globe and Mail reports that the Harper Government has called ForestEthics a group “acting against the government of Canada and people of Canada” in private meetings designed to intimidate charitable funders.2 And Peter Robinson, the Chief Executive Officer of the David Suzuki Foundation, says that environmental groups are “right to worry” that the government will threaten the charitable status of groups they disagree with in order to shut down debate.3
The latest threats are part of a much larger pattern. Internal documents from March 2011 outline the Harper Government’s strategy to spend Canadian tax dollars on a PR and lobbying campaign to derail Europe’s climate and environmental policy. The foreign lobbying strategy lists First Nations and environmental groups as the government’s “adversaries,” while oil companies, industry associations, and the National Energy Board are listed as the government’s “allies.”4
Our government’s job is to provide a free and open forum for Canadians to hear the arguments and evidence for and against the Enbridge western pipeline and oil supertanker project, so that together we can decide whether or not the project is in Canada’s best interests.
Instead, Prime Minister Harper is abusing the power of government to silence Canadians who are concerned about a project that will kill jobs, destabilize the climate and threaten our salmon and coast.
The public hearings about the Enbridge western pipeline and supertanker project are now severely compromised in three ways:
We are seeing a radical shift in our national conversation, an aggressive attempt to poison the well of debate with public smears and private threats against organizations that Canadians have built to help us all have a voice on the issues that matter.
We need your help to speak out and tell Prime Minister Harper that Canadians will not be silenced.
PS - Emma Pullman, Leadnow's research director, has found very close ties between industry front-group EthicalOil.org, the Sun Media network and the Prime Minister’s Office that suggest they have a coordinated strategy to create an echo chamber for pro-oil industry and anti-environmental group talking points. You can learn more here: http://www.desmogblog.com/friends-benefits-harper-government-ethicaloil-org-and-sun-media-connection
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<urn:uuid:55eaad8c-ecc7-4d97-9ee9-b9904681c5e3>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.leadnow.ca/fair-hearings
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en
| 0.935216
| 742
| 1.695313
| 2
|
Flames from a bonfire on Cannon Green rise skyward on Saturday night, Nov. 17, as Princetonians celebrated dual football victories over Harvard and Yale. Supervised by firefighters, students assembled a pyre of wood pallets and topped it with an outhouse, all of which was torched as students, alumni and friends cheered.
Photo by John Jameson
- View video: Princeton Bonfire 2012
Traditional bonfire sparks Princeton spirit
Posted November 18, 2012; 05:00 p.m.
Princeton students, faculty, staff and alumni celebrated the University's achievement in football this fall with a traditional bonfire on Cannon Green on Saturday, Nov. 17.
The bonfire, a campus custom dating to the late 1800s, is now observed when Princeton sweeps Harvard and Yale in football. This year, the University celebrated Tiger football's come-from-behind 39-34 victory over Harvard on Oct. 20 and its 29-7 defeat of Yale on Nov. 10.
Students watch the flames from the bonfire light up the night sky. (Photo by John Jameson)
"I want to thank everyone who is part of Princeton football. This is a great tradition and this year this team gave us a game that will go down in the history books," President Shirley M. Tilghman said before the start of the bonfire, referring to Princeton's fourth quarter stunner against Harvard.
Prior to Saturday, Tigers last gathered around a campus bonfire in 2006. Before that, the flame was last kindled in 1994.
President Shirley M. Tilghman addresses the crowd at the bonfire. (Photo by John Jameson)
The Undergraduate Student Government and four undergraduate class governments sponsored this year's bonfire. In addition to raising the spirits of the University community, the event also raised money for victims of Hurricane Sandy, which devastated parts of the Northeast last month. Student government leaders plan to donate all proceeds from the sale of commemorative bonfire T-shifts and posters to hurricane relief efforts.
According to University lore, the first reported instances of sanctioned bonfires at Princeton were to celebrate victories in baseball, not football. As football gained in popularity and as games with Harvard and Yale started taking place each year, the bonfire came to symbolize the capture of the mythical award, The Big Three title. The first year Princeton beat both Harvard and Yale was 1878, according to "A Princeton Companion."
Students from the freshman, sophomore, junior and senior classes took shifts on Saturday, Nov. 17, to assemble wood pallets for the bonfire. (Photos by Steve McDonald)
Preparations for the 2012 bonfire began early Saturday morning, as the freshman, sophomore, junior and senior classes worked in shifts to build a tower of wood pallets in the middle of Cannon Green. Student groups also made effigies of John Harvard and a Yale bulldog, as well as a traditional wooden outhouse, to be burned with the blaze. The University fire marshal, carpentry shop and the Princeton Fire Deparment oversaw construction.
The traditional wooden outhouse, displaying the score of the Nov. 10 Princeton-Yale game, sits atop the pyre. (Photo by Steve McDonald)
As night fell, crowds gathered around the pyre for remarks from Tilghman, Bob Surace, the Charles W. Caldwell Jr. '25 Head Coach of Football, as well representatives from the football team and student government. And then, with the help of the Princeton Fire Department, the flame was lit and the dark sky set aglow.
After enjoying the warmth of the fire, the music of the Princeton University Band and camaraderie of the gathering, the large group sang "Old Nassau" before the fire department extinguished the flames.
The Princeton University Band marches toward Cannon Green for the start of the bonfire on Saturday evening. (Photo by John Jameson)
The Princeton Football Team awaits the start of the bonfire. The team beat both Harvard and Yale this season, leading to the University's first bonfire since 2006. (Photo by John Jameson)
The Undergraduate Student Government and four undergraduate class governments sponsored the 2012 bonfire. The USG raised money for Hurricane Sandy relief by selling commemorative bonfire T-shirts and posters at the event. (Photos by Neil Mills)
Students cheered as the flames consumed the pyre. (Photo by John Jameson)
A student captures an image of the flames with a camera phone. (Photo by Neil Mills)
The massive bonfire set Cannon Green aglow on Saturday. (Photo by Kevin Birch)
The Princeton Fire Department extinguishes the bonfire blaze at the end of the event. (Photo by John Jameson)
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The US is in the box seat for the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) negotiations but despite the Americans' clear negotiating clout - obvious on the outskirts of the TPP talks at SkyCity Convention Centre - things are not plain sailing.
The powerful US Chamber of Commerce has made it clear that the TPP deal is important to America's future success and job creation.
"Nearly 40 per cent of US merchandise exports go to the other 10 countries participating in the TPP talks, and the sooner we get a deal in place that removes trade barriers and levels the playing field for American companies, the better," the chamber posts.
The US has been demonised as the heavy-handed bogey at the TPP talks.
But it is interesting to look at the four critical issues that the chamber - which represents America's most powerful business interests - wants addressed at the 15th round of talks taking place in Auckland.
Comprehensive market access: The US has sensitivities in apparel and footwear and commodities such as sugar and dairy. The chamber says if America is to achieve its high ambitions in intellectual property, cross-border data flows, and state-owned enterprises (SOEs) the US Administration will have to "screw up its courage and improve its market access offers".
Protections for intellectual property: The chamber believes intellectual property is the cornerstone of innovative economies fuelling everything from life-saving medicines to blockbuster films to green technologies. "This means ensuring the provisions to protect IP are comprehensive, commercially meaningful, and provide genuine incentive for innovation."
Cross-border data flows: The chamber believes that despite billions of individuals and businesses relying on the movement of data across borders as part of today's global economy, the international legal and policy framework has not kept pace with the rapid changes in technology. "The TPP agreement represents an opportunity to set a new, unified standard that will promote increased trade and investment."
Competitive state-owned enterprises: It maintains SOEs that operate in competition with private actors must be held to the same commercial standards as private firms. "The final TPP agreement must enforce a level of discipline and transparency which will prevent anti-competitive behaviour and remove government favouritism. Anything short of enforceable provisions in this area would be a failure by the TPP countries to address some of the most significant barriers to fair trade and investment today."
The devil is clearly in the detail but the upfront approach the US Chamber of Commerce is taking to the TPP talks is welcome.
The US agenda is in fact plain to see from the US Trade Representative Office down. Where it is not, negotiating texts have been deliberately leaked to flush out controversial issues. This is important as the TPP has morphed into effective "semaphore" for the competitive model which the US is promoting as it battles with China for supremacy in driving the economic integration platform for the Asia-Pacific.
This wasn't where it started out when former Labour Trade Minister Phil Goff first got President George Bush's Administration to agree to join the TPP talks. Back then it was simply P4 Plus - a mechanism which the key players hoped would be the pathfinder to a Free Trade Agreement for the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP).
That's still the hope, but the Regional Comprehensive Partnership (RCEP) launched at the recent East Asia Summit proposes a different (and China centric) mechanism for linking the major Asia Pacific players (minus the US).
Right now the NZ Government takes the position it can "have its cake and eat it too", seeing the RCEP as not only an end in its own right but also as providing competitive pressure to get a conclusion to the TPP talks.
But the US integration model is much more prescriptive than RCEP promises.
Former National Prime Minister Jenny Shipley - quoted in the Global Times - cast doubt on the TPP's viability saying it would need to integrate China's economy to become an effective international trading platform.
Dame Jenny - who is also an independent director of China Construction Bank - questioned whether the TPP could attract China. " ... I think China only is likely to come to a Trans Pacific Partnership if it were a much bigger arrangement. I think it's probably a second, third or fourth step. Frankly there's still a big question to whether this project will get off the ground anyway," Shipley said.
The geostrategic issues are important. But at the nitty gritty level of the TPP talks, sources suggest it is proving difficult to get agreement on just how far economic integration should go if the resultant agreement is to ultimately be a docking station with the RCEP agreement.
Within New Zealand there has been plenty of anti-TPP ballast in the news media. But the NZ business sector has been bizarrely absent from the public fray. Suddenly there has been a flurry of media events to promote a business perspective.
First the open letter to the Prime Minister signed by 50 business leaders supporting the NZ negotiating position in the TPP talks, then the launch of a website designed to promote the upside of trade to Kiwis - including the TPP - and finally a joint statement by the NZ and Australian farming lobbies arguing for the elimination of all agricultural and food product tariffs and the reform of non-tariff measures.
There's a fair degree of proselytisation of the free trade mantra. But not a great deal of nitty gritty about the NZ negotiating positions and the trade-offs that will be necessary in the end game of the talks.
If the TPP is in New Zealand business' interests - as I believe it is - the business sector needs to step up both its public and private advocacy.
On the outskirts of the TPP talks there are suggestions that a two-tier system for stakeholder engagement has evolved.
The top tier includes the trusted quasi official stakeholders which each economy appoints as a listening board for the talks. The second tier - including critics - will be included on Friday at the Stakeholders Engagement Day.
There are four parallel streams: intellectual property; environment, labour, goods; health, investment; and intellectual property, transparency, benefits, e-commerce.
Twenty-six of the presenters are from New Zealand with just two of them - the redoubtable law professor Jane Kelsey, who is banging on about her exclusion from Sky City until that time, and activist Penny Bright - among those who are also likely to be carrying a protest banner outside the talks. These position papers should also be publicly posted in the interests of a transparent debate which is not simply PR speak.
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Every day, many Americans receive fraudulent emails that direct recipients to websites where they are asked to verify and input sensitive personal information. The websites to which the email recipients are directed are often very similar, if not actual clones of both official government sites as well as bank sites.
The emails are part of a scam known as "phishing." Phishing is the fraudulent scheme of sending an email to a user claiming to be a legitimate company. The email directs the user to visit a website where they are asked to update personal information, such as name, account and credit card numbers, passwords, social security numbers and other information. The website, however, is not genuine and set up only to steal the user's information to be used for identity theft.
In an effort to fight identity theft, we want to assure our customers that we do not communicate with customers by email requesting important personal information such as your name, account numbers, date of birth, social security number.
How to Protect Yourself
Consumers can protect themselves from any identity theft scam by following these useful tips, developed by the Federal Trade Commission:
- If you get an email that warns you that an account of yours will be shut down unless you confirm your billing information, do not reply or click on the link in the email. Instead, contact the company cited in the email using a telephone number or website address you know to be genuine.
- Avoid emailing personal and financial information. Before submitting financial information through a website, look for the "lock" icon on the browser's status bar. It signals that your information is secure during transmission.
- Review credit card and bank account statements as soon as you receive them to determine whether there are any unauthorized charges. If your statement is late by more than a couple of days, call your credit card company or bank to confirm your billing address and account balances.
- Report suspicious activity to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Send the actual spam to firstname.lastname@example.org. If you believe you've been scammed, file your complaint at www.ftc.gov, and then visit the FTC's Identity Theft Website to learn how to minimize your risk of damage from identity theft. www.OnGuardOnline.gov also provides practical tips from the federal government and the technology industry to help you be on guard against Internet fraud, secure your computer, and protect your personal information.
The Treasury and federal financial regulators are working hard to combat identity theft, however, all consumers must take reasonable precautions in the use of their own personal financial information in order to help prevent themselves from becoming victims of identity thieves.
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Lecture Series: Icons of New Mexico: Volcanoes & the New Mexico Centennial Stamp
Join Dr. Larry Crumpler as he discusses the volcanoes behind New Mexico's Centennial Stamp and the significant new ideas about volcanism that are being formulated through research on New Mexico's many volcanoes. Doug West's serigraph titled "Sanctuary," provides a truly fitting image to represent our state, also known as the "Land of Volcanoes," with a view of the Rio Puerco looking northeast towards the Cerro de Santa Clara and Cerro de Guadalupe volcanic necks.
All audience members will receive the new NM Centennial Stamp!
The New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science reserves the right to cancel any event that does not reach a minimum of 6 participants.
New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science (View)
1801 Mountain Rd NW
Albuquerque, NM 87104
|Kid Friendly: Yes!|
|Dog Friendly: No|
|Wheelchair Accessible: Yes!|
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American businesses expect to spend even less on modernization and expansion this year than they did last year, cutting capital spending by 5.3 percent after inflation, the Commerce Department reports.
At this time last year, businesses had anticipated cutting plant and equipment spending during 1982 only by 0.5 percent, a figure that turned out to be far too optimistic. The department said that for all of 1982 capital spending declined 4.8 percent.
For 1983, the survey indicates a 5.5 percent decline in spending by manufacturers and a 5.1 percent drop by nonmanufacturers.
The most severe cutback is planned for the industries producing goods for immediate consumption, from food to cosmetics, where spending is expected to decline 7.6 percent, after adjustment for inflation. Spending in the durable-goods industries, like autos and machinery, is expected to decline 3.5 percent, the department said.
The inflation rate used in the adjustment for price changes anticipates a 4 percent increase for capital goods this year, down from last year's 4.8 percent.
Administration officials expect capital spending to improve in the second half of 1983, assuming business plans will be revised upward when the economy begins to accelerate. Economists foresee a modest rebound in the economy this year. If the economy doesn't recover, the capital-spending plans of American business could be cut further quarter by quarter.
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Distribution of benchmark results for Intel i5 2500 CPU
After some questions from users about the i5 2500 CPU, we were doing some research today into benchmark results we have collected.
Over at cpubenchmark.net we have charts showing the average performance of various different CPUs.
The charts are for the most part made up of benchmark results submitted by the general public. For the most common CPUs we might have 10,000+ individual samples, for the very rare CPUs only a few samples.
As these results come from random machines each CPU type has a distribution of results. One would imagine that the results are tightly bunched, with a CPU of a certain type always scoring around the same benchmark result. It turns out this is not always the case. Not all CPUs are equal.
At the extreme ends, the slowest machine may be several times slower than the fastest. At the high end people are overclocking their machines to 5Ghz and above and at the low end people have a collection of issues that kills the performance of their machines.
One question that has popped up several times is why the Intel i5 2500 CPU doesn't perform as well as the Intel i5 2500K in our charts. These CPUs are nearly identical out of the box, with the differences in the integrated video and virtualisation features, not impacting on performance.
The first chart is a graph shows the performance of the 1132 different i5 2500 machines we have tested.
This second chart is a graph shows the performance of the 6479 different i5 2500K machines we have tested. Despite being more expensive the i5 2500K is a much more popular chip. At least among our users.
As can be seen many more people are overclocking the i5 2500K, depending on where you draw the line maybe 30% - 40% of all 2500K owners are overclocking their machines. There are also less badly configured machines. Reflecting the fact that 2500K owners are more likely to be computer enthusiasts. Owner of the i5 2500 don't fair as well with maybe 20% of machines having some type of performance sapping issue.
While the more extreme examples of overclocking are filtered from the averages used in the main charts, mildly overclocked machines can still get into the charts.
These factors combine to lift the overall average of the 2500K above the 2500, despite them being very similar from a specifications point of view.
Similar effects can be seen in our charts with other CPUs that are popular with enthusiasts. They tend to rank slightly better than otherwise equivalent CPUs that aren't as popular with the community.
Update: From today, 2/Feb/2012) we are making changes to the way overclocking is detected to improve the accuracy of the charts. This will move the two averages in the above charts significantly closer.
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Wednesday, July 15, 2009
An English Cottage
The English cottage was introduced by British aristocrats who admired the simple beauty of the homes of farmers and craftsmen. These nobles hired architects to design similar buildings for them. The English cottage soon became popular with the general population, especially in North America, because its small scale made it more accessible.
Today, the country charm of an English cottage can be created in any home, not just those with thatched roofs and ivy covered walls.
The windows of an English cottage are often decorated with delicate lace curtains or a floral fabric, like cabbage rose print. A cozy window seat provides a perfect place to enjoy a cup of tea in the china cup passed down from a grandmother.
On the walls of an English cottage hang framed nature prints or memories preserved in vintage frames. A bird tin wall plaque, a collection of framed vintage postcards, or a carefully stitched sentiment, are equally at home here. Favorite family photos in antique frames might hang in the hall, a vintage framed mirror in the entranceway.
The cottage cupboard is an essential element of the English cottage and is used for storage or to display a collection of treasures. On its shelves you might find a glass vase painted with pink roses, an antique English teapot with plum flowers, or a vintage cottage plate. This is the place to store the embroidered tea towels from your mother or the vintage pure white linens you bring out for special occasions.
Outside in the cottage garden, you'll find colorful blooms and roses, or ivy that climbs trellises and arbors. Homemade bird houses wrought iron bird baths, welcoming garden statues, and sweet garden plaques create a cottage feel here too.
With cottage touches in just the right places, the simple beauty of a country cottage can live anywhere, not just in the English countryside.
Join us for Pink Friday at Forget Me Not Dreams and Make Mine Pink.
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In December, REDD+ took another significant step forward when an official agreement on REDD+ was reached at COP16. The UN-REDD Programme applauded the decision, and upon further reflection over the past month, we remain encouraged that REDD+ is on the right track to achieving its goal of reducing emissions from the forestry sector in developing countries.
The COP16 agreement defines REDD+ from a policy perspective, outlining the scope, type of eligible activities, safeguards, and main elements, as well as identifies pending methodological issues to be addressed. Safeguards were one of the biggest breakthroughs in the REDD+ negotiations. The agreement now recognizes the need to “promote and support” safeguards, and requests that a "system for providing information on how safeguards are being addressed and respected" is developed. Safeguards include critical issues such as forest governance, respect for the knowledge and rights of Indigenous Peoples and members of local communities, and actions that are consistent with conservation of natural forests and biological diversity.
Technically, the agreement ratifies definitions and provides methodological guidance to continue working on national REDD+ strategies. Politically, the REDD+ agreement provides a positive signal for donors and REDD+ countries to keep working on and investing in the readiness phase.
The REDD+ agreement builds on some of the early lessons from REDD+ programmes and initiatives. Initial REDD+ activities in countries have provided vital knowledge which has helped to identify gaps and overlaps. The REDD+ Partnership was another response that helped coordinate donor efforts and contribute some early learning on REDD+. Multilateral, bilateral and NGO initiatives also played a role in the implementation and coordination of many REDD+ activities. All of these efforts underscore how critical initial activities are in helping to further articulate the details on which a comprehensive agreement can be built.
The hard work on implementing the Cancun agreement is just beginning. For the UN-REDD Programme and other actors involved in the readiness and fast-start activities, we now have clearer guidance on what the REDD+ framework will include and what work needs to be done. The work that REDD+ countries undertake in implementing readiness activities between now and 2012 will be important next steps in supporting the Cancun agreement. The framework provides some elaboration on the activities that developing countries need to undertake in the development and implementation of REDD+, such as a national plan, national reference emission levels, and robust and transparent national forest monitoring systems. Since these are the activities the UN-REDD Programme has been supporting over the past two years, we remain in a good position to further support and inform the UNFCCC process, as it works towards a comprehensive REDD+ agreement.
Head of the UN-REDD Programme Secretariat
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The Regents has also announced a new bill called the Education Equity for DREAMers Act, which would allow undocumented students to apply for state college tuition grants of US$5,000 for each school year.
Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch, who has spearheaded the bill, believes undocumented students deserve a chance at a college degree.
“The Board of Regents is very committed to allowing these undocumented youngsters to partake fully of the American dream,” Tisch said.
New York State education officials have been pushing to give more rights to immigrant children since 2002, when they granted them in-state tuition discounts at public universities.
The Regents’ bill, when brought before the State Legislature, is likely to encounter opposition from Senate Republicans, said Brooklyn Republic Senator Martin Golden.
“This is a tough time for a bill like this. There’s not even enough money right now to offset tuition costs for legal, documented New Yorkers,” said Golden, who added that the bill would place a new burden on the state budget if passed.
New York Governor Chris Cuomo hasn’t taken a position on the bill yet, but he will review it, a spokesman said.
The DREAM Act was first introduced in the US Senate on August 1, 2001, and most recently reintroduced there on May 11, 2011.
This bill would provide conditional permanent residency to certain illegal Caribbean and other immigrants of good moral character who graduate from US high schools, arrived in the US as minors, and lived in the country continuously for at least five years prior to the bill’s enactment.
If they were to complete two years in the military or two years at a four year institution of higher learning, they would obtain temporary residency for a six year period.
Within the six year period, they may qualify if they have “acquired a degree from an institution of higher education in the United States or has completed at least two years, in good standing, in a programme for a bachelor’s degree or higher degree in the United States.”
The students would also regularize their status if they have “served in the armed services for at least two years and, if discharged, has received an honourable discharge”.
Military enlistment contracts require an eight year commitment, with active duty commitments typically between four and six years, but as low as two years.
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Leah Krombach was awarded the John Anderson Summer Research Scholarship. The Anderson Scholarship Competition is held as a means to encourage students in the aerospace related fields to discuss research, exchange knowledge, and generate interest in the field of aerospace engineering. As part of the competition, students submit a scholarly paper describing research performed while at the University of Maryland.
Leahís scholarly paper highlighted the importance of her research project titled Design of a 3D Helmet-mounted Heads-up Display for Space Exploration. Leah expressed the need to better equip astronauts with improved technologies which can enhance responsiveness and efficiency during extra vehicular activities. By creating an integrative 3D visual interface projected on to an astronautís visor, Leah hopes to open the door toward new innovation in integrative visor display technology. Impressed by her scholarly paper and research, the Anderson Scholarship Committee awarded Leah the $3,000 prize and plaque.
May 24, 2012
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Why Choose Journalism and Technical Communication?
Journalism and Technical Communication students learn about journalistic techniques applied to technical and professional communication. As with all concentrations in Technical and Professional Communication, they also learn the history and future of writing, understand the elements of writing and develop project planning skills. In addition, they analyze newspapers and print medium, contemporary news sourcces including the internet, journals, books, magazines, and speeches.
All TPC students identify a "content specialty concentration," a 21-credit grouping of courses that builds on their interest in a specific career area. While many TPC students enter the program with an associate degree in a technical area - for example, electronics or plastics technology - many develop their technical specialty based on an established area of expertise in the field of technical communication. Students are encouraged to work with their advisors to select the best grouping of courses for their professional interests. The content specialty gives students a specialized background and typically opens the door to their first professional job.
Get a Great Job
Journalism and Technical Communication is a combination of writing, organizing, and communicating information. Students gain an understanding of communication media, technical and expository writing, desktop publishing, verbal communication, and a chosen technical or professional specialty.
Job opportunities continue to grow for graduates of this program. Nearly every industry needs employees who can communicate technical and professional information effectively to its customers and clients. Jobs also are expanding into marketing, advertising, and public relations fields.
First year student admission is open to high school graduates (or equivalent) who demonstrate academic preparedness, maturity, and seriousness of purpose with educational backgrounds appropriate to their chosen program of study. High school courses and grade point average, ACT composite score, and ACT reading and mathematics subscores will be considered in the admission and placement process. Transfer students must have at least 12 credits at the time of application with a minimum 2.0 overall GPA including an English and mathematics course, or they must provide their high school records and ACT scores for admission review.
The Technical and Professional Communication program leads to a bachelor of science degree. Graduation requires a minimum 2.0 GPA overall with 3.0 cumulative GPA in 300-level ENGL courses and 2.0 GPA in all TPC upper-level courses (380, 411, 491, 499), and at least 120 credits including completion of all general education requirements as outlined on the General Education website. Students also must present a satisfactory portfolio for graduation.
Department of Languages and Literature
Ferris State University
820 Campus Drive/ASC 3080
Big Rapids, MI 49307-2225
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This competition centered on an imaginary archaeological dig in Chicago, at the end of the third Millennium, of a major gathering place in the City. The task was to recreate the architectural space and explain the ceremonial rites that took place within (false assumptions were encouraged).
The rendering helps to understand two potential mysteries to future explorers of Chicago: why such tall structures were found in the area and who the most powerful inhabitants were. At the center of the plaza, formed by a series of skyscrapers, is located the Board of Trade building, which becomes both symbol for Chicago as Mercantile Trader and Temple for the High Priests of the City, the Traders, who celebrate the annual beginning and end of the harvest season with massive citywide festivals.
Kipnis Architecture + Planning | 1642 Payne Street Evanston
IL 60201 | 847-864-9650 | firstname.lastname@example.org
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A good fairy tale re-telling never goes out of style. Talented author and artists always seem to keep coming up with fresh ways to make a classic bedtime tale take on a whole new life. This week we’ll host the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School’s adaptation of Goldilocks and The Three Bears in our auditorium. We browsed our fairy tale section here in the Shop and found that we had quite the selection of Goldilocks picture books, ranging from classic, beloved editions to quirky and funny twists on the tale, each with their own distinctive illustrations. Here are a few of our favorites:
We’d love to have you come visit the museum and see the show this week. Maybe your kids are on school vacation and need a fun activity? Here’s your chance to win four tickets to the Goldilocks performance and a Family Pass (good for two adults and up to four children) to The Carle.
How to enter:
Use your creativity to adapt the Goldilocks fairytale by posting the title of your adaptation in a comment below: Goldilocks and the ____________. (Example: Goldilocks and the Three Elephants or Goldilocks and the Case of the Three Empty Bowls). Use your imagination! What kind of Goldilocks story would YOU like to read? Leave your comment BEFORE midnight EST Sunday, February 17, 2013. One winner will be chosen at random and announced on Monday, February 18th.
We hope that the winner will be able to come and enjoy the show during one of their many performances next week, but even if you live far away, you can still enter to win for a free pass to visit The Carle sometime within the year. Here are the details about the performance.
Goldilocks & the Three Bears: An Epic
February 19 – February 22, 2013
11:00 am and 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm
$6 (Members $5)
So you think you know this tale? Think again! In this epic adaptation written by Jack Neary, there’s a lot more in store for Goldy, our little blond curiosity seeker, than three bears, some chairs, and bowls of breakfast food. Some annoying neighborhood kids, a pack of crazy Wolfettes, a fourth bear named Uncle Chester who may not be a bear at all, Little Red Riding Hood and even Rapunzel join forces to create an adventure for the ages! Poor Goldy! All she wanted was to take a nice little walk in the forest. Goldilocks & The Three Bears: An Epic is a show for the whole family to enjoy!
Tickets may be purchased in advance at the Museum Admissions Desk or by calling (413) 658-1126.
Comments now closed. Congratulations to the winner, Amanda! We’ll be in touch. Thanks everyone for playing. Such fun Goldilocks variations ideas!
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Governments are advised to go out of their way to make sure that back-up systems in terms of medium-to-long-term food supply, fuel supply and medicine supply are in place so that the consequences of a breakdown in the system of global trade can be minimised.
President Barack Obama may have quietly placed the United States on a war preparedness footing, perhaps in anticipation of an outbreak of war between Israel, the West, and Iran. A newly-propounded Executive Order, titled “National Defense Resources Preparedness,” renews and updates the president’s power to take control of all civil energy supplies, including oil and natural gas, control and restrict all civil transportation, which is almost 97 percent dependent upon oil; and even provides the option to re-enable a draft in order to achieve both the military and non-military demands of the country, according to a simple reading of the text.
Intriguing. When I started writing this blog, I didn’t expect my (frankly rather obscure) subject matter to spread to the Oval Office. Certainly, this suggests that the executive branch of government is considering topics of resource security, food security and energy security. At least they are aware of the fragility.
But government officials warned that bin Laden was about to strike in Summer 2001. They were aware of a fragility then, too. But that was not enough.
Western nations should have long ago employed philosophers versed in Heraclitus, Seneca and Sun Tzu to determine national policy, instead of quants, wonks and statisticians versed in obscure non-reality-based masturbatory mathematical models. Mathematical and computational modelling is totally captive to its input parameters. It only deals in known knowns and known unknowns, never the problems of unknown unknowns (i.e. black swans) or unknown knowns (i.e. incompetence). Models also always generalise to an extreme degree, brushing over the beautiful synergistic and unique complexity of reality.
Everything changes and nothing remains still and you cannot step twice into the same stream
The real question then, is whether these late and frankly emergency measures will be sufficient. Of course, there is no time like the present to address the problem of Western weakness to global trade fragility and external resource dependency, and the fact that we are extremely vulnerable to energy shocks, resource shocks, and manufacturing shocks. It should be noted, though, that we shouldn’t be in this place at all. Our dire position today has been built slowly decision by awful decision, over decades.
So is putting the U.S. on a war economy footing really addressing these problems? Frankly, it strikes me of panic. And Obama’s people are absolutely right to panic. With Israel seemingly getting ready to hit Iran (although I am still very sceptical that Netanyahu favours this course of action) and infuriate the Eurasian powers who will instantaneously blame America for this incursion into their sphere of influence, a disastrous trade shock or energy shock could be with us any month now, unless America can convince Israel to express their (relatively real) national security concerns in a more peaceable fashion.
But I do have a problem with the document’s rationale:
The United States must have an industrial and technological base capable of meeting national defense requirements and capable of contributing to the technological superiority of its national defense equipment in peacetime and in times of national emergency.
That’s the document’s centrepiece. Maintaining the military-industrial complex. Maintaining the crux of American imperial power. No, no, no. It is this approach that got us into this mess in the first place. We need to jettison imperial largesse.
Centralised control and central planning is always and by definition fragile. In order to really address the problem Obama needs to address the nation’s inbuilt economic immune system: private enterprise should be set free to develop organic supply chains based not on the whims and fancies of central planners, but instead based on the needs and demands of the complex and multi-dimensional marketplace of society (a thing that cannot be fully expressed by any partial differential equation, graph, or meta-analysis). Only through this approach can we get to a place where international trade shocks do not damage the United States’ economy.
In an ideal world this would be an economy composed of robust, artisanal and seasonal manufacturing, artisanship, and craftsmanship (e.g. 3-D printing). Agriculture which not only produces enough to feed the local population but also treats the land with proper care. Energy networks, resource networks and transport networks that can withstand shocks and natural disasters, and keep the nation and free marketplace of society flowing through testing times. And yes — a national defence program that neutralises external threats without having to occupy foreign lands, or engage in nation building (I still believe mutually assured destruction fits these criteria rather well, but not if we are dependent on foreign oil). Jobs programs that deliver workers and ideas to where the market and society need them, not to where central planners or technocrats see best fit. And a currency and financial system that is based on value creation, not hyper-fragile multiplicative debt where one large default can obliterate the system.
The problem is that such a transition takes time. The problems that we are facing built up and metastasised over decades of deeply, morbidly flawed policy. I understand the need to move rapidly and purposefully to address the problems of a breakdown in resource, energy and transportation infrastructure.
I ask only that the President make upholding the above principles of economic robustness — as well as those liberties enshrined in the Constitution which he swore to uphold and defend, and which the National Defense Authorization Act trampled into the mud — his highest goal.
Read more: azizonomics
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Seek a deeper understanding of the fundamental and enduring questions that have been raised by thoughtful human beings in the rich traditions of the East.
Editor-at-Large Andrew Cooper stopped by for a visit yesterday—quite a change from the Pacific Northwest, where he lives. The heat and rain are very familiar to him, though. He hails from the New York metro area. Still, he may miss the cool breezes off Puget Sound.
Andy, web editor Phil Ryan and I got to talking (Phil was not distracted by the Shady Buddha during this meeting), and Phil noted that every time we use the term "Western Buddhism"—or even just "the West"—some people object. These comments have been helpful, forcing us to examine our use of the term. Andy suggested we look at a passage from Rick Fields's How the Swans Came to the Lake, a wonderful book which, as its subtitle says, is "a narrative history of Buddhism in America." Like contributing editor Katy Butler, whose interview with Jeff Bridges will appear in the August issue, Fields was a pioneer in Buddhist journalism. He was also involved in discussions that led to the founding of Tricycle and helped articulate its direction. In Swans, Fields has this to say about "East" and "West":
East and West are, after all, little more than shifting designations on a round earth, depending more on where one stands than on any absolute point through which the sun sets or rises.
Fields nonetheless describes a "Central Region," stretching from India to the Mediterranean, where influences from both "East" and "West" meet in a rich cultural mix. By implication, East and West are to the right and left of the Center delineated by Fields, and while no more exact than any category or term, they nonetheless have their uses.
Andy remembered writing an article—way, way back in 1993—for the Buddhist Peace Fellowship's publication, Turning Wheel. It was his intention to open up the question of race in the Buddhist sanghas. You can read the full article here, but germane to this discussion is the following passage:
The idea of race is a good example of an ideological category. As Ashley Montagu argued years ago in Man’s Most Dangerous Myth: The Fallacy of Race, the very way we understand race—as a biological designation—is a “modern discovery,” a historical construct that developed in the eighteenth century as a way of justifying the slave trade. The notion of race comes to us laden with the history of white supremacism. When we take up the term, accepting its validity and forgetful of its historical production, that history exerts its power to shape our very perceptions. The starting point is already poisoned. We might have to use the term, but we don’t have to take it for granted.
The understanding that conceptual designations shape perception is, of course, a familiar one to students of Buddhism. But Buddhist analysis tends to focus on the ultimate emptiness of all concepts, and remains naïve about the historical forces that lead to the production of particular ones. But to forget this historical dimension is to be shaped by it.
If we deny designations like "East" and "West," we'd have to accept that no word or turn of phrase can withstand the scrutiny of rigorous interrogation. Whether we're reading Derrida or Nagarjuna, we'll probably conclude that every concept is ultimately empty but this does not mean we can't have a conversation, something we couldn't have otherwise.
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Lahey Hospital & Medical Center's Sleep Disorders Center is one of the most experienced and comprehensive centers in New England for the evaluation and treatment of patients with sleep disorders. In fact, we are one of only a few sleep disorders centers in the state of Massachusetts to be fully accredited by the American Sleep Disorders Association. The Center has been in operation for more than 20 years, and more than 15,000 patients have been evaluated to date. Housed within the Department of Neurology, the Sleep Disorders Center combines the expertise of sleep specialists in the departments of Neurology, Pulmonary Medicine, Otolaryngology and Psychiatry to provide a full range of outpatient and sleep laboratory services. Collaboration among specialists is the cornerstone of care at Lahey. All Lahey specialists share the same medical records, and most consultations are in one building-often on the same day-facilitating both communication among doctors and the reporting of test results to our patients. We are equipped to evaluate all sleep disorders, including sleep apnea, insomnia, narcolepsy and other causes of excessive sleepiness; night terrors and other parasomnias; and movement disorders in sleep.
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Could this family heirloom have been created by the same man who painted Mona Lisa? Art experts investigate whether a portrait sold for about $20,000 in 1998 is actually a lost Leonardo worth millions.
Saturday May 25 at 10 pm ET/PT on CBC News Network
Exposes the exploitation of pre-pubescent Russian girls recruited for the hungry Japanese modeling industry. 13-year-olds like Nadya dream of a lucrative payday for their poor families but discover their new Tokyo life is anything but glamorous.
Sunday May 26 at 10 pm ET/PT on CBC News Network
Documentaries coming soon
The Pacific Rim is home to half of the world's active volcanoes and ninety percent of the world's earthquakes.
The life and work of Ralph Zavadil whose Cap'n Video series on a community cable channel consisted of outlandish stunts which resembled those seen in the later Jackass series.
Watch Docs on Demand
Love, Hate & Propaganda
Propaganda, the weapon of mass persuasion, is a powerful force and has helped shape events of the 20th century. Each series examines how propaganda influenced significant moments in history, and the lives of the people who lived through them.
Hosted by George Stroumboulopoulos, Love, Hate & Propaganda is a primer on the art of mass persuasion, aimed directly at a media-savvy generation.
Cast off and join us on a great adventure into a mysterious world - the ocean. Join David Suzuki now and sign up for the One Ocean Pledge, an open call to make a difference in the future life of the ocean.
Visit our 3D Biosphere to create your own personal marine reserve; play games that help you balance the health of your reserve's ecosystem; swim with pre-historic creatures and set a record in the fast-paced Pollution Collector game.
Ocean Explorer will take you on guided tours of the deep sea. Timelines, profiles of sea life, marine experts, webisodes, podcasts and much more will allow you to immerse yourself in our planet's vast ocean.
Healthy eating has become a complicated affair. Sifting through cooking paradoxes and food obsessions, the Doc Zone series Eat, Cook, Love reminds us that eating is one of life's great pleasures.
The 8th Fire
A provocative, high-energy journey through Aboriginal country showing you why we need to fix Canada's 500 year-old relationship with Indigenous peoples; a relationship mired in colonialism, conflict and denial.
Watch the best documentaries from Canada and around the world. With a special emphasis on feature length films, watching documentary is like having a cinema in your own living room, showing award winning films twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
Learn about CBC's process for pitching your documentary or visit individual program sites for more information.
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Speakers: Jendayi Frazer, Juergen Voegele, and Gary Weir Presider: Harry Broadman
Jendayi Frazer, Juergen Voegele, and Gary Weir flesh out the drivers of scarcity and security challenges related to natural resources in Africa, focusing on natural resource management. This meeting is part of the Global Resources, the U.S. Economy, and National Security symposium, sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations and Conservation International.
Secretary of State John Kerry and Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan gave these remarks on March 13, 2013. They discussed Libya's revolution and recently appointed government, U. S. and Libyan coordination regarding the embassy attack at Benghazi, and the new Ambassador to Libya Deborah Jones.
Asked by Charlotte Stafford, from Columbia University
The United States restored official relations with Somalia in January 2013 after years of civil unrest there, reflecting an increasingly stable Somali political environment. Better relations with Somalia, however, have little to do with the decrease in piracy, and the drop in offshore piracy cannot be attributed to Somali government efforts.
Author: Isobel Coleman Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
In response to systemic sexual assaults on women in Egypt, activists have initiated well-organized campaigns to protect women's right to participate in the political sphere and to move in public spaces without fear for their personal safety. Isobel Coleman warns that politically motivated violence against women has still not crested.
Jendayi Frazer, former assistant secretary of state for African affairs and current CFR adjunct senior fellow, and Joel D. Barkan, Center for Strategic and International Studies Africa scholar, discuss the elections in Kenya and how they could affect U.S. security interests.
Asked by Lauren Harrison, from Harvard Kennedy School Author: John Campbell
The exploitation of Congo's vast resources by competing elites and militaries for personal enrichment promotes insecurity and stymies development. Only very strong Western and African public outcry and a change in China's nonintervention approach might open the possibilities for change.
Secretary John Kerry and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon gave these remarks before their meeting on February 14, 2013. They outlined the main issues they would discuss: North Korea's nuclear test and Six Party Talks, negotiations with Iran, the crisis in Syria, and France's intervention in Mali.
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Joint Chief of Staff General Martin E. Dempsey testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on February 7, 2013, about the September attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Benghazi, Libya and the response of the Defense Department. Panetta's and Dempsey's prepared remarks and video of the hearing are available on the Committee's website.
France says it will withdraw from Mali once an African peacekeeping force is in place. To keep Islamists at bay, the United States is considering increasing its military presence in the region. A better approach is to focus on fixing the governance issues that fuel radicalism to begin with, says John Campbell.
Al-Qaeda's affiliates "provide new justification for the Obama administration's efforts to turn elements of its counterterrorism policies, including kill lists and drone bases, into fixtures for a fight expected to last another decade or more."
"Last September's terrorist attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi left the unmistakable impression of a country teetering on a knife-edge. Yet despite its struggles, Libya is hardly on the brink of anarchy."
This CFR-sponsored Independent Task Force finds that Africa is of growing strategic importance to the United States in addition to being an important humanitarian concern, and finds that critical humanitarian interests would be better served by a more comprehensive U.S. approach toward Africa.
CFR Experts Guide
The Council on Foreign Relations' David Rockefeller Studies Program—CFR's "think tank"—is home to more than seventy full-time, adjunct, and visiting scholars and practitioners (called "fellows"). Their expertise covers the world's major regions as well as the critical issues shaping today's global agenda. Download the printable CFR Experts Guide.
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Website development on tax treatments
Today websites are crucial to almost every business. It has become almost impossible for a business to function without one.
Businesses use websites in various ways; the website may be the entire business, or the website may just be used for advertising or marketing.
Depending on the complexity of the site required, the cost involved in creating and running a website can vary greatly. Similarly, the tax treatment of website costs is far from simple.
Website development – expenditure on software
Expenditure incurred to acquire, develop or construct a website used for the purpose of earning assessable income may be considered expenditure on software by the ATO.
Rather than receiving a deduction immediately for this expenditure, the money spent on the website is required to be capitalised and written off over a period of four years (for expenditure on software incurred prior to 13 May 2008 the write off period is two and a half years).
According to the ATO, whether a website is software or not is a question of fact. Generally if the website is a simple website, i.e. just a document or a series of documents which have been converted to html, there will have been no software created.
The expenses incurred in creating or acquiring a simple website may be fully deductible in the year that they were incurred. However, as a business website gets more sophisticated, the ATO is more likely to take the view that software has been created, and the business will be denied a deduction in the year that the costs were incurred.
This view provides a somewhat strange outcome, as generally a more sophisticated website is designed to simplify business practices yet it complicates the deductibility of expenses.
The ATO has set out a number of ‘indicators’ that it says suggest that software is present in a website. These are:
- The website allows for interaction with individual users, for instance a ‘sign in’ or membership system
- The website underwent a validation process that involved testing and debugging for errors
- The website is specifically designed to meet certain criteria
- Supportive documentation is necessary to assist with the various phases in the lifecycle of the website.
Should a business have a website that has one or more of these indicators they will be required to apportion the costs of creating the website between the software component and the other parts. This could potentially be an extremely complicated exercise, involving substantial compliance costs.
Some businesses may decide to acquire computers or other hardware to allow them to host their own website. The cost of acquiring computer hardware to host the website is regarded by the ATO as ‘a unit of plant.’ This means that the costs associated with the purchase of hardware also cannot be deducted in the year that they are incurred. Instead, they will be capitalised and depreciated over the effective life of the hardware (currently four years for computers generally and three years for laptops).
If a business pays someone else to host the website, the business may deduct that cost when it is incurred as part of the ongoing and regular expense of operating a website and if you are in any way concerned contact us to talk it through.
Alterations to website
Generally, for the website to be successful, a business will be required to regularly update its website with new content or design changes. However, be warned, the ATO considers changes that alter the structure of the site and the associated costs to be expenditure on software.
The ATO believes the structure of the site has been altered where the website provides new functions that were not present before the work. Take, for example, a furniture business operating a website to advertise furniture. Should this business then add a shopping cart function to the website this would be considered software and any expenditure incurred by the business in adding this function would have to be deducted over four years.
The business may also be required to spend money maintaining the website. Most websites require ongoing maintenance to allow them to continue to function in the necessary manner. So if the furniture business were simply to replace one catalogue with another, then any expenses incurred in doing this and any other administrative functions would be immediately deductible when they were incurred.
In light of the above, business owners should be wary of the complicated tax law applicable to websites and be sure to keep all records so that costs incurred can be treated correctly for tax purposes.
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The Consortium On-line is a product of The Consortium for Independent Journalism, Inc. To contact CIJ, click here.
How can the current political situation that is endangering American democracy be corrected? One thing is certain. It will not be easy.
Since we started Consortiumnews.com in 1995, our focus has been on what to do about the deterioration of the national news media. Our original goal was twofold: to seek out financial resources for supporting honest journalism hence the notion of a consortium and to produce and disseminate as much serious investigative reporting as we could.
In the past five years, we have succeeded in generating hundreds of original investigative articles about important topics that otherwise were receiving little or no press attention. However, we did not succeed in locating significant sources of funding for this work.
That failure forced us to curtail our efforts about a year ago, though we have continued the work on a part-time basis, supported by small individual donations.
It remains our belief that convincing people with resources to support tough, honest, non-ideological journalism is a necessary first step in revitalizing American democracy.
We also believe that there must be a new news media that consciously counterpoises itself to the existing media: the conservative press, the mainstream press, and even the tiny leftist press. This new media must be information-based, not opinion-based. It must work to give the American people the serious information they need to act as informed citizens.
To be successful, the scope of this new media must be ambitious. There are various forms this media could take from magazines and Web sites to a cable network but it must be well-financed. There is a need for a kind of Marshall Plan for honest journalism.
From such a media could come a more engaged public. Some of that we have seen in the enthusiastic reception our Web site has received from many Americans dissatisfied with the wretched news media they now have. A well-informed grassroots movement, in turn, could embolden politicians to stand up for the truth, knowing that they will not be left alone and vulnerable.
We understand that media will not solve all the problems of this endangered democracy, but we are convinced that it is a necessary first step.
One of the lessons that we have learned from this recent era is that cowardice comes in small pieces, concessions that might seem insignificant at the time but that cumulatively have a devastating consequence. We believe, too, that courage also comes slowly at first, when individuals begin to stand up for whats right -- and that courage, too, can gain a powerful momentum.
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How To Wash Shoes
Everyone from children to adults needs to know how to wash shoes. Unless you wear plastic bags to protect your shoes, it is almost unavoidable. Don't worry though, there is a way to wash your shoes and make them look brand new.
What you will need:
- Item 1: A used toothbrush
- Item 2: Baking soda
- Item 3: Water
- Item 4: A bowl
- Item 5: Paper towels
Mix the water and baking soda. Pour a small amount of baking soda into the bowl and mix it with water until it forms a paste.
- Put some of the mixture on the toothbrush. Cover the bristles of the toothbrush with the paste. Use small amounts to avoid making a mess.
- Scrub the dirty area with the brush. Scrub the area until the stain is gone. Note: the baking powder can also be used to get rid of smells. Scrub the inside of the shoes if needed.
- Scrub the insoles. Take the insoles out of the shoes and scrub them with the baking powder paste. Wipe them with the paper towel and allow them to dry.
- Wipe the wet area with a paper towel. If you scrubbed the inside of the shoe, use a little water to remove the baking soda paste.
- Let the shoes dry. Place the shoes in a well ventilated area or outside. It will take at least one day for the shoes to dry completely.
- The shoes are now clean and ready to be worn. Note: If you cleaned the inside of the shoes, they may need another day to dry.
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In late 49 BC, Caesar and his 12 legions arrived at Brundisium where he hoped to secure passage to Greece. An old rival, Bibulus, controlled the Ionium Sea with the Republican navy, and Caesar fretted over when and how to make a crossing. By January of 48 BC, Caesar decided there was no time like the present and decided to make a surprise winter crossing, to offset the advantage that the enemy maintained in naval superiority. Unfortunately, he could only secure enough transports for 7 depleted legions, or 15,000 men and about 500 cavalry, and after landing safely at Palaeste, he sent his ships back to Brundisium to transport Marcus Antonius and the remaining 5 legions. With the element of surprise gone after the first successful crossing, Bibulus got word of the return trip and intercepted Caesar's fleet. Blocked off by Bibulus, Antony and Caesar's remaining forces along with the bulk of the supplies were forced to wait near Brundisium.
Now isolated in Greece, Caesar and his much smaller army were in serious jeopardy. Pompey seriously outnumbered him, some 55,000+ to Caesars' 15,000, and Caesar was dreadfully low on supply. Caesar moved north from his landing position, first on Apollonia, then on Pompey's vital supply depot at Drryhachium. Pompey, however, was already on the move to the town where he planned to quarter his army for the winter. In the meantime, Caesar made an important diplomatic gesture to prevent war. Still probably fully intent on 'winning' on the battlefield, he could be sure, however, that any proposal for peace would be rejected. By sending Vibullius Rufus to negotiate, Caesar could claim to be the peacemaker and that Pompey and the Republicans were the real cause of the war. Regardless, Caesar moved his army to the south side of the Apsus River, while Pompey positioned his on the north bank. There the two armies waited out the winter months, while Pompey did nothing against his much smaller foe.
Over the course of the winter, Caesar was not idle. He and his men not only were busy foraging for food, but managed to turn the tables on Pompey's fleet. Bibulus and the fleet prevented supplies, and Antony's reinforcements from reaching Caesar, but Caesar's forces prevented the fleet from going into various ports to get re-supplied as well. By mid winter, Bibulus died from sickness and the Pompeian fleet was in as desperate shape as Caesar's army. On the ground, the situation seemed more like a reunion of soldiers than two opposing armies about to do battle. Pompey's men clearly feared Caesar, and despite their numerical superiority there seemed to be little will to fight. Fraternization among the men on both sides might have slowly eroded support for the idle Pompey, if not for the intervention of Caesar's former legate, Labienus. He scolded his own men for their lack of loyalty and proclaimed that the war would only end when Caesar's head was brought to him. Putting a stop to continued meetings between both sides, the timely effort of Labienus may have prevented a complete surrender of the Republican forces to Caesar, obviously forcing the matter to be settled in combat.
By spring of 48 BC, Antony managed to avoid the Republican fleet and finally make his crossing to Greece. Terrible winds pushed Antony and his 4 legions far north of his objective, and he was forced to land near Lissus, putting Pompey between the two much smaller armies of Caesar. Pompey ordered his legate, Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius Scipio, to join him from Syria, and Caesar detached two legions under Domitius Calvinus to block this threat. Now Pompey raced to get to Antony while he was isolated, but Caesar didn't delay and followed closely behind. Pompey seems to have panicked at the thought of being caught between both armies, and maneuvered out from between both armies, while Caesar just continued northward to Antony, and the vital supply depot of Dyrrhachium. Pompey realized his mistake and tried to race to the depot, but this time, Caesar's men were faster. The two armies made camp on opposite sides of a small river called the Shimmihl Torrent, with Caesar on the north and Pompey on the south, and Dyrrhachium on Caesar's side of the river.
Understanding that supply and logistics was still the key, Caesar decided to use his great skill at siege warfare to hem Pompey in. Caesar's men built an impressive fortified wall of approximately 17 miles around Pompey's army, pinning it in against the sea. Pompey, rather than attack his still smaller opponent, responded by building a similar defensive work. While Pompey could still be re-supplied by sea, what he failed to realize was that Caesar controlled the flow of fresh water, and he immediately began to cut it off. Skirmishes were constant, and outside Dyrrhachium Caesar reports that the two sides fought 6 battles in a single day. Pompey simply couldn't break through and desperation was beginning to set in. By mid summer, though, Pompey had a fortunate stroke of luck. Two Gallic auxiliary were caught stealing the pay from legionaries, but managed to escape to Pompey. With these two men on his side, Pompey was able to discover the weakest point in Caesar's wall. A section to the south of the lines hadn't yet been completed and it was the only viable target for attack.
In early July, Pompey consolidated his army and struck with as many as 6 legions on the vulnerable position. Caesar's ninth legion, terrible overpowered, was forced to flee from the onslaught and Pompey established a new camp on the outside of the wall. Caesar attempted to reinforce the breach with 12 cohorts under Antony, and was initially successful in stemming the retreat. Caesar then drove back the Pompeians towards the sea, re-securing part of his wall in the process. 33 cohorts (3 legions) were sent against Pompey's new camp, but this is where things went terribly wrong. The attackers were outmanned nearly two to one and though initially successful, they simply couldn't sustain the advantage. Caesar's right wing began to buckle as it was flanked and threatened from the rear. As the wing collapsed, Caesar's army panicked and began to rout. Caesar personally tried to stem the retreat, but all was lost, and the only course of action was to attempt to save his army. Caesar really only lost 1,000 men in the battle, which was really a rather small affair considering the size of the armies, but the key was that Pompey could now claim a victory, and did so in earnest.
Pompey next made the most critical mistake of the entire war. Rather than continue to advance on Caesar's shaken lines, he decided to stand pat, seemingly feeling assured that Caesar was beaten and that the war was over. In reality, it very well could've been over if Pompey simply would've attacked Caesar throughout his lines. His army very likely would've fallen into a complete rout and been captured or killed en masse. Instead, Pompey seemed to lack the nerve to finish the job. Caesar himself said, that "Today the victory had been the enemy's had there been any one among them to gain it." Caesar gathered his army and moved away, hoping to lure Pompey away from his own source of supply. He followed initially, but petty squabbling within the Republican camp forced him to break off. Pompey and the Senators were more concerned over dividing up the spoils that were sure to come with victory than actually finishing the job. This respite granted Caesar enough time to invest and capture the town of Gomphi, where his army plundered and were fed. Re-energized, Caesar moved towards Pharsalus, where Pompey eventually moved to meet him.
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Art Review: "On the Landscape: A Feminine Eye," paintings by Bunny Harvey, Celia Reisman, Ginger Levant, Frances Wells and Kate Emlen. BigTown Gallery, Rochester. Through October 4.
Courtesy of Big Town Gallery
A detail from “First Dropps” by Bunny Harvey
The BigTown Gallery’s current exhibition, “On the Landscape: A Feminine Eye,” features five commanding artists who share a subject and a gender. Rather than drawing these works together under a feminist rubric, however, gallery owner and curator Anni Mackay selected them for their quality. On view are works by mature, internationally known contemporary artists who happen to be women. The show provides a window into their various views and renditions of the landscape. Style, palette and subject vary widely among them, suggesting complex, layered relationships to the natural and built environments.
Bunny Harvey’s dramatic palette contrasts deep greens and blues with bright blue-whites and lime-yellows. Her painting “First Drops” is a large horizontal landscape of a darkening sky looming over a spring field filled with geometric, grasslike marks and textures. Brooding trees form a middle ground between the yellow field and the blue mountains beyond. The sky is a morass of swirling, gray-blue clouds that hover right to the edge of the painting. You can almost feel the barometer dropping, the air charged. On the far left, bright blue paint “drops” punctuate the fall of thin, blue strokes that drip diagonally over midground trees, putting us right in the artist’s shoes, so to speak. Harvey makes us feel we are not just seeing rain on a field, but standing in the downpour.
Celia Reisman uses bold colors in her works, but to a very different end from Harvey. Reisman’s landscapes center on homes and buildings that she paints as clustered blocks of color, each in slightly “off” hues of the same shade. This technique creates energetic tension that contrasts with the steady order of the rectangular buildings. That orderliness at times recalls Edward Hopper’s paintings, but Reisman’s works are also joyful, even funny. In “Tall Trees in Fall,” a tightly closed green patio umbrella sits beneath the canopy of a tall, orange-red tree. The shelter of leaves covers the humanmade shade of the umbrella. In these compartmentalized scenes, Reisman paints the landscape of single-family culture while chuckling at its seriousness.
Ginger Levant is also concerned with the built environment, seen in the context of its natural surroundings. Levant employs an arid palette and a plein-air sensibility to “juxtapose human history as seen in local architecture with the wildness of the natural elements,” she writes in her artist’s statement. In “Olive Grove and Farmhouse,” she divides the canvas diagonally with a sloping hillside and horizontally with a mountainous horizon in the distance. A demure terra-cotta dwelling perches at their intersection, flanked by two enormous trees. The peaked building gives the painting a sense of balance and human history but is not its focal point, suggesting a supporting role for humans in the landscape.
People are absent from Frances Wells’ paintings of glassy rivers and soft, hulking hills. Wells is a contemporary Hudson River painter, bringing the famous earlier school’s reverence for nature and sense of romance into her own paintings. Her landscapes are soft and airy; yet these small canvases, edged in faint gold, deny us entry to the hazy sunsets. The paintings have a scrim-like quality, as if we are seeing the landscape through a screen door. They evoke a sense of longing, speaking to the beauty of the untouchable scene, and maybe to Wells’ yearning for the romance of the preindustrial landscape.
Kate Emlen seems to take a balanced approach to the landscape: Her work shows a mixture of Wells’ poetic distance, Harvey’s chutzpah and Levant’s architectural acuity. Emlen paints nature in its vast and powerful yet orderly flow. Her small paintings of mountains, “Connecticut River Evening” and “Connecticut River Morning,” are lush constructions of dusky blue, ochre and lime green. Simultaneously structured and loose, the works combine refined rendering with expressive flow. Emlen’s spectacular painting “Gathering Clouds” looks like an expanded version of the two smaller works, but the larger scale allows the viewer to relish the landscape in all its undulating wonder. Emlen translates compelling visual experiences with her concise, fluent brush.
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While poring over the president’s fiscal year 2014 budget request, we noticed several subtle, but critical, shifts in the way that the administration addresses teacher preparation grants and regulations.
Just as in the fiscal year 2013 budget request, the administration is proposing to phase out the current TEACH Grants program in favor of a $190 million Presidential Teaching Fellows program. What follows is our attempt to read the tea leaves in the U.S. Department of Education’s proposed budget.
TEACH grants, started in 2008, provide $4,000 a year to eligible undergraduate or graduate students who agree to teach a high-needs subject in a high-needs school for at least four years within the first eight years after they graduate. In the 2013 budget, the Department projected that a large number of grant recipients – perhaps as high as 75% – will not fulfill the service requirement and instead will see the grants converted to Unsubsidized Stafford loans. The 2014 budget justification does not cite this figure, indicating only that a “significant” number of recipients will not fulfill the requirements, and that the Department anticipates about $17 million in revenues from converted grants.
In last year’s Presidential Teaching Fellows proposal, the administration would have provided formula grants to states to improve teacher preparation program performance and finance scholarships of up to $10,000 for students in the last year of an effective education program. Scholarship recipients would commit to teaching a high-needs subject in a high-needs school for at least three years out of six following graduation.
This year’s budget request includes the same framework for granting scholarships, but the provisions for improving teacher preparation programs have been softened. Previously, the Department would have required states to “withdraw approval of programs persistently identified as low-performing,” noting that 38 states and D.C. have not yet identified any low-performing or at-risk teacher training programs. Programs would be given technical assistance to improve before having their approval revoked after a given number of years.
Now, funding is contingent on states’ willingness to “hold teacher preparation programs accountable for results, including withdrawal of approval for programs persistently identified as low-performing” – a subtle difference, but an important one. Rather than revoking approval, states would be required to “establish and enforce a timeline for withdrawing financial support” from schools and alternative preparation programs that have received technical assistance but have not improved in a given number of years. And rather than focus on the closure of schools that produce ineffective teachers, the 2014 budget proposal also has new language that encourages states to “facilitate the broad adoption of practices employed by [high-quality] programs” to broaden the share of teachers prepared using high-performing methods.
This language shift may be the result of the stream of conversations around teacher preparation program accountability that occurred after the last budget release. At the end of February in 2012, ED released a draft set of federal regulations to join the TEACH grant eligibility to teacher preparation reporting under Title II of the Higher Education Act. Submitted for consideration under a negotiated rulemaking process, the regulations would have classified teacher-prep programs in four categories – high-performing, satisfactory, low-performing, or at-risk – based on new indicators including student learning outcomes, employment levels, and satisfaction surveys from recent graduates and schools that hire them. Students attending schools rated in the bottom two categories would not be eligible for federally-funded TEACH grants.
The negotiated rulemaking process fizzled out without a consensus in April, so ED has been left to write regulations governing teacher preparation programs and TEACH grants on its own. These new rules were initially expected by last fall but thus far are still in progress. In the wake of this slow-down, those on the inside are not optimistic that significant regulations will move forward this year.
Nonetheless, in February the Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) released a draft set of accreditation standards for teacher preparation schools that provides for increased use of outcome-based measures. The standards have spurred feedback, particularly from the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE), which objects to the creation of a “gold standard” designation for top programs and provisions for the use and interpretation of outcome data.
It remains to be seen whether the revised language in the 2014 budget will move the conversation around teacher preparation towards a feasible outcome for all stakeholders. In the meantime, a few states, including Louisiana and Tennessee, have already implemented systems for tracking student outcomes for graduates of teacher preparation programs. Furthermore, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) has partnered with U.S. News & World Report to release a ranking of quality of teacher training programs in 2013. Even if the Department ends up dragging its feet, it’s clear that the push to hold teacher preparation programs accountable for their graduates’ achievements will go on.
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You just don’t. Nobody does.
People like to speculate on the IQ of various celebrities. A popular one recently was Sarah Palin (“likely somewhere between 110 and 115“). We may also have “learned” that Beyonce’s IQ is 124 (or is it 110?) And nobody can agree on Einstein’s putative IQ, except that it was somewhere between “only” 160 and 250 or more.
Online, I’ve seen the same group of nerds who enjoy self-diagnosing Asperger’s report their IQ scores as 180 or more (200 is a popular number). There are two possible reasons a person might say this:
- They took some fake test on the web.
- They are making it up.
Whatever you happen to think about the intrinsic worth and predictive ability of psychometrics, real IQ tests are based on math. The math expresses how many other people in their sample population achieved the same raw score that you did, by percentile. Ideally, this sample group is a cross-section of the population that’s representative of the subject’s environment.
The most popular and reliable IQ test for adults is the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, or WAIS, now in its fourth edition. It was normalized against a sample of 2,200 adults. Keep that number in mind.
This graph should be familiar to most people. It’s a Gaussian curve, or normal distribution, of performance on a properly normalized IQ test like the WAIS. Each color change represents one additional standard deviation from the mean.
It’s instructive to look really closely:
Each standard deviation in the WAIS is 15 IQ points further from the mean of 100. Because performance is normalized, only 0.27% of those taking the test are expected to fall outside of 3 standard deviations — in the WAIS this translates to scores above 145 and below 55.
If you take the WAIS and achieve a raw score comparable to only the top 0.135% of the original sample of 2,200, it means your performance is measured relative to 3 people. Score 4 standard deviations above the mean (IQ >= 160) and you’re being compared to just 0.065 other geniuses. In other words, it’s highly likely that no one in the WAIS sample scored as high as you. Congratulations, you are “only” as smart as the lowest estimated IQ of Albert Einstein.
Above (or below) a certain threshold, IQ performance is simply noise. If you extrapolated all the way to IQ 200 (and if you were that smart, you understand why you can’t), you’re scoring a whopping 6 standard deviations above the mean and will have to look elsewhere for your intellectual equals. Since 99.9999998027% of a normally-distributed group falls within 6 standard deviations, the number of members of your uber-Mensa is 6. In the entire world.
The fact is, most adults simply do not know their IQ. Bright children are rarely tested as a matter of course (although some private schools do it). In general, a child is given an IQ test when their school record is lacking, usually because there’s a disparity in expected versus actual performance. IQ testing is a good way to reveal that an otherwise smart kid has a particular learning disability. Psychologists typically do not care whether your IQ is 130 or 145. They want to know if your non-verbal IQ is high but your reading score is below-average; you may have dyslexia and need special educational strategies to succeed.
But the real benefit of IQ is knowing that when someone quotes you a number and it’s greater than 145, it’s safe to assume they’re not as smart as you.
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Spirituality is like an electric current. It is a flow of power from within human beings as the Holy Spirit comes forth in rivers of living water. Christ-followers are those who allow the Spirit to freely flow through them. They have low resistivity and high conductivity.
How’s your resistivity? And your conductivity?
Spiritual resistivity measures how strongly a person opposes the flow of the Holy Spirit current. Spiritual conductivity is the measure of how much the Holy Spirit flows through someone.
You can learn to reduce your resistivity to God and to increase your conductivity of God’s spiritual flow!
1) Repent of all known sin. Ask for God’s forgiveness. The stop engaging in that sin. Confess it to someone you trust and let him/her hold you accountable.
2) Surrender your will, your pride, and your self to God. Resolve to follow and obey the living, resurrected Jesus Christ in your daily life.
3) Listen to the voice of God in your heart and do what He tells you to.
4) Read the Bible for at least 5 minutes every single day and follow its instructions in your daily life.
How we need to reduce our resistivity to God!
How we need to increase our conductivity of God’s spiritual flow!
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78 Mr S. M. Bruce, High Commissioner in London, to Mr R. G. Menzies, Prime Minister
Letter LONDON, 16 February 1940
I enclose herewith copy of a Memorandum on the question of the problem of establishing closer relations between Australia and the United States of America. The Memorandum was prepared by Dr.
Clunies Ross. It contains, in my view, extremely practical and useful suggestions. Knowing the great interest you take in this subject I think it will have a very real appeal to you.
I have discussed his ideas with Clunies Ross on several occasions and during the present week Sir Frederick Whyte, who is the head of the American section of the Ministry of Information, and Clunies Ross lunched with me when we had a very full discussion with regard to the ideas contained in the Memorandum.
As Clunies Ross is proceeding to Australia by the same plane as carries this letter there is no need for me to write to you at length upon his proposals. I would, however, strongly urge you to send for Clunies Ross and give him an opportunity of elaborating his views personally.
I am sending a copy of the Memorandum to Casey in Washington, telling him that I have communicated directly with you on the matter.
Personally I hold the view that there is no more important question at the present time than the relations between the United States of America and the British Empire. For this reason, and because I consider the proposals put forward by Clunies Ross are well conceived and would produce good results, I sincerely hope that you will interest yourself personally in the matter, will initiate the necessary action in Australia and will instruct Casey to put his back into getting results.
[S. M. BRUCE]
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Recent news from the University of Bristol highlights a new study designed to find out if exercise can help to keep insulin-producing beta cells working normally in people newly diagnosed with type 1. The study, called ExTOD, will look at how regular exercise can affect the progression of type 1 diabetes in this group of people.
Led by Dr Rob Andrews, ExTOD will consist of two parts. In the first phase, the researchers will conduct a one-off interview with people living with type 1 to discuss how they feel about exercise and any barriers they feel may stop them from exercising. In the second phase of the study, people who have been recently diagnosed with type 1 will be divided into two groups – one group will have form the control group’ with normal care from the specialist diabetes team, while the other group will also be asked to undertake a special exercise programme. During the year-long study, participants from both groups will complete regular fitness tests, blood tests and questionnaires to measure whether the exercise programme has a positive effect on blood glucose control.
Exercise and type 1 is popular topic at the moment: the journal Diabetes Care has just published the results of a study investigating how different types of exercise can affect people with type 1.
In this project, researchers from the University of Ottawa in Canada looked at what happened to blood glucose levels during different combinations of exercise. They asked participants to spend 45 minutes lifting weights, followed by 45 minutes running or vice versa while wearing a continuous glucose monitor.
The researchers found that when participants ran before lifting weights, their blood glucose levels dropped almost straight away and didn’t recover until close to the end of the session. But when participants lifted weights before running, their blood glucose levels remained in the normal range throughout most of the workout.
Rachel Connor, Head of Research Communication at JDRF commented: ‘We know that people with type 1 can find it difficult to work out the best way to exercise while keeping their blood glucose levels in a safe range. So the more information that research projects like these can provide for people with type 1 and their healthcare teams, the better.’
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Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best.
~ Henry Van Dyke
The other day when I wrote a bit at the end of this post about sharing a dream you might have or anything else you wished to discuss, I received an email from someone who wrote about her desire to have a dream that motivated her or a hobby or cause that could be as she put it, “close to her heart.” She went on to say that she thought her fears around financial stability and the American economy might be one of the things keeping her from allowing herself to ” find her dream and pursue it with passion.”
I thought her email was an excellent place to open a conversation around living with passion and going after your dreams despite fears of not having or being enough.
A few years ago my friend Patrice would occasionally watch American Idol (when I begged her to stay and watch it with me) and as she listened to the anguish of those who were not going on to the next round crying and wailing about how, ” Singing was their whole life and all they’d ever wanted, ” Patrice would say in the direction of the television, ” So sing, find places to do it if it’s that important.” Of course this comment opened the door to conversations about singing without public acclaim or financial reward and if it was one’s whole life as the contestants said, was the singing itself the important part or was it the fame and money of an American Idol win?
Listening to her talk out loud to the people on the program created a perfect opportunity for me to consider my own dreams. I was working a day job where I was well paid for my time, but I was always dreaming of a writing life. During my time off I was generally brain tired and complained a lot of creative fatigue, but I was also wasting time on a variety of things like my American Idol nights. Most importantly, I was not getting any writing done other than scribbling story ideas on bits of paper or spinning out marketing ideas for my job.
Patrice’s comments made me think about whether it was writing or being read that was most important in creating the life I wanted as a writer and storyteller. I think deep down we know what our are dreams are even if it’s just a tiny seed of something we’ve tucked away thinking that we don’t have time for it now because we have to earn a living, feed the children, clean the house, walk the dog, and anything else you wish to put here ________.
While money and security are important so is the chance to live fully and I don’t believe that you need to give up one for the other. You do have to make time for it somewhere and that’s where most of us fall short. Some folks seem to be better at managing it all. John Grisham used get up and write for a few hours before work and I frequently read about published authors who write whole books with babies in their laps.
I will confess that I have not been as disciplined in the past as I could have been with regard to my writing. I tend to spend too much time on research and other distractions and I am just now understanding the need to commit to a firm schedule of uninterrupted writing time. I don’t think I could do it with a baby in my lap and at this stage of my life, I am glad I don’t have to, but I do need to stop doing things that keep me from having total focus on finishing the stories in my head.
I would write whether someone paid me or not and blogging has been a good starting point providing a balance for me between writing for myself and being read. That said, a bit of financial success from writing would be good to have and is certainly part of the motivation behind the need I feel to focus and deliver a larger finished product than what you see here.
I have found a level of satisfaction and a sense of security through blogging that I could not have imagined from being seen and heard here at GOTJ, but with a desire to finish some of my larger projects, I feel a need to spend more of my writing time on the big stuff which means cutting back here a bit or at least putting myself on a tighter schedule.
I appreciate more than you know everyone who stops by and puts ” money ” in the meter with kind your words and support and I’m not disappearing just readjusting my routine. It might be good to subscribe in the top right corner if you don’t want to miss me and I’ll drop into your inbox each week like a letter from a friend.
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Causes of Fibromyalgia
According to studies, fibromyalgia disorders have underlying causes, which "fungal overgrowth" of fungus causes yeast infections. (Candida Albicans) The illness often forms in the vagina and mouth.
According to the outcome, patients will often experience various related symptoms, which may include fatigue, short-term memory complications, inability to concentrate, muscle and joint pain, excessive tightness about the neck and shoulders, blisters, etc. The blisters often form on the tongue, mouth, or throat. Sometimes dark-colored mucus will form in the back of the throat. The tongue sometimes is coated white. Fibromyalgia patients tend to suffer chronic headaches, migraines, and sinus problems. In addition, sore throats is another common symptom, especially if the patient sufferers chronic symptoms of Fibromyalgia.
Read More at Causes of Fibromyalgia
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.blogeasy.com/article.view.run?articleID=331434
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.926839
| 184
| 2.546875
| 3
|