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This morning’s paper carried an interesting story about the old city hall, a magnificent building of limestone at 202 N. Alabama Street, which has stood abandoned for many years. (Early in our career - in the days of Charlie Boswell and Al Losche - we attended some meetings there!)
The thrust of the article was the future of the building and whether it should be returned to municipal function. Would it, for instance, be better to move some functions (mayor, council, etc.) to that building, freeing up major space in the current building? A suitable alternative to a completely new, and very expensive, courts building?
We tend to say "Yes." Lets give it a shot. How about it, you historic preservationists? It is a landmark which deserves protection.
A first question to be solved is the monetary one. A Mr. Lotter, spokesman for the mayor, says: "If we had a partner to help us restore that historic domed structure...." No, Mr. Lotter, what you need is a partner to help you and the mayor learn the meaning of the word priority.
Here’s where the amazing timing comes in. As we prepare to hand the Pacers another $10 million gift, today’s story indicates a need for $10 million to put the old building into usable condition. Now, Mr. Lotter, in case it doesn’t come to mind, why would it not be to the benefit of the taxpayer to prioritize a "new city hall" over maintenance of a basketball court? Couldn’t we stop at $30 million for the Pacers and use that next $10 million for the people?
Another problem mentioned is the lack of parking space at the location. Another miracle of timing. We’re looking at a freebie of a $13 million parking garage for developers of an area just half a dozen or so blocks away. Is it really impossible to tell the developer, "Sorry, boys. We’ll let you use the garage if you want to, but it is not going to be nearly as handy for your tenants as you had hoped!?"
Here are 23 million taxpayer dollars, obviously readily available, which should be allocated to a project of major fiscal and historical importance to the city. Is that too much to ask?
Well, yeah, dammit! In this city, it probably is.
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The school was founded by the Sisters of Mercy who came to Macroom in 1865. Beginning with a school of nine pupils, the Sisters have worked tirelessly over the last 140 years to provide an education to several generations of young people. The people of the town and surrounding areas are very grateful to the Sisters of Mercy for the immense contribution they have made to the Macroom area. Today, the school has a population of three hundred and forty students and is tremendously proud of its academic results and other achievements in both co- curricular and extra curricular activities.
Nearly 300 pupils attend our school: boys and girls up to second class, and all girls from second to Sixth Class. Pupils from twelve different countries attend our school. It is situated in the in Macroom town near the St. Colman’s Parish Church.
Education at St.Joseph's Primary School, Macroom is concerned with the all-round total development of your child, which includes social, academic, moral, spiritual, physical, aesthetic and emotional elements.
De la Salle College Macroom is a voluntary secondary boys' school that caters for approximately 300 students. It is situated at the Western end of the town, with the entrance off New Street. Although there are no longer any members of the De la Salle order present, the ethos that they established in 1934 still informs all aspects of school life.
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Melissa Harris' Chicago Confidential
October 14, 2012
Joe Born's father has Parkinson's Disease, which causes him to frequently spill his drinks.
For most families, the spills would be lamented, then accepted as a fact of life. But not in the Born family.
Joe is an inventor — nearly 10 million of his CD-scratch removers, called SkipDrs, have been sold. So when his daughter, Lily, then 8, decided to craft a cup that her grandfather couldn't spill, Joe retrieved some moldable plastic he just happened to have lying around.
The result, which Lily named the Kangaroo Cup, will go on pre-sale this weekend for as little as $13 on IndieGoGo, a crowd-funding website similar to Kickstarter.
Here's their story — first as told by Lily, now 10, and then by Joe, 43, during an interview at 1871, the work space for technology entrepreneurs inside the Merchandise Mart. Joe rents a desk there. Lily, a fifth-grader at Edison Elementary School in Morton Grove, wore hot pink leggings and a bedazzled pink cotton top to the interview. It's her favorite color.
"I realized grandpa was having trouble because he has Parkinson's Disease, and he's always spilling things. My grandma wasn't happy about that. Sometimes she would just clean it up, and sometimes she would yell." (Joe interjects: "Ah, don't rat out grandma. Poor grandma." Lily smiles sheepishly and continues.)
"I wanted to build a cup that was almost impossible to spill. It almost is, fortunately. So I built this cup. There wasn't much to it at the start. It was a plastic cup with little homemade plastic legs. Well, I borrowed a plastic cup from my grandma and then added the plastic legs.
"Then I started getting into wheel-throwing. I did the wheel-throwing at a local art studio (Bughouse Studio in Skokie). I started with basic stuff, like bowls and plates. But my dad brought up (that) he could use a porcelain no-spill cup because he was spilling stuff all over the keyboard." (Joe says, "Wait. Who first noticed I was spilling stuff?" Lily feigns not to recall.)
"I tried the first cup by hand. It was really lumpy. Nothing like this. (She picks up one of two shiny, smooth Kangaroo Cups sitting on the table.) And then my dad started coming over to Bughouse Studio and working on the legs with me. Then I started making cups on the (pottery) wheel. Afterward, we would attach the legs and my art teacher would let us use her kiln.
"Then after a while, my dad wanted us to go to China because he has a friend there who owns a pottery studio. Then we started speaking with some people about making a mold of this. Then we spent, I think, two weeks in China.
"It was OK, in a way. It wasn't my first trip. I've been there a lot. (Joe interjects, explaining that Lily was adopted from China when she was 11 months old. This was her fifth trip — but her first on business, which she didn't care for much. Lily jumps back in.)
"It was a three-quarter-mile walk from the hotel to the place, and it was hot. By the time I was back to the hotel, my legs were tired, and that part was not good. And actually I got a little bit of a cold there. ... Thankfully, when I got back to the hotel, I got to take a cold shower, and I felt better.
"Most of our days were spent at the pottery studio. And every couple days, we'd go to the factory and see how our molds were doing. They were good. It was pretty impressive. I think it's a good idea to sell them because there are a lot of people like my dad who spill their coffee in the morning and aren't happy about that."
I asked her what she learned from the experience.
"The first thing I learned was that business trips are hard. But maybe if this cup does well, it might be worth making another trip."
"My sister is always doing art projects with Lily. So I said Lily, 'Let's do an invention project.' She's always coming up with various inventions. I say, 'What are the problems you see?' I've actually got on my computer a list of her inventions that go from the very useful to the absolutely ridiculous. One is a small pillow you're supposed to rest your nose on.
"But a lot of them are quite useful, like an umbrella that won't flip inside out.
"So (the question) was, 'What can we do about grandpa's spilling?' I remember this moment very distinctly. She was standing and she spread her legs, and said, 'If I put my legs out, it's more stable.' And I still have this picture. It's a pencil sketch, and she said, 'This is how I would do it.' There's a cup, and it showed two feet sticking out.
"And it was sort of like in Apollo 13, where you're rummaging through the house. I had this low-temperature plastic. I had never really found a use for it. It was a gift from Zach Kaplan, the co-founder of Inventables, which he gave away at the first ORD Camp (an annual invitation-only gathering of entrepreneurs and technologists). Lily molded it ... and we made a cup."
I asked Joe to explain low-temperature plastic.
"It's warm to the touch but you can mold it with your hands. It's very much like working with Play-Doh or clay. We really iterated. ... We had grandpa use it. I remember thinking, 'This is the way you should do product development.' It was very natural.
"Then frankly it sat for a while, probably a couple years. Then my sister took Lily to Bughouse. She started making bowls. She was really good at it. We got some real masterpieces at the house. I don't remember exactly how we went from there. We got to talking. She had seen I spilled and had all these coffee-stained documents. She said, 'Well, I can make you a coffee cup.' Then she made that. That was different. (It had a handle.)
"When she gave me that, I definitely ... (Joe stops mid-sentence and turns more philosophical). The world we live in. When I was a little kid, I had all these inventions. They would muck up the house. My folks would just kind of laugh, (and we'd think) oh, it'd be great if we could do something with it, but that's not the way the world works. When she gave me that cup, (I realized) that is the way the world works now: The ability to source products so easily; the ability to go on Kickstarter and get crowd-funding. I said, 'Well, Lily, do you want to try to take this to market?'"
The Borns began experimenting at Bughouse together. Through Joe's work in consumer electronics, he knew a ceramics studio owner in Jingdezhen, China, known as "the porcelain capital" of the world — even their streetlamp posts are porcelain. On their flight there, Joe put the finishing touches on a 3-D model of their design, his first 3-D model in 15 years.
"I remember the proudest moment of this whole experience, which is the highlight of my career because I'll never have another opportunity to work with Lily. I had been working on the 3-D model, and I was showing Lily, 'Well, how do you like this?' And as the plane was starting to come down and we had put our tray tables up, Lily says, 'Remember to save your work.' She had never said something like that to me before. It meant she actually put some value on the last eight hours of work."
First, they had to visit the potters who make the prototypes, then the mold-makers and finally the factory, where the Kangaroo Cups will be made.
"The folks who make these plaster molds are really kind of artisans themselves. It's different than you probably imagine. It's not big giant factories. It's almost like a garage. You open the door and they have molds littering the stairway. ... They don't operate off the computer stuff. I printed out a drawing. ... It's kind of old-school China. It's very free-form, still kind of Wild West. If you did this in the U.S., it would be very regimented."
The trip resulted in three preproduction samples. Following tradition, Joe sold the first one to his dad. The goal, however, is to raise enough money to produce a plastic version that would be marketed for children transitioning from sippy cups.
"This doesn't seem like an incredible innovation maybe, but if you're in the world of making porcelain cups all day, this is an unbelievable feat. It doesn't have a handle that sticks on. These are load-bearing members. They're just not used to innovation. They make slightly modified different teapots and vases. Now you have legs that are not handles."
Joe said the challenge is that it's much easier to make 100,000 of these than 1,000 — because the larger quantity gives him more leverage to negotiate pricing with the factory.
"I can never actually tell what Lily thinks about this, except for who she tells (about it). People will say, 'Oh, I heard you did this and that.' Then I know she told someone else. She cares more than she's letting on. ... It'll take years for her to totally appreciate it. But I think she gets that it's sort of a special thing."
Copyright © 2013 Chicago Tribune Company, LLC
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I'm using a combination of mdadm, lvm2, and XFS on Amazon EC2.
So far, I've had success running a RAID 5 volume built from a number of EBS volumes. The EBS volumes are attached and used with mdadm to create the RAID 5. Then, I use LVM to present the resulting RAID as a single physical volume and single logical volume.
In the past, I've been able to grow the file system by adding a new EBS volume, attaching it, and then running the following process.
mdadm --add /dev/md0 /dev/xvdi # grow the raid... (could take a while for a large disk!) mdadm --grow /dev/md0 --raid-devices=4 # grow the LVM physical volume pvresize /dev/md0 # grow the LVM logical volume ... fairly certain # -l100%PVS will make the extents use as much space # as possible on physical disks (and hopefully won't overwrite anything) lvresize -l100%PVS /dev/data_vg/data_lv # resize the file system, too! xfs_growfs /dev/data_vg/data_lv # yay! df -h
My most recent attempt at doing this has worked just fine, ostensibly. Running df -ih/fh shows that I have a mounted filesystem with an additional terabyte available, as expected. Also, the total number of inodes used is ONLY 1%. Also, pvdisplay and lvdisplay also show the proper volume sizes.
I've even been able to add some data (about 150GB) to the volume since growing it. However, today I attempt to create a directory and get
mkdir: no space left on device
Why would I encounter this problem if I allegedly have plenty of inodes availble?
I've unmounted the disk and run xfs_check, but that does not report any issues.
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Feb 5, 2013 — In fiction, a novel from Nobel Prize-winner Nadine Gordimer, a posthumous thriller from Michael Crichton and a sensual werewolf tale from Anne Rice arrive in paperback. In softcover nonfiction, Paul Krugman confronts our economic depression, and Charles Murray looks at the U.S. class divide.
Dec 6, 2012 — To bring the past to life and make it matter, historical fiction must do more than conjure up an exotic backdrop for a conventional story. These six books challenge our preconceptions and help show how the past shaped the world we live in today.
Aug 7, 2012 — More than 75,000 of you voted for your favorite young-adult fiction. Now, after all the nominating, sorting and counting, the final results are in. Here are the 100 best teen novels, chosen by the NPR audience.
Aug 3, 2012 — Days Of Destruction, Days Of Revolt is a scathing portrait of American poverty. It debuts at No. 4.
Aug 2, 2012 — In Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt, Pulitzer Prize-winner Chris Hedges examines the tensions that arise between profit, progress, technology and the pursuit of the American dream. Written with co-author Joe Sacco, the book critiques an economic system that they say abandons too many Americans.
Feb 9, 2012 — Debuting at No. 15, Coming Apart explores social polarization in working-class America.
Feb 6, 2012 — In his new book, Charles Murray, co-author of the controversial The Bell Curve, argues that in an increasingly economically stratified America, the white working class is slipping behind.
Dec 19, 2011 — Young adult literature has never been so psychologically probing or artistically ambitious as it is today. Marissa Meyer's favorite novels beguile, thrill and, above all, transport younger readers to a Shakespearean magical theater, futuristic Chicago and a netherworld of ghost hunters.
Sep 8, 2011 — Over the past few weeks, Talk of the Nation has been asking for the books you think should be required reading for all college freshmen. Here are 10 of your suggestions.
Jul 17, 2011 — NPR coverage of Snobs by Julian Fellowes. News, author interviews, critics' picks and more.
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The Water Services Investment Programme is concerned with the development of infrastructure to facilitate the following aims: -
- extending treatment and distribution capacity of water supply systems in the major towns and villages.
- the improvement of services in order to provide enhanced treatment of wastewater and reduction in the level of nutrients being discharged to surface waters,
- provide infrastructure within urban settlements to facilitate the development of towns and villages in a sustainable fashion in accordance with the County Development Plan and various Local Area Plans
- provide a satisfactory resource protection with the implementation of water conservation throughout the county
The Water Services Investment Programme 2010-2012 document can be downloaded here:
Water Services Investment Programme 2010-2012
Current Projects include:
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**FULL QUESTION:** When making cuttings for begonias do you have to have any bottom heat to get them started? And what exactly is indirect light, which is suggested to start them? Can I just put them under grow lights?
*- Sue Gilmour, Barss Corner, NS*
**ANSWER:** Some begonias are propagated by leaf cuttings, other by stem cuttings. Leaf cuttings do best under a clear plastic cover which retains the warmth and humidity. Cuttings started in a soilless potting mix do usually benefit from warm soil (21°C/70°F is optimum) so bottom heat can give them a boost but isn’t absolutely necessary. Many stem cuttings can also be rooted in a glass of water and then carefully transplanted into a light soilless mix. Indirect light generally means not directly in blazing noonday and afternoon sun. Grow lights should be fine or even a bright windowsill.
*Karen York, GL Botanical Editor*
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Other William F. Buckley, Jr. Quotes
It seems to me that the idea traditionally defended of endeavoring to maintain existing ethnic balances simply doesn't work any more.William F. Buckley, Jr.
61% of people like this quote
There is an inverse relationship between reliance on the state and self-reliance.William F. Buckley, Jr.
60% of people like this quote
I would like to electrocute everyone who uses the word "fair" in connection with income tax policies.William F. Buckley, Jr.
59% of people like this quote
Liberals claim to want to give a hearing to other views, but then are shocked and offended to discover that there are other views.William F. Buckley, Jr.
58% of people like this quote
To buy very good wine nowadays requires only money. To serve it to your guests is a sign of fatigue.William F. Buckley, Jr.
54% of people like this quote
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It's one thing to talk about growth and imagine how it might happen.
It's another thing to fly over a development and see its true effects on the landscape and whether it fits or contradicts a community's heritage and values.
Hayden residents will have the best of both worlds during the town of Hayden's presentation of "Visualizing Hayden's Future" on Nov. 15 at the Routt County Fairgrounds Exhibit Hall.
The event will showcase a draft of the town's new comprehensive plan using a three-dimensional-picture model made possible through the Orton Family Foundation's CommunityViz project software.
Residents will have numerous opportunities to share their opinions anonymously about the different growth patterns they see using an innovative keypad voting system.
The community's impressions during the presentation will be vital in helping the town revise and finalize the comprehensive plan, which guides the Hayden Town Board and Hayden Planning Commission in making land-use and policy decisions, Town Manger Russ Martin said.
"Hayden will look a lot different four or five times during the evening," he said. "Feedback on that will be important in determining what direction we go."
The event is the next phase in a multistage project funded by a grant from the Gates Family Foundation and designed to help Hayden plan for expected growth.
Boulder-based Winston & Associates, the planning firm facilitating the project, has held three community meetings since the beginning of the year, gauging residents' core values as well as concerns and suggestions regarding growth.
Based on those meetings, the firm has devised the first draft of a new comprehensive plan, which will be presented to the Planning Commission during a work session Thursday. The commission will not make any changes to the plan until it receives feedback from the Nov. 15 CommunityViz event, Martin said.
Though not a regulatory document, a comprehensive or master plan guides the physical development of a town, including land within city limits as well as land anticipated for annexation.
Zoning plans typically follow the land-use patterns laid out in the comprehensive plan, specifying densities and uses for land. Subdivision regulations and the building permit process implement zoning plan requirements.
Meant to consider growth at least 20 years in the future, comprehensive plans typically are updated every five years. The last revision to Hayden's comprehensive plan was in 2000, Martin said.
The impetus for the project was a flurry of development proposals, including the 2,000-home Villages subdivision, targeting the Hayden area. Although the comprehensive plan revision process generally isn't as long and involved as the current project, it was necessary to address what appears to be substantial growth in Hayden's future, Martin said.
By the time many communities, particularly those in fast-growing Western states, start the revision process, they already have a lot of things they would "undo," said Tammie Delaney, project coordinator for the Orton Family Foundation.
"It's a proactive opportunity to say, 'How do we bring the community forward in a way to keep the character and quality that already exists in Hayden?'" she said.
Martin added that instead of developers imposing their values on Hayden, the new comprehensive plan would allow Hayden to impose its values, beliefs and desires on developers.
"They may get what they want, but Hayden will definitely get what it wants. ... Overall, it will be a better project," he said, noting that some developers are waiting for the town to establish a direction because "they don't want to invest in what Hayden could become."
In most comprehensive plan projects, towns typically receive feedback only from an interested minority of people. It's much easier for the town staff and elected officials to set policies and make decisions when they have a comprehensive plan based on majority views, Martin said.
Delaney said the project team has "pulled out all the stops" to encourage the community to attend the Nov. 15 presentation.
In addition to the keypad voting, which will allow participants to share their views in a nonintimidating, anonymous environment, there also will be free child care and a community chili supper during the event, Delaney said.
Martin emphasized that this is a rare opportunity for residents to affect future growth decisions without having to show up to every Town Board or Planning Commission meeting.
"Having been other places, I know this doesn't happen elsewhere," he said. "It may not happen again. This is a one-night-only exercise."
For more information, call 276-3741 or go to www.yampavalley.info and follow the home page link to the Hayden Planning and Visioning Process.
-- To reach Tamera Manzanares, call 871-4204
or e-mail firstname.lastname@example.org
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The gag reflex in a baby is much farther forward than in an adult, so "choking" is actually just gagging. A baby is choking if they are turning blue and cannot breathe. Most of the time they are just gauging how much food they can have in their mouths and are learning to move it around with their tongue Hope that helps!
At first the gagging worried me but you'll get that however you wean, he hardly ever gags now and no choking thankfully.
The introducing each food one at a time is out dated advice now, if you wait til the 6 month recommendation there's hardly anything they can't have.
My dh and siblings are allergic to nuts so before introducing them I will get a test done with the doctor. If there were no known allergies I'd not be concerned.
I agree with whoever said you're gonna have the worry whichever way you wean. We started off with TW, now he feeds himself some stuff or if its something in a bowl (messy )I spoonfeed him. He has gagged a few times when he's been a little piggy and put too much in but as Ozzie said don't be in too much of a rush to to remove the food (I have done that by the way, early on) they need to judge how much they can chew. It's really hard to watch cos your mummy instincts kick in instantly but try not to panic too much.
I'm still a bit nervous at times but my LO has shown that he can handle himself. I watch pretty carefully but so far have intervened only once when he was trying to spit out a big bite and was having trouble getting it out. There has been some gagging but that is fading as he learns how to bite and chew.
We are still introducing food but so far I have only purposely avoided nuts (including peanut butter) and strawberries due to the potential of a strong reaction. I haven't decided how I'm going to handle shellfish yet. We don't have any reason to suspect an allergy so other foods we just introduce as we have then ourselves. I think you have to go with what feels right.
What about foods that one parent is allergic to and the other isn't? (I'm allergic to kiwi and melon, OH is fine....) -- I used to wonder why people put kiwi on cakes and in fruit salads as to me, it tastes like pepper -- LOL!
We've not started yet (well LO is 5 months, sorting with us while eating and grabbing etc) but I'm feeling a lot more confident after attending a first aid course run by Royal Lifesaving Society called Save a Baby. I feel I know what I would do if she did choke. Also reading the BLW book which explains the difference between gagging and choking.
Any opinions, advice, statements or other information expressed or made available on BabyandBump.Momtastic.com by users or third parties, including but not limited to bloggers, are solely those of the respective user or other third party. They do not reflect the opinions of BabyandBump.Momtastic.com and they have not been reviewed by a physician, psychologist or parenting expert or any member of the BabyandBump.Momtastic.com staff for accuracy, balance or objectivity. Content and other information presented on BabyandBump.Momtastic.com are not a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice, counseling, diagnosis, or treatment. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical or mental health advice from your physician or other qualified health provider because of something you have read on BabyandBump.Momtastic.com. BabyandBump.Momtastic.com does not endorse any opinion, advice, statement, product, service or treatment made available on the website. If you think you have a medical emergency, call your doctor or emergency services immediately.
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Kim Phuc, the subject of the Pulitzer Prize winning photograph from the Vietnam War that became known as "Napalm Girl," will talk about her experience and her outreach work with victims of war on Sunday at Liberty Baptist Church in Newport Beach.
Her talk is open to the public and admission is free.
Kim Phuc shows the burns she received June 8, 1972, in the napalm attack documented in a Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph by Nick Ut during the Vietnam War. She was in Orange County in 2007 to speak at Liberty Baptist Church, where she will return on Sunday.
FILE PHOTO: JEBB HARRIS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Phuc, 49, lives in Canada with her husband and two sons and is here as part of a trip commemorating the 40th anniversary of the famous photo.
She will speak at 10 a.m., sharing how her life unfolded after Associated Press photographer Nick Ut took the photograph of her on June 8, 1972, when she was 9 and had just been badly burned by napalm bombs dropped on her village in Vietnam.
She will address the church audience again at 5 p.m. for a shorter talk about her work on behalf of children around the world. This will be her third visit to the church. She was here in 2003 and 2007. Ut, who still works for The Associated Press and is based in Los Angeles, will be attending on Sunday.
Liberty Baptist Church is at 1000 Bison Ave., Newport Beach.
For more information, go to libertybaptistchurch.org or call 949-760-5444. To find out more about her outreach efforts, go to kimfoundation.com.
Contact the writer: firstname.lastname@example.org or 714-796-7793. Follow me on Twitter @telltheresa.
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Five years ago a shipload of iron ore bought 2,200 flatscreen TVs, says Glenn Stevens Alexandre Tombini, governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Brazilian Central Bank (BCB). Now it buys 22,000. The terms of Australia Brazil's trade—the price of its exports, relative to the cost of its imports—have improved by 4235% since 2004. Commodity booms have come and gone in Australia Brazil’s history but no boom this strong has lasted this long (see chart 1).
How long will the commodity boom last? Demand, especially in China and India, should continue to strengthen as these countries require more steel, food and fuel. However, some of that demand may be unsustainable, argues Warwick McKibbin, an outside member of the RBA’s rate-setting board. Policymakers in some emerging economies have been too reluctant to tighten monetary policy in advance of America’s Federal Reserve, he points out. This monetary ease showed up quickly in flexible commodity prices, but has yet to feed through into the price of other goods, such as manufactures, many of which Australia Brazil imports. When these stickier prices eventually rise, Australia Brazil’s terms of trade will deteriorate, even if they do not go back to 2003-04 levels.
The other blade of the scissors is supply. Australia Brazil is investing heavily in new mines, quarries and gas oil fields. And it is not alone. “There is no shortage of coal and iron ore around the world,” says Chris Richardson of Deloitte Access Economics in Canberra. With prices so high, miners will eventually unearth it. “All the more reason to make hay while the sun shines.”
As Australia Brazil rushes to make hay, some worry that it will forget how to make everything else—an antipodean version of “Dutch disease”, in which a natural-resources boom boosts currencies and hurts manufacturing exports. In March the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union São Paulo Industrial Federation launched “Manufacturing: Australia Brazil’s Future”, a campaign demanding R&D incentives, more apprenticeships, and “buy Australian Brazilian” requirements for government projects. In a February survey of manufacturing chief executives, 93% said their exports cannot compete when the Australian dollar Brazilian Real buys more than $1 $0.5. On March 31st, it bought $1.033 $ 0.62(see chart 2).
A strong currency is, however, necessary to keep inflation in check. As prices rise quickly in Australia Brazil's booming industries and regions, the RBA BCB can meet its inflation target only if prices elsewhere fall. Over the past 18 12 months the RBA BCB has raised its key interest rate by 1.75 3.00 percentage points. (...)
In principle the RBA BCB could change its inflation target (...) One outside economist even floated the idea with the RBA BCB. “They just started talking about cricket apparently jumped into the badwagon,” he said.
One reason may be that Australia Brazil is close to full employment. The jobless rate is 5 6% and projected to fall. (...) If the country is fully employed, its boom industries cannot grow unless other industries shrink. No tinkering with monetary policy will change that.
Australia Brazil could bring some relief to squeezed exporters by saving, not spending, the proceeds of the boom. That would reduce the inflationary pressure at home, resulting in lower interest rates and a cheaper exchange rate.
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|Apr25-10, 11:37 PM||#1|
Material engineering ?
i have decided that i want to do research into ;
(if quantum computer are invented by the time i graduate ) then nanocomputer/nanorobotics
more specifically their application in oncology and drug delivery
renewable sources of energy ( if possible )
open a start up which :
helps solve the energy crisis in developing countries
help reduce medical cost in treating cancer
( not sure which comes first )
now here is the deal how do i go on about gaining the qualification ?
this is what i have concluded
i need a strong electrical and computer engineering background
along with strong background in material engineering,
also i dont want to do a dual since ppl doing it don't be that good in either and i don't have that much finance ( i am leaning towards getting a job after graduation and then after a year or 2 get my masters )
the only possible way is to do a bachelor in one of them and then do a masters in the one remaining ( i.e electrical and computer engineering (bachelor),material engineering (MS) :or vice versa )
doing electrical and computer engineering as a base seems risky since skills obtained get outdated quickly
now here is the question
1) how good a foundation does material eng. provide in engineering in general
2) which is more difficult ? i am naturally good in math and physics, but need to work hard in chem to obtain the same level of proficiency
proportion of physics and chem in material science ? (eg 50 % chem, 10% physic (pure),10% electrical, 10% mechanical, 10% computer,10% bio , of course these are random values which i just thought of )
3) how much maths is required for materials engineering compared to electrical and computer engineering ? ( i am asking this because maths is my fav subject )
4)could someone please tell me which one to pursue as a bachelor ? i am really stuck
this is the majors i am looking at
Bachelors in applied science in electrical and computer engineering with nanotechnology and micro system option
Bachelors in applied science in Materials engineering
both in University of British Columbia ( only for undergrad, for f grad i will be looking at other uni )
5) if you think material engineering is better suitable as an undergrad then which Canadian uni provides the most in depth and broad knowledge in condensed matter research
(P.S i know a lot about career in electrical and computer engineering but very limited knowledge about material engineering so provide as much input for this major )
|Apr26-10, 11:04 PM||#2|
|May1-10, 12:41 PM||#3|
As your preference range is quite broad (from quantum computer to drug delivery), I think you can have Materials Science as your background, then you can choose your graduate major later, based on your specific interest after 4 years of undergrad.
Imagine, Materials science is a blend of Physics (include understanding of electrical, mechanical,..), Chem, some Bio and Math. So, your knowledge gained from materials science is broad but not deep: you (say, in general :) ) are not as good at physics as physics major students, not as good at chemistry as chem students :)), but you will have a integrated knowledge: better at physics than normal chem students, ...
regarding the proportion, it may depend on your chosen univ, but generally, I think: (for undergrad) 60% physics, 25% chem, 15% for bio and math. none of them is too difficult ^^ however, note that for your grad study and future, chemistry may be much more important, as you'll make things by chemistry.
|Oct24-10, 12:31 PM||#4|
Material engineering ?
I have the same interests as you bro. I decided for physics becouse it covers a lot.
|Oct26-10, 07:27 AM||#5|
I would choose virtually any engineering major for my undergrad, or physics, or chemistry - really, anything technical. The point (in my mind) is to learn more about how to think, and how to address technical problems.
Then I would go to business school for a graduate program. If you really want to accomplish something, you have to have business skills, and you have to be able to make it rain. Then, once you have your startup going, you need enough technical competence to hire the real geniuses who will make it happen, and to know the difference between the real deal and someone that LOOKS smart.
Full disclosure: I'm a materials engineer, and I think it is probably the most useful major for what you want to pursue, but I think it's the most useful major for virtually anything.
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United Synagogue: Burial record search page. Partially indexed records from all US cemeteries in London/South East. This index requires you to enter a surname and a first name and a year. You have to search each cemetery individually. You have to spell BOTH names exactly as US has entered them (This is not always the same as what appears on the gravestone). Even when you know where and when someone has been buried it can be difficult to find them on the search engine. There is a link to email for help, but if you do so you may be asked to pay a fee. An email to USBS asking for details of exactly when charges apply and the rates has NOT been answered. List members' reports are inconsistent, some have received help for free, others have been asked to donate in the range of three-figures for look ups.
Once you know the details The Court of the Chief Rabbi (London Beth Din) MAY hold the burial book, which they will photocopy for a fee. Some records tell you nothing more than the plot number and the details as per death certificate. Other records tell you Synagogue membership (especially burial societies), patronymic, length of time in UK etc.
Federation records are not computerised so you need to be very precise when you ask for a search. Telephone them on +44 2082022263.
Don't forget to check the Jewish papers 10 months to a year after death for the "stone setting" announcement. The Jewish Chronicle has a free index at JC Archives. List Members will do look ups for you in The Jewish Victorian and The JC Project. See our Look Up Exchange.
Cemetery Scribes (formerly Genpals): Two of our list members-Gaby Laws and Angela Shire have a fabulous resource in this website which contains a plethora of information. It's a MUST for everyone!
Greater Manchester Cemeteries: Crumpsall Cemetery (Manchester Great & New Synagogue Burial Board) Tel: 0161 740 3717 / 0161 792 8399 or email them. They will tell you how to get information from the burial register. Other Manchester Cemeteries can be found at this link. Manchester Central Library (see below) holds some burial book invoices, permits for tombstones and reserved graves books. See this link.
Web-links for grave site searching:
IAJGS - International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies: provides a comprehensive list of Jewish cemeteries, with locations, access, opening times etc.
JOWBR - JewishGen Online Worldwide Burial Registry: a database of more than 1.5 million names and other identifying information from cemeteries and burial records worldwide, from the earliest records to the present.
Find a Grave: A site for finding out where graves are, if they have been filmed etc.
Headstone Hunter: is a similar sort of site. There are links to local people who will photograph a grave for you.
Our Look Up Exchange page contains offers, to visit and photograph graves, by our listers.
If you have a gravestone you can't read, send a photo of it to us at Digital View and we will put it on the site for other list members to read for you.
Copyright © 2001-2009 by Sherry Landa & British-Jewry. All rights reserved.
This document last modified Saturday, 04-May-2013 16:54:10 BST
Visiting a London US cemetery?
Locate the grave before travelling using our plans of East Ham, Plashet, West Ham & Willesden United Synagogue Cemetery plans.
Visiting Failsworth Jewish Cemetery in Manchester?
A plan can be seen here.
Learn More about Chevra Kadish (Burial Societies):
In this fascinating account of Australian, Ephraim Finch, CEO of Melbourne Chevra Kadisha. Click here.
Not Jewish or sure what visiting a Jewish cemetery is like?
Need help reading the Hebrew?
See Hebrew Numbers and Hebrew Names.
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Increasingly, people are using mobile platforms for online activities – like shopping, reading, playing games and communicating on social networks. But when people use mobile devices, they exhibit characteristics and behaviors that differ from their desktop counterparts.
As mobile usage continues to grow, it’s becoming critical to understand the mobile customers’ experiences, intentions and desires. Here are 3 tips for creating an effective mobile survey that will give your mobile customers a voice.
1 - Realize time is precious
While the tasks that a mobile user does online may be as diverse as those done on the desktop, one ubiquitous characteristic of mobile is ‘time’. Mobile sessions are considerably shorter and mobile users are far more task oriented.
With time at a premium, respondent fatigue occurs faster and survey abandonment times are significantly shorter on the mobile platform than on the traditional ones. Keep surveys short and to the point, placing the most critical questions right up front. Don’t ask your user for more than one open-ended response, either: Typing long or detailed answers on a mobile keypad will cause exponential drop-off, and those that do complete may provide lower-quality answers later in the survey.
2 - Optimize for the mobile form factor
Mobile users with larger screens generally prefer to use the ‘full’ version of the site as opposed to the mobile version. Phone-sized screens should be the researcher’s primary focus (not tablets), optimizing both the invitation and the survey itself for these smaller resolutions.
Survey invitations should only occupy a portion of the screen to avoid being regarded as advertisements, and the invitation text should be reduced to a single sentence. If you use a second stage to your invitation, make sure that the trigger (icon, overlay, etc) doesn’t obstruct the website.
Posted 5/13/2013 by Chris Pam
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Co-conspirators with kings and nobles
What an effort, my dear Sir, of bigotry in Politics & Religion have we gone through! The barbarians really flattered themselves they should be able to bring back the times of Vandalism, when ignorance put everything into the hands of power & priestcraft. --Thomas Jefferson to Joseph Priestley, March 21, 1801
Jefferson frequently identified priests as co-conspirators with kings and nobles in the suppression of human freedom. In general, he believed that priests, especially Roman Catholic or Calvinist ones, corrupted republican government by forcing their congregants to adopt abstruse metaphysical propositions instead of thinking for themselves. Jefferson thought that Massachusetts and Connecticut (where the Congregational Church was still established throughout his presidency) provided excellent evidence for this position. To him, Congregationalist ministers and Federalist politicians in these states mutually reinforced one another's arbitrary authority. By way of contrast, he adored Baptist ministers, who insisted on the separation of church and state and emphasized the primacy of the individual conscience.
Who would Jefferson identify as the "priests" of the late twentieth and twenty-first centuries?
While his views on today's divisive social issues might disappoint twenty-first century liberals, Jefferson would have surely grieved at the ascendance of the religious right in the 1970s and 1980s. He would be absolutely stunned at the scale of the Southern Baptist apostasy and would rank James Dobson and Ralph Reed along with the "barbarians" of 1800. Jefferson would not be able to understand, for instance, how fundamentalists in the Southern Baptist Convention have reconciled the enforcement of a Baptist orthodoxy and support of the Republican Party with their more libertarian religious heritage. Moreover, Jefferson would interpret Focus on the Family and the Christian Coalition as diabolical handmaidens of the Republican Party. In Dobson's and Reed's exhortations over the last three decades that listeners (or readers) vote according to what evangelical leaders define as the "orthodox" Christian position on social issues, Jefferson would see priestcraft of the highest order. Notwithstanding his own views on these social issues, he would resist the use of religious belief to compel votes with every resource available to him.
Charles F. Irons is Assistant Professor of History at Elon University.
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And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lama sabach-thani?” that is, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
“There were solitudes beyond where none shall follow. There were secrets in the inmost and invisible part of that drama that have no symbol in speech; or in any severance of a man from men. Nor is it easy for any words less stark and single-minded than those of the naked narrative even to hint at the horror of exaltation that lifted itself above the hill.
Endless expositions have not come to the end of it, or even to the beginning. And if there be any sound that can produce a silence, we may surely be silent about the end and the extremity; when a cry was driven out of that darkness in words dreadfully distinct and dreadfully unintelligible, which man shall never understand in all the eternity they have purchased for him; and for one annihilating instant an abyss that is not for our thoughts had opened even in the unity of the absolute; and God had been forsaken of God.” — G. K. Chesterton, The Everlasting Man
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Community must help people in need
For some reason, I feel that Lahaina has a huge "white elephant" in town, and no one wants to acknowledge it. Homelessness. It is ever-increasing in Lahaina. Since the demolition of wooded area across from Puamana Park up to Lahaina Aquatic Center and then the recent bulldozing of the lot by the Kahoma Canal, it appears that many of the homeless are very displaced. There were an estimated 300-500 people by Puamana, and I am not sure how many at Kahoma. Where did they all go?
Within the last two weeks, I have seen individuals begging for money outside a Lahaina supermarket regularly, open bottles of alcohol and drunkenness by a deli popular with locals and open marijuana smoking on the beaches where children play daily. Down the beach by Wayside Beach Park, there are homeless people sleeping in drainage ditches, on the beach in tents and in the parks, etc. There are groups (three-plus) sleeping on the beach at Breakwall and under the Banyan Tree.
This problem is definitely growing - and quickly.
So what do we do to help other human beings that might desire assistance but are often outcast or ignored? Some churches and organizations provide different resources such as food, meals, tents, etc. That is not enough. That is a temporary Band-Aid meeting some basic needs, not empowering to rehabilitate a person to improve the quality of his or her life.
I challenge the Lahaina community, Maui County, churches, businesses and other individuals to organize and outreach to those in need.
Do not "numb" away your conscience when you walk by. Some things we can do different: ask if they would like help to get off the streets; pray with them; ask if they want to call their family and use your phone; buy them a meal and talk to them about their situation to find out how you can help; if they want to go home, help them get there; link them to shelters.
Human services workers could organize and volunteer a couple hours a week to provide outreach doing all of the above and more. We have to do something. The police and emergency services are doing their best, but the community should help also. I pray that we can unite and show genuine aloha to others.
A'ohehananuikaalu'ia - no task is too big when done together.
JAHANNA NAGANUMA, Lahaina
Speak up for Olowalu!
Olowalu is an ecological gem that is home to an extensive aggregate coral reef that spans over 450 acres and supports a diversity of rare and precious sea life. This reef area is home to 24 species of coral, a thriving black-tip reef shark nursery and a manta ray cleaning station.
Nevertheless, Frampton & Ward LLC has proposed to replace Olowalu's natural charm with a 600-acre makai to mauka development of 1,500-plus housing units.
This development spells the beginning of the end for this unique and valuable reef. Erosion and sedimentation during the construction process will smother and kill corals. Once development is complete, runoff and pollution from oil and gasoline drippings on streets and driveways, as well as fertilizers and herbicides from yards and grassy areas, will further threaten reef health.
Developers claim they have "community support," but I'm convinced it's because many Olowalu lovers don't understand the size and scope of this massive project. I urge the Maui County Council to consider Maui's marine life in their decision about this development.
Development of the Olowalu ahupua'a is unwarranted and unnecessary, and instead of alleviating expansion needs, it will serve to augment overcrowding issues and undermine the very simplicity that makes Maui the island we all love. Beach access and traffic concerns aside, what is really at stake is the destruction of a precious coral reef, and the community, both on land and in the sea, that it supports.
Please make your voice heard; it's the only chance Olowalu's got.
LAUREN CAMPBELL, Conservation Manager, Pacific Whale Foundation
Don't lose friends over politics
It's a sad commentary on people's behavior at this time.
Families are fighting over this election. Lifelong friends have broken up for good. It's too bad there is enmity, sometimes for life.
But just think - after the election is over, politicians will be back to socializing with each other while you and your family have lost your friends.
ARSENE "BLACKIE" GADARIAN, Lahaina
New harbor could enhance Lahaina
It was with great interest that I read that Harbor Quest LLC has proposed plans for a new harbor near Mala Wharf. Although there are many hurdles to overcome, I believe in the end it would have a very positive impact on our community and would improve Lahaina's economy.
Plans for the new harbor are forward-thinking, creative and imaginative. Although several residents have expressed their concern about the construction of the harbor, I would like to see the various obstacles examined by professionals before making a definitive decision on the proposed project.
Lance Thomas from Harbor Quest wrote quite an informative letter to the editor, which appeared in the Sept. 13 Lahaina News. In my view, this is a visionary use of land that could enhance the entire community.
CAROL CAROLAN, Lahaina
Lingle is nonpartisan?
This letter is in regard to the recent political ad that is on television for Linda Lingle - the one that says at the end that she approves this message. First, she says that she is NONPARTISAN. Second, she says she DOES NOT TALK "STINK" about anyone. Now I don't know if it is because I am an old man, or if it's because I am not an educated person. In the latest ad, she says that she is voting for Mitt Romney and his policies. I don't think that makes her a NONPARTISAN candidate. The other thing is that she has made quite a few negative accusations about Mazie Hirono; isn't that "TALKING STINK" about her opponent? Please try and educate me on her ads, because to me, it seems like she is telling lies.
ROBERT P. POTTER, Lahaina
Restaurant will be missed
The West Maui Book Club will surely miss David Paul's Island Grill on Front Street. Its closing has brought to mind the many wonderful discussions our members have held in its private dining room and the fine service the restaurant staff provided us.
We were always treated with great care, often visited by the chef himself, lending our book night excursions a more comforting environment. We knew we were welcomed, and we knew David Paul cared.
Mahalo, David, for all you've done - not only for us but the community as well. Our fondest wish is that you will soon have your bistro up and running, and we can dine with you again.
ELAINE GALLANT. Lahaina, West Maui Book Club
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(October 1, 2011) Alan Nicholl, writing in the Gisborne Herald, discusses myths about the greenhouse effect and the scientific ‘consensus’ around the 2007 IPCC report. Climate researcher James Renwick responds.
THERE are those who consider the Government is not doing enough to combat climate change, supposedly caused by human activity, especially since the latest announcement by Climate Change Minister Nick Smith after the ETS review was released.
They do not support the easing of cost increases associated with the Emissions Trading Scheme, but want to increase them.
The concept of human-caused climate change through increased atmospheric CO 2 is based on nothing more than an assumption. There is no scientific evidence which supports the concept that increasing CO 2 causes an increase in temperature.
In 1909 physicist R.W. Wood conducted an experiment which proved that greenhouse gases do not warm the atmosphere by trapping infrared radiation. Rather the atmosphere is warmed by conduction and convection.
His experiment was published in the Philosophical magazine, 1909, volume 17 pages 319-320.
William Kininmonth, a meteorologist and former head of Australia’s National Climate Centre 1986-1998, in an article which appeared in Australia’s National Observer and was reprinted in Investigate magazine, Feb 2010, states:
“In the current debate over human influence on climate change there is a fundamental misrepresentation of the greenhouse effect and its enhancement by carbon dioxide. Greenhouse gases do not heat the atmosphere; the greenhouse gases tend to cool the atmosphere. The rate of radiation cooling is about 2 degrees per day.”
Another myth of the warmers is that thousands of scientists from all over the world worked on, and supported the 2007 IPCC report.
Author Lawrence Solomon contacted the secretariat of the IPCC to confirm the numbers. He found that only 60 scientists out of 3800 who worked on the 2007 report endorsed the IPCC’s claim that global warming is dangerous; 3740 disagreed with the IPCC and its claims. So much for scientific consensus that humans are causing catastrophic warming. (Investigate, Jan. 2010)
Glaciologist Jorgen Peder Steffersen, curator of the Neils Bohr Institute-Department of Geophysics says it is impossible to tell if humans are causing global warming simply because the start point for temperature recording began at the coldest period in the last 10,000 years. Also, over 4000 years ago Greenland’s temperature was 2.5 degrees warmer than now. How do we know that the warming experienced since 1850-70 was not natural in origin? We don’t know, especially when it is obvious that the planet has been considerably warmer than now, in the not too distant past.
What is unusual is the extreme cold of the little ice age compared to the previous 9500 years. It is predictable to expect that the planet would warm from such a position.
Let’s hope that the current cool down does not lead to another mini ice age. This would be far worse than any warming that may be experienced.
Why do politicians continue to inflict pain on this country’s citizens through the ETS when it’s obvious to all that a warmer world is a better world.
This election, vote for politicians and parties who will repeal the ETS.
Footnote from James Renwick, NIWA Climate Research:
Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are critically important to the energy balance of the Earth and to surface temperatures, warming the world by their presence. This has been known since the first laboratory experiments on the subject in the 1860s, experiments that have since been repeated countless times. The science of the greenhouse effect is very well accepted and has been taught in schools and universities worldwide for decades. Wood’s 1909 paper discusses actual greenhouses but proves nothing about CO 2 in the atmosphere.
All components of the climate system (atmosphere, oceans, land surface, glaciers, ice sheets) are currently indicating long-term global-scale warming, in line with expectations based on observed greenhouse gas increases. Observations and research tell us that the greenhouse gas increases are the result of human activity.
Regarding the IPCC numbers, there’s not much point getting into arguments over the details of this, as it doesn’t really make sense the way Mr Nicholl puts it. There are indeed thousands of scientists who contribute their own specific expertise to the IPCC reports, and they are the most widely reviewed and critiqued public documents I am aware of. Individual scientists stand behind the material they contribute.
Almost all climate scientists concur with the view that the climate is changing and that human activity is the cause. There have been a number of studies showing that the vast majority of scientists working in the field of climate or geophysics research have the understanding that human activity is the main cause of currently-observed climate change.
Alan Nicholl and James Renwick, Gisborne Herald, October 1, 2011
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The U.N. meeting in Buenos Aires on uniform rules for the treatment of prisoners, which concluded last week, was a significant step toward progressive reform, as the resulting Draft Report makes clear. Unfortunately, due in large part to positions taken by the U.S. delegation, an opportunity to make even greater progress was lost.
This is the first revision of the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (SMRs) since they were promulgated in 1955. At some points during the U.N. Intergovernmental Expert Group Meeting, the U.S. delegation made positive proposals. At other times it seemed to fear too much justice.
It opposed a proposal that would have allowed a prisoner facing disciplinary charges to be represented by a lawyer, even at his or her own expense. It pushed, unsuccessfully, for removal of a reference to health care being provided to prisoners free of charge – presumably because many U.S. prisons and jails charge prisoners for medical care. (The Brazilian delegation objected to the deletion, and the language remained in the Draft Report.)
Source: ACLU. Read full article. (link)
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Should We Be Creating a New Anti-Bullying Cause of Action
I know, opposing a law that seeks to prevent workplace bullying is like criticizing mom and apple pie. Still. More workplace litigation??? And why isn't the existing cause of action for the intentional infliction of emotional distress a perfectly good alternative for anyone who's truly "severely" damaged by "outrageous" conduct that goes beyond the bounds of human civility?
One of the great benefits of posting on this topic over at Forbes.com is the number of comments it generates. Not because it insures "hits" but because it engages a far larger community in a constructive multilogue on an issue of genuine and important public interest. Here's an excerpt:
According to a post in the Wall Street Journal Law Blog yesterday -- For Businesses, Bully Lawsuits May Pose New Threat -- New York's state Senate has passed a surprisingly bipartisan workplace anti-bullying law.
According to the Journal, the law would "allow workers who've been physically, psychologically or economically abused while on the job to file charges against their employers in civil court."
Economically abused????? The mind boggles.
The bill defines "bullying" broadly as the "repeated use of derogatory remarks, insults and epithets" that the (mythical and chronically overly sensitive) "reasonable person" would "find threatening, intimidating or humiliating."
Let's give this proposal a second thought, particularly in the context of legal practice. We lawyers do endeavor to "keep calm and carry on." We have been known, however, to push ourselves and to be pushed past our tempers' limits. We're human. We're under a lot of pressure. And we're fallible.
Read more here.
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Urologic surgery is a delicate endeavor, as both sexual function and urinary function depend on the integrity of the reproductive organs. Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center offers cutting-edge surgical care using the da Vinci robotic surgery system. If you are experiencing urologic or gynecologic dysfunction that can be treated surgically, ask your physician whether the da Vinci Surgical System is a good option for you.
Hysterectomy, or removal of the uterus, is a surgical procedure used to treat a variety of conditions, including uterine fibroids, endometriosis, and cancer. The traditional method of performing this surgery is known as an “open hysterectomy,” during which a long incision is made in the abdomen in order to grant access to the internal reproductive organs. This type of procedure is incredibly taxing on the body and carries a number of risks, including nerve damage and trauma to surrounding tissues. Fortunately, the da Vinci Surgical System enables surgeons to work through small incisions of less than two centimeters while providing unmatched control and precision. This tends to lead to faster recovery times, reduced postoperative discomfort, and better outcomes.
Similar benefits are noted in da Vinci prostate surgery, as the minimally invasive robotic technique helps prevent surgical complications. The area surrounding the prostate is densely packed with nerves and blood vessels, making open surgery painful and difficult. Using the da Vinci Surgical System, however, a surgeon can avoid vital structures, reducing the risk of incontinence and sexual dysfunction.
For more information on your urologic and gynecologic surgery options, call (877) 888-5746 and schedule an appointment with one of the physicians at Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center’s surgery center. We strive to incorporate the latest technology and proven surgical techniques in order to minimize patient recovery times and optimize outcomes.
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Blue Ventures is one of this year’s12 finalists, selected from over 800 nominations worldwidefor its work in using social enterprise to drive sustainable community-based conservation initiatives.
In Madagascar, Blue Ventures' highly acclaimed conservation programmes work with some of the world’s poorest coastal communities to develop conservation and alternative income initiatives to protect biodiversity and coastal livelihoods.
“These initiatives give local people a chance to determine their own future" said Gildas Andriamalala, Blue Ventures' outreach officer in southern Madagascar. "Our work is helping indigenous communities in some of the country’s most deprived areas deal with the challenges of dwindling marine resources.”
Blue Ventures’ strategy focuses on empowering coastal communities to manage their own resources by developing marine protection initiatives designed to sustain local fisheries and safeguard marine biodiversity. These initiatives have guided fisheries policy and legislation, and been replicated by dozens of villages, NGOs, and government agencies across hundreds of kilometres of coastline.
Recent successes include the creation of Velondriake, the largest community-managed marine reserve in the Indian Ocean. Blue Ventures is now focusing on scaling-up community-based conservation activities at national and international levels across the Indian Ocean region.
Blue Ventures generates much of its conservation funding independently, through volunteer expedition programmes. These programmes support a team of over 50 full time conservationists and staff worldwide. These conservationists are now among the leading authorities for community-based marine and coastal conservation in Madagascar and the western Indian Ocean region.
"All too often, marine conservation efforts fail because of market economics: the costs of action far outweigh the perceived benefits of inaction." said Dr. Garth Cripps, senior conservation scientist with Blue Ventures in Antananarivo. "Blue Ventures’ conservation strategy is simple. We focus on innovating scalable economic incentives for marine conservation."
Over coming weeks Blue Ventures' work will be featured on BBC World News television and in Newsweek magazine. The winner of World Challenge 2010 will be announced at a ceremony in The Hague in December, and will receive a US$20,000 grant from Shell to invest in their work. Two runners-up will each receive US$10,000. Voting ends at midnight (GMT) on 12th November 2010.
If you'd like to vote for Blue Ventures, please vote for us here
*To increase national capacity for conservation success across Madagascar, Blue Ventures is also running a variety of environmental education programmes for local communities – including children’s environmental clubs, conservation scholarship programmes and training workshops.
*For more information about BBC World Challenge, please see http://www.theworldchallenge.co.uk/
*For more information about Blue Ventures expeditions, please see http://www.blueventures.org/expeditions.html
*For more information about Blue Ventures research, please see http://www.blueventures.org/research.html
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Reviewer: Ryan P. Smith, MD
The Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania
Last Modified: July 4, 2004
Author: Roberts Jr TG, Lynch Jr TJ, Chabner BA
Source: Journal of Clinical Oncology, 21(19), 2003, pg 3683-3695
Materials and Methods
There are an unprecedented number (1345) of antineoplastic drugs in current development. This is compared to the 85 drugs currently approved. Though there has been a mechanism for accelerated marketing approval of cancer drugs on the basis of surrogate endpoints, such as response rates in phase II trials, the FDA will continue to require randomized trials of novel agents in their granting of marketing approval.The reasons for this is first, accelerated approval is only available for an indication where the new therapy offers promise over the existing standard. Also, there is fear that accelerated approval will create incentive to perform large, single arm studies in refractory patient populations, in hopes of approval. Also, there is recognition that many drugs will have modest activity in phase II trials, needing phase III trials to demonstrate a superiority
Three factors limit the performance of phase III trials: cost, developmental time, and risk. The cost of developing a new antineoplastic drug is estimated to be $802 million. Of this, the direct clinical expenditures cost is $175 million, of which phase III trials represent the majority (65% to 75%) of the cost. They also extend the time to marketing approval. Also, there is a high probability that the drug will fail to obtain approval. In the past 20 years, only 10% of all agents brought into clinical trials ultimately received FDA approval.
Using data collected from the review of the databases, the authors created a model for deciding whether or not to enter an agent into a phase III trial. The target validity is the first to consider. There is a risk in initiating phase III trials of targeted agents where the target has not been adequately validated. The agent also must have favorable pharmacokinetic properties, such as a high bioavailability, a long half-life, and shallow trough levels. The activity and toxicity in phase I and II trials should create a favorable therapeutic ratio. If this does not exist, it is unlikely that the drug will be at all clinically useful. Also in considering a drug for phase III trials, the disease targeted for treatment and the line of treatment should be considered. First line treatment is optimal, but it should be remembered that in going for this approval, randomization will be against the treatment with the most activity. Lastly, the potential for a market niche needs to be considered. In other words, a phase III trial is less likely to be initiated for a drug to treat an uncommon disease.
This report shows a sobering account of the expense and time required to gain approval for a novel therapy. It is because of these factors that novel drug prices, molecularly targeted therapies, and cancer vaccines are so expensive when they do gain approval. This also shows why there is relatively little research done on uncommon cancers. There is simply no market to cover the research deficit after approval is obtained. Though for safety reasons, much of this is needed, this article points out some areas where industry and governmental sponsors can improve. As the authors illustrate, there should be a stricter evaluation of patients and populations that may benefit from a novel therapy (be it cytotoxic agent, molecular agent, or vaccine), prior to initiating phase III trials. This can decrease time and cost, and increase efficacy, by treating a more homogeneous population.
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Alaska has long been plagued by a high incidence of violence against women.The Alaska Victimization Survey is modeled upon the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Surveillance System (NISVSS) developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in collaboration with the National Institute of Justice and the U.S. Department of Defense. The NISVSS survey, started in 2009, is designed to generate accurate lifetime and 12-month incidence and prevalence estimates on intimate partner violence, sexual violence and stalking victimization. Major findings showed that out of every 100 adult women who reside in Alaska: 48 experienced intimate partner violence; 37 experienced sexual violence; 59 experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence or both. Additionally, they commit suicide at a rate twice that of the national average. For more information: 2010 Alaska Victimization Survey
In the 1940s and 1950s, medical ships cruised the waters of southwest Alaska, trying to end an epidemic of tuberculosis that infected as many of 90 percent of the region’s population. Doctors now face shortages of tuberculosis detection and treatment medicines even as the aftershocks of that 70-year-old epidemic infect Alaskans anew. “What we’re having to do due to the national shortage is to ask people to put on hold some of the routine screening of at-risk people,” said Dr. Michael Cooper, Alaska’s deputy state epidemiologist. Alaska has the highest tuberculosis rates in the country, partly due to the mid-20th century epidemic, Cooper explained. Anchorage Daily News
The United States Executive Office of the President’s National Science and Technology Council has released a five-year Arctic Research Plan that outlines key areas of study the Federal government will undertake to better understand and predict environmental changes in the Arctic. The Plan was developed by a team of experts representing 14 federal agencies, based on input from collaborators including the Alaska Governor’s Office, indigenous Arctic communities, local organizations, and universities. Seven research areas are highlighted in the Plan as both important to the development of national policies and well-poised to benefit from interagency collaboration, including among them: regional climate models, human health studies, and adaptation tools for communities. The Report
The Polar Research Board, of the National Research Council (part of National Academy of Sciences) announced a study activity designed to provide guidance on future research questions in the Arctic over the next 10-20 years, identifying the key scientific questions that are emerging in different realms of Arctic science and exploring both disciplinary realms (e.g., marine, terrestrial, atmosphere, cryosphere, social sciences, and health) and cross cutting realms (e.g., integrated systems science and sustainability science). Based on the emerging research questions, the study will also help identify research infrastructure needs (e.g., observation networks, computing and data management, ship requirements, shore facilities, etc.) and collaboration opportunities. Attention will be given to assessing needs where there may be a mismatch between rates of change and the pace of scientific research. Although it is understood that there is no one answer, the committee is asked to explore how agency decision makers might achieve balance in their research portfolios and associated investments (e.g., what are some of the challenges of trying to do both problem-driven research and curiosity-driven research?). The goal is to guide future directions in U.S. Arctic research so that research is targeted on critical scientific and societal questions and conducted as effectively as possible.
The study will include a community workshop to be held in Alaska in late spring of 2013, and the Committee’s report is expected to be released by spring 2014. Further information about the project, including the study scope and the provisional committee slate, and public comments, can be submitted here.
The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium have launched their second survey in an effort to assess Alaskans’ wants, needs and vision for the future of health and health care in Alaska. The initial survey ran between Sept. 17 and Oct. 22, 2012. More than 1,500 Alaskans responded to the survey, listing such health priorities as alcohol use and abuse; the cost of health care; and diet, exercise and obesity as their principal health concerns.
The second survey is designed to shorten the current list of 71 health indicators to the top 25 Alaskans feel are most important. The Healthy Alaskans 2020 initiative will track the state’s progress in meeting these top health priorities between now and 2020. Anchorage Daily News
A new study conducted by the Alaska Division of Public Health shows a decline in violent deaths in Alaska during the past five years, an indication that some of Alaska’s most persistent and serious problems could be improving. The data comes from the Alaska Violent Death Reporting System (AKVDRS), a federally funded program established in 2004. Alaska is one of 18 states receiving federal funding for the program, which has collected data for two five-year periods, 2004-2008 and 2007-2011. Alaska DispatchAlaska Violent Death Reporting System 2003 – 2008
In We Breathe Again, a movie in production about Alaska Native suicide-prevention work, a man talks about his suicide attempt. “I wanted to hunt. I wanted to put food aside, but I couldn’t do it without a vehicle and gas money.” He began drinking and finally turned a gun on himself. The last thing he remembers saying to his family before the gun went off was, “By god, I love you all.” The people in the film were courageous, willing to talk about moments of anguish as well as triumph, so that others can learn from their experiences, says director and cinematographer Marsh Chamberlain. “Listening to them has been such a privilege. We Breathe Again is about serious issues, but it’s also uplifting-a healing journey. Whatever our characters have been through, they’re all living healthy lives now, so that hasn’t been hard to do.” Indian Country Today
Nunavut came up trumps at the first-annual Arctic Inspiration Prize at the ArcticNet Annual Scientific Meeting in Vancouver, B.C. Dec. 13. The prize is awarded to four research projects that “address pressing issues facing Canada’s Arctic and its Peoples.” All four get a selected chunk of a $1-million prize given by the S. and A. Inspiration Foundation.
The winning Nunavut projects include:
- The Arctic Food Network — $360,000: The Arctic Food Network won its money by creating a scheme to build regional food cabins along a network of “food highways” or snowmobile trails across the territory.
- The Nunavut Literacy Council — $300,000: The Nunavut Literacy Council won its $300,000 with its three-year research project about embedding literacy skills into traditional programs.
- Inuit elders writing a book on Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit — $240,000: Ten elders from across Nunavut, along with a subset of many other elders, are writing a book about traditional knowledge and culture, What Inuit Have Always Known to be True.
For every 1,000 American Indian and Alaska Native babies born in U.S. cities, as many as 15 die before their first birthday. To raise awareness and share valuable health and prevention messages about this problem, the Urban Indian Health Institute (UIHI) has launched Native Generations, a campaign addressing the high rates of infant mortality among American Indians and Alaska Natives. The campaign was made possible by funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Minority Health. Native American Times
The Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East (RAIPON), Russia’s largest indigenous rights group and one of six indigenous Permanent Participants on the world’s Arctic Council, is in serious danger of being permanently dissolved. The non-governmental organization has received an official six-month “activities suspension order” from Russia’s Ministry of Justice restricting the group from protesting or gathering. The federal Ministry of Justice accused the organization of noncompliance with federal law.
Rodion Sulyandziga, RAIPON’s first vice president, told the French news agency AFP, “This is a political decision. They want to remove us as a barrier and active participant in international law.”
RAIPON represents an estimated 30,000 indigenous people and 41 member groups throughout Russia and, in some cases, is the only mouthpiece for indigenous Russians.
Because of the suspension, RAIPON has stopped all international projects, but the association isn’t going to give up without a fight. RAIPON plans to appeal the ministry’s decision. However, if the appeal is unsuccessful, RAIPON will be ordered to completely shut down operations within six months, leaving the indigenous people of Russia’s Arctic without a voice on the Arctic Council. Alaska Dispatch
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Early Books & Manuscripts Collection
- Papyri at Houghton Library
- Medieval Manuscripts at Houghton Library
- Books in Books: Reflections on Reading and Writing in the Middle Ages
The Early Books & Manuscripts Collection includes material dating from approximately 3000 BCE to 1600 CE and ranges from papyri to early and illuminated manuscripts to early printed books. While there is an emphasis on Western languages and cultures, the collection is also strong in Arabic, Indic, Persian, and Syriac manuscripts. Materials in the collections are consulted in the Houghton Library Reading Room.
- E-mail the Early Books & Manuscripts Collection for information about the collections, permissions, and programs.
- E-mail the Reference Desk for information regarding access and use of the collections.
- Contact information is available in the Houghton Staff Directory.
The Houghton Library’s collection of papyri was acquired between 1901 and 1909 thanks to a donation from the Egypt Exploration Fund, London. Most of the papyri come from Oxyrhynchus and are an extremely interesting set of primary sources for the study of antiquity, in particular Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt. Digital Papyri at Houghton Library is a special section on this site that provides strategies for searching Houghton's papyri as well as links to bibliographies related to these materials that were compiled by the Library.
The Houghton Library’s distinguished collection of medieval and Renaissance manuscripts represents a significant resource for the study of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance in Western Europe. Digital Medieval Manuscripts at Houghton Library is a special section on this site that provides strategies for searching Houghton's medieval manuscripts as well as links to bibliographies related to these materials that were compiled by the Library.
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For over 10 years Ohio judge James DeWeese (pictured) has fought for his constitutionally guaranteed right to display the Ten Commandments in his courtroom. And during that entire time he has been thwarted by a series of federal court rulings fueled by manipulative arguments of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Now, with the help of the conservative American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), Judge DeWeese will try to take his case to the U.S. Supreme Court.
As reported by The New American, it all began back in 2000 when the ACLU successfully sued for the removal of a display DeWeese had placed in his courtroom that included both the Declaration of Independence and the Ten Commandments. Reported The New American last February: “DeWeese followed up in 2006 by again posting the Ten Commandments, but re-titling them ‘Philosophies of Law in Conflict’ and referring to them as a set of ‘moral absolutes’ which he compared to a series of ‘moral relatives,’ such as, ‘The universe is self-existent and not created,’ and, ‘Ethics depend on the person and the situation.’”
Click here to read the entire article.
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Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Funny thing is, here is a slide I showed during a talk I gave at a conference in Manhattan in April of 2006. The title of the conference was "Local Solutions to the Energy Dilemma." Look at the second item on the right. Uncanny, is it not? (I believe it is sometimes acceptable to tootle your own horn, provided you do it softly, without startling any of the neighbors.)
Well, it appears that I have been wrong, for once. Is it a realistic plan after all? I am riddled with self-doubt, you see. My crystal ball is all scuffed up.
Perhaps some of you would want to venture a guess on which one will come next. If so, please make a wager. Will it be GoogleSchools™, or will it be GoogleHealth™? Do you believe in a bright future... for Google? (Google employees and their families are not allowed to participate.)
[Update: It's GoogleMoney. Alas, it wasn't even on my list. None of us here called it. Google moves in mysterious ways.]
Saturday, July 17, 2010
This is good enough for most of us, and so we have come to regard straight lines as natural. In fact, in our world there are just two types of natural phenomena that give rise to straight lines: objects drop or hang down in straight vertical lines, and light beams travel in straight lines; beyond plumb lines and lines of sight everything is either a curve or a squiggle. But since most of our environment is artificial—and crammed full of straight lines and flat horizontal and vertical surfaces—we hardly ever have to confront this fact. Of course, the more scientifically astute among us know that straight lines are but a convenient fiction. We start with a conceptual framework of space that consists of x, y and z axes, and proceed to coerce our observations to fit this framework until the mismatch becomes too obvious to ignore, as with objects dropped from orbit, or with light from far-away galaxies that’s so warped by nearby galaxies that the image looks like a smear.
But the fiction is indeed very convenient. To start with, all straight lines are interchangeable and compatible. When we build, we tend to put things either on top of or next to other things, and if they involve straight lines, then no intricate fitting is involved—we can just slap it together any which way and efficiently move on to our next box-building exercise. When we go to a lumberyard, what we buy is not so much wood as straight lines cut through wood. Trees know a lot more than we do about constructing maximally efficient structures out of wood, but we like straight lines, and so we cut through the strongest part of the tree—the concentric rings of wood that make up the trunk—for the sake of making a perfectly straight stick. We could build beautiful, strong, long-lasting structures using round timbers grown to order (as some of us do) but generally we don’t because we are mentally lazy, always in too much of a hurry, and have made a fetish of straight lines.
Quite unsurprisingly, our preference for straight lines carries over into the way we think about relationships between things—the mental models we construct of our world. For instance, we consider it a matter of moral rectitude and straight dealing that the price be linearly proportional to the amount of stuff we get: if you pay twice as much, you should get twice as many potatoes. Quantity discounts are acceptable and sometimes expected, but pricing on a curve is generally seen as underhanded. We mistrust curves. Stepwise functions are fine, though, because they are made up of straight line segments. We can put up with having tax brackets, but try taxing people based on a nonlinear formula, and there is sure to be a tax revolt. Were the potato market a product of biological evolution rather than of human artifice, it would perhaps work like this: the price would be some nonlinear function that’s directly proportional to the customer’s net worth, and the number of potatoes dispensed would be some nonlinear function that’s inversely proportional to his net girth. Place your moneybags on one sliding scale, your flab-bags on the other, and some potatoes come out. Such a natural regulatory mechanism would prevent fat, rich gluttons from out-eating the rest of us, but it cannot be, for we have a very strong cultural preference for a simple linear relationship between price and quantity.
Straight lines are popular with grocers and their customers, but nobody loves a straight-edge more than the technocrat. Real-world data generally look like a collection of unique artifacts described by a multitude of qualitatively dissimilar properties and inferred relationships, all fluctuating unpredictably over time in a way that resists the direct application of the straight-edge. Therefore, the first step is to quantify the properties and, if at all possible, ignore the relationships. The next step is to choose just two parameters and to plot these artifacts as points on a piece of graph paper. Then, finally, a technocrat can grab a straight-edge, slap it down on the piece of paper, move it around a bit to find what looks like a good fit, and draw a straight line. Voilà: a linear relationship between two complex phenomena has been found, which can now be treated as real and objective—something that can be shared with one’s colleagues and be used as a basis for setting policy—because it involves a straight line which tells that one thing is proportional to some other thing, so that we know what result to expect when we perturb one or the other.
Straight lines are popular with engineers as well. Engineers work hard to design linear, time-invariant systems in which the output is directly proportional to the input any time you like. To them, deviations from linear behavior are defects. They are to us as well: we can hear it if the audio amplifier has nonlinear effects because it distorts the sound, and we can see it if the optics distorts the image. We can tell a straight line from a crooked one without any tools. But the mathematical tools which engineers use when they design these linear time-invariant systems are particularly good, as mathematical tools go. Mathematics can be quite fun as a sort of advanced parlor game for philosophers, but most math is rather problematic from an engineer’s point of view. You can describe just about anything using a set of differential equations, but most of the interesting phenomena—the behavior of an airfoil in an airstream, for instance, or the behavior of high-temperature gases in a combustion chamber—produce equations that can’t be solved analytically, and can only be approached using numerical methods, using a computer. A mathematical model is constructed, and random numbers are thrown at it to see what comes out. But linear time-invariant systems are described using a singularly well-behaved class of differential equations which do have closed-form, analytical solutions that directly provide answers to design questions, and so engineering students are drilled in them ad naseam and then go on to design and build all kinds of machinery that behaves as linearly as possible, from humble volume knobs to complex aircraft control surfaces. In turn, this well-behaved, predictable machinery allows us to achieve linear effects within the economy: build more stuff—get proportionally more money; spend more money—get proportionally more stuff. But, just as one might suspect, this only works up to a point.
Let us recall: straight lines are but a convenient fiction. There is no physical analogue of a mathematical straight line that goes from minus infinity to plus infinity. The best we can do is use all of our artifice to create relatively short straight line segments. Truth be told, the engineers can’t create linear systems; they can only create systems that exhibit linear behavior in their linear region. Outside of that region, nature does what it always does: make crazy curves and squiggles and generally behave in random and unpredictable ways. An example of what happens when we exceed the limits of the linear region from our everyday experience is the phenomenon of overloading an audio amplifier. The resulting effect is called clipping, and it sounds like a particularly unpleasant, harsh, grating noise. There are only two solutions: turn down the volume (return to the linear region), or get a more powerful amplifier.
In the economic realm, the effects of exceeding the limits of the linear region can be even more unpleasant. While within that region, building more houses generates more wealth, but just outside of that region strange things begin to happen rather quickly: house prices crash, mortgages go bad, and building any more houses becomes a singularly bad idea. In the linear region, having more money makes you richer, in the sense of being able to buy more stuff, but outside of that region one is forced to realize that since most money has been loaned into existence, it is in fact composed of debt, and once this debt goes bad, no matter how good your net worth looks on paper you are still facing destitution, greatly exacerbated by the fact that you are out of practice when it comes to being poor. In the linear region, investing more money in energy production produces more energy, but just outside that region it produces less energy, and may also inadvertently destroy entire industries and ecosystems.
If linearity is a fiction that is only useful up to a point, then what about time-invariance? Clearly, it too must have its limits. Stepping on the accelerator may produce the same acceleration every time, but the amount of fuel in the tank decreases monotonically until there is none left. When it comes to more complex, dynamic systems—industries, economies, societies—they may continue to respond to external stimuli in a linear and time-invariant manner up to a point, but behind this stable façade their capabilities erode, their resources dwindle, their complexity increases, and beyond a certain point an entirely different process begins: the process of collapse. Such systems generally do not become smaller, spontaneously become less complex or reduce their resource use while continuing to respond to external stimuli in a controlled, linear manner.
But so strong and so deeply ingrained is our habit of thinking in straight lines that often we cannot imagine that we can ever leave the linear region, or, once we do, that we have done so, even when the evidence is staring us in the face. Forensic analyses of airplane crashes have revealed that sometimes, as his last act, the pilot ripped the control console off the cockpit floor—an act that requires superhuman strength—so hard was he pulling back on the yoke to bring up the airplane’s nose. I am sure that there are plenty of pilots—in all walks of life—who will prefer to crash, gripping the controls with all their might, gaze fixed on the distant, irrelevant or fictional horizon, than to push the eject button. Their entire life’s experience has been confined to the linear region, and so they cannot imagine that it can ever end.
One particularly significant example of this thinking is the belief in Peak Oil, generally expressed as the idea that global oil production already has or will soon reach an all-time peak, and will then gradually decrease over a time span of several decades. Oil depletion is being modeled as a linear function of oil production: a few percent a year, holding more or less steady from one year to the next. At the same time, the use of oil by industrialized societies is often quite usefully characterized as an addiction. Let us exercise this metaphor a bit and see where it takes us. Suppose you have a junkie who has an ever-increasing heroin habit and who has to go out and hustle harder and harder to score his next fix. Now, suppose global heroin production peaks, prices go up, supply dwindles, and our junkie has to start cutting the dose. Not too far along what you then have is a sick junkie, in withdrawal, who cannot go out and hustle for his next fix. And very soon after that you have a collapse of the heroin market because the junkies have all been forced to kick the habit to one extent or another. This disruption of the heroin market, even if temporary, causes heroin production to decrease even faster, production costs and associated risks to go up, and so forth. Beyond a certain point, the heroin market would no longer be characterized as a linear, time-invariant system where the more you pay the more of it you get any time you like, because there would be so little of it around.
Similarly with oil. Right after Hurricane Katrina there was some disruption of gasoline supplies in some of the southern US states. People have written to me to tell me that the result was instant mayhem: society at all levels swiftly stopped functioning. The shortage was temporary and was quickly forgotten, but were it a long-term, systemic shortage, we would no doubt observe all the usual effects: much extra fuel evaporated from topping off fuel tanks and burned from driving around with a full tank and full jerrycans in the trunk, much fuel wasted from driving around looking for gasoline and from idling in long lines at filling stations, a lot of siphoning of gas from tanks and motorists left stranded as a result, a lot of people unable to get to work, and, shortly after that, hoarding, looting and rioting, commerce at a standstill, use of federal troops to restore public order, curfews and limitations on all travel, bank holidays and a balance of payments crisis, and, finally, the general inability to pay for further oil production or imports. All of these disruptions cause oil production to fall even faster, along with all other economic activity, until there is simply not that much demand for the stuff. As much of the global oil industry is idled, drilling rigs, refineries and pipelines fall into disuse and become inoperable. Instead of a nice few-percent-a-year gradual decline, we would have what Douglas Adams would have described as a “spontaneous existence failure.”
I am sure that some people would like me to whip out my straight-edge, plot some straight lines and make some projections: What is my price forecast? What production numbers are we talking about, ten or twenty years out? Well, that to me feels like a complete waste of time. I’d rather spend time learning how to train trees for round timber construction. The future is certain to be nonlinear, but I am quite sure that there will be trees in it. The reason I bring this up is that there are a few of pilots out there who I hope will have the presence of mind to push the eject button instead of clutching at the controls with their eyes locked on the artificial horizon.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Saturday, July 10, 2010
The truth, of course, is much less amusing. The FBI, after years and years of assiduous investigation, nailed a handful of Russians for failing to register as foreign agents. (Reminds me, got to get my fishing license renewed.) These Russians have been living boring suburban American lives under assumed Anglo names trying to infiltrate posh cocktail parties. They never succeeded. Yawn.
But eventually the story gets interesting when Washington agrees to a spy swap with Moscow, exchanging these hapless nobodies with... some actual Russian spies—Russians who have been caught spying for the US and have been cooling their heels in Russian jails.
Out with the party crashers, in with some real honest-to-goodness traitors, who will now be hosted in the US at taxpayer expense. Maybe they can do some spying for Moscow now. Being traitors, they should have zero moral qualms. Be sure to look for them at forthcoming cocktail parties.
Update: The bulk of comments submitted for this post attest to two salient facts:
1. Many Americans have a knee-jerk hatred of Russia—not surprising, since this is what American mass media has been trying to instill in many generations of them. Loyal Americans establish their loyalty by bad-mouthing people in other countries. Since this is largely a display of ignorance, it is not even threatening—just pathetic.
2. More interestingly, many Americans no longer even understand the concepts of loyalty and treason—again, not surprising, since for a few generations now they have been ruled by traitors, whose routine acts of betrayal are designed to benefit just about anyone—from Israeli arms smugglers to Afghani heroin dealers—except the people who supposedly elect them to office.
Since most of my readers apparently feel no compulsion to trash-talk Russia or to demonstrate their ignorance of the concept of treason—or to submit comments—I am killing the comments for this post.
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DEATH...to be dead, to be a corpse, to have expired and no longer breathe....dead... and know not anything. This is not difficult....1Co 15:15 and we also are found false witnesses of God, because we did testify of God that He raised up the Christ, whom He did not raise if then dead persons do not rise;
1Co 15:16 for if dead persons do not rise, neither hath Christ risen,
1Co 15:17 and if Christ hath not risen, vain is your faith, ye are yet in your sins;
1Co 15:18 then, also, those having fallen asleep in Christ did perish;
1Co 15:19 if in this life we have hope in Christ only, of all men we are most to be pitied.
1Co 15:20 But, in reality, Christ *has* risen from among the dead, being the first to do so of those who are asleep. [asleep=dead]
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2013 Summer/Fall CSA
Thank you for your interest in our Summer/Fall CSA!
Whether you have been a member in the past, or are looking into our CSA for the first time, we would love to have you as part of our farm community this summer. We offer a variety of shares: Produce Shares, Egg Shares,and Chicken Shares, opportunities to purchase other local/sustainably raised products throughout the season, and a warm welcome to participate in the life of the farm- through workdays and celebrations.
Our Summer/Fall Produce Share is composed of our own certified organic vegetables and fruits (primarily berries), supplemented occasionally by produce grown by farmer neighbors (not always certified organic, but definitely no-spray.) Last year our summer CSA members received approximately 55 different types of produce throughout the season. Below is a sampling of what might compose a share throughout the season
Asparagus, Rhubarb, Salad mix, spinach, lettuce, radishes, tender white turnips, peas, scallions, kale and other leafy greens, early beets and carrots, Strawberries, and early summer squash and cucumbers
Tomatoes, green beans, potatoes, carrots, beets, zucchini, cucumbers, sweet bell peppers, hot peppers, eggplant, garlic, watermelon and cantaloupe, onions, swiss chard, sweet corn, lettuce, and herbs.
Pumpkins and winter squash, sweet potatoes, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, beets, parsnips, kohlrabi, onions, turnips, rutabagas, potatoes, kale, leafy greens, lettuce, spinach, herbs.
We offer two share sizes: full and medium. Full shares aim to provide enough food for two vegetable-loving adults or a family that eats one or two vegetable side dishes a day. Medium shares are about 60% of the size of fulls (due to both smaller portions and fewer items) and are designed for one vegetable-loving adult or a couple that doesn't cook quite as much.
Our Egg Share consists of fresh brown eggs from our Pasture Raised hens. These hens are on pasture nearly year round (in freezing temperatures they are moved to the barnyard so they have access to the barn). Their diet consists of clover, grass, grubs and insects, grain from the local mill, and some select discarded produce throughout the season.
Every year we also raise broilers on pasture to sell through the CSA and this summer we are offering Chicken Shares for those who would like to receive chicken on a regular basis. We process chickens on a monthly basis and will have fresh chicken available the week we process (Tuesday distributions only*), and frozen chicken in the off weeks. You can choose to receive whole chicken, or chicken that has been pieced (Bone-in breast and thighs/drumsticks). You can also choose between fresh chicken (monthly delivery only) and a combination of fresh/frozen if you would like more frequent deliveries. As we have supply, we will offer chicken for sale on an as needed basis for those who don't want to commit to a share, or who would like to buy even more chicken.
*Note: If you are a Harrisburg or Selinsgrove/Winfield member we will not be able to offer fresh chicken- all chicken shares will come frozen.
This summer Blue Rooster Farm is offering a meat share (combined beef and pork) option for State College and Mifflintown members. Follow this link to learn more about it. Blue Rooster Farm partners with Village Acres to provide grassfed beef, lamb, and free-range pork to their members. They will continue to offer retail cuts as before, but if the CSA model works for you, check out this new opportunity! If you have further questions, do not hesitate to contact Blue Rooster Farm; they will be happy to speak with you!
Schedule and Pricing
Summer CSA distributions On Farm, in State College, and Lewistown are held every Tuesday from May 28, 2013 to November 26th, 2013. Selinsgrove and Harrisburg distributions are every Friday from May 31st to November 22nd.
|Produce Share Options:|
|Farm Pickup: Full Share||$625|
|Farm Pickup: Medium Share||$400|
|Off Farm Delivery Full Share||$680|
|Off Farm Delivery Medium Share||$450|
|Egg Share Options:|
|Egg Share (1 Doz/week)||$94|
|Egg Share (2 doz/week)||$188|
|Egg Share (1 doz biweekly)||$48|
|Chicken Share Options:|
|Monthly Fresh Chicken Share (Whole)||$100|
|Monthly Fresh Chicken Share (Pieced)||$110|
|Biweekly Chicken Share (Whole)||$200|
|Biweekly Chicken Share (Pieced)||$220|
Our Community Fund exists to make sure that good, local, organic produce is available to everyone, regardless of economic means. Our Community Fund provides reduced cost shares for those on limited budgets who want to be a part of the CSA. If you would like to contribute to the Community Fund as part of your signup, you'll be given the opportunity to do so. All donations made during registration are matched by the farm. If you are interested in receiving financial assistance from the Community Fund, please sign up online as usual, and then contact the farm with "Community Fund Request" in the subject line, or call us at (717) 436-9477.
- On-Farm: 229 Cuba Mills Rd., Mifflintown, PA 17059
- State College: Friends Meeting House, 611 E. Prospect Ave., State College, PA 16801
- Lewistown: Community Partnerships RC&D Office, 23 North Main St., Lewistown, PA 17044
- Harrisburg: Unitarian Church of Harrisburg, Clover Lane, Swatara Township
- Harrisburg: Member's home, Uptown
- Selinsgrove- Basement level Emma's Food for Life Restaurant
- Winfield: In Winfield (at a member's house) Emma's Food for Life in Selinsgrove
Payment is due by June 1st. We appreciate payments up front, but a $100 deposit will hold your spot, and payments can be made incrementally until June 1st. Please send payment to the farm's address, payable to "Village Acres Farm and FoodShed." In the memo field, please write "Summer/Fall Share '13" and your member #, which will be in your confirmation email. Finally, if your name is not on the check, please write it in the memo field. Please note that your deposit is the only way to hold your spot.
If alternative payment options are needed, we can arrange these on a case by case basis. Also, if the cost is prohibitive to signing up, inquire with us about Community Fund Support. Email firstname.lastname@example.org
Village Acres Farm
229 Cuba Mills Rd.
Mifflintown, PA 17059
If you have previously been a member of any Village Acres CSA, click here to sign up for the '13 Summer CSA.
If you're a new member, click here to sign up for the '13 Summer CSA.
Thank you for your interest and support. If you have any questions/comments, please call (717-436-9477) or email us (CSA@villageacresfarm.com).
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Help! Democracy Needs You
Offer ideas to fix the lousy presidential debates.
There were so many candidates on stage at the Republican debate last week that even some party officials couldn't identify all 10. The political parties and networks that host the debates don't want to alienate activists who tend to support the long-shot candidates. (And it's not certain that they should eject candidates with nothing to lose—in the Democratic debate, Dennis Kucinich helped push Barack Obama out of his sluggish performance to talk about his views on the use of military force.)
At both debates, candidates had to raise their hands and give answers in a single word or sentence. When they were allowed to give longer answers, their time was so restricted that any insight into how they think or what they believe was inadvertent.
Everyone is to blame for the shallowness of the answers. Candidates don't like being rushed by the short response times, but they also don't want to have to talk for too long. In-depth answers and multiple questions on the same topic force candidates into the spooky land beyond talking points. The networks insist on short responses and use gimmicks like Internet questions and hand-raising to create drama (and maybe news). They'd make the candidates race to tie balloon animals if it would generate a spark, because debates are network branding exercises. The MSNBC logo on stage at the first Democratic debate was so large it could have attracted space aliens (and, depending on your view of Mike Gravel, may have succeeded).
In any case, the upshot is that the debates have been lackluster. This is no way to treat the most important election of the last 80 years. So, how do we fix it? I'd like to run the debates like the Fred Friendly seminars, with candidates responding at length to a single hypothetical situation. The Washington Post editorial page suggested letting audience members vote off a poor performer after each event. American Idol Does Democracy. Or maybe candidates should be allowed to question one another. Efforts to evoke more thoughtful responses don't necessarily have to produce less thrill. There would be considerable excitement, for example, in watching a candidate fumble for words once he or she has been pressed to go beyond mere snippets from stump speeches.
What are your ideas for sharpening and strengthening the debates? Please send them to firstname.lastname@example.org. We'll put together the best responses and feature them in a future piece. Since we're co-hosting a series of debates in the fall with the Huffington Post and Yahoo!, perhaps we'll even end up using a few of your ideas ourselves.
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Marketing of Rural Products - Strategy for Ensuring Remunerative Prices to Producer Role of Middleman - Problems and Possible Solutions
Development of Small Scale Industries in India is being pursued since the beginning of the planning era in 1950-51. The main objectives of the comprehensive plan of small industries is the creation of widespread employment opportunities, reduction of inequities, addressing regional imbalances and creation of a base for entrepreneurial development. In the 1950s, when the various programmes for promotion of small industries were formulated, the emphasis was to gear up production with a view to cater to domestic requirements. As a result of the policy of planned economic and industrial development followed during the last fifty years, village and small industries have made a phenomenal progress in different parts of the country including rural, semi-urban and even hilly and remote areas and are now making a significant contribution towards the National Economy, including export earnings.
Significance in National Economy
The share of village and small industries in 2005-06 has been estimated at about 49% of gross value of industrial output. This sector offers employment opportunities to about 28 million persons. In the field of exports, this sector accounted for 36% of the total export of the country.
The VSI Sector consists broadly of :
i) Traditional industries (e.g. handlooms, khadi and village industries and handicrafts, etc.) and
ii) Modem small scale industries
Development of modem small industries has been one of the most significant and characteristic features of industrial development in the country. These industries now account for more than 60% of the output in the VSI Sector. In 1985-86 small industries produced goods worth about Rs. 40,000 million and provided employment to about 9 million persons. The following table shows the trends in growth of small scale industries in recent years:
Trends in Growth of Small Industries
No. of units (in million)
Production (Rs. million)
Employment (million Nos.)
Export (Rs. million)
Small industries now produce a large number of products ranging from simple consumer goods like readymade garments, leather footwear, stationery items, soaps and detergents, domestic utensils, safety matches, preserved fruits and vegetables, etc. to sophisticated items like car radios, radios, electro-medical equipments, automobile parts and collapsible tubes etc.
In spite of phenomenal growth in the small scale and village industries sector, there has been relatively high rate of mortality due to various factors. Apart from the other factors which have caused a high mortality rate, the most important aspect of sickness has been identified by several studies as arising due to basic weakness in the marketing function of the small enterprise as they exist today. While the technical financial and managerial support provided to the small industry is controllable internally by the organisation, marketing is the only function which is considerably influenced by external factors affecting the business. While all the other activities concerned with a business enterprise involve spending of money, marketing is the most significant activity which leads to inflow of funds which is essential for financial viability of the business.
Basic to the whole activity of an enterprise is the marketing of products. If the enterprise is not able to sell what is produced, it will go out of existence.
General Problems of the Small Scale Sector as revealed in various studies
An important factor contributing towards sickness of the unit is low quality of product. A small manufacturer with limited finance, technical knowledge and information about the market trends to knowingly or unknowingly sacrifies quality. There is a credibility gap between the purchasing organisation, both in private and public sector and the small scale suppliers regarding quality, delivery schedule, packaging, price, after-sales-service, etc. The increasing awareness of the consumer about his expectations in regard to quality and performance is either being ignored or not given the importance it deserves by small scale units.
The small scale producers have inadequate knowledge about the market trends, changes in tastes and consumer preference. The pricing concepts are not aligned with consumer want and goods are produced without a proper market surveyor ascertaining before hand whether there is a demand for a particular product.
Small Scale and Ancillary ~units suffer considerably from inadequate supply of raw materials and/or high cost. As a result, the cost of production becomes disproportionately high, undermining the competitive edge. For numerous raw material, the small scale units have to depend upon the large scale industries or multinationals which for obvious reasons do not look after the former's interest.
Exploitation by middle man
The small scale units have to depend upon the existing distribution channels, need middle man or wholesalers/distributors/retailers. The middlemen exploit the small scale units. They are only interested in maximum commission. They invariably shift their loyalties based on their profitability. On many occasions, they expect the manufacturer to receive their payments on consignment sales. This affects the viability of the units as their cash flow is affected.
Government Policy and Support Services
Marketing has been recognised, even by the Government of India as a vital area, where extension of institutional assistance is necessary to sustain the small scale industry in general and contain sickness in the sector in particular.
Catalytic role of Promotional Agencies -
Government Support Services
The Government has launched marketing support programmes for the benefit of the Small Scale Sector as enumerated below :-
1.Assistance to the small scale units for participation under the Government Purchase Programme - Govt. being the single largest buyer in the country both Central and State Government and Govt. undertakings buy over Rs. 2000 crore annually.
Promotional Agencies like Handicrafts and Handloom Development Corporation, Cottage Industries Emporium, TDA, NSIC, SSIDC, Handloom Weaving Cooperative Societies, Super Bazars have been playing catalytic role in extending support services in promoting the products of Small Scale & Village Sector.
To illustrate an example, the Handicrafts and Handloom Corporation have inducted the products of tiny sector into the European market. They had arranged a tie-up with major Departmental Stores in the USA. The brand image has helped in creating quality image of the product. European designs have been introduced and the product of tiny sector is finding a regular market in the export markets. The master weavers have been trained in foreign fashion trends.
In a similar manner, the growth of Garment Industry, Hosiery Knitwear Industry and Silk Industry are other examples.
Marketing is a primary function of an entrepreneur. The concept of marketing is relevant throughout the functioning of an enterprise, including the areas such as quality control and not merely at the stage of selling and distribution. The primary responsibility for marketing shall invariably rest on the entrepreneur or the Manager at the helm of the enterprise. The Government through its policy measures can only provide facilities and organisational support. As already enumerated, some of the major problems in marketing of small industries products can be resolved through well-planned marketing research activity for small industries.
The SIET Institute had conducted interviews with the successful entrepreneurs who have almost had no problems in developing their industries. Contacts were made with 685 successful small industrialists and their success stories recorded. These success stories were classified under certain broad categories. In every category, involvement of entrepreneur is significant. This gave rise to the terminology "Involvemental Marketing". Involvemental Marketing means the involvement of entrepreneur in his own organisation and also with the clients organisation with a limited purpose to achieve market for his products.
Know the product well. About 15-20% success stories can be attributed to the entrepreneur's knowledge of his products, its alternate uses, its salient characteristics, its substitute uses etc.
An instance is that of a chalk piece manufacturer in Karnataka who could not market his chalk pieces. He studied the market of chalk pieces and then approached a big pharmaceutical company to use his chalk in one cubic inch form in evaporating tower in the granulation department. He gave the comparative economics of using silicon jelly and chalk pieces in the 1" cubic form. He proved that the use of chalk pieces in evaporating tower instead of silicon jelly reduces expenditure by about 50%. Now this group of pharmaceutical concerns is using chalk instead of chemical moisture absorbents.
Know thy marketing seasons well - A well-known engine valve manufacturer in small sector wanted to become the original equipment supplier to a large automobile company. He tried his best but could not succeed. He was a patient entrepreneur and had been following up with the organisation regularly. He found that at the end of the financial year, the organisation was keen to reach the production targets. The entrepreneur at this time again approached the organisation and helped them out at a crucial time by supplying the required number of organic valves which he had deliberately kept in stock.
Govt. purchases are generally made in the months of February/March. Most of the small scale units have understood this aspect and keep their material ready at the year ending i.e. February and March to cater to the Government Departments who are anxious to see that the budget is not lapsed.
Know thy sales promotion methods - In the first stage, the entrepreneurs make a survey of the persons connected with the purchase. They collect information about the strong and weak points of concerned persons. It is surprising to note that the entrepreneurs from western region, particularly Maharashtra have a knack of using health factors as a carrier of motivation. We have come across more than 20 entrepreneurs using health factor to motivate customers.
In short, the entrepreneur will have to adopt all involvemental marketing techniques to promote his business. In our opinion, there is lack of awareness of complete support programmes and the methodology to avail of the existing benefits.
Besides, time has come when the market intelligence should percolate down the grass-root level. The existing facilities like the opening of Market Development Centres, Super Bazars and other sales outlets should expand to the interiors. This requires speedy expansion. This will provide platform to the tiny sector for sale of their products and ensure remunerative price. With involvemental marketing the units could grow.
Prepared by Shri L.K.Baweja, Regional Manager, National Small Industries Corporation
Revised by Shri E.V.Murray, Member of Faculty, CAB
H O No. 1227
Marketing of Rural Products , By: E.V.Murray
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|Uploaded:||June 14, 2010|
|Updated:||June 14, 2010|
If you go in the video game section where all the tutorials are on a bunch of video game characters, you will see that there is a really old lesson on one of the main characters from The Legend of Zelda. As you know I like making updated versions of pop culture beings that have made an everlasting impression on the gaming industry. Today, I will be doing a new and improved version on "how to draw Link", step by step. I don't even think I need to explain to you guys who Link is because the video game has been around since the eighties. Link is a playable character in the million dollar game series of Zelda. Because he is so very popular, there has been a bunch of merchandise, including pins, wallets, clothes, hats, pencils, posters, and so forth made in Link's image. I myself enjoy the game series, but there is no one in my household that loves Zelda more then my fifteen year old brother. I kid you not, he has got to be one of the biggest fans of Zelda, but more importantly, Link himself. This sketch on Link came out awesome, and I think I did a great job capturing the very essence of this character. I really did have a ton of fun drawing him out, and I think you too will enjoy this tutorial on “how to draw Link” too. I was going to record myself drawing him, but then I thought that it would make a better lesson instead. Well, that's it guys. I'm all done with this description on Link. It's now your turn to try out this tutorial. And remember, when you're done with your artwork, don't forget to upload it to the site. Who knows, maybe your drawing will make it to the Top 50 too! Peace out guys, and happy drawing!
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April 19th, 2011
Ithaca, NY—Cornell University’s Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art recently opened their renovated galleries of Asian art, which occupy the entire fifth floor of the landmark I. M. Pei building.
More than a decade in the making, plans for the renovation began in 2000 and were realized as part of the Museum’s overall expansion plan. Ellen Avril, the Johnson’s chief curator and curator of Asian art since 1998, directed the project.
The galleries on the fifth floor, known for its 360-degree views of Ithaca, were completely demolished in July 2010 to create a total transformation. Of the more than eight thousand works in the Asian collection, the fifth floor can now display more than four hundred at any time, up from around one hundred fifty. The 50 percent increase in square footage was accomplished by relocating office and storage space to the new wing.
In addition to the new floor plan, the galleries now feature twenty-one state-of-the-art, German-engineered glass cases of various sizes, which use low-iron glass to create a truer, more accurate color environment. These cases are used by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and other major museums worldwide.
Galleries are now devoted to the art of more Asian cultures and time periods, creating a progression for the visitor to see how cultures have interacted and influenced each other over time. This range begins with a gallery of ancient Near Eastern and Central Asian art, featuring inscribed cuneiform tablets, ceramics, and sculpture from ancient Iraq and Iran, and ends with a gallery for modern and contemporary art, and another gallery for contemporary Asian ceramics, a strength of the museum’s collection.
Highlights from the Chinese collection, the largest portion of the museum’s holdings, include pre-Chinese ceramics from 5,000 to 2,000 BC, tomb furnishings from the Shang through Tang periods, Buddhist devotional art, scholars’ paintings and decorative arts, and a gallery of Ming and Qing dynasty porcelains.
The gallery of Japanese art is now large enough to display room-sized folding screens, only seen in temporary exhibitions before. Other Japanese highlights are Buddhist art including Zen works, and art and objects related to the tea ceremony.
New galleries, for the first time, feature groups of art from Korea, India, Southeast Asia (including Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Burma), West Asia (Iran, Yemen, Syria, and other Islamic cultures), and Tibetan and Nepalese art made for Tantric Buddhist use.
This collection is one of our great strengths due to the vision of Martie Young, Cornell Professor of the History of Art and curator from 1959 to 1998, and the support of George and Mary Rockwell, who not only bequeathed their wonderful collection to the Johnson but also left a financial legacy that allows us to continue to acquire important works of Asian art.
For major grants to support this renovation, the Museum is grateful to the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts, and many private donors.
The Johnson Museum has a permanent collection of over 35,000 works of art from Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South America. The museum building was designed by I. M. Pei. Funds for the building were donated by Cornell alumnus Herbert F. Johnson, late president and chairman of S C Johnson. The building opened in 1973.
The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, located on the campus of Cornell University, is open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission is free. The Museum is completely accessible for mobility-impaired visitors, and a wheelchair is available in the lobby. Metered parking is available in the lot next to the Museum. For more information, please call 607 255-6464. Visit the Museum’s website at museum.cornell.edu. The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art is a proud member of Ithaca’s Discovery Trail: www.DiscoveryTrail.com.
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Were any South or Central American nations besides Brazil involved (not necessarily officially) in either of the World Wars? If any were, I'd appreciate information on their degree of involvement.
Yes, both World War I and World War II involved South and Central America.
Here is a list of South American countries that severed relations and those that declared war. Sourced from here.
Although eight other South or Central American countries declared war, only Brazil had direct involvement. Brazil sent surgeons and pilots to Europe. Most pilots served with the RAF, but some served with the French Army. Brazil was mainly involved at sea, however. A good part of their fleet was involved in anti-submarine warfare. However, there we're quite a few delays that hampered the war effort:
World War II also saw some South and Central American participation. However, again, Brazil was the only nation of these to send troops to fight.
This organization was instrumental in organizing the nations of South and Central America. In fact, before the founding of it, some of these nations recognized Manchukuo as a legitimate state.
Argentina was officially neutral, but leaned to the side of the Axis. After the war, many war criminals harbored there.
Chile also was officially neutral, but later joined the Allies
Before 1940, "Costa Rica, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic offered diplomatic recognition of the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo which was not recognized as a legitimate state by a majority of the world’s nations at the time." Note Dominican Republic is North American.
So, yes, there was involvement from South and Central America, but it did not play an instrumental part in either of the World Wars.
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The South American countries were very hostile to the Axis in World War II and displayed it strongly, even though most did not send troops.
Costa Rica declared war on Germany on December 4, 1941 days BEFORE Pearl Harbor (counting on the Monroe Doctrine. Mexico declared war in April 1942, Brazil in August 1942. Colombia authorized the creation of American bases anywhere on its soil. Brazil, Venezuela and the U.S. worked on joint defense plans for the shipment of bauxite (used in ironmaking) from Dutch Guyana (Surinam). Later, these included the shipment of Venezuelan oil and Brazilian foodstuffs. German submarines were a threat in the Caribbean and even the South Atlantic.
Some 21 of the original 34 signatories of the (anti-Axis) United Nations were in the Americas.
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Yesterday we released a new report, Transportation and the New Generation: Why Young People are Driving Less and What it Means for Transportation Policy, that shows that young people in particular are decreasing the amount they drive and increasing their use of transportation alternatives.
From World War II until just a few years ago, the number of miles driven annually on America’s roads steadily increased. Then, at the turn of the century, something changed: Americans began driving less. By 2011, the average American was driving 6 percent fewer miles per year than in 2004. The trend away from driving has been led by young people.
From high speed rail to mass transit, it’s time for us to get on the right track. Americans all want a safe, clean transportation system that lets us all get where we need to go – but our current system just isn’t working.
To fix our roads and bridges, America first must fix our transportation policies. To counteract the tendencies to neglect repair and maintenance, we must adopt strong “fix-it first” rules that give priority to maintenance of our existing roads and bridges, set national goals for the condition of our transportation system, and hold state governments accountable for achieving results.
As America moves toward construction of new high-speed rail networks in regions throughout the country, we have much to learn from experiences abroad. High-speed rail lines have operated for more than 45 years in Japan and for three decades in Europe, providing a wealth of information about what the United States can expect from high-speed rail and how we can receive the greatest possible benefits from our investment.
Private sector companies are likely to play a major role in the construction of high-speed rail lines in the United States. Public-private partnerships – or “PPPs” – have come to play an important role in the construction of high-speed rail lines around the world.
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Mehsana District of Gujarat
is famous for an ancient sun temple around 900 years old. It covers an area of 9,027 sq km, and Mehsana
town is the headquarters. Bajra, jowar, cotton and oilseeds are the main crops. Unjha
is a trading center for oilseeds, jira, cumin, isabgul and anise (vakioli). There are oil fields near
. The Dudhsagar dairy and cattle-feed plant in Mehsana is one of the biggest dairy operations in Gujarat.
Modhera Sun Temple is a fine example of Indian temple architecture. Situated close to the Sun temple is the
Becharaji temple. Another important place is Vadnagar, which is famous for Hadkeswar temple. Taranga,
Patan, Sankeshwar and Mahudi are famous for Jain temples.
Thol Wildlife Sanctuary is approximately 40 km from Ahmedabad. Roughly stretched out over an area of 7 sq km, the sanctuary is home to a rich variety of wildfowl, flamingos, gray pelicans, black ibis and other wetland birds.
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Looking back over our country’s history, our political debate centers on states’ rights and on the role of the church in our government. I see that we have been struggling with these two issues for a very long time. Both states’ rights and the role of the religion in government have been around since Jefferson, Adams and Madison were shaping our country back in the 1770s, and we fought a Civil War over states’ rights in the 1860s.
Judging from our current public debate we have come no closer to solving either the role of state or the role of the church than when the United States was very young. We have been arguing and fighting for so long that we don’t even know what we’re arguing about any more—and if we have forgotten what we’re arguing about — then we have no hope of ever resolving our disagreements over these complex and polarizing issues.
Our society needs to understand that we are really arguing about the type of society we want to create. America’s stated purpose, to create liberty and justice for all, means that we must return to the principles of the Constitution of the United States as we go about creating this new society.
The Far Right and the Tea Party have already said that we must return to the Constitution, but they also say that the federal government is nothing more than a tyrannical entity whose power and size must be severely limited. To reduce the size and power of the federal government,
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Animal rights means that animals deserve certain kinds of consideration—consideration of what is in their best interests, regardless of whether they are "cute," useful to humans, or an endangered species and regardless of whether any human cares about them at all (just as a mentally challenged human has rights even if he or she is not cute or useful or even if everyone dislikes him or her). It means recognizing that animals are not ours to use—for food, clothing, entertainment, or experimentation.
<< Return to Frequently Asked Questions
Almost all of us grew up eating meat, wearing leather, and going to circuses and zoos. We never considered the impact of these actions on the animals involved. For whatever reason, you are now asking the question: Why should animals have rights? Read more.
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Saturday was sunny and balmy in Tampa – a day for outdoor enjoyment. Yet, more than 200 people sat inside the Marriott Westshore Hotel salon for hours watching a slide presentation.
Many wore the USMC logo on a ball cap, shirt or jacket signifying their loyalty to the Corps. A loyalty retired Marine drill instructor Jerry Ensminger said was betrayed by USMC leaders. He accused Marine Corps leaders of misleading Marines, their families and civilians about toxic chemicals that polluted Camp Lejeune‘s drinking water for three decades.
“These people have a right to know the truth,” Ensminger said. “I’m not speculating. What we’re presenting in there. What we’re presenting are documents that came right from the Marine Corps and Department of Navy’s own files.”
People at the informational session came with questions about the polluted water at Camp Lejeune. They asked simple requests like how to get cancer checkups every six month instead of annually because “some cancer can move fast,” unidentified participant reflected as he spoke into the microphone that was being passed around.
Many there are already listed on the Marine Corps Lejeune Registry for those who served, worked or lived at Camp Lejeune and were exposed to toxic drinking water from 1957 until 1987. It’s estimated more than 14,000 are Florida residents, second only to North Carolina with the most effected residents.
The gathering, funded by a law firm representing some families, was “to share information” said Ensminger, whose daughter, Janey, was conceived while he was stationed at Camp Lejeune. Janey died of leukemia at age 9. The law firm pays for his travel, hotel room and food. But, Ensminger said he takes no money for his appearances.
“Since all of this came out, the United States Marine Corps and the Navy all have done everything they can to confuse the issue,” Ensminger told reporters during the lunch break. “They’ve obfuscated the facts to the point where a lot of folks like these people that are at this meeting today (Saturday) really don’t know what to believe.”
Additional information has come to light since an initial report, the 1997 Camp Lejeune Public Health Assessment Report. That report was removed from the ATSDR web site because it may be “misleading” according to the site. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry is conducting additional health studies and scientific water models because toxic chemicals were found in other locations.
Ensminger has faith in the validity of the new studies in part because he was included in their design.
In the interim, there’s a lot of uncertainty. Ensminger and Mike Partain, who was born at Camp Lejeune, are leading informational sessions to provide answers based on documents. Partain was one of five men at the gathering and one of 67 men who lived at Camp Lejeune that have been diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer.
The Tampa meeting is the largest one yet according to Ensminger. Other meetings have been conducted in Orlando, Pittsburgh, Virginia and North Carolina. He said a webinar will be held in late January. More information is available on their web site The Few, The Proud, The Forgotten.
“The Department of Defense is constantly, with the all volunteer force, they’re constantly asking American families to loan them their loved ones in the service of this country,” Ensminger said. “Look at their conduct in this Camp Lejeune thing and you tell me whether they deserve to have these families’ loved ones loaned to them. From what I’m seeing right now, no. and I thought I would never say that.”
Filed under: Health - Physical and Mental, Marines, Military families, Non-Profit Organizations, Veterans Tagged: | Camp Lejeune, Government, Jerry Ensminger, Marine Corps, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Mike Partain, Military, North Carolina, polluted drinking water, postaday2011, The Few The Proud The Forgotten, toxic chemicals, United States, United States Marine Corps
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Meet Veteran, Representative-elect Tulsi Gabbard
After the events of Sept. 11, then-Hawaiian state representative Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) saw the world around her change. And so she enlisted in the Hawaii Army National Guard.
"I felt that I need to do more with my life, to be of service to Hawaii's citizens and our country in a greater way," said Gabbard.
As a veteran who has gone through two combat tours in the Middle East, Gabbard says she truly understands the cost of war. She knows what it means to be away from home and loved ones, and to re-adapt to civilian life after service.
"This firsthand understanding is extremely important and relevant now with the challenges and debates facing Congress regarding the military, the budget, foreign policy and caring for our troops, veterans and military families," said Gabbard.
During her service in Iraq from 2004 to 2005, Gabbard was responsibility for maintaining a list of injured Hawaiian soldiers. She says the experience instilled in her a desire to get troops home from Afghanistan as quickly and safely as possible.
Gabbard says she will work to improve efficiency within the Veterans Administration as well as work to reach out to individual communities to ensure that all veterans have access to service they need.
Gabbard, along with Tammy Duckworth, is one of the first female combat veterans to ever serve in Congress. And Gabbard says she and Duckworth are in a unique position to understand veteran issues, both foreign and domestic.
"Women war veterans know very well the high cost of war, not just on lives and limbs, but on the cohesion of our families, the hardships on our children, spouses, and of course the economic costs and so much more," said Gabbard.
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Follow @CNNLightYears on Twitter for updates on Curiosity.
(CNN) -- Hey Mars! We're back! Hope you don't mind if we cruise around in our scientific SUV to grab some historic data and snap some breathtaking images. Oh, and we might do some Martian doughnuts in your front yard.
Now that the Mars rover Curiosity is safely parked, NASA's unmanned planet crawler appears ready to roll. A car salesman would have a ball selling this beauty. It's loaded with an array of sophisticated cameras, a "rocker bogie" suspension, a robotic arm, 2 gigs of flash memory, a rock-vaporizing laser (!!!!) and a plutonium-fueled power system. It operates by remote control from millions of miles away and has a blazing top speed of 1.5 inches per second.
Sticker price (including delivery): $2.6 billion.
During its expected lifespan of 23 months, all this cool hardware could help solve big mysteries: Has life ever existed on Mars? What can Mars tell us about our own planet? Can we benefit from Martian resources?
But there are less romantic questions swirling around the fourth rock from the sun: Is the price tag really worth it? Who will pay for the first manned mission to Mars? Could manned space missions be replaced by robotic exploration?
The answers may be hard to see amid all the rover revelry. And this isn't the first time rovers have churned up this kind of excitement.
In 1997, a smaller NASA robot on Mars -- Sojourner -- lit up the Web.
"Back when the Internet was young, it was the largest Internet event in the history of that medium," Curiosity team member James Bell told CNN on Monday. The little rover found clues suggesting that Mars once had a thicker atmosphere and liquid water. Sojourner and its parent spacecraft Pathfinder cost $265 million (PDF).
"Later, in 2004, when the Spirit and Opportunity rovers landed, it became one of the largest worldwide Internet sensations," said Bell, who also worked on that mission. "It slammed NASA's website." The rovers scored several discoveries including evidence of an ancient wet environment on Mars. Price tag for Spirit and Opportunity: $800 million (PDF).
Nowadays -- at least for some space travel fans -- Martian robots aren't so cool anymore. Curiosity "is just another box with wheels on Mars," says CNN commenter It_could_always_be_worse. "Develop useful technology -- not this shooting of boxes with wheels all over the place. SEND PEOPLE, and I will be proud."
CNN commenter Max Lewes disagrees. "This really was a HUGE leap from previous missions."
After the initial excitement of Monday's landing, even the Curiosity team jokingly acknowledged the first dusty black and white photos from the rover have already lost their luster.
"It's not such a great picture anymore," a smiling Mike Watkins told reporters. He promised color and panorama photos in the coming days.
Seriously, no matter how successful unmanned missions might be, robots will never replace the need for human space exploration, says Bell.
In a sense, Curiosity is performing a scouting mission for a manned U.S. mission to Mars that President Barack Obama predicts will happen in his lifetime.
NASA administrator Charles Bolden gets even more specific: Manned missions to Mars are at least 18 years away -- sometime in the 2030s.
But first, mission planners need more information about the Martian surface so they can choose the best landing sites.
"We don't want astronauts to be surprised," says Bell. Robot missions, such as Surveyor, preceded the Apollo moon landings, and these Martian probes are performing similar tasks.
Putting a monetary value on space exploration is impossible, experts say, because there are too many unanswered questions, such as whether Mars, the moon or asteroids hold precious minerals, water and cheap energy resources that could be mined and brought back to Earth.
"The reason to send humans will be because we have to," Bell says. "If some things can be done by robots, they should be done by robots. But sending a drill rig to Mars or Jupiter's moon Europa to tap into an aquifer that may have living organisms in it -- those kinds of things will require people."
Then there's the unknown value of newly discovered knowledge. Scientists want to know what Mars can tell us about our own planet's climate and geology. That knowledge, experts say, could help solve difficult environmental problems on Earth.
"It's human nature to explore," says Bell. "By going to difficult or dangerous places, we carry the rest of our species along with us. These stories become part of part of our culture, part of our heritage, part of our shared need to explore the worlds around us. it's a human endeavor that is part science, part inspiration."
By the way, Curiosity has fostered jobs, says NASA; more than 7,000 people have worked on the project across 31 states.
What's next? NASA plans test flights for Orion -- a spacecraft designed to carry astronauts outside low Earth orbit -- as soon as 2014. In 2017, NASA plans to launch Orion with a new heavy-lift rocket NASA calls the Space Launch System.
But big questions remain: How would NASA pay for development of a landing vehicle? Or a vehicle for astronauts to travel on the Martian or lunar surface? Or how would it develop an astronaut habitat suitable for the months it would take to travel to Mars or to asteroids?
NASA's proposed budget for 2013 is $17.7 billion -- $59 million less than 2012 (PDF). It includes a "lower cost program" for unmanned missions to Mars (PDF). For perspective, the Mars rover's $2.6 billion price tag equals about 14.7% of NASA's proposed 2013 budget.
However, the budget also calls for more money for manned deep space programs, including almost $3 billion for Orion and the Space Launch System.
In May, something happened right above our heads that gave us a glimpse into the future of Mars exploration. That's when the private firm SpaceX successfully docked its Dragon spacecraft with the orbiting international space station.
NASA is studying a proposal -- referred to as Red Dragon -- that would use a SpaceX rocket for less-expensive unmanned missions to Mars.
But robot missions are just stepping stones to what many experts say is a foregone conclusion.
"Humans are going to live on Mars in the president's expected lifetime," says commercial space consultant Charles Miller, a former NASA executive. "It will happen as a partnership between U.S. entrepreneurs and private industry and NASA."
So what do you think? Are billion-dollar, planet-crawling robots worth the money? Do you think astronauts will set foot on Mars within your lifetime? Share your opinion in the comments section below.
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Ladies and gentlemen,
It is my great pleasure to speak here today and to offer you my warm
congratulations on the launch of the ICT4EE Forum.
As we all know, climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing us today.
Energy efficiency is clearly key to tackling this great challenge and so the
focus of this forum will be very important in accelerating work to combat
climate change. I am very glad to see the European Commission’s initiative in
this area and very pleased at the prospect of the ICT4EE Forum collaborating
with the ITU.
The ITU is the United Nations agency for information and communication
technologies (ICTs). ITU has a membership of 191 governments, and unusually for
a UN agency, around 700 private sector entities.
We rely heavily on our private sector members for the development of our global
standards which we call Recommendations.
ITU has open, transparent, consensus based, and fast working standards
development processes; probably the fastest of any standards body.
Once consensus has been reached, draft standards are placed on our website and
if no comments are received after four weeks they are approved, in effect by 191
ITU standards are therefore truly global, open standards, unlike those of many
other standards bodies, forums or consortia that claim to produce global and
Ladies and Gentlemen, climate change is one of the top priorities of ITU.
It has been high on our agenda since the publication of our Technology Watch
Report on ICTs and climate change in 2007.
The report was very well received and led to two symposia in Kyoto and London in
2008 where the need for a common methodology for estimating the impact of ICTs
on climate change became apparent.
In order to provide consistent reporting of the impacts – both positive and
negative – of ICTs and to promote ICTs as part of the solution, a globally
agreed common methodology was seen as being essential.
Shortly after the London Symposium an ITU Focus Group on ICTs and Climate Change
was set up. Focus Groups are created to generate a momentum on a particular
standards initiative. They can adopt their own working methods and are open to
participation by any interested party, not only ITU members.
The Focus Group benefited from contributions from 20 different organizations and
after 28 meetings (all but three virtual meetings) concluded successfully with
four deliverables including an outline methodology in March 2009.
Our “Environment and Climate Change” Study Group (ITU-T SG5) is now progressing
this work on methodologies in several domains: life cycle environmental impact
of ICTs goods and services, and ICT projects; and environmental impact of ICTs
in organizations, and in countries.
We aim to finalize the first two methodologies by the end of this year while the
other two will be finalized by the end of 2011.
I am pleased that this plan is in alignment with your roadmap.
In addition and in line with the remit of ICT4EE, I should point out that Study
Group 5 is also working on energy efficient power feeding systems for telecom
offices and datacenters.
Another notable achievement of Study Group 5 in 2009 was Recommendation L.1000
on an energy efficient universal charger for mobile phones.
This Universal Charging Solution offers predicted potential savings of at least
13.6 million tons of CO2 a year, and up to 82,000 tons of dumped chargers a
In the last few weeks we have accelerated work in the field of Smart Grid. The
US Department of Energy estimates that full deployment of Smart Grids could
reduce 18% of GHG emissions in the US electricity sector by 2030. Our members
have identified the need for global standards in this area and so we are
creating another Focus Group that will allow participation of all players
including, importantly the energy sector.
Together with ISO and IEC we are working on efficient ICT solutions to reduce
emission in the automotive sector, and we have another Fully Networked Car event
at the Geneva Motor Show on 3-4 March to which you are all very welcome.
Other ITU-T Study Groups are carrying out studies and developing standards on
ICTs that will reduce GHG emissions in areas such as teleworking,
teleconferencing, dematerialization, which means replacing atoms with bits, and
low power devices.
Last year we held further symposia on ICTs and Climate Change.
A symposium was held in Quito, Ecuador, the first we have held in a developing
country. It was interesting that this linked ICTs and climate change with
bridging the digital divide. The event’s conclusion was that the global effort
to combat climate change should not impede the economic and social growth of
developing countries and that bridging the digital divide and bringing the
benefits of ICTs to all citizens is fundamental to tackling climate change.
In September 2009, ITU with the help of Korea, held the first fully virtual
symposium on ICTs and Climate Change with speakers and moderators participating
remotely from 12 different countries, and over 600 participants followed and
interacted with the speakers remotely from around the world.
Also in September we held a joint Seminar with World Meteorological Organization
on the role of ICTs, and satellites in particular, in monitoring climate change
and detecting and responding to natural disasters.
At ITU’s Telecom World event in October last year, we held a session on ICTs and
Climate Change where the UN Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki-Moon stated that ICTs
are vital to confront the threat of climate change.
ITU actively participated in the UNFCCC preparatory meetings for COP15 and
submitted two documents on the role of ICTs in mitigating climate change.
At Copenhagen we hosted sessions every day except the Sunday on ICTs and climate
change with remote presenters using telepresence, and held side events with the
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the World Meteorological
Organization (WMO) which attracted a lot of interest.
So, although COP15 was disappointing in many ways I feel that we were at least
successful in raising awareness of the problem and the significant role ICTs can
Many organizations, forums, consortia and regional and national bodies are now
working on ICT and climate change issues. Collaboration between all these
efforts is vital for efficient and consistent progress of this urgent work.
At the recent SG5 meeting in January, we were pleased to received inputs from
European Commission (the Code of Conduct and the Earth Project), Digitaleurope,
GeSI, ETSI; IEC; ISO; UNFCCC and OECD.
ITU, being a UN Agency with its unique mix of 191 governments and over 700
private sector members, and its willingness to openly collaborate with all
players in this great effort to address climate change through the application
of ICTs, is ready and willing to offer a facilitating role in achieving global
agreement on methodologies for the ICT sector, and any other related activity
which will help mankind mitigate and adapt to climate change.
I wish ICT4EE Forum great success and I look forward to our future
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Architect: Campbell Douglas & Sellars
The City of Glasgow Bank is now largely known for its spectacular collapse in October 1878, ruining all but 254 of its 1,200 shareholders, whose liability was not limited. The depositors got their money back but the shareholders suffered because the City of Glasgow Bank had unlimited liability. As such, 1,819 people were liable for the entire loss. Only 254 emerged solvent. Although one English bank went under two months later, others were able to survive the liquidity shortage by drawing on the Bank of England’s reserves. Back in Scotland, the Glasgow bank’s directors were put on trial for fraud. They received between eight and eighteen months in prison. Design published in 1879. The bank was not completed as such, but roofed in a simplified form by the liquidators and sold to Mann Byars as a warehouse. Mann Byars closed in 1938. Demolished in 1958.
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The Thai government is responsible for processing and controlling all international adoptions of Thai children. The international adoption process normally takes a year or more, and the government struggles with inadequate facilities and staff to provide care for these children, particularly newborn infants, during the processing period before the children can be placed.
In an urgent and exceptional situation during 2008, Opportunity Foundation provided care for a very premature baby, the result of a "failed" abortion. This child, a victim of abuse and abandonment at birth, is now healthy, happy and doing well. This child is now in the process of adoption by a Thai family in our community. This experience gave many insights into the needs of the young girls as birth mothers, the newborns with no parent to nurture them, and the government’s need for assistance in caring for these babies.
After research and discussions with the relevant Thai government authorities, Opportunity Foundation is currently applying for required permits that would make us a qualified social welfare facility of the Thai government. We feel that this is an area of much needed assistance, where we can benefit the child during the critically important first weeks and months of the child’s development. It would be ideal for Thai families to adopt these babies, because the process is much faster, enabling the infant to quickly be placed and begin to bond with the adopted parents. If Thai parents are not available for matching, and the child is matched for international adoption, Opportunity Foundation will provide nurturing and developmental care for the child to the very best of our ability until the international adoption process is complete and the child is given to the adopted parents.
This is a new area of work for us. It was identified as a definite area of need during recent discussions with the Buriram provincial government. We are looking for both volunteers and staff for this work. We will nurture and develop these children from newborn to two years, and perhaps older in exceptional cases. Some may be premature. Some will be the result of "failed" abortions. These infants, with special and loving care, can develop to be wonderful children, adopted by good families. We know because we have already seen that happen!
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Parley from The Pit
©Marc Wickert 2004
photos © The Pit
Born in New York City on November 21, 1959, John Hackleman was raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, from age four until he turned twenty-four. Whilst at school, John was not interested in the more traditional American sports that lured most kids his age, such as baseball, gridiron and basketball.
"Back when I was about eight or nine years of age I started doing Judo – mainly for self defence and to learn how to fight. Martial arts was all I ever did. In high school I was already a Golden Gloves boxer and I was fighting in kickboxing. That was my whole sporting thing. Judo was my first style and then I did Shotokan Karate. I continued with Judo for a little while and was doing Kaju Kenbo at the same time. I stayed with my instructor, Walter Godin, from when I was nine or ten until he died two years ago," says Hackleman.
A mixture of Karate, Judo, Kempo and boxing, Kaju Kenbo originated in Hawaii in 1947. The system was created by five martial artists who wanted to improve their street-fighting techniques, and the style has grown in popularity internationally ever since.
Due to his outstanding contribution to the art, 10th degree black belt John Hackleman will be inducted into the Kaju Kenbo Hall of Fame in July, 2004.
"In 1985, when I moved from Hawaii to California, I switched it from Kaju Kenbo to Hawaiian Kempo. I added some things to it, took away some things and started calling it Hawaiian Kempo. I took out the katas and the forms and I threw in more natural fighting techniques and conditioning. Now that’s my style. Like if you see Chuck (Liddell) with the tattoo on his arm, that’s the logo for my school."
Hackleman says back in the ‘90s other martial artists began calling their style Hawaiian Kenpo, but he is the only instructor to spell his Hawaiian Kempo with an ‘m’. In Japanese, the letters ‘m’ and ‘n’ have the same symbol, so the art can be spelt either way. John has been spelling his art as Kempo since 1985.
"Ours is a little more hardcore. In Hawaiian Kenpo they still do forms and stuff like that. When you see the guys such as Chuck fighting, that’s Hawaiian Kempo. Mine has always been a mixed martial art ever since I started it."
Whilst still living in Honolulu, John served in the United States Army from 1979 – ’82. "I actually joined up because of the hostage situation in Iran. I thought it was time to go. But by the time I got out of basic training, the hostages were released. And I was like, ‘Shit! I’m stuck in the army with nothin’ to do.’ Then when I arrived at my duty station, I got really lucky. The guys that were in charge of me - my captain and my first sergeant, they knew that I boxed. So they said, ‘Why don’t you try joining the army boxing team, and then that’s all you’ll have to do.’ They actually helped me get on the team, and for the rest of my time in the service all I did was box."
During his time on the US Army boxing team, Hackleman won the state and regional Golden Gloves and numerous national titles. This success led to his turning pro and fighting for Don King. John achieved a record of 20 fights with 17 wins: 15 by knockout.
Having developed a reputation for being super-fit and a very hard man, Hackleman then chose to pursue a career in kickboxing. And as with everything he does, through his willpower, determination and general warrior spirit, John pushed the boundaries of his new fighting art, and was rated the world’s # 1 kickboxer in the ’80s.
In 1986 Hackleman opened his now renowned gym, The Pit, and immediately attracted some of the world’s best fighters. While working as a registered nurse, John also ran The Pit, and made it a place where people could learn a no-nonsense martial art and conditioning program. "I never let lack of money come between you and Kempo. All I ask is that you give Kempo and The Pit the respect and loyalty it gives you. Confidence, loyalty, and humility are what I expect from all Pit Monsters," became John’s motto.
When John did open The Pit to the general public, he came up with the style name of KuZen to help water down his school’s image. "We then opened for kids and families, and we thought it was a little harsh calling it The Pit. And a lot of mothers could have been turned off by it…plus I have the skeleton-looking guy logo, which is kind of scary…So just to tone it down a little bit, we started calling it KuZen.
"KuZen is a name I thought of. Ku is the god of war in Hawaii, and then Zen is for Zen Buddhism. It’s basically the yin and yang, hard and soft. Yeah, and believe it or not, a lot of us do get philosophical like that once in a while. But the Ku is the god of war and that’s the hard guy, that’s like my Pit guy."
Hackleman also worked as a bouncer and as a bodyguard in Los Angeles. "I was a bouncer off and on a lot when I was in college. And then even after I became a nurse, I worked as a bouncer just kinda for fun on the weekends. The bodyguard work was very boring, but the bouncing was exciting. It was a rowdy club and there was always action there. We’d just hang out at a bar and get paid to do what the drunk guys got thrown out and arrested for. We got to do it and were paid for it.
"It was actually kinda fun. In fact, Chuck Liddell was a bouncer for years. He just stopped being a bouncer a couple of years ago, I think. Now he has a school up at SLO (San Luis Obispo), about twenty miles north of me, and I have mine down at Arroyo Grande. We have two different schools with different specialties."
John says the fighters who train at The Pit and those training at Chuck Liddell’s and Scott Adam’s SLO gym go backwards and forwards, training at both gyms, but only represent one gym when they fight. Although Chuck owns SLO Kickboxing School, he represents The Pit each time he competes.
Prior to the start of UFC 47, John was hanging on the Octagon fence talking to Chuck. After offering Liddell a drink of water, John drank the majority of the bottle’s contents himself. "Well you know why?…I was more nervous than Chuck. Chuck didn’t get nervous for that fight. I kept trying to psych him out, and he just kept laughing the whole time.
"Even walking into the ring - you watch it – he was laughing. He turned around to me, ‘John, I’m going to knock him out. I guarantee it.’ I’ve never had that much confidence before a fight, much less have I’ve seen any of my other guys with that much confidence.
"I wanted him to get out there and not counter-punch like he tried to do against Randy Couture. We were getting off first in this one. We were initiating all the flurries. We were initiating right off the bat. If the guy even threw one punch in sparring, as you’ll see, Chuck had to go right back at him and not try to counter-punch. And I kept trying to tell Chuck that, and he kept saying, ‘Come on, John, I’m gonna knock him out. I guarantee I’m gonna knock him out.’ I tried to tell him, but he said, ‘John, settle down.’ I was much more nervous than he was," laughs Hackleman.
When Chuck Liddell defeated Tito Ortiz by knockout at UFC 47: It’s On! he appeared to have a totally different game plan from when he lost against Randy Couture in UFC 43: Meltdown. But Hackleman says there wasn’t any major change in strategy for Chuck’s fight against Tito.
"Did you see Rocky III? Remember when Stalone began winning his fights and all of a sudden he started training kinda fancy? He was just like kissing babies, hugging people and having pictures taken and signing autographs all the time. He got a little mentally soft, and then he went in against Clubber Lane and got KO’d.
"Well I feel Chuck was getting a little sidetracked. And Dana White was using him for a lot of publicity stuff. Chuck was spending most of his training time in Vegas signing autographs, kissing babies…living that life instead of what we’ve always done at The Pit: hardcore, hard-nosed training. That’s what The Pit is known for. I mean, The Pit’s in my backyard. It’s just a little gym with a bag and a cage, but…"
John says for the Liddell v Ortiz fight, both Chuck and he believed they’d have to go back to the basics. They knew their approach had been on track in the past and that they’d have to return to employing these same training principles.
"For this fight we agreed we’d have to go back to what worked and back to the old school. And we just put him in the backyard and started working his arse off every day like we used to. Nothing fancy, just punching the bag, sparring, hardcore running…just like the old days. And that’s all he did: nothing fancy, nothing new."
(In the middle of this interview, Hackleman is conveying how he was in Matt Lindland’s corner for the Lindland v Tony Fryklund bout at BJ Penn’s Rumble on the Rock tournament in Hawaii, when he gets a call from Matt.)
"Can you hold on a second? That’s Matt Lindland on the phone now…Which fight?…Okay, we’ll talk about it…So is that hush-hush or can we mention it?…All right…And that’s in August?…All right, let me call you right back.
"Matt’s going to fight David Terrell in August at UFC. So you’re the first to know," laughs John.
John Hackleman & Joe Lewis
John’s predictions for UFC 48:
Tim Sylvia v Frank Mir?
"Ah shit! That’s a tough one, man. Ah, I’ll go with Sylvia. I think he hits too hard…And I don’t think he’ll get caught."
Ken Shamrock v Kino Leopoldo?
"Ah shit, I don’t know. I’ll go with Ken for that one."
Phil Baroni v Evan Tanner?
"Ah… Ah, man, that’s a tough one, but you know I’m affiliated with Team Quest, so I’m going to have to go with Evan. That’s going to be a brutal war though, I think."
Any other predictions, John?
"I’m looking for some big things from Matt. He trains with us. And Chuck… I think he’s going to win a title real soon. I feel it’s his time right now. It looks like he’ll be fighting the winner of Couture v Belfort, and to be honest, I don’t see anybody beating Chuck if he fights the way he fought Tito. He was just too on."
"Chuck just got back from Hawaii. He did a seminar there. He’s been with me for 13 years and he’s never been anything but a friggin’ great guy. And he’s a great dad."
For more on John Hackleman:www.thepit.tv
For info on UFC 48: Pay Backwww.ufc.tv
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Yeast and Fermentation Session
Julia C Usbeck, Technische Universität München, Freising, Germany
Co-author(s): Jürgen Behr and Rudi Vogel, Technische Universität München, Freising, Germany
ABSTRACT: For the production of fermented beverages the most important industrially used yeast species belong to the genus Saccharomyces. Top-fermented ale-type beers are brewed with S. cerevisiae, while bottom-fermented lager beers, which are fermented at much lower temperatures, employ S. pastorianus. This yeast species is a genetic hybrid of S. bayanus and S. cerevisiae. Apart from technological parameters, each specific strain affects processing and the quality of the final product, e.g., flocculation behavior, temperature optima, fermentation speed and rate, the spectrum of secondary metabolites, and hence the aroma profile. These ecotypes are differentiated by time-consuming and laborious biochemical and DNA-based methods to enable a constant beverage quality and characteristics. However, their physiological differences must also be reflected in their enzymatic setting. Matrix assisted laser desorption ionization–time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) offers a fast and easy method to differentiate yeasts along their peptide mass fingerprints. Therefore, we explored this method according to its differentiating potential for brewing yeasts and their metabolic status. Peptide mass fingerprints of top- and bottom-fermenting Saccharomyces strains were generated by MALDI-TOF MS upon optimized sample preparation and instrument settings and analyzed by a cluster analysis for strain or ecotype level differentiation. Furthermore, we investigated the effect of different culture conditions on selected strains representative for different beer types in relation to specific propagation or fermentation stages in the brewery, e.g., varying sugar concentrations and availability of oxygen. The differentiation of top- and bottom-fermenting brewing yeasts was achieved by >95% of more than 400 samples. Top-fermenting S. cerevisiae strains could further be subdivided into ecotypes according to their application in the production of different beer types, like wheat or alt beer. Differences within S. pastorianus strains were also present, but not as distinctive as for S. cerevisiae. The status of yeast fermentation or respiration could be precisely discriminated, while differences resulting from low and high sugar concentrations were less decisive. These results enable fast classification of unknown strains, improvement of quality control, and pursuit of different physiological states in the yeast culture during the brewing process.
Julia C. Usbeck was born in 1984 in Wuppertal, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. In 2009 she finished her studies in food chemistry at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Münster, followed by a mandatory practical year to accomplish the second state examination. Currently she is working on her Ph.D. thesis on the ability to detect beverage spoiling yeasts using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry at Technische Universität München under the supervision of Rudi F. Vogel at the Chair of Technische Mikrobiologie in Weihenstephan.
No Presentation available.
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make a wakeboard kicker, you first have to make up your mind regarding the size of the kicker that you want.
After you have bought the stuff, you should first build a square or a rectangular table.
Next, you should hammer coated 16-penny nails, so that the corners are secure. You should avoid screws because they tend to break when they are twisted or jostled.
The next step is that you lay the floor, nail it at the corners and inside the border of the table.
Next, lay the plywood on both the sides of the platform You may use 6-penny nails here instead of the 16-penny nails to save you lots of hard work. You should always use coated penny nails so that they do not stick out when they become wet.
Now you must line it with Styrofoam. You must have bought it keeping in mind how big your kicker is and how much of it you want coming out of the water.
Remember to put the Styrofoam, in between the waterproof caulk, slats and the edges very heavily. Do not be thrifty here. It helps you to keep out the water from your kicker and from the wood being damaged.
The next step is to build a ramp for your kicker. Decide how steep incline you want and proceed accordingly with some treated wood You may even use liquid nails but let me warn you they are very sticky so do not let any of it on you body.
Next use stainless steel hinges to connect the two.
You should now place the ramp that you have built on the outside of the table that you built and nail it with all your might. Next, you insert the kickers, and nail it again.
Do paint all the wood before you start nailing it. This makes the wood durable. After the kicker is ready, use multiple layers of latex paint. The main point to remember while learning how to make a wakeboard kicker, is that the entire exercise should be secure.
Congrats! You have now learned how to build a wakeboard kicker! So you see, understanding how to make your wakeboard kicker is a bit tough but it is great fun nevertheless.
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AMMAN — A Royal Decree was issued on Monday endorsing the amended Press and Publications Law as approved by both Houses of Parliament, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
The law will go effective once published in the Official Gazette.
The Senate endorsed the amended law earlier this week as referred from the Lower House, which passed it last week.
The senators also issued a clarification explaining that only local news websites fall under the draft amendments, while social media networks or search engines are not governed by the Press and Publications Law.
The lawmakers said the new bill will not deal with websites designated for private or public sector institutions, Internet service providers or foreign news outlets.
Stakeholders in the media and ICT sectors, as well as press freedom advocates have criticised the law for being vague about its jurisdiction, arguing that it does not clearly refer to news websites.
But Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Samih Maaytah brushed off these concerns, saying that “non-news electronic media such as blogs and social media tools will not be included [under the law]”.
The exact text of the controversial amendments states: “If an electronic publication’s activity includes publishing news, investigative reports, articles and comments related to the internal or external affairs of the Kingdom, this publication must register and acquire a licence under a decision by the director [of the Department of Press and Publications] and the owner of the electronic publication must rectify his status in accordance with this law within no less than 90 days.”
The law also stipulates that chief editors of news websites must be members of the Jordan Press Association.
Over 400 local news websites will be forced to abide by the regulations of this law and any website that does not obtain the proper licence will be blocked.
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This article was originally distributed via PRWeb. PRWeb, WorldNow and this Site make no warranties or representations in connection therewith.
SOURCE: Author Solutions, Inc.
New book uncovers the crime of the century
Indianapolis, IN (PRWEB) January 19, 2013
"The Perils of Pearl Bryan" unfolds one of the most heinous murders, gripping investigations and bizarre trials and outcomes in United States history.
Many aren’t familiar with the famous murder account that occurred in Kentucky in the 1890s. The Perils of Pearl Bryan, by James McDonald, outlines the complex account of the murder case of Pearl Bryan. The cast of characters are based on actual facts, although the “fleshing out” of specific characters and surrounding circumstances are fictional, though as true to life as possible.
When McDonald discovered an old, tattered 14-page journal that his grandfather had written in 1968, he was amazed by one passage telling of the booming newspaper sales during the time of the Pearl Bryan murder case. Curious and inspired, McDonald did research leading him to tell the full story of the case as far as he could determine.
For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2013/1/prweb10335927.htm
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Actively Managed funds
These funds try to predict market changes in order to beat a market index. These funds carry a higher fee than passively managed funds.
An adjective that describes statistical elements, assumptions,
and techniques used by actuaries. An "actuary" is an expert who
computes insurance or pension risks and plan costs based upon plan
membership, experience, and other factors. Actuaries determine the
level of funding required to provide the benefits promised to you under
the Florida Retirement System.
The current fees an investment fund charges to cover management, operating and marketing expenses. Actual fees are proportional to the amount you invest in that fund. For example, if the annual fee for a $10,000 investment in a fund is $2 but you only invest $1,000, you would be charged ($1,000 ÷ $10,000) x $2, or 20 cents for a year. Fees may change in the future. Fees and expenses are only one of several factors that you should consider when making investment decisions.
An insurance contract that guarantees you monthly income for the rest of your life, or for the period of time you choose.
Average Final Compensation or AFC
The average of the 5 highest years of salary earned during
covered employment. Salaries are counted by fiscal year (July 1 - June 30).
Average Market Result
An estimate in "Today's Dollars" of what an investment of $10,000 might grow to over a 10-year period. There is a 50% chance that $10,000 would grow to this amount or more in 10 years.
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Company EMI, who use Macrovision technology to prevent people from making copies of CDs or ripping the music on them, has run afoul
of Apple recently, due to statements they made that apparently “aren't quite accurate”. Macrovision promised iPod and iTunes compatibility quite some time ago, but apparently that isn't the case.
EMI is using Macrovision's anti-rip CD system, and this week told the world: "Apple is nearly finished with the technical work necessary to enable consumers to transfer music from content-protected discs to their iPods... music consumers will soon be able to legitimately port music from protected discs they own to the iPod."
Apple went on record saying that the claim was false, and that EMI had no base to make such a claim. DRM and other such technologies are taking increasing amounts of heat, doubly so with the recent Sony scandal. Macrovision wants Apple to start licensing particular technologies to make this happen, but Apple doesn't want to play the game any way except the Apple way. And, for its faults, that's probably a good thing. It is interesting how digital rights not only is affecting relationships between customers and companies, but also relationships between companies.
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At a table in the community center, a pair of Helens and a Lucy express delight with Marianne Arden Cook’s efforts. “We come every Tuesday,” Helen Huntley says. “We have our blood pressure done, then we come here.”
For the past decade, Cook has spent her Tuesday afternoons here at the community center playing for her Chevy Chase neighbors. But during the ’40s and ’50s, as Marianne Arden, she toured Europe and America — singing, playing and tap dancing at top nightclubs and on the radio.
Born in 1913 to a colonel and a baroness in Vienna, Cook retains a slight accent with an imperial Austrian edge that brooks no foolishness. But it’s countered by a girlish spark. “Will you come to me and cuddle?” she asks a visitor to her apartment in a Chevy Chase high-rise, and she squeezes close on the sofa to talk about her music.
“They say I’m unique. I’m 99. I write songs, words and music — and in four languages,” she says, adding brightly, “That’s better than Cole Porter.” Many of her songs alternate verses in German, English, French and Danish. She calls her song “Liebe Means Love” — in which she sings, “Whatever language I speak, I always say ‘I love you’ ” — a “language lesson.”
Cook’s singing is reminiscent of Marlene Dietrich’s, but without the campy quality. Cook sings it straight and sincere. Pianist Robert Glenn, leader of a jazz quintet that regularly plays the senior-center circuit, met Cook at one of his performances. “I was truly shocked at how good a singer she was,” he says. “Not a bad pianist, but a world-class singer, in my view — clear as a bell.”
A leather-bound copy of “Who’s Who in Music” from 1953 sits atop the baby grand in Cook’s living room; she says she practices every day. The “Who’s Who” calls her a “song stylist and chanteuse.” Her entry comes one page before Louis Armstrong’s.
“Oh, Louis Armstrong — he was a fan of mine,” she says. “He stayed at the same hotel where I entertained. And, once, we were on a radio program together. Yeah, we were very good friends.”
Cook came to America in 1940, part of a female vocal group that was booked at the Rainbow Room in New York City, a premier nightclub at the time. “And then, Hitler came,” Cook says. She returned to Vienna, but Cook had found a benefactor during her stint in the United States — Bernard Davis, of Ziff-Davis publishing fame. “Mr. Davis, he read that the beautiful Viennese girls are being thrown out of the country, and he called me up and he said, ‘If you ever need an affidavit, let me know.’ ”
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First off, I would like to apologize for leaving off the earlier discussion with my last comment in a bit of a huff. I guess I was just frustrated that you thought I was belaboring the point when my intent was just to answer your points (though as usual, I was a bit long-winded about it
). And also about what seemed to me at the time an unjustified introduction into the discussion of the concept of notation. But I'm glad that you posted a more formal outline of your argument because now I have a better idea of it (also from looking at some of the previous portions of the thread (and Rainer's mediation also helped
). While I still don't agree with your conclusions, I at least think I have a better point of departure from which to respond.
To be perfectly clear (and to verify and for anyone else who might read the thread), I would first like to restate what I at least have interpreted as the position. You are arguing that rubato affects only tempo, not rhythm, and that this makes sense because rhythm by definition is fixed according to its notation while tempo on the other hand is fluid and changeable according to its performance and that rubato is also a performance element so it makes sense that rubato would therefore affect only tempo. And I am saying that it affects both tempo and rhythm, rhythm being a constituent part of tempo, and that this is because they are both subcategories of duration, which is overall the only element being affected by rubato if we consider that there are only two basic performance
elements that are variable in music: duration and force (dynamics) (and a third, pitch, in certain instances).
First, I would start off by commending your argumentation (which I am defining as the logical progression of the steps in the argument) itself, which IMHO is excellent -- very clear and sequentially laid out. However, there are two basic criteria for the validity of an argument (not saying you don't know this, but just laying it out to illustrate my point): it must be (1) logical and (2) sound. (1) says that the steps of the argument progress and follow, while (2) says that it is based on solid, unquestionable premises. I am convinced that you basically have fulfilled (1), but I have objections on (2). The general nature of my objection is that the premises are too narrow and restrictive. Specifically, I would object to the following:
1. Your assumption that the definition of rhythm is only fixed according to its notation. I would begin by defining notation, i.e., the system of signs and symbols, notes, their values, and otherwise, that a composer uses to write or mark his score.
I would attempt to illustrate the falseness of this by appeal to relevant analogy. First, a line of reasoning similar to that I used on that MIDI thread when I briefly argued against photography as a viable artistic medium. This is that the score in music is nothing more than the sum of its markings and means nothing until it is brought to life by a performer. That is, unlike, say, a painting, which is literally the work in itself and, once being completed by the artist, is there to be admired as the work in itself, music requires a performance and a performer(s) in order to have meaning or be appreciated. This makes music an art that, to fulfill its message as art, must always be applied
independently of the score or notation. Therefore, rhythm and meter, as one constituent part of this art, are more than just the sum of their notation; they mean nothing on the page until brought to life by the performer and thus are inherently always applied. You mention pitch as a parallel case to rhythm, arguing that pitch is always fixed as well, but I think that is wrong. On the piano, presuming it could of course ever be in perfect tune, that may be the case, but for vocalists and violinists, that is an essential technical element of their performance that can be criticized or lauded as the case may be, and there are an infinite number of slight gradations that can be brought out on a fractional scale. Frank Sinatra, in fact was known for doing all sorts of slidings and elisions down fractions of a step in some cases that were of course not notated in the score.
Second, a much briefer example. Consider situations in which we don't have a score at all, say, a group of children clapping. Some will be on the beat and have good rhythm, some will be off the beat and have questionable or poor rhythm, depending on their musical ability. It is according to a metrical beat and roughly estimated division, so it is therefore rhythm (as I think we have defined it), but we have qualitatively judged it according to their ability to maintain the beat, which is applied rhythm in performance so there is no score or notation yet they are still using rhythm.
Conclusion: Your premise involving the definition of rhythm is too narrow because it fails to consider other valid definitional aspects of rhythm besides its notation and, indeed, the most important aspect -- that it always must be applied in some sort of performance and that this can, in fact, be done without the existence of a score or without the presence of music's other aspects. I know you may say that your argument is in the context of formally notated music such as, for example, the piano music we record, but this brings me to my second objection:
2. Your use of the term "musical argument" to justify your position. This is, I believe, a commission of the logical-depth fallacy (deliberately insufficiently considered premises). That is, once its parameters have been defined (i.e., in this case whether rubato affects rhythm, tempo, or both), any and all information, including that from other relevant disciplines, is admissible as evidence.
I think you tacitly agreed to this by admitting of the possibility of the broader scientific viewpoint, but the point is that all viewpoints must be considered as part of one's own viewpoint in order for one's conclusions to be valid on the basis of the evidence. Then one must go back and incorporate that evidence if the opposing conclusions are contradictory. By way of example, Aristotle in his Ethics argues that moral excellence is based on habits acquired in one's youth through good instruction (an ethical aspect) but then also extends this to good deliberation and practical wisdom (an epistemological viewpoint). If he had said that he were only treating of the "ethical argument" he would be failing to consider vital evidence.
Overall Conclusion: Though you have successfully described one aspect (the notational aspect) of the debate, you have failed to take account of the fact that all musical elements that are written into a score will still be dependent on their musical performance to be actualized. Now to return to my argument. The fact that the rhythm in a score can never be perfectly rendered by a human being (e.g., without the use of a machine or midi program) means that rhythm can never be rendered perfectly in a musical performance, musical performance being the only way of conveying music to make it do what it does as an art. Therefore, rhythm can, and in fact, must be affected by human performance variables
. Rubato is one of those variables, which indeed affects the tempo, albeit only briefly when it is applied, but then also affects the meter or rhythm, which is a constituent part of the tempo since the tempo is an overall pace and the meter are the divisions according to which the performer keeps that pace Then both tempo and rhythm are subcategories of the larger category time or duration, which is in effect, all that is being manipulated by the performer with respect to the time element. Therefore, on the basis that the whole is the sum of its constituent parts, both rhythm and tempo are affected.
Furthermore, in closing, I would also point out (though this is not an official part of my conclusion but more of a conjecture), rubato may even affect rhythm more
than tempo if it is ideally applied (which of course is not actually possible for a mere mortal), since the purpose of rubato has always been described as not to change the overall tempo, but that in fact, when time is robbed it should be made up later, in which case the net effect on the tempo would ideally be zero, and since rubato is applied only to small fragments of a piece and not a whole piece, it would affect the smaller divisions of the piece, where the individual rhythmic elements are more the issue.
Well anyway, enough pontificating from me, I thought I would just recast my position again, since you have also put forth yours twice on this thread already
Thanks again for raising this interesting point. So anyway, I've basically said my peace and added some more verbiage to this discussion
No doubt you won't agree with me or still have objections but that's fine. Nevertheless, I always learn much from you (especially about theory aspects, which not at all an expert in), even if I don't agree and I very much enjoy such discussions and hopefully look forward to more in the future (or possibly on this thread, pending your reply).
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AstanaAstana, estimated population 319,000 (1999, the city is very fast-growing), is the capital of Kazakhstan. The city is located in central Kazakhstan on the Ishim River. Leather-tanning is Astana's major industry. Astana forms a special economic zone.
The city was founded as a fortress called Akmolinsk in 1824. In 1961, it was renamed Tselinograd and made capital of the Soviet Virgin Lands Territory (Tselinny Kray). After Kazakhstan gained its independence, the city and the region were renamed Aqmola ("White Grave", 1991), and in 1994, it was designated as the future capital of the newly-independent country. After the capital was moved there from Almaty in 1997, the city was again renamed.
"Astana" means "the Capital". Today there are many construction works under way like embassy buildings, construction of representative riversides along Ishim River, infrastructure for transportation and communication etc..
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Dedicated thespians have gathered like this for decades, before class, on East 15th Street in New York City, where the institute was founded, and here in Los Angeles, where its West Coast branch opened shortly thereafter. Styles have changed. Social behaviors have changed. Wars and regimes and inventions and lives have come and gone. Through it all, the Strasberg Institute has remained a mecca for those with a passion for the craft of acting. And all those we spoke with say they came here not to get discovered or to become famous or to make contacts. They came with one pure goal: to become better actors.
Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, the institute boasts a history that links it to the father of Method acting, Konstantin Stanislavsky, and an impressive list of remarkable alumni.
From Russia With Love: A Brief History
In 1923, Stanislavsky brought his Moscow Art Theatre to the United States. In attendance at one of those performances was the young Lee Strasberg. For Strasberg, the moment was a turning point. He'd seen acting before, but never so powerfully human, so deeply connected to honest behavior and emotion. Not long after, it became his chief mission to train actors to present greater truth in their work.
Strasberg began by studying with two of Stanislavsky's students. Then, in 1931, he co-founded the Group Theatre. In 1951, he became director of the legendary Actors Studio. And in 1969, he founded what is now the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute. Building on Stanislavsky's work, Strasberg became the country's foremost teacher of the Method—and revolutionized the study of acting for generations to come.
"He absolutely was a wonderful teacher," says his widow, Anna Strasberg, who took over the running of the school after his death in 1982. To his students, she adds, "He said, 'Don't lean on me. Because if I fall, you'll fall. You have to take responsibility for your talent. You have to learn how to use the work, and then you have to do it.' He made them respect themselves. And what happened is, people respect actors much more now than they did in the past."
And Strasberg loved actors. He was notoriously tough on them, but he loved them. "One time," says Anna Strasberg, "Lee was getting an award. I forget where. And they couldn't find him." After searching backstage and checking all the banquet tables, they finally asked her. "I said, 'Are the waiters actors?' And they said, 'Yeah, why?' I said, 'Well, go look for the waiters.' And that's where he was. He was chatting with the waiters."
40 Years Later…
Today the Strasberg Institute is run by two heirs to the legacy: in New York by Anna's sister, Victoria Krane, and in Los Angeles by Lee's son, David, who—to everyone's surprise, including his own—returned from a successful "civilian" career to carry on his father's work.
The younger Strasberg speaks with great passion on the subject: "The idea of the Method is: What are actors doing when they're acting well? And what isn't working when they're not acting well? We want an actor to believe with such conviction that that belief translates to their audience. So they find some truth that is distinctly theirs, and it's shared through the lines, through the behavior. That's what Method acting is. And I think that is what every great actor has done when they've acted well."
Jennifer Esposito ("Spin City," "Crash," "Samantha Who?"), a self-confessed Strasberg Method junkie, agrees: "It's more real; it's more grounded. It gets really specific. And it's those little specifics that make great actors—those specific things that they bring to a character. The actors we always talk about, they all studied Method acting." Even now, in the heat of a rising career, Esposito enthusiastically reminisces. "I love that place," she gushes. She loved it so much that her longtime instructor and mentor George Loris had to kick her out and into the "real world" of professional show business. Even now, she relishes opportunities to go back and lecture at the institute.
The education offered at the Strasberg Institute appears to have remained vital and relevant in the four decades since its inception, owing perhaps to a philosophy that accommodates new ideas. It's a philosophy that, David Strasberg tells us, was urged by his father: "He would say, 'If I tell you to do something and you can't do it and it doesn't work, then who cares that Lee Strasberg said it? You can't keep using something that doesn't work.' If there's something that's more effective for an actor, we will do it." But "we haven't found that yet," he says. "And that's where we always hang our hat. We always say, 'The work works.' "
Current NYU senior Danny Jolles is part of the new generation of actors at Strasberg, and living proof that the work still works. "It's a very practical method," he says. "I do a lot of comedy, and even there the Method is always something I can rely on. It was the first method that made sense to me." Following in the footsteps of so many great actors, he says, is an honor and an encouragement. "It makes you believe in what you're learning even more."
Those Who Can, Teach
To insure that his work would be faithfully taught to future generations, Strasberg trained teachers personally and gave them a sequence for teaching his exercises. "We are fortunate enough to have teachers who have been with us for 30-plus years," says Krane, who is the institute's president. "Teachers are encouraged to work at their craft, so that they remain fresh and vital and are not doing this because they can't do anything else."
The institute gives its instructors structure and flexibility. "We don't believe in rules here," says David Strasberg, "but we do believe in principles. And the school has stayed true to those principles." That malleability within the instruction appealed to institute alum Sarah Bradford ("The Young Victoria," "When the Devil Comes"). "What is interesting is that while the institute specializes solely in the Method," she says, "each staff member has their own belief and unique approach to teaching what they individually believe. I essentially took whatever resonated with me most from each teacher, completing my study with my own 'Sarah's method.' "
"The Method is timeless," says Ashley Bell, who studied at the New York school from 2006 to 2007. "The technique you learn offers you something concrete, something you can trust and rely on in the seemingly ephemeral field of acting." New York actor Megan Lewis agrees: "The only way you can have a repeat performance is to have a solid technique. It is almost impossible to rely on inspiration alone."
"Every actor is looking to be inspired," says David Strasberg, "just the same way every athlete wants to be in a 'zone.' If you start off inspired, great—start working. If you don't start off inspired, then you engage your craft and make sure that you reach a state of inspiration. We train actors to inspire themselves." The Strasberg Method, he says, makes good acting repeatable, "something that you can have some authority over, as opposed to just hoping something happens for you."
Actors find their way to the institute in a variety of ways. For actor-writer-comedian Jim Dailakis, one famous performance closed the deal. "I saw Al Pacino in 'Dog Day Afternoon,' " he recalls. "I was so impressed that at 12 years old I said to myself, 'Wherever he went to learn how to act that way is the same place I'm going.' I was living in Perth, Australia. It was 12,000 miles away—literally halfway around the world! It didn't matter. I felt like this is where I belong."
Carrie Ann Quinn ended up at the institute before she knew where she was. As an undergraduate at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, she was given a choice between choosing a studio and having one chosen for her. She opted for the latter, and on her first day of classes "was promptly shipped off to a studio called the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute," she recalls. "I had no idea who Lee Strasberg was or what Method training was all about. I had no idea that there were any such things as acting methods, but after my first few weeks I was hooked. It was a natural fit for me." Instead of leaving once she'd fulfilled her two-year studio requirement, Quinn stayed for four, and today is a professor of theater at the University of Massachusetts in Boston.
Actor-director Sara E. Widzer, who now teaches at the institute, found her way there through a Connecticut College encounter with Anna Strasberg, who came to offer a weeklong master class for the theater department. "It was an extraordinary experience," Widzer recalls. "I was a sophomore and in the middle of what some might call that infamous 'sophomore slump.' Anna came and inspired each of us to strive for greatness, and did so by reminding us that each of our eccentricities, everything that made us different, was in fact what made us special and unique. Needless to say, this first encounter impacted me greatly. I went on to seek out a summer program at the Los Angeles institute. It was during that time that I was thoroughly introduced to what the school, the Method, and each of the amazing teachers had to offer."
Lewis studied at Strasberg for one year and continues to receive coaching. She found the institute by doing her homework. "I was researching acting schools in the city, looking for a school that would challenge me as a creative artist to the fullest and inspire me to become the best actor I possibly could," she says. "I had become familiar with Strasberg and the Method in high school. I did research on Adler and Meisner as well; however, I ultimately decided on Strasberg because I identified closely with his belief in using personal memories to draw emotion for characters."
But not just anyone can study there. "Anyone can apply," says Krane. "However, we really try to encourage students who have done their homework and want to study Strasberg's Method and are willing to go the distance." Prospective students apply by first filling out an application that requires a brief essay on why they want to study there along with two letters of recommendation supporting their decision. That's followed by a personal interview.
"What we're really looking for is commitment," adds David Strasberg. "No one comes to Strasberg to be okay. The actors who end up at Strasberg really want to be great. They feel something huge burning inside of them, and they say, 'I have got to do this,' and they end up at Strasberg. If not, they go and do something else. They go to a casting seminar."
Fame, and Other Myths…
Unlike those casting seminars, and unlike some other acting schools, the Strasberg Institute never dangles the fame carrot, in spite of its long list of famous alumni. Says David Strasberg, "I always tell my actors, 'If you don't love what you're doing now, sitting in a room, working, rehearsing, exercising, struggling, failing, succeeding, then this is probably the wrong business for you.' "
Says Anna Strasberg, "I think there are those who have a mystique, something about them, and they use it. But you can only go so far on that. But I think talented actors—you can't look at them and say, 'Oh, they'll be a big star,' but you see them work and you see that hunger for knowledge. You see that hunger to be better actors, who have no choice because that's what they're born to do. You pay in actor's blood for the career, but you do it."
Jolles is clear why he's there: "You come to Strasberg to get better."
And what about the clichés about Method actors? The image most people have is of a self-involved, indulgent, inwardly focused actor who's obsessively fascinated by his own emotions and psyche. David Strasberg says that's not entirely accurate. "We're more Eastern: yin and yang," he says. "When my father was codifying his work, it was in a context where actor training was external. You were trained how to speak, how to gesture, how to look."
It was in response to that trend that Lee Strasberg emphasized the other half of the equation, the actor's inner life. "This personal element adds uniqueness to the roles, adds spontaneity, and adds a truth that everyone in the audience recognizes instantly," says his son. But "you can't just emote. You have to channel your experience into expression, into behavior. Internal work without an expressive element is indulgent and actually is disconnected from an audience. But when external skills are active without the internal core, then it's shallow and imitative. So what you really need are the two things together."
Another cliché is that Method actors always use the Method, regardless of whether they're playing Medea or the clerk whose entire performance consists of the word "Next?" Again, that cliché ain't necessarily so. "Sometimes you have a natural ability to do something and don't look a gift horse in the mouth—you use it!" notes Anna Strasberg.
Says Quinn, "The best advice I ever got at Strasberg was to take it 'as medicine'—only when you need it. If for some wonderful reason, you're on stage performing and everything is coming naturally, and the 'magic if' is magically working for you, then that's great! The Method is your backup on a performance day when you're not feeling it, your way to keep a performance fresh on a long run. But the magic is that it is not magic but all the result of rehearsal hard work."
The Next 40 Years
The artists at Strasberg say they plan to continue to faithfully carry the torch passed to them by their founder. Soon the organization will open a school in Mumbai, India, and possibly in Delhi as well. With an increasing number of films being shot there and actors there hungry to update their archaic acting techniques, present-day India is not unlike old Hollywood, and Indian actors are ripe for introduction to the techniques used by so many great film stars.
Also in the works is a book due out in March: "The Strasberg Notes," written by Lola Cohen, a teacher at the New York Institute. It's a compilation of notes and transcribed recordings of Lee Strasberg describing his exercises, principles, and thoughts on various styles and approaches.
And of course, the institute will continue to focus on the craft of acting, and the work of training actors to act better. After all this time, its beacon burns bright, drawing those who are hungry for that endeavor. "Strasberg endures," says Krane, "because we were left with a gold mine of material that was relevant when Lee developed his work and is just as relevant today."
Quinn summarizes thusly: "I believe [Strasberg] has remained popular, firstly, because it works. It works in developing interesting, fantastic, and moving actors that audiences love to see. The institute is a warm, friendly, and artistic place to be. I found it supportive, motivational, and [it] remarkably changed me—changed me as an actor, changed me as a human being—in the way I view the world and respond to it, personally and professionally. As a Strasberg teacher once said to me, 'You can become a better actor by becoming a more complete human being, and you can become a more complete human being by becoming a better actor.' That is what I learned at Strasberg: the importance of exploring both my humanity and my acting—a pretty lofty goal."
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Do you have questions about wood storks? Read the wood stork FAQ for answers.
Are wood storks really storks?
Yes, although the wood stork we are familiar with here in Florida looks nothing like the European white stork most people think about when they hear the name stork, the wood stork is a true stork. It is one of only 17 species of storks in the family Ciconiidae that are generally distributed throughout the temperate and tropical regions of the world. Storks, herons, ibises, and New World vultures are placed in the avian order Ciconiiformes. Recent DNA analysis suggests storks and New World vultures are more closely related to one another than storks are related to ibises and herons.
Do wood storks deliver babies?
There is no evidence that wood storks deliver babies.
Where do wood storks occur?
The species is a common nesting bird from coastal Mexico and northern Argentina throughout interior South America, the Caribbean islands of Cuba and Hispaniola, north to the southeastern United States, including Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. Florida has the largest nesting population in the U.S. Non-breeding and migratory storks occur in southern California, southern Texas and Louisiana, along the Atlantic coast as far north as Delaware Bay, and along the Mississippi drainage as far north as Missouri.
What do wood storks feed on?
Wood storks feed on a variety of prey items including fish, frogs, crayfish, large insects, and occasionally small alligators and mice. However, fish make up the bulk of their diet, especially fish ranging in size from 1-6 inches. This means that storks feed on larger fish that require more than one season or year of growth. The implication is that these prey require wetlands that are flooded for greater than one year and infrequently dry up completely.
I have seen some people feeding hotdogs and chicken wings to wood storks and other wild animals. Should I feed wood storks?
No. It is never a good idea to feed wildlife. The result is an animal that becomes acclimated to humans, which often results in an adverse wildlife-human interaction and dependence upon the supplemental feeding to survive. Storks that are fed by people may become panhandlers and be a problem later when the feeding stops, which requires intervention by wildlife personnel. Finally, artificial food items such as hotdogs and chicken wings are woefully deficient in vitamins and minerals that are required for proper nutrition.
I often see wood storks with chalky white-colored legs. What causes this color?
Normally the legs of wood storks are black, however, an observant person may occasionally notice the lower half of their legs are covered with a white-colored material during the warmer parts of the year. This is especially noticeable when storks are incubating eggs or young nestlings and they can not move away from their nests and into the shade. Storks will defecate on their legs, especially when they have to stand in the sun while tending their nest. This behavior is thought to be a cooling mechanism that uses the highly vascularized legs and cooling effect of the evaporating moisture. The guano (the scientific word for bird feces, which is more of a chalky, watery consistency) is washed off their legs when they forage in water and appears to have no pathological effect on the skin. A similar cooling effect is attained when a person wipes their body with a moist towel.
Where can I go to see wood storks breeding?
Most wood stork colonies are located either on private lands or far back in swamps that do not permit ready access to see these nesting birds. Less common coastal colonies are more accessible to boat traffic. However, we recommend that you use binoculars when observing these nesting birds and maintain a minimum of 100 yards from the colony. The best place to see nesting storks in Florida is at the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary maintained by the National Audubon Society near Naples.
Why should I maintain the recommended 100-yard buffer when observing wood storks?
Most birds require a minimum distance between a potential predator or approaching human before they abandon their nests. Causing storks to flush from their nests will expose the eggs or young nestlings to over-heating due to the effects of the sun or the stress due to cooling during cooler temperatures or inclement weather. The defenseless and exposed eggs and young birds also are exposed to aerial predators such as crows, which often are alerted to the disturbance caused by humans and quickly swoop in and pillage the nest contents. Finally, disturbed older nestlings may try to escape and fall from the nest or tree. Adults will not feed these young and they face an almost certain death.
How far away from a colony will wood storks fly in order to find food for their young?
Based on several studies, both in Georgia and Florida, using wood storks with attached radio-transmitters that send signals to allow the location of the individual birds, it appears that storks regularly fly distances of 5-12 miles from the nesting colony during regular foraging bouts. However, one stork flew about 75 miles away and returned the following day to relieve its mate and feed its nestlings! The distance a stork flies to locate food is dependent upon water levels, the availability of prey, and quality of wetlands. During droughts, storks must fly greater distances in order to find food. Thus, the wetlands around the colony site are important in maintaining the feeding habitat and integrity of a successful nesting effort.
If I know of or see a colony of wood storks, should I notify anyone?
Most of the wood stork colonies in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina are known to wildlife agencies as a result of intensive aerial and ground surveys by their personnel. However, we frequently are alerted to the location of unknown or new nesting colonies of storks by the public. Please contact us at Storks@MyFWC.com.
Why do wood storks have the word "wood" in their name?
Wood storks have a variety of common names, hence the frequent use of the scientific or Latin name Mycteria americana to avoid confusion. "Wood" probably refers to their nesting sites being located in the woods or swamps. Other common names include wood ibis (due to the similarity of the down-curved bill of ibises) and flinthead (due to the lack of feathers on the head and instead possessing large, scale-like patches typical of adults). Use of the word "Mycteria" in the scientific name is Greek for nostril, or to sneer, which is derived from the large down-curved bill of the species.
At what age do wood storks begin to breed?
Based on banded and known-age birds, wood storks do not enter their first breeding season until they attain a minimum of three years of age. However, most storks do not begin breeding until they are four years of age. Thereafter, they probably nest once a year.
About how long do wood storks live?
We do not know much about the longevity of wood storks. We believe they generally live to be 11-18 years old in the wild. The oldest wood stork in captivity lived to be 27 years and 6 days old.
What are some of the factors that result in the death of wood storks?
Let's examine sources of stork mortality at two levels: First, breeding-related mortality of the eggs and nestlings is a common phenomenon. Of the average clutch size of 3 eggs per nest, only about 1.3 nestlings survive to become independent and fly from the nest. Thereafter, survival rates of these fledglings once they leave the nest is unknown. Known factors causing egg or nestling loss are predators, nest collapse during storms, and insufficient food supplies which results in starvation when parents can not capture sufficient prey. Second, mortality of adult storks also is due to a variety of causes. Factors that have been identified to cause the death of adults include predators (such as alligators and bobcats), pesticide poisoning, collisions with power lines, and being struck by automobiles while taking off across the road. Disease also probably plays an unknown role in the death of both young and old storks.
How can you tell the difference between a male and female wood stork?
There are no obvious differences in the plumage that will allow you to distinguish between male and female wood storks. However, males are slightly larger than females (males average 7.1 pounds, females average 6.1 pounds) and have a heavier, longer bill (males average 9 inches to a female average of 7.5 inches).
How many eggs do wood storks lay?
The clutch size (number of eggs laid) of wood storks range from 1-5 eggs, with 3 eggs being the most common number of eggs in a nest. The eggs are a flat-white in color and similar in size to an extra large chicken egg. If the first clutch is lost early in the nesting season, a female may lay a second clutch if she has enough body reserves. Usually the second clutch size contains fewer eggs.
How old are wood storks when they leave their nest or colony?
Wood stork nestlings are fully feathered and capable of short flights at about 7-8 weeks of age but are not independent of their parents until they are 9-10 weeks old. The fledglings then leave the colony at 10-12 weeks of age. Thereafter, they do not interact with their parents. Immature storks spend the next 3-4 years wandering until they reach reproductive maturity. Only rarely will these young adult storks be seen in colonies and then mostly in small numbers; however on occasion they will group together in a gang and disrupt the nesting activities of the adults.
Do both parents take care of the nestlings?
Yes, both males and females share incubation (sitting on eggs) and brooding (taking care of the nestlings) duties.
I have occasionally seen wood storks soaring at great altitudes while flying my private plane. Why are they flying so high?
Whereas storks are slow to take off in flight, requiring deep laborious wing beats to gain altitude due to their size and weight, they are graceful fliers once in flight and excellent high altitude fliers. Storks frequently seek out thermals (the upward convection of warm, rising air) during the summer months, which allows storks to attain great heights with little wing flapping. The use of thermals greatly conserves energy compared to flight with wing-flapping. Once they reach the desired height, the storks will glide with little wing-flapping for great distances toward their foraging sites. Occasionally, storks will use a series of thermals (thermal hopping) to get to their ultimate destination, similar to humans flying gliders.
What type of trees do wood storks use for nesting?
Storks nest in a variety of both native and exotic species of trees and generally can be described as requiring woody vegetation in water or surrounded by water in the case of an island. Native species include cypress, gum, willow, oaks, wax myrtle, both red and black mangrove, and red maple. Non-native or introduced species include Brazilian pepperbush and Australian pine, especially in south Florida. Suitable nesting substrate, also known as a base, must be strong enough to support the rather large nest, one or both members of the pair, and nestlings. This usually requires the tree to be both tall and possess large limbs where the nests are located. Storks usually build their nests in trees flooded by 1 to 3 feet of water or surrounded by water in the case of islands. At interior freshwater sites, these flooded trees provide a water barrier to ground predators such as raccoons and snakes. This water moat around the nest trees also allows the 24-hour patrol by alligators that further reduces the chance of a raccoon swimming to a nest tree.
What type of nest do wood storks build?
Storks build a rather bulky nest of twigs that are simply laid in the forks of trees or on a branch of a tree. Nest height above the water varies from 3- to 50- feet. Nests generally are 20- to 25-inches in diameter and 6- to 10-inches high. The foundation material usually is made up of larger dead sticks (up to 2- inches thick) while the upper surface of the nest contains smaller (1/16- to 1/8-inch thick), more pliable twigs. While most of the nest is rather porous, the interior surface or cup region is lined with live vegetation made up of leaves and pliable branchlets. This nest greenery lines the cup region to prevent the eggs from slipping down into the spaces between the large twigs and further insulates the eggs in the rather porous nest. Finally, the habit of storks to defecate over the edge of the nest deposits a layer of guano around the edge of the nest, which dries to form an almost adobe material. It also provides some strengthening and rigidity to the lattice, or framework of twigs.
What sounds or calls do wood storks make?
Nestlings make a variety of calls mostly associated with being uncomfortable (when a brooding parent raises off the nestlings, for example) or when begging for food from their parents. From hatching until about 2-weeks of age, nestlings utter a long series of repetitive raspy "heh-heh" calls. Once they attain the age of 2-weeks, nestlings utter a repetitive series of nasal "haw-haw" calls. This call is audible from several hundred feet away and is useful in locating a large stork colony from the ground. However, adult storks don't really utter a call. Rather, they make either hissing sounds or loud popping sounds by snapping their bills during aggressive interactions or courtship activities.
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Understanding Insurance and the UR Process
Each insurance payer will have some very unique characteristics, but in general they do work in much the same way. Medicare has both an indemnity-type plan and several varieties of health maintenance organizations (HMOs). Medicaid is similar in each state, but each state can have different rules for qualification and administration.
The common factor is that medical costs are exorbitant and all forms of insurance are working to contain costs. Managed care organizations made a strong effort to continue to dominate in some areas, but the administrative costs involved have caused the downfall of many of these organizations, and many have actually gone bankrupt. This left patients out in the cold and physicians with huge unpaid accounts receivable. The trend is swinging back more in favor of allowing physicians to make decisions and to order a reasonable number of procedures and tests, while reserving preauthorization for only select items.
The process of selecting health care options from a network of providers with similar mindsets and goals has also released some of the strangle-holds HMOs have had on the health care field. These issues have caused financial strains on physicians and facilities and have played a major role in producing the nursing shortage. The uninsured population is growing, which is a major concern for all. Health care issues are going to dominate the political arena for years to come particularly since the baby boom generation is reaching retirement age.
Medication coverage has changed dramatically and the high cost of medications dictates a lot of issues for patients. Recent surveys of the elderly have shown that as many as 20 percent have restricted the use of their medications because of prohibitive costs. This can be extremely destructive especially when patients don't understand the dangers associated with adjusting dosages.
Nurses need to understand insurance issues in order to help patients to understand them and to prioritize their medical issues. Most insurance companies have set standards that govern time allowances for hospital and extended care stays. These are based on years of studies of standards of patient care and diagnosis related issues. They are general guidelines, but unless specific instances and circumstances can prove to be detrimental to the patient's health, they will be followed.
In the event that complications develop, the Utilization Review (UR) department will be called upon to review the case individually and to determine if the condition warrants a longer stay. The UR department may be also called upon to review the case in the event that procedures or treatments are being denied by the insurance company to determine their medical necessity. The UR department also reviews cases for quality and performance issues and in the event that any unusual or nonstandard treatment is being provided. Their role is to advocate for quality of care and patient safety.
Patients need to take responsibility for their own health issues. They need to do all that they can to promote wellness. Health care workers need to do all that they can to prevent medical errors and to alleviate cause for litigation. All these efforts will help to reduce medical costs.
Insurance companies will continue to control costs by regulating what they pay for and what they deny. There will be limitations on length of stay as well as on what types of care, tests, and procedures will be reimbursed. With an indemnity plan, there may be fewer restrictions whereas with an HMO, usually prior authorization is required. This can delay treatments and procedures.
The focus of health care will be on the patient learning to care for himself. He may not have the luxury of aftercare or home care visits. You may need to instruct him in how to care for his complicated surgical wound at home. You won't want to begin instructing thirty minutes before he leaves the hospital. That is why it is important to begin your discharge planning at admission. The patient will be well versed and more confident in his own care if you do.
Discussion of aseptic technique and standard precautions should accompany every dressing change along with signs and symptoms of infection such as odor, redness, or fever. You could say something along the lines of, “I'm glad to see that your wound is healing nicely and without any odor or redness. You don't have any fever, which is also a good sign.”
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Paranoid personality disorder
Paranoid personality disorder is a psychiatric condition in which a person has a long-term distrust and suspicion of others, but does not have a full-blown psychotic disorder such as schizophrenia.
Personality disorder - paranoid
The causes of paranoid personality disorder are unknown. The disorder appears to be more common in families with psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia and delusional disorder, which suggests genes may be involved. However, environmental factors may play a role, as well.
The condition appears to be more common in men.
People with paranoid personality disorder are highly suspicious of other people. As a result, people with this condition severely limit their social lives.
They often feel that they are in danger, and look for evidence to support their suspicions. People with this disorder have trouble seeing that their distrustfulness is out of proportion to their environment.
Common symptoms include:
- Concern that other people have hidden motives
- Expectation that they will be exploited by others
- Inability to work together with others
- Social isolation
Exams and Tests
Like other personality disorders, paranoid personality disorder is diagnosed based on a psychological evaluation and the history and severity of the symptoms.
Treatment is difficult because people with this condition are often very suspicious of doctors. If treatment is accepted, talk therapy and medications can often be effective.
The outlook usually depends on whether the person is willing to accept help. Therapy and medications can reduce paranoia and limit its impact on the person's daily functioning.
- Extreme social isolation
- Interference with work
When to Contact a Medical Professional
If suspicions are interfering with your relationships or work, contact a health care provider or mental health professional.
Blais MA, Smallwood P, Groves JE, Rivas-Vazquez RA. Personality and personality disorders. In: Stern TA, Rosenbaum JF, Fava M, Biederman J, Rauch SL, eds. Massachusetts General Hospital Comprehensive Clinical Psychiatry. 1st ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier;2008:chap 39.
Linda Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington School of Medicine; David B. Merrill, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. © 1997-
A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.
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presents an exhibition of new mixed media paintings by American artist Greg Miller.
Drawing from the diverse cultural and geographic make-up of his American roots, Greg Miller explores his relationship with the space he inhabits to communicate a particular urban experience. Working with both paint and collage, he constructs and deconstructs, exploring the contradiction, ambiguity and truth between urban streetscape and history. Miller comments, In the 50s I would drive with my dad from Northern California through the San Joaquin Valley because he did a lot of business in Los Angeles, Miller says. We would drive along the old Highway 99. And the billboards along the way were all ripped and torn. They were old. There was nothing fresh about them. When I would see these posters I would get a sense of history and time. I could see that were kind of visitors because were not of that time necessarily but Im recording it and Im painting it.
Millers abstracted backgrounds of drips, patterns, and phrases and the peeling back of layers provide a study in the impermanence of the things that surround us. His large-scale paintings and installations aim to make the most fleeting parts of American culture tangible. They grab us nostalgically, rousing us to enjoy the momentary beauty found in the impermanent parts of our lives. There is a fragile heroism conveyed within the temporary nature of it all, especially within his construction of paper, wood and natural materials, that gives Millers work liveliness and depth.
Millers use of resin as a flawless glaze preserves this history and transience, but also gives the work a high quality finish.
Greg Miller's work is featured in numerous museum and private collections that have travelled internationally including those organized by the Charles Saatchi Collection and the Frederick R. Weisman Collection. The Get Go, a volume of his writings, photography and paintings, was published in 2010, and the first comprehensive monograph on the artist, Signs of the Nearly Actual, was published in 2008.
Miller spends his time between Austin, TX and Los Angeles, CA.
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DHTML Solitaire Mahjongg
Almost twenty years ago, I would often play a solitaire game on the Mac called Shanghai that used Chinese Mahjongg tiles for play. Created by Brodie Lockard and released by Activision in 1986, Brodie is credited with the original idea, programming and artwork for the game. Since then there have been many clones and copycat versions, but most still rely on the same tile-matching and removal gameplay. Considered a meditative strategy game, Solitaire Majongg is played with a standard set of Mahjongg tiles stacked on the play field in a precise formation. The rules of play dictate that you can remove two like tiles from play only if each tile is "free"—meaning there is no other tile physically on top of either one, and they can each be slid freely off the stack either to the left or right. To win, you must remove all 144 Mahjongg tiles from the play field.
If you are new to Mahjongg tiles, you can visit this site to learn more about each of the suits and what they look like. The important thing to know when playing Solitaire Mahjongg is that there is generally four (4) of every type of tile—the only exceptions being the four seasons (spring, summer, fall, winter) and the four flowers (orchid, plum, chrysanthemum, bamboo) of which there is only one each.
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How Will The New Fiscall Cliff Legislation Effect Me?
The 157 page American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (ARTA) was signed into law by President Obama last night. This email is meant to serve as an overview of how this legislation may impact you.
Major Provisions of the Law
1. Tax brackets- the top tax bracket rises to 39.6% and applies to income in excess of $400,000 for individuals and $450,000 for couples. These brackets will be indexed for inflation. These changes are permanent (no sunset provision like in the past)
2. Capital gains and qualified dividend taxes- this law makes the 0% and 15% long-term capital gains tax rates permanent, but increases the tax rate to 20% for gains that fall in the top tax bracket ($400K/$450K threshold mentioned above). Qualified dividend treatment is also made permanent, and will follow the same rate schedules as long-term capital gains.
3. Itemized deductions and personal exemptions- the phase out of itemized deductions and personal exemptions are reinstated albeit at higher levels. They will be phased out when income exceeds $250K for individuals and $300K for couples. The net impact of each of these rules increases a taxpayer's marginal tax rate by approximately 1%.
4. Estate taxes- taxable estates less than $5 million will not be subject to federal estate taxes. This law also continues prior provisions. First, the exemption will also apply to lifetime gifts. Second, the $5 million exemption will be indexed to inflation. Finally, the $5 million is "portable" meaning that each spouse will have this exemption.
5. AMT Relief- the AMT patch has been made permanent, as it will now be adjusted for inflation annually, rather than needing Congress to pass a law to "patch" it each year.
Other Provisions (not inclusive)
1. American Opportunity Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit are extended for an additional 5 years.
2. Discharged mortgage debt is excluded from income for an additional 1 year.
3. Deduction for state and local sales taxes paid (in lieu of state and local income taxes paid) extended for 1 year.
4. Qualified Charitable Distributions from an IRA to charity is extended for 1 year (with some limitations). Also, these distributions made by February 1, 2013 can be counted for 2012 tax year.
What Wasn't Addressed
1. The 2% payroll tax cut has been eliminated (on income up to $113,700)
2. The debt ceiling has not been raised and is set to be another political time bomb in the next 2 months.
3. The spendings cuts that were scheduled to kick in have been postponed for 2 months.
In the end, much of the fiscal cliff resolution was expected: tax increases with minor spending cuts. Additional opportunities for tax planning will be analyzed in the weeks ahead and we will be sharing that information with you if it is relevant. From an investment perspective, we continue to believe there will be modest growth in the economy and tend to favor equities over bonds for longer term investors.
We encourage you to contact us with any questions your may have.
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New technique advances carbon-fiber composites.
When Susan Hockfield is inaugurated on Friday, May 6, she will officially take her place among the respected leaders who have guided the Institute over the years, including the three living former MIT presidents, Charles M. Vest, Paul E. Gray and Howard W. Johnson.
Susan Hockfield, president from 2004 to present
Susan Hockfield, a noted neuroscientist and former provost of Yale University, is the first life scientist to lead MIT. She joined the Yale faculty in 1985 and was named full professor in 1994. Hockfield was dean of Yale's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (1998-2002) before becoming provost. She became MIT's 16th president on Dec. 6, 2004.
As graduate school dean, Hockfield revitalized the administration of the school and addressed longstanding problems in academic, extracurricular and financial support for students. As provost, she advanced Yale's major initiatives in science, medicine and engineering, including a $500 million investment in facilities. She also encouraged collaborative work among the sciences, humanities and social sciences throughout the university.
Hockfield's research has focused on the development of the mammalian brain and on glioma, a deadly form of brain cancer. At Yale, she was the William Edward Gilbert Professor of Neurobiology; she now holds an MIT faculty appointment as professor of neuroscience in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences.
Hockfield earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Rochester and the Ph.D. from the Georgetown University School of Medicine. She now lives in Cambridge with her husband, Thomas N. Byrne, M.D., and their daughter, Elizabeth.
Charles M. Vest, president from 1990 to 2004
Charles M. Vest, 64, is the second-longest-serving president in MIT's history. Vest oversaw initiatives in new methodologies for education such as OpenCourseWare, several new degree programs and a flurry of major campus construction projects.
One of Vest's key achievements was focusing broader public attention on issues of education and research policy. He chaired the President's Advisory Committee on the Redesign of the Space Station and the U.S. Department of Energy Task Force on the Future of Science Programs as well as the Association of American Universities. He continues to serve on the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and recently finished work on the Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction. His 2004 book, "Pursuing the Endless Frontier: Essays on MIT and the Role of Research Universities," explores significant issues facing academic institutions.
Vest remains at the Institute as a faculty member in mechanical engineering (on sabbatical in 2005) and has accepted invitations for visiting lectureships at several universities here and abroad.
Paul E. Gray, president from 1980 to 1990
Paul E. Gray, 73, has been at MIT almost continously for more than half a century. He earned bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering starting in 1954 and then rose through the faculty ranks to become professor in 1967. Gray held several administrative roles ranging from associate dean to chancellor before becoming MIT's 14th president.
Among the programs Gray helped establish are the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program and the Leaders for Manufacturing Program. He encouraged undergraduate curriculum reforms in the 1980s that strengthened the humanities, social sciences and biology. Gray was committed to increasing opportunities for minorities and played a key role in establishing MIT's annual Dr. Martin Luther King Celebration.
After stepping down as president, Gray served as chair of the Corporation from 1990 to 1997 and then returned to his role as professor of electrical engineering, a post he still holds.
Howard W. Johnson, president from 1966 to 1971
Howard W. Johnson, 82, became president of MIT after serving seven years as professor and dean of the Sloan School of Management. At the helm during the height of the political and social ferment of the late 1960s, he gained respect for listening to all sides and for combining progressive views on issues such as Vietnam and the environment with expertise in management. Johnson described those times in his book, "Holding the Center: Memoirs of a Life in Higher Education (MIT Press, 2001).
Johnson oversaw such major initiatives as the opening of several new residence halls (Eastgate in 1967, Random Hall and the east wing of McCormick Hall in 1968 and MacGregor House in 1970). MIT faculty members also received Nobel Prizes in three consecutive years during his tenure: Har Gobind Khorana in 1968, Salvador E. Luria in 1969 and Paul A. Samuelson in 1970.
Johnson served as chair of the MIT Corporation from 1971 to 1983 and has also served on numerous governmental panels and as a trustee or director of such institutions as the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, Radcliffe College, the Museum of Fine Arts and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He has been a Corporation Life Member Emeritus since 1997.
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About Iceland Music Export:
It’s difficult to think of Iceland without thinking of superlative music. From Björk and The Sugarcubes, Sigur Rós, múm and Mugison and many other classical, jazz, folk and pop artists, this small and remote North Atlantic nation has punched well above its weight over the last two decades.
If anything, the island’s incessant soundtrack is growing ever more dynamic, as artists and bands, inspired by the continual international success of their peers, continue to create original, world class music.
IMX was initiated by Samtónn, an umbrella organisation of rights holders societies, in partnership with governmental and private funds in November 2006. The aim is to bring together the disparate strands of Iceland’s eclectic scene under one roof. By increasing access to information about artists, collaborating with companies to promote Icelandic music abroad and organizing marketing strategies, festival and event participation, IMX will increase the visibility of Icelandic music in the international sphere, and provide an essential one-stop resource for all interested parties.
IMX will achieve its ends via a multi-strategy approach that includes building accessible, comprehensive databases, promoting Icelandic labels, bands and events, providing information on Icelandic music to markets and the media, and encouraging and helping Icelandic bands, PRs and record labels participate in events and festivals around the world.
IMX runs two websites. The Iceland Music Export website, www.icelandmusic.is, is in English and focuses on introducing Icelandic music, artists, labels, festivals, gigs abroad etc. The ÚTÓN website, www.uton.is, is in Icelandic and is targeted towards Icelandic musicians and the Icelandic music industry. The site runs information about educational nights, deadlines to apply for showcase festivals, information on grants etc.
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On his deathbed, Jacob blesses his sons and asks them to bury him in Canaan.
The following article is reprinted with permission from Jewish Family & Life!
Jacob Blesses Joseph's Sons
Jacob and all his sons and their families are now settled in Egypt with Joseph, who is the second-most powerful man in the Pharaoh's kingdom.
Jacob lived in Egypt for 17 years and he was 147 years old. Jacob (also called Israel) said to Joseph, "If I have found favor in your eyes, then swear to me that you will not bury me in Egypt, but with my fathers in Canaan."
Joseph agreed, then later received word that his father was dying. Joseph took his two sons, Menashe and Ephraim, to see Jacob. Jacob sat up in bed, saying, "God, the All-Sufficing, appeared to me in the land of Canaan and blessed me. God said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and will multiply you, and I will let you become a community of nations and will give this land to your seed after you as an everlasting possession."
Then Jacob added, "Now, bring your sons to me so that I may bless them. Your two sons, born before I came to Egypt, shall belong to me just like Reuben and Simeon. But the children whom you beget after them shall remain yours."
Jacob could not see, so Joseph brought his sons close enough so his father could embrace them. Jacob said to Joseph, "I had not thought it possible that I would see your face, and now God has let me see even your seed."
Joseph had his sons kneel before Jacob. Ephraim was to Jacob's left and Manashe to Jacob's right. Jacob then stretched out his right hand and placed it upon Ephraim’s head--though he was the younger--and his left hand was upon Menashe’s head. He guided his hands deliberately, for Menashe was the first-born.
He said, "The God before Whom my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, conducted themselves, the God Who has been my Shepherd for my existence until this day, the angel who has delivered me from all evil, bless the lads so that my name and the name of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, may be called in them and that they may multiply like fish in the midst of the earth."
Jacob Gives Advice to His Sons
When Joseph saw that his father placed his right hand upon Ephraim’s head, he moved it to Menashe’s. He said, "No father. This is the first-born, place your right hand upon his head."
Jacob refused. "I know it, my son. He, too, will become a tribe. He, too, will be great but his younger brother will be greater than he and his seed will complete the nations." He blessed them on that day saying, "May God make you as Ephraim and Menashe." He put Ephraim before Menashe.
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Real reviews from real travelers
Did you mean?
Chakwal In Glimpses
Chakwal is the main town in Chakwal District, Punjab, Pakistan and is located 90 km south-east of the federal capital, Islamabad. As noted in District Gazeteer Jhellum 1904, the city is named after......
Sardhi Village Chakwal (Malik Naeem)
Sardhi has landscape features including the canyons in Thirchak-Mahal and the yellow beds of muster"Surson". There are many man-made and natural lakes around the city in Kallar Kahar,
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VirtualTourist®© 1994-2013 VirtualTourist.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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David G. Talbot (1933-)
David G. Talbot has the distinction of being the longest serving head of the state parks in Oregon, from 1964 until 1992. During his tenure, the state parks organization underwent dramatic changes, assuming new responsibilities and dealing with escalating visitation to the parks. Although he faced some severe budgetary challenges, Talbot professionalized much of the state park workforce and led efforts to increase public access to coastal beaches and the Willamette River.
Born in Oakland, California, Talbot spent most of his youth in Grants Pass. Growing up with a love of the outdoors, he earned a degree in parks and recreation administration from the University of Oregon. After graduation, he returned to Grants Pass to be director of parks and recreation. He left that post in 1962 to become state recreation director.
The department, housed in the state parks organization, focused on assisting Oregon cities and counties that were beginning their own parks and recreation departments. By December 1964, when Talbot was named superintendent of Oregon State Parks, he had earned the first master’s degree granted by the University of Oregon in parks and recreation administration.
The beginning of his tenure as superintendent coincided with an era of increased public investment in outdoor recreation at all levels of government. This translated into funds for land acquisition and development in Oregon's state parks, spurred by escalating annual visitation that increased from four million in 1950, to nine million in 1955, and to sixteen million in 1965.
With support from the legislature and Governor Tom McCall, who had signed the Beach Bill in 1967, Talbot and his staff devoted much of their attention to obtaining new state parks along U.S. Highway 101 in order to provide public access to Oregon's beaches. Talbot also played a key role in an effort to build and protect the Willamette River Greenway and facilitated the state parks’ purchase of frontage on the lower Deschutes River.
The state parks organization took on new responsibilities under Talbot, including protecting scenic waterways, promoting and planning recreational trails, and implementing a historic preservation program. The organization underwent a transition from being an arm of the state highway department when Talbot arrived to attaining equal status with highways under a new transportation department. Full separation finally came in 1989, when the legislature created a separate parks and recreation department.
At the time of his retirement, Talbot was the longest serving state park director in the United States. His ability to survive through shifting political and budgetary climates was tied to his interest in finding common ground among people who recognized the necessity of providing recreational opportunities for a growing population. As one of only three people from Oregon who received the Pugsley Medal, a national award honoring champions of parks and conservation, Talbot was recognized in 1990 for his outstanding contributions to public parks in the United States.Written by:Stephen R. Mark
Cox, Thomas R. The Park Builders: A History of State Parks in the Pacific Northwest. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1988.
Crompton, John L. Twentieth Century Champions of Parks and Conservation: The Pugsley Medal Recipients, vol. II. Urbana, Ill.: Sagamore Publishing, 2008.
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Could your dildo be dangerous? Many sex toys contain toxic chemicals, including plasticizers that can lead to infertility, hormone imbalances, and other health problems. In Germany, the Green Party is making moves to clean up the country’s goodie drawers.
The party has reason for concern. “Phthalates and other plasticizers are highly regulated in children’s toys,” reports Jess Zimmerman for Grist, “but adult toys—which are, after all, designed to get all up in your mucus membranes—can have all the plasticizers they want.”
The German Greens demand that their government come up with a plan of action to protect its citizens—20 percent of whom report using sex toys—from the toxic plasticizers in dildos and vibrators, says Spiegel, and they have published a paper called “Sexual Health as a Consumer Protection Issue” to outline the issue. Thus far, the German Ministry for Food, Agriculture, and Consumer Protection has offered few concrete solutions. In fact, it refuses to even use concrete terms like “dildo” or vibrator,” referring only to “erotic items.”
There are a handful of non-toxic, green-focused sex-toy shops in the United States, with the Smitten Kitten—based in Minneapolis, but with a healthy online presence—at the forefront. Owner Jennifer Pritchett is working to make sex toys safe for all. She says:
The Smitten Kitten is proud to say that we pioneered the eco-friendly and non-toxic movement in the adult retail industry. In 2003 we were first ever non-toxic sex-toy shop. Likewise, we founded the first ever community advocacy organization and adult industry education organization, The Coalition Against Toxic Toys. [The Smitten Kitten is] a big part of my life and an ever growing positive influence on the sexual health and vitality of our community as a whole.
So, before you get up close and personal with a new “erotic item,” consider the manufacturing methods and materials used. Go green, then go wild.
Sources: Grist, Spiegel
Image by stagshop, licensed under Creative Commons.
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Never a Small Step
"The day", to my grandparents's generation, was December 7th.
To my parents', it was November 22.
To me, and to my generation, "the day" is today - July 20.
I like to think that Neil Armstrong fumbled the first half of his famous quote because the false humility stuck in his throat.
It was never a small step. It was always and only a giant leap, and everyone knew it. Armstrong knew it, because he and everyone he worked with signed up for a giant leap, and would never have settled for anything less. Kennedy knew it; he gave the call Armstrong answered. Kruschev knew it, behind all his bluster.
And I knew it, and so did all my fourth-grade friends on Robin Hill drive in Williamsville, New York. That leap defined my generation and set us on our path. The Beatles and the race to the moon were the soundtrack and the backdrop to our childhood (and Walter Cronkite, who's left us just this week, was our narrator.) Armstrong's leap, and his footprint, told us everything we needed to know about how the world worked. It told us that anything we could imagine was possible.
Fantasy and Science Fiction are one section at the bookstore, but they're not the same. Fantasy is the fiction of what can never be; science fiction is the fiction of what has not been yet. The generation of kids before me read fantasy - Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. We read science fiction; Asimov and Bradbury and Clarke and the others. And we watched Star Trek.
NBC cancelled Star Trek just two months before Armstrong took that giant leap for us all. But it was too late - all of us, we 10-year-olds, had been watching, and Armstrong had proved it could really be done.
We remembered. Gene Rodenberry gave Captain Kirk a flip phone in 1966 just as NASA was winding Gemini down and planning for Apollo and the moon. When we got to be old enough to work for companies like Motorola and Nokia, we built that flip phone (Kirk called it a "communicator"), and we gave it to you. Because, after all, that's what Armstrong would have done. And we built lots of other things too; the talking computers and giant electronic encyclopedias and autopilots and phasers we learned about by reading Amazing Science Fiction and watching Star Trek.
My kids' generation is reading fantasy again; Harry Potter. Their day is September 11. Things like that matter; still, I hope they know Armstrong leaped for them, and that if they leap, they can leave footprints too.
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Happy Birthday Evan!
Evan is a kayaker. When he learned that I was getting serious about boatbuilding and building a collection of woodworking tools, he said something like, “It sure would be nice to have a Greenland paddle. Now that you have tools…”
I’ve never used one, but I have learned that Greenland paddles are very lightweight paddles and are very efficient when properly used. Never one to jump into something without sufficient research, I found many resources on the internet about making these paddles. Perhaps the best, and most often referenced, is Chuck Holst’s “Making a West Greenland Paddle” (PDF file). I also used a step-by-step book, “Greenland Paddles,” by Brian Nystrom. Redundancy: belts and suspenders. It turns out that both are very similar and either will do just fine.
Chuck Holst suggests making your first paddle from inexpensive construction lumber. He must be located in a place where spruce construction lumber is readily available. Not here! We have Douglas Fir which is 50% heavier and a 1000% uglier. I looked for Sitka spruce while on a lumber shopping trip recently, but they did not have stock that was thick enough. I settled for Western Red Cedar which is one of the woods that Brian Nystrom suggests. It is indeed lightweight, somewhat lighter than spruce and half the weight of the ugly doug fir. Along with the lightness comes softness, a tradeoff in durability. The stuff takes dents and dings very easily.
Shaping the paddle is quick and easy work. In fact, it took about as much time to layout the lines as it did to work the wood. Being the first time I’ve made one of these, I very carefully laid out all the lines before picking up any shaping tools. I think it an essential exercise in fully realizing the shape of the thing. For example, it’s not immediately obvious that the oval of the loom is orthogonal to the oval of the blades. Get this wrong and the paddle will probably feel very strange in the hands.
So, immediately after very precisely marking a jillion lines, the first few passes of a spokeshave removes about half of them! That’s OK. The important thing is to hang onto the center lines. Everything else can be reconstructed from them.
The tool I used most for shaping is a Stanley #51 spokeshave that’s been around since about 1920. I selected this piece of cedar for the straightness and evenness of its grain. Working it was absolutely delightful. Smooth and easy. It was so easy to work that I needed very little sanding.
The only difficulty, and a relatively minor one at that, was figuring out how to keep the workpiece immovable without undue clamping pressure leaving marks. A lot of the work was done with the loom (relatively flat surface) clamped to my bench and the ends hanging free. In July this year, I spent about half an hour in the doorway of Saverio Pastor’s workshop watching him shape a remo (oar). Saverio is Venice’s master remer. He is an artisan who crafts remi (oars, plural of remo) and forcole (plural of forcola) the multi-faceted multi-pivot post used for rowing Venetian boats. If I were in the business of making more oars and paddles, I would use Saverio’s work holding techniques. He uses a vice which looks like the leg vise of a cabinet maker’s workbench to hold one end of the workpiece. It looks a bit strange to see this vice simply planted in a hole in his workshop floor, seen just under his right elbow in this photo. The other end of the workpiece floats loosely in a tree like extension from a horse that can be easily moved about, seen in the left of the previous photo and more closely in this photo. While peculiar to his art, these are very efficient ways to hold and manipulate the workpiece.
I made a couple of decisions along the way. Here’s where experience with this sort of paddle would help. Having none, I went with what I thought reasonable.
- Blade thickness, measured at the tip, is a balance between performance and durability. I ran the tips down to about 3/8″ before final smoothing. This is the thickness Holst recommends, but is thinner than what Nystrom suggests for a first paddle. Others suggest even thinner, but I can imagine anything thinner getting pretty easily beat up, especially if you use the paddle to push off in rocky areas.
- I left distinct facets on the loom. The loom is eight sided, and each is distinct on this paddle. It could be smoothed into a constantly smoothed oval, but I opted for leaving the edges of each face as an aid to orienting the paddle in the hands. The same with the blade shoulders. They are faired a bit, but not as much as they could be. This is a starting point and intended as an aid to someone beginning to use this kind of paddle. Maybe an experienced Greenland paddler would prefer more organic shapes. If so, it can still be done. Start with some 80 grit sandpaper and reshape it.
To help durability a little, I coated the last few inches of the blade ends with two coats of West System epoxy. That should provide a little bit of wear resistance without adding significant weight. The remainder of the finishing used pure Tung oil, pure stuff, not the imitations found in the home center stores. The first two coats were thinned with mineral spirits. Then, 3 more coats were hand rubbed and allowed to dry completely between each coat. This finish won’t make the paddle impervious to water, but will make it somewhat resistant and keep the wood from soaking up and getting heavier. Annual renewal of the coating is a good thing to consider.
It was a very enjoyable project. Maybe Evan will tell us how the paddle works out. (The lakes in Minnesota haven’t frozen yet.)
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This talk was given at the Auckland Buddhist Vihara on December 5, 2009
Ajahn Amaro is the co-abbot of Abhayagiri Buddhist monastery in California, USA. He ordained as a monk in the lineage of the Venerable Ajahn Chah in Thailand in 1979. Author of numerous books, he actively teaches around the world.
Ajahn_Amaro_BioMug_thumb.jpg (9.22 KiB) Viewed 1190 times
Thanks Fuji, I do enjoy listening to Ajahn! or HHAA as they call him in the talk
This offering maybe right, or wrong, but it is one, the other, both, or neither! With Metta Upāsaka Cittasanto Blog-Some Suttas Translated. "Others will misconstrue reality due to their personal perspectives, doggedly holding onto and not easily discarding them; We shall not misconstrue reality due to our own personal perspectives, nor doggedly holding onto them, but will discard them easily. This effacement shall be done."
"But, Udāyi, let be the past, let be the future, I shall set you forth the Teaching: When there is this this is, with arising of this this arises; when there is not this this is not, with cessation of this this ceases." - Majjhima ii,32
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Crude: The Incredible Journey of Oil
The television documentary charts the path of a typical carbon atom, circulating in the biosphere. It becomes trapped deep beneath the earth as part of an oil deposit, before being pumped out and burnt, returning to the biosphere. The documentary looks at the consequences of humans burning the world's oil supplies, with rising oil prices as demand increases and the resource becomes increasingly scarce, the effects on the economy, and the consequences of the extra carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere.
Directed by: Richard Smith
Running time: 1hr 29min
|Theaters for Today||
Pick a day
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U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Federal Energy Management Program
New Energy Star Labels Help to Avoid Energy-Wasting Set-Top Boxes
January 28, 2009
Many U.S. consumers may have left set-top cable boxes behind years ago, when they shifted to cable-ready televisions and home entertainment systems, but the more recent shift to digital television, high-definition television, and digital video recorders has brought the set-top box back—even if it's no longer possible to literally stack the box on top of the television. If you're among the many who have found that the box is back in your home, rest assured that the Energy Star program is working to make sure that the box operates in an energy-efficient manner. As of January 1, new cable, satellite, and telecommunications set-top boxes can carry the Energy Star label if they are at least 30% more energy efficient than conventional models. That's a difference that can really add up: if all set-top boxes sold in the United States met the new Energy Star specification, the savings in energy costs would grow to about $2 billion per year, while the avoided greenhouse gas emissions would be equal to removing 2.5 million vehicles from the road. Energy Star is a joint program of DOE and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Cisco, Motorola, Pace plc, and DIRECTV are the first manufacturers to offer Energy Star-qualified set-top boxes. Of course, the EPA realizes that most U.S. consumers don't actually buy a set-top box; they typically rent the box as part of their service contract. For that reason, the agency is working directly with the cable, satellite, and telecommunications service providers to establish partnerships aimed at improving the energy efficiency of the providers' boxes. AT&T and DIRECTV are the first to sign up and have improved the energy efficiency of a significant number of their set-top boxes. New customers should request Energy Star-qualified set-top boxes when signing up for service, and existing customers should inquire about upgrades. See the EPA press release and the set-top box page on the Energy Star Web site.
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|This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title.|
If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.
A cup is an item that any regular minifigure can hold in their hand. They appear in various sets; sometimes the mugs used to look like headlights. They come in many colours such as clear, brown, black, silver and gold. They have also looked differently in each theme, such as in the LEGO Castle where they look like wine cups. While in the older sets, you might find a cup that looks like a coffee mug.
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TeachingGreen in the News
This article covers a talk that TeachingGreen's Executive Director, Kathleen Jacecko gave for the members of the Palos Verdes Sierra Club. This was a general talk that provided a taste of the six sustainable living workshops offered by TeachingGreen.
Our segment, "Going Green on a Budget" starts 11 minutes into the show, and focuses on household toxics, specifically, replacing store-bought cleaners with homemade cleaners.
TeachingGreen's Executive Director, Kathleen Jacecko was the featured speaker on Advice Radio AM 1680's new weekly program, Talk Green. Listen to what she has to say about TeachingGreen, overcoming hopelessness and helpnesses where the environment is concerned, global warming, why it's a good time to install solar power on your home, and more. Click here to listen.
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Apr. 18, 2012 Aphids are pests that cause millions of pounds of damage to crops in the UK, but new research led by biologists at the University of York reveals potential new targets for aphid-specific insecticides.
Because it lives exclusively on the sugary sap of plants, aphids' diet is limited in nitrogenous essential amino acids. To solve this problem, the aphid must use a bacterial symbiont, Buchnera, that lives inside special insect cells and supplements the animal's diet with the required nutrients.
Researchers funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) in the Department of Biology at the University of York and Cornell University in the USA, have just published a significant advance in our understanding of how this symbiosis works by studying the specific adaptations in the specialised bacteriocyte cells that have evolved to house the bacteria.
By using computational modelling of the metabolism of the aphid bacteriocytes, combined with experimental data, the scientists have revealed an unexpected twist in the metabolic basis of the symbiosis, namely that it is the insect cells that recycle nitrogen to build essential amino acids, rather than the bacterial cells themselves as previously thought. The work also demonstrates that the overall metabolism of the bacteriocyte has evolved to provide for the metabolic demands of its partner and also to recycle waste products produced by Buchnera metabolism.
Project lead at the University of York, Dr Gavin Thomas said: "The research reveals enzymes that are needed by the aphid to manage its bacterial symbionts, thus also providing potential targets for aphid-specific insecticides.
On the approach that was used, he added: "The project is a great example of the possibilities of systems biology, integrating transcriptomic, proteomics, metabolic models and flux balance analysis to propose and test novel hypotheses about the way these two organisms interact."
The work is published in the current issue of the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Science and was led by Dr Sandy Macdonald, a postdoctoral researcher in Dr Thomas's laboratory at York working with collaborators led by Professor Angela Douglas at Cornell University.
Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:
- S. J. Macdonald, G. G. Lin, C. W. Russell, G. H. Thomas, A. E. Douglas. The central role of the host cell in symbiotic nitrogen metabolism. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 2012; DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2012.0414
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
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They paved paradise and put up a Storrow ramp
Nowadays, Charlesgate mostly brings to mind the crumbling ramp system connecting Storrow Drive and the roads of the Fenway - its underside a transient homeless camp next to a mucky "pond."
But once it was a bucolic connection between the Muddy and the Charles rivers, part of Olmsted's creative plan for both creating a key part of the Emerald Necklace and flushing out the Muddy.
Compare the above photo, from the Library of Congress's collection, and taken sometime between 1890 and 1901, to this Google Street View. The only thing the two have in common is the still standing residential building.
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Become A 'Pop' Star Photographer
You´ve probably seen the Jones Soda bottles at your grocery store. They´re famous for their odd soda flavourings, but what makes this soda even more unique is that they use photos sent in by people like you.
Carleton E. Wakins - Photographic Career
Before the days of Ansel Adams trekking around the Yosemite Valley taking those glorious images of the unspoilt natural landscape there was the pioneer photographer, Carleton E. Wakins.
Christmas Morning Photography
My ultimate tips for getting the best photographs of what are sure to be your favourite memories.
Found Treasures -- Photographic Scavenger Hunts
Got a digital camera and the desire to create a fun family project? Find out how one family uses garbage and photography to prove that one man's junk is another man's treasure.
Fun Ideas for Holiday Card Photos
Need a few ideas to take interesting & fun photographs for your holiday cards? Here's my list of unique posings, backgrounds, & props.
Get Feedback On Your Photographs
Rub elbows with a global community of photographers, and receive some constructive criticism on your works. Includes sites to list with to offer your pictures for royalty-free use to get your name "out there".
Instant Polaroid Creator
Because a Polaroid picture has such a recognizable look, it's a favourite among digital artists and web designers for creating graphics. Here's a simple way to get a Polaroid-esque photo without using complicated digital imaging software.
Painless Holiday Photo Sessions
You don't need to pull your hair out getting the best photograph out of your family! Follow these tips for easy, painless photo sessions.
Photography and Fundraising - We Are Not Afraid
How Nikki Tysoe, who witnessed London's terrorist bombings in July 2005, used photography to help raise funds worldwide for those hurt or killed and their families.
Put Your Best Face Forward -- Self Portraits
You don´t need to spend a ton of money to get million dollar self-portraits! Because you are the one both in front of and behind the camera, you are in control of all aspects of your portrait. Dig in and find my best tips for starting out!
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This article will be updated shortly.
Why Take Self Portraits?
It might seem narcissistic, but let´s face it: You are available, you can experiment, and there´s nothing like the feeling of looking like a work of art. Find out why taking a self portrait is right up your alley.
Writing a Model Release - Tips and Advice Photography Homepage | Editor's Picks Articles | Top Ten Articles | Photography Site Map
If you're planning on using your people photographs for commercial use you may well need a model release. It's an easy contract to draw up and this article gives you a few more tips on how to write a model release yourself!
Think your link belongs here? Use the contact page to let this editor know.
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Suspense: 4 Tips for Putting More Tension into Your Writing
What a fun picture. Why is this photo so good? Mainly, it inspires a sense of tension and suspense about how the victim of the prank will react.
The element that makes this an engaging photo also makes writing engaging — suspense. Surely, one of the most important elements when considering a good piece of fiction is how tense or suspenseful it is. However, creating tension in writing can be challenging. Here are some quick tricks for adding suspense to your writing.
1) Ticking clocks and deadlines
When a character is on a tight deadline, the sense of urgency naturally adds tension. A story built around a character who has to rush to the other side of the country to find a doctor for his dying mother is much more engaging than a story built around a quest without any ticking clock. Consider the significant amount of tension in J.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings as compared to his previous work, The Hobbit. In the former, Frodo’s mission to destroy the dangerous ring creates an implied “ticking time-bomb” that keeps readers on the edge of their seats much more so than in The Hobbit.
Putting your character in a perilous situation with various challenges is another surefire way to create tension. J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter Series is a great example. Harry is in extreme peril throughout the entire series, and he consistently confronts challenges that put him in increasingly difficult situations. The danger creates worry and curiosity in the reader. How will this situation be overcome? How will the character escape? The suspense keeps the reader engaged.
Talking the reader through the characters’ worrying thoughts, doubts, and feelings reinforces suspense because it becomes clear that the characters don’t know how they might make it out of the situations they are in. The element of unknowing keeps the audience hooked. Many successful authors use this technique to great effect. In The Hunger Games Series, Suzanne Collins used this technique to create suspense around the true nature of Katniss and Peeta’s relationship.
4) Change of perspective
This technique can be used two ways. First, it can be used to leave one plot line hanging, while you attend to another. The reader will be left wondering what is going to happen in the previous plot line. Second, it can be used to give the reader information that will heighten understanding of the true situation and can create anticipation or anxiety about whether or not the characters will discover the truth.
The photo above is a great example of how this can work. If we are following the progression of the story from only the man’s perspective, there is not much interesting until after the water has spilled on him. If we stop before the event and leave his perspective for another, either the boy’s or a neutral observer’s, we get some information and begin to wonder what will happen next. Will the man get mad? Will the boy get in trouble? Will the man figure out who did it? Leaving the reader hanging while you explore another plot line or give perspective on the character’s situation will keep your audience engaged.
There are several more techniques for adding tension into your writing. If you are looking for more tips, check out:
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The biggest drop in unemployment for Eastern North Carolina is in one of the most densely populated counties.
Overall, state numbers for unemployment show a slow but steady recovery in the North Carolina economy. The most recent jobs report released by the Department of Commerce shows 97 of the 100 counties in North Carolina reflect a decline in unemployment. Looking back at yearly numbers, 2012 proves to be continuing the uphill fight with unemployment down in every county this year compared to 2011.
Notably for Eastern Carolina, Pitt County had a 1.1% decline in unemployment within the last month, putting 9.3% of the workforce out of jobs. Other significant changes in eastern counties include a 0.8% drop in unemployment in Craven, Lenoir, and Onslow counties.
Beaufort County came in with a 0.6% drop, Carteret with a 0.5% drop, putting that Carteret at 7.7% unemployed.
Dare County's unemployment numbers remain unchanged this month, while Currituck County was the only county statewide to go up in unemployment by 0.4% this month.
The highest unemployment rate in the State is in Scotland County with a rate of 16.1% unemployed.
Designed by Gray Digital Media
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Durbin pushes for Fermilab funding
From Kane County Chronicle,
March 21, 2008
A push to restore funding this year at Fermilab and similar facilities across the country is in the works.
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., wrote a letter this week to the Senate's Appropriations Committee to ask for $350 million in funding for laboratories across the country, including Batavia's Fermilab and Argonne National Laboratory near Darien.
The letter also had the support of several other senators from both parties.
Durbin and the other lawmakers want $350 million in a supplemental appropriations bill that would bring the funds as soon as this spring. Laboratories were "shortchanged" last year, losing money for this fiscal year, Durbin said.
If the bill is passed, Fermilab and Argonne would receive about $56 million to "put projects back on track," Durbin said.
"Basic research at these laboratories is critical," he said.
Last year's funding crunch caused the laboratories to put projects on hold and cut staff. Fermilab is expected to begin layoffs this summer.
Fermilab spokesman Kurt Riesselmann declined to comment on the prospect of the restored funding. He said employees were not lobbying for federal money because it paid their salaries.
The recently sworn-in Rep. Bill Foster, D-Geneva, was a scientist at Fermilab.
Foster's spokesman, Tom Bowen, said Foster was committed to restoring funding at Fermilab.
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An anonymous reader writes "The first cooperative platooning competition, where vehicles use radio communication in addition to sensors, was held in Helmond, Holland a week ago. By using wireless communication the awareness range of each vehicle is extended, enabling vehicles to travel closer together which increases road capacity while at the same time avoiding the shockwave effects responsible for traffic jams. The Grand Cooperative Driving Challenge distinguishes itself from earlier platooning demos (e.g. the PATH project) by having a completely heterogeneous mix of vehicles and systems built by multiple researcher and student teams. Using wireless communication to coordinate vehicles raises concerns about the safety of such systems, would you trust WiFi to drive your car?"
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Monday, October 11, 2004
They call it “Jake’s Bill” for the SCSU senior whose need for further medical procedures was the basis for legislation to extend insurance benefits to Minnesota children born with a cleft lip and/or palate. But it was the teamwork of Rep. Lynne Osterman and Jake’s mom Michaela Meyer – both SCSU alumnae – that made House Bill 2554 a reality for Jake and countless others with the third most common congenital defect.
Alumni, employee and student team up to pass critical legislation
The tenacity of Osterman and perseverance of Meyer – “Mac” to her co-workers – combined with Jake’s courage and charisma this past session to bring a little-known problem to the attention of lawmakers. Families like the Meyers, whose first son was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate, could get insurance coverage for their children’s corrective surgery until age 18. After that, an obscure 1982 law cut off support for further related procedures.
It wasn’t until the Meyers tried to schedule their son’s final dental work – his first full set of front teeth – that they encountered the devastating legal roadblock that stood between Jake and the end of a lifetime of surgeries and other procedures to rebuild and reshape his mouth, nose and lips.
Jake’s had been an especially difficult case, ranked a ten by his doctors on a severity scale of 1 to 10 when he was born. “He couldn’t breathe right or suck a bottle,” Osterman said of Jake’s condition. “That’s not cosmetic – it’s a disability.”
Jake, who got a chance to talk with lawmakers about a life punctuated by physical challenges and more than 20 surgeries, realizes the profound effect the procedures have had. “I’d be lucky if I were here, alive, without the surgeries, let alone be able to eat and talk,” he said. His perspective helped humanize the cause for busy legislators. So did the powerful series of photos depicting the dramatic 18-year metamorphosis of the form and function of his face, changes brought about by procedures he had during holidays and summer vacations.
The biggest challenge for Osterman and the Meyers was to capture the attention of the 201 Minnesota House and Senate members who are hit with hundreds of issues and proposals each session. “We had to crack the nut and let them know how just a few changes in this law could make all the difference in the world to many families,” Osterman said.
“Not all of the necessary surgeries are over by that age (18) for children like Jake because they’re not through growing,” Osterman said. “I knew in my heart working to pass this legislation was the right thing to do.”
And pass it she did, a rare feat for a first-term legislator. Osterman took her oath as a Republican House member from New Hope in January 2003. “In order to help Jake I only had one window for making this happen.” The bill had been drafted and introduced in the House in the previous session by Rep. Joe Opatz, another SCSU alumnus and an associate vice president for academic affairs at the university.
A speech communication and mass communication major who traces her 17-year quest to become a legislator directly back to her SCSU days, Osterman was undaunted by the complex process of getting the attention of the right legislative leaders and getting a hearing scheduled. What drives her, she said, is her belief in a system of citizen-lawmakers making public policy – good public policy. “I’m not in it for the politics,” she said. “I’m there to do things like this.”
“It was amazing to see her in action,” Meyer said of Osterman, who’s been her friend since the latter worked as a student in the mid-’80s in the Atwood Memorial Center office where Meyer and Opatz worked. “She just wouldn’t back down or take no for an answer.”
Osterman has similar praise for Meyer’s role in the passage of House bill 2554. “She was incredible,” Osterman said of her friend, who graduated in 1978 with a degree in social work. “She gathered information, communicated with other families and amassed a thick folder over three years. Mac is a private person, but her willingness to share her experience helped push the right buttons and get the right attention.”
Now Jake will have the remaining procedures to finish fixing his teeth and reshaping his mouth. “An office staff member, a student, and an alumni legislator pooled their courage and worked to get this passed,” said Osterman. “It’s this family spirit that makes me proud of my alma mater.”
For Jake, who along with other Minnesota children born with a cleft lip and/or palate is the beneficiary of the legislation, the process was an amazing learning experience. “I became involved when it was crucial for me to be there,” he said of his appearance at the legislative hearings and conversations with lawmakers. “But my mom put in an incredible amount of work – that really was the driving force. She had tried to get it passed before Lynne was a representative. But, together, they gave me a good lesson in politics.”
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We’re gonna beat on the toms! Lots of rock songs use toms to push the groove with a warmer and fatter dynamic. Here are some grooves that primarily involve the toms. Be sure to play the notes cleanly: You want to really drive the songs with each groove.
Many of the patterns shown here are just building blocks for you to be creative. Some of the patterns sound better at faster tempos, some are better slower, but all can be played at any tempo. In Ex. 4, keep sixteenth-notes strong and even between your right hand and right foot so that it doesn’t sound “flammy.” In Ex. 3, Ex. 7, and Ex. 8, try to open up or separate the flams a bit more to fatten the beat when hitting high and low toms together with right and left hand. Play with a metronome and try to keep time with your left foot.
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Madi Vorva (left) with zoo guests during Orangutan Awareness Weekend.
It’s not every day you get to meet a real life conservation hero. Meet Madi Vorva. In 9th grade and an active Girl Scout, she’s a teen Jane Goodall working to save orangutans. In November 2009, Madi visited Brookfield Zoo, traveling from Plymouth, Michigan to participate in the International Orangutan Awareness Weekend, where she had the opportunity to meet Tropic World keeper staff.
Madi’s love for this great ape goes back to 6th grade. A devoted Girl Scout, Madi was working toward earning the Bronze Award, a recognition that requires you to raise awareness about an important issue. Madi’s research for this award led her to focus on orangutans and their plights – palm oil plantations, illegal pet trade, and rainforest destruction. In regards to the threat of palm oil, Madi realized the Girl Scout cookies she and her friends had sold for years contained the crop that is destroying the orangutans’ rainforest home.
Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil from the fruit of the African oil palm. Next to soybean oil, palm oil is the second-most widely produced edible oil, growing in popularity because it’s trans fat free. In addition to being used in cookies, crackers, and other snack items, palm oil is used in many cosmetics, bath products, is being considered for potential use as bio-fuel, and even pet food. As the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra are clear cut for palm oil plantations – through illegal logging or widespread burning – the already small orangutan population becomes even smaller.
Shocked at the discovery that palm oil was a key ingredient in their cookies, Madi and her friend Rhiannon made a pledge to not only stop selling Girl Scout cookies, but to raise awareness about the devastating effects unsustainable palm oil has on orangutans. To learn as much as possible, they joined renowned primatologist Jane Goodall’s youth program Roots and Shoots, which is devoted to making positive changes for the environment, communities, and animals. Madi says, “Dr. Jane Goodall has always been a hero of mine.”
Over the next three years, Madi devoted her personal as well as her academic time to raising awareness about orangutans and the palm oil crisis. She’s hosted three National Orangutan Weeks at school, participated in letter writing campaigns, raised over $4,000 for orangutan conservation funds through palm-oil free bake sales and school dances, and even met with representatives from Little Brownie Bakers – one of two Girl Scout cookie producers and distributers.
As if they’re not busy enough, the teens are also members of Orangutan Outreach, an affiliate of Borneo Orangutan Survival, the largest primate rescue project in the world. (Madi’s also a founder of Orangutan Outreach Forest School 101, a program geared towards young supporters of orangutan conservation. (Go to http://www.redapes.org
to learn more.)
All of Madi’s and Rhiannon’s great work didn’t go unnoticed, as they were both invited to attend the 2008 Great Lakes Roots and Shoots conference in Chicago and present their project to none other than Jane Goodall, their initial inspiration to protect orangutans. Madi was further honored when Ms. Goodall signed their letter petition to keep Girl Scout cookies palm oil free. The following year, Madi was invited to the Roots and Shoots Great Lakes Region, Regional Youth Summit, but this time as a presenter.
The conference in Chicago created a whirlwind of publicity, as Madi was interviewed by Ann Arbor News and “Fox and Friends,” a national television station, which gave them a platform to talk about orangutan conservation. Madi says, “Girl Scouts need to see this as a win-win situation. Awareness about palm oil, orangutans, and the rainforest is created, but this also shows that Girl Scouts listen to their girls.”
Madi’s now working on a new Girl Scout project – Girl Advocacy Summit. She says this new venture will focus on helping girls become better advocates through five steps of success, “…passion, perseverance, confidence, courage, and leadership. We also have the chance to raise awareness about causes and give girls a voice. We will also have the opportunity to tell the girls our story, and the affects palm oil is having on the rainforest.”
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- FrontPage Magazine - http://frontpagemag.com -
Back to the Future with Bibi and the Clintons
Posted By Seth Mandel On July 5, 2011 @ 12:09 am In Daily Mailer,FrontPage | 6 Comments
The headline itself was unremarkable: “Clinton cautions Netanyahu not to antagonize Palestinians.” The text of the story wouldn’t raise any eyebrows either—Clinton tells Netanyahu that he shouldn’t hold up tax payments to the Palestinian leadership despite their support for terrorism, and there is an implicit sense of disapproval on Clinton’s part for the building of Jewish housing in Jerusalem because it would supposedly violate a settlement freeze.
It’s the date of the story that is notable. It is an Associated Press dispatch from August 7, 1997. The Clinton in this story is President Bill, not Secretary Hillary. The Jewish housing the U.S. is upset about is in Har Homa, and the Palestinian leader is Yasser Arafat.
To the casual observer, the story is just another example that the more things change, the more they stay the same. But the truth is it highlights something else: that Binyamin Netanyahu’s efforts to make progress on the peace process have been thwarted now for a decade and a half, mostly because whoever happened to be the sitting American president during this time had different ideas of how to reach the same goal.
For example, on March 16, 1997, the Associated Press reported that diplomats from the U.S., Russia, European Union, Japan, Norway, Jordan, and Egypt met for four hours with Arafat (the Israelis were excluded, of course) to help brainstorm ways to keep the peace process moving. One idea that was not discussed, according to the AP, was a proposal from Netanyahu for a land swap, in which Israel would keep some West Bank settlements but provide the Palestinians with Israeli land to make up for it.
The idea was way ahead of its time. In fact, as Dore Gold recently pointed out in The Weekly Standard, support for land swaps has always been tenuous at best, and the recent popularity of the idea (such as it is) is mostly a historical aberration. Netanyahu risked his popularity fourteen years ago with the land swap proposal, and it was roundly ignored by the U.S., EU and other negotiating partners.
Netanyahu was always more reasonable than the media made him out to be. This time around, the Israeli public seems to clearly appreciate this fact. Historian Yaacov Lozowick, writing after Netanyahu’s speech before a joint session of Congress, noted that Netanyahu has actually broken new ground.
“We’ve come a long way from Golda Meir saying ‘there is no Palestinian nation’, and indeed, we’ve come a long way from the positions of Yitzchak Rabin, remembered worldwide as a brave Israeli leader seeking peace: Rabin never said there’d be a sovereign Palestine, he never intended to move back to the lines of 1967, and he never would have dreamed of dividing Jerusalem,” Lozowick wrote. “On the first two, Netanyahu, for all his verbal gymnastics, is to Rabin’s left. Moreover, the assumption all over Israel’s media today is that he enjoys broad support in the Israeli electorate for his positions.”
I’ll go a step further: On Jerusalem, too, he is to Rabin’s left—and to the left of some notable peaceniks. Here is Oslo architect Yossi Beilin in June 1997: “Any solution should be based on a unified Jerusalem and a demilitarized Palestinian state, not far from the 1967 borders.”
And Thomas Friedman was certainly on the same page, writing in September of that year: “The issue today is not whether Jerusalem will remain the unified capital of Israel, but whether it will be the habitable capital of Israel. Anyone who has visited Jerusalem lately knows Israel’s hold over the city is unchallenged, and I’m glad it is.”
But in July 2010, Netanyahu gave a speech in New York City hosted by the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. I attended that speech and noticed something the prime minister said in response to a question from the audience. “Everybody knows that there are Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem that under any peace plan will remain where they are,” Netanyahu said. Uri Heilman of JTA noticed it too. “The implication of Netanyahu’s remark—that other neighborhoods of Jerusalem may not remain ‘where they are,’ becoming part of an eventual Palestinian state—was the first hint that the Israeli leader may be flexible on the subject of Jerusalem,” Heilman wrote.
So Netanyahu is three for three; he is to Rabin’s left on all major issues. Netanyahu, more importantly, is much more dedicated to making progress on the peace front than he is given credit for. In May, Daniel Doron, president of the Israel Center for Social and Economic Progress, authored an article for The New Republic reminding policymakers that the last time the West Bank had a booming economy was also the last time there was anything close to peace. His contention was that the concept of “economic peace” is not only viable, but has a track record of actual success—unlike other tactics that have been tried.
Then Doron noted that Netanyahu had proposed a similar plan this time around, having learned from experience what works and what doesn’t. “But his plan fell on deaf ears among the political-solution addicts at Foggy Bottom, whose misguided faith in the PA mirrored their support for other dictatorial regimes across the region,” Doron lamented.
Perhaps history will catch up with Bibi’s opponents the way it always has. The Clinton administration ignored Netanyahu’s proposal for a land swap, and now it’s all the rage. The Obama administration dismissed “economic peace,” but Netanyahu has pressed forward with elements of it anyway, and the economy of the West Bank and Gaza saw GDP growth of 9 percent in 2010.
Here is the International Monetary Fund’s assessment of that growth: “In Gaza, the strong recovery was driven by the steady easing by the Government of Israel (GoI) since mid-2010 of restrictions on imports of consumer goods and inputs for public investment projects, following the tightening of controls in 2006. In the West Bank, growth continued to benefit from higher private sector confidence underpinned by good management and reforms by the Palestinian Authority (PA) supported by donor aid. It also benefited from measures to ease restrictions in early 2010, including the removal of internal obstacles and enhancing the capacity of crossing points with Israel.”
That’s a pretty explicit description of the degree to which Israel is responsible for improving the economic situation in the Palestinian territories. It’s not just removing checkpoints, either. According to a cable released in the WikiLeaks document dump, the State Department was told in November 2008 that if Netanyahu became prime minister, “Netanyahu’s vision would have Israel working with Jordan and foreign donors to inject large-scale investment in the West Bank to improve the daily lives of Palestinians.”
Binyamin Netanyahu has been the leading cheerleader for foreign investment into the West Bank. And, as the IMF statistics show, the combination of foreign donations and investment and the removal of checkpoints make up the majority of the reason for the Palestinian territories’ economic growth.
Hopefully, we won’t have to wait another fourteen years for the U.S. to support progress in the Palestinian territories.
Seth Mandel is a writer specializing in Middle Eastern politics and a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the Horowitz Freedom Center.
Article printed from FrontPage Magazine: http://frontpagemag.com
URL to article: http://frontpagemag.com/2011/seth-mandel/back-to-the-future-with-bibi-and-the-clintons/
Copyright © 2009 FrontPage Magazine. All rights reserved.
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Using Logarithms to Determine Relationships
This unit from the Continuing Mathematics Project goes into detail on how logarithms can be used to determine the laws which connect two variables on which experimental data has been collected. The unit follows naturally from the unit entitled The Theory of Logarithms.
The objectives of the unit are that students:
(i) understand the meanings of the terms exponential growth and decay, as they are used in relation to natural phenomena;
(ii) perceive that money invested at 'compound interest' also grows exponentially in denominational terms (even if it decays exponentially in purchasing power);
(iii) be able, when the relationship between two variables x and y is of the form y = C.ax, to plot values of log y against values of x on ordinary graph paper, or to plot values of y against values of x on log-linear graph paper, and so determine the constants C and a;
(iv) be able, when the relationship between two variables x and y is of the form y = C.xa , to plot values of log y against values of log x on ordinary graph paper, or to plot the values of y against the values of x on log-log graph paper, and so determine C and a.
HEALTH and SAFETY
Any use of a resource that includes a practical activity must include a risk assessment. Please note that collections may contain ARCHIVE resources, which were developed at a much earlier date. Since that time there have been significant changes in the rules and guidance affecting laboratory practical work. Further information is provided in our Health and Safety guidance.
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.nationalstemcentre.org.uk/elibrary/resource/5475/using-logarithms-to-determine-relationships
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Difference between Web Design and Web Development
Posted By -
Web designer and web development are most of the times treated as one and the same by many people. This is where it is necessary to understand the major difference between the two. Design of the website deals with what the viewer sees on the website and website development is all about the functionality. Hence, design gives look and feel to the website whereas development gives user experience to the website. Both of these are significant factors in making a website successful in the Dot Com world. A website should generally consist of the following aspects:
- First and foremost is the visual appeal of the website. The graphics, the color scheme, the placements of the navigation elements must be placed aesthetically to give it proper look and feel. Primarily this area is taken care of by a web designer and a graphic designer. They decide on the color scheme of the website and the graphics to place on it. The images pertaining to the businesses are generally preferred. The look and the feel of the website created by them should make the user want to come back to the website again and again.
- Secondly, a website contains all the information regarding the products or business or services that the website owner is involved in. the writing of the content is also done according to the requirement of the designer. The designer before making the website design already has the estimation of content required and thereby they keep that content space while designing. The content of the website should be persuasive enough for the viewers to indulge into the buying or using the services of the website owner. At the same time, it should contain clearly detailed information about the website but in an attractive manner.
- Fourth aspect is the usability of the website. This deals with the usefulness of the website and is inclusive of smooth functioning of the various features from the viewer’s perspective. A viewer needs a great look and feel of the website and the smooth navigation of it. The usability feature checks and assures this aspect of the website.
Therefore, website design concerns itself with providing the proper look and feel to the website and the content creation. And on the other hand, website development concerns itself with the smooth functioning and usability of the website. Hence, a successful website can be created with a proper co-ordination of both designer and the developer but that does not mean that it is one and the same.
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Cloud computing is for the birds
For small companies, hosted software costs can add up fast.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Thinking of floating your small business on the software-as-a-service cloud? Maybe it's time to step back down to Earth.
Despite the hip factor and small business appeal of paying little or nothing for online office software, the realities of deploying Web-based sales, accounting and other workflow tools is turning out to be more daunting than many small firms expect.
"It is critical to understand that SasS [software-as-a-service] is an important part of your business IT strategy, but it is never going to be the be-all and end-all solution," says Darryl Parker, owner of Parker Web Marketing, a Matthews, N.C.-based Internet marketing and consulting firm.
Parker, whose own business does a bit under $1 million in annual sales serving more than 300 small business clients, says smaller enterprises using cloud computing applications face both the usual-suspect technological hurdles and deeper cultural challenges.
"Small businesses struggle to find the resources to get to the knowledge of their own business to make proper software choices," says Parker. "And with so many conflicting cloud computing products on the market, they wind up with problems."
Take Dr. Michael Smith, founder and naturopathic physician for the Carolinas Natural Health Center. This holistic health care provider, with a staff of eight, is based in Boone, N.C. Like many small business owners, Smith uses a smorgasbord of Web-based products. His arsenal includes Constant Contact for Web marketing, Twitter for social networking, GoToWebinar for remote conferencing and Ning for community building. And though overall Smith is happy with how the Web works as a business tool, he points out that he quickly runs up against limits of the technology.
"I have definitely been challenged with the additional time it takes to implement these programs," says Smith. "To understand what's effective, tweak it and make it better."
In a report issued earlier this month, international business consulting firm McKinsey & Company threw some cold water on the cloud computing hype, pointing to the technology's limits in terms of cost scalability. McKinsey focused its cautionary advice on big companies, warning that "current cloud computing services are generally not cost effective for larger enterprises."
Even for smaller companies, the fees can stack up fast. Take one typical application popular with small businesses: Basecamp, a project management tool from Chicago software firm 37signals. It starts at $24 a month for a basic package. But any business that gets hooked on Basecamp will likely find itself upgrading to bigger and bigger packages, maxing out at the all-you-can-eat option for $150 a month. That's just under $1,800 a year - and it's not the only code a business needs. Add in customer relationship management tools, content management systems and accounting packages, and you'll end up with an annual software bill that totals thousands.
Cloud computing vendors are quick to say their applications are worth the expense. If a tool can save a business time and money, it justifies its price tag, they point out. "[Buyers] should not look at the $300 software cost, they should be looking at the value of that this service provides," says Erik Asgeirsson, president of CPA2Biz, the New York-based IT and marketing arm for the Association International of Certified Public Accountants. CPA2Biz recently teamed with accounting software maker Intacct to develop new tools available through the cloud to accountants and their clients.
What's getting tricky about the cloud computing argument is the effect the downturn is having on the software biz: traditional small business applications, sold in a shrinkwrapped box and run on equipment housed and maintained in your own offices , are getting very inexpensive. To compete with the SaaS crowd, traditional vendors have been forced over the past few years to make their products easier to use while also cutting their price tags. Amazon (AMZN, Fortune 500) routinely offers Intuit's (INTU) QuickBooks as one of its "Deals of the Week," and the discounting is steep. QuickBooks Pro 2009 frequently pops up for 50% off, allowing businesses to snag a powerful accounting package for just $99. It takes a lot of cloud computing to beat that value.
Everyone agrees on cloud computing's biggest virtue: the cost of entry is low. But there's a growing recognition in the IT trenches that any leap onto the cloud-computing bandwagon should be made only after some sober cost-benefit analysis.
"The point is, what cloud computing software does should not dictate what your business does," says Parker. "You have to know what you need and sensibly adopt from there. It has to make sense."click here.
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RALEIGH Thousands of people from across the state marched through downtown Raleigh on Saturday morning to persuade state lawmakers and a new governor to pass laws that make government more inclusive, less protective of the wealthy and better equipped to tackle poverty through greater access to health care and better schools.
The seventh annual Historic Thousands on Jones Street rally drew enough marchers to stretch from one end of downtown Fayetteville Street to the other. They squeezed into the plaza between the state history and natural sciences museums – a space that organizers say holds 10,000 people – to listen to speakers on a stage in front of the state legislative building.
It was an audience displeased with a government that is now firmly in Republican hands with the election of Pat McCrory as governor. They protested a long list of items: a proposed voter ID law that they say would disenfranchise citizens, budget cuts that they say weakened public schools, a constitutional ban on gay marriage, a deep cut in unemployment benefits and a rejection of expanding Medicaid coverage to an additional 500,000 uninsured poor as part of the new federal health-care law.
“They suggest this is how you fix America, this is how you fix North Carolina, this is how you fix poverty. Three things: Give more tax cuts to the wealthy, tell the poor people they need to be more responsible, and get more guns,” said Rev. William Barber, president of the North Carolina NAACP. “That’s a ridiculous kind of rhetoric.”
Jordan Shaw, a spokesman for House Speaker Thom Tillis, said in a phone interview that Republicans are about rebuilding the economy and providing opportunities for all North Carolinians.
“For every issue we are trying to listen to all stakeholders,” he said. “And we feel that our policies are leading our state in a better direction.”
But a common theme among those attending the march was of being left out, economically and politically.
Mayra Aguilar, 19, of Garner, told the crowd that she came to North Carolina illegally with her parents 15 years ago. She has a 3-year-old daughter and said she wants to build a life here, but her immigration status means she would have to pay out-of-state tuition to attend a university or community college. She is unable to hold a driver’s license, despite a recent federal policy intended to ease restrictions on the children of illegal immigrants while Congress and President Barack Obama develop a new policy that is likely to provide them a path toward citizenship.
“We are asking the nation for a chance and equal opportunities just like other races have,” Aguilar said.
Several attendees said Republican policies have not helped bring down an unemployment rate that has sat at 9 percent or higher throughout the recession. The legislature’s budget cuts eliminated thousands of jobs from state and local government payrolls, which they said had the double-barrel impact of increasing the unemployment rolls while weakening public education, health care and other services.
“It looks like we are going backward instead of forward,” said Rev. Earl C. Johnson, pastor of the Martin Street Baptist Church in Raleigh.
None of Saturday’s speakers sounded hopeful that their messages and strength in numbers would change lawmakers’ minds. They talked about taking their message out to the towns and cities across the state to educate and motivate voters for the 2014 election.
It was a message that Donnie K. Lewis, 56, an Anson County librarian and NAACP chapter president, thinks people are already hearing, judging by Saturday’s turnout.
“It’s showing that I’m tired of being tired,” Lewis said. “Sitting around isn’t doing us any good.”
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http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/02/09/3845116/thousands-march-against-gop-policies.html
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By Eryn Brown
9:00 AM EST, February 27, 2013
A lot of us find our way to the doctor with strange aches and pains that are very, very unlikely to be caused by serious illness -- headaches, back pains or stomach troubles, to name a few. To be on the safe side, physicians will often order tests to rule out the scary stuff and, the thinking goes, provide reassurance.
But a recent examination of 14 randomized, controlled trials found that ordering diagnostic tests for people who have a low risk of serious illness didn't really reassure patients or resolve their anxiety and symptoms.
The University of Edinburgh's Alexandra Rolfe and the University of Aberdeen's Dr. Christopher Burton reported the findings of their meta-analysis (abstract here) online Monday in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine. Reviewing results collected from 3,828 patients who had been randomized into groups that would receive tests (such as endoscopy for stomach discomfort and scans for back pain) and groups who would not, they discovered that patients who did receive tests did not display significant reduction in concern over being ill, either over the short or long term. Anxiety and symptoms were not significantly different between the two groups.
While follow-up visits did decline somewhat among patients who received testing, Rolfe and Burton determined that the number of patients who would have to be tested to avoid a single doctor visit later on varied from 16 to 26, depending on the symptom. In an invited commentary on the research, also published online in JAMA Internal Medicine, Dr. Kurt Kroenke, an investigator at the Regenstrief Institute, a research organization affiliated with Indiana University in Indianapolis, calculated that amount of testing would run from $4,000 to $16,000, conservatively.
Rolfe and Burton concluded in their report that "physicians overestimate the value of testing when the probability of serious disease is low" and urged doctors and healthcare organizations to "limit tests to those that influence clinical management." In his commentary, however, Kroenke noted that this might be hard to do. Diagnostic tests are reimbursed at higher rates than consultations that involve collecting patient histories and conducting in-office exams, even though the latter have higher "diagnostic yield" than tests.
"Just as we are still trying to reduce patient expectations for antibiotics induced by a generation of overprescribing, reversing the tide of testing will be a slow process," he wrote.
Copyright © 2013, Los Angeles Times
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20Concepts Curriculum Overview
Please note: This series is in process of being built out. Until then, you will be able to access the outline, but the content may be a while in the making...!
This course outlines an interesting model for teaching (or self-learning) Cycling '74's Max/MSP. It offers a pragmatic approach that limits the needs for memorization and requires a lot of hands-on patching. This course is the result of teaching with the 20Objects curriculum and adjusting the concept based on the student's reception. We focus on 20 concepts as bellwether examples of Max functionality, and provide videos, programming examples and proposed lab work.
This is an introductory course, but attempts to introduce the student to concepts important in Max, MSP (audio) and Jitter (video/OpenGL). This syllabus is a work-in-progress, so things will change quite often. If you have experience teaching from this syllabus, please let us know - we'd appreciate any comments, complaints or concerns.
Things you should have available
Since we stay focused on Max programming, there isn't a lot of software that will be required for using this course. Most importantly, you will need a working copy of Max/MSP/Jitter; you can download a 30-day trial from here, with discounted versions available for students. Other than Max, you won't need any specific software, but you may want to have additional media content (videos, audio files and OpenGL models). This coursework is system-agnostic, so you can be using either the Mac or Windows operating system without concern. This course is also usable with Max for Live, but makes no effort to provide Max for Live-specific examples or screenshots.
Hardware requirements are slightly greater, since we will be playing with device input in a variety of ways. In addition to your computer, you will want to have some sort of MIDI input device (preferably a keyboard). Perhaps the most important bit of hardware to have is a monitor that you are comfortable with and that provides plenty of screen real estate. As a visual programming language, Max needs room for its patches to spread out.
Things you should already know
This course does not start at the most basic level; it expects that the user has the most basic understanding of the Max environment. Some things that the user is expected to know:
- How to launch Max
- What patchcords represent
- A basic concept of what Max is good at
Perhaps the easiest place to get this information is from the Max help and tutorial system. The best introduction to the basics of Max can be seen in the Max Tutorial Zero Video (although this video is Max 5-based). It introduces the environment, some of the common vocabulary of Max programming, and shows the program in action.
If You Are Teaching
Each of the lessons in this course follow the same basic format:
- An introductory video or example patcher is reviewed.
- The concept is introduced.
- Important objects are introduced and used.
- Related objects are introduced and used.
- Any relevant theory is discussed.
- Links and ideas are provided for further study.
- Proposed lab exercises are provided.
Max, even more than most programming environments, is best learned through "doing". Plan on having sufficient time for your students to work through the exercises as you work through the text, and try to catch any missing information before you move to the next subject. All of the lessons build on earlier data, so if something isn't clear, it can subvert the entire course.
Another technique that is critical is to have students watch you build Max patches and build them along with you. This over-the-shoulder or "patchalong" approach is much more informative than lecturing, so try to build in plenty of opportunity to allow your students to patch with you. Some concepts (like using shortcut keys for adding objects) are best reinforced by seeing them used over and over. Don't be scared to make mistakes! Making and fixing mistakes are a key concept in the interactive programming model of Max.
Here are some links that will be useful throughout this course:
- The Cycling '74 site: This is the main location for all things Max. There are downloads, tutorials and interviews with Max/MSP/Jitter users. There are also links to current projects on the web and user-created extensions to Max. Lots of useful information.
- Online Max Docs: An online version of all the documentation, tutorials and hint information that is normally included in Max 6. This is useful for wherever-you-are lookups, or for reference on a second machine when you are deep into programming. Another cool addition to your Max toolkit.
- MaxObjects.com: A searchable database of Max objects, including a majority of the third-party objects created for the Max environment. If you are looking for an object that does something specific, MaxObjects.com is likely to be able to help.
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IX.1 The Secretariat introduced the working document WHC-93/CONF.002/4 and recalled that the World Heritage Committee at its sixteenth session in Santa Fe requested the Centre to convene an expert meeting on the methodology of monitoring. The working document outlines the main conclusions of the expert meeting that was held at the World Conservation Monitoring Centre in Cambridge, U.K., from 1 to 4 November 1993. The report of this meeting was made available to the Committee as information document WHC-93/CONF.2/INF.5.
IX.2 The Secretariat emphasized that this document is a progress report reflecting the present state of achievement in a long process of defining the concept of monitoring. In this context, it was noted that three types of monitoring could be distinguished:
Systematic monitoring: the continuous process of monitoring the conditions of World Heritage sites with periodic reporting on its state of conservation.
Administrative monitoring: follow up actions by the World Heritage Centre to ensure the implementation of recommendations and decisions of the World Heritage Committee and Bureau at the time of inscription or at a later date.
Ad hoc monitoring: the reporting by the Centre, other sectors of UNESCO and the advisory bodies to the Bureau and the Committee on the state of conservation of specific World Heritage sites that are under threat. Ad hoc reports and impact studies are necessary each time exceptional circumstances occur or work is undertaken which may have an affect on the state of conservation of the sites.
As regards systematic monitoring, the Secretariat emphasized that in the spirit of the Convention, it is the prime responsibility of the States Parties to put in place on-site monitoring arrangements as an integral component of day-to-day conservation and management of the sites. At the same time, however, it is considered essential that external and independent professional advisers are involved in a periodic reporting system. This reporting system should not only be addressed to site managers and national authorities, but should also lead to improved World Heritage assistance and decision-making. A regional or national approach is recommended for systematic monitoring so as to optimize its impact. For each of the national or regional programmes the most appropriate partners should be identified. The established monitoring framework should be reviewed and, if necessary, adapted to the particular conditions of the region.
IX.3 Several delegates commended the results of the expert meeting and noted that it had elevated the thinking on monitoring considerably. However, it was emphasized in the discussions that the involvement of the States Parties is essential in further developing the concept of monitoring. In this respect, the Delegate of Italy underlined the importance which must be given to the carrying out of impact studies and ad hoc reports each time exceptional circumstances occur. It was also noted that, a monitoring methodology should on the one hand be applicable to all sites and should therefore have scientific rigour, while on the other, it should be sufficiently flexible so as to respond to regional and national characteristics, available technical expertise and their economic and cultural conditions and identities.
IX.4 The Committee discussed the necessity to establish, at the time of inscription, comprehensive baseline information and that particular attention should be paid to the collection and management of data and documentation. The costs of implementing a baseline information collection should be estimated in advance, particularly for the developing countries. The Delegate of Colombia remarked that the establishment and operation of monitoring systems would require the development of comprehensive cooperation programmes. She therefore suggested that when developing a monitoring methodology, the cost estimate should take into consideration such programmes. Furthermore, the expert meetings should include participants from developing countries to help define feasible monitoring systems.
IX.5 Following the discussion, the Committee invited the States Parties to put on-site monitoring arrangements in place as an integral part of site conservation and management, and to report to the Committee on the actions taken to implement this.
IX.6 The Committee also endorsed the recommendations made by the Centre and asked it to form a small working group of experts from States Parties and the advisory bodies which would, on the basis of the observations made by the Committee, undertake the following actions:
- establish guidelines for baseline information and its collection and management;
- revise the nomination and evaluation procedures and process to secure baseline information at the time of inscription of sites on the World Heritage List;
- establish a format for periodic reporting;
- prepare a draft text on monitoring and its procedures for inclusion in the Operational Guidelines;
- determine, jointly with ICCROM, ICOMOS, and IUCN, the need for training in monitoring;
- estimate the costs to States Parties of the implementation of a systematic monitoring programme and look into possibilities of assistance to States Parties;
- establish a small unit at the World Heritage Centre to oversee the implementation of a systematic monitoring and reporting system.
IX.7 The Committee invited the Centre to report to the Bureau at its eighteenth session on the results of the above activities so that the Committee could take concrete and precise decisions on this matter.
IX.8 The Secretary informed the Committee that parallel to the implementation of the above activities, regional monitoring activities would be promoted, such as the completion of the Latin American monitoring programme which should result in a regional state of conservation report in 1994. Furthermore, it is foreseen that regional seminars for site managers will also be held in 1994 in different regions. In this way, it is expected that the further development of the monitoring system will benefit directly from the practical implementation of monitoring programmes and will be firmly grounded in local and national experiences.
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Booze is prime territory for the appliance of science. But while we normally use biology to explain bad hangovers or chemistry to create new cocktails, there’s plenty of science lurking within your humble glass of beer, too.
In fact, the UK’s Institute of Physics has launched a Christmas website based on beer, to help explain some of the more peculiar scientific phenomena hidden in your ale. Like, for instance, why the bubbles in your pint of stout fall instead of rising:
As your pint of stout settles, the bubbles in the centre of the glass (where you can’t see them) ARE rising to the surface, but at the same time the bubbles touching the wall of the glass experience some drag which prevents them from floating upwards.
Or why the head of your beer is white, even though the liquid itself is amber or brown:
The whiteness of the head comes from the way that light travels through it. The head is a foam made up of loads of bubbles crammed in close together, and each individual bubble is a pocket of gas surrounded by a thin wall of beer. Light traveling through the foam passes through a large succession of bubble walls and is scattered, reflected and refracted in an equally large succession of different directions. The light that exits the foam and enters your eyes is therefore a mix of all different wavelengths of light and appears white rather than brown.
Image by St0rmz under Creative Commons license
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<urn:uuid:41462519-1b8e-4cae-b765-3715c9c2932b>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2012/12/the-science-of-beer-bubbles/
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The European Grid Infrastructure’s (EGI) mission is to allow scientists and researchers access to an integrated and seamless computing e-infrastructure spanning more than 30 countries.
To fulfil its commitment to its user communities, EGI relies on a series of infrastructure services contributed by members of the EGI federation.
The operations portal provides information to Operations Centres, VO managers and other interested parties, as well as related services such as the VO registration tool, the broadcast and downtime tool and the regional dashboard. Developed by the CC-IN2P3, part of the French NGI.
The EGI Operations Portal (newsletter artible, Inspired Summer 2011)
The Service Availability Monitoring is the backbone of the monitoring infrastructure and tests the performance of grid services continuously. The monthly availability and reliability figures are calculated from the test results, accessible from this portal. Developed by CERN.
https://grid-monitoring.egi.eu/myegi (certification required)
The EGI central accounting portal presents a homogeneous, user friendly view of the data and provides a good understanding of resource utilisation. Local operations are responsible for the validation of the gathered data and supervise the publication process. Usage information is persistently stored in central repositories. Developed by CESGA, part of the Spanish NGI.
EGI provides support to users and operations staff through the Global Grid User Support – GGUS – a distributed helpdesk with central coordination. GGUS is a central tool, fully interfaced with several local helpdesks. Developed by KIT part of the German NGI.
The Grid Configuration Database – GOCDB – contains general information about the resource centres that make up the grid infrastructure. GOCDB is accessed by end-users, managers, support teams and VO managers, as well as by other tools and third-party middleware with an interest in grid topology.
https://goc.egi.eu/ (certification required)
These include middleware services for researchers using EGI by providing information discovery, authentication, workflow management or file cataloguing, for example. The actual set of local core services operated can vary, depending on the scale of the NGI and on the number of VOs supported.
Auxiliary core services can be deployed centrally to guarantee the good running of the global infrastructure services. Examples of such services are:
the VOMS (Virtual Organizations Management Service) service and VO membership management for infrastructural VOs (DTEAM, OPS);
the provisioning of middleware services needed by the monitoring infrastructure (e.g. top-BDII and WMS);
the Certification Authority;
the messaging service that supports the monitoring and accounting tasks with a reliable message broker infrastructure;
and other catch-all core services to support small user communities.
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<urn:uuid:b5f215dc-f18f-4949-91b7-231dae350c8a>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.egi.eu/services/infrastructure/index.html
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|
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We’ve all heard that employers look at our Facebook pages and search the web when they review an application. If that’s not reason enough to think about crafting a personal digital brand, then at least remember the hundreds, if not thousands, of people who have the ability to view and track your social media activity.
We’re all well aware that social media has given a unique opportunity for us to know a lot about our relatives, friends and acquaintances. It’s easy to check out what Lisa from Bio class was for Halloween, what my cousin John ate for breakfast and the cool new bro tank that my buddy Jimmy just bought. That’s a lot of information, right?
The well-viewed content we create is so much more than just information though. Weaved together, it represents our lives and our personal stories. The persona that we can create through these various platforms says just as much if not more about a person as the clothes they choose, products they buy and the people they choose to surround themselves with.
Just think about it. You’ve probably liked hundreds of statuses or pages that invite your followers to learn about your opinions, beliefs, interests, hobbies and convictions. You most likely have changed your profile picture or personal information to advertise a cause that you hold important. And I’d bet money that you have posted a status or update that share what’s on your mind at the time (that you might not say out loud in person).
That’s why it’s so important to think about your personal brand in the context of social media. I’m not saying you should stress for hours whether you should click like on a controversial status, but every tweet, post, status and like that you put on the web forms an important part of who you are that often speaks more than a résumé can. There are even employers who require you to have a Pinterest page so they can learn more about your interests and passions.
So that’s all I’m saying, folks. Don’t let anyone dictate what you should do or say, but know that each time you create or share content online, it’s added to both a résumé and a biography that sticks with you for the rest of your life. Social media is a powerful tool, when leveraged in the right way. It’s not a secret that will guarantee you a job, but just always remember that your online content is read by an audience, so tweet and post responsibly, Cobbers.
What do you think? Tweet me @jtleeman.
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The New York Times reports on the effects of the global recession on poor workers:
"As many as 222 million workers run the risk of joining the ranks of the working poor, earning less than $1.25 a day, according to an estimate by the International Labor Organization.
¶Remittance flows, which reached $328 billion in 2008, will drop by 7.3 percent in 2009, the World Bank predicts.
¶Hunger rates are up in every region in the world, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization.
There are also figures for how many people would be viewed as living below the poverty line, with the report suggesting it will be more than 1.3 billion people, up by more than 100 million in 2009...."
By NEIL MacFARQUHAR
Published: September 17, 2009 New York Times
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BC Hydro claims a Mission homeowner is ultimately liable for a fire that originated at the base of a smart meter one day after it was installed.
A report by the Mission fire department said the blaze, which destroyed Trish Regan's house in the 7900-block of Burdock Street and leaped to the roof of a neighbouring home on June 15, originated at an insulating lug in the lower left corner of the meter base. The report says the terminal, which attached the meter base to the home, appeared cracked and "radiated heat to combust the wall at or near the meter base."
The base is the mounting plate for the meter, which measures how much electricity a home consumes during each utility-service billing period. Electricity must pass from the meter through the lugs to connect with the house wiring.
BC Hydro maintains the meter base is part of the house and thus any damage or faulty wiring is the customer's responsibility.
Spokeswoman Cindy Verschoor said the Crown corporation has fixed about 1,000 homes with faulty or damaged wiring before it installed the smart meters, but residents should be ensuring they have electricians check the wiring regularly.
"We are fixing that for the customer free of charge as long as they give us permission," she said. "Those are cases of a fire risk. They are potential accidents waiting to happen.
"We're always [doing work] on good faith that the customer has working, functional equipment to support our infrastructure."
The meter bases function like household electrical sockets and are built to withstand meters being plugged in and pulled out multiple times, Verschoor said.
If a resident is concerned about their meter base, they can call Hydro to come unlock the meter and remove it for about $100, she added.
Verschoor acknowledged the technician in Regan's case did not see the crack when installing the smart meter at her home, but wouldn't speculate as to what caused the damage, saying the issue is still under investigation.
"It's possible there was a pre-existing condition that wasn't evident," Verschoor said.
But Regan argued she had no idea she was responsible for the fire, noting smart meters are locked in place on the base and she has no access to them. Furthermore, Regan said the crack could have been caused by the installer, noting that she wasn't home when he arrived, but her daughter witnessed him trying three or four times to jam the meter onto the base.
"If there's an existing crack they're not supposed to put a meter on it," she said. "I've lived in my house for 20 years and the day after they put in a smart meter, it burns down."
Regan is also increasingly frustrated by the Mission fire department, who initially told her the fire was caused by a crack on the base of the smart meter; it later revised its verdict to "electrical in nature." Her insurance company filed a freedom of information request, which indicated the fire did originate at the base of the smart meter.
The blaze destroyed Regan's home, three vehicles in her driveway, and damaged her neighbour's house.
The smart meter itself was eliminated as the cause of the fire, and BC Hydro maintains it did not see any cracks when the meter was being installed. The utility said out of the 1.5 million smart meters it has installed to date, only 250 residents have complained of faulty meter bases.
- With files from Mike Hager
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Tax on aluminum smelters. (Expires January 1, 2017.)
(1) Upon every person who is an aluminum smelter engaging within this state in the business of manufacturing aluminum; as to such persons the amount of tax with respect to such business is, in the case of manufacturers, equal to the value of the product manufactured, or in the case of processors for hire, equal to the gross income of the business, multiplied by the rate of .2904 percent.
(2) Upon every person who is an aluminum smelter engaging within this state in the business of making sales at wholesale of aluminum manufactured by that person, as to such persons the amount of tax with respect to such business is equal to the gross proceeds of sales of the aluminum multiplied by the rate of .2904 percent.
(3) A person reporting under the tax rate provided in this section must file a complete annual report with the department under RCW 82.32.534.
(4) This section expires January 1, 2017.
[2011 c 174 § 301. Prior: 2010 1st sp.s. c 2 § 1; 2010 c 114 § 108; 2006 c 182 § 1; 2004 c 24 § 3.]
| Application -- Finding -- Intent -- 2010 c 114: See notes following RCW 82.32.585.|
Intent -- 2004 c 24: "The legislature recognizes that the loss of domestic manufacturing jobs has become a national concern. Washington state has lost one out of every six manufacturing jobs since July 2000. The aluminum industry has long been an important component of Washington state's manufacturing base, providing family-wage jobs often in rural communities where unemployment rates are very high. The aluminum industry is electricity intensive and was greatly affected by the dramatic increase in electricity prices which began in 2000 and which continues to affect the Washington economy. Before the energy crisis, aluminum smelters provided about 5,000 direct jobs. Today they provide fewer than 1,000 direct jobs. For every job lost in that industry, almost three additional jobs are estimated to be lost elsewhere in the state's economy. It is the legislature's intent to preserve and restore family-wage jobs by providing tax relief to the state's aluminum industry.
The electric loads of aluminum smelters provide a unique benefit to the infrastructure of the electric power system. Under the transmission tariff of the Bonneville Power Administration, aluminum smelter loads, whether served with federal or nonfederal power, are subject to short-term interruptions that allow a higher import capability on the transmission interconnection between the northwest and California. These stability reserves allow more power to be imported in winter months, reducing the need for additional generation in the northwest, and would be used to prevent a widespread transmission collapse and blackout if there were a failure in the transmission interconnection between California and the northwest. It is the legislature's intent to retain these benefits for the people of the state." [2004 c 24 § 1.]
Effective date -- 2004 c 24: "This act takes effect July 1, 2004." [2004 c 24 § 15.]
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A new University of Texas at Austin study has found that the amount of water used in the drilling practice known as hydraulic fracturing has risen sharply in recent years as oil and natural gas production has surged.
But the 97-page study, funded by the Texas Oil and Gas Association, also found that the amount of water used in hydraulic fracturing would level off sometime in the decade starting in 2020, as water recycling technologies matured and the industry's rapid growth rate cooled.
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a water-intensive practice in which liquids are pumped underground at high pressure to retrieve oil or gas trapped in rocks, like shale.
The Texas Water Development Board circulated the study last week to regional water planning groups around the state. Those groups are preparing the state’s next water plan, due out in 2017.
The study is an update to a 2011 study that was prepared by UT-Austin’s Bureau of Economic Geology using funding from the Water Development Board. This study was also prepared by UT-Austin’s Bureau of Economic Geology, but it was funded by the oil and gas association. It is considerably shorter than the earlier study (97 pages vs. 357 pages), but it is more narrowly focused on oil and gas. (The earlier report did further analysis of other water-intensive activities in the mining sector, like coal mining.)
Dan Hardin, the Water Development Board official who circulated the study to regional water-planning groups, said that the board had not funded the updated study because of financial constraints. “Because of our budgetary situation, we did not have the funds available to commit to it at the time,” he said. However, the board agreed with the methodology of the study, he said.
Jean-Philippe Nicot, a research scientist with the Bureau of Economic Geology who served as the lead author of the study, said that oil and gas association funding had not constrained his work. In fact, he said, it had resulted in better industry cooperation than the 2011 study, which he had also worked on.
“I must say, they let me do my work, no problem,” he said.
The new study (which cost $95,000, according to the oil and gas association) “doesn’t change the high-level picture” of the use of water for fracking, according to Nicot. It found that total water use for fracking in Texas rose by about 125 percent, from 36,000 acre-feet in 2008 to about 81,500 acre-feet in 2011. (For comparison, the city of Austin used about 107,000 acre-feet of water in 2011.), About one-fifth of the current total comes from recycled or brackish water, a category that has been growing.
“We are using more and more brackish water, and reuse or recycled water, and we think that is all positive,” said CJ Tredway, a consultant with the oil and gas association on water issues.
Nicot said that using brackish or recycled water was more expensive for the industry, but in some dry areas drillers had no choice.
In the Permian Basin, for example, “there is not much fresh water,” he said. “There is a lot of brackish water.” The study found that about one-third of the water used in fracking in the Midland area was brackish.
The total amount of water used in fracking in Texas is expected to level off in the 2020 decade at about 125,000 acre-feet, per year, the report states. Nicot predicted that water-recycling technologies pioneered in the Pennsylvania drilling area known as the Marcellus Shale would become more cost-effective and then make their way to Texas.
Oil and gas account for less than 1 percent of the state’s total water use, according to the report. Hardin of the Water Development Board agrees with that figure, though usage for the mining sector as a whole [which includes coal and other types of mining] is 1 percent to 2 percent, he said.
However, water use for fracking in drilling-intensive rural counties can be high. The 2011 study mentioned that in Dimmit, Webb and LaSalle counties — all in the Eagle Ford Shale — more than 50 percent of total water use comes from the broad category of mining. (Mining would mostly consist of hydraulic fracturing, in this instance.) The current study did not contain such estimates, though clearly water usage in heavily drilled counties remains significant.
Cyrus Reed, acting director of the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club, said that high water use by the oil and gas industry in West and South Texas remained a concern. He said he viewed the report as a useful planning document, but more study needed to be done.
"While Sierra Club believes this more accurate look at oil and gas water use, based in large part on actual water use from an industry database and interviews with individual companies, is a great first step, we continue to support a more robust requirement that the Railroad Commission [which regulates oil and gas in Texas] both collect and aggregate water use data for the regional water planning process," he said in an email.
Nicot said that given the fast-changing nature of technology and the resurgence of drilling, he hoped to continue doing updated studies.
“I think we need to do an update fairly frequently, at least every other year, because the industry is evolving very fast,” he said.
Texas Tribune donors or members may be quoted or mentioned in our stories, or may be the subject of them. For a complete list of contributors, click here.
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