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- The Urantia Book
- New Readers
- Reader Resources
- About Us
The Urantia Book Fellowship is the continuation of the Forum, the social organization of believers which reviewed The Urantia Book prior to its original publication and formed Urantia Brotherhood. The name was changed to The Urantia Book Fellowship in 1990. We have been growing since 1955 as an independent, international spiritual communion of believers devoted to the dissemination of The Urantia Book and the study of its teachings. There is no official doctrine, viewpoint, or belief system promulgated by the Fellowship. We seek to coordinate the efforts of all readers to study The Urantia Book, to grow spiritually, to foster community, and to participate in the world-wide spread of the book and its teachings.
The purposes of The Fellowship are the study and dissemination of the teachings of The Urantia Book; the promotion, improvement, and expansion among the peoples of the world of the comprehension and understanding of Cosmology and the relation of the planet on which we live to the Universe, of the genesis and destiny of Man and his relation to God, of the life and teachings of Jesus, and the inculcation and encouragement of the realization and appreciation of the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man -- in order to increase and enhance the comfort, happiness, and well-being of Man, as an individual and as a member of society, by fostering a religion, a philosophy, and a cosmology which are commensurate with Man's intellectual and cultural development, through the medium of fraternal association, ever obedient and subservient to the laws of this country and of all countries wherein The Fellowship may extend.
The Urantia Book Fellowship -- founded in 1955 as Urantia Brotherhood -- is an inclusive association of individuals, families, and groups inspired by the transformative teachings of The Urantia Book. Through worldwide support of study, dissemination, and reader services, Fellowship members seek understanding among all readers of The Urantia Book and the peoples of the world. The Fellowship is committed to the ideal of spiritual unity, which embraces individual diversity, as embodied in the teachings of The Urantia Book. The Urantia Book Fellowship is unaffiliated with Urantia Foundation.
The Fellowship publishes the fully indexed edition of The Urantia Book through its own internal publishing agency, Uversa Press.
Reader Services and organizational business are managed by the General Council which consists of 36 members elected from the readership. The Council is assisted by an Executive Committee comprised of Council members who manage various working committees of The Fellowship.
The Urantia Book Fellowship is a member of the North American Interfaith Network.
Many devoted men and women have served the Fellowship since 1955. To view the bios of current Fellowship leaders, click here: The General Council.
Many readers like to explore the book's ideas with other readers. Hundreds of small autonomous study groups have been formed around the world. Some of these study groups affiliate in regional societies which in turn elect leadership for The Fellowship.
To find a study group near you or to participate in an email discussion list, check our Study Group Directory.
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Monday July 29. 1776. A long List of Refferences to the Board of War of Letters from Washington, Schuyler, Reed, Trumbull, Convention of New Jersey, Council of Massachusetts &c. &c.1
The Board of War brought in a report, which was taken into Consideration, whereupon resolved as in the Journal.2
Committee of the whole on the Articles of Confederation, Mr. Morton in the Chair.
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Selling with Value
Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.
– Warren Buffett
And as a friend of mine said to me years ago when I was deciding which computer to purchase for my business
When you buy quality, you get value.
Now you might be thinking that this is a Motivational Monday blog given the quotes I’m starting with but it isn’t; I simply like quotes!
Those two above make the perfect case for why you should consider value when you sell to your customers. From their perspective it makes a normal purchase into a great purchase!
So let us look at three aspects of value when you are selling.
Give them more than they expect
This doesn’t have to be a physical item. Indeed I’m not a big fan of the word ‘free’ when it comes to sales. At least in terms of ‘free items’ or ‘free services’. You have to think like a commercial business person when you sell and giving stuff away isn’t the wisest of business decisions.
So what can you do instead? Well how about deliver times?
What can you do to make items arrive faster or to provide services faster? Can you extend longer after care times or spend longer with a client showing them how to use their new purchase than you would normally?
Or how about adding in some more knowledge and advice?
Take a recent example; a client of mine who is a recruiter won a retained contract with a client. Whilst preparing for the pitch we naturally did research on the prospect which included reviewing his LinkedIn profile and that of his colleagues.
There were a couple of minor errors on a few of the profiles so my client, after winning the business, took the time to email each of the individuals with errors on their profiles and pointed them out in a constructive manner. The purchasing contact was very appreciative.
The above recruiter has added value to his relationship with his client in a very simple way.
Keep in touch after the sale
It is the job of a sales person to sell things. That’s a fact. But it can be a rather cold fact sometimes especially if you have spent considerable time winning a sale only to then disappear over the horizon before the ink has dried on the contract!
Sales people tell me constantly that they never do this but I constantly catch them doing it!
Ensure that you speak with clients after the sale. Ask their opinion about the product or service. Genuinely show interest in their experiences and also their continued situations. Yes you might have account management teams but you were the one the client had the relationship with and it adds value if you show your face again after purchase!
Tell them when not to buy A.K.A. Give them proper advice
This can be a tough one for new sales people…actually it can be tough for all sales people! Sometimes the truth of the matter is that your top product is not the best solution for your clients. At times like that you add more value to the long-term relationship with the client if you tell them the truth and sell them a cheaper but better fitting solution or product.
By giving clients genuine real advice at this stage you have a much larger chance of cultivating that client into a long-term purchaser.
This can also happen when a sales person is trying to get a sale at an earlier time than the client wants or needs. Sometimes their time-scale is the one to work to.
The really hard decision is of course if none of your products or services truly fit what they want – the truth is that your clients will respect you a lot more if you make things clear. And also sometimes that prospect is just not right for you. Ideally that mismatch is identified early on but when it becomes clear then I think it should be admitted to.
Perhaps that’s one of those moments when you present the facts and let the client truly decide for themselves.
There are lots of ways of adding value during the sales process and I’ll return to this topic in future sales blogs. For now I’d suggest you consider which client you recently sold to and have you stayed in touch and added some value to the relationship?
Until next time; happy selling!
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Treasures that washed ashore this week;
flotsam we hope the next tide carries away:
When we heard about the shooting this week that wounded three men at a community college in Texas, the first thing we thought about was whether this was one of the schools that allows guns on campus. As it turns out, the Texas Legislature is not expected to vote on that bill until later this year.
But imagine if guns were allowed on campus. Police would respond to the report of a shooting on campus, and as they approach the area where the suspect was last seen, they see several men and women running around the area with guns drawn. How are the police supposed to know the shooter from the gun-wielding citizens?
This is another disaster waiting to happen. If teachers in elementary and secondary schools and professors and students on college campuses are allowed to carry weapons, the wrong people are going to be shot.
Audits save taxpayer money
Massachusetts saved up to $358,000 in the first fiscal quarter because of changes made in response to audits, according to State Auditor Suzanne Bump.
"It is important for the public to see that state agencies are embracing accountability and making positive changes," Bump said in an email. "This report demonstrates how our audits save taxpayer dollars, protect public assets, and improve service delivery. Together we are making government work better."
Post-audit review surveys are issued six months after the release of an audit with findings of financial or operation deficiencies. This week's report gives a progress update on 16 previously audited agencies. Among the savings reported are:
Filling gaps in senior care
We're glad to see continuing efforts by public and private entities to improve chronic care for senior citizens on Cape Cod. The latest effort is a series of forums hosted by the Barnstable County Department of Human Services.
On Feb. 8, from 9 a.m. to noon, the county will sponsor a seminar, titled "Navigating the Long-Term Care Service System for Older Adults and People with Disabilities," at the Cape Codder Resort & Spa on Route 132, Hyannis.
The forum will focus on federal, state and local policies and perspectives. The event will feature Sandra Albright, undersecretary of the state Executive Office of Elder Affairs, who will provide an overview of the long-term care service system in Massachusetts. Experts will then discuss the introduction of Senior Care Organizations to Cape Cod, Integrated Care Organizations for people with disabilities.
For more information, call Beth Albert, director of Barnstable County Human Services, at 508-375-6626 or email her at firstname.lastname@example.org
Send Cheers & Jeers nominations to
William Mills at email@example.com
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Arrived in Arica
After about 34 hrs of traveling we have arrived in Arica! We are staying at a hotel during the five or so weeks we are working here, and it is pretty nice (see picture). We are right on the beach!
The area around here is extremely dry. It barely ever rains, so there is no vegetation of any kind at all. Nothing but sand for miles and miles!
Yesterday, the C-130, the aircraft that I will be working on, arrived in Arica as well, and today people are working on it to get it ready for the first flight, presumably tomorrow! Let the science begin!
Postcards from the Field: Climate Science from the Southeast Pacific
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Gloomy Thoughts on India Today by Antony Copley
These reflections are prompted by attending the Gandhi Foundation Award ceremony in the House of Lords of the Gandhi International Peace Award for 2011 to Binayak Sen and Bulu Iman and a seminar given by two very bright graduate students of the University of Kent on the writings and film making of Arundhati Roy. Biographical details on the two recipients can be seen in the Gandhi Foundation Peace Award article on this website and their two acceptance speeches will also be published shortly, so this is no attempt to summarise what they had to say. But it filled me with a real sense of gloom about where India today is heading.
It was very moving to find oneself in the same room as Binayak Sen. It was something of a miracle that he was present at all to receive his prize, only by being let out of prison on bail and having his passport returned at a very late stage. Binayak Sen is a doctor and specialist paediatrician and he began by telling us that surveys on malnutrition, based on body mass indices, show that India is in fact in the grip of famine. Sen’s struggle for civil rights is well known. He ended his talk by telling us the Indian government is currently drawing up legislation in which almost all forms of dissent will now be branded as sedition. Such was the charge brought against him for his own active engagement in the struggle for adivasi rights and one that led to a sentence of life imprisonment.
Bulu Iman delivered a searing indictment against the current economic development of India with its rampant capitalism riding rough shod over the economic and cultural life of the tribal population. He opened up an apocalyptic vision of India’s own economic self destruction. All this ties into the consequences of climate change. None has done more than Bulu Iman to memorialise the remarkable culture of the forest people. We were recently provided with a brilliant photographic record of this culture at an exhibition of photographs by Robert Wallis in the Brunei Gallery at SOAS, conveying a horrifying sense of the threat from the coal-mining and mining of other minerals to the very survival of this culture. Talking to Bulu Iman afterwards he left me with a disturbing sense that, in fact, the battle for survival has been lost. He sees the materials in his Sanskriti Museum, Hazaribagh as time capsules. How can any culture of this fragile kind survive the destruction of its village life, with huge roads ploughing through the forest destroying all in their way? At least a third of the tribal population in the forest areas of eastern and central India have already been dispossessed and driven into urban slums.
Felix Padel, historian of the tribal struggle and vital intermediary between The Gandhi Foundation and the two recipients, endorsed their findings. If anything, he sees the situation as even more dire.
No-one has more vividly described this human catastrophe overwhelming the forest population than Arundhati Roy. I learnt that her imagery always refers back to the holocaust of the partition. Initially, I could see how this imagery would work for the disaster that has struck Kashmir and the horrors of communal violence in Gujerat in 2003 but I was less certain of its relevance to the tribal tragedy. But then it was explained to me that their forced dispossession precisely echoes those images of long lines of migrants on the move during the massive migrations of the partition years.
Has the India of its founding fathers really come to this? Was there some fatal flaw in Nehru’s vision for change, a paternalist concern towards the vulnerable in Indian society that could turn dictatorial? Did that visionary sense of rapid development with its power stations and dams in fact presage the rampant capitalism on view today? It was Nehru himself who laid the foundation stone 5 April 1961 of the Sardar Sarovar, the scheme for some 3000 dams on the River Narmada. The forest people were drawn into a Nehruvian development project. Of course it is tempting to place the blame for the exploitation of the forests on the Raj and its Forest laws of 1878 and it is true that much of its timber was set aside for exploitation- think of the amount of wood needed fort the Indian railways. But the colonial regime did set aside protected areas and sought to shore up the way of life of the forest people. It is also worth recalling that originally these were plains people but driven into the forest by aggressive agrarian castes. But independence seemed to release even great depredation of the tribal economies. In the eight provinces of Bihar that were in 2000 to become the state of Jharkand, far more mineral wealth was being extracted and exported than development aid was being invested. Did it only need Narisimha Rao’s Congress government’s liberalisation of state controls over the economy in 1993 to release globalisation in all its exploitative greed? For decades India was the world’s most exciting prospect of a developing economy and yet did we foresee Shining India as its outcome? Bulu Imam for one was sceptical if there be any life left in any earlier visionary outlook.
Of course it is distastefully possible to be dismissive of the chances for survival in today’s economic imperatives of such vulnerable communities as the forest peoples. If you adopt a historically determinist approach, then so called primitive or backward communities simply have to give way to `progress’. At best, you offer the communities some share in the profits of the mining revolution. It was argued in that seminar on Arundhati Roy that the newly enriched Indian middle class have no sense that the forest people are worth protecting-they simply stand in the way of the making of wealth. It helps to understand such indifference if we realise the staggering profits that will be made from the mining of minerals in the forests. Maybe the forest people are themselves –or so it is sometimes argued- morally obliged to accept that they have no option but to share this wealth.
But of course there are very strong counter arguments. In the tribal way of life we are given an example of a sustainable economy, one that respects nature, and is just the example of sustainability we need if we are to stave off the disastrous consequences of climate change. Bianca Jagger, inter alia Council of Europe Goodwill Ambassador and Trustee of the Amazon Charitable Trust, in her intervention at the Award ceremony pleaded for new paradigm on development. There has to be a development plan that accommodates the needs of such vulnerable societies. Not everyone knows that Parliament now has an All Party Parliamentary Group for Tribal Peoples. The LibDem MP, Martin Forwood, its founder and Chairman, attended the ceremony. He reminded us of the threat from the Maoists. And clearly there are alternatives models for development than industrial capitalism. More radically, we need to abandon the concept of growth for one of sustainability.
So is there any prospect of checking this invasion of the tribal lands in its track? We have to live in hope. Ilina Sen agreed with me as we said farewell in the corridors of the House of Lords. Without hope we are lost. I do not myself give up hope that the progressive ideals incarnated in the Indian Constitution, the democratic political vision of Nehru, the role of a free press in independent India, have wholly disappeared. At least one Minister of Forests tried to rein in the corporation, Vedanta and delay the mining of bauxite in Chhattisgarh. If the political class are too hand in glove with the capitalists then we have to fall back on dissent from India’s intelligentsia. Aruna Roy, distinguished journalist of the Times of India, put faith in such dissent. Admittedly, if Binayak Sen’s fears over changing the laws on sedition are accurate, then there is a momentous struggle to be waged. Will university students, amongst others, stand up for Civil Rights?
Where does this leave the Gandhians? In an earlier struggle, the Narmada Bachao Andolan (Save the Narmada Movement), under the inspired leadership of Medha Petkar, a Gandhian movement went some way to check the flooding of the river by the dams and the destruction of its riverside tribal culture. And it may well be asked, why did this cultural vandalism not cause as much shock as that of the vandalism of the Babri Masjid mosque in 1992? In 1993 the World Bank withdrew funding, embarrassed by the wonderfully named Monsoon satyagrahas, with Gandhian activists ready to expose themselves to the rising waters, in the practice of jal samparan, sacrifice in water. The whole issue was referred to the Supreme Court. But it has to be acknowledged that in the end it came out on the side of the dam. In its judgement, `it became necessary to harvest the river for the larger good.’ There was to be rather more good fortune in a Gandhian protest against the Maheshwar Hydroelectric Scheme in Madya Pradesh, a protest linked to the NAPM, the National Advancement of People’s Movement, set up in 1996.Yet we were told at the award ceremony when the women of Tamil Nadu protested against a nuclear power station all 5000 were arrested. Has the iron entered the soul in current Indian policy making?
So can a Gandhian protest influence the outcome in the current struggle in eastern and central India? Few people are aware of the scale of the conflict today. Has the freedom of the press been stifled? Are people just indifferent? To deal with the conflict both the police and increasingly the Indian army are heavily engaged. Quite who carries out reprisals against the tribal villages is unclear to me though I was told in the seminar that Hindu communal nationalists are heavily involved. They hold the tribal peoples, who of course lie outside the caste system, in contempt. Many tribals have joined the Maoist led revolt, driven out of their villages, outraged at the violation of their women. But what do the Maoists,or Naxalites as they are alternatively known, want? Have they a vision which in the long run saves the economies of the forest peoples? It does not fit with Marxist notions of economic development. Admittedly Marx, at the end of his life, came to see in such simple communities the very ideal of the communist society he was envisioning. Might today’s Indian Maoists do the same? It seems far more probable that the Maoists see themselves as engaged in a power struggle with the Indian state and have but opportunistically seized on this social unrest. The majority of the forest people find themselves in the crossfire of a civil war between the Indian army and the Maoists. Is there scope for non-violent satyagraha? So Bhikhu Parekh argued for at the end of the Award ceremony. Arundhati Roy feels that up against the violence of the State there is little prospect for a Gandhian solution and wonders if there is a non-violent alternative to the violence of the Maoists. Bulu Iman, a committed Gandhian, is equally pessimistic. In his view a satyagraha can only impact if your opponent has a moral susceptibility to injustice and he feels that such receptivity, one that existed with the likes of a Christian Lord Irwin of the British Raj or a Smuts in South Africa, does not exist in to today’s India. It makes one fear that a committed Gandhian like Binayak Sen may yet be disappointed in his life’s struggle. But again, one must not give up hope.
Eastern and Central India is not the only locale for struggles by tribal people. It also rages in North East India, Kerala, and on every other continent. These are not saintly movements. Up against the threat from globalisation several have retreated into exclusivist and xenophobic autonomous movements .Their political future would be better served were they to seek out more pluralist solutions. Such tribal people are at risk world wide. In the Award ceremony much was made of the role of international capital, the City of London, host to most of the Corporations financing the mining of tribal areas, a particular villain. The threat to the forest economies is clearly a part of globalisation. The tribal people stand in its way. Their communitarian values and ideals of a sustainable economy may yet be the inspiration to save us all from the consequences of unchecked growth. Their struggle is one that concerns us all.
Honorary Senior Research Fellow, University of Kent and Trustee of The Gandhi Foundation
Books consulted, Alf Gunvald Nilsen Dispossession and Resistance in India : The river and the rage Routledge 2010, Ed Daniel J Rycoft and Sangeeta Dasgupta The Politics of Belonging in India: Becoming Adivasi Routledge 2011,Arundhati Roy Broken Republic Hamish Hamilton 2011
Filed under: Adivasi Campaign, Living & Environment, Politics & Democracy, South Asia Tagged: | Adivasi, economics, environment, Gandhi, history, India, Jharkhand, Maoist, nonviolence, politics, satyagraha
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See all pictures here »
The Australian Defence Force has upgraded a seven-year-old core battlefield simulation system used to prepare individuals and teams of up to 100 soldiers for battle.
Army personnel have used the Virtual Battle Space (VBS) simulator since 2005, when VBS1 was used to train soldiers deploying to Iraq.
Defence licensed VBS2 2.0 from system developer Bohemia Interactive for $2.8 million this month to improve terrains, viewing distances, artificial intelligence and other features. The upgrade will be rolled out in the third quarter of 2012.
A Defence spokesman told iTnews that the upgrade would provide "a range of technical improvements, such as longer viewing distances, improved networking support, increased processing power and much larger maps".
"Typically, VBS2 is used by individual soldiers and combat teams of over 100 soldiers," he said, noting that its uses included tactical training and Area of Operation (AO) familiarisation.
"[It] can simulate a wide range of military capabilities including naval and air capabilities ... most of the Australian Defence Force and a range of coalition weapons systems [are] represented."
The upgraded simulator was expected to deliver a wide range of foundation war fighting and mission specific scenarios — such as operations in urban terrain.
"Army has, or is in the process of developing, terrains for all of our key training ranges and other areas that support mission-specific training of our personnel," the spokesman said, noting that the VBS could simulate any land, sea, or air platform to varying levels of fidelity.
Among other new features, VBS2 2.0 will introduce full terrain paging, armored and aviation enhancements, realistic underwater and scuba diving and improvements to parachuting and free-fall simulations.
The upgrade also provides trainees with more realistic AI behavior. New computer-controlled units have a much better understanding of their surrounding terrain, allowing them to move through smaller spaces and use various features of the terrain for cover.
New maps will cover a maximum virtual distance of 300 x 300 kilometres; up from 100 x 100 kilometres in the previous version.
The spokesman said VBS2 2.0 would support scenarios, models and data sets from earlier versions. The existing PC fleet will be used to run the upgraded VBS2 system.
"[VBS2 2.0 is] one of Army's core simulation systems [which is] used for a wide range of training tasks," the spokesman said.
"It complements other virtual simulations, such as helicopter and armoured fighting vehicle virtual simulators that focus on psycho-motor skills."
Defence currently runs the Virtual Battle Space simulator on about 1000 desktop machines and 150 laptops, the majority of which are within the Battle Simulation Centres located in Darwin, Townsville, Brisbane, Adelaide and Puckapunyal.
"Typically PCs [designed to run VBS2] have an Intel i5 or i7 CPU, 4GB RAM, 1GB NVIDIA Video Card and 1 Gab network card," the spokesman said.
"Some of these PCs are also fitted with specialised interface devices that replicate the controllers found on armoured vehicles, helicopters and other military platforms."
The Australian Army is said to be one of the first organisations to use the VBS product for collective military tactical training and mission rehearsal.
Defence's spokeperson said it did not consider the VBS as a gaming system. However, a version of the product was available for Defence personnel to use on their home computers along with commercial variants.
Other VBS customers include the British Ministry of Defence, Singapore Armed Forces and NATO.
In January 2009, the United States Army deployed a new training program based on the VBS2 simulator engine to address training gaps identified in small unit operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Prior to netting military simulation contracts, the group was chiefly known for producing action-themed video games such as Operation Flashpoint, a military shooter that provided the template for VBS2.
Copyright © iTnews.com.au . All rights reserved.
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8 1/2 in. x 5 3/4 in.
In this novel, the author "depicts the bitter struggle between the proud, semi-aristocratic, landowning (Irish) Brodericks attempting to escape the destiny inherent in their way of life - and their feud with their sly, improvident and vicious neighbors, the Donovans...A large work covering five stormy generations starting in 1820 and continuing for a hundred years." -Huntting from H. W. Wilson's Fiction Catalog, 8th edition
Daphne Du Maurier's father was Gerald Du Maurier, a famous actor-manager, whose life she wrote in "Gerald: A Portrait." Her grandfather was George Du Maurier, the artist and novelist...
Her books have now sold over a million copies in hardcover editions alone...She is a gifted craftsman and a skillful spinner of yarns. Her novels make excellent movies because of their "expert blend of suspense, shrewd realism, and romantic hokum" - Time.
It has been noted that some of her characters, especially in "Rebecca," might have appeared in such Bronte novels as "Wuthering Heights." She has written with discernment of the dissolute Bronte brother in "The Infernal World of Branwell Bronte." Besides thoroughly researching her subject "she has woven her special brand of sorcery around it." -The Reader's Adviser, 11th edition, R.R. Bowker Company
Bentley Library-Bound Standard Fiction Reprints are printed on high-quality 55-lb. book paper. The bindings are sewn, not glued, and each book is covered with a sturdy water-resistant Pyroxylin library binding. This high-quality construction ensures that these books will last for many years.
Return to Linnaean Press home page.
ISBN: 0-8376-0414-1 (ISBN-10)
ISBN: 978-0-8376-0414-5 (ISBN-13)
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President Obama lands in Israel during first leg of Middle East trip
By CNN Staff
JERUSALEM (CNN) — Barack Obama arrived in Israel on Wednesday as concerns about Iran’s nuclear progress percolate.
The trip, his first to the country as president, is part of his sweep across the Middle East, which will include visits to the West Bank and Jordan.
Obama’s first stop Wednesday will be a visit to an Iron Dome missile defense launcher in Tel Aviv.
Designed by Israel and funded by the United States, the battery was deployed at the height of November’s fighting between Israel and Hamas. It intercepted a rocket headed for Tel Aviv, Israeli ambassador to the United States Michael Oren said.
Afterward, Obama will head to Jerusalem to meet Israeli President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where Iran is expected to be a hot topic.
Concerns about Iran
On Tuesday, Peres conceded his country may disagree at times with the White House over Iran’s nuclear progress. But he said he is “free of doubts” that Obama would use military force if necessary to stop Tehran from developing a nuclear bomb.
As he prepared for this trip, Obama told an Israeli TV station he believed there was still a year or so before Iran reached the final development stage — suggesting he believes there is more time for diplomacy than the Israeli prime minister would like.
But Peres played down disagreements between the U.S. and Israeli intelligence assessments of Iran’s progress toward a bomb.
“There may be some differences in timing, but basically we support the policy of the president of the United States,” Peres said.
Netanyahu has voiced concerns that Washington has a less urgent view of Iran’s progress toward developing a nuclear warhead, but has welcomed the administration’s more muscular language recently that “all options” are on the table.
A shaky relationship
Obama’s relationship with Netanyahu has never been warm, and the Israeli prime minister supported Republican challenger Mitt Romney in last year’s presidential election.
Despite getting off to a rocky start with Netanyahu by pushing for a freeze of Israeli settlements, Obama’s vocal support for him through the November crisis with Hamas and U.S. financial support for the Iron Dome anti-missile program could pave the road for greater trust in the relationship.
The Israeli-Palestinian dispute
White House officials say Obama is not carrying a new peace initiative and is hardly optimistic there is solid ground to try to revive negotiations.
Most of all, the president’s aides say, he wants to assess how prepared — if at all — Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas are to return to negotiations.
Palestinians want Obama to prove there are consequences if his call for an Israeli settlement freeze is again ignored — as it is currently ignored with construction of subdivisions.
And their grievances are evident in more personal ways: Posters on Ramallah streets sarcastically advise Obama not to bring his smartphone because Israel does not allow 3G or better service in the Palestinian territories.
Poll: Most Americans say Israel is a friend
According to a new CNN/ORC International poll, 46% of Americans surveyed said Israel is an ally of the U.S., and 33% said the country’s not an ally but friendly. Only 8% say Israel is unfriendly, with 6% calling the country an enemy of the U.S.
But if Israel were to attack Iran to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, Americans were split on how the United States should react.
Of those polled, 49% said the U.S. should support Israel, while another 49% said the country should not get involved.
CNN’s John King, Paul Steinhauser and Ashley Killough contributed to this report.
™ & © 2013 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.
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- features index
- virtual gallery
social networking for the metal arts
Re: Aluminum shrinkage/tank project
Posted by Jack Fisher on April 10, 19100 at 09:32:43:
In Reply to: Aluminum shrinkage? posted by Jack Fisher on April 09, 19100 at 17:30:12:
I thought the brief mention of my pending project would spark a little interest. The purpose of the Tank project is to fill an enormous amount of free time I have on my hands since my divorce as well as give me an opportunity to learn some new skills such as metallurgy, foundry, hydraulics, electronics, machinery operation, welding, as well as some others I'm sure to come across.
The project in question is a 1/4 scale German King Tiger Two tank modeled after the one in the Patton Armor museum in Kentucky. The real thing is huge!! The finished size should be about 72"L x 36"W x 25"H not counting the gun, the total weight may be as much as 2000lbs. This will be radio controlled gas powered and will be as close a replica as I can produce. The tracks in question have to be cast out of aluminum because I want to do as much of the project my self as possible and for weight reasons AL will be the most practical. As it stands, the combined weight of both tracks is approaching 350 lbs with related linking pins . The terrain the tank will be run on will should not wear the tracks down significantly.
1% shrinkage is not much, but at this scale it may have to be figured in. I'll have to do some tests, but there is enough play and tolerance in the link interaction that it may not factor at all.
My plan is to construct a web site documenting the whole process over the next (however long) it may take. When I get the site up I'll post a link here to let you all know.
Thanks again for all of the help. Since I've discovered this forum I've learned much and hope to continue learning and passing alone what I learn as I get further into this project.
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I have a confession to make to you all; it may amaze you to know this, but I do tend to get rather animated when people talk about children and education and at times, I have been known to lose my temper! It seems to be happening more regularly than usual at the moment, which I think is an indicator of the times in which we are living. It has been some months though, since my last, full on eruption of anger, that was until a couple of weeks ago, when I read a quote from the English Schools’ Minister, Nick Gibb, who was quoted as saying that, “Social and emotional learning is ghastly and likely to distract from the core subjects of academic education.” It turns out that this is not a new quote but one from a couple of years ago, when his Government first took office. It has resurfaced because the Government have recently revised the criteria for successful schools and have removed the assessment of how well English schools cater for the social and emotional development of pupils from the process of inspection. I am appalled but sadly, not surprised. This is after all, the same Government that two years ago, suggested that we should hire former soldiers as teachers, in order to bring order back to our schools.
It strikes me, that as the current world events and in particular, the economic crisis continues to suffocate so many of us, Governments are obsessed with clinging to certainties and in education that appears to be a desire to return to a simple academic model of basic subjects, taught in disciplined environments where children are regarded as vessels to be filled with knowledge. This is the pattern in England, most of Western Europe, the US and Australia. There seems to be a belief that in order to regain economic and social control and to reassert the industrial dominance of the 20th Century, the West needs to return to some set of long lost rules and systems. There seems to be a belief that because we have taken more humane approaches to schooling; the understanding that all children are different, with different interests, skills, weaknesses and personalities, and we have therefore endeavoured to create more humanist and personalised approaches to what, in the past was a pretty dehumanising experience, that we have, in fact, broken our system and it is this that has led to our economic frailties and social decline. I worry that education and the developments in it over the last few years, are being used as a scape goat for a far more complex social and systemic problem.
The 20th century and most of the dominant economies during it, were driven by structures first articulated by Frederick Taylor and his work on The Science of Productivity, which as it developed became what we know as the study of ‘Time and Motion’; the thinking being that greater productivity came from increased efficiencies; a model that in an industrial age is extremely effective. We used it in the early 1900s and it was adopted and refined with stunning effect by the developing Asian markets as the new millennium approached. It was based on the idea that success came from doing what you do; manufacturing product or delivering services as quickly and as cost effectively as possible, to do this, you would need a workforce that had a good basic technical ability and that could be managed through rules and routines which would be assessed for effectiveness. We set targets that were fixed outcome focused and data driven, creating professional development programmes and performance management cycles that ensured that people got their heads down and did what their job descriptions told them, without fuss or question in order to encourage greater speed and accuracy.
The education system was designed and structured in order to create a mass populous that would function in this mechanistic and efficient world. It worked and very well, for most of the last century, but of course times have changed and the future success for most traditional economies now lies elsewhere; in innovation, creativity and an entrepreneurial spirit. We are struggling though, because most of us are finding this new world, post Taylorism; a world of uncertainty, of ever changing industrial and service models, of fragmented workforces and decreasing public sector investment, very hard to live in. Mental health problems across the world have never been higher; there is a mounting discontent that comes with a sense of powerlessness. We have been talking about the age of enterprise and innovation for many years; a new organic future, where the innovative and curious will thrive, where risk taking and those that can challenge convention will drive the agenda, yet we have done very little to prepare people for this, either in business or in education, because many of us were educated and condition to live in a Taylorist environment.
In order to thrive in times of uncertainty, change and fragmentation, you need above all things, to have great mental strength, the ability to challenge and to experiment. Never before have people needed to be able to analyse their own emotional responses, fears and aspirations in the way they do today and its why, sadly, any country obsessed with dragging education backwards, due to some kind of misguided belief, that certainty will only come from a return to traditionalism, is going to fail; fail us and our children.
Education needs to put the individual at the heart of its process because we are no longer training our children to work as cogs in large manufacturing machines, they will need to be street smart, enterprising and emotionally intelligent and to that end we need education systems that recognise and deliver on that; not as an alternative to knowledge but in equity to it. A new age, requires a new toolkit, a new toolkit requires new imagination and a recognition that the past is exactly that.
The reason so many people continue to struggle in the modern age is because they don’t have the competencies and skills necessary to realise that change is no longer a review process carried out every few years in an organisation’s productivity cycle but that it is a very real part of everyday life; now and increasingly in the future. A real commitment to social and emotional education will ensure that this is addressed; it will help people to focus their energies on realising aspirations and cementing their values. It will mean that they can turn confusion, anger, passion and uncertainty into something productive because the future is not standardised. What is ghastly is that so few of our ‘Taylorist’ politicians have the experience to recognise it.
P.S. You can see me speak in March at the SPEAKERS for BUSINESS showcase. Click here to book free tickets.
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Sometimes it seems as though the church has taken a cue from modern technology, living in a simulated world, where we go through the motions of faith, with our chairs stuck firmly to the floor.
While it would be easier to reach the world through some evangelistic equivalent of the flight simulator, the operative word in the Great Commission is "go."
In places such as Africa, it is a no man's land of riots and civil wars. Converts face a menacing world like the first Christians faced. If Christian joy comes from persecution, thousands in today's emerging countries know the original thing.
But, are we here in the Western world actually going and experiencing, or are we merely going through the motions? When Jesus came, He went everywhere with His disciples. Some may think that through our prayers we can send the Lord to save the nations, but the reality is that we must go for Him (see Is. 6:8).
Until the Son of God came to earth, the only nation with knowledge of God--Israel---believed they had Jehovah enshrined behind the curtain of the holy of holies in the temple in Jerusalem. But, when Jesus died, that curtain was ripped from top to bottom.
This supernatural event served as public notice from God that He was "out and about," not confined to a temple. He belongs to the whole world.
Many prepare for evangelistic work by attending seminars and conferences, filling their notebooks, listening to sermons and Bible studies. They are dedicated to gathering knowledge. But, as perpetual students, they may never leave class to practice what they've learned.
For instance, a young man once told me that he belonged to a youth group that held "indoor open-air meetings," simulated street events, complete with heckling actors. Churches may make a show of interest, busy with activities, meetings, sessions and business---keeping things going, but ultimately standing still.
Israel's army under Saul made plenty of noise, brandished their weapons and looked fierce, but only one teenage youngster named David ended up doing the fighting.
One church I heard of called itself "a center of continuous evangelism" but saw only one convert per year. We may take up the pose, keep the church machine in vigorous motion, while the agenda of the board has no item relevant to Christ's agenda--the Great Commission.
However, we must remember that the fire of evangelism cannot be ignited through artificial or humanly orchestrated means.
THE 'CROSS FIRE'
In ancient Israel, the altar fire had been lit by an act of God. But two sons of Aaron offered "unholy fire" in their incense burners, and "fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them" (see Lev. 10:1-2). Artificial fire such as this does not please the heart of the Father.
God must kindle in us the eternal love that burned on the altar of Calvary. Today, the message of the cross is entrusted to the church. All the church's seats may be full, people attracted by multiple interests, social popularity, splendid services or even selected Bible teaching--meanwhile, Jesus hangs on the cross without their particular attention.
Church zeal can be false fire. As Paul told the Corinthians, he preached with "love unfeigned"---passionate reality (2 Cor. 6:6, KJV). The cross is stamped across Scripture's pages, and preaching without the cross is not the gospel.
Paul expressed his Christianity by saying, "For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:2). There is no substitute for the cross, whether miracles, phenomena, music, eloquence or positive thinking. The most significant event in all history, Christ's crucifixion, is too shattering not to matter.
While I suppose every church in the land holds the cross of Christ in special regard, what does it mean to them? A preacher once suggested that "Christ died because He believed in us---that we were worth dying for." This ideology reverses the truth of the cross!
The cross is a spectacle that brings us to tears, shames us and stands as an example of selflessness and integrity. Isaac Watts, in his hymn "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross," writes that "Love so amazing, so divine/demands my soul, my life, my all."
But is that why Jesus gave His life---just to shame us, challenge us or bring grief to our eyes? No, this love was demonstrated to save us, when we could not save ourselves.
WHY WE EXIST
Paul spoke of the "offense of the cross" (see 1 Cor. 1:23). The offense is the proclamation of Christ's blood spilled for our sins. This offense ceases when Jesus is preached as merely a victim or martyr. Instead, He embraced death, taking up our cause at such frightful cost.
It is not that we are saved when we see the cross. Instead, we are saved when God the Father sees the cross--the transaction of redemption. Jesus said, "This is my blood ... shed for many for the remission of sins" (Matt. 26:28).
When the cross is preached in terms that decorate it with sentiment, it is stripped of its saving power. Paul did not preach to the Romans about the Jesus they had just executed merely to make them feel sorry about it. He preached it as the hope of their salvation.
When Peter charged the Jews in Acts 2:23 that, "and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross (NIV)," he didn't reproach them, but declared that Jesus' death had intrinsic meaning--cleansing power for the forgiveness of sins.
Ultimately, the cross reminds us of why we exist as the church and the price that was paid for us and for those who have not yet heard. We are here on earth to spread the message of the cross, to move from the simulated reality that the Christian life can often become, to be "out and about" as Jesus was, burning with a consuming fire for the lost.
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By Pete Kotz
By Michael Musto
By Michael Musto
By Capt. James Van Thach told to Jonathan Wei
By Kera Bolonik
By Michael Musto
By Nick Pinto
By Steve Weinstein
When the Homeland Security Act was finally signed by the president after many weeks of extensive media coverage of the congressional warfare over the bill, I saw nothing of the most significant result of it allthe decision to ban what had been a key provision.
"Section 880. Prohibition of the Terrorism Information and Prevention SystemAny and all activities of the Federal Government to implement the proposed component program of the Citizen Corps known as Operation TIPS (Terrorism Information and Prevention System) are hereby prohibited." (Emphasis added.)
Democratic senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont had tried months ago to get Operation TIPS out of the Senate version of the bill, but Joe Lieberman, chair of the Governmental Affairs Committee, ignored his letter asking for the killing of the nationwide governmental surveillance program.
Operation TIPS had previously been stricken from the House Homeland Security bill by then majority leader Dick Armey, who was angered by the Justice Department's plan to enlist millions of Americans to report any suspicious signs that might link some of the rest of us to terrorism. Armey, a conservative Republican libertarian, said he would not allow a law enabling "Americans to spy on one another."
Armey eventually prevailed because the Senate essentially passed the House version of the bill, including Armey's elimination of Operation TIPS. When the congressional battlefield was cleared, Pat Leahy released a statement on November 19, whichso far as I have seenhas been ignored by the media:
"I am pleased the bill, in section 880, forbids the creation of Operation TIPS." Leahy noted that originally, the Justice Department had described the operation as "giving millions of American truckers, letter carriers, train conductors, ship captains, utility employees, and others a formal way to report suspicious . . . activity." Or, as the department's Web site put it, "potentially terrorist-related activity."
After strong protests around the country, including in the Voice, TIPS was reportedly scaled back somewhat; but, as Leahy said last month, "it was unclear whether these changes reflected actual changes in the Justice Department's plans, or whether they were simply cosmetic differences designed to blunt opposition to the program."
At no time did the Justice Department indicate how it planned to train this horde of amateur spies. Accordingly, as Leahy emphasized, "such a setup could have allowed unscrupulous participants to abuse their new status to place innocent neighbors under undue scrutiny." Much worse yet, the names of these innocent suspects would be transferred by the Justice Department to FBI, CIA, and other government databases that are now permitted to exchange "intelligence" information under the Homeland Security Act.
If it hadn't been for Dick Armey, Operation TIPS would be well under way. Before the Senate passed the House version of the Homeland Security Bill, I called John Ashcroft's office and asked when the attorney general would honor Armey's principled removal of Operation TIPS from the House bill. I was told cheerily by an Ashcroft spokeswoman that "Operation TIPS is still a law, and we're going right ahead with it."
Recently, a source inside the Justice Department told me thatcontrary to what I originally wrote in this columnOperation TIPS not only wasn't Ashcroft's idea, but he was uncomfortable with the project. Being a team player, he never criticized this national-spying-corps plan publicly.
Interestingly, there was a time when Ashcroft appeared to be somewhat of a libertarian on privacy rights. Thanks to Matt Drudge's Web site, I have a copy of a 1997 statement by then senator John Ashcroft, chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs, Foreign Commerce, and Tourism. Titled "Keep Big Brother's Hands Off the Internet," the release by Ashcroft sounds like it was written by the ACLU:
"The protections of the Fourth Amendment are clear. The right to protection from unlawful searches is an indivisible American value. Two hundred years of court decisions have stood in defense of this fundamental right. The state's interest in crime-fighting should never vitiate the citizens' Bill of Rights." (Emphasis added.)
As attorney general of the United States, however, Ashcroft has rewritten much of the Bill of the Rights in the USA Patriot Act and has unilaterally eviscerated the First, Fifth, and Sixth amendments. And most sweepingly, he has revoked core Fourth Amendment privacy rights. Even for the current version of John Ashcroft, Operation TIPS may have been a tad too much. But Governor Pataki loves it fine for New York State (see my Voice column of November 20-26).
The Bush administration's most radical revision of the Bill of Rightsthe Donald Rumsfeld-Admiral Poindexter Total Information Awareness system detailed here last weekhas not been criticized by Ashcroft publicly, although it does so much more than "vitiate" the Bill of Rights.
Dick Armey, though no longer able to be a paladin for privacy in Congress, has been enlisted by the American Civil Liberties Union as a consultant under a six-month contract toas reported in the November 23 New York Times"work on privacy, surveillance, and national security issues."
Under a similar arrangement, the ACLU has brought on board another conservative Republican libertarian, Bob Barr of Georgia, defeated for re-election in November. Barr has been a vigorous and consistent opponent of the Bush administration's attacks on civil liberties, including the Total Information Awareness system.
In announcing Barr's appointment, ACLU executive director Anthony Romero said that "it indicates that the ACLU has no permanent friends and no permanent allies, just permanent values."
Meanwhile, as described by Robert O'Harrow Jr. in the November 12 Washington Post, the emblem in Admiral Poindexter's Total Information Awareness office is a variation on the great seal of the United States: "An eye looms over a pyramid and appears to scan the world. The motto reads: Scientia Est Potentia, or 'knowledge is power.' "
But we citizens have power, too.
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John’s reflections on politicians and businessmen would lead one to believe, not unreasonably, that Bill Clinton is the supreme politician of our time. No one excels at, or luxuriates in, the groin kick more than Clinton. Earlier this week the Wall Street Journal recalled:
One of our favorite Bill Clinton anecdotes involves a confrontation he had with Bob Dole in the Oval Office after the 1996 election. Mr. Dole protested Mr. Clinton’s attack ads claiming the Republican wanted to harm Medicare, but the President merely smiled that Bubba grin and said, “You gotta do what you gotta do.”
Yet, contrary to John’s conclusions, Bill Clinton was not well suited to dealing with Saddam Hussein or Osama bin Laden, to pick two foreign leaders who posed the most difficult challenges to the United States during his presidency. In dealing with Saddam and Osama, Clinton was the master of the empty gesture.
Let’s return to John’s first point about the necessity of mastering political skills to rise to the top of the American political system. Who among postwar American presidents has executed the low blow on his way to the top as John McCain has against Mitt Romney? Not Truman. Not Eisenhower or JFK — the presidents whose military service gave them a prestige most like McCain’s.
Johnson and Nixon present cases that conform more or less to John’s description of political ambition and ruthlessness. With the 1964 daisy ad, LBJ struck the lowest blow in postwar American politics, but it was not struck by Johnson personally. Johnson himself barely acknowledged Goldwater’s existence in the presidential campaign of 1964. Nixon’s 1968 and 1972 campaigns also mostly performed their wiles through the services of third parties rather than through the candidate himself.
Given the circumstances of his ascent Ford is a special case. Carter, Reagan, and Bush all obviously displayed the ambition necessary to become president. In his winning 1976 primary campaign and in the national campaign against Ford, Carter struck no particulary low blows, though Carter’s nastiness was visible, as it was in the 1980 campaign against Reagan. (Carter himself declared that he didn’t “think [he] would ever take on the same frame of mind that Nixon or Johnson did — lying, cheating, and distorting the truth.”)
Reagan’s 1980 campaign was mostly free of low blows. In his own way Carter tried to recycle the LBJ daisy ad, portraying Reagan as a man who could not be trusted with his finger on the nuclear button. In the course of the campaign Reagan awkwardly responded to a heckler with a statement tying Carter to the Klan; Carter implied that Reagan was a racist. In retrospect, the campaign seems almost high-minded.
John’s observation that success in politics at the highest level requires extreme ambition and ruthlessness is certainly correct. But does it require the kind of low blow that McCain has been administering to Romney? If so, the great politicians do a better job of it than McCain has.
Although McCain’s military service provides some insulation against reaction to his low blows against Romney, it is not even clear to me that they have enhanced his candidacy in any way. On the contary, given his own record on the point in issue regarding support for the surge, I am struck by the lack of necessity for McCain’s tactics, as well as by their revelation of the least attractive qualities of his otherwise sterling character.
McCain’s low blows seem to me to betray his hatred of Romney more than his poltical skill. I doubt they are the mark of a great politician, and I doubt that he will hate his Democratic rival as much as he hates Romney.
JOHN adds: All interesting points. My claim would be more that Romney is an amateur, rather than that McCain is a particular master of the art. And I’m afraid Paul is right that when primary season is over, we will have seen the last of McCain’s most aggressive side.
To comment on this post, go here.
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I want to change the pitch of a sound file according to a different file. So I have an input melody file A and I want the pitch of my file B converted to pitch of A. So file A can contain a melody and file B can be a recording of a plain text reading. What is the best way to do this?
I can get the pitch of a file with pitch command. But I am not sure how to apply it to the second file. I checked the sndwarp but I am not sure if it can handle this.
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The Kavala Institute of Technology is a Higher Education Institute (i.e. university-level institute), as defined by Greek law and the general directive 89/48/EEC. As a higher education institute, it has been active in a wide range of EU programmes and has had significant involvement in applied research projects. It has well-equipped and modern buildings and laboratory facilities, maintains an interactive relationships with similar institutes both in Greece and abroad, and offers continuous training to the citizens of Greece.
The mailing address of the Kavala Institute of Technology is:
The Kavala Institute of Technology was founded in 1976. Its current form is a result of many institutional reforms and changes. Originally, it was established as an Educational Centre for Vocational Studies. In 1983, it was recognised as an Institute of Technology. In 2001 it was upgraded to a Higher Educational Institute and since 2007 it is a university-level institute. The Kavala Institute of Technology is housed in buildings located in St. Loucas, a district of Kavala City. It has over 50 modern and fully equipped laboratories. The Student Residences, which can accommodate up to 450 students, are also situated on the main campus. The institute also has two other campuses, one in the nearby city of Drama and another in Didymoteicho. The institute currently employs 223 permanent staff, 104 of which are academic, 6 are special teaching Staff, 12 are technical staff and 101 are administrative staff. Besides the permanent staff, temporary lecturers are hired each year to cover temporary and exceptional educational needs. There are approximately 12,500 students registered in the institute.
The management (President, Vice Presidents and Registrar), its services (Administrative, Technical, IT) and the Student Club are located on the main campus in St. Loucas. The administrative bodies of the institute are:
• the Senate
• the Academic Council
• the President and Vice Presidents
The responsibilities of these governing bodies are defined in law 1404/83 and Internal Regulation E5/1585/84. The President, Vice Presidents and the Dean of each school are elected by bodies representing the academic staff, the specialist technical staff, the administrative staff, and the students, according to Law 1404/83.
Kavala Institute of Technology
Τel: +30 2510 462177 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +30 2510 462177 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
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1UP examines 10 years of Nintendo 64 history highlighting memorable games for a console that lacked third-party support (and games in general). From the article: "[N64] might just be the most controversial console in the history of mass market gaming ... it began the descent of Nintendo from the throne - with this console, the Big N failed to achieve majority sales for the first time in history, and has been unable to regain its glory since."
The console's descent from the gaming throne was largely in part, if not fully, to a last minute strategy change with a certain electronics manufacturer. Wikipedia reminds
us: "While Nintendo chose the cartridge format for the N64, the company originally signed a contract with Sony in 1988 to develop a CD-ROM drive add-on for the SNES. When Hiroshi Yamauchi read the (already signed by Nintendo) original 1988 contract between Sony and Nintendo and learned that it allowed Sony 25% of the profits from the machine and also a part of games' sales profits, he was furious. He deemed the contract totally unacceptable, and secretly canceled all plans for a joint Nintendo-Sony SNES CD attachment."
That CD-ROM drive later became the PlayStation. While not trying to beat a dead horse, what's your take on arguably the most crucial turning point for console gaming given the industry's status quo?
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By the time Nigeria’s King Sunny Adé was born in 1946, the sound of juju music was starting to firmly coalesce. Its roots were in the laid-back palm-wine music of Sierra Leone and Ghana, but it would be the 1950s before it became a definitive sound in the hands of the legendary I.K. Dairo.
Adé, the son of a Methodist minister, started off playing percussion in church, then dropped out of school and made his way to Lagos, where he began playing guitar in highlife bands, before joining the Rhythm Dandies.
But juju was the future, and in 1966 he formed his first band, the Green Spots. They recorded 12 albums in eight years before contractual problems led him to form his own label and change the name of the group to the African Beats.
Adé pulled his ideas from many sources, including Fela Kuti’s Afrobeat. His music became more rhythmic, pushing ever outward. The membership of the African Beats eventually reached around 30 people.
Adé’s records from the ’70s were glorious things indeed, taking chances with music and rhythm, stretching out. And it paid off: In 1977 Sunny Adé officially received his crown as the king of juju music.
In 1981 reggae icon Bob Marley died. His label, Island Records, began looking for someone to take on his mantle, and Adé seemed to be a likely candidate. Island put him in the studio with French producer Martin Meisonnier. The result, 1982’s Juju Music, introduced Adé to a Western audience, as did its followup, Synchro System.
A third album, Aura, with superstar guest Stevie Wonder, bombed, and Adé was dropped. He continued to record at least two albums a year and play packed shows in Nigeria, while expanding his interests to include films, a nightclub and even politics.
It would be a while before he emerged on the international scene again with E Dide (Get Up). It wasn’t the King Sunny of a decade before, but it was the right sound at the right time. Seven Degrees North, in 2000, was nothing short of masterful.
Adé has no need to undertake long, stressful global tours now. At home he’s a revered, iconic figure, and his reputation is assured.
The Best Of The Classic Years (Shanachie)
Juju Music (Island)
Synchro Series (Indigedisc)
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18.11.2005Civil Society in the MaghrebDelicate Plants in a Harsh EnvironmentThe first independent NGOs in North Africa were formed around 20 years ago. They are the agents of diverse and multifaceted civil societies. Nonetheless, their ability to work effectively remains strictly limited – especially in Tunisia. By Beat Stauffer
Faced with the grim diagnosis concerning the work of NGOs it's astonishing that the few truly independent NGOs are still active, Beat Stauffer finds It happened at a conference centre in Geneva in the Spring of this year: A Tunisian delegate – a university professor and an activist in an independent NGO – noticed a young man who was constantly taking photos and making tape recordings.
Judging by the man's clothes, the professor took him for an anti-globalisation protestor; but when he asked him what he was up to, the man hissed, "Leave me in peace! I'm just doing my job!" The professor is convinced this was an "oreille du pouvoir" – an agent paid by the state, mingling with the audience.
Anyone keen to find out just how free NGOs are to go about their work in Tunisia will hear many such anecdotes, not all of them as innocuous as the one above. The most serious accusation is that the Tunisian state has created a host of "fake" non-governmental organisations whose sole purpose to combat the real NGOs – and, not least, to deny their legitimacy at international conferences.
Essia Bel Hassen, spokesperson for the Association Tunisienne des Femmes Démocrates, explains: "Officially, there are more than 9,400 NGOs in existence in Tunisia; but, of these, just seven are truly independent." All the others were set up by the authorities, she says, and none of them has any authentic basis.
For this reason, the independent associations and organisations are faced with enormous difficulties in their work; many of them aren't even able to hold their annual general meetings.
Infiltration strategies and systematic interference
What's more, says Bel Hassen, the real NGOs are all confronted with an infiltration strategy implemented by the former "Unity Party", the RCD (which is still practically all-powerful). She tells us that large numbers of agents in the pay of the government attempt to join the genuine NGOs, in order to acquire a majority in their boards of management. Subsequently, they go about the task of "correcting" the course of that NGO in accordance with the wishes of their paymasters.
The Tunisian human-rights organisation LTDH is the oldest in North Africa – and it, too, has been the target of repeated "takeover bids". This strategy, though, is frequently unsuccessful, because the NGOs are aware of the danger and have developed ways of dealing with it.
Yet the Tunisian state also has other means at its disposal when it comes to hindering their work. For one thing, it regularly blocks financial assistance sent to the Tunisian NGOs by international organisations that sympathise with their aims. At the same time, the government also makes it impossible for the NGOs to finance themselves independently by holding gala events or collecting contributions.
When all else fails, the authorities try to cripple any organisation they don't like, by instituting endless legal proceedings against them. Omar Mestiri is a board member of the Conseil National pour les Libertés en Tunisie. He says that the Tunisian state does everything it can to "soak up the resources of the independent NGOs, tie them up in interminable court cases, and hush up the work that they actually manage to do."
The NGOs' creed: In spite of everything
Faced with this grim diagnosis – which is essentially confirmed by everyone we spoke to – it's astonishing that the few truly independent NGOs are still active. The motto appears to be: "We won't let them grind us down!"
LTDH President Trifi says the daily oppression only serves to strengthen people's will to maintain some kind of opposition against this totalitarian system. Others are less optimistic: "Tunisian civil society is in a coma" was the verdict of one person involved in the arts (who, like many others, wished to remain nameless)s.
In Algeria, things are a little better. Certainly, organisations and associations are confronted with many limits on their activities, and they have to accept a whole range of compromises just in order to get their work done. The impression remains, however, that they are not as crudely harassed as in the neighbouring country of Tunisia.
Civil society in an embyonic state
But even in Algeria, the situation is anything but rosy. With few exceptions, says the Algerian journalist Hafida Ameyar, civil society is still in "an embryonic state". To be precise, there are three categories of organisation in Algeria.
Firstly, the so-called "mass organisations" that already existed in the days of single-party rule; for example, the "Union of Algerian Women". These organisations are not truly independent, but instruments deployed by the powers-that-be. In the second category, Ameyar includes associations of cancer sufferers, and groups with similar aims. These function pretty well, often receiving government subsidies, and they can generally depend on being smiled upon by the state.
Not so the third category of organisation: those that insist on maintaining their independence from the apparatus of state power. Ameyar says that these are merely tolerated rather being officially recognised, that they have to struggle against numerous difficulties, and that the state provides them with no financial support.
But in recent years, she tells us, some of these independent organisations have been approached by members of circles close to the government – and "corrupted" by gifts of money, trips abroad, or job offers. As a consequence, they have lost their independence and become "pseudo-NGOs". Hafida Ameyar says they should therefore be included amongst the clientele of the current rulers.
In Morocco, more room for manoeuvre
All observers agree that Morocco is the country in which independent organisations currently enjoy the greatest freedom to go about their work. The Tunisian human-rights activist Sihem Bensedrine and her husband Omar Mestiri have written a new book: "Despoten vor Europas Haustür" (published in German by Verlag Antje Kunstmann, Munich 2005).
They write: "Of all the autocracies in the region, Morocco is the country that permits most room for civil society." Nonetheless, the outer limits of this free space are unambiguously marked by "red lines", which no-one is permitted to cross.
For all that, a range of NGOs now carry considerable weight in Morocco – first and foremost, the women's and Berber organisations. The cultural life of the country is now unthinkable without them, and their voices are increasingly being heard; without the stubborn work of numerous women's organisations, the new laws on women's and family rights could hardly have been passed in late 2003.
One female observer sees this as a sign of a new recognition on the part of the king: that Morocco needs the help of civil society and its organisations if it is ever to deal effectively with its massive problems and its backwardness in many areas. In this way, civil society is forced to shoulder part of the burden, yet strengthened at the same time.
The concept of "citoyen" introduced to Maghreb
The term "citoyen" denotes a citizen who demands his or her rights but is also actively involved in finding solutions to society's problems. For the countries of the Maghreb, this is certainly a new concept, and it will take time before it supplants the picture of the man-in-the-street as a client or a serf. Civil society in North Africa still has a long way to go.
That it should be flourishing best in monarchist Morocco is not without irony; but for many Tunisian NGO activists, the irony is bitter. "We used to be the leaders in North Africa in this area", says LDTH President Trifi. "In the 90s, we helped the Moroccans to form their own human-rights organisations." Today, he says, Tunisia has regressed, and it will take years to recover the lost ground.
In mid-November, the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) takes place in Tunisia. The representatives of Tunisian civil society expect little from it. Now that all attempts to wring some concessions from the regime have failed, the NGOs will have to content themselves with having a platform that's normally denied to them – even if that platform will be available only for a very short time.
© Neue Zürcher Zeitung/Qantara.de 2005
This article was previously published by the Swiss daily Neue Zürcher Zeitung.
Translated from the German by Patrick Lanagan
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CSC 358 Symbolic Programming
Evaluations are a way for students to provide valuable feedback regarding their instructor and the course. Detailed feedback will enable the instructor to continuously tailor teaching methods and course content to meet the learning goals of the course and the academic needs of the students. They are a requirement of the course and are key to continue to provide you with the highest quality of teaching. The evaluations are anonymous; the instructor and administration do not track who entered what responses. A program is used to check if the student completed the evaluations, but the evaluation is completely separate from the student’s identity. Since 100% participation is our goal, students are sent periodic reminders over three weeks. Students do not receive reminders once they complete the evaluation. Students complete the evaluation online in CampusConnect.
Email is the primary means of communication between faculty and students enrolled in this course outside of class time. Students should be sure their email listed under "demographic information" at CampusConnect is correct.
This course will be subject to the academic integrity policy passed by faculty. More information can be found at http://academicintegrity.depaul.edu/
The university and school policy on plagiarism can be summarized as follows: Students in this course should be aware of the strong sanctions that can be imposed against someone guilty of plagiarism. If proven, a charge of plagiarism could result in an automatic F in the course and possible expulsion. The strongest of sanctions will be imposed on anyone who submits as his/her own work any assignment which has been prepared by someone else. If you have any questions or doubts about what plagiarism entails or how to properly acknowledge source materials be sure to consult the instructor.
An incomplete grade is given only for an exceptional reason such as a death in the family, a serious illness, etc. Any such reason must be documented. Any incomplete request must be made at least two weeks before the final, and approved by the Dean of the College of Computing and Digital Media. Any consequences resulting from a poor grade for the course will not be considered as valid reasons for such a request.
Students who feel they may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the instructor privately to discuss their specific needs. All discussions will remain confidential.
To ensure that you receive the most appropriate accommodation based on your needs, contact the instructor as early as possible in the quarter (preferably within the first week of class), and make sure that you have contacted the Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) at:
Student Center, LPC, Suite #370
Phone number: (773)325.1677
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161 U.S. 1
CHEMICAL NAT. BANK OF CHICAGO
HARTFORD DEPOSIT CO.
February 3, 1896
This was an action of assumpsit brought by the Hartford Deposit Company against the Chemical National Bank of Chicago and the receiver of the bank in the superior court of Cook county to recover damages for a failure to pay rent [161 U.S. 1, 2] alleged to be due, under a written lease, from August 1, 1893, to April 30, 1894. The cause was submitted to the court for trial on a stipulation as to the facts, of which the lease formed a part. The issues were found in favor of defendants, and judgment was rendered accordingly. Plaintiff took the case to the appellate court for the First district of Illinois, which affirmed the judgment as to the receiver, but reversed it as to the Chemical National Bank, and entered judgment for the sum of $9,000. 58 Ill. App. 256. An appeal was prosecuted to the supreme court of Illinois, and the judgment of the appellate court affirmed. 156 Ill. 522, 41 M. E. 225. This writ of error was thereupon brought.
The facts were thus stated by the supreme court:
Charles H. Baldwin, for defendant in error.
Mr. Chief Justice FULLER, after stating the facts in the foregoing language, delivered the opinion of the court.
It is not claimed that the express covenant to pay rent was released by the insolvency of the lessee merely, nor that the election of the receiver not to accept the lease had any effect on the contract between the lessor and the lessee, nor that the lessor had done anything itself to terminate its rights under the lease. But it is argued that no judgment could be [161 U.S. 1, 4] rendered against the bank, because the appointment of a receiver amounted to its dissolution, and because the rent in question was not a demand existing at the date of the bank's suspension, and therefore not a claim entitled to be proven up and paid out of the assets of the bank or carried into judgment. The state courts ruled both branches of this contention adversely to plaintiff in error.
Granting that, in the absence of statutory provision to the contrary, suits cannot be maintained and judgments rendered against corporations whose chartered existence has terminated, it is not pretended in this case that that event had taken place by lapse of time, by judicial proceedings, or otherwise, unless, as is insisted, the appointment of a receiver in itself put an end to the bank as a corporate entity.
The general rule is that the legal existence of a corporation cannot be cut short in this way, and we can find nothing in the statutes in relation to insolvent national banks which gives that effect to such an appointment, or justifies any distinction in that regard, as between them and other insolvent corporations.
By section 5136 of the Revised Statutes it is provided that every national bank, duly incorporated, shall have succession for the period of 20 years from its organization, 'unless it is sooner dissolved according to the provisions of its articles of association, or by the act of its shareholders owning two-thirds of its stock, or unless its franchise becomes forfeited by some violation of law.'
A receiver may be appointed upon the occurrence of the particular defaults enumerated in sections 5141, 5151, 5191, 5195, 5201, and 5205, not in question here.
Section 5151 provides, 'The shareholders of every national banking association shall be held individually responsible, equally and ratably, and not one for another, for all contracts, debts, and engagements of such association, to the extent of the amount of their stock therein, at the par value thereof, in addition to the amount invested in such shares.'
Sections 5220 and 5221 provide for the voluntary dissolution of these associations, and sections 5226 and 5227 for the pro- [161 U.S. 1, 5] test of their circulating notes, on failure to redeem, and the appointment of a special agent to ascertain the fact.
Sections 5228, 5234, 5236, and 5239 are as follows:
On June 30, 1876 (19 Stat. 63, c. 156), congress passed an act, the first section of which provides: 'That whenever any national banking association shall be dissolved, and its rights, privileges, and franchises declared forfeited, as prescribed in section fifty-two hundred and thirty- nine of the Revised Statutes of the United States, or whenever any creditor of any national banking association shall have obtained a judgment against it in any court of record, and made application, accompanied by a certificate from the clerk of the court stating that such judgment has been rendered and has remained unpaid for the space of thirty days, or whenever the comptroller shall become satisfied of the insolvency of the national banking association, he may, after due examination of its affairs, in either case, appoint a receiver, who shall proceed to close up such association and enforce the personal liability of the shareholders, as provided in section fifty-two hundred and thirty-four of said statutes.'
By the third section, whenever any association is placed in the hands of a receiver, and the creditors and expenses have been paid, and the redemption of the circulating notes of such [161 U.S. 1, 7] association provided for, the shareholders may elect an agent, to whomon filing bond, the remaining assets of the association shall be transferred, and 'such agent shall hold, control, and dispose of the assets and property of any association which he may receive as hereinbefore provided for the benefit of the shareholders of such association as they, or a majority of them in value or number of shares, may direct, distributing such assets and property among such shareholders in proportion to the shares held by each; and he may, in his own name or in the name of such association, sue and be sued, and do all other lawful acts and things necessary to finally settle and distribute the assets and property in his hands.'
It thus appears that, by the terms of the statutes, the corporation continues notwithstanding the appointment of a receiver, if its corporate life has not been extinguished by lapse of time, by any provision of its articles, by any action of its stockholders, or by any judgment of forfeiture. The receiver is, indeed, appointed to close up the association,- that is to say, to wind up its business, get in its assets, and pay its debts, and, if need be, to enforce the personal liability of its shareholders for all its 'contracts, debts, and engagements,'-but the corporation lingers while this is being done, and, on occasion, when the receiver has discharged his duty with the satisfactory results enumerated, and assets remain, an agent may be chosen, who may sue and be sued, in the name of the association, in the conduct of the final liquidation. Of course, when insolvency is declared, the corporation is incapacitated from doing any new business. It has ceased to be a going concern, but it still survives for the purpose of the discharge of its liabilities, and the final distribution of its remaining assets when that has been accomplished. No refinement of construction leads to any other result, and numerous decisions preclude further discussion.
In Pahquioque Bank v. Bethel Bank, 36 Conn. 325, a national bank having failed, and a receiver been appointed, the supreme court of errors of Connecticut, in a well-considered opinion, held that the winding up of the corporation, as provided, did not put an end to its existence so as to affect [161 U.S. 1, 8] the rights of creditors to enforce their claims, or determine their validity, by suit or otherwise; that there was nothing in the national banking act which justified the claim that the franchise was transferred to the receiver, in the authority conferred on him to take possession of the assets; and that the court was unable to discover 'by what mode of operation known in the law the proceedings in question can produce that absolute and technical dissolution of a corporation which is produced by a judgment for forfeiture, or by a legislative repeal, and bars a suit by a creditor.' Judgment was given against the insolvent bank, and that judgment affirmed by this court in Bank of Bethel v. Pahquioque Bank, 14 Wall. 383, where it was said, 'None of these proceedings, however, support the theory that the association ceased to exist when the receiver was appointed, nor at any time before the assets of the association are fully administered, and the balance, if any, is paid to the owners of the stock, or their legal representatives.'
In National Bank v. Insurance Co., 104 U.S. 54 , it was held that a national bank in voluntary liquidation is not thereby dissolved as a corporation, but may sue and be sued by name for the purpose of winding up its business; and Mr. Justice Matthews, delivering the opinion of the court, said: 'It is to be observed that the sections under which the proceedings took place which, it is claimed, put an end to the corporate existence of the bank, do not refer, in terms, to a dissolution of the corporation, and there is nothing in the language which suggests it, in the technical sense in which it is used here as a defense. The association goes into liquidation, and is closed. It is required to give notice that it is closing up its affairs, and, in order to do so completely and effectually, to notify its creditors to present their claims for payment. And the redemption of its bonds given to secure the payment of its circulating notes, by the required deposit of money in the treasury, is limited in its effect to a discharge of the association and its shareholders from all liability upon its circulating notes. The very purpose of the liquidation provided for is to pay the debts of the corporation, that the [161 U.S. 1, 9] remainder of the assets, being reduced to money, may be distributed among the stockholders. That distribution cannot take place, with any show of justice, and according to the intent of the law, until all liabilities to creditors have been honestly met and paid. If there are claims made which the directors of the association are not willing to acknowledge as just debts, there is nothing in the statute which is inconsistent with the right of the claimant to obtain a judicial determination of the controversy by process against the association, nor with that of the association to collect by suit debts due to it. It is clearly, we think, the intention of the law that it should continue to exist, as a person in law, capable of suing and being sued, until its affairs and business are completely settled. The proceeding prescribed by the law seems to resemble, not the technical dissolution of a corporation, without any saving as to the common-law consequences, but rather that of the dissolution of a copartnership, which, nevertheless, continues to subsist for the purpose of liquidation and winding up its business.'
And in Rosenplatt v. Johnston, 104 U.S. 462 , 463, Mr. Chief Justice Waite, speaking for the court, referring to the assets and property of an insolvent national bank, remarked: 'Such property and assets, in legal contemplation, still belong to the bank, though in the hands of a receiver, to be administered under the law. The bank did not cease to exist on the appointment of the receiver. Its corporate capacity continues until its affairs are finally wound up and its assets distributed.'
It is further urged that the claim was not an existing demand at the time of the suspension of the bank, and could not be proven up for participation in the distribution of the assets. What effect, if any, this might have on the mere recovery of judgment, and the questions often arising in respect of discharges in bankruptcy or insolvency, or of proceedings against insolvent decedents' estates as to the postponement of belated claims to subsequently discovered assets, the state courts did not find it necessary to consider, as they were of opinion that the liability was an existing demand. [161 U.S. 1, 10] The appellate court said: 'The lease in question was a lawful contract and engagement for the bank to make. The first monthly installment of rent was due under it nine days before the bank suspended. By its terms, the defauit that was made by the bank in the nonpayment of rent on May 1st gave the right to the appellant to re-enter and terminate the lease. The damages were then matured, and could have been at once sued for, or appellant could defer its suit, as it did, until, by a reletting of the premises, the extent of damages had been made certain. That they were unliquidated did not render them contingent. The contingency-default in payment of rent-had happened. After that, the damages were a mere matter of calculation.' And a similar view was thus expressed by the supreme court: 'The money was not paid, and there was then a breach of the contract, for which an action might have been maintained, and this occurred nine days before insolvency. There is, therefore, no foundation for the position of counsel that the claim of appellee was not an existing demand at the time the bank suspended. The amount of damages may not have been as large on the 1st day of May, 1893, as at a later period, but on that date there was a breach of the contract, and a right of action for such breach.'
Clearly, the conclusion thus reached involved no denial of a title, right, privilege, or immunity specially set up or claimed under the laws of the United States, and, as already seen, the only federal question arising was rightly decided. Judgment affirmed.
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Yes. Often, learning what a second doctor has to say can make it easier for you to decide on a course of treatment. Getting a second opinion is normal medical procedure, so do not be afraid that you will offend your doctor if you tell him or her that you want to get a second opinion. Knowledge is power, and the more input you have the better. You will not only gain a better understanding of you cancer by consulting with a second doctor, you might also get information about a clinical trial or new treatment method which previously was unknown to you.
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- Story Ideas
- Send Corrections
Economic advisor Dr. Luke Tilley told Kutztown area business owners that the economic news has improved over the past year.
A regional economic advisor with the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, Tilley recently presented the Economic Outlook for 2013. This was his third time being asked by the Northeast Berks Chamber of Commerce to present the annual fiscal outlook.
“The economy is in better shape than we were a year ago when I spoke to your group,” said Tilley.
Talking about the unemployment rate and the housing market, he said there are a lot of parts of the economy that have yet to return to normal, even though they have improved over the past year.
“Things have certainly improved,” he said. “But we still have a long way to go. We’re not back to normal. We’re not in full use of the capacity of our economy.”
When asked about inflation, he said the inflation rate for consumers is around 2 percent right now and is expected to stay under control between 1.5 and 2 percent over the next year.
Tilley noted that the opinions expressed were his own and not necessarily those of the Federal Reserve.
“The goal of the Federal Reserve and this outreach program is to give businesses and consumers an idea of where the Federal Reserve sees the economy and how the Federal Reserve policy is trying to achieve the goals of Congress that we’ve been given,” Tilley said after the presentation.
He hopes chamber members have a better idea of the current economic situation and how the Federal Reserve is trying to encourage growth while keeping inflation in check, he said.
Chamber Executive Director Tammy Gore thanked Tilley for once again sharing his presentation with the chamber.
“We love having Dr. Luke Tilley,” said Gore. “You get a sense of the direction. It sounds like things are improving, not as fast as we would like them to, but it seems like we’re going in the right direction.”
She said Tilley has a wealth of knowledge.
“I hope everyone walked away with something that they can apply in their thinking when they go back to their businesses,” said Gore. “I would think there was something in that presentation for everybody.”
Held at Kutztown University in the Student Union Building’s Multipurpose Room, Fleetwood Bank sponsored the chamber’s January Membership Meeting and Breakfast.
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Boy, 10, drags alligator home from canal
Florida wildlife officials say a 10-year-old boy dragged a nearly 6-foot alligator home from a nearby canal.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers were called to the Rockledge home of Michael Dasher on Wednesday after the boy’s grandfather saw the alligator in the front yard.
Michael told the officers he had been fishing with friends when something big caught the hook and snapped the line. The boy said the alligator ran at him, so he started hitting it with sticks and jumped on its back.
Michael dragged the alligator home and suffered only minor scratches on his hands and arms. Wildlife officers measured the alligator at 5 feet 9 inches long.
The officers let Michael off with a stern talk but no charges. They’ll release the alligator back into the St. John’s River.
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Architects: Alexander Melville
In 1903 the firm of A. and W. Melville, architects and civil engineers, began operation. This company was responsible for numerous buildings in and around the city. An incomplete list of works includes many Winnipeg Fire Halls, all built to a similar design. This example has been decommissioned and is a residence. Formerly Firehall No.14.
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Faith and the Rescued Chilean Miners
This article appeared in American Thinker.
As the last rescued Chilean miner came above ground — after spending 69 days deep in the lower reaches of earth and surrounded by 700,000 tons of unstable rock — the world watched in awe and tears. The men appeared remarkably healthy after their ordeal. Emotions were, understandably, high after the survivors completed their half-mile journey to the surface; predictably, the men’s thoughts were on family and faith. Mario Sepulveda, an ebullient man and the second man to emerge from the bullet-shaped rescue tube, said, “I was with God. I was with the Devil. God and the devil were fighting over me, and God won. I always knew they would get me out. I always had faith in the professionals here in Chile and in the Great Creator.” At 56 years of age, Omar Reygadas, one of the older miners, became a great-grandfather for the fourth time while he was trapped underground, while Jimmy Sanchez, the youngest miner at age 19, has a four-month-old baby, and Richard Villarroel is due to become a father in November.
Chilean President Miguel Juan Sebastián Piñera Echenique, Ph.D, declared that what “started as a possible tragedy,” ended up “as a real blessing from God.” Piñera, in contrast to American President Barack Obama’s actions during the BP oil spill disaster in the United States, was intimately involved in the rescue operation. The Chilean President, his wife, and his top-level staff — Mining Minister Laurence Golborne, Health Minister Jaime Manalich, and the engineer who coordinated the rescue, Andre Sougarret — were visibly present and obviously competent throughout the crisis, informing and rallying the nation and declaring their commitment to the miners’ rescue. Piñera said, “It will take time, but it doesn’t matter how long it takes to have a happy ending.” As “experts” from around the world began second-guessing the Chilean plans, Golborne showed his competence: “There is no need to try to start guessing what could go wrong. We have done that job, and we have hundreds of different contingencies.” One of the miners’ relatives summarized the determination of the nation, “This won’t be a success,” she said, “unless they all get out.”
To grasp the significance of this mining rescue requires understanding that the miners were trapped underground longer than anyone in recorded history. Further, no one even knew whether they were alive for 17 days after the August 5 cave-in. The world was stunned on August 22 when the bore hole reached the miners’ refuge and a note was returned disclosing their survival. Luis Urzua, shift supervisor of the mine, was the driving force in keeping the men alive and relatively healthy; his leadership is credited for the plans that doled out 48 hours’ worth of rations to hold the men until food could be sent down to them nearly three weeks into their ordeal. In addition, he drew the maps that enabled the rescuers to locate the men with the precision necessary for the successful rescue. When he emerged from the entrapment, Urzua proudly proclaimed, “We have done what the entire world was waiting for. We had strength, we had spirit, we wanted to fight, we wanted to fight for our families, and that was the greatest thing.”
Also, it was impossible to escape the religious significance of the rescue. The first rescuer made the sign of the cross as he was lowered into the mine to begin evacuating the trapped miners. Some reports identified Mario Gomez, the oldest trapped miner at 62, as the spiritual leader of the men. Gomez credited the Vatican for providing a “literal and spiritual” lifeline for the miners when they sent down 33 mini-Bibles and 33 rosaries. But not all of the captured miners were Catholics; the presence of evangelical believers reveals significant religious changes that are sweeping through Latin America and South America.
The Baptist wire services told the story of a Baptist pastor, Marcelo Leiva, and one of the miners, Jose Henriquez, who collaborated on the Bible Studies that Henriquez was conducting for fellow evangelical believers underground. Henriquez’s brother distributed T-shirts to those at Camp Esperanza, the tent city called “Camp Hope” set up for those awaiting the miners. The shirts bore a Bible verse, “To Him be the glory and honor. Because in his hands are the depths of the earth, and the heights of the mountains are His” (Psalm 95:4).
There is no question that the Chilean rescue involved expert planning, top notch engineering, quality equipment, and the ingenious problem solving of experts from a number of countries around the world. In addition, the miners give appropriate credit to their leaders, who kept them strong emotionally and physically. Villarroel said, “We had a boss … everyday he would tell us we had to be strong … we didn’t have hope. Strength comes from internal energy and prayer … I never use to pray, here I learned to pray. I got closer to God.” In fact, Time Magazine reported that the miners often sang hymns and described the atmosphere underground as being like a church service. Jimmy Sanchez, one of the outspoken believers, said, “There are actually 34 of us, because God has never left us down here.” Ultimately, Villarroel and the other rescued Chilean miners recognized — as we must all learn to do — that their fate rested not in human hands or expert plans alone, but in the providence of God. Villarroel surely spoke for the other miners — many fell to their knees in prayer as they came out of the rescue capsule — when he thanked God for a second chance at life. Omar Reygadas clutched his Bible as he exited the rescue capsule, and he knelt in prayer when his feet touched ground. His first words were: “God Lives.” From the first to the last rescued Chilean miner, these 33 men have learned much they can teach us about faith and what is real.
1015 Fifteenth St. N.W., Suite 1100
Washington, D.C. 20005
Phone: (202) 488-7000
Fax: (202) 488-0806
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Drive System Design is an innovative engineering consultancy specialising in the design and development of mechanical transmission systems and design of vehicle chassis systems.
Our expertise in the design and development of transmission and axle products allows us to provide our customers with high quality innovative design solutions within challenging timescales.
State of the art simulation techniques have been developed in house by Drive System Design. This allows us to provide high value added simulation to assist in the design and development of our customer's transmission and driveline products.
Drive system Design support the development of customer's transmission and driveline products by supplying industry expertise, state of the art simulation and testing hardware.
Our expertise in the development of chassis and suspension systems has been built up in the fields of high performance vehicles and motorsport.
Drive System Design have several years experience of working with drive systems in the wind industry. We are able to apply our expertise and simulation methods to help in the development of gearbox and drive units within the turbine.
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Fit to Be Tied?
Send tales of ire and indignation — no more than 500 words, please — to: email@example.com.
The library of my youth, in Ocean Township, N.J., was a tomb of peace, where the only sounds were shuffles, whispers and the occasional shush — delivered with an index finger crossing the lips of a bespectacled, cardigan-wearing librarian.
These days, at my local branch in Washington Township, N.J., I have to play an MP3 file in a loop — a sound bite of a hair dryer blasting between my ears — because without the white noise, I would not be able to think straight.
The theme of National Library Week, which begins on Sunday, is “Communities Thrive @ Your Library.” I have no problem with that. I just wish they would thrive more quietly. When did libraries become a cacophonous combination of cafe, video store, music store, computer lab and playground?
Twenty years ago, I was able to research my high school term papers in silence, but now the communal desks have been transformed into an open forum for children and adults to chat away as if they were hanging out at Starbucks.
Back in the day, there was such a thing as your “library voice,” which was pitched above a whisper but well below normal conversation, the sort of sotto voce used to deliver shameful apologies.
Not anymore. When fellow patrons walk through the doors and make a beeline for the DVD section, when they are clacking the discs’ plastic cases and lecturing on the savvy beauty of “Mad Men” or the intricate plotting of “The Wire,” I can hear their every word across the room.
One of the bigger libraries near me has a listening station for CDs, and the other day, two teenage girls sat down, clamped on headphones and proceeded to talk to each other while enjoying their music. Have you ever tried conversing with someone wearing Princess Leia-like headphones? You have to shout. Which is also what kids do when they log on the public computers to watch their favorite YouTube videos while opening up 15 windows of Instant Messenger. They may be quietly typing “LOL,” but they are also literally laughing out loud.
Meanwhile, tykes are burning up the carpet. I cannot remember the last time I went to my library when children were not playing hide-and-seek in the stacks, shrieking as they chased one another. The parents are usually nowhere to be seen, maybe playing a little hide-and-seek from their offspring. If this were story hour, I could understand, but it seems as if every minute of every day is now playtime.
Even librarians seem to be getting into the act, talking on the telephone as if sitting in a living room, letting everyone know that the plumber is arriving during lunch or that Uncle Jim is coming for dinner. At one point I had to turn up the dial of my hair dryer symphony to 11 because two librarians were discussing the location of a particular audio book — while standing at the opposite ends of the room.
At least this gives me a reason to look forward to old age, when I will again be blessed with the serenity that used to exist in libraries a long time ago — not because the noise level will have diminished, but because I will be too deaf to hear.
Sung J. Woo, a writer and Web developer, lives in Washington Township, N.J., and is the author of “Everything Asian” (Thomas Dunne Books, 2009).
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Your search for BASEBALL in Larry Doby returned 26 articles
ARTICLES ABOUT LARRY DOBY
Effa Manley was among 17 chosen in a special election to bring more people from the days of the Negro Leagues into baseball's Hall of Fame.February 28, 2006, Tuesday
''TELL me, tell me,'' the young son bearing his father's famous name used to say. ''I want to know about when you played.'' Larry Doby Sr. would not give in to the wishes of his star-struck child. It was not his way. ''I do not live in the past,'' he would tell Larry Doby Jr. ''I live for tomorrow.''June 24, 2003, Tuesday
When Roberto Alomar made the awful mistake of spitting at an umpire during an argument at home plate in 1996, I asked Larry Doby, then an adviser to the American League president, if he had been consulted on the proper punishment. ''No, no one asked me anything,'' he said. ''But, you know, it's the worst thing that ever happened to me on the field. One day I slid into second, and a guy spit on me. I felt terrible. It really got to me. I never forgot it.'' Larry put up with a lot, and his dea...June 22, 2003, Sunday
ON a sunny Saturday morning last year, Larry Doby, sunglasses shading his tired eyes, sat on a small folding chair at Eastside Park in Paterson, N.J., awaiting the unveiling of a life-size bronze statue of himself near the sandlot field named after him. Growing up, he had played baseball on that field so well he would follow Jackie Robinson in 1947 as the major leagues' second black player. ''You have done more for Paterson than Paterson has done for you,'' Mayor Marty Barnes told all those ...June 20, 2003, Friday
Larry Doby, who broke the color barrier in the American League in 1947, three months after Jackie Robinson became the first black in modern major league baseball, died Wednesday night at his home in Montclair, N.J. He was 79. The cause was complications of cancer, a granddaughter, Nicole Frasier, said.June 20, 2003, Friday
Larry Doby, who broke the color barrier in the American League in 1947, three months after Jackie Robinson became the first black in modern major league baseball, died last night at his home in Montclair, N.J. He was 79. He had been ill for some time, his son Larry Jr. told The Associated Press.June 19, 2003, Thursday
IT is 1946. The two young men gaze confidently at the camera. They are stars of the Newark Eagles, part of the Negro leagues, and it is the season when their team beats the Kansas City Monarchs to become the champions of those leagues. The men are Monte Irvin and Larry Doby and their photograph is on display in ''Pride Against Prejudice: The Negro Leagues,'' an exhibit at the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center at Montclair State University. The show, in one display case, previews the museum...January 19, 2003, Sunday
GOOD wives and mothers never really die. Helyn Doby will always be in her brick split-level home here on Nishuane Road because she made it a home. ''One of the toughest things is when I go to bed,'' Larry Doby was saying. ''And she's not there.''July 26, 2001, Thursday
IN a little less than a year, major league baseball will gather again in this hamlet to salute its latest Hall of Fame inductees. Nolan Ryan should stand out among them, not only as the greatest strikeout pitcher ever, but also as the last of the pitchers to win at least 300 games and strike out at least 3,000 batters. It is a small club, numbering only seven. All but Walter Johnson are of Ryan's generation. Of Ryan's peers, Tom Seaver and Steve Carlton were equally celebrated, Gaylord P...July 27, 1998, Monday
THE town of Montclair, N.J., will have its second Hall of Fame baseball player tomorrow when Larry Doby is inducted in Cooperstown, N.Y. Not coincidentally, his neighbor in the leafy suburb happens to be on the Veterans Committee that voted him in more than a half-century after he integrated the American League. Doby, in fact, ran into Yogi Berra recently and asked him if he was nervous back in 1972 when Berra made his own induction speech. Not really, Berra said. It is doubtful Doby will be...July 25, 1998, Saturday
SEARCH 26 ARTICLES ABOUT LARRY DOBY :
- Op-Ed Contributor: Defining My Dyslexia
- The Stone: Why Do I Teach?
- Well: What's in Your Green Tea?
- Well: Can Statins Cut the Benefits of Exercise?
- Unexcited? There May Be a Pill for That
- When Hollywood Wants Good, Clean Fun, It Goes to Mormon Country
- Engineers See a Path Out of Green Card Limbo
- Well: The Scientific 7-Minute Workout
- Op-Ed Columnist: Blacks, Conservatives and Plantations
- Op-Ed Columnist: Here Comes the Sun
Rss Feeds On Larry Doby
Subscribe to an RSS feed on this topic. What is RSS?
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Christian authors Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz believe more skeptics might be willing to search for the truth if only some Christians would get out of the way. In I'm Fine With God . . . It's Christians I Can't Stand: Getting Past the Religious Garbage in the Search for Spiritual Truth, Bickel and Jantz (who are also co-authors of the Christianity 101 series) express their frustration with how Christianity has become entangled in side issues such as politics, science, "judgmentalism" and more. These issues, they argue convincingly (and with more than a touch of humor), are harmful to Christians and nonbelievers alike, and have little basis in Scripture. Just as Christ didn't hold back when confronting the hypocritical legalists, Bickel and Jantz don't hold back either. They pull no punches, excoriating everyone from proponents of the "prosperity gospel" to Christian media that tries to cover abysmal artistic efforts under a faith-friendly veneer. Bickel and Jantz challenge believers to return to the true fundamentals of the faith—love for God, love for others and a life that mirrors the compassionate, forgiving spirit of Christ. Their book isn't likely to win friends among dogmatists. But as a call to Christians to make their actions reflect the true character of Christ, I'm Fine With God . . . is a fine book.
In the beginning
In What Jesus Meant and What Paul Meant, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Garry Wills brought a historian's eye to Christianity's most important figures - the Messiah on whom the faith is built, and the saint who wrote most of the New Testament. In What the Gospels Meant, Wills trains that scholarly eye on the gospels - who wrote them, when they were written and why. Wills is no slave to tradition; he is more than ready to question whether the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are really the work of their assigned namesakes, and whether certain passages were inserted by later editors. But at the same time, he is no self-appointed skeptic out to cast aside the whole if one account differs from another. Instead, Wills shows how the four gospels are the results of independent writers with varied though harmonious goals, each highlighting aspects of Christ's life, death and resurrection to emphasize specific themes important to the faith.
As with his earlier books, Wills' scholarship in What the Gospels Meant is impeccable, placing the gospels within their original cultural and religious context. That scholarship is rounded out by Wills' exceptional writing skills, creating a book that offers profound spiritual and historical insight in an accessible and intriguing format.
Thinking things through
Where Garry Wills primarily writes for the thoughtful believer, Timothy Keller writes for the thoughtful skeptic. The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism is an answer to the recent polemics from atheist authors such as Christopher Hitchens (God Is Not Great), Richard Dawkins (The God Delusion) and Samuel Harris (Letter to a Christian Nation), though it is hardly in the same vein. This is no reactionary screed, but a thoughtful, probing and erudite examination of the Christian faith.
Keller, the pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, answers skeptics with understanding, compassion and compelling logic. He deftly refutes the arguments of Hitchens et. al, revealing their underlying fallacies, while encouraging the reader to examine his or her own assumptions for similar false premises. Yet throughout The Reason for God, Keller never resorts to smugness or presents his views as necessarily infallible - a refreshing approach in a world so often divided by unfounded claims of certainty.
The publisher compares Keller to the great Christian writer and thinker C.S. Lewis; the comparison is apt. Like Lewis, Keller offers clarity of thought in an engaging, readable style. And like Lewis, Keller calls readers - believers and skeptics alike - to an active examination of their own motivations, purpose and faith. The believer will find as much to challenge his understanding of God as will the skeptic - and both will leave the book the richer for it.
After years of skepticism, Jon Spayde came to Christianity because of alcohol. Left with no will of his own to combat his desire for liquor, Spayde turned his will over to a higher power - and in the process, discovered Christ. This life change led Spayde to talk with Christians from across the spectrum of the faith, to learn how each had come to relate to God. How to Believe: Teachers and Seekers Show the Way to a Modern, Life-Changing Faith offers interviews with ordinary (and not so ordinary) Christians - including retired bishops, hospice workers, ministers, former executives and others who have found or are seeking the path to religion. Some are on the very fringes of the faith; some are solidly in its traditional center. All have varied understandings of Christ and His meaning to the believer.
Spayde is a gifted writer and interviewer, with an openness that allows him to approach disparate believers whom more traditional Christian writers might have ignored. No reader will likely end up agreeing with every person who shared their thoughts with Spayde. But the insight into the diversity of faith is worth a look, and the result is a challenge to consider the meaning of your own faith - a challenge worthy of the Easter season.
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Last night, full of curiosity about violent video games, I decided to google them. Needless to say, I was outraged!!!
In one video game, there was a man with many different weapons at his disposal, including high power machine guns, hand guns, knives, you name it. He roamed through a public building, kicking in doors and massacring people. The games were very graphic and realistic.
The player in the game is a violent man who takes vengeance on people like targets, while spewing obscenities. I cannot help but wonder if this type of game desensitizes young people to the true nature of violence? As I sit and wonder about Newtown and the horrible tragedy, and how anyone could do such a thing, I cannot help but speculate the murder's mindset was like a video game.
That he literally became the violent figure in the games he played incessantly in dark room, day after day, after day. Along with gun control, we need to be discussing these games. It is a slippery slope, free speech and all, but those games are really awful! We as a society should seriously question why we would accept these games, and or buy them for young adults for that matter.
The common thread for school shooters are, upper middle class white males. This brings another question we should ask. What is the common thread here? Could it be these kids grow up in a world where they get everything they ask for? Be it violent games, guns, hours of free time to sit in a dark room doing nothing but re-enacting violence? Maybe we should require more of our children. Like getting up and out of the house and doing something productive in the world. Instead of throwing money and things at them, how about engaging them?
Engaging them with family responsibility, like chores, real chores that makes them break a sweat and appreciate people and things, appreciate life and family. It seems to me the common thread that the shooters have is a lack of respect for life in general. An apathy that goes deep... A darkness so vile that only a bright light from all of us can stop it from ever happening again. We need to get more old fashioned. By that I mean children need to learn how to be productive citizens, not mindless consumers with too much free time.
We need to require more from them and teach them to respect life. To teach this respect they must learn by doing. Instead of allowing kids to sit in front of tv screens, shopping or even carting them around to this or that, how about having them volunteer and contribute to their communities and families? Children have a lot of energy and a lot to give. We as adults owe it to them to teach them how. As a parents and adults, we are more than a means for them to get what they want.
We are the means they have to learn respect and how to grow up to be productive citizens. Even if a child has mental illness, or any non life threatening illness, they can give of themselves. This is where self-worth comes from, not from violent video games, mindless consumerism, too much idle time, but from good old fashioned hard work. This is good for all children.
Newtown is part of all of us, this is a tragedy that we as a community must address, and we as a community must honestly look and see where and how we can all change to prevent such a tragedy from ever happening again.
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This is not news that will sit for long. It is not being reported in the MSM here but, if accurate, it is stunning information.
First, from Commodity Online service: China and UAE ditch US Dollar, will use Yuan for oil trade
NEW YORK (Commodity Online): The US dollar is fast losing out its reserve currency status with China aggressively replacing the dollar with the Yuan as a currency for bi-lateral trade. The latest is an agreement signed between the China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which will use the Yuan for oil trade.
The deal is worth around $5.5 billion dollars and the Chinese central bank said that the deal aims at “strengthening bilateral financial cooperation, promoting trade and investments and jointly safeguarding regional financial stability”
Earlier, Russia and Iran had decided to use Rubles as a means of currency. With both China and Russia converting their bi-lateral trades into non-US dollar deals, the greenback is now under threat of losing out its status as the world reserve currency. And the impact of such a transition will essentially tip the balance of global power.
According to a new and yet unconfirmed report, India bought oil from Iran using gold. India certainly has the gold resources to fund the oil, while Iran is under pressure by the West, due the continuation of its nuclear program.
There were reports that officials have been floating this idea for some time, and now, as the EU finally decided upon an oil embargo on Iran, more details became available, yet still pend confirmation.
Oil is priced in US dollars, and bypassing the greenback posed challenges for both parties. Two banks are reportedly involved in this deal: India’s state owned UCO Bank and Turkey’s state owned Halkbank.
Both banks don’t have any business with the US and therefore are less vulnerable to sanctions. According to the report, an Indian delegation has spent time in Tehran and finalized the details of the transactions. The annual capacity of trade between these two countries is 12 billion dollars.
The dollar is losing reserve currency status before your eyes. When the Euro crisis resolves one way or another, a tsunami will hit the dollar.
The currency swap agreement between China and the United Arab Emirates [UAE] signed during Premier Wen Jiabao’s tour of the Persian Gulf region ending today, will raise eyebrows in the western capitals, especially London and Washington. The list of countries with which China has such deals is slowly and steadily lengthening and this is the first such deal with a Gulf Cooperation Council [GCC] state.
We can thank our 100-0 Congress for this. Not smart unless they are really chomping at the bit for dramatic escalation and repercussions.
Global research provides some decent background in Tehran Pushes to Ditch the US Dollar:
The official line from the United States and the European Union is that Tehran must be punished for continuing its efforts to develop a nuclear weapon. The punishment: sanctions on Iran's oil exports, which are meant to isolate Iran and depress the value of its currency to such a point that the country crumbles.
But that line doesn't make sense, and the sanctions will not achieve their goals. Iran is far from isolated and its friends – like India – will stand by the oil-producing nation until the US either backs down or acknowledges the real matter at hand. That matter is the American dollar and its role as the global reserve currency.
The short version of the story is that a 1970s deal cemented the US dollar as the only currency to buy and sell crude oil, and from that monopoly on the all-important oil trade the US dollar slowly but surely became the reserve currency for global trades in most commodities and goods. Massive demand for US dollars ensued, pushing the dollar's value up, up, and away. In addition, countries stored their excess US dollars savings in US Treasuries, giving the US government a vast pool of credit from which to draw.
If the US dollar loses its position as the global reserve currency, the consequences for America are dire. A major portion of the dollar's valuation stems from its lock on the oil industry – if that monopoly fades, so too will the value of the dollar. Such a major transition in global fiat currency relationships will bode well for some currencies and not so well for others, and the outcomes will be challenging to predict. But there is one outcome that we foresee with certainty: Gold will rise. Uncertainty around paper money always bodes well for gold, and these are uncertain days indeed.
A couple weeks ago Alex Kane provided us with of evidence Iran wants talks. There are talks in the making.
ANKARA, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- Turkish and Iranian foreign ministers on Thursday called on relevant parties to resume nuclear talks with Iran as soon as possible for regional stability.
At a joint press conference held in Turkey's capital Ankara Thursday, Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi hoped that the nuclear talks between Iran and five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany could be held at Istanbul as soon as possible.
"The key thing is to start negotiations and ease tensions at once. And Turkey is ready to provide any help or any contributions to the resumption of nuclear talks since it is high time for talks and a settlement," said Ahmet Davutoglu.
I.e., we chose these sanctions when there were alternatives.
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Fry Up: The Young Ones
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The Young Ones
Young Ones shouldn’t be afraid and events this week have shown that the latest crop of New Zealand youth is bold and fearless.
On Tuesday InternetNZ hosted a debate for representatives of the main political parties to discuss their ICT policies (according to @vikram_nz it was attended by around 60 in the audience and 1,240 online).
The talking point at the event debrief (which may or may not have taken place in a bar) was how well reps from The Maori Party and ACT spoke (oh and there was also talk about patents, spectrum and @stevenljoyce).
Panel from left: Steven Joyce, Kaapua Smith, Clare Curran, Gareth Hughes, Peter McCaffrey
Neither Kaapua Smith, the Maori Party rangatahi (youth) representative, nor Peter McCaffrey, president of ACT On Campus, are candidates. But seated beside Steven Joyce, Clare Curran and a young-looking Gareth Hughes they more than held their own.
Determined to get to the bottom of this Fry Up emailed a fellow-hack-in-attendance the next day: “What has happened to young people?”
“Guess student loans may have prevented them pickling their brains in alcohol - all I can think of,” was his reply.
Sparks fly at InternetNZ election debate
The Young Ones part two
Self-described law geek Rick Shera provides a poignant reminder in his blog this week about how technology can date us. He wanted to retrieve a dissertation on copyright law that he had stored on a 3.5 inch floppy. When he showed the disk to a Young One on his staff they laughed - apparently they had never seen a floppy disk before.
Internet linking and copyright: A blast from the past
Which has reminded Fry Up about the cupboard under the stairs filled with cassette tape recordings of interviews conducted 100 or so years ago. There is one with Ben Elton where we asked, “when you wrote The Young Ones television series did you expect it to be such a enormous success”. To which he replied “It was like throwing the dice and getting a six.”
Captured in a screengrab
But let’s not get too nostalgic for the floppy disk and cassette tape. The new ways of storing and displaying information get faster results, as this Twitter exchange - captured forever in a screengrab - between tech blogger and commentator Ben Gracewood and Vodafone demonstrates:
It ended happily ever after when Gracewood tweeted later that day: "Had a nice phone call from the @vodafoneNZ complaints team. Also got a nice shiny new @Telecomnz micro-sim. Just prepay for now."
Debt crisis quiz
The European Debt Crisis is beautifully explained by John Clarke and Brian Dawe in the form of a Mastermind round. The video is over a year old, but sadly it is still relevant.
Nice idea, shame about the press release
As part of Fry Up' s occasional series on the strange, weird and desperate press releases that pass through our email inbox, we bring you this from the PM:
Prime Minister John Key today launched the NZ Inc India Strategy at the Cloud in Auckland.“This is the first of what will be many NZ Inc country and regional strategies that will set ambitious medium goals and provide a clear direction for the whole of government effort over a five year period,” said Mr Key.
Who wants to live in NZ Inc?
nz.org sounds like a much nicer place.
Posted by Peter McCaffrey at 21:02:55 on October 21, 2011
And, for those who missed it or just want to take another look, the full debate can be watched or downloaded from http://www.r2.co.nz/20111018/
Posted by Vikram Kumar at 14:05:28 on October 21, 2011
Posted by Sarah Putt at 14:22:22 on October 21, 2011
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Photo of the albino deer, shot in 1907
‘Bear Waller’ Club boys
The “Bear Waller” Club, composed of Warrensburgh’s mightiest nimrods, started for the tall timber on Oct. 20, 1911, leaving by automobile as early as Counselor Lewis E. Crandall could be routed from his bed. They established their camp at Sawyer’s clearing on the Sacandaga River and will remain there until the close of the deer hunting season on Oct. 31, 1911. It was agreed upon that the woods are full of deer and their capture is comparatively easy if a man just knows how to shoot straight.
This will be their third annual expedition, “Big Chief” Herb Smith will lead the party to the lair of the weary deer. E. C, Manzer will fill his old position as “Little Chief” and Counselor Crandall will again have charge of the “grub list” and the larder will be well supplied. Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Wescott will preside over the culinary department.
Other hunters on the trip will be Dr. W.F. Wilkinson, Dr. James E. Goodman, Barry W. Woodward, William Condon, Orley Magee, Charles Green, James Guyette, Clarence Russell, Herbert C. Smith and Clyde Ross.
Note: The prestigious Bear Waller Club was organized in 1909 by Warrensburgh barber Ernest C. “Kid” Manzer and was probably the most popular and best known hunting club in this part of the Adirondacks. For many years each fall the “Bear Wallers” pitched tents in the Oregon section of the Town of Johnsburgh for the annual hunting season. The “Kid” was best known for the white albino deer that he shot in 1907, a rare specimen seldom if ever seen.
After he originally moved here from England, his first shop was on the second floor of the Crystal Pharmacy which stood for many years near the sidewalk at the north end of the present day IGA store parking lot, before it later burned. He also had a shop at one time on the corner of Main Street and Adirondack Avenue, a little building called Trilby Cottage on the lawn in front of today’s Rite Aid pharmacy. Manzer conducted a barber shop in Warrensburgh for 52 years before he retired in 1938. He married Eva Knickerbocker in 1898 at the Methodist parsonage.
Contact correspondent Jean Hadden at firstname.lastname@example.org or 623-2210.
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Crosses on doors are ok, but mezuzot on doorposts are forbidden!
source: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...210351,00.htmlA Jewish woman from Connecticut was told by her condominium complex' management company that she must remove a mezuzah (a small parchment scroll rolled up in a case that is attached to Jewish homes' doors) from her doorframe or face a $50 fine per day, a local newspaper reported on Friday...
"It's not a decorative choice, or a choice at all when a condo association or anyone says that a mezuzah cant be put on a doorpost or doorframe. Basically, they are telling the Jewish person that he or she cannot live there," he said.
Jones noted that the condominium association's act was in violation of the Federal Fair Housing Act. Some states, he noted, even legislated special laws protecting Jewish residents who affix mezuzahs on their doors. The contract signed by Cadranel, on the other hand, allows condo owners to place Christian symbols such as crosses or Christmas decorations on doors, but forbids the display of other symbols such as mezuzahs.
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Filed underPolitical Blog Progressive
Republicans are spinning all sorts of conspiracy theories about General Petraeus’ unfortunate personal decisions. Revelations surrounding the affair have prompted the tin foil hat crowd on the right to find all sorts of conspiracies about why the news that CIA Director David Petraeus was having an affair with his biographer was released after the election.
One theory holds that IF ONLY REPUBLICANS HAD KNOWN, ROMNEY WOULD HAVE WON THE ELECTION.
There are two problems with this conspiracy theory.
One, it is stupid. Mitt Romney would not have won the election because CIA Director David Petraeus’ was having an extra-marital affair. It is an assertion completely divorced from reality – a common position that the right wing entertainment media takes.
Two, it is not true. Republican Members of Congress, including Congressman Eric Cantor, were informed that the FBI investigation was happening earlier in the fall.
But that fact has not stopped the right wing entertainers on FOX and other outlets from making the false claim.
Another theory put forward was that PETRAEUS WAS TAKEN OUT TO STOP HIM FROM TESTIFYING ON BENGHAZI.
General Petraeus did testify on Benghazi . He was not executed or detained. He was, however, forced to resign his post because he made a major mistake in judgment. At no point was there a suggestion that Petraeus would be unable to testify before Congress.
But the right wing nuts went nuts screaming that this was part of the administration’s cover up.
Republicans will also regret the demand that Petraeus testify because he made it clear the administration, including the intelligence agencies, handled the Benghazi information in a professional, not political, manner.
Now a Republican Member of Congress has decided, based on no evidence, that HOLDER AND OBAMA DISCUSSED THE INVESTIGAION PRIVATELY BEFORE THE ELECTION AND ARE LYING ABOUT IT.
Mike Rogers, GOP Congressman from Michigan, is obsessed by his personal belief that Attorney General Eric Holder must have told President Obama about the investigation before the election.
Rogers said “I’m not sure that the president was not told before Election Day. The attorney general said that the Department of Justice did not notify the president, but we don’t know if the attorney general…(told Obama).”
He wants Holder to come before the intelligence committees to discuss it. “We could resolve this very quickly with a conversation in the intelligence spaces if he did have that conversation with the president.”
If Republicans are truly focused on improving their electoral standing after the November 6 electoral defeat they should focus on real issues instead of grandstanding for the Tea Party base. Most Americans hear this non-sense and cannot understand why the GOP is making a big political deal about Obama because his CIA Director was having an affair with his biographer.
About Bill Buck
Bill Buck is a Democratic strategist, President of the Buck Communications Group, a media relations and new media strategies consulting business based in Washington, DC, and Managing Director of the online ad firm Influence DSP. He has over twenty years of international and national communications experience. The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of CBS Local.
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Hot on HuffPost Parents:
- Cory Silverberg: Science and Storytelling in Sex Education
- Carrie Smith: Building a Family: Is Going Into Debt for In Vitro or…
Big Brother Is Watching You, so Get Your Butt to Class
Welcome to George Orwell Junior High.
Big Brother is not the only one watching you. All sorts of adults can track your every movement, thanks to GPS technology. So don't try any funny business, kid.
The Orange County Register reports officials at the Anaheim Union School District thought it would be cool to track seventh and eighth graders like rogue bears on "Wild Kingdom."
That way, they could keep the little sneaks from cutting class.
Any kid who has more than six unexcused absences has to carry a Global Positioning System device about the size of a cell phone. Yes, it would be more fun to strap it on their ankles or clamp it on their ears, but some people say that's just not nice.
One of them is Miller Sylvan, the regional director of AIM Truancy Solutions, the firm helping with the GPS program. "We don't want to criminalize the kids or have them wear any bracelet or something around their ankle that would stigmatize them," he tells the Orange County Register.
Whatever. The important thing is that the kids can be monitored while adults drum their fingers and murmur, "Eeexcellent."
The whole thing is very science fiction-y. Every school day starts with a call from a computer (let's call him "Hal") who reminds the student to get to school on time.
Then, five times a day, the student must enter a code that allows adults to monitor him. He must enter a code when he leaves for school, arrives at school, eats lunch and goes home as well as a final check in at 8 p.m.
Failure to check in results in him being captured by a giant bubble and returned to the Village. Just kidding. That's another science fiction reference. School officials have not gone that far. Yet.
Students do get someone to watch over them, however. They get assigned an adult overlord (or "coach") who calls them three times a week to reportedly see how they're doing and help them find effective ways to get to class on time.
While there are no bubbles involved, the disobedient do risk a trip to juvie.
Hopefully, Sylvan tells the Register, it never comes to that. "The idea is for this not to feel like a punishment, but an intervention to help them develop better habits and get to school."
The GPS devices cost between $300 and $400 each. The Register reports the program is part of a six-week pilot program that costs the the district, overall, about $18,000. A state grant foots the bill.
Police tell the paper if tracking kids by GPS seems a little extreme, people should remember kids face extreme risks. Kids who cut class are prime candidates for joining street gangs, police say.
And schools lose about $35 per day every time student fails to show up.
Miller tells the Register similar programs in San Antonio and Baltimore resulted in school attendance by chronically absent kids jumping an average of 77 percent to 95 percent because of GPS tracking.
Some students were back to their old tricks after the devices were taken away, Miller tells the paper, but many learned new habits -- especially with the coaches continuing to talk with them for a year.
"This is their last chance at an intervention," Kristen Levitin, principal at Dale Junior High in Anaheim, tells the Register. "Anything that can help these kids get to class is a good thing."
Not all parents agree.
"I feel like they come at us too hard, and making kids carry around something that tracks them seems extreme," Raphael Garcia, the father of a sixth grader who has six unexcused absences, tells the paper.
"This makes us seem like common criminals," she adds.
Not really, police investigator Armando Pardo tells the paper. Parents are not being charged with a crime. However, they could be. Letting kids skip school without a valid reason is a crime, he says.
The kids could be sent to juvenile hall, and their parents could be slapped with a fine up to $2,000.
So here's looking at you, kid.
Want to get the latest ParentDish news and advice? Sign up for our newsletter!
Ask Us Anything About Parenting
Start by teaching him that it is safe to do so.
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Dan sets up his camera.
The Geminids were in effect this week in Hawaii and North America. Monday night, the 15th, was the peak of the meteor shower and a few of us went to go check it out and try to snap some pics. We read that there were supposed to be 50 or so meteors per hour and that was about right. Every minute you’d see a meteor (which looks like a shooting star) or two. It was very cool to see but almost impossible to capture on camera.
Sam, Dan, Reanne and I cruised out to “Alan Davis,” the beach between Sandy Beach and Makapu’u around midnight. It’s one of the darkest spots you can find that’s within 20 minutes of Honolulu.
It was a bright night though with the half moon and all. So, to get a better view of the stars we had to wait and hour and a half for the moon to set.
You can see how bright the moon is here as it lights up the sand and waves.
There was also a massive bonfire next to us. It didn’t help with the star gazing, but it made for some cool pictures. These guys had the right idea.
Okay, in this photo is the only meteor I caught on camera (after over 100 shots). It was a faint one so it’s really hard to see. If you look just right and down from the center of the photo you’ll see what looks like a white scratch. That’s the meteor! (Trust me though, the shower was much cooler in person.)
On our way home we stopped by at Lanai Lookout. All the city lights in this area get blocked out by Koko Head.
There’s more stars to be seen here but still nothing on camera.
I think for the next meteor shower, either the Perseids in August or the next Geminids, I’ll make the hour long drive out to Mokule’ia where it gets super dark. And I might need to change some settings on my camera.
At any rate, if you’re not spending your time being frustrated while trying to take pictures of these elusive meteors, this is a great experience. It’s not often that you get to sit out by the ocean and stare at meteors on a warm winter night.
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Florence Schornstein was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, an only child raised in an adoring, extended family. Flo's volunteer career began in the Civil Rights Movement and has encompassed civic issues including voter registration, school integration, equity for women, and pro-choice rights. She credits the National Council of Jewish Women with giving her a start in political leadership, and says, "For me, the best expression of my Judaism is to make the world a better place for other people."
When the mayor of New Orleans asked Flo to run his Parks and Parkways Department in 1982, she took on the challenge with gusto. Although she had no experience in horticulture, her skills as an organizer and coalition-builder allowed her to marshal a corps of 13,000 volunteers who are dedicated to keeping the city's green spaces healthy and beautiful. It is no understatement to say that Flo transformed the face of the city.
In addition, Flo has served as Chairwoman of the Board of United Way, Chairwoman of the Board of Touro Infirmary (and later Executive Director of the Touro Infirmary Foundation) and, through NCJW, helped create a precursor of the Head Start program. She says, "I often wonder who and how many will follow our mandate for tikkun olam, repair of the world? Judaism teaches that to save a single life is to save the world. I once heard a Shabbat prayer that expresses this, and it goes like this: God bless everybody's children, and mine too."
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Canada gets failing grade on Nazi war crimes file
Canada’s record in bringing Nazi war criminals to justice has earned the country yet another failing grade, according to a report by the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Israel office.
Canada joined Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Australia and Austria with an “F-2: Failure in practice” mark, states Worldwide Investigation and Prosecution of Nazi War Criminals, the centre’s annual report.
The mark refers to “countries in which there are no legal obstacles to the investigation and prosecution of suspected Nazi war criminals, but whose efforts (or lack thereof) have resulted in complete failure… primarily due to the absence of political will to proceed.”
Canada has been given failing grades for several years. According to data compiled in the report, Canada has not filed a single new case since 2003-04 and there have been no new convictions in four years. Efraim Zuroff, author of the report, said Canada’s grade should improve next year, as the report will take into account the recent decision of the federal cabinet to strip Helmut Oberlander of his citizenship. Oberlander was a translator in a Nazi killing squad.
Zuroff said there are currently 1,138 investigations underway in 10 countries. A very small number will ever reach trial, perhaps 10 to 15, he suggested.
The report found that in the year up to March 31, 2012, 10 individuals were convicted on charges related to Nazi war crimes, including Ivan (John) Demjanjuk, a guard at the Sobibor death camp.
During the period under review, cases were initiated against six suspects, five in Italy and one in Spain. Germany, Italy and the United States were the only countries to receive an “A” grade, while Spain, along with Hungary and Serbia, were given “B.”
The report noted that in the 18 years since Canada shifted to the civil remedies of denaturalization and deportation, 21 cases have been initiated, of which 10 could be considered successes.
Two of the 10 suspects left the country voluntarily, but “to date… not a single one of the eight persons who appealed against the decision has been deported and seven of the eight have since died in Canada.” Six others died in the course of proceedings against them.
“I know Canadians hate being compared to Americans, but the fact is that the Nazi war criminals and collaborators [in the countries] are the same,” Zuroff said. The United States has a much better record of deporting Nazi war criminals. From 2001 to March 31, 2012, the United States was responsible for 39 of the 99 convictions registered worldwide.
“The results achieved by the Americans clearly underscores the professional excellence and dedication of the [Justice Department] agency and the critical role played by political will in the prosecution of Holocaust perpetrators,” the report states.
Zuroff said the centre’s “most wanted” list includes several with ties to Canada. Ladislaus Csizsik-Csatary, who left Canada rather than face deportation, currently lives under house arrest in Hungary. He was charged on July 17, 2012, with torturing Jews in the Kosice, Slovakia, ghetto. Csizsik-Csatary served as a senior Hungarian police officer in Kosice, where he allegedly helped organize the deportation of 15,700 Jews to Auschwitz in the spring of 1944.
Another Canadian high on the list of most wanted is Vladimir Katriuk. Katriuk was stripped of his Canadian citizenship in 1999, but in 2007, a Federal Court reinstated it. The Wiesenthal Center says subsequent research by Swedish historian Per Anders Rudling implicates Katriuk personally in war crimes in Belarus. Zuroff said he has forwarded the new information to Canadian authorities but Rudling has not been contacted by Canadian prosecutors.
Contacted by The CJN, the Justice Department declined to comment on specific cases. However, department spokesperson Stephen Slesso stated, “Since 1987, the government of Canada has upheld its policy to ensure that this country does not become a safe haven for people involved in war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide… The government remains committed to identifying, preventing entry, locating, apprehending, prosecuting, detaining and removing those individuals who pose a safety and security risk or threat to Canada.”
Zuroff, author of Operation Last Chance, acknowledged that little time remains to bring Nazi war criminals to justice. It may be that Canadian governments of all political persuasions “never considered this a priority,” he said. “And it’s possible the Jewish community lost interest and considers it an issue that’s going nowhere.”
That’s an assertion that Shimon Fogel disputes. Fogel, CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) said bringing Nazis to justice “is a priority for us. It has been for the last three decades.”
CIJA did push for a fresh look at the Oberlander case, which led to the revocation of his citizenship, but it is aware of only two other suspects – Katriuk and Wasyl Odynsky – who could be subject to legal actions.
“It’s not that the government is not willing to investigate cases. There are no cases,” Fogel said. “I think the government is not just implicitly but explicitly committed to this.”
“I don’t think the government is hesitant or shy to do the right thing about alleged Nazi war criminals. The reality is that in 2013, and each year after, it becomes less likely to find people still living that fit in that category,” he said.
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Viewing the King James Version. Click to switch to 1611 King James Version of John 1:24.
And they which were sent were of the Pharisees.
- King James Bible "Authorized Version", Cambridge Edition
Share This Verse:
<< Read the whole chapter of John 1
Other Translations of John 1:24
And they which were sent, were of the Pharises.- King James Version (1611)
- View 1611 Bible Scan
Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.- New American Standard Version (1995)
And they had been sent from the Pharisees.- American Standard Version (1901)
Those who had been sent came from the Pharisees.- Basic English Bible
And they were sent from among the Pharisees.- Darby Bible
And they that were sent, were of the Pharisees. - Douay Rheims Bible
And they who were sent were of the Pharisees. - Webster's Bible
They were Pharisees who had been sent.- Weymouth Bible
The ones who had been sent were from the Pharisees.- World English Bible
And thei that weren sent, weren of the Fariseis.- Wycliffe Bible
And those sent were of the Pharisees,- Youngs Literal Bible
View Wesley's Notes for John 1:24
1:24 They who were sent were of the Pharisees - Who were peculiarly tenacious of old customs, and jealous of any innovation (except those brought in by their own scribes) unless the innovator had unquestionable proofs of Divine authority.
View People's Bible Notes for John 1:24
Joh 1:24 Were of the Pharisees. See PNT "Mt 3:7".
What Do You Think of John 1:24?
Share your own thoughts or commentary here...
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I received an invitation to a tamalada (a tamale-making party) recently. The party was in Seattle, which might seem like a long way to travel in order to cook with friends, but you don’t know just how much I love tamales. Unfortunately, however, the trip couldn’t happen due to conflicts with both work and my bank account. But this didn’t stop me from making my own tamales here in New York City. And while I usually make savory tamales, this time I decided to make chocolate tamales instead.
I used to tell people that instead of a silver spoon, I was born with a tamale in my mouth. As often as I can, you’ll find me eating a tamale, either unadorned or smothered in chili gravy. I’ve always been partial to shredded beef tamales, but I won’t say no to pork, chicken, cheese or bean as I’m an equal-opportunity tamale eater. And there is really never a bad time to eat tamales, morning or night, spring or fall. But the best time to eat tamales is at Christmas.
In Texas and Mexico, it's a long-standing tradition for people to come together this time of year and spend all day making stacks of tamales, to be eaten during Christmas and shared with friends and family. I suspect one reason for this is because making them takes a lot of work—not hard work, mind you, but it’s certainly time consuming. And since it’s not an everyday activity, the more hands you have on hand the faster the tamale making goes. You have a house full of family? Put them to work!
I will admit that I did not start making my own until later in life—my family missed out on all the fun by buying their Christmas tamales. But from the first time I attended a tamalada, I was convinced that there is probably no better way to gather with friends—it’s the ultimate dinner party.
Now, as much as I love to make tamales, my friends and I only get around to it once a year. But this doesn’t stop me from eating tamales as often as I can and fortunately there are people who sell them near my apartment on Sundays.
Last week there was a new vendor hawking their sweet tamales. I'd never had a sweet tamale before, so curious how it would taste I ordered one. As the seller pulled the tamale from the steamer, I was alarmed at the color, which was a bright pink that I suspected had not been achieved naturally. (Though you can dye the masa and husks with hibiscus leaves.) And if that wasn’t bad enough, the stuffing was candied pineapple and some chewy sweet green thing I couldn’t identify. The tamale may have looked festive but it tasted terrible. It was the leaden fruitcake of tamales and like the fate of that much-maligned Christmas pastry, this dessert also ended up in the garbage bin.
But not all fruitcakes are inedible and I knew that a sweet tamale could be good as well. So I decided to make my own.
When I made the masa, I threw in sugar, cinnamon and vanilla to make it sweet and chucked in some chopped pecans and dried cherries as well. For the filling, I simply placed chocolate chips in the center of my masa before rolling my tamales.
The hardest part about making tamales is the wait—after all that stuffing and rolling, you still have to steam them for two very long hours in which your house will become fragrant with chocolate, cherries and pecans. It takes a lot of restraint to not whip off the lid of your steamer and grab a tamale. But please, control yourself. And yes, when they're ready, your patience will pay off when you peel off the corn husk and take a soft, chocolate-rich bite.
Chocolate tamales with pecans and dried cherries
32 dried corn husks
1 cup butter
1 ½ cups brown sugar
4 cups masa harina
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
2 cups milk
1 cup pecans, roasted and chopped
1 cup dried cherries, chopped
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Place the corn husks in a pan of water and submerge until completely covered. Let soak for 20 minutes or until soft and pliable.
Cream together the butter and the brown sugar.
Mix together the masa harina, cinnamon, vanilla, ground cloves and salt. Stir in the water and milk and combine until the masa harina is a moist paste.
Add the masa harina to the creamed butter and sugar and whip until fluffy. Stir in the pecans and dried cherries.
To form the tamales, take a corn husk, which you’ll notice has four sides and is in sort of a cone shape. Place the corn husk in front of you, with the pointed end at your right. In the center of the husk, spoon out 1/4 cup of the masa and spread it leaving a clean border around the masa. Place one tablespoon of chocolate chips in the center of the masa.
Now, join together the two long sides (NOT the pointed side and the wide side) and then roll the husk until it’s about the width of a cigar. Take the narrower, pointed end and fold it up about 1/4 way of the tamale. Alternatively, you can rip strips from a corn husk and after rolling tie up each end like it’s a package.
In a large pot, place a steamer basket or a colander. Add water to the pot just to the base of the basket (don’t let the water get into it). Place the tamales in the basket seam side down, bring the water to a boil and then cover the pot and turn the heat down to low.
Check the water level occasionally to make sure there’s enough in the pot, and steam tamales for two hours. You’ll know they’re done when the masa pulls cleanly away from the husk.
Let them rest for a few minutes and then serve warm. I like to eat them as they are, but they’re also good with a dollop of sour cream mixed with cinnamon, a bit of sugar and vanilla. Powdered sugar sprinkled on top of them is a treat as well.
Makes 32 tamales.
And here are more ideas on how to have your own tamale-making party.
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Posted by Lisa (Homesick Texan) at 10:45 AM
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Knock, knock, anybody home?
(and other tough questions about the ‘artist’ within you)
CAROLINE DUNLOP MILLETT
Second of a series of articles on home design.
“Own your own soul in your bedroom.”
“Find your true spirit in a tree house.”
“Realize the real you in a dream kitchen.”
These false promises and many more can be found in countless shelter magazines. Or you can turn on a TV home show and get advice from the pretty blonde who’ll tell you how to develop a custom personal concept in ten minutes flat.
If I sound too harsh in my criticism of mass media sales pitches, consider this Siematic kitchen ad. Here you’re told to make your kitchen “the same way that idiosyncratic architects back then [in the late 19th Century] took the freedom to combine elements from different historic eras.” Today, the ad insists, “you too can break the conventional rules of style and create something new: your own personal composition, a reflection of your personality.”
Maybe you can find evidence of originality and character in this illustration. I can’t. Besides, the much-touted “composition of styles from different periods” is nonexistent, with the possible exception of a crystal chandelier, which will get hideously greasy if anyone actually cooks anything in this kitchen.
What I do see is a contemporary cliché, a sophisticated up-to-the-minute fashion statement likely to go out of style relatively soon. This glamorous kitchen is a bad buy for anyone wishing to make a permanent investment in personal style.
Now take a look at an ad for Wood-Mode’s refined custom cabinetry, which you are also told will “reflect your own personal style,” even though the room in the picture is filled with standardized Italian Renaissance detailing. Unless you happen to be a sincere Italophile, this “personal” statement makes no sense at all. You can’t just buy an Old World concept package and expect it to deliver an environment chock full of your personality (or anyone else’s). Copies of copies of period styles tend to lack the quality and vitality of the original creation.
Beware instant miracles
Self-knowledge lies at the heart of all successful projects— in home design or any other endeavor. So I urge would-be home designers to begin by exploring your preferences and your lifestyle. Self-discovery isn’t always easy or pleasant. But if I haven’t frightened you off yet, bear with me. You may actually enjoy the process.
(Movie stars claim they enjoy this process so much that they’ve entered the design business themselves. Julianne Moore is featured in Domino’s May 2008 issue in her “best role yet: decorator!”; and Jane Seymour has published Making Yourself at Home (Bullfinch, 2007), in which she tells you how to “discover the artist within you.” Seymour is also launching her own concept packages, including “St. Catherine’s Court,” so that you too can have the “dramatic luxury of her regal 14th-Century English manor home.” That “artist within you” sounds very much like a replica of Jane Seymour.)
Demystifying style jargon
The first step to finding the elusive “real you” is to learn about specific period, contemporary, and vernacular styles. Throughout history human structures and values have determined how ideas are expressed aesthetically. So when people’s perspectives change over time, their contemporary mode of expression becomes a period style. For example, when rich monasteries ruled Europe and dominated almost all building and decoration, the Romanesque period emerged. Then with the rise of cities, the merchant class and the money culture evolved in Gothic style.
Peruse this chronology link and you’ll see that rich folk were the style dictators for 5,000 years! (Fashion was rarely a preoccupation of the starving masses). Not until the industrial and social revolutions of the late 18th and early 19th Centuries did the middle and working classes get the opportunity to emulate their peers, and democratic multi-class styles finally emerged.
Since contemporary style draws its inspiration from past styles and present fashions alike, it’s understandably dubbed Eclectic. Happily, this mix-and-match approach is singularly suitable to the idea of personal style, the most challenging goal of interior design in our times. (Formerly, most people were satisfied if their homes were simply beautiful, functional and comfortable.)
But suppose you’re not an artist?
So how do you go about discovering your own charisma? And how can you develop the necessary aesthetic judgment to apply your style to your personal environment?
Unfortunately, there’s no good substitute for artistic talent. Your own talent can be nurtured by hard work and experience, but some people just aren’t artists. If that’s your case, I urge you to (1) continue studying and experimenting until you’re convinced of your competence; or (2) work interactively with an experienced design partner, at least on a part-time basis; or (3) hire an enlightened professional to execute a design plan based on your genuine sense of self.
Go on a treasure hunt
Even if you opt for professional guidance, you need to let your consultant know who you are at home. One road to self-discovery is the treasure hunt: Find your most valued possessions, and pay attention to the story they tell. A chic lady friend of mine identified her grandmother’s slipper chair as her most favorite possession, and she used it as the centerpiece of a 19th-Century neo-boudoir. (During the design process, she began to imagine herself as a character in a Balzac novel, and her husband became similarly inspired.)
Letting your architecture speak for itself is another sound approach, especially if your home already has elements of high drama, like gorgeous ceilings, ancient alcoves or free-floating stairways. One of my students insisted that a carved wooden door in his historic house “awakened his unconscious memory” ⎯ so he opened the door to his garden, and built a walled room outside for meditation. Here he found the peace he badly needed.
Smell that cedar chest
Those interested in cooking or lovemaking or music might prefer to enter the realm of physical senses. Should this be you, check out your home with your eyes, ears, nose, mouth and hands. That’s right— enter each room in your home and feel the suede sofa, smell the cedar chest, and sit down and just listen, and breathe until you can realize the mood of the place. With luck, you’ll connect with each room’s unique ambience, e.g., warm and welcoming, or stoic and invigorating, or morbid and frightening. You may not like what you find out. But on the other hand, you’ll have a good idea of what possessions to keep and what to reject. Good editing is essential to fine design.
One last option, based strictly on the pleasure principal: Concentrate on your favorite activity. Don’t be shy! Just take time to visualize yourself engaged in doing what you like best (even if it’s drinking beer or embroidering). Then envision a special space devoted to this practice. Imagine you have all the time and talent and money you need in order to design walls, floors, furnishings, light and color. These imaginings alone will generate new and wondrous thoughts.
Of course there are a myriad of ways to discover your stylistic preferences. As long as you don’t get bogged down by other people’s design ideas, and you concentrate on what excites and delights you, your success is guaranteed.
To read responses, click here and here.
To read Caroline Millett’s first article, “The home as art,” click here.
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WXXI Local Stories
Fri February 24, 2006
Slaughter Says Fed Funds Secured for Lake Ontario Center
By Deanna Garcia
Brockport, NY – Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (D-Fairport) says she's secured federal funds for a planned Great Lakes Research Center at the Port of Rochester.
The center is a project of SUNY Brockport. Altogether it will cost about 7-million dollars.
Brockport State College President Dr. John Halstead says it would be a one of a kind facility, and the only one dedicated to researching the Great Lakes on the U-S side of Lake Ontario.
Congreswoman Slaughter says she worked with other Representatives, including Tom Reynolds (R-Clarence), to secure 300-thousand dollars in seed money for the project.
Halstead says the center would be a research and educational facility which would also include an aquarium. He says it would spur economic development in the area by attracting people to the port of Rochester and bringing jobs to the area.
Slaughter says Lake Ontario is the most polluted of the Great Lakes. She says all the lakes are an amazing resource that haven't been taken care of properly. She says the center will focus on looking at ways to restore the lakes to a pristine condition.
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Martha Falls is one of the more easily admired waterfalls in Mount Rainier National Park, though many, if not most visitors fail to grasp the true size of the falls. Dropping out of the basin containing Snow Lake, Unicorn Creek plunges and slides approximately 670 feet into Stevens Canyon in 12 major drops, depending on how you break it up. The first fall plunges about 55 feet but is very difficult to see. This is followed shortly by two smaller tiers about 15 and 20 feet each. The next fall is an eye-catching fan shaped drop of about 85 feet, which is then followed by a series of four smaller cascading falls which total about 65 feet in height. As the creek approaches the Wonderland Trail, it veils down back-to-back-to-back tiers of 55, 35 and 60 feet. After passing under the bridge the creek disappears into the dark forest, crashing down a narrow flume and culminating in the final drop, a shimmering, powerful free-falling plunge of 145 feet. Because this series of falls occurs over a run of stream roughly one-quarter mile in length, there is some ancillary elevation change between each tier which makes up the remainder of the total 670 foot loss in elevation between the top and bottom of the falls.
Unfortunately, the entire falls cannot be seen collectively, due to the twisting nature of the gorge and the thick woods surrounding it. The final 145 foot plunge, as well as the trailside drop can be seen very easily. Most of the middle slides and cascades can be seen from the Stevens Canyon Road, but walking along the side of the road is necessary in order to be able to take pictures as there are no pullouts where the views are. The uppermost sections of the falls can be partially seen from a few places, but there isn't anywhere easily accessible to see them clearly. Despite all this Martha Falls is one of the best falls in the region, one of the taller falls in the state, and easily one of the most scenic in the park.
- Martha Falls is the Official name of this waterfall.
Martha Falls was named in the late 1880's for Martha Longmire, wife of Elcaine Longmire, by her son Ben Longmire. The Longmire Mineral Springs resort was owned and operated by the family before the park was created.
Located in Stevens Canyon, between Paradise and Box Canyon, within Mount Rainier National Park. To reach the trailside portion of the falls, drive east on SR 706 for about 1/2 of a mile from The Bench (the extremely sharp hairpin turn in the road) or about 5 1/2 miles west from Box Canyon, to the Wonderland Trail. Follow the trail downhill for a long 2/3 of a mile to a bridge crossing Unicorn Creek, with the falls upstream. To see the rest of the falls, keep driving another 1/2 mile down Stevens Canyon to the Martha Falls viewpoint. It's unsigned, so watch for the falls across the canyon, and the large pullout with an interpretive sign.
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- COMMUNITY LINKS
People often look up to their older siblings and follow their lead, but St. Marys native Melissa Flacinski said it was her younger sister Jessica who influenced her to become a speech-language pathologist.
Flacinski is currently employed as a speech-language pathologist (SLP) in a high/middle school in New Holland, Pa., working mostly with students in the life skills, learning support, autistic support and multiple disabilities programs.
âThis population is very diverse. I service students who use Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC), sign language, big mack switches, sensory techniques, facial expressions, eye gaze, and/or speech to communicate,â Flacinski said. âMost of them are in school until 21 years of age and work towards independence. Many of us take this part for granted.â
Flacinski said most of the students she works with are in the process of successfully learning how to perform simple tasks such as washing dishes, following a recipe, doing laundry, reading street signs, using a bus schedule, and going grocery shopping.
âMuch of what I do with my students relates to these and other independent living, community, employment and social skills,â Flacinski said.
Flacinski grew up in St. Marys with her parents, Mark and Caroline, and two sisters, Danielle, 23, and Jessica, 15. Her dad grew up in Johnsonburg and worked in Kane as a learning support teacher through Intermediate Unit 13 for most of his career, but now is a transition coordinator for the IU. Her mom spent most of her childhood in St. Marys, but occasionally in Owensboro, Ky., where her father grew up. She is a life skills teacher at St. Marys Area Middle School and Flacinski said she loves what she does. Given her parentsâ occupations, itâs not surprising that Flacinski chose her current profession.
âI guess it was just in my genes to become a professional in the area of special needs,â Flacinski said.
Flacinskiâs sister, Danielle, is currently her roommate and is finishing up her bachelorâs degree from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and Jessica is a freshman at St. Marys Area High School.
âShe loves life and everyone that shares it with her,â Flacinski said.
Although it seems obvious to her now, Flacinski did not arrow in on her current profession right away.
My schooling included St. Marys Parochial, St. Marys Area High School and six years at IUP,â Flacinski said. âI had a difficult time finding myself throughout elementary and high school, as many of us do. I had many people that influenced me in the choices I made that led to my career, many of which were in the area of art. I began college thinking that art would be it.â
In her first two years of college, Flacinski took classes in interior and graphic design. She realized that although she would always love art, it wouldnât be her full-time occupation.
âBy the second semester of my sophomore year I realized that art would be a hobby, but not a career,â Flacinski said. âToward the end of my sophomore year, my mother brought back the memories of [me] helping Jess. This is when I began my journey.â
Flacinskiâs sister, Jessica, was born with Down's Syndrome and went through a tough time in her early years.
âShe received speech, occupational and physical therapy from the time she was born and continues to receive these services at school,â Flacinski said. âI was 10 when she was born and loved to help with her home therapy sessions. I never really knew exactly what I was doing, but enjoyed it.â
With her sister in her thoughts and her hopes for her students in her mind, Flacinski said she enjoys seeing her students reach a milestone, no matter how small.
âIt takes time to see the progress and the difference I am making in these studentsâ lives, but when I see it, I savor it,â Flacinski said. âI beat myself up thinking that I am not making an impact, but hearing from parents and how happy they are is the best feeling.
âKnowing that the students are trying to take home what they work on in school and seeing how happy they are to come to speech makes me feel like my job is worthwhile. â
Flacinski recently moved to another part of central Pa. and said she has discovered a lot about that part of the state that she didnât know before.
âIn February of this year I moved to Lancaster city, which is about 25 minutes from my job. I previously lived in West Chester and Lancaster Township, below the city. Growing up, I associated Lancaster with Amish horses and buggies,â Flacinski said. âIâve learned in the past two years that Lancaster is a small city, a wide variety of people live in the area, there is a large population of people living simply (like the Amish and Mennonite communities), but there are also plenty of shops for people of all ages and interests, there are many festivals and activities happening throughout the year, the oldest and longest running flea market called âCentral Marketâ is housed here, people enjoy roaming the city on â1st Friday,â and much more. I knew none of this until moving to the area.
âNow that I live in the city, I learn new things every day. Iâve actually learned most of what I know from the regulars at Buchanan Dog Park. My dogs, Milo and Maddie, and I have become regulars over the past year and a half. It is a place where I meet new people, make new friends and let my dogs run happily without a leash.
âIn the future, I would like to start volunteering for the Lancaster County Special Olympics and get involved in the large arts community.â
Flacinski said she now has the privilege of having two places she calls home.
âAt this point, I call Lancaster âhomeâ and St. Marys âhome home,ââ Flacinski said. âI guess I will always be a St. Marys girl at heart, but will probably continue to live here or in another city.
âI enjoy the city life, the buildings, the people, the activities and even the noise, but St. Marys will always be a place to visit family, old friends, go fishing, reminisce and enjoy the scenery.â
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The small planes that pass by Dan LaBore's house make an unmistakable hum. Now that officials have approved an expansion of the nearby Benson Airport, he worries it will become a thunderous roar.
The White Bear Township retiree is worried life next to the growing airfield with larger planes and constant traffic is about to become a boisterous mess. Like the time a plane crashed in his front yard.
"The neighborhood's not the same as it was when John Benson could fly his little airplanes in and land them on a postage stamp," said LaBore, who has lived near Benson Airport since 1976. "There's going to be another accident sooner or later with the increase in houses."
On Sept. 15, the White Bear Township Board approved a conditional-use permit for the airport that will allow the airport to expand, fueling a conflict that has been swirling for months.
John Benson built the small private airport in 1945 in a residential area that was mainly rural at the time but has since developed residentially. Benson died in 1993 and left half the airport to White Bear Township. Soon after, the township made an agreement with Benson's estate to acquire the rest of the land free and in return make some concessions for the airport's use. The township has built a water tower on one section of the land and plans to build a park on another, and pilots have continued to fly.
With the board's vote, the Benson Airport Association is permitted to replace two hangars and build five more. No
Neighbors are worried not only about safety but also about an increase in noise from air traffic and the impact on their home values.
"There are times when you just hit the floor — you're terrified," Nanci Stoddard said. In the past year, she and her husband have noticed planes flying closer to the ground as well as more frequently, she said.
The Stoddards moved next to the airport in the 1980s, when most of the airport activity was from motorless glider planes.
LaBore said he isn't opposed to the airport, but he has noticed noisier aircraft and hopes the township board will impose restrictions on the types of planes and frequency of flying.
Board member Dick Sand said that is exactly what the board plans to do.
"We've been at this for quite a few months," Sand said. "What we're still working on is the actual airport operations: how the flights are going to be conducted and how people are going to fly in and out of there. We set that aside for further discussion."
But some do not consider the airport so sleepy.
Scott Stoddard started logging airplane noise after he got home from work Sept. 6 and noticed significant traffic at the airport. According to his log, an airplane passed nearby every 2.7 minutes over the course of an hour. The flying stopped when it started to rain, he said.
Darryl Lemire, a longtime pilot, said there was a pig roast at the airport that Saturday and that plane activity varies depending on the day.
"Some days there may be 25 or 30 (flights), some days none," he said.
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Prospect, Maine (NEWS CENTER)-- Things that go bump in the night or creatures from other worlds are normal topics of conversation at Fort Knox's Paranormal Fair.
Christopher Gardner, a UFO enthusiast and historian, was one of the speakers at the fair. Gardner said, "It brings people together to be able to talk about these events. Hopefully to open it up so there would be more people that come up to us that have had their own encounters and sightings. To be able to share that information and make them feel more comfortable."
Attendees were invited to listen to lectures on various fields, share stories, follow along on a guided ghost hunter tour or have your future read.
Psychic James Beyor opened his talent to others, "It's a journey or adventure for most people, because most people don't know what to expect."
A steady stream of people entered the rooms of Fort Knox to have some insight to their future and some comfort from their past.
"People want to know things that aren't readily available to themselves or in their circle of friends and life," said Beyor.
Aside from being a forum for others to share their experiences with the paranormal, many of the experts wanted to banish the fear attached to the word.
Ahura Diliiza with the Unicorn Cove School of Metaphysics said, "People have an illusion about paranormal. That is just due to Hollywood. Anything can be made into something really scary. Paranormal merely means the normal and beyond."
Still Diliiza understands the power of the word and teaches others to use caution.
"Everything they see is not a demon. I'm very critical in my thinking. I don't just take soemthing at face value. Maybe it was a trick of the light, maybe you just had too many skittles maybe you drank too much maybe you're fighting with your wife," said Diliiza. "There's all those possibilities before we jump into the paranormal."
The goal is to make the paranormal the new normal.
The Paranormal Fair is just one of many events happening at Fort Knox. A full listing of upcoming events is available on their website.
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The hills of Pune represent a time when the citys
most famous son, Shivaji, made the marauding Mughal soldiers
to sweat. Now, the caretakers of the city have decided
to let heartless builders raze them down and build monstrous
concrete structures over the area, which would, generations
later, be looked upon as eyesores.
an age where open space is more valuable than gold, the
thought of losing the hills, which are omnipresent as
one drives around the city, is a horror which one will
have to accept unless something drastic is done immediately.
Tideman, a jazz artist from Pune, informed me one afternoon
that she was going to attend a protest to save the hills
in the city from destruction and asked me if I would be
interested in joining the group. I have spent most of
my life in the city and had spent much of my college days
trekking in the hills around Pune.
The very thought of a few buildings coming up in the place
of the verdant hills stoked enough fury for me to attend.
This was the first time that I was getting involved in
my capacity as a writer in a social cause and I was apprehensive.
This was put to rest by the atmosphere under the clear
blue canopy of the new born summer evening, the heady
feeling of creativity and music that reverberated from
the nearby hills.
Initiative Against Deforestation (CAID), formed to protect
the hills and slopes from de-reservation, has been actively
gaining support from the people of Pune who wish to have
the hills as a monument of the past. Shekhar Bhonagiri,
who heads CIAD, explains that the Pune Municipal Corporation
has chosen to absolve itself from protecting the hills
and has, instead, followed the logic of having concrete
buildings instead of the slums that might otherwise come
says instead of making efforts to conserve the hills and
keep them alive, the administration has chosen to take
the easy way out. He adds that if tomorrow the administration
feels that the Shaniwar Wada, the seat of the Peshwas,
is difficult to maintain they might consider razing it
to the ground and build a shopping complex in its place.
the fight to the citizens has proven to be a blessing.
In the first public outburst since the Development Plan
(DP) was made available, hundreds of children, elder citizens
and youngsters gathered on 2 February 2003 to register
their protest. Eminent artists like Murli Lahoti and Vaishali
Oak converted a bare canvas into a work of art tentatively
titled as How much is enough? Lahoti explained
that art is close to nature and this was his way of sending
a message to the people that they are concerned about
the city that they live in.
the midst of the mela-like atmosphere was a French
professor, Tristan Suvauchelle, who is visiting Pune.
He was filming the whole event on his own initiative.
He said he could identify with the sentiments since France
too has been facing the same problems with depleting forests
reserves falling prey to the bogey of development.
tooth and nail
Another corner had a group of musicians calling themselves
Cryptic Blues, who were playing protest songs much in
the tradition of the famous bands the world over who have
lent their support to causes like anti-war efforts. This
spontaneous support from all over is a result of an extensive
email chain that was started to inform the people of the
cause. The effort paid off when total strangers volunteered
to get signatures against the plan and stood in the midst
of the crowded Laxmi Road, coaxing old ladies and passing
rickshaws to stop and sign the form.
immediate effect of the protest on 2 February was that
the Congress Party climbed down from its earlier position
of no compromise to that of issuing a press release stating
that a final decision would be taken after consulting
veteran environmentalist Mohan Dharia. Earlier the Congress
had not only refused to identify that certain hills had
been thrown open for development in the new DP, but also
refused to agree to consider any plans for taking the
citizens into confidence.
protestors have claimed that all the measures that are
being taken by the politicians are merely to show the
people that they are concerned. A few have gone on to
say that there is anxiety in the minds of the politicians
after the success of the campaign on Sunday and hence
the attempt to pull wool over the eyes of the people.
There are also initiatives that are being taken to file
public interest litigations against the administration
in the Bombay High Court.
plans to have another protest on 16 February 2003 when
a human chain would be formed on one of the hills at Vetal
Tekdi. Shekhar is sure that the fire that he has initiated
would spread all over the city and people will step out
of their homes to protect the last remaining pieces of
heritage that truly belongs to the city.
the outcome of the protests, and the efforts of the people,
it is still early days as far as the hills are concerned.
These hills have stood for thousands of years and have
become landmarks in the conscience of the residents. As
an added measure, efforts should be made to declare the
hills as heritage sites so that they are spared the cancer
of urban development.
a Pune-based writer, is a regular contributor to The
Times of India and The Indian Express. He was
an active theatre person and has written several short
plays. His first book, Vignettes, a collection
of poetry, was published by Crystal Dreams Publishing,
US. Nairs first novel, Chatroom Blues, has
just been published. He can be contacted at
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Ericsson’s latest study into consumer trends has found that mobile devices, such as smart phones and tablets, are starting to displace some viewing on secondary sets.
ConsumerLab, which interviews some 100,000 respondents across 40 countries, also found evidence of decline in the PVR and increasing use of social media. However, again the bridesmaid, 3D was largely absent from the survey.
“Instead of buying another set-top box people are using devices that are already connected,” explained Niklas Rönnblom, Ericsson ConsumerLab senior advisor. Rönnblom said that while consumers were willing to pay for content on the larger screen, they were not prepared to do so on smaller devices, expecting access to services to be bundled in with a larger offer.
Around 62% of people using social networking sites while watching TV. Of these 40% are discussing what is being viewed at that moment. The trend is more prevalent among women (69) than men (62).
There is mixed evidence on the concept of cord cutting or cord shaving. In the United States 21% said they had reduced or eliminated their pay-TV subscriptions, as opposed to the 12% that said they had increased it. In the UK the figure is 15% for reduction against 14% for an increase. In Germany there were 11% on reduction and 15% for an increase.
Generally it is the developing countries including China, Brazil and Chilie where the respondents increasing their pay-TV sub is considerably higher.
Live viewing continues to be a reason to stay with pay-TV rather than depart for one of the new entrant OTT services. On demand and time shifting is now ranked by viewers as being of greater importance than picture quality.
However, 3D has had its day, not even appearing in the list of a dozen preferred features.
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National Blues Museum takes shape in St. Louis
While other popular forms of music -- rock and roll, country, jazz and even traditional Hawaiian music -- have their own halls of fame, one of America's original art forms, the blues, lacks a single focal point where fans can gather and remember the past.
That could change with plans for the National Blues Museum in St. Louis, which hopes to break ground soon and open within the next year, depending on determination of the facility's final design, according to organizers.
"It's going to be kind of space-agey," Museum chairman Rob Endicott told Reuters. "The idea is to make it a technology-driven, interactive experience. We will have the memorabilia, too, but it won't be a museum of just artifacts."
According to the Reuters article, the museum group has obtained space in an 1892 storefront near the Mississippi River, not far, in fact, from the levee where a then-homeless "Father of the Blues" W.C. Handy wrote "St. Louis Blues" more than a century ago. The museum, funded by private donations, will be part of the emerging Mercantile Exchange District near the famed blues city's riverfront. Groundbreaking is also set later this year for a half-billion-dollar Gateway Arch park rehab that city boosters hope will draw even more people and businesses to the riverfront area.
"Tourists come to the Arch and they park and they look at the Arch and they drive away," Endicott said in the article. "We want to give them something to walk to."
An overview of the museum's plans can be found at the organization's website, including renderings of what the site is expected to look like when completed.
An 11-day Bluesweek celebration to help support the museum was announced last week, with performers including Shemekia Copeland, Bobby Rush, Kelly Hunt and Arthur Williams, among others. The event will center on a three-day Memorial Day weekend concert at downtown St. Louis' Soldiers' Memorial.
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A lively discussion has ensued this week across the intertubes about the ScienceBlogs.com network to which we belong and what should or shouldn’t be provided as content in a blog that calls itself a science blog.
As usual, the most sober, inclusive, and non-inflammatory treatise on the topic comes from ethicist, philosopher, and physical chemist (because one Ph.D. is never enough), Prof Janet Stemwedel of Adventures in Ethics and Science: she calls it navel-gazing. I submit that her navel is among the wisest around:
Why do so many bloggers at ScienceBlogs write about stuff besides science?
We’re allowed to write about whatever we want to on our blogs. Most of us wrote about a number of different things when we joined up, and we’ve been allowed to keep going in that direction or to let our focus change as part of our development as bloggers.
(If new readers have not had the pleasure of meeting Janet, check out this recent interview of her by Bora/Coturnix at A Blog Around the Clock.)
In my personal mission to be as inclusive as possible of my own community, if there are any blogs or posts out there that I should know about in chemistry, herbal medicines, natural products, dietary supplements, or cancer pharmacology, please leave a comment below with appropriate links (more than three links will be held for moderation by spam filters but that’s cool; I’ll approve them manually).
In a related question, is it more valuable to other bloggers for me to put you up in this ever growing blogroll to the left, or is it better to link to you in the context of a post when I find something particularly notable, clever, and or insightful?
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No, not Gene Robinson.
The Anglican Communion News Service provides this profoundly peculiar statement from Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury and Archbishop Bernard Malango of Central Africa regarding the pair's meeting today with Bishop Nolbert Kunonga, Anglican Bishop of Harare.
Kunonga, a crony of Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe had been charged in an ecclesiastical court with incitement to murder, intimidating critics, ignoring church law, mishandling funds and preaching racial hatred. "He has also occupied a farm and evicted 40 families from a local village," Stephen Bates wrote in The Church of England Newspaper. "A couple of months ago he even licensed the acting vice-president of Zimbabwe Joseph Msika, a man on record as saying that whites are not human beings, to act as a deacon of the church."
(For an excellent background article on Kunonga, look here.)
Malango has consistently protected Kunonga, dismissing the 38 charges against him when an ecclesiastical trial became chaotic, and attending the celebration of the bishop's wedding anniversary.
Now comes the following statement:
"We are grateful for the chance to meet face to face and discuss the role of the church in Zimbabwe and the wider region in working towards the realisation of the Millennium Development Goals.
"We shared our deep concerns with the Bishop of Harare about the situation in Zimbabwe, affirming those places where Anglican ministries are bearing fruit and the church is growing, but also expressing the widespread concerns in the global church and in the international community about the deteriorating economic life of Zimbabwe and issues of human rights and peaceful non-partisan protest.
"We encouraged the development of an independent voice for the church in response to these challenges. All ministers of the gospel must be free to serve and to speak for the needs of those most deprived and disadvantaged.
"We want to find new channels of communication and to facilitate regional conversations about issues of development and justice, including the impact of sanctions, so that Anglicans may work together more effectively with and for the poor whom they serve in Christ's name."
This statement, coming in the midst of Williams' silence on the matter of Peter Akinola's support for human rights violations, makes you wonder what a conservative prelate would have to do in order to elicit a public expression of displeasure from the Archbishop of Canterbury.
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IBM quietly relieved itself of a patent involving a system by which passengers on a plane, train, or boat could make reservations to use the bathroom. Patent No. 6,329,919 was originally filed in August 2000. The patent was then issued in December of last year. In February a petition to review the patent was filed. In response to the petition, James Rogan, Director of the U.S. Patent Office, issued a review of IBM's bathroom reservation patent. At that time IBM “disclaimed” it, and all patent claims were dismissed.
The U.S. Patent Office has been under increasing scrutiny for issuing “common sense” patents. For instance, the office granted a patent this year for swinging sideways on a swing, for which it received much criticism.
Read more on this at CNET.
I believe this is the first topic I have ever chosen for both a professional and a personal reason. Professionally I am disgusted at the gross use of “common sense” patents by companies in a continuing effort to increase their patent portfolio. It's one thing to have a revolutionary idea that you want to protect; it's another thing to simply file a patent on a common sense idea to ensure squatting rights on it.
It would be refreshing to read technology news for a week and not find one article in regards to technology companies suing one another over patent infringements. Now, let me just say that I believe some suits are completely justified, while others are very questionable.
IBM filed a patent on a new system to reserve a bathroom? I think most of us have that system down pretty good. It's called standing in line. The guy who made the little sign that changes from “occupied” to “unoccupied” as the bathroom door is locked and unlocked must have been the one to file the petition against the IBM patent. After all, his system cleverly notifies users when a bathroom is available for use.
Okay, now the obvious personal reason for the topic. I just couldn't wait for the ability to include bathroom puns, patents, and IBM in the same article.
USER COMMENTS 26 comment(s)
|New motto (11:10am EST Mon Oct 14 2002)
IBM – flush with success. - by Spacejock
|wow…. (11:14am EST Mon Oct 14 2002)
you have got to be kidding!? - by *shocked*
|Makes total sense (11:33am EST Mon Oct 14 2002)
- by Joe Schmoe
|Flushed (11:53am EST Mon Oct 14 2002)
Royal that is. - by Xerxes612
|Hmmm (12:00pm EST Mon Oct 14 2002)
Guess this is eventually going to give winshit a new meaning - by yep
|was the idea (12:20pm EST Mon Oct 14 2002)
think-pad (aka loo-seat?) - by spacca
|Now Serving… (1:59pm EST Mon Oct 14 2002)
I think its more like a “Now Serving Number 72″computerized system – still a common sense/copy of another idea into the computing arena - by hojo
|18 months now? (2:23pm EST Mon Oct 14 2002)
“The office now generally publishes patent applications 18 months after they are filed.” As someone who has gone through the patent process, when did you not have to wait 18 months? The problem is that if you submit a patent from IBM, Big corp anyone… you get approved right away. If you submit a patent as a small midwest business expect 2 yrs. The problem is the US Patent Office (which I usually defend) thinks that my idea has less merit than some big corps idea. If they level the playing field, the big corps couldn't make $ for a few months, & they don't have 2 yrs to try to rip me off of my idea. - by tech
|re:tech (2:37pm EST Mon Oct 14 2002)
The difference in prosecution time does not depend on the person submitting the invention (the assignee, IBM in this example, might not even be listed until the end of the prosecution of the patent). What may make a difference is the type of invention, how different the invention is from the prior art, and the examiner's docket. Another thing that can make a difference is the amount of money you spend doing the prosecution. - by – - 3L
|Brian (2:46pm EST Mon Oct 14 2002)
Clearly you do not understand how the patent system works.
First, most inventions are small (i.e. common sense) improvements, especially in hindsight.
Second, suppose someone comes up with a revolutionary idea. As a competitor, I am going to immediately try to figure out an important improvement to the invention and patent it. Than I have bargaining power to cross-license the original “revolutionary” invention. This ensures a certain amount of competition and allows consumers to avoid the full monopoly effects of the patent while still getting the disclosure. Sounds like a good deal to me. - by – - 3L
|Still…. (2:48pm EST Mon Oct 14 2002)
IBM's IP group must be flush with cash to spend money on a patent for using the john. - by – - 3L
|3L (2:55pm EST Mon Oct 14 2002)
It's odd that you're the only person who has told me this. My patents are in the medical field & they are small improvements to medical devices that make them easier to use for aging Drs. Why would my attorney not have told me this? Your $ example is my point. - by tech
|Now wait a minute (6:38pm EST Mon Oct 14 2002)
Before you go bashing IBM for filing common sense patents, lets get the facts straight. Is IBM patenting the whole idea of making a reservation for using the bathroom?
it sounds to me like IBM might be patenting some sort of software for passengers that will allow them to make reservations for the bathroom from their seats. - by Damien
|Excuse me, pardon… (7:04pm EST Mon Oct 14 2002)
Sorry to interrupt this patent discussion, but I need to get into the restroom behind you all. I have an appointment to take a crap, and will have one a few minutes later to flush. But shhh, don't tell the woman in row 3 that I gave her my appointment to plunger. She'll give me an irate look. - by Bugga
|When you gotta go… (9:17pm EST Mon Oct 14 2002)
What if I have to go right now??? I can't wait until my appointed time…that would result in a nasty mess… - by Ray Croc
|To 3L & Tech (10:44pm EST Mon Oct 14 2002)
Who the assignee is irrelevant to the patent process (or should be). I've seen hundreds (that number is correct) of patents go through the patent system (most by very large companies) and the vast majority get rejected the first time around. However, it has been my experience that if the idea is truly novel, then a good attorney will eventually get the application to issue as a patent.
The biggest factors I have found in determining whether a patent application gets allowed:
You are pretty much screwed if 1) or 2) are against you, but it is possible to overcome 3) and 4).
As to tech, if you are unhappy with your attorney, interview a couple of others. The difference between a good attorney and a bad attorney is amazing.
BTW: IBM is NOTORIOUSLY cheap for their patent work. They are able to get 2-3 patent applicants filed for every 1 filed by other well-known tech firms.
Another BTW: When patent litigation running 2-3 million per pop, most companies settle and/or cross-license. For that reason, during negotiations it is better to have 1000 patents to assert against the other company than 100. As such, it is advantageous to get those extra 900 patents any way possible, no matter how valuable the technology is that is being patented. As such, getting patents on stupid stuff (like on-line bathroom reservations) is cost-effective if you combine 899 other stupid patents with the 100 good patents you already have. No company can afford to review all 1000 patents to determine which are good and which are not. As such, it is the numbers that count, not the technology.
|reedickuluss (1:15am EST Tue Oct 15 2002)
What kind of crap is this? Its seems like IBM's morals are going down the tubes. Can't they float a better idea than that? It really gets me steamed. How corny can you get? I realize that life ain't a bowl of cherries for companies right now, but does that give them the right to just dump all over the true purpose of the patent system? I'd like to see a big fat log on all the ideas that IBM has tried to recently patent. That would probably blow the lid off their practices and leave them with a big pr mess. They'd be forced to wipe the slate clean. - by pun champion
|Slow News Day ? (8:19am EST Tue Oct 15 2002)
It must be a slow news day when you have to pull our fingers by initiating a string of poop jokes and inuendos.
At least we have gotten to the seat of the controversy.
BTW, good work pun champion. - by plop plop
|Thinkpad to Stinkpad (8:29am EST Tue Oct 15 2002)
Maybe IBM should try to get a patent on relieving the waste from those leftover eating batteries. Now there would be technology fusion.
- by Anerobicdecompositi
|What??? (12:43pm EST Tue Oct 15 2002)
No one has mentioned the truly obvious..
If one has to 'go' usually that means *now*, or reasonably soon. This scenario pops into my mind…
” I'd like to reserve the rest room for 2:30 P.M. this afternoon please. We'll be eating lunch at noon, and I usually have to go about two hours after I eat.” Give us a break! - by Darwin
|talk about obvious.. (3:33pm EST Tue Oct 15 2002)
And the semaphore is raised (occupied)
upon entry of the “critical region” (the seat), and released (unoccupied) upon the process exiting the “critical region”…
All other processes must “spin wait” until the semaphore is released, or, in environments where the expected delay is relatively long, the process enters a “queue”… - by old sampler
|patent purposes (6:08pm EST Fri Nov 29 2002)
Those who 'defend' the patent system for its obvious use in litigation with other companies seem to forget the original purpose of patents: to protect a good idea and its inventor. It doesn't say use patents to hit your competitor over the head with: on the other hand, how about patenting the use of patents as a tool in litigation – maybe some patent attorney could file that as an invention – surely he'll find a way to circumvent 'prior art' predating his application - by apahler
|how do they know? (3:04pm EST Fri Dec 06 2002)
does a light come on saying run it's your turn and then the scrolling message board reads seat 3a your 15 mins. of fame are here take advantage before it's 15c's turn! - by whatthe?
|Icky (8:58pm EST Wed Jun 25 2003)
Poo. - by Grunt
|Y does it matter? (5:50pm EST Thu Jun 17 2004)
Who cares if its a little bit of common sense? Furthermore if it were so common sense then why didn't someone think of it beforehand? The patent being discussed as well as any other “common sense” patents are just a way to make life easier/faster/better. Why get out of your seat in a plane and stand in line, in a small hallway where you are likely to be in the way and have your behind in someone's face, when you can be notified when it's your turn and go directly in? I think if the idea is new, be it “common sense” or not, then its patentable. Whoever disagrees is just jealous they couldn't think of it in the first place. - by Carlos
|JEALOUS?!…give me a break. (10:47am EST Sat Nov 19 2005)
“Whoever disagrees is just jealous they couldn't think of it in the first place.”
That is statement is more stupid than IBM's patenting this. JEALOUS?!…give me a break. You know what, though? I'll just take Carlos's advice and patent posting on forums. Yeah! That'll make life easier/faster/better! Especially since I'm sure no one has thought to patent it yet. I better beat IBM to it! Or even better, I'll patent running, walking, and reading as well! HEH! I will rule! OOOH OOOH OOOH…BREATHING!….YES! Carlos, sorry man…but you have to stop breathing now. Thanks to IBM, and folks like you, I have a patent on breathing air. - by Ant
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When running some OpenGL performance benchmarks this week of the Radeon driver using "drm-next" code that's set to be merged into the Linux 3.8 kernel, some significant performance improvements were discovered thanks to AMD's code contribution. Curious to see if the Intel graphics performance is likely to change, I also ran some drm-next Linux benchmarks from an Intel Sandy Bridge system.
The testing was done from an Intel Core i5 "Sandy Bridge" laptop that presents Intel HD 3000 "Gen6" graphics. While there were no stated performance optimizations within the Intel DRM driver changes piling up for Linux 3.8, I was curious to see if there was anything that went unnoticed or any regressions. For this quick weekend testing, the drm-next code from 13 December was compared to the vanilla Linux 3.6 and 3.7 kernels.
The Intel Sandy Bridge OpenGL performance under Linux has basically flattened out on recent Linux kernel releases compared to early on when the hardware was still fresh and the Intel OTC developers were making aggressive optimizations. These days the developers are mostly focused upon enabling support for Haswell and Valley View along with other changes.
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An Israeli official was listening a few days ago to the familiar critique that Israel doesn’t have any strategy in Gaza, just periodic tactical assaults on Hamas. The official finally exploded: “That is our strategy. Don’t you understand? We don’t have any other choice except to punch our adversary in the face every few years.”
The most depressing aspect about the latest Gaza war is that it dramatizes this “no exit” aspect of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Wars recur every four or five years, but they never seem to settle anything. The Israelis pound the Palestinians until they accept a cease-fire, but it’s temporary. The emotional state of war continues.
The first time I watched this movie was 1982. Israel invaded Lebanon to stop the rockets that were then harassing northern Israel. The invasion was called “Operation Peace for Galilee,” and the Israeli army rolled all the way to Beirut. With their massive firepower, the Israelis assumed the Palestinians would cut and run, as Arab armies had in previous wars. But the Palestinians stood their ground.
It turned out the Israelis didn’t have a good endgame strategy in that war, any more than in the current one. In 1982, they accepted American mediation that eventually forced the PLO to leave south Lebanon and Beirut. But this proved a mixed blessing, to put it charitably: The PLO guerrillas were replaced by more disciplined fighters from Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite militia that was created by the war.
Now it’s Hezbollah that poses the deadly rocket threat to northern Israel. Hezbollah suicide bombings forced Israel to invade Lebanon again in 1996 (“Operation Grapes of Wrath”), then withdraw in frustration from Lebanon in 2000, then attack Hezbollah once more in 2006 (“Operation Change of Direction”).
Gaza has been a similar exercise in frustration, with each cycle of violence buying a few years of quiet, followed by more war. The Israelis withdrew from Gaza in 2005, only to have Hamas fire about 12,000 rockets and mortars at the Jewish state. The Israel Defense Forces invaded in 2008 (“Operation Cast Lead”), and a cease-fire followed. But in the years since, Hamas has fired more than 3,000 rockets and mortars, despite periodic cease-fires.
On Nov. 14, the Israelis got fed up and retaliated (“Operation Pillar of Defense”) They assassinated Hamas military leader Ahmed Jabari, triggering 1,500 new Hamas rocket attacks, to which Israel responded by bombing more than 1,400 targets. The lopsided death toll (at last count, 113 Palestinians and three Israelis killed) led to some international criticism, which undercut some of the military benefits for Israel.
Is there any escape from this Israeli-Palestinian version of hell? The mark of an Israeli realist is to say, glumly, that this is as good as it gets. Few Israelis imagine that real peace is possible with adversaries who refuse to even accept Israel’s existence. The idealists who embraced the Oslo agreement of 1993 have died, moved away from Israel, or given up.
Maybe it’s because of Thanksgiving Day, our national festival of optimism, but the idea that America should simply accept the inevitability of perpetual conflict on Israel’s borders seems like a betrayal of both sides. This kind of war grinds down decent people’s characters, so Palestinians can cheer when they hear about rockets targeting the families in Tel Aviv, or Israel supporters can denounce newspapers for running a picture of a sobbing Palestinian journalist cradling his lost child, or send emails headed, “Cue the Dead Baby.”
Acting as peacemaker in this conflict has been a thankless job for America. It begets enmity in Israel, which doesn’t want its closest ally to be “evenhanded” in this life-or-death conflict. And it begets cynicism and bitterness among Arabs, who have heard so many American promises, to so little effect, that many have concluded the process is a charade.
But at the beginning of Barack Obama’s final term, he needs to take on this burden once more, as he did when he came into office. He has worked hard to develop relationships with three important backers of Hamas — Egypt, Turkey and Qatar. Even the Israelis think that Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood government has acted constructively in the crisis, and they’d like to see Egypt have more control of Gaza.
A cease-fire in Gaza would provide a new platform for negotiation — weird, unstable, but worth the effort of trying a few more steps. What’s the risk? Another war? The threat of future missile attacks? That dismal picture is called the status quo.
David Ignatius is a columnist for The Washington Post. His email address is email@example.com.
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VLC creators working on a cross-platform video editing app
VLC is a cross-platform media player that can handle all sorts of audio and video files. It's open source, free, and available for Mac, Linux, and Windows, which makes it all sorts of awesome. There's even a portable version that you can run from a USB flash drive. And that's why it's pretty exciting that the some of the folks who brought us VLC are now working on a cross-platform video editor called VideoLAN Movie Creator, or VLMC.
Right now VLMC is still in the early stages. Like really, really early. But the source is available, and a Reddit user compiled it and grabbed the screenshot you can see above.
While there are already free video editing tools for Windows, Mac, and Linux (Windows Movie Maker, iMovie, and Cinelerra come to mind), the Windows solutions tend to be minimalistic while the Linux versions are often overly complicated. I'm hopeful that VLMC could provide a decent middle ground. Plus the fact that it's cross platform could make it easy for people to hop between different computers running different operating systems without feeling like they need to learn a new video editing system for each platform.
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NH education amendment fails in House
CONCORD, N.H.—Voters won't be asked in November to decide whether state lawmakers should have more control over public school funding after a proposed constitutional amendment passed the Senate on Wednesday, but failed to win enough House votes to be placed on the ballot.
The amendment to the state constitution needed to be passed with a three-fifths majority in both houses. In the House, it would have needed 237 votes, and it fell short twice in that chamber.
The proposal, which had the backing of legislative leaders and Democratic Gov. John Lynch, would have specified that the Legislature has a responsibility to maintain a public education system, as well as full authority over state funding for it.
The state has been sending a base amount per pupil to all communities, funded by state taxes and a new state property tax, in response to a 1997 state Supreme Court ruling requiring it to provide all children with an adequate education. But lawmakers have been trying for years to nullify the ruling, and many considered this year the best chance at success.
Supporters argued that the proposed amendment was necessary to allow the state to target aid to needy communities and to make it harder to challenge education laws in court. Rep. Michael Balboni, R-Nashua, noted that Wednesday was the 68th anniversary of D-Day, the Allied operation that paved the way for the end of the World War II, and described the compromises that were part of it.
"We, not with guns and bullets, but with the authority given to us by the people of New Hampshire, can set in motion a plan that will finally bring an end to the stranglehold placed on this great state by the Supreme Court," he said.
Others said they weren't sure if they agreed with the amendment but said voters should be given a chance to decide in November. Any constitutional amendments that make the ballot must then be passed by two-thirds of voters to take effect.
"We are not enacting something we are submitting it to the people," said Rep. David Hess, R-Hooksett, who urged his colleagues to approve the amendment not because it was perfect but because it was "possible."
But Rep. Andrew Manuse, R-Derry, likened the amendment to "waving the white flag of defeat" and admitting the court was correct. He said lawmakers should hold out for a better constitutional amendment.
"I'm raising the battle flag right here, right now," he said.
Some opponents said it would allow the state to walk away from education funding, while others feared it would force the state down the road toward higher taxes. That alone was reason to reject the amendment, said Rep. Steve Vaillancourt, R-Manchester, who said he could argue against the amendment from both conservative and liberal perspectives.
"The very fact that I could debate myself is an indication that this is not the amendment we need," he said.
Including the word "responsibility" in the amendment was key to getting the support of Lynch, a Democrat. Though he has no direct role in proposed constitutional amendments by either signing or vetoing them, Lynch's support was seen as key to getting enough Democrats to back it and get it through the House. But just one Democrat voted for the measure in the House's first vote, which was 244-144, and none voted for it the second time, when the vote was 224-141.
In the Senate, where the measure passed 17-6, Senate President Peter Bragdon said he was disappointed by the House action.
"We will try again next year to allow the people of New Hampshire to vote on this critical issue," he said.
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When the Food and Drug Administration was granted authority over tobacco products, many people (myself included) objected that this was an inappropriate field for the agency to be involved in. Among other reasons, it makes little sense for the FDA to approve products that are to some degree inherently dangerous. An excellent article from Michael Felberbaum of the Associated Press shows that the agency has failed to establish reasonable standards of review and has halted innovation in the parts of the industry it regulates:
Tobacco companies have introduced almost no new cigarettes or smokeless tobacco products in the U.S. in more than 18 months because the federal government has prevented them from doing so, an Associated Press review has found. [...]
Since June 2009, when the law allowing the agency to regulate tobacco went into effect, the tobacco industry has submitted nearly 3,500 product applications, according to data obtained by the AP under a Freedom of Information Act request. While none have been ruled upon, the vast majority of these products are already being sold.
A grandfather clause in the law allows products introduced between February 2007 and March 2011 that are similar to those previously on the market to be sold while under review. They can be removed from store shelves if they don’t pass muster with the agency. But 400 products submitted for review since March 2011 are being kept off the market.
The reviews, which are supposed to take 90 days, have dragged on for years in some cases. About 90 percent of applications have lingered for more than a year.
Nearly 3,500 applications over three years and zero rulings. Perhaps the agency is understaffed? Not exactly:
The [FDA's Center for Tobacco Products] has an annual budget of more than $450 million, funded by the industry, and more than 365 employees, about 115 of whom work on the application reviews.
One hundred fifteen employees and zero rulings. One wonders what they do all day.
Part of the problem is that the agency evaluates products not merely on their physical characteristics, but also on whether they may entice new smokers or discourage current smokers from quitting. Since any new product is intended to appeal to someone, it’s not clear to me how applicants can decisively prove to hostile regulators that their products meet this requirement.
Perhaps one does not feel much sympathy for the tobacco companies. But note that the FDA has signaled that it will likely soon be regulating cigars too, and imagine giving the lumbering agency veto power over all new cigar blends. If Philip Morris and Lorillard can’t push new products through the approval process, how will boutique cigar makers fare? As demonstrated by the FDA’s handling of tobacco thus far, regulation could be devastating to the premium cigar industry.This is a topic I’ll be covering in greater depth next week.
Update 12/14/12: Michael Siegel weighs in too:
The rest of the story is that the Tobacco Act is working exactly as I predicted it would: as a way to protect the existing cigarettes on the market and block any real possibility of competition from what could be truly safer products.
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As anyone who reads this blog and my Southern Unionists Chronicles Blog (and sees my profile pic on Twitter… and occasional profile pic in FB) knows… I’m a big follower of David Hunter Strother (aka “Porte Crayon”)… and for some time, I’ve been wanting to transcribe the first portion of his “Personal Recollections of the War. By a Virginian.” The initial piece (the portion that covers his experiences through May 30, 1861) appeared in the June 1866 edition of Harper’s New Monthly Magazine. Now, I have the biography (Porte Crayon: The Life of David Hunter Strother) published by Cecil D. Eby, Jr. in 1960, and I have Enemies of the Country: New Perspectives on Unionists in the Civil War South, in which appears an excellent piece (“Fighting the Devil with Fire: David Hunter Strother’s Private Civil War”) by Jonathan M. Berkey, but I’ve been wanting to hear more from Strother himself about the “coming of the war”.
So, in the coming weeks, once a week, I’m going to feature portions of Strother’s “Personal Recollections”, at least as they relate to the time until he joined the Union army (July 1861). What I think this will show is the reality of the serious difficulties faced by many Virginians in picking sides. Of course, Strother, as Berkey pointed out, “passed what Carl Degler has called ‘the severest test’ of Southern Unionism by serving in the Union army.”
Keep in mind, I’ve never read his “Personal Recollections of the War,” so, you will be reading as I read. I may, at some point, interject a post commenting on Strother’s narrative. I’m looking forward to hearing “Porte” speak… I’ll kick-off this string of posts sometime at the beginning of next week.
* Series of installments begin here.
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2010 December 1
Senate Judiciary Committee Passes IDPPA
Getty Images View Gallery
(NEW YORK) It's a good day for designers. This morning, the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously passed the Innovative Design Protection and Piracy Prevention Act (IDPPA), a bill that provides three years of copywright protection for "unique and original designs." Considered a major victory for fashion designers and their intellectual property rights, this bill extends beyond the preexisting proection of prints, unique elements, and jewelry to prohibit identical knockoffs of new designs. In order for pieces to infringe upon the law, they must be extremely close copies of the original designs; consumers will not be held legally responsible for accidental purchases. In addition to supporting established fashion houses, the IDPPA also protects informal designers who develop individual pieces for personal use.
The bill was sponsored by Senator Charles Schumer and introduced in August. Schumer brokered negotiations between the CFDA and the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA), which previously served as principal opponent of such legislation such as the Design Piracy Prohibition Act (DPPA). The DPPA was introduced by Representative Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) in 2006, but ultimately stalled in Congress. The AAFA has argued that a flood of applications would beseige the Copyright Office, the protection standards were not well-defined, and the infringement standars were not sufficiently clear. Ultimately, earning support for extending copyright protection to fashion design has been challenging because lower-priced knockoffs are believed to benefit consumers.
But the new legislation may be considered a step towards further regulation. Under the IDPPA, for example, a strapless black gown worn by a celebrity on the red carpet would not be entitled to protection, but something like a Chanel faux fur boot with a lucite, ice-shaped heel would be considered sufficiently new, unique, and original. This law will make designers the responsible parties, and compel them to endow their designs with specific creative elements that fit the stringent criteria. "It was a long time coming, and I feel like fashion history was made today," said CFDA executive director Steven Kolb. "We are so pleased that the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously based our bill, and we're thankful to Senator Schumer and the entire committee for their support of our industry."
Balenciaga is said to be suing Nicolas Ghesquière over inflammatory comments he made regarding management at the fashion house in an exclusive interview to System magazine in April...
Lucky has a new editor-in-chief atop its masthead, replacing Brandon Holley, and the surprise factor isn't terribly high: Eva Chen will helm the shopping glossy. Chen is best known...
Since launching in 2008, Dannijo's sister act, Danielle and Jodie Snyder, accumulated enough hits in their bauble-crafting repertoire to launch a capsule collection in celebration ...
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“When America sneezes, the world catches cold.” That’s a variant of what Klemens von Metternich wrote about France during the Napoleonic period in the early 1800s.
In the same vane, when the Los Angeles Lakers are under-the-weather, all of basketball feels a tad queasy.
With his title in tow, LeBron James may be the contented face of the NBA and other clubs can surely pack a punch, but if there’s an America’s Team on the pro hardwood circuit it has to be the men in purple & gold of southern California.
Don’t like the Lakers as NBA standard-bearer? Tough noogies. Find another team that‘s done their fans as proud as have the Lakers over past sixty years and you can complain.
Celtics had a good run there but have fashioned just one title (‘08) since ‘86; the Knicks’ drought is so long it raises concerns over climate change; Bulls will milk the Jordan / Jackson legacy dry, content waiting on good fortune to land in their lap again; and only time will tell whether the Spurs, Heat, Mavericks and the myriad of contender / pretenders that pop up every decade will make the long-term investment standard-bearing requires.
Whether it was the Yankees, Maple Leafs, Packers or Gophers football and their 6 national crowns that provided the template, I don’t know. What I do know is that when the NBA set-up shop in the Land of 10,000 Lakes in 1947, the new ownership created a strategy for success that’s remained in place as long as any other franchise in all of sportdom.
From those early days when original superstar George Mikan carried the frozen Lakers on his back (‘49-50, ‘52-54), to the Baylor / West era, Wilt’s arrival and first golden title in ’72, Kareem‘s return, then the magical ride of Earvin Johnson & friends to the Jacksonian Era (Kobe), LA’s foray into the NBA has been great for its fans and good for the game.
As of this writing LAL’s record stands at 15-18. Not in full funk yet but starting to give a faint feeling of futility.
The numbers tell a tale.
Kobe Bryant’s putting up points like Michael Jordan was pre-Phil (30.5), bidding time while he and everyone around him tries to find their bearings.
Pau Gasol’s numbers are down (8.5 REB / 12) as he adjusts to the new arrivals and bears-up under the constant talk of trade.
Prize pre-season pick-up Dwight “Pip” Howard of the “Great Expectations” has seen his offensive boards ebbing low (3.7) but overall puts up respectable digits (12 REB / 17+).
The other half of Lakers surprise off-season haul, Steve Nash, is rounding into form (8.2 APG / 10.2) since returning from a leg injury that had him sidelined from tip-off. The challenge: Is there a power-sharing or does Nash take charge and direct the flow?
Team tallies: Lakers are fifth in scoring (102.8) but just four spots up on NBA worst Charlotte (103.8) in points allowed (100.5), in the top-half of FG% (45.3), near the rear in FT% (69) but just behind leader Golden State (46+) in all important RPG category (45.8).
Recent coaching changes have taken their toll on continuity, chemistry and confidence.
Mike Brown’s firing felt like panic, Kupchak & Buss’ flirtation with Phil Jackson smacked of a bad, discount chain, shoe-store interview in Green Bay and current mastermind Mike D’Antoni’s record is spotty: solid in Phoenix, so-so in NYC.
It’s too easy and a bit lame to blame their current malaise on “old” age (Bryant). A likely motivational move by their team-leader but not carefully crafted when it comes outta’ the mouth of one of the NBA’s aging war-horses (34).
Kobe may’ve signed-off on the D’Antoni hire to show Steve he’s team-minded and fully-vested in his addition to the Lakers’ roster. If yes, a classy move by KB but complicated when Jackson was also in the mix. Phil’s too savvy to demand the sun, moon and stars from Buss, though, certainly had every right to do so given his credentials and the State of Lakerland at the time, a state it’s not all together clear has improved much.
But the Lakers have ‘crossed the Rubicon’ with Mike D., for the rest of this season. There’s still plenty of time to turn this thing around and make the playoffs, where anything can happen and often does in today's wild & wacky sports world.
I see an intelligent, experienced Lakers’ team, deep in talent and guided by a skillful coach, all of whom, through some calculated trial & error, need time to make the proper adjustments. More specifically, better defense, fewer 3-pointers, more inside game, protect the ball (15.5 TOG) and concentration when at the charity stripe.
A season can take on a feel, a mood where either it keeps clicking or instead stays out of sync. This Lakers’ squad may need more than one season to gel, more time to flavor that broth that too many cooks can spoil if not of the same recipe. The new-fangled Miami Heat of a few years back had a better record to this point than Kobe’s crew but also needed their own time to find a cohesiveness and style for success.
Words to the wise: I’d get my licks in now when opposing these Lakers because when they do hit their stride, watch out NBA.
The Solid State
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Social conservatives who oppose gay marriage have suffered a series of losses as voters have embraced gay marriage in state referendums and in public polling. The argument that gay marriage “harms” heterosexual marriage is not one that has found resonance with most Americans.
That is not to say that marriage isn’t in trouble.
For the first time we have more unmarried households than married households and more single than married women. That has ramifications for mental health, the economy, politics, childhood development and a slew of other aspects of American life.
We know some of the reasons for this stampede toward singlehood is voluntary (more working women delaying marriage and children), but that does not mean the atomization of American life makes us a more stable, happy and prosperous country. It doesn’t.
It seems that much of the focus on traditional marriage has consisted of hectoring gay men and lesbians who want to get married and deploring the breakdown of the family with little discussion of policy or the role that churches, synagogues and other mediating institutions play.
Perhaps heading into the new year and beyond, social conservatives can focus on public policy and private efforts to increase marriage and positively promote intact families. The tax code (marriage penalties, child credits) is one area. Labor laws (allowing flexible work schedules that don’t trigger overtime requirements) are another.
More to the point, social conservatives should understand the primacy of local communities, religious and civic institutions and families themselves in promoting and assisting in marriage. We’ve had campaigns aimed at teens to say no to drugs and yes to celibacy, but not much about saying yes to marriage and how to stay out of poverty (finish high school, don’t have kids outside marriage, don’t abuse drugs, etc.).
We have a societal problem that is vast and serious and an organized political-social movement that, to be blunt, needs something constructive to do. Dare I say this might be a match made in heaven?
Ironically, with gay marriage and with the Obama economy (lots of young adults now living at home with mom and dad) reducing the number of singles households, we may begin to improve the percentage of married households. But economic decline is not a strategy. For all the time, money and energy spent on preventing gay men and lesbians from marrying, imagine if all those efforts were spent trying to encourage and improve the economics of marriage? Now that would be a joyous endeavor.
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All warships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet remain in their bases and the crews are engaged in everyday activities, a naval source has told RIA Novosti. The only exception is the Cesar Kunikov large landing ship, which is returning from Messina in Italy and passed through the Bosphorus Strait on Friday. It is expected to arrive back at its base in Sevastopol on Saturday. Earlier reports in the US media suggested that a number of warships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet are preparing to go to Syria in order to strengthen, or protect, Moscow’s naval base in the Syrian port of Tartus. A group of Russian warships, led by the Admiral Kuznetsov heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser, visited the base in January for maintenance and to replenish its reserves.
Seven people, including four police officers, have been injured as striking coalminers clashed with police in northern Spain. The protesters blocked roads and fired missiles from homemade rocket launchers after the government slashed mining subsidies by two thirds. Mining is an integral part of Spain's already ailing economy and the cuts could spell the end for the industry in the country.
At least 17 people have been killed and some 100 injured after police clashed with landless farmers in Paraguay’s remote northern forest reserve. The government deployed the army on Friday to resolve the land dispute after police tried to evict 150 farmers from the reserve, which is owned by a Colorado Party politician opposed to leftist President Fernando Lugo. Among the dead are seven police officers and ten farmers. “I extend my sorrow and repudiation of the actions that led to the killing of these people,'' Lugo said following the violence.
The Italian government announced a raft of measures valued at $100 billion to stimulate economic growth. The sale of government assets including property, downsizing the public sector and the issuance of bonds for infrastructure projects were among the 60 measures approved by the Cabinet on Friday.
The EU has announced a 14th round of sanctions on Syria, imposing an embargo on some luxury items and goods of “dual use.” The statement listed some prime examples of such goods: caviar, gems and cars costing more than €25,000. The sanctions will take effect from Sunday.
Paris is considering providing communications equipment to Syrian rebels, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Friday. France fully supported international special envoy Kofi Annan's peace plan, the minister said, adding that other options are being considered as well. “We are also considering - and the Americans have done this - not giving weapons but providing communications equipment so that a stronger revolt develops amongst the population,” Fabius told France Inter radio.
The ruling military council in Egypt has ordered parliament to close its doors in line with a High Constitutional Court verdict deeming the current assembly unconstitutional, Al-Ahram newspaper reported on Friday. The parliament's secretary-general, Sami Mahran, on Thursday received an official notification from the council to immediately dissolve, the report said. The notification also prohibits everyone except workers and parliamentary reporters from entering the parliament building.
The Italian government on Friday announced urgent measures worth 80 billion euro (US$100 billion) to spur economic growth and lower debt. Prime Minster Mario Monti's cabinet approved the reforms that include the sale of government property and issuing special bonds for infrastructure projects. The government plans to raise 10 billion euro through the sale of financial and oversight companies controlled by the treasury to pay down public debt, AP said. Other measures will simplify bankruptcy filings so companies can restructure debt and relaunch themselves.
The Obama administration will stop deporting and begin granting work permits to younger illegal immigrants who came to the US as children. The election-year initiative bypasses Congress and will affect as many as 800,000 immigrants, AP said, citing two senior officials. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was to announce the new policy on Friday. Next week, President Barack Obama is expected to address the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials' annual conference. Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney is also scheduled to speak to the group on Thursday.
Ethnic Rohingya Muslims protested in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur on Friday, calling for an end to the violence against their community in Myanmar. More than 3,000 people, including refugees, held banners that read “Stop genocide” and “Stop religious violence,” AFP said. The Myanmar Ethnic Rohingya Human Rights Organization in Malaysia urged international intervention to stop the violence. Clashes in western Rakhine state between Buddhist Rakhine and Muslim Rohingya, not recognized as citizens, have left dozens dead and more than 30,000 displaced.
A Tibetan man set himself on fire on Friday morning in northwest China's Qinghai province, advocacy groups for Tibetan rights said. They identified the man as Tamding Thar, about 60 years old. China's Xinhua news agency confirmed that a self-immolation happened Friday morning in Jianzha County in the province's Huangnan Tibetan autonomous prefecture. The identity of the person and cause of the death are being investigated, the agency said. About three dozen self-immolations have happened over the past year in ethnic Tibetan areas in protest of Beijing's policies in the region.
Turkey's Constitutional Court ruled on Friday against an opposition bid to bring President Abdullah Gul's presidency to an end in August. The court ruled in favor of a government-backed January law stating Gul would serve a seven-year term expiring in 2014, Reuters reports. The court also ruled that Gul could seek re-election when his term expires. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan is expected to seek the post if the country introduces a presidential system by 2014.
The Dalai Lama began a tour of Britain on Friday. The Tibetan spiritual leader kicked off his eight-day trip in Manchester, AFP reports. He will also visit Leeds, Edinburgh and London. On Saturday, the Dalai Lama is expected to address thousands of young people at an event in Manchester. The trip comes a month after the Buddhist leader's visit to London to collect the $1.7 million Templeton Prize that will be donated to charity.
A Bosnian court on Friday convicted four former elite soldiers of crimes against humanity. They were sentenced to up to 43 years for executing some 800 Bosnian Muslims during the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, AFP said. The men, three Bosnian Serbs and a Slovene, were members of an elite Bosnian Serb unit at the time. They were acquitted of genocide charges.
The head of the UN observer team in Syria said on Friday that a spike in violence is derailing the monitoring mission. Maj. Gen. Robert Mood blamed both sides of the conflict for the escalating bloodshed. “Violence over the past 10 days has been intensifying willingly by the both parties, with losses on both sides and significant risks for observers,” Mood said in Damascus, as cited by AP. The violence is now limiting the mission's ability “to observe, verify, report, as well as assist in local dialogue and stability projects,” he stressed. The mission remains the only functioning part of an international peace plan to sop the Syria crisis.
The European Council said on Friday it had authorized a ban on exporting to Syria some luxury or "dual use" items. The list to be published on Saturday will include caviar, shoes and garments costing more than $750, pearls, and cars costing more than $31,400, AP said. Gas masks, certain chemicals and toxins were also banned. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said the sanctions had been designed to avoid harming ordinary Syrians.
Hundreds of security forces restored order in Indonesia's restive Papua province on Friday following riots over the killing of an independence activist by police. Rioters killed one person, injured four others and burned five shops, AP reports. Police detained three people and seized several handmade bombs, machetes and separatist flags during a raid in a student dormitory in Jayapura. Riots began after police on Thursday shot and killed Mako Tabuni, the deputy chairman of the National Committee for West Papua.
Three employees of an armored vehicle company – two men and one woman – were shot and killed at the University of Alberta early Friday morning, Edmonton police said. A fourth victim is reportedly in hospital with critical injuries. Police had been called to reports of gunshots at the University of Alberta’s HUB Mall after midnight following what they believe was a robbery attempt.
Yemen's army recaptured the third Al-Qaeda stronghold in Abyan province on Friday, officials and residents said. At least 17 militants were killed during Friday's clashes as fighters who occupied the southern town of Shaqra fled, Reuters reports. This is the latest major success for a US-backed offensive to drive Islamist militants from towns they seized a year ago. The fleeing militants reportedly included Jalal al-Baleidi, also known as Abu Hamza al-Zinjibari, the leader of Ansar al-Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law), an offshoot of Al-Qaeda in Abyan.
Chinese dairy maker Yili has started recalling batches of baby formula after authorities found they contained high levels of mercury. The recall that covers baby formula produced from November 2011 to May 2012 was started earlier this week after a national food safety monitoring system detected "abnormal" levels of mercury, state-owned Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group said. The firm did not state how much baby formula was affected, AFP said. China's quality watchdog carried out an "urgent monitoring" of 715 samples of baby formula by various producers following the Yili case. No other products have been found to be unsafe so far.
A court in Paris has convicted four Somalis and acquitted two others over a 2008 attack on a French luxury vessel. Sentences handed down late Thursday for the attack on the Ponant in the Gulf of Aden ranged from four to 10 years, AP said. The 10-year prison term went to the only man, Ismael Ali Samatar, 31, who admitted he was a pirate. The 30 people on the Ponant were freed after its owner paid a ransom of $2.15 million. The group of six suspected of piracy was arrested by French army on Somali territory.
Colombia's Congress has passed a law that could pave the way for peace talks with leftist guerrillas. The document approved late Thursday raises hopes for an end to the war. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) has stepped up attacks in recent months despite being at their weakest in decades. The so-called Legal Framework for Peace, which calls for soft sentences for FARC leaders if a peace deal is reached, Reuters reports. Only members of the FARC and the National Liberation Army (ELN) could benefit from the law as it excludes criminals involved with drug cartels or former paramilitary groups. President Juan Manuel Santos supported the approval of the law.
China is preparing to launch three astronauts to live and work on a space station. The group, which includes a 34-year-old mother, is expected to be launched on Saturday on the Shenzhou 9 spacecraft. It will dock with the Tiangong 1 space module, orbiting 300 kilometers above earth, AP said. The mission will last about 10 days before the capsule is expected to land on the western Chinese grasslands. If completed, the flight will put China alongside Russia and the US as the only states to have independently maintained space stations.
Japanese police on Friday arrested the last fugitive suspected in a doomsday cult's deadly nerve gas attack on Tokyo subways 17 years ago. Katsuya Takahashi, 54, a former member of Aum Shinrikyo and the cult leader's former bodyguard, was arrested on suspicion of murder, Tokyo police said. An employee at a downtown Tokyo cafe had recognized him and called police, AP reports. Takahashi was on Japan's most wanted list for his suspected role in the sarin gas attack on Tokyo subways, which killed 13 people and injured more than 6,000.
Tens of thousands of people have been displaced and 29 killed after clashes between Muslims and Buddhists in Northern Myanmar. Over 2,000 homes have been burnt, with many victims being housed in temporary camps. Neighboring Bangladesh is guarding its border to stop more refugees from fleeing in. The violence was sparked after the murder of a Buddhist woman, which led to nearly a dozen Muslims being beaten to death.
Torrential rains have swamped large areas of central China, triggering mudslides and forcing hundreds from their homes. Officials have set up shelters to house those displaced by flooding. Emergency repairs are underway, as several highways have been destroyed by landslides and cave-ins. Heavy rains have also wrecked China's southern regions over the past weekend, leaving five dead and two missing.
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Today, the Senate Rules and Administration Committee will vote on the nomination of Hans von Spakovsky for a seat on the Federal Election Commission. In June, the Rules Committee held a confirmation hearing on four nominees to the FEC. But much of the hearing focused on Spakovsky, who has become a lighting rod for criticism over his controversial tenure in the Justice Department.
The committee did not vote on von Spakovsky at the time because chairwoman Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) wanted to give Spakovsky “a chance to respond in writing to a letter, submitted by six former career staffers at the Justice Department, opposing his nomination.”
Spakovsky, a former political appointee in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division whom President Bush temporarily placed on the FEC using a recess appointment, is said to have “used every opportunity he had over four years in the Justice Department to make it difficult for voters — poor, minority and Democratic — to go to the polls.”
Here’s an overview of his record of disenfranchising voters:
Spakovsky stalled ruling on Mississippi redistricting, effecting electoral outcomes: In 2002, under Spakovsky’s leadership, the DoJ stalled making a determination under the Voting Rights Act on a conservative-drawn redistricting plan, approving it by default. The plan influenced the outcome of a key House race.
Spakovsky pushed through Texas re-districting that violated the Voting Rights Act: In 2003, “led the battle within [the] Civil Rights Division to approve the Texas redistricting.” In 2006, the Supreme Court held that parts of the plan violated provisions of Voting Rights Act by diluting minority voting strength.
Spakovsky urged Maryland officials to reject voter registration forms of lawful voters: In 2003, Spakovsky told a Maryland election official to deny voter registration applications if any of the information on the application failed to match what is in the DMV and Social Security databases. The move exceeded federal law and was found to needlessly reject thousands of applications to vote that were lawful.
Spakovsky blocked an investigation into voter discrimination against Native Americans: In 2004, then-Minnesota U.S. Attrorney Thomas Heffelfinger believed a state voter ID ruling would disenfranchise Indian voters, but when the DoJ’s voting rights section sought to open an investigation, Spakovsky directed attorneys not to contact county officials, which “effectively ended any department inquiry.”
Spakovsky approved “modern day poll tax” over objections of career staff: In 2005, a team of Justice Department lawyers and analysts who reviewed a Georgia voter-identification law recommended rejecting it because it was likely to discriminate against black voters. But the law was approved the next day by political appointees, including Spakovsky. When the law was eventually overturned, a federal judge compared it to a Jim Crow-era poll tax.
In June, five House Democrats from Georgia, including civil rights veteran John Lewis of Atlanta, wrote a letter cautioning senators against confirming Spakovsky, saying his appointment “could potentially turn back the clock on 50 years of progress” in voting rights.
As the six former Justice Department officials wrote in June, because of his “dubious stewardship” of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, the Senate Rules Committee should “refuse to reward” him with a seat on the Federal Election Commission.
UPDATE: Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick has more on why Spakovsky shouldn’t be confirmed here.
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UK's first super-gritter on the roads
The UK's first 'super-gritter' has begun the fight against ice on Scotland's winter roads.
At 32 tonnes, the mammoth vehicle has been specially designed to cope with south west Scotland's winter.
Sensors on the vehicle help staff at its base detect when snowfall is likely.
The gritter will begin working on the exposed M74.
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Israel says bomb blast hits bus in Tel Aviv wounding at least 10
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A bomb ripped through an Israeli bus near the nation's military headquarters in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, wounding at least 10 people, Israeli officials said.
The attack came as diplomats, including U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, shuttled around the region to try to broker a cease fire following a weeklong Israeli offensive against Palestinian militants in Gaza that has killed more than 130 Palestinians. Militant rocket fire into Israel has killed five Israelis.
The bus exploded about noon on one of the coastal city's busiest arteries, near the Tel Aviv museum and across from an entrance to Israel's national defense headquarters.
The bus was charred and blackened, its side windows blown out and its glass scattered on the asphalt. The wounded were evacuated and blood was splattered on the sidewalk.
An Israeli driver who witnessed the explosion told Army Radio the bus was "completely charred inside." Another witness said there were few passengers on the bus when it exploded. The witnesses spoke to Israeli TV and were not identified.
Watch a report on the violence during today's News at Noon.
Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said authorities were investigating whether the bomb had been planted and left on the bus or whether it was the work of a suicide bomber.
"We strongly believe that this was a terror attack," he said. Continued...
He said that of the 10 wounded, three were moderately to seriously hurt.
More than 1,000 Israelis were killed during the violent Palestinian uprising in the last decade in bombings and shooting attacks. More than 5,000 Palestinians were killed as well.
The last bombing in Tel Aviv was in April 2006, when a Palestinian suicide bomber killed 11 people at a sandwich stand near the city's old central bus station. A bomb left at a bus stand in Jerusalem last year killed one person.
In Gaza, the Tel Aviv bombing was praised from mosque loudspeakers, while Hamas' television interviewed people praising the attack as a return of militants' trademark tactics.
There was no official comment from Hamas or Islamic Jihad.
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Stephen Frye has covered the police beat and courts for The Oakland Press and now serves as online editor for www.theoaklandpress.com.
Informs on and discusses current matters of legal interest to readers of The Oakland Press and to consumers of legal services in the community.
Caren Gittleman likes talking cats. She'll discuss everything about them. Share your stories and ask her questions about your favorite feline.
Roger Beukema shares news from Lansing that impacts sportsmen (this means ladies as well) and talks about things he finds when he goes overseas to visit his children, and adding your comments into the mix.
Join Jonathan Schechter as he shares thoughts on our natural world in Oakland County and beyond.
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My brother got some great noise canceling headphones a while back. I was skeptical at how well they would work, how much can earphones really cancel the noise around you, but once I tried them I was impressed. Sliding them over your ears and flipping a switch, all extra noise around me began to filter out, leaving me in silence.
This got me thinking about how these headphones work. When you switch them on they begin to, in real time, filter out the noise around you. Any sound that appears to be persistent in the background will be tuned out, leaving the remaining sounds "clean" and unobtrusive.
I wanted to do this in my own life. I analogize the background noise I hear before switching on the headphones to the information that flows through my brain on a daily basis from my TV, the Internet and all the other mediums I use. I've actively been working on becoming my own "noise canceling" technology; removing the unnecessary forms of distraction and extraneous information I wasn't even paying attention to anymore. The result has been much more time to think, write and even a little time for absolutely nothing. Just quiet.
I have yet to perfect this art, I still check my Facebook, email and other social networks too much for my liking, but I have reduced both the amount of time I'm on these sites and the number of people I let ping me with their updates. I hope to continue trimming out the excess noise, as I find I'm more productive and attentive to real life when it's gone. I love being plugged into the world and living on the pulse of a global community, but at a certain point I wasn't even listening anymore.
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Education & Outreach
Our Mission Statement: “Chamber Music Tulsa presents outstanding chamber music concerts and educational experiences for the appreciation and enjoyment of the community.” Education is important in everything we do. We offer events throughout the season to educate our audiences, and we provide school and community performances by all of our visiting, world class ensembles. Chamber Music Tulsa celebrates education.
Every ensemble we bring to Tulsa presents an educational performance or master class at local schools or community centers. You can learn more about these programs and view the full schedule here.
Additionally, we provide a variety of educational and social programs for our audience members throughout the season. You may want to attend a Pre-Concert Lecture to learn more about the visiting ensemble, a Concert Rewind post concert party, or one of our new special events like “Beers, Brats, and Bartok.” Please view the full calendar of audience education events here. We hope you will be able to join us!
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Gilbert Ivey: Water, Water Everywhere
When Gilbert Ivey (Class of ’75, B.A., Business Administration) began his 35-year career at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWDSC) as a high school intern, he was assigned to the engineering department. However, his actual duties included chauffeuring female employees who were not allowed to drive the company cars while on their rounds. Now, as MWDSC’s chief administrative officer, he works to encourage underrepresented employees in the industry.
“Back in the 1970s, women and minorities had the challenge of being accepted, of having to prove themselves,” says Ivey. “For the first ten years of my career, there was a battle to make the traditionally white male, conservative majority understand that we were people with aspirations, and that we could do the job. As women and minorities came in, I would personally mentor them, telling them, ‘Look, if all you’re doing is sweeping the sidewalk, be the best at it. They can be mad about your color, or your gender, but they can’t take away your performance.’ As I rose higher in my career, I still carried the theme of bringing everybody up in my speeches. I attribute that to Dominguez Hills, because you see it there too. You see people striving and hoping to make it.”
The Compton native and Centennial High graduate went to Lake Forest College in Chicago for two years before returning to Southern California. He transferred to CSUDH to complete his degree, and MWDSC hired him on a full-time basis to work in the Reprographics office. His interest in the water industry continued to develop as he worked his way up through the ranks.
“In the beginning, it was just a job to support my family,” he admits. “The salaries here were higher than what my friends were making, and the benefits were excellent. But the more I learned about water, the more interested I became.
“When I started at Metropolitan, all I knew was that you turned on the tap, and there was water, no big deal. But I became conscious of what a precious resource it is. I learned how hard it is to bring water to Southern California, since we don’t have a natural water supply for this many people. It’s an essential industry, something I decided to dedicate my life to.”
Ivey served as interim chief executive officer during the agency’s five-month search for a permanent replacement in 2005. Currently, he is the chief liaison between management and the 37-member board of directors, which represents the 300 cities and 18 million people of the MWDSC.
“Our board members represent the area from Ventura, all the way to the Mexican border,” he says. “Everybody has their own idea of what is the right thing to do, so I’m always on a balance beam, working with the general manager and staff, to make them understand that their role is to implement the policy, not set the policy.”
Other milestones of Ivey’s career include various positions in finance, right-of-way and land, operations, human resources and executive offices. He negotiated several major transactions such as the lease for the District's former headquarters at California Plaza for below-market rates, and favorable above-market sale transactions for the District's former Sunset Boulevard headquarters and its Bolsa Chica property. He was also project director in charge of development and construction of MWDSC’s current headquarters at Union Station, delivering the $135 million facility two months ahead of schedule and under budget. Since the building’s official opening in 1998, his team and the project have garnered many accolades and won several awards, including the Energy Star and recognition by the Building Operators and Managers Association for an outstanding government building in Los Angeles.
“Each part of our organization is like a company unto itself,” Ivey says of his rich and varied professional experiences. “Even though I’ve been at the same company for 35 years, I’ve worked at several different companies within it.”
Ivey has made significant contributions to his community by serving in leadership positions on numerous boards and commissions, including cultural commissioner for the city of Compton, utilities commissioner for the city of Rialto, and a seat on the executive boards of the Los Angeles Central City Association, the American Association of Blacks in Energy, and the University of Southern California's Minority Real Estate Program. He is a member of San Diego's Catfish Club, and both the Greater San Diego and Greater Los Angeles Area Chambers of Commerce.
In 2004, Ivey received the Tom Bradley Equal Opportunity Award from the Los Angeles Metro Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration for promoting equal opportunity in the workplace and community, and in 2005, received special recognition from the Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber of Commerce.
Ivey strives to give back to today’s students what he was given. He shares his professional experience in a volunteer capacity, such as speaking to plumbing classes at El Camino Community College. He recalls that his education at CSU Dominguez Hills included significant encouragement and mentoring from instructors.
“There was an emphasis that they put on learning, telling us, ‘You can do it if you really try,’” he says. “With the way they approached learning, you had to perform.”
“I remember having to take quantitative analysis,” he recalls. “That was a nightmare. I remember one class, where the instructor called me to the board to do an equation, and I didn’t think I understood anything about it. I went to the board and actually got the problem correct. I was very impressed, that was one of the defining moments in my life.”
- Joanie Harmon-Whetmore
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Travel with Val: Art exhibit aboard cruise ship
Valarie D’Elia takes a look at the science that lets an art exhibit set sail aboard a cruise ship.
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Being surrounded by water is a large part of the appeal of taking a cruise. On ships such as the new Celebrity Reflection, being surrounded by art is also a big draw.
"At the entrance of this space, you have the work of Anthony James, which are these beautifully encased birch trees, again, inviting us to reflect with our relationship with nature," said Mariangela Capuzzo, lead curator at ICArt.
Celebrity Reflection is the last in the brand’s Solstice Class of ships, sailing with more than $4 million worth of art on board. More than 6,000 works of art representing 97 artists are displayed in state rooms, corridors and public spaces. Like a floating art gallery that sees an audience of 3,000 people come and go weekly, there are certain specs to follow.
"We have to work very closely with the artist and make sure they don’t use flammable materials," Capuzzo said. "We work with engineers and architects throughout the whole process to make sure that vibration and stability and all of those things are taken into consideration."
Borrowing off the ship’s name, all of the artwork revolves around some aspect of "reflection." The Living Tree in the Upper Grand Foyer is one of eight site-specific installations onboard. At a media event, even the artist behind it had a double.
"I thought of a reflection in a lake, I thought of a living tree reflection in a lake, and I did my best to simulate that in a sculpture," he said.
Passengers can simply take in the art spontaneously or on self-guided iPad tours.
Celebrity Reflection will be sailing from Miami on weekly cruises to the Caribbean this winter.
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"Muslims make up just 6% of the population of Europe, and have consistently committed less than 0.5% of the terrorist attacks over the last 5 years. Much is still unknown about the attackers, yet already there has been a widespread consensus that this is the result of Islamic extremism. Today all Muslims in Britain are being blamed for the actions of two men. Particularly shocking was the BBC’s Nick Robinson rushing to say the men were of “Muslim appearance”, and the reporter on ITV news describes it as the “day that Baghdad style violence came to South London.”
The media’s repeated scapegoating of the Muslim population and its continual ‘clash of civilisations’ narrative must be challenged. It is time we recognise and fight against the distorted depictions of Muslims we see every day in the media. When a Muslim murders a white man it is denounced as terrorism and considered worthy of rolling news coverage but when a Muslim is killed in a racist attack, like the one on 75 year-old Mohammed Saleem in Birmingham earlier this month, it is treated as a one-off murder and largely ignored. These blatant double standards are not acceptable."
We Will Not Let Fear Divide Us. Stand Against Racism. (via foucaultthehaters)
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Originally posted by Willow01: Not a big believer but I will say this.....go visit that place where the French woman tortured slaves in New Orleans and you will get the strangest feeling that you have ever had on your life.
what place you talking about willow??
The LaLaurie House on Royal street. Place is wicked.
The haunted history of the LaLaurie Mansion in New Orleans is perhaps one of the best known stories of haunted houses in the city. It tragically recounts the brutal excess of slavery in a horrifying and gruesome manner because for more than 150 years, and through several generations, the Lalaurie house has been considered the most haunted location in the French Quarter. Let’s just say this story is not for the faint of heart.... and not for the weak of stomach either.
The origin of the ghostly tale dates back to 1832 when Dr. Louis Lalaurie and his wife, Delphine, moved into their Creole mansion in the French Quarter. They became renowned for their social affairs and were respected for their wealth and prominence. Madame Lalaurie became known as the most influential French-Creole woman in the city, handling the family’s business affairs and carrying herself with great style. Her daughters were among the finest dressed girls in New Orleans. For those lucky enough to attend social functions at 1140 Royal Street, they were amazed by what they found there. The three-story mansion, although rather plain on the exterior, was graced with delicate iron work but the interior was lavish by anyone’s standards. The house had been made for grand events and occasions. Mahogany doors that were hand-carved with flowers and human faces opened into a bright parlors, illuminated by the glow of hundreds of candles in gigantic chandeliers. Guests dined from European china and danced and rested on Oriental fabrics which had been imported at great expense. Madame Lalaurie was considered one of the most intelligent and beautiful women in the city. Those who received her attentions at the wonderful gatherings could not stop talking about her. Guests in her home were pampered as their hostess bustled about the house, seeing to their every need. But this was the side of Madame Lalaurie the friends and admirers were allowed to see. There was another side. Beneath the delicate and refined exterior was a cruel, cold-blooded and possibly insane woman that some only suspected.... but others knew as fact.
The finery of the Lalaurie house was attended to by dozens of slaves and Madame Lalaurie was brutally cruel to them. She kept her cook chained to the fireplace in the kitchen where the sumptuous dinners were prepared and many of the others were treated much worse. We have to remember that, in those days, the slaves were not even regarded as being human. They were simply property and many slave owners thought of them as being lower than animals. Of course, this does not excuse the treatment of the slaves, or the institution of slavery itself, but merely serves as a reminder of just how insane Madame Lalaurie may have been.... because her mistreatment of the slaves went far beyond cruelty. It was the neighbors on Royal Street who first began to suspect something was not quite right in the Lalaurie house. There were whispered conversations about how the Lalaurie slaves seemed to come and go quite often. Parlor maids would be replaced with no explanation or the stable boy was suddenly just disappear... never to be seen again. Then, one day a neighbor was climbing her own stairs when she heard a scream and saw Madame Lalaurie chasing a little girl, the Madame’s personal servant, with a whip. She pursued the girl onto the roof of the house, where the child jumped to her death. The neighbor later saw the small slave girl buried in a shallow grave beneath the cypress trees in the yard. A law that prohibited the cruel treatment of slaves was in effect in New Orleans and the authorities who investigated the neighbor’s claims impounded the Lalaurie slaves and sold them at auction. Unfortunately for them, Madame Lalaurie coaxed some relatives into buying them and then selling them back to her in secret.
The stories continued about the mistreatment of the Lalaurie slaves and uneasy whispering spread among her former friends. A few party invitations were declined, dinner invitations were ignored and the family was soon politely avoided by other members of the Creole society. Finally, in April of 1834, all of the doubts about Madame Lalaurie were realized.....
A terrible fire broke out in the Lalaurie kitchen. Legend has it that it was set by the cook, who could endure no more of the Madame’s tortures. Regardless of how it started, the fire swept through the house. After the blaze was put out, the fire fighters discovered a horrible sight behind a secret, barred door in the attic. They found more than a dozen slaves here, chained to the wall in a horrible state. They were both male and female.... some were strapped to makeshift operating tables... some were confined in cages made for dogs.... human body parts were scattered around and heads and human organs were placed haphazardly in buckets.... grisly souvenirs were stacked on shelves and next to them a collection of whips and paddles. It was more horrible that anything created in man’s imagination.
According to the newspaper, the New Orleans Bee, all of the victims were naked and the ones not on tables were chained to the wall. Some of the women had their stomachs sliced open and their insides wrapped about their waists. One woman had her mouth stuffed with animal excrement and then her lips were sewn shut. The men were in even more horrible states. Fingernails had been ripped off, eyes poked out, and private parts sliced away. One man hung in shackles with a stick protruding from a hole that had been drilled in the top of his head. It had been used to “stir” his brains. The tortures had been administered so as to not bring quick death. Mouths had been pinned shut and hands had been sewn to various parts of the body. Regardless, many of them had been dead for quite some time. Others were unconscious and some cried in pain, begging to be killed and put out of their misery. The fire fighters fled the scene in disgust and doctors were summoned from a nearby hospital. It is uncertain just how many slaves were found in Madame Lalaurie’s “torture chamber” but most of them were dead. There were a few who still clung to life.... like a woman whose arms and legs had been removed and another who had been forced into a tiny cage with all of her limbs broken than set again at odd angles. Needless to say, the horrifying reports from the Lalaurie house were the most hideous things to ever occur in the city and word soon spread about the atrocities. It was believed that Madame Lalaurie alone was responsible for the horror and that her husband turned a blind, but knowing, eye to her activities.
Passionate words swept through New Orleans and a mob gathered outside the house, calling for vengeance and carrying hanging ropes. Suddenly, a carriage roared out of the gates and into the milling crowd. It soon disappeared out of sight.
Madame Lalaurie and her family were never seen again. Rumors circulated as to what became of them.... some said they ran away to France and others claimed they lived in the forest along the north shore of Lake Ponchatrain. Still other rumors claimed the family vanished into one of the small towns near New Orleans, where friends and relatives sheltered them from harm. Could this be true? And if so, could the terrible actions of Madame LaLaurie have "infected" another house in addition to the mansion in the French Quarter?
Whatever became of the Lalaurie family, there is no record that any legal action was ever taken against her and no mention that she was ever seen in New Orleans, or her fine home, again. Of course, the same thing cannot be said for her victims.....
The stories of ghosts and a haunting at 1140 Royal Street began almost as soon as the Lalaurie carriage fled the house in the darkness. After the mutilated slaves were removed from the house, it was sacked and vandalized by the mob. After a brief occupancy, the house remained vacant for many years after, falling into a state of ruin and decay. Many people claimed to hear screams of agony coming from the empty house at night and saw the apparitions of slaves walking about on the balconies and in the yards. Some stories even claimed that vagrants who had gone into the house seeking shelter were never heard from again. The house had been placed on the market in 1837 and was purchased by a man who only kept it for three months. He was plagued by strange noises, cries and groans in the night and soon abandoned the place. He tried leasing the rooms for a short time, but the tenants only stayed for a few days at most. Finally, he gave up and the house was abandoned.
Following the Civil War, Reconstruction turned the empty Lalaurie mansion into an integrated high school for “girls of the Lower District” but in 1874, the White League forced the black children to leave the school. A short time later though, a segregationist school board changed things completely and made the school for black children only. This lasted for one year. In 1882, the mansion once again became a center for New Orleans society when an English teacher turned it into a “conservatory of music and a fashionable dancing school”. All went well for some time as the teacher was well-known and attracted students from the finest of the local families.... but then things came to a terrible conclusion. A local newspaper apparently printed an accusation against the teacher, claiming some improprieties with female students, just before a grand social event was to take place at the school. Students and guests shunned the place and the school closed the following day.
A few years later, more strange events plagued the house and it became the center for rumors regarding the death of Jules Vignie, the eccentric member of a wealthy New Orleans family. Vignie lived secretly in the house from the later 1880’s until his death in 1892. He was found dead on a tattered cot in the mansion, apparently living in filth, while hidden away in the surrounding rooms was a collection of antiques and treasure. A bag containing several hundred dollars was found near his body and another search found several thousand dollars hidden in his mattress. For some time after, rumors of a lost treasure circulated about the mansion.... but few dared to go in search of it.
The house was abandoned again until the late 1890’s. In this time of great immigration to America, many Italians came to live in New Orleans. Landlords quickly bought up old and abandoned buildings to convert into cheap housing for this new wave of renters. The Lalaurie mansion became just such a house.... and for many of the tenants even the low rent was not enough to keep them there. During the time when the mansion was an apartment house, a number of strange events were recorded. Among them was an encounter between a occupant and a naked black man in chains who attacked him. The black man abruptly vanished. Others claimed to have animals butchered in the house; children were attacked by a phantom with a whip; strange figures appeared wrapped in shrouds; a young mother was terrified to find a woman in elegant evening clothes bending over her sleeping infant; and of course, the ever-present sounds of screams, groans and cries that would reverberate through the house at night. It was never easy to keep tenants in the house and finally, after word spread of the strange goings-on there, the mansion was deserted once again.
The house would later become a bar and then a furniture store. The saloon, taking advantage of the building’s ghastly history was called the “Haunted Saloon”. The owner knew many of the building’s ghost stories and kept a record of the strange things experienced by patrons. The furniture store did not fare as well in the former Lalaurie house. The owner first suspected vandals when all of his merchandise was found ruined on several occasions, covered in some sort of dark, stinking liquid. He finally waited one night with a shotgun, hoping the vandals would return. When dawn came, the furniture was all ruined again even though no one, human anyway, had entered the building. The owner closed the place down.
Today, the house has been renovated and restored and serves as luxury apartments for those who can afford them. Apparently, tenants are a little easier to keep today than they were one hundred years ago.
Is the Lalaurie house still haunted? I really don’t know for sure, but one has to wonder if the spirits born from this type of tragedy can ever really rest? A few years ago, the owners of the house were in the midst of remodeling when they found a hasty graveyard hidden in the back of the house beneath the wooden floor. The skeletal remains had been dumped unceremoniously into the ground and when officials investigated, they found the remains to be of fairly recent origins. They believed that it was Madame Lalaurie’s own private graveyard. She had removed sections of the floor in the house and had hastily buried them to avoid being seen and detected. The discovery of the remains answered one question and unfortunately created another. The mystery of why some of the Lalaurie slaves seemed to just simply disappear was solved at last..... but it does make you wonder just how many victims Madame Lalaurie may have claimed?
And how many of them may still be lingering behind in our world?
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Construction materials costs dropped in November, aided by a plunge in diesel prices along with smaller decreases in a variety of other inputs, according to an analysis of new federal figures recently released by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials noted that some of the price declines may be related to the fact that the threat of the fiscal cliff is already having an impact on demand for construction and related materials.
“The recent price decreases are very welcome after years of price spikes that contractors could not pass on in a weak construction market,” said Ken Simonson, chief economist for the construction trade association. “These price declines may be yet another sign that the threat of the fiscal cliff has already taken a toll on demand.”
For the 12 months ending in November, the producer price index for all construction inputs rose 1.0%, closely matching the increase in prices contractors charge for new buildings. Between October and November, however, construction materials prices fell by 1.1%, while the amount contractors charge to build industrial buildings, new offices and new warehouses was unchanged and down 0.3% for new school construction.
Simonson said prices fell for the month and the year for diesel fuel (-7.4% for the month and -4.0% for the year), steel (-1.3% for the month and -9.3% for the year), copper (-3.3% for the month and -0.9% for the year) and aluminum (-0.8 for the month and -3.5 for the year). The overall decrease was offset by increases in prices for gypsum products such as wallboard (0.4% for the month and 14.9% for the year), lumber and plywood (1.7% for the month and 9.3% for the year) and architectural coatings (unchanged for the month, but up 10.5% for the year).
“Demand for gypsum and architectural coatings products has risen sharply as apartment and home construction have soared in recent months,” Simonson commented. “The gypsum and lumber price increases might also reflect the surge in demand from areas hit by Hurricane Sandy.”
Many firms have already changed business practices because of the twin threat of spending cuts and tax increases included in the fiscal cliff. In particular, many firms noted they were cutting back on investments in construction equipment and supplies, likely contributing to the decline in materials prices, association officials cautioned.
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Dongguan Dalang Chenyang operates an expansive factory in Dongguan City, which employs 100 workers.
Furniture Mills Benefit From Dongguan City Product
By Lucas Ngu
Dongguan City, China—During the early years, Dongguan Dalang Chenyang Wood Materials Co. was involved in the trading of edgebanding materials. Eventually, the firm moved on to become a manufacturer of the product itself.
As one of the pioneers in the manufacture of the product in Dongguan City, the company set up a factory with just 40 workers that started producing edgebanding material. As the years went by, the production facility doubled in size. Today, the workforce totals 100.
Edgebanding veneer is used mainly for the production of coffee tables and cabinets.
“We have been making edgebanding material for five years now,” said Lin Quan, the company’s general manager. “Very soon, we shall be moving to a larger plant which is under construction.”
An hour-and-a-half drive from Hong Kong, the plant manufactures edgebanding materials mainly for local furniture mills that are largely Taiwanese investments. About 30 percent of the products are exported to Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia.
The product is marketed under the “Shenyang” or “Morning Sun” brand, which are used mainly for the production of coffee tables and cabinets for homes, offices and hotels.
Operating with the motto “Quality first; just-in-time delivery,” the company marches forward as it strives to achieve its goal of providing customers with good edgebanding materials at a reasonably good price, backed by an efficient aftersales service.
It’s a five-and-a-half-day week for the employees who carry out tasks assigned to them with the daily routine stretching from 8
Wood is sourced from various parts of the world for the production of edgebanding veneer.
a.m. to 6 p.m. Occasionally, overtime work is required and this means an additional two hours of work before they call it a day.
Each day, the mill churns out an acre of edgebanding material.
As far as raw materials are concerned, they are obtained from Russia, the United States, Europe, South Africa and New Zealand. Local timber in the form of China Ash, is sourced from Heilongjiang and Yunnan provinces.
According to Lin, imported material accounts for half of the raw material used for making edgebanding veneer. From the U.S. comes the species of Cherry, Red Oak, Walnut, Ash and Maple. The choice of raw material is customer dictated as Lin explained: “It is the customer who makes the choice. Because furniture buyers in the U.S. prefer home-grown timber, furniture manufacturers will have to source for raw materials from that country and this, in turn, means we also have to use American timber for making our products.”
However, as Lin further explained, American timber is not imported directly from suppliers in the U.S. Instead, the veneer strips, which are supplied in widths of 20-30 cm and 0.6 mm in thickness, are purchased from raw material markets in China.
Lin recalled that the company did contact suppliers in the U.S. at one time to place orders for raw materials. “But the problem arose when we were not given what we had asked for. Because of this, company officials now make it a point to go to the local timber yard, choose what they want and pay for what they get.
Lin Quan is the company’s general manager.
And we are happy with the present way of getting supplies of wood.”
Quality is heavily emphasised in the production process and thus, only A and B grades of veneer strips are selected and delivered to the doorsteps of the factory. On arrival at the factory, they are ripped into smaller strips and joined to become longer pieces of up to 150 metres in length before they are packed in coils.
Some of the advanced machines used for making edgebanding material are imported from Germany. Others are locally manufactured and there are also self-made machines.
Lin went on to say that unlike other mills, the company has its own way of making edgebanding. “While the conventional method is to paste fabric to the veneer before lengthening it, we make it a point to join the veneer first before adding fabric to it. This way, we can make the product faster than others.”
In the production of edgebanding veneer, the company has the medium-to-high segment of the market in mind. Its forte lies in its ability to churn out high quality products at a much faster pace than its competitors. “For example, orders that we received in the morning can be delivered to customers in the afternoon,” said Lin.
For the future, the company intends to remain steadfast in what it is doing and strive to further expand its U.S. and European markets. Lin added: “We want to specialize in the production of edgebanding material. If we diversify, things will become complicated and we won’t be able to focus on what we are doing. In the end, we cannot be professional in this trade.”
From the USA comes the species of Oak, Walnut, Ash and Maple.
For now, the situation is that the market is getting so competitive and to compound the problem, large furniture manufacturers, especially Taiwanese mills, are moving out of China into Vietnam, according to Lin.
The company claims it can outpace competitors by adopting its own way of making edgebanding veneer.
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In announcing revised intelligence-gathering guidelines for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Attorney General John Ashcroft assured the nation: "I don't have the power to erode the Constitution. I wouldn't do it if I could."
Yet, in reacting to the return of the FBI to J. Edgar Hoover's version of compliance with the Bill of Rights, Wisconsin Republican James Sensenbrenner, one of the more conservative members of Congress, and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, protested: "We can have security without throwing respect for civil liberties into the trash heap. We don't have to go back to the bad old days when the FBI was spying on people like Martin Luther King."
Those "bad old days" encompassed Hoover's COINTELPRO (counterintelligence program) from 1956 to 1971, when the FBI monitored, infiltrated, and often disrupted civil rights, antiwar, and church organizations without any evidence or reasonable suspicion that they had committed or were planning criminal activities.
Now, as John Ashcroft declares, "We don't need any leads or preliminary investigations" to send disguised FBI agents into public meetings, churches, mosques, or any public place "under the same terms and conditions of any member of the public."
We civilians do not have any expectation of privacy in a public space, but we also do not expect to be spied on for what is said at a meeting, or what we say, nor do we expect the amiable person next to us to put us into an FBI database. Just as Ashcroft did not consult Congress in violating our First and Fourth Amendment rights in unleashing the FBI, neither did he involve Congress in his order to have FBI agents listen in on lawyer-client conversations in federal prisons-thereby shredding the Sixth Amendment. As Roger Pilon, the Cato Institute's protector of the Constitution, notes, "This is now an executive branch that thinks it's a law unto itself."
Responding to the return of COINTELPRO, the Northampton, Massachusetts, Bill of Rights Defense Committee said: "Now Mr. Ashcroft and Mr. Bush, like Mr. Nixon before them, have unilaterally placed in jeopardy the right to organize peacefully and legally. Not only is this unconstitutional, but it will put our communities at risk. Who is sitting next to us at City Council, church, peace or ACLU meetings? And what will that mean to the outcome of that meeting or our individual security?"
The Northampton Bill of Rights Defense Committee is one of a number of modern-day versions of the Committees of Correspondence, started by the Sons of Liberty in Boston in 1756, that spread the news throughout the Colonies about such British attacks on their liberties as the general search warrant that allowed customs officers to turn homes and offices and colonists upside down in pursuit of contraband.
This February, in Northampton, Massachusetts, some three hundred doctors, nurses, lawyers, social workers, retirees, teachers, and students organized the Bill of Rights Defense Committee to protect the residents of the town from the provisions of the Bush-Ashcroft USA Patriot Act and subsequent executive orders that-in the language of a resolution passed unanimously by the Northampton Town Council in May-"threaten key rights guaranteed to U.S. citizens and noncitizens by the Bill of Rights and the Massachusetts Constitution." Such as: "freedom of speech, assembly, proceedings, and protection from unreasonable searches and seizures."
The USA Patriot Act radically limits judicial supervision of FBI raids of homes and offices where the occupants aren't there, as well electronic surveillance of e-mail and other computer communications.
Similar defense committees have been formed in Amherst and Leverett, Massachusetts, as well by the city councils of Ann Arbor, Michigan; Denver, Colorado; and Berkeley, California. Other towns and cities have contacted the Northampton patriots to find out more about organizing their own committees. (Updates on these present-day Committees of Correspondence, and organizing them are on the Northampton committee's Web site: www.gjf.org/NBORDC.)
At the Leverett, Massachusetts, town meeting, Don Ogden, who offered the resolution, said: "It is truly Orwellian doublespeak to call such unpatriotic efforts [as Ashcroft's] a 'patriotic act.'"
And at the Amherst town meeting, before the unanimous vote passing the resolution to protect those citizens from the attorney general, Anne Awad made a pertinent point-that was probably dutifully communicated to Ashcroft by the FBI-"As members of the Select Board, we want to know that all residents and visitors to our town feel safe. We do not want to support profiling of particular types of people. If one group is viewed suspiciously today, another group will be added to the list tomorrow."
In initiating this new American Revolution, the citizens of Northampton state plainly: "We reach back to the fundamental ideology and approach of the founders of our nation: local critique and resistance to violations of freedom. We recommend the same to all communities of concerned citizens."
As Sam Adams, an original member of the Sons of Liberty, and a bold signer of the Declaration of Independence, said in 1771: "A true patriot would keep the attention of his fellow citizens awake to their grievances, and not allow them to rest till the causes of their just complaints are removed. . . . Our ship is in the hands of pilots . . . who are steering directly under full sail to a rock. The whole crew may see [this course to violate our liberties] in full view if they look the right way."
Quiet as the national press has been in ignoring the news of this revival of the Committees of Correspondence, Sam Adams's basic advice is being heeded by more and more Americans. As quoted in historian Pauline Maier's From Resistance to Revolution, Adams emphasized that "colonists must henceforth primarily depend upon themselves for the defense of their liberties."1 So must we.
1. Pauline Maier, From Resistance to Revolution: Colonial Radicals and the Development of American Opposition to Britain, 1765-1776 (New York: W.W. Norton, orig. ed. 1972, paperback ed., 1991).
Nat Hentoff is a regular columnist for the Village Voice, Legal Times, Washington Times, and Editor & Publisher, a United Media syndicated columnist, and the author of Living the Bill of Rights (University of California Press).
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March 6, 2013
SO IT'S NOT LIKE THEY WORK ANYWAY:
More Americans Working Remotely (NEIL SHAH, 3/06/13, WSJ)
Posted by Orrin Judd at March 6, 2013 7:54 PMMore American employees are working from home at least one day a week--a trend that could lower companies' costs and boost productivity. [...][A] study by academics at Stanford University and Beijing University found Chinese call-center workers who stayed home took fewer breaks and worked more efficiently. Allowing employees to work from home can also lower a company's costs--especially for real estate, given the reduced need for office space.And employees who mix working from home and office are often paid more. The median household income for such workers was over $96,000 in 2010, compared with around $66,000 for "on-site" workers, according to the Census's Survey of Income and Program Participation.The home-working trend isn't hitting all types of workers equally. One in four home-based workers is in management, business and finance.
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The Penn Compact in Action
The high life
The High Line hasn't carried a freight train through New York City in decades, but due to the efforts of a Penn graduate, the railway has been given new life.
For a decade, Joshua David C'84, and friends labored to transform the elevated High Line—once used to deliver goods to New York warehouses—into a unique urban park. Now, after 10 years, the first section in the three-phase project is open; Phase Two is set to be completed by the fall of 2010. An environmental design student at Penn before becoming a freelance writer, David co-founded Friends of the High Line in 1999 and helped gather widespread support for the site's renovation and maintenance.
The walkway was designed by James Corner, chair of PennDesign's landscape architecture program, whose career-long focus on urban landscapes has been a perfect fit for the project. Corner's vision for the High Line, says David, has created a setting "less like a park and more like a scruffy wilderness."
More of the Penn Compact in Action
The Penn Compact
The Penn Compact embodies Penn's vision for making our University both a global leader in teaching, research, and professional practice, as well as a dynamic agent of social, economic, and civic progress.
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BERLIN - Former German central banker Thilo Sarrazin, whose musings on Muslim immigrants sparked outrage in 2010, has triggered fresh controversy with a book that paints Germany as the euro zone's hostage, forced to pay out vast sums to atone for the Holocaust.
In extracts of his book “Europe doesn't need the euro”, due to be published on Tuesday, Sarrazin argues that the euro zone is holding Germany to ransom over its past aggression, blackmailing it into agreeing to euro bonds or mutualised debt.
Supporters of euro bonds in Germany “are driven by that very German reflex, that we can only finally atone for the Holocaust and World War Two when we have put all our interests and money into European hands,” Sarrazin wrote, according to extracts published in the Focus weekly.
Chancellor Angela Merkel's centre-right coalition is resisting EU pressure to back the introduction of euro bonds jointly underwritten by all euro zone members, fearing they would remove pressure on heavily indebted states such as Greece to put their finances in order.
But pressure has increased on Merkel to reconsider following Socialist Francois Hollande's victory in France's presidential election this month and the issue is expected to be discussed at an informal EU summit on Wednesday.
Sarrazin's new book has stirred heated debate among politicians even before it goes on sale.
“Either he is speaking and writing this appalling nonsense out of conviction or he is doing it with despicable calculation,” Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper.
A leading member of Germany's opposition Social Democrats (SPD), Peer Steinbrueck, locked horns with Sarrazin on national television on Sunday evening, describing the theories in his 400-page book as worthless.
“It is pathetic that he is using the Holocaust to secure as much attention as possible for his euro bond theses,” Greens leader Juergen Trittin told Monday's Die Welt newspaper.
“To spend money keeping the euro is a worthwhile investment for Germany,” Trittin said.
Germany's agreement to bail out Greece reveals its “susceptibility to blackmail”, Sarrazin wrote, alluding to crimes committed by the Nazis before and during World War Two.
“This politics is turning Germany into a hostage of all those in the euro zone who may in the future, for whatever reason, need help,” he said.
Focus had a picture of the bespectacled, moustachioed Sarrazin, 67, on its front cover crumpling up a wad of euros.
Germany is the largest contributor to multi-billion euro bailouts of Greece, which faces a second election in just two months in June that leftists opposed to German-inspired austerity policies may win.
Sarrazin is lauded by some in Germany as an independent-minded breaker of taboos fighting for the interests of German taxpayers but is denounced by others as a preacher of hate.
He shot to notoriety in 2010 with a book entitled “Germany does away with itself” (Deutschland schafft sich ab), a bestseller that exposed a deep rift in German society over its integration of immigrants.
The book accused Turkish and Arab immigrants of exploiting Germany's welfare state, refusing to integrate and lowering the average intelligence - arguments that led to his resignation from the Bundesbank, where he was a board member, and which still cloud immigration debates two years after publication. -
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Iranian athletes excelled at the Guangzhou 2010 Asian Games in November,and women were prominent among them – stirring controversy among conservatives at home.
With 88 places on the national team, female competitors accounted for a quarter of the Iranian force, which took fourth place overall at the games, its highest ranking in three decades.
The top Iranian sportswoman was Khadijeh Azadpour, who took gold in wushu, a martial art, and many others won silver and bronze medals.
The level of female participation in sports places Iran ahead of many other Islamic states, but it is still controversial at home.
The government is left in an ambivalent position, torn between backing women's sports and accommodating the deep-seated hostility from conservative Shia clerics.
Before the national team left for Guangzhou, Iranian vice-president Ali Saeedlou, who heads the national physical education organisation, promised a new home and other rewards to anyone who came home with a gold medal.
The house deeds were supposed to be handed over when the team touched down in Tehran, but when Azadpour asked where her reward was, she was told she would receive it only if she got married.
After this was reported widely in the media, Saeedlou had to issue a correction, saying that "all gold medalists are to get apartments, married or unmarried".
During the Asian games, Marzieh Akbarabadi, deputy head of the physical education organisation, was asked by a reporter why the Iranian sportswomen were being shown more on Persian-language TV stations based outside the country than they were on state television channels. She replied that it was hard to get top clerics to consent to female participation in sport.
A number of senior clerics were highly critical of the presence of female Iranian competitors at the games. Grand Ayatollah Safi Golpayegani, 91, said sending female athletes to events abroad was a "disgrace".
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Sachin Tendulkar biography
Sachin Tendulkar was born April 24, 1973 in Bombay, India. Given his first cricket bat at the age 11, Tendulkar was just 16 when he became India's youngest Test cricketer. In 2005 he became the first cricketer to score 35 centuries (100 runs in a single inning) in Test play. In 2007 Tendulkar reached another major milestone, becoming the first player to record 15,000 runs in one-day international play.
Professional cricket player. Largely considered cricket's greatest batsman, Sachin Tendulkar was born April 24, 1973 in Bombay, India, to a middle-class family, the youngest of four children. His father was a professor while his mother worked for a life insurance company.
Named after his family's favorite music director, Sachin Dev Burman, Tendulkar wasn't a particularly gifted student, but he'd always shown himself to be a standout athlete. He was 11 years old when he was given his first cricket bat and his talent in the sport was immediately apparent. At the age of 14 he scored 329 out of a world record stand of 664 in a school match. As his accomplishments grew, he became a sort of cult figure among Bombay schoolboys.
After high school Tendulkar enrolled at Kirti College, where his father also taught. The fact that he decided to go to the school where his father worked was of no surprise. Tendulkar's family is very close and years after he'd achieved stardom and cricket fame, he continued to live next door to his parents.
Tendulkar made his debut in international competition at 16 with a match against Pakistan in Karachi. He wasted little time matching the expectations surrounding his arrival on the professional field. At the age of 18 he scored a pair of centuries in Australia, then in 1994 racked up a score of 179 in a match against the West Indies.
Tendulkar was just 23 when he was named captain of his country's team for the 1996 World Cup. While the tournament proved to be a disappointment for his club, Tendulkar did nothing to diminish his own standing as one of the world's dominant players. He finished out the World Cup as the event's top scorer.
In India, Tendulkar's star shined even brighter. In a country reeling from troubled economic times, the young cricketer was seen as a symbol of hope by his countrymen that better times lay ahead. On national newsweekly went so far as to devote an entire issue to the young cricketer, dubbing him "The Last Hero" for his home country. His style of play—aggressive and inventive—resonated with the sport's fans, as did Tendulkar's unassuming off the field living. Even with his increasing wealth, Tendulkar showed humility and refused to flaunt his money.
Tendulkar's dominance of his sport has continued, even as he's moved well into his thirties. He scored his record-breaking 35th century in Test play in December 2005 in a match against Sri Lanka. In June 2007 he set another mark when he became the first player to record 15,000 runs in one-day international play. In January 2010 he again moved into the record books when became the first batsman to score 13,000 runs in Test play.
Just one month later he registered another first, a "double century" in a match against South Africa. That same year he was named the 2010 International Cricket Council Cricketer of the Year.
In April 2011 Tendulkar chalked up another milestone when he led India to a World Cup victory, his first in his long career. During the tournament, the batsman again showed why he's one of the sport's greatest athletes by becoming the first batsman to score 2,000 runs and six centuries in World Cup play.
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Subscribe to this feed Subscribe via Email
The original publication (in 1987) of this definitive handbook on the development of community sailing programs would not have been possible without the dedication of a handful of volunteers who gave their time and talents to create it. Particular thanks is given to Timothea S. Larr who coordinated the entire project for the United States Sailing Association (US SAILING, formerly USYRU). Sincere thanks, too, to those who authored sections of the book: Robert G. Black, Dr. Richard Farkas, Tom Fisher, Robert F. Johnstone, Marion Percell, J. Richard Pfund, George R. Rounds, Don Strobel, Capt. Harold J. Sutphen, and Glo Webel.
Editing of this revised edition was completed thanks to Robert G. Black and US SAILING staff and volunteers. Final editing by Sailing World Magazine's editors; art direction by Jan Goodland-Metz, Diane Cacase and Dianne Boiani; photos courtesy of various community sailing programs and Gall Scott Sleeman. Cover photo by Billy Black.
Published in the United States of America in 1992 by the National Sailing Industry Association (NSIA) of The National Marine Manufacturers Association, 401 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 1150 Chicago, IL 60611 and U.S. SAILING, P.O. Box 209 Newport, RI 02840. © 1992 by National Sailing Industry Association and U.S. SAILING. All rights reserved.
The reproduction or utilization of this material in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, including xerography, photocopying~ recording, and in any information storage and retrieval system is forbidden without written permission from the National Sailing Industry Association and US SAILING.
I. IntroductionCreating Access to Sailing, the Lifelong RecreationGail Scott Sleemen
Sailing is one of those rare activities whose inherent versatility makes it possible to enrapture everyone. It is a lifelong, wholesome sport with something for all those who try it. This special quality means it can bond generations, sexes, classes or even nations of people -- an asset desperately needed in our complex and fast-paced society. There is no sport which can so excite and thrill at just five or seven miles per hour.
It can just as often be the relaxing, decompressing time that gears us down from our pressurized lives. No other recreation or sport can credibly claim it uses the forces of nature alone -- without the slightest damage to the environment. In these senses, it links man today with his heritage and with the world in which future generations must live.
The challenge many perceive is how to share this opportunity with all those who would enjoy it. The uninitiated think that it is hard to do, costly and exclusive. Knowing, as we do, this does not have to be the case, programs and projects which know how to reach out to people should consider adding sailing to their list of activities.
Park districts, foundations, community groups, schools and other governmental and private agencies and groups need to step forward and assess what sailing can do for their constituencies. Adding sailing to a menu of community accessible sporting activities is practical, viable and valuable.
This manual is a constructive effort by many experienced sailors and leaders in the recreational field to share what has been learned and what can be achieved by those committed to public access sailing.
Along with the annual conference of Community Sailing programs held each winter, it can (1) enable any organization to evaluate the costs and benefits of creating and supporting a sailing program and/or (2) bolster the ease with which any established program can optimize what it is doing.
Our no-frills group represents what is known to, date about making it work! We include managers of on-going programs, instructors, marketing and fund-raising people, manufacturers, training experts, insurance and legal professionals and regulators whose common interest is to expand and nurture ACCESS to new publics.
The Handbook is an on-going project reflecting the dedicated efforts of many individuals and organizations -- the U.S. Sailing Association, The National Sailing Industry Association (of the NMMA), Bob Black & Co. Inc., Sailing World Magazine's editors, and the managers of the programs who have contributed information on their facilities.
Your feedback is especially important to us. We hope you will follow through on your interest in public access sailing and contact the various programs which seem most similar to yours. We are all enthusiastic about helping new programs develop. Sailing in this special mode is genuinely SAILING of the people, by the people and for the people...
We look forward to having you join us.
Richard R Farkas ChairmanCommunity Sailing Committee
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That man still best known as the cocksure Capt. James T. Kirk in “Star Trek” looked right at home below the Majestic’s vaulted “starry” ceiling, speaking a nearly two-hour song of himself before a screen that showed occasional photos and clips of his personal and professional life but mostly the image of a distant starry nebula.
The 81-year-old Shatner recounted that stellar life at just about all stages short of the womb, from growing up in Canada admiring the sensuality of the burlesque star Lili St. Cyr and the literal drop-dead comedy of Dick Shawn, to taking the crown of “Henry V” as Christopher Plummer’s understudy at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival and later securing the famous captain’s chair thanks to a re-shoot of the “Star Trek” pilot. Shatner also spoke of his love for motorcycles and horses, clearly other engines for him to boldly go where no Enterprise set or CGI can take him.
Like most sci-fi stars of long ago, Shatner has come full circle with embracing his “Star Trek” tenure. He recalled during the show how “Star Trek: The Next Generation” star Patrick Stewart opened his eyes to rediscovering the awe and wonder of the franchise and especially his place in it. Which brought Shatner to a lighthearted look at how his Kirk character got killed off during that cinematic passing of the torch in “Star Trek: Generations.”
Shatner offered more personal thoughts on death, too. He recounted the time he had to bury his father after his death from a stroke, then years later coming home to discover his third wife drowned in their swimming pool. He also delivered a poignant anecdote about eventually having to euthanize his prized horse Great Day.
“Death is the final frontier,” Shatner said.
But death was hardly the final word in “Shatner’s World.” Shatner accentuated plenty of bright moments, often with that trademark vacillating calm then brash voice that’s become the stuff of Shatnerian legend and legendary caricature.
Take the time he hitchhiked across the U.S. while a student at McGill University. Or when he signed the lunar module in the late ’60s. Or when he met Koko the signing gorilla and she used her hands in a way few simians do with Canadian actors.
And how many stars can say they passed a kidney stone that bought a house for Habitat for Humanity while playing a role that would win an Emmy on two different shows? In fact, Shatner got the loudest hoots and applause from the Majestic crowd when he spoke of that time playing attorney Denny Crane on “The Practice” and “Boston Legal.”
Shatner closed his “World” with his one song of the evening: “Real” from his ’04 album “Has Been.” Like so much of his one-man show, that great album produced by Ben Folds stands as a personal, self-aware, self-mocking, strange, charming, emphatic and altogether truly fun-loving testament to Shatner at his most Shatner-ist. And of course, let’s not forget stellar.
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You know what the problem with sidewalks is? Aside from the concrete, it’s that they’re boring. Seeking to add some life to the drab grey pedestrian paths, artists Akay and Peter went around Stockholm, Sweden hanging 65 fun, ninja-like swings for the public to play with. The swings are made from rope, crates, cardboard and streetside creativity, for the sole purpose of remixing urban space and encouraging sidewalk enjoyment. Read on to learn more about these streetside playground interventions!
The swings are featured in the artists’ book, Urban Recreation, which details all their pranks and installations and playtimes. With water parks, dirt tables, toast coasters, and glassphemy springing up around the globe, it seems that joy and whimsy are necessary elements of sustainable design.
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Every New Year dawns with the wish for better times ahead. This year there are grounds for optimism that hope, at last, can be translated into reality in Northern Ireland. The one gift that the province desires above all else - political stability - may finally be attainable.
Sinn Fein, after years of prevarication, has now accepted that it must support policing and shun its paramilitary and criminal links if it is to be accepted as a truly democratic party. And the DUP, for ever the voice of unionist dissent, is running out of reasons to delay power-sharing with republicans much longer.
Provided Sinn Fein gives unequivocal backing to policing at its forthcoming special party conference, the timetable for elections and the resurrection of the Assembly could be back on track. Our richly rewarded politicians may well begin earning their salaries by early summer.
There are certainly plenty of hot issues awaiting locally-elected Ministers when they return to their Stormont desks. In their absence the Treasury has been tightening the economic screw on Northern Ireland and the new year will see higher rates bills for many and the introduction of water charges.
When these new charges are added to rising fuel costs and soaraway house prices, it is evident that the coming year will see many household budgets being increasingly strained. The Government may argue that Northern Ireland is only being asked to pay its way like every other region of the UK, but private sector incomes here are well below the national average and the rising bills will have a significant impact on many people.
Another thorny issue to be resolved is the question of education reform and academic selection. Threats to our grammar schools raise the hackles of the middle-classes. While the performance of our best schools are the envy of the rest of the UK, we also have to recognise that the system continues to fail far too many children, who leave school with few, if any, qualifications and poor literacy and numeracy skills. Retaining the best of the current system and improving the rest is the delicate balancing act awaiting a new Education Minister.
On the wider front, political agreement could transform the province, especially if accompanied by a worthwhile economic package, including a reduction in corporation tax rates. Political stability and reduced taxation would make the task of attracting high-value inward investment easier and Northern Ireland could begin to mirror the economic success of the Republic. Will 2007 be the year when we break the shackles of the past and move forward to a brighter future? The signs are encouraging but only time will tell.
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This morning saw the release of the second summary publication presenting the results of the 2011 census relating to socio-economic topics. Some quick reflections on employment trends. The headline figures are shocking, but don’t come as a surprise. In April 2011 the labour force stood at 2.23 million, an increase of about 123,000 or 5.8 per cent since 2006. The average annual increase of 1.1 per cent reflects a serious slow down compared to the previous, inter-censal period when growth averaged 4 per cent. Numbers at work fell by about 123,000 over the five-year period while the number of unemployed workers increased by about 245,000, up 136.7 per cent.
In April 2011, the unemployment rate as defined by the Census was 19 per cent (this is not the same as the official unemployment rate as defined by the ILO, which stood at 14.3 per cent). The 19 per cent figure arguably underestimates the scale of the problem if we take account of the fact that a substantial number of workers have moved out of the labour force for a range of reasons. Apart from the emigration vent, the report shows that the student population grew by 16.9 per cent since 2006. In particular, the male student population has experienced a strong increase with participation rates for 19 to 24 year of males increasing from 27.1 in 2006 to 38.9 per cent in 2011. Against the background of very high male youth unemployment rates (41.1% for 20-24 year old males) we may assume that quite a number of young males are finding refuge in the education sector. Overall, the total number of people outside the labour force was up by about 110,000.
Geographically, there are substantial differences in how the various local authorities fared. Limerick City, Donegal and Waterford City are topping the unemployment league with unemployment rates between 25 and 29 per cent. On the other end, below average unemployment rates are evident in Dublin City (18.5%) and its suburbs Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown (11.2%) and Fingal (16%), the commuter belt counties Kildare ( (17.9%) and Meath (18%), Cork County (14.8%), Limerick County (17.5%) and Galway County (18.1%). The greatest percentage point increases in the inter-censal period were experienced in Offaly, Wexford and Limerick City. Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Dublin City and Galway City experienced the smallest increase.
The general pattern is one of relatively low unemployment rates in the commuter belts of the main cities. The main cities are characterised by higher unemployment rates than their commuter zones but Dublin City (18.5%), Galway City (18.6%) and, to a lesser degree, Cork City are performing much better than Waterford City and Limerick City. In addition Dublin City, Galway City and Cork City have experienced amongst the lowest percentage point increases. Unemployment appears to be more a regional issue than a city-hinterland issue. These figures corroborate the findings of a recent analysis by Proinnsias Breathnach and me of the annual Forfás Employment Survey which monitors employment trends in firms which have received assistance from the government’s economic development agencies (see here). We showed how almost 80 per cent of jobs created by new foreign firms in the last decade were located in Dublin, Cork and Galway. The share of these three Gateways of all foreign employment rose markedly, from 49% to 58%, while Waterford and Limerick are losing share.
The Census analysis at Electoral Division level shows that substantial intra-city differences exist. Over half of the country’s unemployment 81 ‘blackspots’ (EDs where unemployment rates exceeded 35%) are found in Limerick City, Cork City, Dublin, City, Waterford City and South Dublin.
At an industrial level the greatest loss in employment occurred in the construction sector (-120,000) followed by manufacturing (-50,000). Most of the services sectors experienced employment growth. Employment in education grew by over 36,000, up 28.4%. Interestingly, employment levels in the financial services sector were up 9 per cent since 2006. I suggest that here the internationally traded segment is making up for the job-losses on the domestic front. Even ignoring the anomaly of the Irish construction industry, these figures reflect an ongoing international trend towards a tertiarisation of the economy. The services sector now accounts for 78 per cent of all employment in Ireland.
Whether this is a good or bad development clearly depends on the type of service jobs and the related earnings. The dynamics of persons at work by intermediate occupational group give us some insight – although the taxonomy is not unproblematic and lumps quite different occupations into the same categories (for a discussion see, Breathnacht, 2007). Most of the better paid informational economy occupations are experiencing employment growth. Managers and executives increased from about 123,000 to about 138,000, up 12.3 per cent. Other high-earning occupations experiencing growth include scientific and technical, health and related, teachers, central and local government, computer software and other professional. On the other end, we note gains in the relatively low earning personal services (up 7.8%) and sales (4.0%) occupations. Importantly, these two categories now account for over a quarter of all people at work. The falls in clerical and office occupations (-15.3%), engineering and allied trades (-27.3%), electrical trades (-30.2) and other manufacturing (-52.4%) may point to “a disappearing middle”. Although more detailed analysis is required the data seem to suggest a continued professionalization as well as polarisation of our society, a trend that started in the 1990s (Breathnach, 2007).
The spatial distribution of the various occupations has important implications for inter-regional spatial polarisation and balanced regional development. The data on socio-economic groups show clearly how the higher-income earning social groupings ‘employers and managers’ and ‘higher professionals’ are disproportionately concentrated in the East Region (See Rob Kitchin’s post today).
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The Lamar City Council recently ratified Mayor Roger Stagner’s signature on a letter in support of ARPA’s efforts to put the Repowering Project back on line. The coal fired plant has been out of operation since early 2011. It is not currently able to produce electricity at full capacity, or achieve full output without exceeding the limitations of the state-granted air quality permit. ARPA and the Lamar Utility Board have been involved in litigation with WildEarth Guardians, a group concerned with environmental issues, mostly coal-fired power plants, regarding the emissions operation of the Repowering Project. Raton, New Mexico, a former ARPA member, sued to be released from its membership citing cost overruns on the project which converted a natural gas plant into a coal based operation. Trinidad officials are also giving thought to similar actions. The following is the letter asking Trinidad officials to delay taking action until the Lamar plant can be brought on-line following repairs suggested by the boiler manufacturer.
The following is the letter being sent to area municipalities.
May 17, 2012
Mayor John Rino
City of Trinidad
P O Box 880
Trinidad, CO 81082
Re: Recent correspondence from the City of Trinidad Dated April, 17, 2012
Dear Mayor Rino,
We are writing this letter in response to your letter referenced above and to take this opportunity to encourage you and the City of Trinidad to reconsider its lawsuit against the Arkansas River Power Authority (ARPA).
While we all wish things would have went better with the construction of the Lamar Repowering Project, we believe recent steps taken by ARPA are in the best interest of all the members, including Trinidad. Over the past few months ARPA has:
- Reduced its staff by half which resulted in a significant savings to the company.
- Entered into a short term power sales agreement that allows ARPA to access the current economical power markets.
- Began discussions with power providers and consultants regarding long term power supply options.
- Improved its financial position while reducing rates to ARPA members by over 6% year to date.
- Commissioned an Integrated Resource Plan that identified the most economic method for providing power supply to its members and identified two year and five year plans that will implement the planned course of action.
- Developed a workable solution with the Lamar Utilities Board to reduce labor costs for the Lamar Repowering Project while still ensuring that a sufficient number of trained plant employees will be available for compliance testing scheduled for later this year.
Furthermore, ARPA is working closely with the boiler manufacturer, Babcock and Wilcox, and a team of engineers to resolve the emissions issues currently plaguing the plant. Significant progress has been made, and testing done in the fall of 2011 showed substantial improvement. It is expected that final modifications to be completed later this year will resolve the remaining compliance issues.
Recent history has provided a stark reminder of why we are stronger as a group than if standing alone. Early Friday morning, April 27, a handful of tornadoes touched down in the Lamar area damaging rural homes, businesses and both transmission and distribution lines service the Lamar service area. By mid-morning Friday, crews from Las Animas, La Junta, and Springfield joined the Lamar line crews to repair the damaged systems. Power was restored early that evening.
This does not differ much from the effort the ARPA member crews demonstrated about this time a year ago when a fire destroyed both the east and west feeds into the Fort Lyons Correctional Facility, which was the largest customer of Las Animas Municipal Light and Power and the largest employer in the county at that time. While government officials fretted about whether to invoke evacuation procedures for the facilities that may have resulted in a permanent closing of the facility, ARPA member utilities worked together feverishly to re-build the 69kV transmission line that restored power to the facility and thus avoided the premature closure.
As you are probably aware, it was the ARPA mobile substation and a crew from the City of La Junta working with the City of Trinidad line crews that energized the mobile substation at Trinidad allowing much needed outage work to be performed safely and with little inconvenience to the Trinidad consumers.
There is little doubt ARPA has had its share of challenges over the past few years, but strides have been made in a direction that will result in stable rates and a reliable power supply. We encourage Trinidad to recognize the recent, positive developments and join its fellow members in a cooperative effort to resolve the outstanding issues and overcome the challenges that remain. Our dollars are better spent on meeting the regulatory and operating challenges facility electric utilities rather than for litigation expenses.
If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to let us know and we will do our best to address them.
Brad Simon, Mayor Pro tem, Town of Holly
Roger Stagner, Mayor, City of Lamar (signed)
Dusty Turner, Mayor, Town of Springfield
Don Rizzuto, Mayor, City of La Junta (signed)
Lawrence Sena, Mayor, City of Las Animas
Editor’s Note: It is not known at the time of this article if all other Mayors have received the letter to act on the signature request.
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10 "Must Discuss" Items Before Your Teen Heads Off on Spring Break
In This Article:
Spring break is no longer just for college students. This annual ritual has trickled down to high-schoolers, many of whom are now attending parties and vacations without adult supervision. Before your teen heads off for fun in the sun, make sure you have an in-depth discussion involving safety and rules.
1. Help your child research and plan his trip.
This spring break, the best way to stay in-the-know is to stay heavily involved in planning the vacation. Make sure that you review your child's travel and board arrangements, and offer him tips for making smart decisions. If your child is traveling with a group of friends, stay in touch with the other parents to confirm that you are all on the same page.
2. Ensure that your teen will be accessible by telephone or email.
Provide your child with a cell phone or phone cards, and settle on specific times when you expect him to check in with you. Many kids are excited by the prospect of shedding parental supervision during spring break, but they need to realize that their parents still hold them accountable. Make it clear to your child that you expect him to report on his daily activities and whereabouts. Additionally, make sure you have all of the travel data and hotel contact information, as well as the phone numbers of your kid's travel buddies, in case you cannot reach your child.
More on: Spring Break
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Why Gated Communities are Becoming a Global Problem
Photo Credit: Dean Terry
The issue of gated and exclusively high-income communities in North America is rearing its ugly head again. It started earlier this year with the death of Trevon Martin, the young man visiting family in a gated community who ended up being accused of trespassing and shot dead in an altercation with a security guard.
This time, it involves Star Wars director George Lucas and property he once owned for his production studios in Marin County, a mostly rural area near San Francisco with high-priced housing.
Lucas plans to transfer some of his property to the Marin Community Foundation, which would work with a nonprofit developer to build low-income or “work force housing” projects throughout the area (apparently 60 percent of the jobs – in teaching, in-home health care, restaurants and other service-sector fields – go to people who commute long distances because they can’t afford to live there). One wealthy neighbor cried to the New York Times that Lucas was “inciting class warfare” by inviting poor people to move in.
This whole story brings to light the xenophobia problem plaguing gated and exclusively high-income communities across North America. The prevalence of gated communities has steadily risen across the United States since the 1960s. According to Arther Blakely, author of Fortress America, census figures showing that between 6 and 9 million Americans live behind gates. The appeal of gated communities lies in their promise of safety, privacy, exclusivity, and ultimately sameness and predictably.
People choose to live in these communities because they want to be around people like them and have freedom from the uncertainty of the outside world - most gated communities have a school, community centre, pool, and other amenities. You rarely have to leave the community, except when commuting to work.
Sonora Resort: a gated community near Disney World, Florida.
However that promise of safety and sameness is now proving to be pretty empty. In a recent article on gated communities in the Atlantic Cities, author Sarah Goodyear wrote:
By fostering suspicion and societal divisions gated communities can paradoxically compromise safety rather than increasing it. And because they cut residents off from the larger community, they can shrink the notion of civic engagement and allow residents to retreat from civic responsibility.
When you retreat into a big home in a gated or exclusively high-income community, you aren’t exposed to other cultures, people less fortunate than you, artists, senior citizens, etc. Common knowledge suggests that being exposed to different people and experiences is how we broaden our horizons. It is how we become inspired to do the little daily things that make the world a better place - like volunteering, making art or music, and creating or participating in community project.
In a gated community, you wouldn’t do any of these things because society’s problems are no longer your problem and, all you need for pleasure is there for you to passively enjoy. This might be okay on a vacation, but it does not make for an ideal society. People in gated communities run the risk of being culturally malnourished as they shut out difference and diversity for a predictable fantasyland that has no connection to reality. At Disney’s Golden Oaks community, you even have direct access to Disney World - the ultimate fantasy land and you never have to see the outside world!
Grandparents hiding behind their protective gates as a visitor enters their home in Golden Oaks.
This desire to live in gated communities is expanding beyond North America and becoming popular in emerging superpowers like China, India and Brazil - places where a new class of elite want to lock themselves away from those still struggling.
For example, in China they are building themed communities that bear no cultural connection to their location. Palm Springs, a gated community outside of Hong Kong has apparently been built to imitate the posh lifestyle of the desert resort town. The project was built in the early ’90s, and features three-story homes with terraces and backyards ideal for barbecuing.
The Palm Springs clubhouse in Chongqing, China
This international growth of gated communities is a troublesome trend. “In the places where the urban population is growing fastest, gated communities are fashionable for all the same reasons that they have been fashionable here in the United States – safety, prestige, privacy, exclusivity,” said Goodyear. “If urbanists’ worst fears about gated communities are true, the scale of what is happening in India, China, Brazil, and many other rapidly urbanizing countries around the world is chilling.”
She is right. It is chilling when our society would rather shut out the world’s problems than contribute solutions. Gated communities, like sprawling suburbs, are a threat to building authentic, vibrant communities. This is something North American planners and citymakers have come to realize. Hopefully the rest of the world will learn from our mistakes rather than repeating them.
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A few years ago, while kayaking alone a mile or so offshore on Maine's Rangeley Lake, I savored the solitude of a still afternoon, the silence broken only by the occasional cry of a loon.
Puffy cirrus clouds drifted across the summit of Saddleback Mountain about 5 miles east, while only clear sky separated me from a view of Bald Mountain to the west.
The drone of a boat engine interrupted my reverie.
I could see an inverted V of water pushed by its bow; it was approaching.
Damn! The whole bleeping lake and this jerk had to head right for me.
Then I noticed an official-looking insignia on the hull, and the driver's uniform. In seconds he had pulled alongside and cut the engine.
"Afternoon," he said. "Where's your PFD?"
"Uhhh, I think it's somewhere here," I replied, pretending to dig around in the cockpit. "Hmmm. Guess I must have left it on shore."
"Name?" the officer asked, pulling out a pen and a pad of citations.
As I gave him my personal information — for some reason, I recall, he also requested my height and weight — he wrote up the ticket, tore it off and handed it to me.
"This is just a warning," he said. "Next time it's a $50 fine."
"Thank you," I said. "You're absolutely right. I should know better."
"Now, where you heading?" the officer asked.
"That cove," I said, pointing to a distant inlet.
"OK, I'll follow."
"Thanks, officer, but you don't really have to ..."
"It's not like I want to," he said. "I have to. If something happened to you and they found out I let you paddle off without a life jacket I'd be in big trouble."
"Right," I said, and began paddling.
The police boat kept about 10 yards behind me all the way to shore, and waited until I stepped out of the kayak before speeding off.
I was lucky — not just because I dodged a fine, but because I didn't wind up as a statistic.
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the foolish risks of bicycling without a helmet, using a similar headline, and loyal reader Gregg Matis suggested I weigh in on an equally dumb thing to do: paddle (or, as far as I'm concerned, venture out in any boat) without a personal flotation device.
There's really no excuse not to wear one. The new models are lightweight, comfortable and relatively inexpensive (how can that even be a factor, considering what's at stake?).
I wear a short-waisted model ideally suited for kayaking, since it doesn't get hung up on my spray skirt. This type must be worn, not just stowed, since it won't keep you afloat unless it's strapped to your body.
On more than one occasion — once in white-water rapids, another time in rough seas on the south side of Fisher Island — I've flipped over, couldn't execute an Eskimo roll, and was happy to be wearing my PFD.
Some of my friends prefer even lighter inflatable vests but I don't trust their ability to fill automatically fill with air if a paddler is thrown from his boat and knocked unconscious.
Bad things can happen, particularly when you're in a small, human-powered boat surrounded by large, fast-moving motorized vessels.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, 70 percent of all fatal boating accident victims drowned, and of those, 84 percent were not wearing a life jacket.
The Coast Guard reports the most common types of vessels involved in reported accidents were, in order, open motorboats, personal watercraft, cabin motorboats; and canoes and kayaks. Last year more than 400 paddlers in the United States died in various mishaps, but clearly, other mariners — particularly those going out in small, open boats — are equally at risk.
Don't add your name to the list.
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SACRAMENTO, CA - The fastest growing profession in California, one that does not require a college degree for employment, may face big challenges if the legislation on Gov. Jerry Brown's desk gets approved.
The demand for home health care workers is soaring as baby boomers - the 78 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964 - get older and the cost of nursing homes and assisted living facilities increases.
Assembly Bill 889, which awaits Brown's pass or veto, would ensure that personal care aides, and other domestic care workers, qualify for overtime, get at least a 30-minute lunch break during a 10-hour shift and get 10 minute breaks every 2-hours.
For agencies that employ personal care workers, they would have to provide coverage for every single break, for every single worker; shorter shifts because required over-time pay would be unaffordable; and a surge in the cost of what many consider the cheapest delivery system of home health services.
"Our state association has been concentrating on these bills because they would really affect our industry," California Association for Health Services and Home Care Board of Directors Ken Erman said. "And they would make it impossible for us to operate and offer our services at an affordable rate to the clients. We have all of the providers throughout California coming into Sacramento and they've lobbied at all of the legislators offices, senators and such, and we've explained to them the ramifications of the bill"
In 2010, there were 61,000 home health care workers in the state of California; the projected number in 2020 is more than 93,000.
Critics of the legislation said with or without regulation, baby boomers are aging, and the need for health care services is growing. But the legislation, dubbed the "Domestic Workers Bill of Rights," critics said, will drive families who hire domestic workers to find the help "under-ground" and pay cash under the table.
Legislation similar to AB 889 was passed in New York earlier this year, but exempted home health care aides.
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I apologize to those for whom this is really, really old news. But i just got an energy audit from the Energy Trust of Oregon, and i want to make sure everyone knows about it. It could save you a ton of money in energy costs year-round.
You call up this awesome non-profit and they come out to your house to check how well your heating system works, how much insulation you have, how well your windows are sealed and whether your faucets are leaking, among other things. They replace your showerhead with a lower-flow one and put in new faucet heads on your sinks and replace all your old incandescent bulbs with compact florescent ones. They also leave you with a booklet on tax credits and incentives you can get from the state and the federal government, to improve efficiency in your home. And the whole consultation is free!
I got my landlord to agree to do this, after the outrageous numbers on last year's gas bills. With another four to five months of cold weather ahead, and me paying the bills on my own, i figured i should try to spare myself the aggravation and expense of literally feeling the heat sucked out of the windows that lack sealant and the walls that lack insulation. Hopefully the landlord will make some of the improvements, since in the end they'll get the money back in tax credits.
If you are a homeowner and you live in this state, you've got to do this, to save yourself some cash. At the Green Cities conference earlier this year, Mayor Sam Adams talked with mayors from other parts of the country about how Portland has become a leader in sustainability. He said the issue of sustainability was important, but the way that city leaders could convince their constituents that it was needed -- beyond the more altruistic idea of environmental stewardship -- was because of money. Sealing up your house saves you money. Sealing up a government building or school saves us all money. It also just happens to conserve our natural resources too.
If you don't live in Oregon, you can find some of the same tax credits and incentives for energy efficiency in other states too. They might not come to your house and do the work for you, but the programs are out there to be found.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Out here in pale sun
kicking maple leaves around
walking it off,
walking it all off.
It's the night that will envelop me;
blinded by the wet black dark
for what you've done this time.
On these long nights i start thinking
There is so much he doesn't see, this father of this child of mine.
He doesn't see a little girl on a purple bike, splashing through a puddle and slamming on the brakes. She's wobbled a little and is clearly frustrated, though normally this puddle would not be such a big deal. But this time, i call out "are you ok?" and she answers with less than the usual rebelangel pluck.
"I don't have a dad anymore," she sniffs, kicking at the wet pavement.
This is not true, per se. She's been catching snippets of my conversations with friends, which were supposed to be hushed, and behind my bedroom door. But she always knows the score, more or less.
She knows i've resolved not to let her be at her father's house for a while, on account of the string of sketchy people with missing teeth, the girlfriend with the stripper vibe, the phone that's cut off again, the reports of unreliable parenting, and a feeling i get in the pit of my stomach when i think about his spiraling life of late. I don't even want to invite the rage that would come should i ponder what danger he's possibly put her in, while she's been in his care.
Still, i am feeling the usual pangs of sorrow for my daughter's self-esteem, for the statistics about daughters and absent fathers, and for her feeling that my decision means she 'doesn't have a dad anymore.'
I tell her that she will always have a dad who loves her, no matter what. I shore up some kind of reassurance for her, because that is the only thing i can do -- reassure, and pray that it comes true. But i hate that i have to be the one to tell her that her father loves her.
Truth be told, sometimes i wish he weren't around at all. He brings so much sorrow to the people who love him -- his mother whom he ignores until he needs something, his two daughters with whom he oversleeps and overyells, their respective mothers who he's emotionally manipulated one by one, and even at the same time. He continually makes promises and breaks them, yet here i am reassuring her that he loves my daughter, because anything else would be an even bigger blow to her psyche.
At what point is it all right to give it to a kid straight that their parent is fucked up?
Is this just a bitter realization that they must come to on their own, since all other meddling will be seen as such? And does this non-meddling mean we as the other parent are supposed to defend the fucked-up parent's love for their child, when the conversation comes up?
Saturday, November 14, 2009
listening to the music
'this is a pretty good tune,'
til one comes on that makes you go
and you leap up
to dance and trip-step and
get spun on that song.
So like a melody,
love is this way.
You know it all in the first few notes.
These days i suppose i'm like the characters in Seinfeld, who i once derided for being so picky. They'd drop their love interests for minor infractions, and i just didn't get it. Now i do, and i do it. Not that there's anything wrong with that...
Is it that i am getting older, and more able to see what i want? Or is it that mixed with the fact that i have extremely high standards for the rebelangel's male influences?
Way back when, when episodes of Seinfeld were part of my purple-Bugaboo-jacket, 1990's consciousness, i suppose i found it hard to believe that someone knew themselves that well, because i suppose i didn't know my own self so well. Rejecting someone for the way they ate just seemed ridiculous.
It's not that i come up with quite such petty reasons to turn people down, but they are more particular than they used to be. Like the man i decided i couldn't date because i didn't like his teeth. Or the Leo man who seemed a bit too into himself -- a cardinal sin for the Leo woman who wanted that attention pointed my way. (I didn't say my requirements were rational...)
So i guess i'm just like Seinfeld in this way. And no, there shouldn't be anything wrong with that...
It's a song that grabs you
and you want to sing it over and over and over and over and over and
* Related article: Why I'm Not Waiting for Mr. Right *
* Related song: Jolie Holland's Damn Shame *
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On Wednesday morning, Acting U.S. Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank addressed the 2012 White House Tribal Nations Conference, where she emphasized the Commerce Department’s dedication to encouraging job creation and economic growth throughout Indian Country. The Acting Secretary highlighted the Commerce Department’s recent investment in five business centers to help American Indian and Alaska Native entrepreneurs and businesses. She also discussed the Department’s efforts to support workforce training, to bring more broadband access to rural reservations, and to help address the impact of climate change on tribal coastal communities.
Remarks as Prepared for Rebecca Blank, Acting U.S. Commerce Secretary
Good morning. Thank you all for coming. And thanks to Secretary Salazar and our friends here at the Department of the Interior for hosting the White House Tribal Nations Conference.
Just a few months ago, the Commerce Department, our Minority Business Development Agency, and the White House teamed up – We hosted the first-ever White House Forum on Business in Indian Country.
It was an honor to meet with tribal business leaders, and today it’s yet another honor to be with a broader group of tribal leaders as we continue to strengthen the government-to-government relationship.
For the past three years, we’ve seen steady economic growth in Indian Country and across the U.S. But as the President has said many times – we’re not going to rest until everyone who wants a job, has a job.
That’s why our top priority at the Commerce Department – and across the Administration – is to accelerate economic growth in order to bring more jobs, more opportunities, and more prosperity to all Americans.
That includes everyone from the Native-owned enterprise that is bringing renewable energy to a reservation, to the American Indian entrepreneur living in a big city, who wants to hire a family member to help launch a startup.
We need to do all we can to empower job creators throughout Indian Country who are working to build better lives for themselves, their families, and their communities.
I’ll give just a few examples of how we are doing that through the work of the Commerce Department.
First, the Minority Business Development Agency – MBDA – has worked aggressively to help Native-owned businesses. I already mentioned the first-ever White House forum that we held with tribal business leaders in September. We are planning a follow up to this meeting in the spring.
In addition, we have been working to reorganize MBDA. In that process, we reached out to this community and asked how we could serve budding entrepreneurs and business owners more effectively.
As a result, I’m pleased to say that we awarded $6.6 million for five new business centers – centers that are specifically aimed at helping American Indian and Alaska Native entrepreneurs and businesses.
These centers are based in Anchorage, Bismarck, Santa Fe, Tulsa, and Central California. They’re going to provide more tools to help American Indian and Alaska Native businesses compete and grow.
And, I should note that MBDA has a strong track record to build on. Over the past three years, they’ve helped nearly 2,000 Native-owned businesses secure more than $1.1 billion in contracts and capital.
A second bureau at Commerce that has a strong connection to Indian Country is the Economic Development Administration. EDA is making critical investments that speed up business development in economically-distressed tribal areas.
For example, EDA helped award a grant of $1.7 million last year to the United Tribes Technical College which serves about 20 tribes in the Dakotas and Montana.
They’re going to use this investment to do environmental risk mitigation along the Missouri River. Specifically, they’re going to train about 1,000 people while also working to springboard about 15 new businesses.
Smaller EDA grants can go a long way too. For example, back in 2009, we provide $100,000 to support a Native-run tannery in a village of about 500 people in Alaska. As you know, businesses like that often serve as the backbone of the local economy.
A third bureau at Commerce that is supporting Indian Country is the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. NTIA is connecting communities to each other and to the world through the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP). This includes about 50 projects that are helping tribal communities.
For example, we awarded $32 million to bring hundreds of miles of critical broadband to rural Navajo Nation in Arizona, Utah and New Mexico. This project is about three-fourths complete – bringing connectivity to about 30,000 households, 1,000 businesses and hundreds of educational and healthcare facilities.
In some cases, the communities getting these BTOP grants don’t even have phone lines. So, we’re helping Indian Country take not just a step forward in telecommunications, but in fact a giant leap.
I should note that Commerce also coordinates closely with other federal partners. For example, in July, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration helped with the inaugural First Stewards Symposium at the National Museum of the American Indian just down the street.
This event brought together tribal leaders and scientists to discuss how we can address the impacts of climate change on tribal coastal communities.
But as I close, I want to mention one final example that I think all Americans should know – regardless of whether or not you are from Indian Country.
Many of you have likely seen the rich data and information coming out of the 2010 Census. I want to thank all of you who served as advocates in your communities for being counted as part of the Census.
Earlier this year, we released what’s called a “Census brief” on the American Indian and Alaska Native Population.
It highlighted the fact that 5.2 million people identified themselves as part of the American Indian or Alaska Native community. That was a staggering jump of 27 percent compared to 2000.
Not only does that kind of information give us a better picture of who we are as Americans, but it opens people’s eyes to the fact that the contributions from Indian Country are more powerful than is sometimes recognized.
So my commitment to all of you today is this: The Commerce Department will continue to listen closely to all of you – and to people throughout Indian Country. And we’ll take action to empower and support your communities, as we have over the past four years.
Please reach out to my Senior Advisor on Native American Affairs, Dee Alexander, who many of you already know. Dee is eager to hear your questions and suggestions related to economic development and cultural resources. Dee serves as my Department’s Tribal Consultation Official.
MBDA National Director David Hinson as well as staff from EDA are also here and will be attending the economic development breakout session. They look forward to hearing from you today.
Our continued dialogue and partnership is absolutely crucial as we expand the economy and create jobs – from rural reservations and villages to America’s major cities. I look forward to our continued work together over the next four years. Thank you.
News Media Contact: Office of Public Affairs
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National Center for Smart Growth Director Gerrit Knaap joined local county officials in Annapolis Wednesday, December 12, 2012, for a Transportation Funding Summit to address the “dire” transportation funding shortage facing Maryland by 2017. The summit brought together county executives from across the state, area stakeholders, transit experts and advocates to brainstorm options for funding both new and existing transportation projects throughout Maryland, including Metro’s Purple Line and the Corridor Cities Transitway. Knaap, who served as a keynote speaker for the summit, presented a report on transportation’s role in the economy, both as a job producer and productivity booster for state industries.
“Investments in transportation infrastructure are a vital ingredient for economic growth, and we desperately need more capital to keep our economy moving forward,” explained Knaap. “We just need to come up with innovative ways to finance it.”
Possible solutions discussed by the roughly 150 attendees included a hike in the state’s gas tax, which hasn’t been raised since 1992. The ideas generated by the summit will help shape proposals in time for the January session of the Maryland General Assembly.
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Let’s talk about snacks for a moment, shall we? I’m one of those people that absolutely would not survive without snacks. I don’t usually eat huge meals and I can’t go more than a few hours without eating or I get SUPER crabby. Just ask my hubby! Even when I pack my “lunch,” I usually end up packing a lot of little things that I can snack on over the course of an hour or two, as opposed to one big meal.
As a future Registered Dietitian (RD), I know the importance of choosing healthy snacks and making the most of your calories. I always try to choose snacks that include both protein and carbs- protein to keep me full and carbs to give me energy!
I thought I’d share some healthy snack ideas with you guys today. I’m a vegetarian, so here are some meat-free snack options for you to enjoy!
10 Tasty + Healthy Vegetarian Snacks
Almonds + Fruit | The nuts are packed with healthy fats that are good for your heart, plus protein and the fruit will give you energy.
Trailmix | A super easy option that is totally customizable if you make it at home. For protein, choose things like nuts, seeds, roasted chickpeas, etc. and then balance it out with whole grain cereal, crackers and/or dried fruit. Choose unsalted nuts when possible and dried fruit without added sugar.
Plain greek yogurt with fresh fruit and granola | Greek yogurt is a great source of protein. Grab the plain kind to cut down on added sugars and sweet it naturally with with fresh fruit and a small drizzle of honey. Granola adds an extra crunch, but is a concentrated source of calories and can be high in sugar so only add a sprinkle.
Hard boiled egg with whole grain crackers | Hard boiled eggs are a great grab and go snack. Cook up a large batch to eat throughout the week as a source of protein and pair it with some 100% whole grain crackers for an energy boost.
100% whole wheat toast with nut butter | Nut butters are another source of protein for vegetarians. Choose your favorite and spread it on a slice of toast for a mid-morning treat.
Bean dip or hummus with fresh veggies | Hummus and bean dip are easy to make at home and totally customizable. Make them spicy, add roasted vegetables, try all kinds of beans...whatever makes you happy. Pair with fresh veggies for dipping.
Dates stuffed with peanut butter | Dates are naturally sweet and the perfect vehicle for stuffing. Simply slice down the middle, add some peanut butter, and gobble them up in just a few bites!
Low-fat cottage cheese with tomato slices | Cottage cheese is a great source of protein! Choose low-fat to limit the amount of saturated fat and pair it with some fresh tomato slices.
Quinoa and roasted veggie bowls | Quinoa is a nutritional powerhouse for everyone but is especially great for vegetarians as a protein source. Cook a big batch on Sunday while you're roasting a big tray of veggies, then mix the two and portion into snack-sized servings to eat during the week.
Smoothies | Smoothies are best when you make them yourself and you can control the ingredients. Be brave and add some leafy greens like spinach or kale to your next smoothie. Use frozen fruit like strawberries and bananas to cover the taste and throw in some plain greek yogurt for an added protein boost.
Hopefully this list gave you some new snack ideas! Now you tell me:
What's your favorite snack?
10/8/2012 at 10:20 AM
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Dr. Katherine Loflin joined Ann Possis May 17 to talk about her work in "placemaking". She advises elected officials, planners, businesspeople, and community leaders who are trying to imporve their cities and towns. Learn about the three main qualities that attach people to a place, why they're important, and how they relate to business, tourism, and more.
Ann Possis spoke May 3 with Erin Stojan Ruccolo of Fresh Energy, and Amanda Bilek of the Great Plains Institute, about the outlook for renewable energy in Minnesota. Thirteen percent of the state's electricity currently comes from renewables. Erin and Amanda talk about ideas and initiatives for making renewables a larger part of our energy base. They were in Grand Marais for the Northern Sustainability Symposium May 3-5.
Buck spoke May 3 with Dmitry Orlov, author of the award-winning book Reinventing Collapse: The Soviet Example and American Prospects, and of the forthcoming The Five Stages of Collapse: Survivors' Toolkit. Born in Russia, he moved to the U.S. while a teenager, and traveled back repeatedly to observe the Soviet collapse during the late '80s and mid-'90s. He talked about why the thinks the U.S. is headed for collapse, and how people must change their lives to survive.
World Book Night is April 23--learn how one organization is spreading the love of reading, person to person-
Carl Lennertz, executive director of World Book Night U.S., spoke with Buck Mar. 29 about World Book Night, held April 23 each year. The night is a celebration of books and reading, when 25,000 passionate volunteers across America give a total of half a million books within their communities to those who don’t regularly read.
Ann Possis spoke Mar. 29 with Prof. Dale Carpenter of the U of MN Law School, an expert in the areas of constitutional law and sexual orientation and the law. He was in Washington for last week's Supreme Court arguments on two landmark cases regarding the legal recognition of same-sex marriage, and shared his impressions and analysis.
Filmmaker Emily Haddad on her documentary about the first woman MN Supreme Court justice, "Girl from Birch Creek"-
Filmmaker Emily Haddad joined Ann Possis recently to talk about her latest documentary, "Girl from Birch Creek," the inspiring story of Rosalie Wahl, the first woman to be appointed to the MN Supreme Court. Emily talks about why she came to filmmaking, how she chose to tell Rosalie's story, and why it's important.
Ann Possis spoke with Prof. Elaine Tyler May of the U of Minn. on International Women's Day, Mar. 8. Prof. May is a historian whose work focuses on the intersections of gender, sexuality, domestic culture and politics. She reflected on what has been accomplished by and on behalf of women, as well as what still needs to be done to bring women into full equality with men.
Spoiler alert! Lake Superor State banished words are trending! Don't kick the can down the road...listen now.-
Lake Superior State University recently released their 38th annual Banished Words list. Buck chatted Feb. 15 with John Shibley of the university's PR department about what overused words are on this year's list. Spoiler alert! You can read the list here.
Will the world end Dec. 21 in the 'Mayan Apocalypse'? Psychology expert addresses the science of fear-
Bob spoke with Prof. Shmuel Lissek of the U of MN department of psychology Dec. 14. Lissek's specialty is the science of fear. They talked about how and why humans react to imagined fearful situations the same as to real ones, and what happens in our bodies and minds when we're afraid.
Mark Dimunation, chief of the Library of Congress' rare book & special collection division, joined Bob recently to discuss "Books That Shaped America." Learn how and why the list of 88 books were chosen, and how they affected our history. You can view the entire list here.
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Reuse in the Rear: Part two of our series on small-scale living explores a historic garage that gets a renovation for all ages.
Based on what you have seen and read about this project, how would you grade it? Use the stars below to indicate your assessment, five stars being the highest rating.
Although Jane Hardy and Rod Kochtitzky had not owned a house prior to buying a 1920 bungalow in Nashville’s historic conservation overlay district in 1992, they knew they would never have to make another purchase. “We could picture ourselves loving this home for the rest of our lives, and investing in renovations to make it fit our needs over the years,” Hardy says. The investments started almost immediately. The couple converted the attic to bed and bath spaces. In addition, Kochtitzky and Hardy hired architectural designer Will Hendricks to stabilize a long-abandoned garage and servants’ quarters that, despite extensive water damage, had potential as an in-law apartment.
In bracing the so-called Little House, Hendricks also restored the exterior to better reflect the garage’s historic design. In 1995 the Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County Historic Commission commended the redo for preserving regional architectural heritage. Eleven years later Kochtitzky and Hardy revisited the Little House project, to tackle the 750-square-foot interior…
share: more »
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Filed under: Activities & Attractions, Historic Places & Landmarks, Nature & Wildlife, Outdoor Recreation & Hiking
A Gift for the Difficult to Buy For…
On our way to our Chavez Canyon hike this summer, we happened to pass through the town of Abiquiu, NM and subsequently Ghost Ranch, NM. Ghost Ranch was the estate of Georgia O’Keeffe, the famous artist and painter. She found great inspiration in the red rock topography of the area and the nearby mountain, Pedernal. It was easy to understand that inspiration, even for us non-artist types, as we traveled through the area on the way to our hike.
I had been a Georgia O’Keeffe fan long before ever setting foot in northern New Mexico. But like O’Keeffe, the first time I got a glimpse of Pedernal back in 2000 as we were traveling through the state for the first time, I was hooked.
Ghost Ranch Education and Retreat Center consists of 21,000 acres of red rock canyons, majestic mesas and amazing skies. Situated at 6,500 feet above sea level, the terrain offers much to the artist, writer and nature enthusiast alike. Currently operated by the Presbyterian Church, Ghost Ranch has as its mission to provide a place for deep self-exploration in a variety of areas.
To that end, there are numerous program options, something for every interest and price range. One option is a one night exploration of the area available for $89. Visitors enjoy breathtaking views of the towering rock walls and vivid colors of Ghost Ranch – where Georgia O’Keeffe lived and painted for over fifty years. With two museums, gift shops, a bodywork program, a library and incredible hiking trails you’ll partake in some of the best New Mexico has to offer. There is no phone or TV in your room so prepare yourself for a completely uninterrupted retreat and adventure.
A longer option, at a higher price point of $360, is a hiking exploration of the area. Visitors spend five days hiking and exploring some of the near and far reaches of the 21,000 acres that make up Ghost Ranch. You’ll see places off the beaten path not usually visited. Hikes will be 5-7 miles in length at elevations up to 7,500 feet. Some of the hiking will be off trail on uneven ground. Optional evening activities round out the day.
Still other options include courses with local artists, working, living and painting the very hills by which O’Keeffe was inspired. One week long workshop invited students to spend six days in the canyons of Abiquiu exploring connections to the land by giving form to them in art and learning application and landscape principles as well.
For the anthropology enthusiast, there are also opportunities to explore scientific discoveries. Tawa hallae, a new species of small carnivorous dinosaur discovered at Ghost Ranch Education and Retreat Center is the oldest North American dinosaur known from almost complete skeletons. This discovery provides new information on the evolution of early dinosaurs and their dispersal across ancient continents.
If you are at a loss for a gift for the sports, art, nature or science enthusiast in your life, or just looking for something different for the curious at heart, or a special gift for yourself, give the gift of a course or a stay at Ghost Ranch. It is sure to be appreciated!
Read more about New Mexico camping and things to do in New Mexico.
Last 5 posts by Diane Berry
- Another Winter Family Adventure - February 10th, 2013
- A Winter Family Adventure! - February 3rd, 2013
- The Forest in Winter - January 27th, 2013
- A Lookout in Winter - January 20th, 2013
- Picuris Peak 2: The Royal Road! - January 13th, 2013
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Part 2, Note 23
Click Here to See All Notes to Part 2
Williams and Barker, eds., The Writings of Sam Houston, vol. 1, p. 379; Henry Stuart Foote, Texas and the Texans (Philadelphia: Thomas, Cowperthwait & Co., 1841), pp. 269-271, 273 which presents, in two footnotes, an account of the scouting expedition written by one of its members, John Sharp; John H. Jenkins, ed., The Papers of the Texas Revolution 1835-1836 (Austin: Presidial Press, 1973), vol. 5, p. 152; Robert Hancock Hunter, The Narrative of Robert Hancock Hunter (Austin: Encino Press, 1966), p. 12; Petition of Leander Beeson and Heirs of Benjamin Beeson, Memorials and Petitions, Texas State Archives, Austin; Louis E. Brister, trans. and ed., "The Journal of Col. Eduard Harkort, Captain of Engineers, Texas Army, February 8-July 17, 1836," Southwestern Historical Quarterly, vol. 102, no. 3, January 1999, p. 316. The scouting party rendezvoused at Jesse Burnam's house before proceeding to the Navidad. Burnam's house, too, was burned during the campaign, though apparently by others (see Petition of Jesse Burnam, Memorials and Petitions, Texas State Archives, Austin). Though Sharp implies that the date was March 16, it seems evident from his description of the mission that he and the other scouts were not detached from the army until after it had reached or started toward Crier's. Three of the nine men, Sharp, Smith, and Karnes, have been mentioned. Four of the others were John D. Owen, Clark M. Harmon, Benjamin C. Franklin, and Robert Eden Handy. The other two are identified by Sharp as Murphy and Secrest. The first was probably William Murray, who served in Sharp's company; the second Washington H. Secrest, who was associated with both Karnes and Smith. Sharp and Karnes also helped to set the fires in Gonzales (see Foote, Texas and the Texans, p. 268). After the conclusion of the hostilities, Secrest would move into the Columbus area. He married Comfort Robinson, the widow of William Robinson and the sister of Sion Record Bostick, on November 25, 1837 (see Austin County Colonial Records, Succession Book 1, pp. 43, 55; Colorado County Marriage Records, Book B, p. 4).
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Rep. Donna Schlachman, D-Exeter, protested the state's new Voter ID law on Election Day by showing up at the polls with no identification.
She chose one avenue of verification by having the town moderator verify who she was. "I opposed this law and I'm like a lot of other people who think it is unnecessary," said Schlachman, who was re-elected for a third term.
Despite her opposition, Schlachman said until she finds out more about the law's impact, overturning it is not a top priority for her even though Democrats regained control of the House. "Right now," she said. "We need to focus and put a lot of energy into jobs, the budget and the economy."
Despite concerns that New Hampshire's new Republican-backed Voter ID law might lead to confusion and long lines, voters turned out in near-record numbers.
"It was less of an issue than we thought it would be," said Valerie French, deputy town clerk in Portsmouth.
French said the city had about 215 "challenge affidavits" for people who didn't have an ID or declined to show one but who were registered, or those who registered on Election Day and didn't have proper ID. "Most of the people were registered and genuinely didn't have an ID," she said.
The other concern of election officials was that 160,000 names purged from voting lists statewide would lead to a surge of same-day registrations. This is a once-a-decade practice by the Secretary of State's office for those who hadn't voted in the previous four years. The purge decreased Portsmouth's registered voting list from 19,188 to 17,047, but the city was prepared to handle same-day registrations and challenge affidavits, French said. Overall, 78 percent of eligible city voters cast ballots Nov. 6, an increase of 10 percent from 2008, but French said the 2008 total was based on the higher registration number before the voter-list purge.
Hampton Town Clerk Jane Marzinzik said turnout was close to 80 percent, similar to 2008 and average for a presidential election. Voter ID was barely an issue. There were a few protests and they gave us a little bit of a hard time," she said.
Marzinzik estimates the town had about 100 challenge affidavits and most were voters who were registered but had left their ID in their car. Hampton saw a surge in same-day registrations to 887, which was 222 more than in 2008.
Exeter had about an 80 percent turnout, said Town Clerk Andrea Kohler, which she said was similar to 2008. The town had about 60 challenge affidavits out of 8,995 votes cast. "It was a very small percentage, and about half were registered voters but didn't have ID with them, and half were same-day registrations," she said.
The Secretary of State's office said almost 719,000 ballots were cast. While the state set a record for ballots cast for presidential candidates, it fell short of a total voter turnout record. Overall, 68.5 percent of voting-age eligible residents cast ballots, with more than 99,000 registering on Election Day.
An estimated 1 percent, or about 7,000 voters, filed challenge affidavits, which required voters to state and swear they were who they said they were and lived where they said they lived. The next step is for the Secretary of State's office to send notices to voters who filed challenge affidavits, notifying them a vote was cast in their name and that they must reply to confirm this. For those who don't reply, or if a notice is undeliverable, those names will be turned over to the attorney general's office to be investigated for potential voter fraud.
Outgoing Republican House Speaker Bill O'Brien made Voter ID a top priority, saying it would prevent fraud, and lawmakers overrode Gov. John Lynch's veto of the measure, which was co-sponsored by Deputy House Speaker Pamela Tucker, R-Greenland. New Hampshire Democrats said it was unnecessary to combat a non-existent problem and would lead to confusion and voter suppression, especially among students and the elderly who might not have a proper ID.
"During the campaign, I went door-to-door and talked to a lot of people who thought it was nonsense," Schlachman said. "I also talked to people who didn't think it was a big deal, because we show an ID at a lot of places, and thought it was an idea whose time had come."
Rep. Timothy Horrigan of Durham is one of two House Democrats who filed legislative service requests (early forms of bills) to overturn the Voter ID law and another measure dealing with registration.
Rep. Brian Murphy, R-Rye, who did not seek re-election, supported Voter ID and said it worked in the politically neutral way he hoped it would. In particular, he said, it allays any suspicions about the integrity of votes and has the benefit of putting New Hampshire in a good position to maintain and enhance its stature as the first-in-the-nation primary state.
Tucker also believes the bill worked as intended. "It was a great bill and, despite all kinds of hoopla that this would lead to voter suppression, it didn't hurt turnout," she said.
The law's next phase will go into effect in September 2013, when fewer forms of IDs will be allowed (including student IDs) and local election officials will be required to take a photo of anyone filing a challenge affidavit.
Marzinzik said she hopes the Legislature drops that provision. "It's not something I want to see a town moderator or election person have to do," she said. "I just think the law that was created is sufficient."
Schlachman agrees. "This step is as far as we need to go. I don't see any evidence that we need to do (photos)."
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